Chapter 28.: Side Story: Being Creative (II)
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Lin Qingcheng proudly marched the pack of sad-looking kidnappers back to Lin Town. The townsfolk filled the streets and cheered as the guards tied the prisoners to the pillories in the town square. Kidnappers were the worst type of human. They weren't spared any kindness as rotten vegetables, rocks, and piles of crap were thrown at them.
She left bandits to their fates and stayed a few days in her hometown. News of her feat spread. Mayors and elders of several neighboring towns arrived to give thanks. A banquet was even held in her honor where she told everyone about the kidnapper’s business of selling to the Bright Moon Kingdom. The elders were saddened but still held onto hope. They gave her a list of names of missing women from the past few years in hopes she would be able to save some of them.
"Miss Lin, we aren't ungrateful people." An elder of Shang Town said, "We've gathered all the money we have saved in hopes it will help you in the city."
He gave her a large bag containing what seemed to be over a thousand gold taels. "Please don't refuse, this is our hope that our daughters, wives, and mothers can return to us."
The emotions that he and the others showed shook her heart. She couldn’t bear to refuse them, not when she was the prime disciple of Chen Wentian. She was a silly girl before now she held power and influence. She was determined to help.
She accepted the bag and bowed deeper, "Everyone, in the name of the lord immortal, Lin Qingcheng vows to everything I can to save the women!"
---
Lin Qingcheng left Lin Town and traveled light and fast towards the capital of Bright Moon Kingdom, Moonlight City. The kingdom was a major power with Chen Wentian's province. It ruled over hundreds of millions of subjects and had been in power for more than three hundred years.
It was an old dynasty by mortal years. Corruption, lawlessness, and immorality all contributed to the kingdom's slow and gradual decline. Still, Moonlight City was the largest and most vibrant city in the entire province. Even after experiencing the power of immortals, Lin Qingcheng was still blown away by the sheer size of the capital city of this mortal kingdom. It spread in all four directions farther than the eye could see. The walls were made of impressive white stone, ten stories tall and seemingly impregnable.
"Halt! Show your identification!" The guards stopped her at the gate.
Lin Qingcheng didn't hesitate to throw her master's weight around and held up the white jade badge of the Ten Thousand Flower Valley. The guards were all cultivators and could tell the badge pulsed with immortal power, suppressing their own spiritual energy.
"Immortal sect!" The guards around the gate all knelt in respect and fear, "Esteemed miss, please enter the city!"
By now, Chen Wentian had already sent messages to all major powers within his territory about his new sect and a stern warning to not mistreat his disciples. These guards knew and dared not disobey.
Lin Qingcheng put away her badge and rode into the city. The city was teeming with people, the streets were convoluted and dizzying. After getting lost many times, Lin Qingcheng arrived at her destination, a branch office of the Zhou Clan. Zhou Ziyun had given her directions to find all the branch offices within the Zhou family business network specifically for times like these.
Lin Qingcheng went to the front desk and showed her sect badge once more. The receptionist hurriedly ran off and moments later a middle-aged gentleman walked out. He looked past his prime, with mostly grey hair, and a protruding belly.
He bowed in front of her, "Branch chief Zhou You greets immortal disciple!"
She returned the greeting. "I'm disciple Lin Qingcheng, uncle doesn't need to bow."
"It is Miss Lin! I am pleased that you have chosen to visit our humble branch office. Come in." Zhou You said as he led her to a sitting room.
As they sat down a couple of attendants served tea.
"Miss Lin, what brings you to the city?"
"It’s like this..." Lin Qingcheng slowly explained her situation and her goal of finding the kidnapped women.
"Miss Lin, please excuse my candor..." Zhou You began.
She nodded.
"Sigh... Miss Lin, what you stated is indeed very tragic, but it is a common story I've been hearing for some time in this city. The city has too many nobles, sons of nobles, grandsons of nobles, and so on. Each generation is seemingly more useless and lascivious than the last. The commoner population within the city has long already been exhausted of young beautiful women. They have resorted to enslaving women for prostitution from across the kingdom and elsewhere. The girls kidnapped from your hometown are merely a part of the larger problem."
