Chapter 803: The bottomless epitome

There were many members of the Self-Salvation Society.

Their ages varied; the uncle leading them was around forty, while the others ranged from fifteen to thirty, both male and female.

Because the house was small, they huddled tightly together, curled up inside, yet they didn't seem to feel pain; instead, they seemed to experience true happiness.

There was even a young boy who looked at Xiao Chan somewhat shyly, because although Xiao Chan was still young, she was indeed a beauty in the making, otherwise, she wouldn't have been chosen by 'Mama'.

Seeing the boy’s reaction, the others also started teasing him, talking about women and marriage.

This surprised Xiao Chan greatly, because having grown up in a brothel, she knew a lot about such things, but… the more she knew, the more she detested it.

This was the surprising part, because… she found that even though they were discussing the same topics, their words didn't disgust Xiao Chan at all.

They happily confided in each other about marriage-related matters, but there was absolutely nothing vulgar.

They talked about the marriage plans of the unmarried, or interesting anecdotes from wedding banquets they had attended; sometimes they would burst into laughter and then utter a few overly frank hints about the enjoyment of love.

It seemed that to these people, who were enduring such hardship, love was always sacred, and even when spoken of explicitly, it still remained pure.

This completely different view on 'bed matters' made Xiao Chan feel a sense of novelty.

Perhaps it was the goodwill brought by this conversation, so facing the people of the Self-Salvation Society, Xiao Chan recounted her past.

Her life had indeed been very tragic.

Before the age of seven, she was born in a small village, barely surviving on barren land; coupled with war, frequent natural and man-made disasters, her path to survival was cut off, prices soared, and human trafficking was rampant, which provided abundant human resources for the booming brothel industry.

So, naturally, at the tender age of six, she was unknowingly sold to 'Mama'.

Moreover, this was considered good luck.

In their village, almost every girl yearned to be chosen by 'Mama'; parents always tried every means to send young girls to 'Mama', even if it meant starting as a maid, hoping that once they were a bit older and lived with 'Mama', they could have a better life.

What a good life it was! Life with 'Mama' was much better than in the village.

Learning cultivation methods, studying poetry and songs, proper sitting posture and etiquette, and cultivating knowledge – no matter how hard or tiring it was, compared to life in the village, it didn't feel bitter at all.

However, precisely because of this, the direct consequence of the massive number of people in the industry was that there were too many monks and too little gruel, leading to fierce competition across the entire industry and a rigid hierarchy within it.

Mama was the absolute leader, and every level below had to climb up layer by layer.

She endured a great deal of hardship to finally climb up, thinking she finally had face and pride.

Then 'Mama' grabbed her hair and told her that no matter what, she would always be inferior.

After escaping from 'Mama', she experienced many more things before finally coming into contact with the Self-Salvation Society.

She felt very miserable and unlucky, even developing the thought of returning to 'Mama'.

As she spoke, she cried to the people of the Self-Salvation Society, her tears falling like pear blossoms in the rain.

However, at this moment, she heard the uncle from the Self-Salvation Society say faintly, “Your hatred is small; don’t cry, it makes my heart anxious.”

Xiao Chan's mental state exploded on the spot.

Her tears turned to anger, and she immediately lashed out at the uncle from the Self-Salvation Society, unleashing her impotent rage upon him.

Why?

She was already in such a state, yet she still had to endure ridicule?

But the uncle merely said faintly, “In our Self-Salvation Society, there are all sorts of people like you, and many more whose hatred is far greater than yours.”

These words choked Xiao Chan.

Then, she expressed disbelief, strongly doubting his statement.

To this ten-year-old girl, she felt she was the most miserable, that what she had suffered was the most terrible thing in the world; how could anyone be more tragic than her?

But then the uncle said, “Some of you girls, the popular ones, it’s no exaggeration to say you earn a thousand gold a night; the clothes and rouge you use are extremely advanced, you travel by carriage, and nobles and dignitaries are all captivated by you, truly magnificent.”

Then, he began to name the people around him, as if listing family treasures.

The woodcutter outside had his sister abducted and his brother beaten to death, his body left hanging from a large tree at the village entrance.

