Chapter 1: The Banished Village Girl
Soul Realm, Offering Soul Village
A middle-aged man in a black robe was impatiently staring at the list in his hand. Accompanying his silence, most of the dense crowd below broke out in cold sweat, not daring to make a sound.
After a while, he looked up at the illusory sun in the sky and finally spoke indifferently, “Last one, Hun Ruo Ruo.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Hearing this, a grey-haired girl in simple cloth slowly walked out from the edge of the crowd and timidly stood in front of the platform.
The girl’s skin was pale, her hair looked dry and messy, and her overly long bangs, due to not being trimmed, even obscured part of her face, adding a touch of gloom to her already rustic village girl image.
The black-robed man looked at the girl’s thin body with disdain and said:
“Hun Ruo Ruo, according to previous test results, the Bloodline Power within you is too thin. If this test still doesn’t detect any Bloodline Power, your only choice will be banishment, do you understand?”
On the outskirts of the Soul Realm, there are countless small villages built by Soul Clan descendants, who live as the lowest and most humble beings of the Soul Clan.
However, being able to survive in the Soul Realm means they still possess a trace of Dou Di Bloodline. If, due to some accident or mutation, their Bloodline ability strengthens, then these descendants gain the potential to become true Soul Clan members, thus skyrocketing in value.
Conversely, if the Bloodline Power completely disappears, then she has no value whatsoever. Such a person, whose very breathing is considered a waste of the Soul Realm’s air, is useless to keep.
“Sir, I, I will try my best.”
Hun Ruo Ruo’s voice trembled slightly due to nervousness, and her feet unconsciously moved closer together. After a while, she seemed to pluck up courage and placed her small hand on the center of the testing disk.
One second. Two seconds.
Time passed quietly, but there was no fluctuation from the testing disk. The girl’s arm also froze in mid-air.
Seeing this, the black-robed man showed no surprise. After all, if the mutation of Bloodline Power were truly that easy, his Soul Clan would have long ago dominated the Dou Qi Continent.
“Hun Ruo Ruo, no Bloodline Power detected. Soul Clan descendant status revoked!”
He put away the disk in his hand and announced the test result in an indifferent tone, as if proclaiming the girl’s fate with an imperial decree.
“Next, you either Transmigrate Sword Soul Mountain on your own and leave the Soul Realm, or you attach yourself to other descendants with Bloodline and become a servant. The choice is yours.”
Upon hearing this, the villagers below sighed and began to whisper amongst themselves.
“Alas, the fate of women who had their status revoked in the past is worse than death!”
“She’s still not moving, she must be scared silly, right?”
“Nonsense, that Sword Soul Mountain is not something a little girl like her can climb over.”
In the villagers’ eyes, descendant status was undoubtedly their last line of defense.
For women in the Soul Realm who had their status revoked, if they lacked strength, their fate was basically equivalent to livestock waiting to be slaughtered.
If they were lucky, they might be able to rely on their looks to attach themselves to a strong individual. If they were unlucky… they were mostly buried in unknown mass graves.
After a long while, Hun Ruo Ruo, who gradually came to her senses, heard the people’s ridicule and looked at the black-robed man in horror, pleading softly:
“Sir, I lost my father when I was young, and my mother also disappeared a few years ago. My cultivation is only at Dou Qi three part. I’m afraid I’ll be suppressed and killed by the surrounding invisible Protective Aura before I even get close to that Sword Soul Mountain.”
“Oh?” The black-robed man raised an eyebrow slightly and said mockingly, “I’ve heard these words countless times. You should save your rhetoric for Clan Chief Sir. Only he has the authority to change the rules.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd below couldn't help but burst into laughter.
This was clearly using the girl’s fear for amusement. What kind of person was the Clan Chief? Someone who could govern the world and traverse the Central Plains. How could a dying person whose status had been revoked possibly meet him?
As expected, upon hearing this, the girl’s thin body trembled, as if her bones had been drained.
“You jest, Sir. My life is humble, how could I be worth Clan Chief Sir’s concern?”
Hun Ruo Ruo’s voice was trembling slightly. As she spoke, she looked up, her pale small hand frantically gripping the man’s sleeve, as if she were holding onto her last straw of hope.