"This habit has spread over the years from the upper class all the way down to the lower class to the point that it permeates every aspect of common life in the city. Men will have wives but they will still visit the whorehouses every other night. The most beautiful, most desirable, with the highest cultivation, are sent to high-level establishments. Those pretty but with average cultivation are sent to mid-level brothels. The rest are sent to the low-class districts of the city and suffer the worst."
Zhou You looked at her sadly. "Miss Lin, now that you know this, what do you prepare to do?"
Lin Qingcheng was speechless for a while. She only expected to come and beat up some gangster pimps and rescue the women. She didn’t expect to have to fight an entire kingdom, its nobility, as well as their established social norms. She couldn't ask her master to slap all of them into dust, could she?
Zhou You seemed to sense what she was thinking, "Miss Lin, immortals usually do not take part in mortal affairs and in this situation, Master Chen would find it hard to justify personally intervening. Although sexual slavery does cause a lot of pain, it is still a fairly common practice across the land. The Bright Moon Kingdom has indeed taken it a bit far in recent years but still…"
“I don’t care!” Lin Qingcheng said abruptly, “I think it’s wrong! These women shouldn’t be bullied like this. I promised my father and my people that I would save their daughters, wives, and mothers.”
“But… it will be difficult to change minds quickly. The whole business is supported by the royal family all the way up to the king.” Zhou You tried to reason.
Lin Qingcheng’s mind was made up. “I can't change everything, but I can still save the women from my town. Uncle You, can you find out where the women sold by the Eagle's Nest gang went? I have to save them!”
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Lin Qingcheng proudly marched the pack of sad-looking kidnappers back to Lin Town. The townsfolk filled the streets and cheered as the guards tied the prisoners to the pillories in the town square. Kidnappers were the worst type of human. They weren't spared any kindness as rotten vegetables, rocks, and piles of crap were thrown at them.
She left bandits to their fates and stayed a few days in her hometown. News of her feat spread. Mayors and elders of several neighboring towns arrived to give thanks. A banquet was even held in her honor where she told everyone about the kidnapper’s business of selling to the Bright Moon Kingdom. The elders were saddened but still held onto hope. They gave her a list of names of missing women from the past few years in hopes she would be able to save some of them.
"Miss Lin, we aren't ungrateful people." An elder of Shang Town said, "We've gathered all the money we have saved in hopes it will help you in the city."
He gave her a large bag containing what seemed to be over a thousand gold taels. "Please don't refuse, this is our hope that our daughters, wives, and mothers can return to us."
The emotions that he and the others showed shook her heart. She couldn’t bear to refuse them, not when she was the prime disciple of Chen Wentian. She was a silly girl before now she held power and influence. She was determined to help.
She accepted the bag and bowed deeper, "Everyone, in the name of the lord immortal, Lin Qingcheng vows to everything I can to save the women!"
---
Lin Qingcheng left Lin Town and traveled light and fast towards the capital of Bright Moon Kingdom, Moonlight City. The kingdom was a major power with Chen Wentian's province. It ruled over hundreds of millions of subjects and had been in power for more than three hundred years.
It was an old dynasty by mortal years. Corruption, lawlessness, and immorality all contributed to the kingdom's slow and gradual decline. Still, Moonlight City was the largest and most vibrant city in the entire province. Even after experiencing the power of immortals, Lin Qingcheng was still blown away by the sheer size of the capital city of this mortal kingdom. It spread in all four directions farther than the eye could see. The walls were made of impressive white stone, ten stories tall and seemingly impregnable.
"Halt! Show your identification!" The guards stopped her at the gate.
Lin Qingcheng didn't hesitate to throw her master's weight around and held up the white jade badge of the Ten Thousand Flower Valley. The guards were all cultivators and could tell the badge pulsed with immortal power, suppressing their own spiritual energy.
"Immortal sect!" The guards around the gate all knelt in respect and fear, "Esteemed miss, please enter the city!"
By now, Chen Wentian had already sent messages to all major powers within his territory about his new sect and a stern warning to not mistreat his disciples. These guards knew and dared not disobey.
Lin Qingcheng put away her badge and rode into the city. The city was teeming with people, the streets were convoluted and dizzying. After getting lost many times, Lin Qingcheng arrived at her destination, a branch office of the Zhou Clan. Zhou Ziyun had given her directions to find all the branch offices within the Zhou family business network specifically for times like these.
