Swordholder

As Chen Yuan and his two companions rode towards the county town, countless people emerged from the surrounding jungles and official roads, converging on the camp.

Most of them were human civilians dressed in tattered clothes.

These people were in extremely poor condition; their lips were pale, their faces were sallow and thin, and they looked utterly miserable.

Some carried tattered bundles, dragged their children along, and walked with faltering steps.

Some were alone, with disheveled hair, covered in filth, and staggering along with difficulty.

Many of them were even surrounded by wisps of black mist, and their skin was covered with sores, a truly shocking sight.

Silence, stillness, confusion, oppression, numbness enveloped everyone.

They remained silent the entire time, simply moving forward in quiet indifference, their eyes devoid of any light, completely unaware of what their fate would hold.

"They are all refugees. Either they can't survive in their original places, or the evil spirits around them are increasing and more and more people are dying. The remaining people have no choice but to rush towards the county town."

Chen Zhaoning spoke in a low voice, his face full of helplessness and his tone heavy, "Within the Great Xiang Empire, only large cities are relatively safe and not easily killed by demons and evil spirits."

"But those high-ranking officials, nobles, and upper-class people in those cities are all heartless bastards who will devour people without spitting out the bones..."

Chen Yuan's face grew increasingly gloomy, his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He looked up at the eerie black sun in the sky, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

"Mother, are you really going to sell me?"

Just then, a little girl in tattered clothes looked up at them from a distance.

She asked the disheveled, ragged middle-aged woman beside her in a low voice, her voice full of timidity.

"Yes, a benefactor will buy you, and then you'll be able to eat your fill and stay warm."

The middle-aged woman spoke weakly, her gaze fixed on the refugee camp in front of the city wall not far away, a faint glimmer of hope in her eyes.

In the dim light, one could see well-dressed figures moving back and forth in the camp... Those people were either scions of noble families or members of the Xiang clan.

A look of anticipation immediately lit up the little girl's eyes. She subconsciously licked her chapped lips and whispered:

"I just want to be able to eat porridge. I'm a good girl and I won't cause any trouble."

"Yes, you'll definitely have porridge to eat."

The middle-aged woman gently comforted her, her kind face revealing deep heartache, her voice choked with emotion: "Your grandparents, father, uncles, and older brothers and sisters are all gone... Niu Niu, you must live on, live well for them..."

Chen Yuan and Li Wei, who came from a once civilized society, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness upon seeing this scene.

The darkness of this world has rotted to such an extent that it is truly infuriating.

But the next moment, their pupils contracted sharply, and a strong sense of unease rose in their hearts.

"not good!"

The two gasped and instinctively tried to rush over, but it was too late.

Suddenly, a passing refugee's eyes flashed with black light, and sharp fangs sprouted from his mouth. He lunged at the little girl's neck!

With a few snapping sounds, it bit off the little girl's neck.

On the little head that had fallen off, the eyes were still wide open, and the face still held a sense of bewilderment and anticipation for the future.

But life had already come to an abrupt end.

"ah······"

The middle-aged woman let out a heart-wrenching scream, but another person beside her, emanating black smoke and holding a thick wooden stick, suddenly smashed it down on her head!

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the middle-aged woman's head exploded instantly, splattering brain matter and blood everywhere, and she died on the spot.

The surrounding refugees panicked instantly and scattered in all directions, their faces filled with fear.

The two refugees, corrupted by demonic energy, roared and howled, trying to chase after the scattered refugees. But after only a few steps, the demonic energy within their bodies erupted violently, and their bodies instantly melted, turning into two pools of foul-smelling blood in the blink of an eye.

"·····"

Chen Yuan and Li Wei stood frozen in place, their mouths agape, their bodies trembling slightly, their eyes wide with rage!

The anger and grief in their hearts almost consumed them.

But after the two people corrupted by demonic energy died, the panicked crowd gradually returned to calm, as if the tragedy had never happened.

They were already used to this kind of thing.

The only thing to do is to be constantly wary of those around you who are emanating black energy, lest you suffer a terrible fate.

Even the soldiers on the distant city wall ignored it, not even glancing at it.

Not even a fleeting glance.

"this……"

Li Wei swallowed hard; his understanding and worldview were once again severely impacted.

His face was deathly pale. He looked at Chen Yuan with difficulty, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, gently patted Li Wei's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "We both need to adapt to everything here as soon as possible."

After saying that, he turned around and walked away from where he stood, following Chen Zhaoning toward the refugee camp.

Li Wei was helpless; his face was still pale, and his calves were still trembling slightly.

