join patreon.com/worldoffanfiction for advanced chapters and to support the daily update
The bright moon was dim, and the stars were sparse. The night sky was like a thick, impenetrable ink, desolate and profound. The prisoners had walked all day under the scorching sun with shackles, both their bodies and spirits pushed to the limit. That small, slightly sour and smelly biscuit had become a delicacy. After eating, they lay down on the ground, and soon a chorus of snores filled the air, occasionally punctuated by the crackling of the bonfire.
The officers gathered around the bonfire, pulling out their wineskins and taking sips of wine. The dried meat in the ceramic pot had softened and, with the addition of spices, transformed into a rich, potent aroma. For these physically weak prisoners, who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, it held an almost fatal allure.
Shen Tang's sharp ears caught the sound of others' throats rolling and gulping, and the rumbling of their stomachs. She looked down at her own shriveled belly, sighing inwardly—
She was hungry too.
"Want some?" An officer scooped a bowl of soup from the ceramic pot, blew on it to cool it slightly, and was about to take a small sip. His gaze, catching the eager eyes, both bright and dim, that were fixed on the soup, he smirked with ill intent and said, "This meat soup is expensive. If you want to drink it, you'll have to trade something for it."
The prisoners immediately fell silent. Shen Tang, hearing this, lifted her eyelids, her lips pursed, and a flicker of anger crossed the depths of her dark eyes. She might have lost her memories, but that didn't mean she was an idiot. She understood the man's meaning—this was a group of female prisoners with uncertain futures, about to be confined to the Jiaofang (brothel district). Any silver or money they might have hidden had already been confiscated. What else could they use to trade for meat soup?
The answer was painfully obvious.
After speaking, the officer's gaze swept over the female prisoners with a lecherous glint, as if enjoying the sight of their hesitant or indignant expressions. Another officer chuckled and slapped the back of his head. He chided with a laugh, "You don't even have the right to get into their beds; these are the 'nobility' of the Gong clan." He deliberately drew out the word "nobility."
"Nobility? What kind of nobility?" The officer rubbed the back of his head, intentionally raising his voice, "People who serve nobles at the Jiaofang?"
"Exactly!" A third officer, emboldened by the alcohol, joined in the fun, "Isn't the Jiaofang a place you can go to for fun if you have money? It's not like us brothers can't afford a few huiyin (currency). If one person can't afford it, we'll pool our money. If we can't afford a whole night, we'll buy half a night. You take half an incense stick, I'll take half an incense stick..."
"Third Brother, who are you looking down on? Whoever takes half an incense stick is a grandchild!"
"It's going to happen sooner or later. Is there a difference between it happening here or at the Jiaofang?"
Facing such utter humiliation, the male prisoners dared not speak out, while the more attractive female prisoners felt even more vulnerable, their faces ashen. Seeing them become increasingly inappropriate, the leading officer had no choice but to intervene.
"You lot, quiet down! This is getting out of hand! Once this mission is over, you can go to any Jiaofang and find courtesans for pleasure. Why bother with these few? Stay alert and keep an eye on them! The higher-ups have given orders; if any of them escape, everyone will be held accountable!"
The officers instantly fell silent, until one of them muttered softly.
"With their literary hearts shattered and martial courage broken, how can any of them escape?"
"Literary heart?"
"Martial courage?"
Shen Tang keenly caught these two terms. Without warning, a sharp, undeniable pain surged from the depths of her mind. Then she heard the officer subtly flatter their leader, fawningly saying, "These Gong clan prisoners, no matter how glorious they once were, that's all in the past. Although we brothers are just low-ranking gongshi (commoners), you are a third-rank zanniao (officer)."
Other officers also chimed in, "Exactly, Boss, these prisoners are either women or crippled, how can they escape?"
Low-ranking gongshi?
Third-rank zanniao?
What were those things?
Shen Tang's brows furrowed, and she clenched her teeth, enduring a pain that grew stronger with each passing moment. Unconsciously, her forehead was covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat, and her face was pale. Although she was trying hard to control herself, her subtle trembling still startled the prisoner next to her.
The woman lifted her eyelids, glanced at Shen Tang, and seeing her clutching her forehead in evident agony, she let out a soft snort and turned her back. She muttered, "Crazy woman..."
An unknown amount of time passed. The piercing pain seemed to cross a threshold, then with a boom, receded like a tide. Shen Tang gasped faintly, as if granted a great pardon, her eyes hazy and disoriented. When her mind cleared, a fragmented piece of unfamiliar memory surfaced.
