“...Call the tide...!”
"It's you?!"
Tiancheng glanced at Cuizhu, who was also unaware of the truth, and stood up and walked forward.
The door was pushed open by the woman, and Lao Ya was about to slap her, but Su Xin rushed over without thinking and pulled the person into the house.
The old duck was stunned. "Young Master? This...she is my girl. Call her out quickly, so as not to disturb your fun."
Feeling the other person's hand tightly grasping her clothes, Su Xin frowned and shook her head, "No, she won't go out with you."
"Hey? Isn't the young master afraid of strangers? Why are you so concerned about a girl like me who has a brain problem? Let me tell you, the person I arranged for you has been sent there. There is no way I can help you.
"Haha... Mom, please help me." Tiancheng stuffed the silver ingot into his pocket and quickly thought of the right words. "It just so happens that Miss Qiaoli may have drunk too much. I'm afraid it's not convenient for her tonight."
"What's so inconvenient about this? Sir, are you trying to trick me?"
"Miss Cuizhu is here too, you might as well ask her. I've already spent all this money... I can't just sleep with her like this, right? It just so happens that my brother has taken a liking to this maid, what do you think..."
The old duck squinted his eyes and looked at Cuizhu. When she nodded, he glared at her with disappointment and asked someone to carry the sleeping oriole to bed.
"..Humph, never mind. But don't blame me for not reminding you, young master. I am a maid...very strong. If you get hurt by being beaten, I won't compensate you."
Su Xin didn't want to pay attention to her, so Tian Cheng responded in a gentle voice.
After the old duck left, she closed the door again and looked at Cuizhu, "Thank you for what you did just now, Miss Cuizhu."
As long as Cuizhu denied her words and insisted that Qiaoli had served her, she would have to pay at least one more person's share of money, and maybe even more depending on the madam's appetite.
Cuizhu shook her head, indicating that she had figured it out. She walked around the screen and sat down on the couch. A soft voice came from behind the screen.
"You three may know each other, why not chat first? Don't worry, Cuizhu knows how to behave."
Tiancheng thanked him again, and only then did he have time to look at the two people huddled together.
"...Tell me, how do you know the people here?"
Before Su Xin could speak, the petite girl took the lead in hugging the little commander's arm and stammered:
"The sun·Missing…Calling…Tide…!"
Chapter 1182 Redemption
The woman who calls herself "the sun" is a little shorter than Su Xin, almost meters tall.
His appearance is not much different from what I remember, fair and soft, he stutters when he speaks but his eyes are clear, and when he looks at you straight, there is a dull look in his eyes.
Su Xin didn't recognize her name, but she remembered her as a person.
In the world of Hunters affected by the Disturbance, he was one of the "monsters" deceived by the deep-sea utopia constructed by the experimenters.
In fact, she went there that time in order to solve Helena's mental problems and to bring back the obsessed Hunter.
Her existence as a "monster" was an accident, which later paved the way for the ultimate goal of saving people.
After finally burning herself out and returning to the port, Su Xin no longer paid attention to the hopeless experimental site.
She did burn all the strange bugs in the sky, and asked the Purifiers to help modify the Ark's AI program.
But the sarcoma and glioma on the ground have not been solved, and there is no way of knowing whether the small city in the deep sea will surface.
No one can predict how long the so-called utopia can last, and she does not consider what the "people" who get the truth will do.
As for the "newborn" who she accidentally rescued and took care of for a few days, Su Xin did not invest too much emotion in it.
I thought this was a farewell forever, but we met here unexpectedly.
"How...how did you get here?" Su Xin asked her after explaining her identity.
The sun couldn't explain it clearly. "Everyone...ran away, saw the real...sun, and then...it shattered...and then, here it is."
Su Xin wanted to ask more, but suddenly there was a loud "gurgling" sound in the other person's stomach.
Not only she and Tiancheng heard the noise, but even Cuizhu, who was sitting behind the screen, noticed it and explained in a gentle voice:
"Yang Yang... never does things that satisfy her mother, and she doesn't want to receive customers. If you force her to come over, she will beat you up, so she often doesn't have food to eat..."