“You, you little village girl…”
The black-robed man was stunned, completely unprepared for the timid girl daring to grab his sleeve. He immediately wanted to scold her for her insolence, but before he could finish speaking, from an angle invisible to the crowd below, the girl’s face, hidden by her bangs, gradually revealed itself as she looked up.
His eyes widened. He saw the beautiful eyes hidden beneath the girl’s hair narrowing as she looked at him, as deep as an ocean tide, as if they would suck in his very soul.
“Sir, please be accommodating.”
“This, I also want to be accommodating, but after all, the clan rules don’t allow it…”
“I know my strength is low. I don’t ask to cross Sword Soul Mountain and leave the Soul Clan. I only hope to find a place to live in this Soul Realm, so I don’t end up like my father, left exposed in the wilderness.”
“So, if Sir doesn’t mind, I wish to become Sir’s servant.” Hun Ruo Ruo turned her head to the side, speaking shyly as if embarrassed.
“Servant?”
The black-robed man recalled the brief glimpse of her pure and delicate face earlier, swallowed hard, and spoke with a dry voice, “…If it’s just one more servant, with my strength, no one would dare to question anything.”
Unbeknownst to him, the man’s self-address had subtly changed.
Hun Ruo Ruo’s lips curved into a sweet smile, and then she bent down in a deep bow, as if expressing her heartfelt gratitude.
“Thank you, Sir!”
The black-robed man’s breathing was heavy, and his heart pounded. After calming down for a moment, he shouted at the bewildered crowd below:
“Alright, the test is over. Those whose Bloodline Power was unqualified have been clearly recorded on the disk. In three days, if you haven’t registered as a servant, I will personally send you to Sword Soul Mountain!”
Hearing that there were only three days this time, the crowd below immediately erupted in an uproar. They no longer had the mind to mock Hun Ruo Ruo. Those who had originally given up on themselves due to their status being revoked turned pale, constantly muttering for their ancestors to protect them.
“Heh heh, they’re just a bunch of spineless cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong.”
Looking down at the unsightly behavior of the crowd, the black-robed man chuckled disdainfully, then turned and called Hun Ruo Ruo by his side, leaving the testing ground.
After circling Offering Soul Village for half a turn, Hun Ruo Ruo led the black-robed man to a stop in a secluded corner.
This place was sparsely populated, even considered the poorest part of Offering Soul Village. Only an old, dilapidated wooden house leaned against the foot of a small hill, creaking as if a gust of wind would blow away a few wooden planks.
“Sir, please excuse the humble abode, this is Ruo Ruo’s home.” Hun Ruo Ruo pointed to the wooden house not far away and said timidly, “Thanks to Sir’s help, I still don’t know your name.”
At this moment, the girl had already swept her bangs to both sides, her pure and delicate face, combined with her jewel-like eyes, exuded an extraordinary beauty.
The black-robed man licked his lips and said, “My name is Soul Huan. From now on, just call me Sir Huan when you’re with me. Let’s not talk about that for now, Ruo Ruo, I see it’s getting late. How about I stay in your small house for a night tonight, and I’ll take you on your journey tomorrow.”
Hun Ruo Ruo’s pretty face instantly flushed. She shyly glanced at the high-hanging sun in the sky and stammered:
“Sir, how can I let you humble yourself to sleep in Ruo Ruo’s small house! Moreover, Ruo Ruo’s family is poor, and there’s only one small wooden bed in the room. Your physique might not fit, Sir.”
“Heh heh, I don’t care about such things. When I was performing tasks in my early years, I’ve been in all sorts of harsh conditions. Forget this small wooden house, I’ve even slept in Demonic Beast nests… Don’t say more, just go and prepare, don’t worry.”
“If it’s your command, Ruo Ruo naturally wouldn’t dare to disobey…”
Hun Ruo Ruo’s gaze was somewhat evasive, and she gripped the coarse cloth of her simple clothes tightly, as if finding it difficult to speak: “But Sir… Before we go, can Ruo Ruo also ask you for one thing?”
Seeing her like this, the black-robed man’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t bear to say anything to refuse, so he instinctively nodded quickly.
After receiving a satisfactory answer, Hun Ruo Ruo gently patted her chest and let out a long breath. Her face was like a peach blossom, and she leaned forward, trying to whisper like a child:
“Can I ask you to die?”