She closed her eyes to sort through it—two hundred years ago, just as the world was about to settle, stars rained down like meteors in the night. One "thief star" was particularly unusual, emitting an eerie, dazzling purple light that illuminated the entire sky. This meteor shower not only turned the tide of war, causing a hegemon just one step away from ultimate victory to suffer a bitter defeat, but also rapidly transformed the world.
From then on, the realm was leaderless. Warlords and feudal lords amassed troops, asserting their own power. The world plunged back into an era of chaos, subsequently fragmenting into a hundred warring states. The people suffered terribly. It was then that some discovered peculiar changes in their bodies.
Cultivating literary and martial arts allowed them to absorb the energy of heaven and earth, gathering it in their danfu (energy center) to refine their bodies. The danfu was divided into literary and martial aspects. If one could condense the energy of heaven and earth into a core, it became a "Literary Heart" or "Martial Courage," each with its own unique strengths. As these individuals explored one after another, a systematic classification gradually emerged.
The Literary Heart was divided into nine ranks. It allowed one's words to become reality, to conjure things from nothing, to strategize and deploy troops, deciding victory from a thousand miles away with a mere flick of the wrist. Martial Courage had twenty ranks. A single man could hold a pass against ten thousand,
and even charge through a thousand-strong army, scattering them seven times over, men and horses alike. Gongshi and Zanniao both belonged to Martial Courage, representing the lowest rank and third rank respectively. The highest rank of Martial Courage was the twentieth-rank Chehou. Since the descent of the thief star, only three individuals had achieved the "Chehou" level of Martial Courage, each an unparalleled hero with the strength to move mountains and an awe-inspiring spirit, serving as the pillars supporting their respective nations!
Shen Tang organized these unfamiliar memories, her expression gradually turning speechless. This was because she had just been guessing what rank of Literary Heart or Martial Courage she might possess, thinking that even if it was crippled, her physique would still be better than an ordinary person's, possibly allowing her to escape. Who knew, the moment this thought arose, a small line of information popped into her mind, shattering her hopes—
She was female.
In this world, a female body was like a broken bag; although it could perceive the energy of heaven and earth, it couldn't gather it in the danfu, naturally lacking the so-called Literary Heart or Martial Courage.
Shen Tang: "...Damn it!"
Did that blasted meteorite also practice gender discrimination???
No sooner had she finished cursing internally than she heard the leading officer sternly reprimand his subordinates.
"What do you ignorant oafs know?" The leading officer, though thoroughly pleased by the flattery, didn't let it go to his head. "The Gong clan was raided, but not everyone was caught. I heard there's still a Wudafu (ninth-rank officer, referring to a specific rank in ancient China) on the run. If we run into them... Hmph!" A third-rank Zanniao could make their group of low-ranking Gongshi cry for their mothers and not know which way was up. A Wudafu was ninth-rank, effectively a grandfather scolding his grandson when dealing with a Zanniao. If that Wudafu came to rescue them, they might not even have time to escape... Of course, the possibility was slim.
Everyone understood tacitly, and at the same time, felt a touch of anxiety. Because of this little interlude, they had to suppress their lustful thoughts and dared not act recklessly. The surroundings were silent save for the chirping of insects. Shen Tang, feeling utterly despondent, suddenly noticed movement from the hemp rope at her waist, followed by the rolling sound of a small stone being tossed.
The officer who heard the noise walked over. He warned in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
The woman who had snatched Shen Tang's biscuit during the day swallowed, then asked, "Is there still some meat soup left with the young master?"
Shen Tang, feigning sleep, felt her eyebrow twitch.
Requesting female channel recommendation tickets (:з」∠)Shiitake (the author) mailed the contract today, should be officially signed by next Monday.
Regarding the twenty ranks of Martial Courage, they reference the Qin Dynasty's twenty-tier military merit nobility system, from lowest to highest: Gongshi, Shangzao, Zanniao, Bugeng, Dafu, Guandafu, Gongdafu, Gongcheng, Wudafu, Zuoshuchang, Youshuchang, Zuogeng, Zhonggeng, Yougeng, Shaoshangzao, Dashangzao, Sicheshuchang, Dashuchang, Guanneihou, Chehou.It's too long, and searching notes is troublesome, so I'll write it here as a tag for easy reference.
The Literary Heart classification is derived from the Nine-Rank System of official selection. Unlike Martial Courage, which can be upgraded, Literary Heart ranks are typically fixed, like opening a blind box—whatever rank it is, it is (:з」∠)Oh, updates are usually scheduled for 2 PM, normally one chapter, double chapters with recommendations.