Mistakenly Marked the Madly Beautiful Princess - Chapter 80

The air was thick with an indescribable odor, a mixture of alcohol, sweat, and blood.

The moment the door opened, the raucous noise subsided briefly. Seeing Ling Yue and the others dressed in Rong Dynasty attire, many eyes lit up with greed.

These were ruthless, vicious individuals. They scrutinized the group brazenly, their gazes eventually settling on Ling Yue.

Suddenly, someone recognized Bai Yuqi. Spitting out a toothpick, the man greeted her with exaggerated enthusiasm, “Little Bai, long time no see. Did you kill your elder sister yet?”

The act of kin-slaying rolled off his tongue as casually as asking what she’d eaten for breakfast.

Ling Yue couldn’t help but frown, noticing the malicious stares still fixed on her. Her fists clenched involuntarily.

Bai Yuqi, however, was accustomed to the chaos of this place. She shook her head and replied, “Plans changed. It can wait.”

Then she introduced Ling Yue and Qing Niao, “These are my friends from the Rong Dynasty, Er Ya and Gui Hua.”

At the introduction, the roomful of people showed disappointment. Some returned to their own dealings, while others continued to eye Ling Yue with lingering avarice.

Bai Yuqi stepped forward, shielding her two companions. “I’m just showing my friends around. Got anything new?”

The man speaking to Bai Yuqi was short, with a thin mustache. Eager for business, he quickly led them to his stall.

It was hardly a stall just a tattered cloth spread on the ground, displaying an assortment of pretty stones. Some of the gems appeared polished, likely pried from jewelry.

Ling Yue had no interest in jewels, but Bai Yuqi was examining them intently.

Yet Bai Yuqi didn’t seem the type to care about appearances her silver earrings had remained unchanged all this time.

In this unfamiliar environment, Ling Yue felt closer to Bai Yuqi. Seeing her repeatedly pick up a round red gem, Ling Yue couldn’t resist asking, “Do you like that?”

Bai Yuqi set it down and picked up a blue gem instead, her expression indifferent. “No, I just want to give a gift to my benefactor.”

Ling Yue’s composure shattered. Anxiously, she blurted, “Why give it to her?”

Her reaction was so intense that Bai Yuqi’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the gem.

Fortunately, no harm was done. Bai Yuqi looked at her suspiciously. “Why shouldn’t I?”

Ling Yue was speechless.

Flustered, she scrambled for an excuse: “Sister doesn’t like these things.”

Bai Yuqi still found it odd. Setting the gem aside, she admitted frankly, “That’s just as well, I can’t afford it anyway.”

Truth be told, Bai Yuqi’s life as a escort in the Rong Dynasty was far better than in the Northern Kingdom. But even if she pooled all her earnings, she couldn’t afford the smallest gem here.

Her blunt honesty, devoid of any shame, left Ling Yue at a loss for words.

“Hey! Mind your own business!”

A furious roar erupted from a corner. Ling Yue turned to see Qing Niao crouched there.

The shout was directed at Qing Niao. Instantly, Ling Yue’s expression turned cold as she strode over.

Bai Yuqi was about to follow when the gemstone stall owner called out to stop her, “Don’t go!”

The panic on his face was so evident that Bai Yuqi couldn’t ignore it. She couldn’t help but ask, “Why? Is that person someone tough to deal with?”

The stall owner wiped the sweat from his forehead, eyeing the stall in the corner with great apprehension. Even his voice dropped to a whisper, “That guy is new here, but he’s ruthless. All of us in this room combined couldn’t take him down.”

Hearing this, Bai Yuqi grew intrigued. Due to her Rong Dynasty heritage, she had faced considerable oppression in the Northern Kingdom. When she first entered this black market, she too had been bullied.

She had fought these people head-on and earned their respect, but even she hadn’t managed to instill such fear in them. Just how vicious was this person to intimidate them so thoroughly?

Since she had brought these people here, she had to ensure their safe return; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to face her benefactor.

Gripping the dagger at her waist, Bai Yuqi ignored the warnings and slowly made her way to Ling Yue’s side.

This was only one part of the black market, and the lingering scent of blood mostly came from animal hides, flesh, and entrails, with only a small portion attributable to humans.

Upon arriving, Ling Yue noticed four or five people huddled in a corner, their clothes tattered and hair disheveled, making it difficult to distinguish their genders at a glance.

It was clear that the merchandise here was human beings. Ling Yue finally understood the meaning behind the stares they had received upon entering.

The hands and feet of these people were worn raw, their bodies covered in bruises some so severe that they lay motionless on the ground, seemingly devoid of life.

Ignoring the fierce stall owner, Qing Niao focused intently on treating them.

The stall owner was a tall, lean man with one blind eye and a chunk missing from his left ear, his expression sinister. Seeing Qing Niao disregard his words, he pulled a large blade from the ground and pressed it against her neck.

“Can’t you understand human language? If you want to buy, then buy! Don’t mess around!”

The sharp blade severed a strand of Qing Niao’s hair. She looked up at the stall owner, her eyes not filled with fear but with a chilling fury.

Under such a gaze, the stall owner felt a sudden twinge of fear, but it quickly turned to rage. He cursed, “You little beast!”

At this critical moment, Bai Yuqi stepped forward and grabbed the stall owner’s wrist. “Let’s talk this out.”

