Chapter 22: Making Friends
Inside the brothel's main saloon Zhi Rui looked at Zhun Xuying.
"Send a notice letter to the General's manor, as we'll be passing the night here."
"Yes, Young miss." Zhun Xuying got up and headed for the door.
Zhi Rui looked at her back "Xuying, you did well this time."
Zhun Xuying stopped in front of the door, she turned around and bowed
"Thank you, young miss."
Zhi Rui watched as she closed the door behind her.
'The expression on her face...she's excited?'
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Walking through dark hallway Zhun Xuying was jumping in excitement.
'What was that!? what was that!? what was that!? She's just a little girl after all!! Having nightmares and screaming out loud like that. so she is human after all! we're not that different, that means, If I play right, I might be able to get my freedom!'
thought deep down the sight of the despair etched on Zhi Rui's face while she slept, shook her Zhun Xuying's heart, and while small, she felt sympathy bad for the girl.
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In the middle of the brothel's main saloon, Hilda woke up.
Right in front of her, there were around thirty slaves kneeling.
When she was examining their state one by one, Izaya and his daughter came out of their room. Izaya saw Hilda and nodded, Hilda looked at the girl beside him and smiled at her.
At the sound of footsteps, they turned eyes to the corridor.
Zhun Xuying came through. With a flawless maid uniform, there was not a sign, that she was fighting in the jungle the last night.
The three of them stared at each other.
Five minutes later, light footsteps came from the corridor.
Izaya held the hand of his daughter firmly. He could feel the excitement in her pulse, but he did not think Zhi Rui would honor her promise, for what he saw. She was in need of manpower, if she held his daughter hostage, she can have a level two best-man at her service. Who in her position would let that go?
Hilda got up from the ground, the whole night the scenes in the forest kept repeating on her head. That was too much. They both looked at the corpses in the ground but the smile on Zhi Rui's face told they were seeing completely different things. While Hilda simply saw a corpse, Zhi Rui seemed to see an accomplishment.
Zhun Xuying poured four cups of tea on the table beside the sofa. she looked at the other two person's face, a gleam crossed her eyes for a second.
Zhi Rui slowly walked out of the corridor's shadow, she was wearing a red dress that covered her neck but not the shoulders, it extended until a little below the knees with a long cut on the left side showing her white tight.
Zhi Rui's gave a soft smile after looking at each one of them.
"Let's talk?" she said.
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Zhun Xuying moved first "Miss please sit, I made some tea."
Zhi Rui did not decline, she walked on to the couch, Zhun Xuying approached and whispered while she sat down "Miss, Izaya and his daughter stayed inside their room the whole night, when they came out his daughter seemed excited but Izaya kept the same seriousness. And Hilda stood on the saloon with the slaves, she had a thoughtful expression the whole time."
Zhi Rui nodded slowly, but internally she questioned.
'voluntarily collecting and giving information? It's true that she isn't in a position to bargain, but this soft tone...she saw me in 'that state' yesterday, she must have concluded something on her own and is acting on it.'
Zhun Xuying delivered each one a cup, the only ones to drink was Izumi Who's Izaya's daughter and Zhun Xuying herself.
Hilda and Izaya did not drink.
Zhi Rui observed this and asked.
"Izaya what are your plans? "
"To free my daughter and find a place to live'.
Zhi Rui nodded "And then? find a beast-man settlement, pray that the same thing does not happen again? or you'll grow old together in the middle of the forest with nothing?
Izaya sighed, he knew it'll be like this. 'She does not intend on releasing us.'
As the men's shoulder dropped, Zhi Rui got up and walked toward him.
She waved her hands in front of Izumi's eyes, the girl closed her eyes and fell on the ground with a thud.
Izaya did not react, he stared dumbly at Zhi Rui, He could feel the mark of the slave, left his daughter's body.
Zhi Rui took a step closer, he could feel the smell of her hair.
"Go and I won't bother you, but if you stay, then I'll help you and your daughter with a place to live and a monthly allowance and resources.
All I ask you is to run errands for me. You have until midnight to answer me."
Zhi Rui walked back to the couch
'Either he reluctantly accepts for fear of pursuit, or he tries to run away and risk meeting my father's soldiers outside the city.
Zhi Rui turned to Hilda,"I have a proposal to you too.
This place will be my disguise and my real business, but I need someone to manage it, I'm expecting this month's profit to be good and I'm planning to pay the manager thirty percent of the business. you hav-"
"Zhi Rui, I accept, there's no need to waste time, "Hilda spoke with a smile
Zhi Rui was startled she looked at Hilda's feline eyes.
'She's a cautious person. She must have already thought about the possibility of me wanting to kill her because of what happened to the slaves I branded and yet, she chose to stay by my side? why?'
Well at least for now, it doesn't matter'.Zhi Rui thought
"Is that so, then let's make a pact." Zhi Rui took a knife from the tea table and stood in front of Hilda.
Hilda knew what was coming and she felt apprehensive.
Zhi Rui cut her left hand and let the blood flow.
Hilda saw as Zhi Rui extended the knife to her, she saw what her blood can do, and wanted to runaway from there, but then what would she do? she needed resources, and Zhi Rui's the general's daughter.
There are few places she would be able to go on this city if she chose to run away, she could buy a place maybe by telling what happened yesterday to a noble, but then she would be also letting go of her freedom.
'The only way is to play by her side, discover more, found a gap, then free myself.' Hilda thought to herself
Hilda took the knife in hands and cut her own hand and shook Zhi Rui's hands with confidence.
Zhi Rui gave her a gentle smile.
'These two, Hilda and Izaya although against their will, joined me. As for Zhun Xuying, I only need to give her hope and she'll follow me.'
She smiled inside, with these issues somewhat solved, she felt the need to test something else.'
"Zhun Xuying."
"Yes miss"
"Choose twenty of these slaves to work on the brothel ten men and ten women, you can do with the rest as you see fit, also ask for a new carriage for me."
The slaves on the ground started trembling, some even looking at Zhi Rui with tears in their eyes, but before they said anything, Zhun Xuying stared coldly, making them shut up.
Zhi Rui walked to the front gate, while the healing pallet, healed the body it used the body's energy so it heals but it makes you tired but even so, she felt more tired at each step and that's too much, Zhi Rui frowned.
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Inside the carriage, Zhi Rui closed her eyes. her body more weak than the time she had starved for a month as the tower maiden.
Her core appeared on her conscience.
White, completely white. From blood red to white.
'The moment I told to make the slaves work in the brothel. The little strength I had left, almost disappeared."
Zhi Rui opened her eyes.
"If I cause satisfaction, then I grow strong, and If I'm under stress or cause stress my strength is reduced."
'What an annoying blessing, lust is.'
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