The waiter settled Tao Chuyi comfortably, then went off to serve other guests and never returned.
People came and went in the noodle shop, making it far from quiet, but it still felt perfectly safe. The shop owner was a stern-faced middle-aged man who stood perpetually behind the counter, as if overseeing everything. His gaze turned especially contemptuous whenever it drifted toward the corner.
Tao Chuyi finished an entire large bowl of noodle soup on her own, patted her belly, and felt quite satisfied. Suddenly remembering she still needed to go to the Dali Temple to find Fairy Sister, she finally got up to look for the waiter.
“Let’s go to the Dali Temple.”
The waiter grinned from ear to ear, agreeing readily as he led her to the back courtyard.
“Young master, just follow our boss, and he’ll take you to the Dali Temple.”
“Thank you.”
Tao Chuyi obediently trailed behind the shop owner. Unlike the chatty waiter, the owner was extremely serious, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly. He focused solely on leading the way, barely uttering a word throughout the journey.
The path twisted and turned, all through underground tunnels, and Tao Chuyi couldn’t quite keep track of it. She had no choice but to stick close, afraid of losing him.
It was impossible to tell where they were headed. They started from the cellar in the noodle shop’s back courtyard and entered a dim, narrow passageway. Midway, the shop owner lifted a red lantern from the stone wall, finally providing some proper light.
“Have we reached the Dali Temple yet?” Tao Chuyi was exhausted from walking and didn’t want to go any farther.
The shop owner didn’t turn around, pressing onward. “Almost there.”
Light appeared ahead, and Tao Chuyi thought they’d arrived at the Dali Temple. Instead, they emerged from the tunnel into a wine cellar.
The cellar was dim and damp, thick with the heady scent of alcohol that made her dizzy.
The noodle shop owner came to a stop and hung the red lantern on the wall. Moments later, a burly, rough-looking man descended. He glanced back, sized Tao Chuyi up and down, then clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
“I told you to bring a girl. How’d you drag in a boy?”
A sinister smile crept across the shop owner’s stern, shadowy face. “He’s an idiot. He won’t run, and even if he’s caught, he won’t say a thing. Sure, he’s a boy, but this delicate young master, pampered with such soft skin—this one’s worth a pretty penny skinned and turned into a painting.”
“What’s ‘skinned and turned into a painting’?”
Tao Chuyi blinked in confusion. “Does skinned mean a new writing brush?”
“Yep, a real idiot.”
The burly man snorted with laughter, then strode toward Tao Chuyi. With his thick arms, he scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack.
“From a wealthy family after all—even their fools are raised so finely.”
Tao Chuyi had no idea what was happening as she was carried off. Seeing the noodle shop owner ignore her and walk away, she panicked.
“Put me down right now! I need to go to the Dali Temple!”
“What Dali Temple? Oh, right—once we peel that skin off you, they’ll carry your corpse there for inspection.”
The burly man tossed her into a cell, where seven or eight young women huddled inside. They shrieked in terror at the sight of her being thrown in.
The cell door slammed shut, secured with iron chains as thick as a python’s body. Forget the powerless girls inside—even the burly man would have to break an arm to snap them from within.
Tao Chuyi scrambled to her feet and spat out bits of straw that had poked into her mouth.
Hearing sobs behind her, she turned to see the girls huddled together, their faces pale with fear.
“Sisters, why are you all here too?”
The women had been wary at first, but her innocent, foolish demeanor put them at ease. After her barrage of questions, someone finally spoke up.
Some lived in the Capital City, others had come from distant provinces. Each had been trafficked in different ways—some seeking a livelihood, some lured by charming young men they fancied, and others betrayed after kindly sheltering the unfortunate.
“They keep changing their identities and use all sorts of people,” one explained. “Some run restaurants, others pose as kindly old folks. It’s not just men—women, elders, even children could be traffickers. You can guard against outsiders, but not betrayal from those close to you. It’s impossible to stay vigilant.”
The girl in pink robes spoke sadly.
Once she started, others chimed in. Venting helped ease their hearts, but what could they do? Escape was impossible.
“They’re brutally cruel. They kidnap people and either sell them to brothels or deliver them to perverse nobles for torture unto death. Worse still, they skin and dismember victims to craft into scrolls or vases for display. There were over twenty girls in this cell once. Now, only we remain.”
With that, the girls broke into heartbroken sobs that echoed endlessly. Normally, Tao Chuyi might have found it annoying, but in that moment, a bold idea struck her: she would lead them all out.
They dismissed her grand declaration as childish nonsense.
The girl in pink kept watching her closely. “Young master, where is your home? What’s your name? Do you have family?”
Tao Chuyi was too focused on rescuing the girls to notice the questions.
“I have a lot of strength!”
The girl in pink wasn’t offended by the interruption. She merely smiled faintly. “Young master, you’re barely keeping yourself safe. How could you save us?”
“As long as I’m full, I can do it. I really am very strong.”
Tao Chuyi thought for a moment, remembering the phrase. “Oh yeah—strong as an ox!”
That evening, the burly man returned with nine bowls of rice and dishes, meat and vegetables alike—the fare was decent. But none of the girls had any appetite. It was like fattening pigs for slaughter.
Tao Chuyi was the only one hungry. She polished off her bowl and eyed the others’.
The girl in pink gritted her teeth and pushed her food over. “Young master, eat mine. If you get full and can get us out, I’ll be your ox or horse in repayment for life.”
Seeing this, the others followed suit, offering their portions to Tao Chuyi. Nine bowls were too many; she wolfed down three full ones and let out a satisfied belch.
Deep into the night, with the guards fast asleep, no one thought these women could break the chains and flee—no need for constant watches.
All eight girls watched Tao Chuyi intently as she sat by the cell door, gripping the two ends of the iron chain. She strained with all her might, teeth gritted, but nothing happened at first.
Just as hope began to fade, she tapped into a surge of power rising from her dantian, spreading through her limbs.
She had no idea why this roiling mass of qi churned within her, but whenever it did, her strength surged.
She figured it was just from eating too much, causing belly bloat— that’s what her father had always said.
The chain began to rattle, and the girls’ eyes widened anew. The girl in pink, closest to her, saw it most clearly: power flowed visibly along the links.
With a sharp snap, the chain—thick as a python—split cleanly in two.
