The endless darkness shrouded this vast land, and the faint glow of stars and the sporadic lights of fireflies in the jungle were among the few bright spots in this world.
The night was foggy, like a thin veil covering a grey and white city.
In the center of the city stood a graceful and enchanting statue, which could be seen with a slight look upward upon entering the city.
In the dim light, she radiated a unique moonlight brilliance, her pure and sacred, and exquisitely dignified face made every newcomer to the city hold their breath involuntarily.
The statue seemed lifelike, like the Night Governor Goddess adorned in a robe woven from the moon and fog—her tempting figure, hidden in this haziness, was even more mesmerizing.
Even though she was a breathtaking beauty, the people of the city did not dare harbor any irreverence towards her.
She was the ruler of this city.
She didn't symbolize anything like beauty, faith, or freedom, but more often than not, she represented slaughter and war.
The people called her the Valkyrie, who in just a year's time had tamed this wild and chaotic land.
The city and its surrounding territories finally gained a semblance of order, with established laws and regulations.
...
The city guards were somewhat negligent, turning a blind eye to anyone entering the city, including the beggars, who poured in raggedly and in droves.
Zhu Minglang lingered at the city gate for quite some time and upon seeing the crowd of beggars, he decisively joined them and successfully entered the Eternal City.
This group of beggars, having fled from some city-state, spoke a language Zhu Minglang could not understand a word of. When they saw the misty statue of the Valkyrie, they all froze in place, standing still for several seconds before leaving with drooping heads and a deflated spirit.
They were originally from the Sang town tribe and had their own Wuzhai City. Despite their land not being vast, they were considered a significant power in this region.
A year ago, their Wuzhai City was destroyed; the ruler's corpses were neatly displayed on the streets. With no one to protect them, half became slaves and the other half homeless refugees who, after roaming through several cities, ended up in the domain of the very person responsible for their misfortune.
It was almost ironic that within a mere year, any thoughts of revenge or revival had been ravaged by exposure to the elements and hunger to the point of vanishing completely.
They merely longed for a wall to keep out wild beasts and avoid lying dead in the wilderness, and for a dirty street to huddle and survive on, even if the towering city walls and long streets belonged to the Valkyrie who destroyed their Wuzhai City.
"Soup's being handed out, head to the backstreet," a buck-toothed man in official uniform coldly told the swarm of beggars, who were like cockroaches and rats.
"Esteemed Official, I am from Sang town. I encountered some bandits on my way to deliver silk to the City Lord Mansion. They took my money and the silk intended for the City Lord, leaving me in this state. Could you please notify Uncle Wang from Sang town to come for me?" Zhu Minglang approached and politely asked.
"What nonsense, what nonsense, stay away from me. If you die of starvation without getting soup, stay away from this main street. If the Female City Lord sees this mess, it'll be my head," the buck-toothed soldier did not pay any attention to Zhu Minglang's words but instead cursed angrily.
Zhu Minglang had no choice but to step aside. Soon, a group of displaced people who heard the soup distribution rushed to the backstreet, almost dragging Zhu Minglang along with them.
The backstreet was very dilapidated, a far cry from the main street, with hardly a few intact houses made of wood and mud, all in disarray. Entering such a place seemed to dissipate all the warmth of human life, leaving only decay and desolation.
The soup distribution was not a lie, for at the very end of the backstreet, a blue-dressed Maid from the City Lord Mansion was serving soup.
Her smile was kind, and she showed no disdain for the lice-ridden vagrants, continuing to serve bowl after bowl of soup even though her delicate hands got dirty.
Zhu Minglang was hungry too. Encountering such a situation, he could only follow the local customs and accept the charity.
"Thump thump thump thump thump…"
But before long, the displaced beggars began to fall one by one—not just collapsing backward but somersaulting forward as well.
Some vagrants who remained conscious saw this and were frightened into running away, but before they could get far, they suddenly began to convulse, foaming at the mouth.
Zhu Minglang was stunned as well.
Could it be!
He had heard that some ruthless rulers of city-states, to keep their city's appearance prosperous and sacred, would periodically distribute soup to worthless individuals like the homeless, refugees, and beggars, then poison them and dispose of the bodies outside the city en masse.
Just like dealing with rats in a sewer…
The thought that he might meet such an end filled Zhu Minglang with tons of resentment.
And if he died, who would take care of the little one? It needed to eat so many mulberry leaves every day!
"Thump! Thump! Thump!!!"