But he gritted his teeth and immediately followed.

He can't hold Chen Yuan back.

……

The scene in the refugee settlement was appalling.

The ground beneath our feet was muddy and filthy, with dilapidated tents scattered everywhere. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of excrement, rot, and blood.

Some of the wooden stakes even had dried corpses or human heads hanging on them, clearly people who had starved to death and were carelessly discarded there, ignored by everyone.

The air was icy cold, and when inhaled, it was filled with a pungent, fishy stench that made one involuntarily frown.

Chen Yuan and his two companions led the large black horse into the camp without attracting much attention.

The refugees all cowered and shrank back, not daring to look them in the eye.

The well-dressed nobles, on the other hand, scoffed at the three of them, their faces full of disdain, as if even glancing at them would be a defilement.

As they ventured deeper, the three reached a point close to the city wall.

The ground here is relatively clean, and there are many more people coming and going dressed in clean clothes or fine clothes.

They paced back and forth in the camp, their eyes discerningly searching for slaves who would meet their standards.

In a corner near the city wall, a large group of people were bound by ropes, squatting on the ground, connected to each other, unable to move.

Among them were the elderly, middle-aged, teenagers, girls, and children.

Their eyes were numb, their faces as pale as paper, and their gazes were lifeless as they stared at the soil beneath their feet.

Many children were crying loudly, their little hands constantly pulling at the iron chains around their necks, completely oblivious.

They may not understand that these cold iron chains represent the loss of freedom, and represent being at the mercy of others!

They only felt that the "thing" around their necks was heavy and uncomfortable, but no one came to help them untie it, so they could only cry and scream.

If the crying annoyed the slave owners, they would walk up and kick the child in the mouth, and the crying would stop instantly.

It wasn't that the children were scared; they were kicked unconscious, and some were even kicked to death.

Chen Yuan and Li Wei stood frozen in place, their throats sore, their hearts heavy with anxiety, and their eyes filled with grief, indignation, and helplessness.

Even Chen Zhaoning, who was used to this kind of scene, couldn't help but turn her head away, her face full of reluctance.

"This is also one of the reasons why I ran away from home."

Chen Zhaoning spoke in a low voice, her tone full of bitterness:

"My family is a thousand-year-old family, and one of the four great families of Tianqing County."

"But my grandfather said that there was nothing he could do about it."

He said he could save one person, but not everyone in the world.

"In the eyes of those at the bottom of society, all the common people are just vegetables, harvested one crop after another..."

"Besides, my household already has so many servants that we can barely afford to support them all, so we simply don't have the capacity to save anyone else..."

······

At this point, the girl's voice choked with emotion, her face filled with bitterness and resentment, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

"That's why I wanted to go out and search for organizations that could save the world... such as the Sword-Wielding Society, the Heaven and Earth Sect, and the Green Lotus Sect."

Even those reclusive sects... I'm willing to join any of them, as long as they can save these suffering people.

The girl spoke softly, her eyes filled with a sorrow that was not the expression one would expect from a young lady from a prominent family.

That was compassion for the underprivileged and an indictment of an unjust world.

Such pity is undoubtedly a deadly poison to the upper nobility, a taboo that violates class rules!

Her behavior will only be condemned by the entire class!

They might even face ruthless suppression.

Looking at the beautiful and kind-hearted young lady from a prestigious family in front of him, Chen Yuan felt a deep sense of goodwill.

A woman who can empathize with the plight of ordinary people must be pure and kind at heart.

Moreover, it is an innate kindness.

……

Just then, the sounds of bargaining came from ahead. A middle-aged shopkeeper with a tail was enthusiastically promoting his goods.

"Sir, you have excellent taste! This girl is wonderful. She comes from nearby Cangwu Village. Her parents and family were all killed by demons. She couldn't survive on her own, so she voluntarily sold herself to me..."

"Don't worry, she's definitely still a virgin!"

Although he's still young and his pubic hair hasn't fully grown in, he's already fifteen. He's mature in every way, and very tender. I guarantee he'll suit your taste...

"Don't let her current dirty appearance fool you. Take her home and wash her properly, and she'll be clean and presentable again."

"Let it rest for another month or so, and I guarantee your skin will be smooth and supple. It'll be a rare find..."

"Hehe, as for whether she has a spiritual seed bestowed by the Father God or Mother Goddess within her, you'll have to buy her back and examine her carefully yourself..."

……

The middle-aged shopkeeper, his face full of obsequiousness, enthusiastically promoted the product, as if the young girl before him were not a living person, but rather a commodity to be bought and sold at will.