Lin Qingcheng went to the front desk and showed her sect badge once more. The receptionist hurriedly ran off and moments later a middle-aged gentleman walked out. He looked past his prime, with mostly grey hair, and a protruding belly.
He bowed in front of her, "Branch chief Zhou You greets immortal disciple!"
She returned the greeting. "I'm disciple Lin Qingcheng, uncle doesn't need to bow."
"It is Miss Lin! I am pleased that you have chosen to visit our humble branch office. Come in." Zhou You said as he led her to a sitting room.
As they sat down a couple of attendants served tea.
"Miss Lin, what brings you to the city?"
"It’s like this..." Lin Qingcheng slowly explained her situation and her goal of finding the kidnapped women.
"Miss Lin, please excuse my candor..." Zhou You began.
She nodded.
"Sigh... Miss Lin, what you stated is indeed very tragic, but it is a common story I've been hearing for some time in this city. The city has too many nobles, sons of nobles, grandsons of nobles, and so on. Each generation is seemingly more useless and lascivious than the last. The commoner population within the city has long already been exhausted of young beautiful women. They have resorted to enslaving women for prostitution from across the kingdom and elsewhere. The girls kidnapped from your hometown are merely a part of the larger problem."
"This habit has spread over the years from the upper class all the way down to the lower class to the point that it permeates every aspect of common life in the city. Men will have wives but they will still visit the whorehouses every other night. The most beautiful, most desirable, with the highest cultivation, are sent to high-level establishments. Those pretty but with average cultivation are sent to mid-level brothels. The rest are sent to the low-class districts of the city and suffer the worst."
Zhou You looked at her sadly. "Miss Lin, now that you know this, what do you prepare to do?"
Lin Qingcheng was speechless for a while. She only expected to come and beat up some gangster pimps and rescue the women. She didn’t expect to have to fight an entire kingdom, its nobility, as well as their established social norms. She couldn't ask her master to slap all of them into dust, could she?
Zhou You seemed to sense what she was thinking, "Miss Lin, immortals usually do not take part in mortal affairs and in this situation, Master Chen would find it hard to justify personally intervening. Although sexual slavery does cause a lot of pain, it is still a fairly common practice across the land. The Bright Moon Kingdom has indeed taken it a bit far in recent years but still…"
“I don’t care!” Lin Qingcheng said abruptly, “I think it’s wrong! These women shouldn’t be bullied like this. I promised my father and my people that I would save their daughters, wives, and mothers.”
“But… it will be difficult to change minds quickly. The whole business is supported by the royal family all the way up to the king.” Zhou You tried to reason.
Lin Qingcheng’s mind was made up. “I can't change everything, but I can still save the women from my town. Uncle You, can you find out where the women sold by the Eagle's Nest gang went? I have to save them!”
Lin Qingcheng proudly marched the pack of sad-looking kidnappers back to Lin Town. The townsfolk filled the streets and cheered as the guards tied the prisoners to the pillories in the town square. Kidnappers were the worst type of human. They weren't spared any kindness as rotten vegetables, rocks, and piles of crap were thrown at them.She left bandits to their fates and stayed a few days in her hometown. News of her feat spread. Mayors and elders of several neighboring towns arrived to give thanks. A banquet was even held in her honor where she told everyone about the kidnapper's business of selling to the Bright Moon Kingdom. The elders were saddened but still held onto hope. They gave her a list of names of missing women from the past few years in hopes she would be able to save some of them."Miss Lin, we aren't ungrateful people." An elder of Shang Town said, "We've gathered all the money we have saved in hopes it will help you in the city."He gave her a large bag containing what seemed to be over a thousand gold taels. "Please don't refuse, this is our hope that our daughters, wives, and mothers can return to us."The emotions that he and the others showed shook her heart. She couldn't bear to refuse them, not when she was the prime disciple of Chen Wentian. She was a silly girl before now she held power and influence. She was determined to help.She accepted the bag and bowed deeper, "Everyone, in the name of the lord immortal, Lin Qingcheng vows to everything I can to save the women!"