Nine Nether Heavenly Emperor
Chapter 293: Finding Shi Ling

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Finding Shi Ling

"You servants, if any of you dares to slack off, watch out for the whip in old lady’s hand!" The fat, fierce woman in the center of the courtyard sneered and pulled out a black long whip from her waist. With a "whoosh," she flicked the whip, and as it struck the ground, it made a loud "crack."

The name of this middle-aged, fat, fierce woman was basically unknown. The noble disciples of the Floating Void Sect directly called her "Fatty," and the servants secretly did the same, although they addressed her as "Overseer" to her face because she was indeed the overseer of those servants within that building.

The fat woman quite enjoyed the title "Overseer." Within this building, within this small domain, she was the emperor, the ultimate authority. Although referred to as servants or menials, they were essentially no different from slaves; either they were those who had violated the Sect’s strict rules and had their Dantians destroyed, or they were from impoverished families who had signed a servitude agreement with the Floating Void Sect. Their life and death were completely controlled by the Sect—they were expected to toil without complaint for their entire lives.

Anyone assigned here was under the fat woman’s command. If they dared to escape, some had indeed tried in the past, but they were all whipped to death by the fat woman’s long whip.

She loved watching those busy figures, loved holding the long whip in her hands, commanding them, and even, she longed to see those servants making mistakes so that she could lash them hard with her whip. She relished the sound of the whip tearing into flesh, far more than the "crack" it made against the ground.

"Crack!" Once again, the fat woman forcefully lashed the ground with her whip. At that moment, not far away, a little girl in tattered coarse clothes, about seven or eight years old, with a grimy face that made her look like a little beggar, was holding a porcelain chamber pot and running hurriedly with the crowd.

However, the forceful cracking sound of the whip striking the ground startled the girl so suddenly that her little body trembled, and she lost her footing, tumbling to the ground; the porcelain chamber pot in her hands went "clang" and shattered into blue-green fragments.

"Ah!" The little girl let out a startled cry, lifting her dirty face, which was filled with bewilderment. Then it turned into sheer horror, like a frightened little fawn. At that moment, she couldn’t care about the pain of her body slamming against the ground when she fell but stared in horror at the fat silhouette in the courtyard.

The entire courtyard became silent at the sound of the broken porcelain chamber pot, and everyone’s gaze turned toward that pitiful small body.

There was pity, sympathy, and even some who simply looked on for the thrill of it—they clearly understood what would happen next.

A mocking, cold smile covered the fat woman’s face as she advanced step by step toward the little girl, who was still prone on the ground. Taunting, she said, "Oh, isn’t this Miss Shi Ling? Heh, the old lady here remembers when Elder Wei first brought you back to the Sect, I thought you were one of the Heavenly Prides and even personally washed your clothes.

But the old lady here didn’t expect you to be such a disappointment. It didn’t take long after you arrived at the Sect for everyone to find out you’re a cultivation dud, and then you got sent to me. What, do you still think you’re Miss Shi Ling, the little lady of your house? Feeling extremely displeased, right? Did you throw a tantrum and break Young Master Gu Xin’s favorite porcelain chamber pot on purpose?"

"I... didn’t mean to, I am sorry, auntie... Please let me go..." As the fat woman’s imposing figure loomed larger in her view, as she observed the black long whip in her hand, Shi Ling hurriedly begged the fat woman for mercy, her dirty little face full of frailty and helplessness.

"Spare me, Auntie?" Hearing Shi Ling’s feeble words and seeing her pitiable little figure, the fat lady’s sneer intensified as she said, "Do you realize that Young Master Gu Xin’s celadon toilet is far more precious than either of our lives? You don’t take the initiative to get whipped, and you still have the face to ask me to spare you?"

"Hmph!" The fat lady huffed heavily before her right hand moved; the black whip lashed fiercely toward Shi Ling’s frail body.

"Ah!" Someone cried out in alarm, covering their eyes and not daring to look any longer. Yet, in their mind, a vivid image of skin tearing and flesh bursting under the lash had already formed.

"Heh!" Someone’s lips curled up into a smile, seemingly anticipating the tearing of flesh, followed by Shi Ling’s piercing wails. The mere thought was exhilarating.

The fat lady was quite pleased with herself. When that damn girl was assigned here, she’d always wanted to find an opportunity to put her in her place. Such trash once made her wash her clothes, but with so many people around and daily tasks to attend to, she gradually forgot about it. However, today, when this girl broke Young Master Gu Xin’s celadon toilet, it reminded her and provided the perfect chance to whip her in public.

Whip her!

"Hm?" Lost in the satisfying anticipation of the crisp sounds to come and the girl’s harrowing cries, the fat lady, somewhat entranced, suddenly felt something was amiss. The sounds she imagined hadn’t come. She jolted back to reality, and that’s when she noticed that, out of nowhere, a young man dressed in black had appeared in front of her. His face was cold; his right hand was clutching the black whip she had flung toward Shi Ling.

Staring at the strange youth in front of her, the fat lady tried to recall the young masters of the Floating Void Sect, especially those touted as geniuses. After being sure she had never seen this person, she roared, "Who are you? How dare you interfere here? Interfere with affairs of the Floating Void Sect, no less!"

When she mentioned the Floating Void Sect, her face filled with arrogance and a mocking sneer.

This person could be a young Martial Artist out on a training journey, passing through this area, maybe unaware of whose territory this was, to which power it belonged.

Within the Heavenly Mist Empire, upon hearing the words "Floating Void Sect," who would dare to be reckless?

But the fat lady found that after she spoke, the expression on his face turned even colder, and the hand holding the whip began to tremble slightly. Soon, his entire body started to shake.

"Trembling!" The fat lady naturally noticed the black-clothed youth’s trembling hands. Yes, he was shaking, frightened. He must be scared after hearing about the Floating Void Sect. In the Heavenly Mist Empire, who wouldn’t fear offending someone from the Floating Void Sect?

In the fat lady’s mind, the Floating Void Sect was a high and untouchable entity, one that no one dared to violate.