Relief

A middle-aged man was running through the halls of the city lord's manor.

He was a tall, muscular, lean man with long black hair and eyes.

He was wearing black robes, and on the back was an embroidered jade plant design meant to signify the city lord's wealth.

Despite running at full speed, not a single drop of sweat could be seen.

His breathing was regular and standard, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

This man was Zhen Zhi, the loyal servant of the city lord.

Despite the city lord's nature, he still follows him wholeheartedly.

To him, he was like an insurmountable mountain.

When he was a child, Zhen Zhi was an assassin hired by the city lord's younger brother to assassinate him.

On the day of the attempted assassination, Zhen Zhi was defeated.

He expected that to be his last moment, but something surprising happened.

The city lord reached his hand out to the beaten Zhen Zhi and made him an offer.

"Join me, become one of my people, and I promise you will never lack anything."

The young boy had no choice but to accept.

It was rare to get a second chance anywhere in the heavens.

Even more so for a defeated enemy, let alone an assassin.

Zhen Zhi reached his destination and knocked on the large doors.

"My lord, it's Zhen Zhi. Apologise for disturbing you, but I have something imperative to report."

Swinging inwards, the large doors opened.

Inside was an average-height, fat, bald man with brown eyes.

He was in the centre of a large bed, wearing nothing except the bed cover over the crucial parts.

He had a bottle of fine wine in one hand as two women fought for his attention, running their hands all over his large body.

This man was Li Huafu, the city lord of Travellers Rest.

"I'm sorry again for disturbing you, my lord. There is a situation that requires your attention."

Taking a swig of the bottle, he asks, "What is it?"

"The city is currently in chaos. The reports say it's under attack by demonic beings. How should I proceed?"

The city lord then throws his wine bottle towards Zhen Zhi, narrowly missing him and smashing the bottle against the wall behind him.

"You disturbed me for that? Send the troops and deal with it!" He roared.

"Yes, my lord."

Being used to his lord's outbursts, Zhen Zhi thought nothing of it and calmly accepted his order.

"I will take my leave then. Please enjoy your night." He bowed respectfully and turned around, prepared to leave and fulfil his duty.

"Wait." The city lord stopped him/

Zhen Zhi stopped in his tracks and turned around in a deep bow.

"Yes, my lord?"

Li Huafu grinned, "What about my new concubine?"

"The lady is currently being prepared for her first night."

"Tsk. It's fine. Just send her over now. I don't want to wait much longer."

"Right away, my lord."

With that, Zhen Zhi left the room to send the city lords troops out to deal with the chaos and to bring Li Huafu's latest conquest.

"But what about us, my lord? Does that mean you won't play with us anymore tonight?" Asked one of the women by his side.

The fat man chuckled, kissing the woman on her cheek.

"Don't worry, I doubt that little girl will last long, seeing how it's her first night. I'll entertain the two of you further a bit later."

"We will be eagerly waiting, my lord." The women chuckled together as the three people got steamy once again.

—

Elsewhere within an annex of the city, lord's manor was a beautiful woman.

She was sitting in front of a dresser, on top of which was a mirror.

Attending to her were two women wearing servant clothing.

They were brushing her hair and fixing her clothing and makeup.

The woman had an expression devoid of emotions as if she had given up on life.

Her mouth was gagged to prevent her from harming herself, and the servant girls were there to ensure she wouldn't run away or hurt herself in some other way.

She had to be in a pristine and perfect condition. 

If she weren't, the city lord would severely punish those entrusted to care for her.

She had perfectly smooth skin, devoid of any blemishes or markings.

Her silver hair, which glimmered under the moonlight entering through a window, had been styled to appear wavy.

Her once vibrant and beautiful violet eyes had lost their lustre from her emotional turmoil.

This woman was Bai Ling, the personal attendant to Tian Mei.

In the past week and a bit, her entire world came shattering down on top of her.

She was told that the person who was like an older sister to her was murdered.

Then, as if to make things worse, the city lord saw her on his visit to the brothel and demanded that she become his woman.

She hoped that the manager would protect her.

At first, he refused the city lord, giving Bai Ling hope, but that didn't last long.

Not much later, the city lord's men came and took her away.

On her way out, her eyes met with the managers. Her eyes pleaded for help but to no avail.

He simply turned away from her and left, and that's when she knew all hope was lost.

'If only elder sister were here.'

Those were the thoughts constantly running through her mind.

She believed everything would have been alright if Tian Mei had been here.

Bai Ling was blissfully unaware that this unfortunate day would have happened no matter what.

Even if Tian Mei had been there to help her, she could have done nothing.

While Bai Ling was being tormented by her thoughts, the two attendants happily gossiped, not caring that each word they said cut her like a knife.

Even spending a single night with the city lord would have been a blessing to them.

"You're so lucky lady Bai. If I had the chance, I'd give myself to the city lord immediately."

"That's right. You will get to enjoy a life of luxury and excess. If only I had your looks..." Said the other woman.

As the two chatted away happily, a knock on the door came.

"This is Zhen Zhi. The Lord had sent me here to retrieve Lady Bai and bring her to him."

"Go and open the door for lord Zhen." One of the women instructed.

She walked towards the door and opened it, letting Zhen Zhi inside the room.

He walked a couple of paces into the room, and then, out of nowhere, his head was cleanly cut off, sending it up in the air.

"AHHHHHH!" The woman screamed, causing her friend and Bai Ling to turn towards the commotion.

When they turned, they saw Zhen Zhi's headless body standing there.

Then he fell to his knees and finally onto the ground, revealing the breathtakingly handsome face of Xue Yang.

The two women dropped to the ground, saying something that Xue Yang completely ignored.

His focus was on Bai Ling.

Her face, which was devoid of any emotions, changed.

Instead of an emotionless doll, her face showcased a vast range of emotions: fear, anger, sadness…

"Sorry that I'm late, Bai Ling." Xue Yang smiled.

Those simple words added one more emotion on top of the others. One that she couldn't understand the reason for.

Relief...