The refugees kept falling, their eyes wide open with unconcealed indignation and resentment. But the land had always been cruel, and some rulers would take away others' cities and homes for mere words of offense, let alone their lives for the aesthetics of a city.
Stateless refugees are no different than rats on someone's prosperous street, and even if they abandoned all dignity and struggled to survive, their end would not be good.
Zhu Minglang's head began to feel dizzy.
He was a bona fide resident of Eternal City, a hardworking farmer of mulberries, an honest silk merchant, who paid taxes on time and made contributions proactively.
If those people were rats, then having ingested rat poison, they would die; I consider myself at least a loyal ox, unfortunately having mistakenly consumed the poison in my own courtyard... Spare my life!
Zhu Minglang simply didn't have time to prove his identity when several soldiers, each with a Cold Moon Long Knife at their waist, came out of the courtyard carrying sacks.
He struggled to stay conscious.
In the end, Zhu Minglang still couldn't escape the potency of the "rat poison" and staggered to the ground.
Right before losing consciousness, he caught a glimpse of a pair of jade feet, stepping delicately, elegantly approaching from the depths of the courtyard…
Zhu Minglang desperately tried to see clearly the owner of the jade feet, but he completely lost consciousness.
In that drug-induce haze mix with chaotic thoughts and dream world, the jade feet and the sculpture of the Valkyrie of the Nine Cities fused into one, becoming a vivid, lifelike beauty, approaching with a willowy figure.
…
A rare beautiful dream, Zhu Minglang felt that even the Old Heavenly Father hadn't treated him unfairly, blessing him with a splendid illusion before his head fell.
He dreamt that the statue at the center of the city, supple and tender, came to life, slowly crawling towards him under the dim light of an oil lamp, that slightly lifted exquisite face was the ultimate visual pleasure of this world, and what followed made Zhu Minglang feel that passing away wasn't such an unacceptable event.
…
"Ah, I'm going to die."
Zhu Minglang couldn't help but cry out, thinking it all to be but a vision before death, only for his own echo to sound through this enclosed space shortly after.
"Going to die… going to die… died…"
Zhu Minglang heard his own echo and slowly came to his senses.
He observed his surroundings and discovered that he was in a dungeon; the light from the flickering oil lamp wasn't an illusion, and when he reached out a hand, he could even feel the heat.
I'm not dead??
Could it be that that wasn't poison meant for getting rid of rats!
This is bad, if I'm still alive, it's highly likely that these people will sell me to the remote mines of Shishan to be a slave!!
To be a slave in those secluded mine tunnels… I'd rather be poisoned to death!
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, a pleasing hum sounded, right beside Zhu Minglang.
Zhu Minglang turned his head and only then did he realize that there was a naked woman lying beside him.
Her hair was like black, chestnut-colored silk, the lingering flush on her cheeks casting a beauty beyond words; his heart stopped beating in the instant of close scrutiny, then in the next second, it began to race uncontrollably.
What's going on!
Wasn't I just dreaming??
Why am I in a dungeon?
And why am I locked up with a woman?
Her appearance clearly resembles the statue standing at the very center of the city, the Valkyrie who appeared as a serene Fairy yet wielded the tactics of an iron-blooded emperor!
"You're all awake, sis, you're looking quite radiant. It seems this little vagabond served you really well last night," a fox-like shrill female voice came from beyond the high iron window.
The woman beside Zhu Minglang was still a bit groggy, as if heavily drunk.
"I wonder how many hearts will shatter when they hear that the sister, brilliant as the firmament, has shared a bed with a little beggar. But don't worry, sis, I will make sure this news reaches every ear, becoming the most savory topic for people to relish over meals," the fox-like voice continued.
The words fully awakened the woman next to Zhu Minglang; before she could respond in anger, the steps outside grew fainter, and the mocking, sharp laughter echoed long in the chilly dungeon.
Zhu Minglang was puzzled as he gazed at the woman by his side, now imprisoned.
The woman before him was unmistakably the City Lord of this place, the so-called Valkyrie, her transcendent beauty too easy to recognize, even without any clothes on... cough, in short, Zhu Minglang was sure it was her.
So, judging from what that speaking person just said…
"Were you overthrown?" Zhu Minglang broke the silence of the dungeon with his question.
This land had always been in utter chaos, with wars never ceasing, and the turnover of rulers as frequent as the changing seasons.
The Valkyrie said nothing, using her long hair to cover herself, but unfortunately, her thin parts were lean and her full parts generous, not everything could be concealed.