Lu Zhang didn’t expect Yan Shu’s reaction to be so intense. Startled, he hesitated about whether he should speak up to dissuade her. Seeing that Zhu Yu had already stepped in to stop Yan Shu from taking any further extre actions, he quietly sighed in relief and didn’t move, though he did glance at her a few more tis with concern.
Luckily, Lu Yan, the only one among them kept in the dark, had a temper that couldn’t be contained, so he didn’t find anything improper about Yan Shu’s actions. In fact, if it weren’t for Lu Qing being nearby, forcing him to hold his temper, Lu Yan would very much like to beat up that old scoundrel himself.
Back then, driven by anger and impulsively beheading all the "Jie Country bandits" they captured, he suffered severe punishnt and even had to bear the bla for deliberately silencing them to help co-conspirators hide the truth.
In the end, all these things were orchestrated by just a bunch of mountain bandits. How could this not infuriate him?
However, after a heartfelt conversation with Lu Qing, he had realized how easily his impulsive temper could endanger him, so he managed to suppress the anger rising to his head at this mont.
Just now, seeing Yan Shu lash out without a word, Lu Yan almost couldn’t resist giving a thumbs up to this younger brother, who shared his straightforward approach to justice.
The old steward was shocked by the whip, shivering all over, grimacing in pain, yet, out of fear, he stifled any groans in his throat, afraid that any sound would unintentionally anger his opponent. If the others couldn’t stop it, his old arms and legs might not withstand a few more lashes.
"Why pretend to be Jie Country bandits?" Zhu Yu took advantage of the steward’s fright to ask another question.
The old steward shook his head trembling, "Gentlen, I truly don’t know! How can I have the standing to question the Fortress Lord’s actions? He told those brothers to go out and do this, so we just did as told.
Anyway, they were mountain bandits to begin with, just changed their looks to do the sa old things, and didn’t have to live off robbing anymore. The Fortress Lord would reward them with silver, so they were happy to do it.
I just manage the affairs inside the castle; the outside matters are not for to question.
If I were hiding the truth, I wouldn’t have ntioned any of this, right? You can consider whether my reasoning holds true?
I’m telling you everything because I wish to beg for a shred of rcy to spare this old life under your hands."
"What about the other people in the castle? Where did they co from?"
Lu Qing’s question seed simple, yet it stumped the old steward, who looked conflicted. Perhaps still shaken by Yan Shu’s earlier whipping, his eyes kept darting toward her.
Zhu Yu snorted, directly confronting the old steward: "It’s up to you if you want to talk. As long as you speak frankly, I can keep our brother in check. But if you’re ambiguous, once I’m distracted... his whip is very quick..."
"No, no, no... I’ll talk! I’ll talk!" The old steward really seed to have been pained by the whip earlier. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly began to speak, fearing even a slight hesitation would earn him another lash, "It’s not that I don’t want to speak, it’s just that I don’t know how to explain this matter clearly all of a sudden...
The folks living here now aren’t the sa ones from when we first ca here to help the Fortress Lord with his work. Back then, the Immortal Castle had people of all ages and genders, but... but the ones living here now are not the sa as those back then...
In between... in between, I don’t even know how many batches have changed..."
"Why change people?"
"Because... because... they died..." The old steward’s voice carried a note of timidity, not due to guilt or regret for the many lives taken under his hand, but mainly out of fear of being beaten to death by the people before him in a fit of anger.
The old steward dared not conceal the truth, nor could he bear to lay it all out, fearing that no matter what he said, he would provoke the others. As he spoke, he stamred and hesitated. After so questioning, he finally disclosed everything clearly.
Back when he and the other mountain bandits transford into Protectors of the Immortal Castle, it appeared that the residents were families that originally lived in the castle. However, it was clear that those people were already under the control of the Fortress Lord.
Even the young servants in the castle were chosen and captured by the Fortress Lord, fed with so drug that only he possessed, quickly turning them into obedient, mindless figures who did whatever they were commanded, without any awareness beyond those commands.
So when the old steward and his n first took over, it was relatively easy for them. The Fortress Lord gave them sachets to carry, preventing them from falling under the confusing smoke of the castle. Their tasks were simple: delivering hot soup in the morning and incense in the evening, and accommodating visiting rchants.
The residents, after receiving the evening incense, would rest, and the next morning, each would have a bowl of hot soup poured down their throats. They would soon perk up and energetically go out to work.
Besides the hot soup, these people didn’t eat. They displayed spirited energy in the dayti, always seeming carefree, and sang a song in unison while they worked with zeal.
Initially, this eerie scene unsettled the old steward and the other Protectors.
But they later found out that as long as they didn’t pry into the Fortress Lord’s affairs, there wasn’t much risk of getting themselves in trouble. The strange villagers seed normal on the surface but were actually mindless and non-threatening, which eventually put their minds at ease.
However, as those people only inhaled incense at night and consud the hot soup during the day, they were after all flesh and blood, living, breathing human beings, and over ti, they naturally couldn’t bear it.
After a few months, so of the older ones completely collapsed, either suddenly falling over while working or not waking up no matter what after the night of inhaling incense.
Such individuals would be dragged away by the Fortress Lord, confined in the cellar to be bled to nurture so luxurious, light-sensitive unknown flowers.
When soone’s blood was fully drained and nothing more could be extracted, their body would be disposed of.
Without people to cultivate the flowers during the day, making dyes beca impossible.
Thus the brothers masquerading outside as Jie Country bandits took on a new task—every so often, they would capture a few people from nearby to fill the gaps in the castle.
By this ti, there were long no original residents left in the castle.
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