---Lin Qingcheng left Lin Town and traveled light and fast towards the capital of Bright Moon Kingdom, Moonlight City. The kingdom was a major power with Chen Wentian's province. It ruled over hundreds of millions of subjects and had been in power for more than three hundred years.It was an old dynasty by mortal years. Corruption, lawlessness, and immorality all contributed to the kingdom's slow and gradual decline. Still, Moonlight City was the largest and most vibrant city in the entire province. Even after experiencing the power of immortals, Lin Qingcheng was still blown away by the sheer size of the capital city of this mortal kingdom. It spread in all four directions farther than the eye could see. The walls were made of impressive white stone, ten stories tall and seemingly impregnable."Halt! Show your identification!" The guards stopped her at the gate.Lin Qingcheng didn't hesitate to throw her master's weight around and held up the white jade badge of the Ten Thousand Flower Valley. The guards were all cultivators and could tell the badge pulsed with immortal power, suppressing their own spiritual energy."Immortal sect!" The guards around the gate all knelt in respect and fear, "Esteemed miss, please enter the city!"By now, Chen Wentian had already sent messages to all major powers within his territory about his new sect and a stern warning to not mistreat his disciples. These guards knew and dared not disobey.Lin Qingcheng put away her badge and rode into the city. The city was teeming with people, the streets were convoluted and dizzying. After getting lost many times, Lin Qingcheng arrived at her destination, a branch office of the Zhou Clan. Zhou Ziyun had given her directions to find all the branch offices within the Zhou family business network specifically for times like these.Lin Qingcheng went to the front desk and showed her sect badge once more. The receptionist hurriedly ran off and moments later a middle-aged gentleman walked out. He looked past his prime, with mostly grey hair, and a protruding belly.He bowed in front of her, "Branch chief Zhou You greets immortal disciple!"She returned the greeting. "I'm disciple Lin Qingcheng, uncle doesn't need to bow.""It is Miss Lin! I am pleased that you have chosen to visit our humble branch office. Come in." Zhou You said as he led her to a sitting room.As they sat down a couple of attendants served tea."Miss Lin, what brings you to the city?""It's like this..." Lin Qingcheng slowly explained her situation and her goal of finding the kidnapped women."Miss Lin, please excuse my candor..." Zhou You began.She nodded."Sigh... Miss Lin, what you stated is indeed very tragic, but it is a common story I've been hearing for some time in this city. The city has too many nobles, sons of nobles, grandsons of nobles, and so on. Each generation is seemingly more useless and lascivious than the last. The commoner population within the city has long already been exhausted of young beautiful women. They have resorted to enslaving women for prostitution from across the kingdom and elsewhere. The girls kidnapped from your hometown are merely a part of the larger problem.""This habit has spread over the years from the upper class all the way down to the lower class to the point that it permeates every aspect of common life in the city. Men will have wives but they will still visit the whorehouses every other night. The most beautiful, most desirable, with the highest cultivation, are sent to high-level establishments. Those pretty but with average cultivation are sent to mid-level brothels. The rest are sent to the low-class districts of the city and suffer the worst."Zhou You looked at her sadly. "Miss Lin, now that you know this, what do you prepare to do?"Lin Qingcheng was speechless for a while. She only expected to come and beat up some gangster pimps and rescue the women. She didn't expect to have to fight an entire kingdom, its nobility, as well as their established social norms. She couldn't ask her master to slap all of them into dust, could she?Zhou You seemed to sense what she was thinking, "Miss Lin, immortals usually do not take part in mortal affairs and in this situation, Master Chen would find it hard to justify personally intervening. Although sexual slavery does cause a lot of pain, it is still a fairly common practice across the land. The Bright Moon Kingdom has indeed taken it a bit far in recent years but still"I don't care! Lin Qingcheng said abruptly, I think it's wrong! These women shouldn't be bullied like this. I promised my father and my people that I would save their daughters, wives, and mothers.But it will be difficult to change minds quickly. The whole business is supported by the royal family all the way up to the king. Zhou You tried to reason.Lin Qingcheng's mind was made up. I can't change everything, but I can still save the women from my town. Uncle You, can you find out where the women sold by the Eagle's Nest gang went? I have to save them!