The person who brought you back earlier, his younger brother was conscripted by the army to be a civilian laborer and never returned; his elderly mother died of grief, and originally he and his brother could support a family, with no one daring to bully them, but after he was alone, everyone tried to take advantage of him, and his family property was completely plundered.

The woman who brought Xiao Chan back earlier, that auntie in her forties, was once a famous courtesan; though not a courtesan queen, she was highly valued, but after she grew old and lost her beauty, she ended up in a small alley, becoming a cheap 'brothel keeper', and within two years, she nearly died in a straw hut from poverty and illness, only to be found by the people of the Self-Salvation Society.

The uncle handed Xiao Chan a cup of tea and said, “Your hatred is not yours alone; it is ours, it belongs to all those oppressed by this world. Our Self-Salvation Society is an organization dedicated to avenging countless people like you.”

These words silenced Xiao Chan for a long time.

After a long while, Xiao Chan proactively asked, “What about you, Uncle… what hatred do you have?”

The uncle smiled and said, “Your hatred is my hatred. I am here to make sure all your hatred disappears, so that your next generation… will be like me, without hatred.”

These words were ambiguous, leaving Xiao Chan unable to understand.

But she didn't think much about it, only saying, “Then… can I stay here?”

“You can stay as long as you want, get some good rest, you are only ten years old,” the uncle said, handing her a饼子 (bǐngzi - a type of flatbread), then he went out.

Afterward, Xiao Chan lived there for a month.

She felt an unprecedented warmth; although life was much worse than with 'Mama', and no one served her, she felt… that she was a 'person'.

Moreover, during this time, she also learned the uncle's identity.

He didn't hide it from her, but rather openly told everyone that he came from the 'Human Dao'.

The first time she heard this news, Xiao Chan stiffened all over, unable to speak for a long time.

Fear and surprise quickly swept through her mind, leaving her unable to react.

She went to the uncle and questioned him about it.

Because everyone knew that conscription and seizing civilian laborers were essentially the same thing: 'Human Dao invasion'.

The Great Deer Kingdom had been proclaiming for a long time that it was the Human Dao's invasion that caused these events.

The Human Dao are terrifying invaders; they destructively destroy worlds outside their domain, carrying out massacres on a large scale, viewing everything other than themselves as pigs and dogs, without any mercy.

The Human Dao is like an assembly-line civilization-destroying machine, devouring all things, grinding them into fragments, then selecting what it needs and taking it, leaving the remaining wreckage in place.

The evidence was conclusive, the records detailed, and irrefutable.

As a brothel girl, a prospective courtesan in training, Xiao Chan was very proficient in these cutting-edge 'trends'; this was even considered one of their core duties.

Prostitutes, especially advanced prostitutes, often represented the forefront of popular culture, because the clients of advanced courtesans, those high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and magnates, paid great attention to these matters, and to cater to them, advanced prostitutes also had to learn these things.

Moreover, these people also had their own factions, with various forces openly contending and engaging in chaotic battles, and this struggle was divided into two types: cold war and hot war.

The hot war needs no further mention; the cold war was a war of public opinion, as well as private conspiracies and intelligence. The winner of the cold war often gained the initiative in the hot war.

Therefore, for the victory of the hot war, in the cold war, these people truly demonstrated their Divine Abilities, and at this time, brothels became ideal places for transactions, and prostitutes had to participate.

The Human Dao was an unavoidable topic for many high-ranking officials and nobles, and Xiao Chan had specifically studied a lot about it.

What is desired, is produced; it is all like that.

She didn't really have a good impression of the Human Dao, especially after learning that ten billion people in Song Kingdom were completely wiped out…

This was an executioner, this place unhesitatingly massacred a country!

That was a massacre of a country.

Not to mention, it is said that the Human Dao destroyed trillions of worlds outside their domain.

Trillions, what kind of concept is that?

To be honest, Xiao Chan couldn't even imagine; the largest quantity she usually encountered was 'ten thousand'. When the Li River opened every year, the bustling crowds below stretched for unknown distances, she couldn't even see the end, only feeling people swarming like ants, uncountable.