The strength in her grip surprised him. He scrutinized Bai Yuqi carefully before sneering, “Are they your friends?”

Bai Yuqi nodded. “Yes, they’re unfamiliar with the rules. Please forgive them.”

With the blade still at her neck, Qing Niao showed no panic. She turned back and continued treating the person on the ground, who, to everyone’s surprise, slowly opened their eyes.

But no one rejoiced at this revival.

Ling Yue noticed that the eyes of these people were numb, their entire beings shrouded in an aura of death.

Even if they were being sold as slaves, they shouldn’t be in such a state their bodies were too weak to even perform labor.

Ling Yue crouched down and asked one of them, “What’s your name?”

It took a long time for the girl to turn her head. Her gaze was lifeless, and she offered no response.

Seeing that Qing Niao and the others had finished treating the person, the stall owner didn’t press the issue further. Still, his disdain for people of Rong Dynasty heritage made him unable to resist a jab: “Even if you healed her, I won’t pay you. You Rong Dynasty folks are the craftiest, don’t think you can swindle me.”

Ling Yue’s brow furrowed at his words, but she remained calm and swallowed her anger.

When Ling Yue turned her gaze to Qing Niao, she noticed the other’s body trembling slightly.

Worried that something might be wrong, Ling Yue reached out to remove the knife pressed against Qing Niao’s neck, crouched down, and asked, “Are you alright?”

Qing Niao seemed to have calmed down. “I’m fine.”

Seeing the group still lingering at the stall, the stall owner grew impatient. “If you’re buying, buy. If not, don’t stand here blocking the view. Outsiders’ lives aren’t worth much here.”

Bai Yuqi carefully observed Ling Yue and Qing Niao’s expressions. Noticing Ling Yue’s displeasure, she reached out to pull them away.

But her hand was brushed aside by Ling Yue.

Bai Yuqi was no longer calm either. She had already tested the waters, she was no match for the stall owner. If he truly decided to cause trouble, they might not escape unscathed today.

She grabbed Ling Yue’s wrist and whispered, “Let’s go back.”

Ignoring her, Ling Yue turned to Qing Niao and asked, “Can these people be saved?”

The stall owner immediately understood that these people were planning to cause trouble. Instead of being afraid, he revealed a bloodthirsty excitement.

Hoisting his large blade onto his shoulder, he grinned menacingly. “Are you trying to rob me?”

Bai Yuqi’s heart raced. How could these two, who couldn’t even defend themselves, handle someone she couldn’t defeat?

She tried to forcibly drag Ling Yue and Qing Niao away but found that no matter how hard she pulled, Ling Yue remained unmoved.

Her inner panic gradually turned to shock as she noticed Ling Yue’s gaze sharpen, even appearing somewhat terrifying.

Under that gaze, the words she wanted to say condensed into a single, trembling “You!”

However, the stall owner seemed to have less patience. With a sinister laugh, he swung his blade directly at Ling Yue’s head.

The place was not short of spectators. No one closed their eyes; instead, countless pairs of eyes eagerly anticipated the bloody scene of flesh and blood.

Bai Yuqi could no longer hold back. Steeling herself, she stepped forward, only to find a hand at her waist, the same hand that drew her dagger.

“Clang!”

The bloody scene they had anticipated did not unfold. The dagger blocked the large blade, and even as the blade’s wielder exerted more force, Ling Yue remained unmoved.

The stall owner strained with all his might, but despite the frail appearance of the Rong Dynasty woman before him, the blade refused to descend even an inch further.

He was about to curse in frustration, but when he met Ling Yue’s icy gaze, a look that regarded him not as a person, but as an inanimate object his heart suddenly filled with panic. Yet, his contempt for the Rong Dynasty people made him ignore the instinctual fear of death.

He withdrew the blade and swung it sideways, determined to sever the head of the Rong Dynasty woman before him.

But suddenly, his hand felt strangely light. He could no longer feel the weight of the blade. No, he couldn’t even feel his hand!

The pain finally registered in his brain, and the stall owner realized his hand had been severed.

“Ahhhhh!!!!!”

A piercing scream echoed through the room, and the noisy space fell into silence.

Ling Yue shook the blood off the dagger and turned to the stunned Bai Yuqi. Apologetically, she said, “Sorry, I got it dirty.”

Bai Yuqi took the dagger, her voice trembling as she replied, “It’s fine.”

But the danger was not over. The stall owner picked up the blade from the ground with his left hand, his eyes bloodshot as he charged forward, screaming venomously, “Die!”

Ling Yue spun around and kicked the knife out of his hand, then seized the vendor by the throat. “Will there be any trouble if I kill him?” she asked Bai Yuqi.

Bai Yuqi looked at Ling Yue, her emotions tangled in complexity, and replied, “No.”

The Northern Kingdom was far less stable than the Rong Dynasty, plagued by internal chaos. Moreover, this was a border town of the Northern Kingdom, essentially a lawless land.

And this was the black market.

Ling Yue glanced again at the group of children bound in chains, all dressed in Rong Dynasty attire.

Just as she was about to strike, she noticed the vendor convulsing, foaming at the mouth, and soon bleeding from his ears and nose before going still.

Releasing her grip, Ling Yue stared at the wretched state of the corpse and couldn’t help but turn her gaze to Qing Niao.

The other merely remained calm, quietly tending to the injuries of the remaining children.

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