Accidentally Married A Fox God - The sovereign lord spoils his wife

Chapter 3 - Succ.u.mb To Circ.u.mstances

Chapter 3 - Succ.u.mb To Circ.u.mstances

Li Meirong glanced nervously in the direction from where the voice came. She noticed a man who stood apart from the crowd, with an appearance resembling that of a huntsman.

He wore a heavy black cloak and a thick piece of fur covered his shoulders. His robes were woven from simple cloth, and they seemed to be designed for battle. His face was lined from hard work and age, and he had a scar across his right cheek that followed all the way from his chin to the corner of his bushy eyebrow in a deep furrow. His hair was black with grey streaks, tied back loosely with a clasp. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. Yet his overall demeanour didn't quite match that of the rest of the crowd. In fact, he seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to leave the place.

Everyone stared in shock. Even the madam, who had been so eager and lively but a moment before was rendered speechless.

Fifty silver taels! That was a staggering sum! Not even their most highly sought after courtesans inspired such a price!

The madam hurried to wrap up this bid before he would have a chance to retract the offer, but the "Huntsman" remained motionless and silent.

"Hehe, this Honourable Sir certainly knows what he wants! Going once… Going twice..."

The military man with the previous bid seemed disappointed, but he had no intention of outbidding fifty taels for a mere one night with a disfigured v.i.r.g.i.n p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e. It just wasn't worth it in the long run.

Most of the men in the area stared aghast at the final bidder, while others regarded him with outright mockery. What a waste of money!

"Sold!" exclaimed the madam.

Li Meirong was immediately rushed to the second floor, along with the other girls who were bought, each were shoved into separate rooms.

Small. Windowless. The air was thick with the heady smell of incense, and only a large bed in the way of furniture, with the exception of a small stool on one side, and a lone candle flickering atop of it. This room was clearly meant for one purpose only.

Li Meirong felt defeated. How could she escape when there wasn't even a window to climb out of? To top it off, she wasn't bought by a young, slight man.

No. It had to be someone who looks like he just came back from hunting a mammoth. She began to realize how trapped she was in this disgusting foreign place. She just wanted to scream, this was so unreal!

She stood nervously by the side of the bed as one of the veteran courtesans barged into the room, the door slamming behind her.

The Veteran Courtesan was about the same age Li Meirong assumed she was supposed to be, which was young, far too young. Her overall appearance was petite, except for her large and shapely bosom, giving her a rather youthful, desirable look. Her face was painted heavily with white powder and contrasted with a pair of lips dyed with scarlet rouge, granting them the appearance of a freshly polished apple, ready to be bitten.

Without even speaking, the sneer plastered on her face already gave away her disdain.

"I've been instructed to advise you on your upcoming duties by this establishment's madam, considering such a huge sum has been paid for you." The veteran courtesan took Li Meirong by the arm, bringing her to the bed before sitting down beside her.

She sighed and started to explain, "I've heard a bit about your case. It's better for you not to consider committing suicide again. Luckily, when you came here and gulped poison down your throat, the madam was able to extract it before you lost your life. Life is hard here, but not impossible. If you can't use your face, then learn to use your body to please a man. Make sure you always seem pleased and happy, even if it hurts. I heard you can sing and dance. You can use that to your advantage." The courtesan clasped Li Meirong's hands and spoke quietly and with a distinct tone of disinterest.

"Most importantly, don't bring shame to the establishment." With that final statement, the Veteran Courtesan had covered all the necessary points. Once an unfortunate woman became a p.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.e, she knew, that woman should forget about living life as an honourable person, but it didn't necessarily mean that said woman would live a horrible life.

This particular point of view was still lost on Li Meirong. The more she heard, the more doomed she felt, like she was losing all control. Even if it meant risking her life, she was resolved to find a way to escape. She would not be reborn into a new world just to find herself surrendering to this kind of fate!

Li Meirong looked directly into the courtesan's eyes and asked, "Thank you for telling me all this, but I really cannot accept any of this. Is there any way for me to escape, or buy my freedom? Maybe you and I can run off together?"

The courtesan paused a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"You haven't had your first night and you're already panicked? Whatever shall you do with yourself later on? Sweetie, the only way out of here is with money, which we earn by selling our bodies. Your only other alternatives are to be flogged to death or pray for an amazing miracle to save you. As for me? I now have good food, all the silk I want, and men lining up to meet me. I have no intention of leaving." She regarded Li Meirong as nothing but a foolish little girl talking nonsense.

"Understood." Li Meirong looked down dejectedly, now silenced.

She wasn't an assassin or a warrior, able to bravely fight her way out of there. Still unwilling to succ.u.mb to her fate, but not yet knowing how to escape it, she did her best to internalize her struggle. The courtesan, seeing no response coming from the young girl, patted her head in mild sympathy and left the room.

All was quiet now in the small room where Li Meirong waited for her first client. She could already hear the primal m.o.a.ns and grunts of both pleasure and pain from the neighbouring quarters.

The heavily incensed air in the room made her slightly dizzy and warm. She felt thirsty, but there were no drinks to be found.

It was only after the candle on the stool burnt out completely that the door opened once more.

The Huntsman walked in with slow, heavy strides.

Li Meirong stood up in a panic, clutching the sides of her skirt, ready to fight or flee if need be.