Su Xin wondered how this man-eating tentacle monster could starve in this place. Could it be that he had learned the law and wanted to be a good citizen?
But it’s not easy to say such things. If I have to say it, I’d better ask secretly in private, otherwise Cuizhu alone might not be able to accept it.
Thinking of the instant noodles and steaks that were popular in that world, Su Xin probably thought that the other party could also eat the food that humans ate, so she handed over the chopsticks.
"Eat something first, are you starving?"
"Yes! Thank you... Tide Summoner..."
Taiyang poked it with chopsticks, and a piece of potato rolled around slipperily. Su Xin couldn't bear to see it, so she helped to feed it.
Tiancheng found that his little commander was becoming more and more skilled in caring for others, as if he had lost his sense of boundaries.
To be precise, this "sun" is actually a disaster.
After all, they are different from humans. If they really return to their original nature one day, they will be an existence that even shipgirls fear. This world can't stand it.
But Su Xiaozhi treated him like a child, picking up food and feeding him soup. He even wanted Cuizhu to help rub his stomach. He was really out of control.
The more Tiancheng thought about it, the more headache he had. Seeing that the two of them were getting along well, he thought he couldn't ask them any more questions, so he simply called Cuizhu out.
Cuizhu looked a few years older than Tiancheng, but because of her different status, she was very cautious. After sitting down, she did not look at the "maid" who was treated differently from the past.
"I think... you should know this." Tiancheng took a new cup and filled it up and handed it to him, asking in a gentle voice, "We didn't come here for that matter."
Cuizhu finished drinking in silence, then nodded, "...I know."
"I still have a lot of questions. Can you tell us? How about one or two answers for a reward?"
"...No need." Cuizhu sighed, "Sir...please ask."
Tiancheng still put some change on the table, "Where are you from?"
Perhaps she hadn't expected the other party to ask this. Cuizhu was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, "My ancestral home is in a remote county in the south of the Yangtze River. I followed my father to Beijing to work hard, and then ended up here..."
"You are from the capital? Excuse me, when did you leave there?"
"Maybe... four years ago. I've been here for so long that I can't remember clearly."
"...Are you married?"
Cuizhu nodded, feeling hopeless. "He passed away before I left Beijing. I am the only one in my family. The caravan saw that I was alone, so they kidnapped me and brought me here."
Su Xin, who was feeding the little monster, widened her eyes and remained motionless. This was the first time she faced such a tragedy.
Cuizhu said it briefly, but judging from her expression, she was obviously not relaxed. Or, how could there be a relaxing moment here?
Tiancheng poured another glass of wine for the other person, drank it and filled it up again, and apologized softly.
Cuizhu, on the other hand, was more open-minded. "Sir... no, please ask me, young lady. The king is like this, and the world is so fickle. I don't know how long I can live."
"..Okay, then...can you tell me about the Inhumans?"
Perhaps it was because she touched a sore spot, Cuizhu clenched her fists, "...there is no humanity at all, no different from an animal."
"Some of them have antlers on their heads, some have stone tumors on their backs. They don't all look the same, but people think they are different from ordinary people, so they call them that."
"I don't know where it came from, I only know...I only know that the one who killed my family is...the current national master!"
Su Xin suppressed her anger and asked, "Do you know what he looks like?"
"...I have seen it, but...I just forgot..."
Cuizhu looked ashen, "I watched my husband being murdered, and after I escaped, I forgot what my enemy looked like... hehe..."
Tiancheng felt very strange, "Then how can you be sure that he is the national teacher?"
"Every fifteenth day of the lunar month, he would gather all the aliens in the city to hold a banquet, under the pretext of celebrating with the heavens..."
"It will last for a whole day. If anyone goes out and bumps into the guests at the banquet, they will become... a meal on the plate..."
Su Xin couldn't understand, "The emperor doesn't care? Why don't people escape?"
"The city gates were closed, so only foreigners could enter and exit freely. I managed to escape during the turmoil when the general led his troops to attack foreigners, but I ended up like this."
"The general... I heard from the drinkers that he was beheaded in public for treason within two days."