All these people, when counted, amounted to only a little over a hundred thousand.

Trillions, that's a hundred million times that amount.

Let alone a hundred million times, she couldn't even imagine the number 'one hundred million' itself.

So, she solemnly asked the uncle, “What does the Human Dao… want to do? If it wants to—”

She was halfway through her sentence when the uncle put down his work and asked her, “Do you think you are a human?”

This question startled Xiao Chan.

Xiao Chan pondered for a long time, then nodded.

The uncle walked over to her, patted her head, and said, “That’s enough. As long as you are human, you should be saved.”

As long as you are human, you should be saved.

His words were resolute, without the slightest hint of hesitation or doubt, so much so that his firm tone made Xiao Chan's back straighten involuntarily.

“I will come to save you, and you must also save yourselves,” he said, crouching down and looking at Xiao Chan.

Xiao Chan didn't ask any more questions.

She already knew the answer.

Thinking these thoughts, she looked up, the sunlight falling on her face, making her squint slightly.

In the sky, massive clouds gathered, looking much like islands; now the clouds were breaking apart from above, and scattered cloud fragments surged across the sky, as if endless, the wind expanding, stretching, and extending them, like a mass of dough.

But…

As these emotions surged within Xiao Chan's heart—

That 'Mama', however, watched all of this with cold eyes.

“Is that so… four people already believe in the Human Dao?” In her luxurious room, 'Mama' fanned herself.

As she muttered to herself, a faint trace of 'Demon Qi' emerged behind her.

Along with this Demon Qi, the illusory figures of several tails also began to appear.

If it were Li Qi, he would probably be very familiar with the aura of this cultivation method—

A fox demon; this is someone from the Demon Dao.

“Sigh, these old tricks don’t seem to work well on this front line. Instead, some small spies have emerged. The Human Dao’s infiltration is quite powerful; nearly half of the seedlings I personally cultivated couldn’t hold out,” ‘Mama’ sighed, then truthfully began to report to her superiors.

However, it was also a good thing.

The information these young girls collected was controlled by 'Mama', and the information the Human Dao gathered could only be this.

It was all fake, all fabricated; if this information were sent over as is, it would surely cause heavy damage to the Human Dao.

However, there was also a consequence to this.

After the Human Dao suffers damage, it will naturally expose the intelligence as problematic. At that time, how will these young girls manage themselves?

How can they prove that they are not planted spies?

Perhaps, other than death, it would be difficult to prove their innocence, right? After all, the information was provided by them; as long as their side doesn't reveal the truth, how would the Human Dao deal with it?

It truly is a strategy to attack the heart; those guys at the top are truly wicked.

Yes, people like Xiao Chan were a test for the Human Dao.

How would the Human Dao deal with a character whose actions were entirely those of a 'mole'?

Keep them? Can the partners and relatives of those who died accept that?

Kill them? Would the Human Dao's words, 'as long as you are human, you should be saved,' still hold true?

'Mama' was merely an executor, and this was just a small plan, but even just one brothel, involving people of only Rank Eight or Rank Nine, was already so intense.

How many such incidents were there in the entire Baiyue?

How many people like Xiao Chan were there?

The Human Dao needed the awakened human intelligence in the Baiyue, to save them and demonstrate the undeniable correctness of the Human Dao.

The Demon Dao, on the other hand, wanted to prove the hypocrisy of 'humans'; the brutality of the Human Dao was beyond doubt, so how would the Human Dao deal with these 'suspected traitors'?

If it could force the Human Dao to invite advanced Cultivators to discern the truth, that would be even better.

The number of advanced Cultivators both sides could deploy was limited; whoever came would directly lead to the crushing destruction of a certain war zone, and the Shaman Dao would not hesitate at all.

However, such actions were not only carried out by the Shaman Dao; without a doubt, the Human Dao would also interrogate the Shaman Dao in various forms.

The Dao struggle continued, with constant interrogations targeting both Dao Paths; this was a Dao struggle more exhausting than a hot war.

'Mama' and 'Xiao Chan' were merely a microcosm; beneath the calm surface of the Baiyue lay unfathomable conspiracies.