43: Chapter 43 Temptation, Dilemma

Jiang Hongli stopped, turned around, and looked at him with a smirk.

"Food and shelter? In this world, food and shelter are the hardest things to come by." She pointed to the badge at her waist.

"How about it?" Jiang Hongli offered an olive branch. "I see your Mental Energy is extraordinary; you are good Materials for practicing the arts. Follow me, and you won't have to look at the faces of those county officials anymore. Your salary will double, and you will be able to come into contact with the true 'Dao'."

Chen Mo didn't even think about it; he shook his head like a rattle-drum.

"Not going."

The refusal was crisp and decisive.

Jiang Hongli was stunned for a moment. "Not enough money?"

"I'm not looking to die early." Chen Mo spoke the truth. "Lord Jiang, I'm just an ordinary person. I just want to live a few more years, take a wife, and have a child. The work you do at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is like hanging your head from your belt; my small frame can't handle that."

Just joking.

The lifespan on his panel is meant for enjoying life, not for throwing it away.

Dealing with demons? That's just asking to die faster.

Jiang Hongli was choked up for a moment and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No ambition."

She didn't force the issue and turned to continue walking.

The two were silent for a while.

There was only the rustling sound of feet stepping on dry grass.

Chen Mo looked at Jiang Hongli's back, hesitated for a long time, but still spoke up.

"Lord Jiang."

"What is it now?"

"That... Imperial Astronomical Bureau, or other places, is there any... place that adopts orphans?"

Jiang Hongli's steps faltered. She looked back at him with a strange expression. "What? Do you have an illegitimate child outside?"

"..." Chen Mo's mouth twitched. "No. It's a neighbor's child. Old Man Li passed away last night... leaving behind a little granddaughter, only seven or eight years old."

The teasing in Jiang Hongli's eyes dissipated, replaced by a faint indifference.

This indifference wasn't directed at Chen Mo, but at this world.

"No." She answered flatly.

"What about the Foundling Bureau? Or charity halls?" Chen Mo wouldn't give up. In the memories of his past life, these were standard.

"Foundling Bureau?" Jiang Hongli sneered, as if she had heard a joke. "Chen Mo, you also make a living in the yamen; do you really believe such ghost-fooling words?"

She pointed to the wilderness in the distance.

"This is the border. More people die here every year than are born. The government's money is all used for feeding soldiers and repairing walls; where would they have spare money to feed idlers?"

"Then charity halls..."

"There are a few charity halls opened by wealthy families." Jiang Hongli interrupted him, her tone becoming cold and stern. "They serve two meals of thin porridge a day, which can indeed keep someone alive. But do you dare send that Little Girl in there?"

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

Jiang Hongli turned around and stared into Chen Mo's eyes.

"Do you know where those pretty-looking Little Girls in the charity halls end up?"

Chen Mo didn't speak, but he had guessed it.

"The lucky ones are sold into wealthy families as maids, signing a death contract where their life and death are in the hands of the master. If they encounter a perverted master, they have nowhere to seek justice even if they are beaten to death."

Jiang Hongli paused, her voice becoming colder.

"The unlucky ones are picked directly by human traffickers and sent to brothels. Seven or eight years old is the perfect time for training. After a few years, they become playthings on the beds of the Young Masters in this city. When they get old and lose their looks, or catch a disease, they are thrown into the mass grave to feed the wild dogs."

Chen Mo felt his throat go dry.

"There are even worse fates."

Jiang Hongli seemed to want to completely shatter Chen Mo's innocence. "Some Martial Artists who practice evil arts, or those twisted powerful figures, love this kind of 'two-legged sheep'. Tender. Nutritious."

Two words.

"Tender. Nutritious."

Like two nails, they were driven fiercely into Chen Mo's brain.

He remembered Little Grass's timid big eyes, and the way she held half a cold steamed bun and called out "Big Brother Chen".

If he sent her to that kind of place...

How is that any different from killing her with his own hands?

"So," Jiang Hongli turned around and continued walking forward, her voice filled with exhaustion, "Don't think about those meaningless things. In this chaotic world, human life is like grass. If you can keep your own life, you've already used all your strength. Bringing a burden? That's just asking to die faster."

Chen Mo stood rooted to the spot.

The wind blew, picking up the withered leaves on the ground, spinning them away.

He was a transmigrator.

Having received nine years of compulsory education, "respecting the old and loving the young" and "helping the weak and relieving the distressed" were engraved in his bones.

But he was also an ordinary person who wanted to survive.

The lifespan on the panel was counting down, reminding him every minute and every second: You don't have much time, don't meddle in other people's business.

Reason told him that Jiang Hongli was right.

Bringing Little Grass along meant bringing a huge trouble. Having another mouth to feed was a small matter; the key was having a weakness. In this man-eating world, having a weakness was equivalent to sticking your neck under a blade.

The best way was to give some money and let her fend for herself.

Or be heartless and just ignore it.

Anyway, they were not related.

But...

Chen Mo closed his eyes.

His mind was filled with Old Man Li's bloodshot eyes hanging from the roof beam, as if staring at him.

"Big Brother Chen..."

Little Grass's voice echoed in his ears.

If he didn't save her, she would be sold, abused, and treated as "two-legged sheep".

Could he watch it happen?

If he could really remain indifferent, then what difference would there be between him and the natives of this world, or those man-eating beasts?

He wanted eternal life.

But he didn't want to live like a stone.

"Damn it."

Chen Mo cursed in a low voice.

He didn't know if he was cursing this messed-up world, or his own damn, misplaced conscience.

The conflict was like a tangled mess, making him feel agitated.

"Why are you standing there? Keep up!"

Jiang Hongli's urging voice came from the front.

Chen Mo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the irritation, and stepped forward to follow.

This matter wasn't over.

But he had no choice right now.

He could only take it one step at a time.

The two walked one after another in silence along the desolate official road.

The further north they went, the deeper the weeds on the side of the road became, even reaching above their knees.

"We're here."

Jiang Hongli suddenly stopped.

Chen Mo looked up.

In front was a rocky beach, overgrown with weeds, where a few half-collapsed grave mounds could be vaguely seen.

This was the outskirts of the mass grave.

The temperature in the air seemed to drop by several degrees; it was eerie.

"Be careful."

Jiang Hongli drew the long saber from her waist; the blade was narrow and long, gleaming with cold light. Her entire temperament changed instantly, from that somewhat lazy female ranger to a drawn sharp blade.

"The smell here... is not right."

Chen Mo also gripped the "ghost rejector" saber on his back.

Although he didn't want to cause trouble, since he was here, he had to be on high alert.

"How is it not right?" He asked in a low voice.

"It's too quiet."

Jiang Hongli narrowed her eyes, her gaze scanning the surroundings like a radar. "There isn't even the sound of insects. And..."

She sniffed.

"There is the smell of blood."

"Fresh."