Very strange development, the conflict is too strong
According to this explanation, it is more like an ancient experimental field that was operating normally, but was affected by the sudden appearance of "aliens" a few years ago, resulting in a large-scale deviation in the overall situation.
Those so-called aliens broke in here and gradually replaced humans with their own abilities.
Or maybe the people here were changed by something, and finally became inhuman in the eyes of the public.
There are still too few clues to determine the truth of the matter.
But there is no doubt that these so-called "aliens" are indeed not friendly forces, and they are definitely not helping to expand the territory in order to serve the emperor.
Su Xin couldn't quite hear Tiancheng's questions later. She was completely confused. Cuizhu's desperate and indifferent mood had a great impact on her.
It was not a bloody horror scene, but an empty and irreparable confusion.
She only remembered that the food on the table gradually decreased until the plate was empty.
Then Tiancheng stood up and said something, wanting to take him away, but Taiyang grabbed his clothes tightly.
The stretched hem of her skirt was similar to her nerves. She felt that she couldn't think calmly, especially when facing Cuizhu's forced smile.
So she suddenly raised her head and looked at Tiancheng, and said in a strong tone she had never used before.
"...I want to take them away!"
Tiancheng was stunned, "...You mean now?"
"Yes."
"We don't have enough money to redeem them, and robbing them by force will leave hidden dangers. If she reports it to the authorities, we will have to leave here early."
Su Xin frowned fiercely. She heard the refusal in the other party's words, and her attitude became not so good.
"Wouldn't it be better to leave early? What's the point of staying here?"
Tiancheng felt that the young commander was not in a good state, so he patiently explained, "You want to take them away, of course you can, but not today. You have to wait at least a few days to collect the ransom--"
Unexpectedly, these words became the match that ignited the powder keg. Su Xin, who was usually calm, suddenly slammed the table.
"She treated them like this! And you want me to wait any longer?!"
Sun was frightened by the huge noise. He was stunned and didn't dare to pull his clothes anymore. He silently retracted his hand and curled up.
Cuizhu didn't expect that the well-behaved and lovely little girl would react so strongly.
She hurriedly got up, opened the door and went out, waved to the man who had come running over, indicating that nothing was wrong in the house, and then closed the door and bolted it again.
Tian Cheng pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment, then softened his voice and said, "How about tomorrow? I'll think of a way to get some money together to redeem them tomorrow."
But Su Xin didn't listen at all.
"Didn't you hear what Sister Cuizhu said? That guy had been planning to send her to pick up customers. Who can guarantee what will happen in a day?!"
Tian Cheng was also annoyed by her repeated unreasonable behavior. "Why, what can you do? Exchange the red stone for money? She has been in business for many years, so how can she not know the price of diamonds?"
Su Xin felt a lump in her throat as she realized that it was indeed the case. The money she got from the pawn shop was earned by cheating others.
How could the madam who manages the brothel not know about diamonds? Without marketing promotion, she could just use it to scratch glass.
Besides, this guy is greedy. The more he offers, the harder he lowers the price. Although there is no upper limit to the inventory, if she wants a mountain, where can she get it from?
One tael of silver is equivalent to one thousand coins. Redeeming her is at least more expensive than staying overnight. Her red stones may not be appreciated by others.
Tiancheng saw that she was speechless, so he shook his head helplessly and advised: "Try to sell your sun protection clothes tomorrow, maybe you can raise some money. Tonight... I'm afraid it won't work."
Su Xin puffed her cheeks, "...Can't we just give it to that guy in exchange?"
"Are you stupid? Regardless of whether she likes it or not, if we set up our own stall, the one with the highest price will win. If we sell it to her, there will be no room for negotiation."
"........."
Tiancheng rubbed his brows and said, "Go back first? We'll come back tomorrow night."
Su Xin looked at the stunned Cuizhu and the huddled Sun, and still shook her head, "...Then you go back, I want to stay here and watch over them."
He was so unreasonable that Tiancheng was almost laughing.
"Do you think that old man will let you stay until tomorrow night? He doesn't accept customers during the day. Are you planning to hide or something?"
"I, I can hide in their room."
