Tang Man was born in the time when the only means of transportation was by horse. It was a time when the monarch was head by the royalty. And a time when the gap between rich and poor was as wide as the open sea.
Killed by her husband, the famous Ge...
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Xuanwu drifted between life and death, having been washed ashore. It was a coincidence that there was a raging deep river that awash fresh water from the mountains down to the body of salt water. By the time he was shoved inland, his wounds had been cleansed though his constitution had grown even weaker.
Just in time before he developed pneumonia from the cold, a couple of villagers dragged him to their home. They were a couple of teenage girls who were only playing by the beach.
After Xuanwu was brought into a stranger's house, his recovery was still slow because he couldn't let his guard down. He had been through so many events that his trust on people was nonexistent. He pretended to be unconscious, seemingly asleep as the members of the house took turns to feed him with water or wipe him clean.
A week quickly passed and news of a certain Lord's merchandise that was lost along the river spread all over the nearby communities. Following after that, a search party was soon to arrive in the small village by the sea.
The house was small, so Xuanwu who barely slept could hear the conversations outside the door. Sounds were his only solace in the ever present darkness that stared at his soul, wrapping his heart with anxiousness for the unfathomable. What else was there waiting for him in this lifetime full of tragedies? His experiences were getting worse and worse.
An elderly softly said, "The mayor is on it again, forcing everyone to participate in leaving an impression to the higher authorities... Is Qingqing ready for that day?"
"Yes, father. Wife prepared a presentable dress for her so she wouldn't be punished by the madame. I'm just not sure father..."
"Not sure of what?"
The middle aged man tried to lower his voice as he shared his thoughts, "Don't you think the boy we've found is the merchandise the Lord of Ming Province is looking for..?"
Although they lived in the rural outskirts, certain news of prestigious families still reach the uneducated people's ears.
"If so, we should take advantage of this."
This exchange caused Xuanwu's heart to tremble. There really was no goodness to this world. If so, do not blame him for being cruel once he got the chance!
That night, he struggled for escape once again, withstanding his weakening body. Before he departed from the small house, he stole from the small household with no feelings of remorse. He only wanted to live, and anybody else was his stepping stone.
During that night, a blind boy hovered over here and there, careful not to make any loud sounds to wake the members of the house nor the neighbors living not too far away.
He tapped around, reading his surroundings through the sounds until he found his way out with everything he had stolen: money, clothes and food. Then he cleverly sneaked away.
