167: Cat-eared Girl from Tian Shang City

As Zhang Sheng passed through the city gate, his gaze inadvertently swept over his head—there, an inconspicuous ancient mirror was hanging.

The surface of the mirror was dim, facing directly downwards.

His footsteps paused slightly.

"Brother Luo, don't mind it." Li Sheng's voice transmission sounded right on cue,

"This is called a 'Spirit Reflection Mirror.' Every Cultivator entering the city must pass this test. Whether you are a desolate beast in human skin or a Void Demon hiding your tracks, you will be forced to reveal your true form under this mirror! I heard it's a standard-issue Magic Treasure distributed uniformly by the Imperial Capital."

Desolate beasts, Void Demons.

Zhang Sheng had seen them in the Jade Slip given by Su Tang; both were major enemies of the Song Kingdom.

East of Qinglan Prefecture is Luoxia Prefecture, and further east lies the boundless Desolate Domain.

No one knows how large the Desolate Domain truly is, or where its end lies.

Over the long years, the Human Race has constantly expanded its territory, incorporating parts of the Desolate Domain into its map.

This Qinglan Prefecture beneath his feet was also a barren land overrun by desolate beasts tens of thousands of years ago.

Nowadays, Luoxia Prefecture is the very frontline where the Human Race clashes with desolate beasts.

Countless New Prefecture Cultivators with low Talent evaluation Ranks are thrown directly into hellholes like Luoxia Prefecture after their Ascension to the Upper Realm, living constantly under the shadow of powerful desolate beasts.

As for Void Demons, the Jade Slip didn't mention much, only that they were powerful, cunning, and vicious creatures, especially adept at beguiling human hearts.

Upon stepping into Heavenly Injury City, Zhang Sheng immediately felt a difference.

The density of Spiritual Qi in the surroundings was at least several times richer than outside the city!

It was likely the credit of those so-called "spirit suppressing pillars."

Before him was a massive street a thousand meters wide, flanked by pavilions filled with ancient charm, their style bearing a striking resemblance to the two commercial buildings in the Hua Prefecture.

The street was woven with a constant flow of people, bustling and noisy.

"Brother Luo, you can basically buy any ordinary cultivation supplies on this street. Would you like to go in and take a look?" Li Sheng suggested enthusiastically.

Zhang Sheng's attention, however, was drawn to another group of people.

They were very distinct—each of their necks was branded with an eye-catching, black character: "Slave."

"Slaves," Li Sheng said, following Zhang Sheng's gaze, his tone as indifferent as if he were introducing local specialties.

"Brother Luo hasn't seen them before, right? Most of them are people sold by various Prefecture Lords to major powers to pay off debts when they can't afford the Spiritual Qi taxes. Once they are in the buyer's hands, they are branded with this thing, and their life and death are no longer their own."

Spiritual Qi taxes... Zhang Sheng's heart sank.

The tax amount of 1.6 billion that the Hua Prefecture would face in a year made his head ache just thinking about it.

Although the Hua Prefecture had billions of Cultivators and 1.6 billion spread out didn't seem like it would lead to selling people, Li Sheng's words still served as a warning to him.

"Brother Luo," Li Sheng changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of depth.

"Take my advice: if you have the chance, leave your New Prefecture and become a free Cultivator. In this territory of the Song Kingdom, New Prefectures... are hard to sustain." He didn't explain the reason, leaving only a meaningful smile.

Zhang Sheng was ruminating on the meaning of these words when his gaze was captured by the most bustling pavilion on the street—"Chun Lai Tower."

The flow of people entering and leaving was endless, consisting of both men and women.

"Heh, that's a land of tenderness!" Li Sheng winked.

"How about it, Brother Luo, shall I take you to broaden your horizons? I guarantee they have every taste, enough to make you forget to return home! But, well... it's also a money pit." He laughed teasingly.

Zhang Sheng was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected the "service industry" in the Upper Realm to be so developed.

On second thought, since even human trafficking was done openly, this didn't seem so surprising after all.

Seeing that Zhang Sheng lacked interest, Li Sheng immediately changed targets: "Alright, Brother Luo, let's go! I'll take you to a good place—'Zhenshi Tower'!"

Zhenshi Tower's business was booming, with diners filling the doorway.

As soon as Zhang Sheng stepped inside, two rows of servers stood up in unison and bowed: "Welcome!"

Zhang Sheng's gaze was instantly glued to them.

They were all petite young girls, at most 1.5 meters tall, yet with exceptionally hot figures.

Even more peculiar was the top of their heads—not human ears, but furry cat ears or rabbit ears! They even trailed a fluffy tail behind them!

Pair after pair of eyes shone like brilliant gemstones.

Zhang Sheng saw clearly that those ears and tails were by no means decorations; they were organs that grew naturally with their bodies.

Of course, their fair necks were similarly branded with that glaring "Slave" character.

A fox-eared girl guided the two to their seats.

"Brother Luo, these cat-girls and rabbit-girls are all from the beast-kin race, transported from extremely distant foreign lands. They are worth a fortune and are considered the gold-standard signboard of Zhenshi Tower!" Li Sheng lowered his voice, carrying a bit of ambiguity that all men understood.

"If you really like this style, there are top-tier goods in Chun Lai Tower too; many Cultivators have a fondness for this."

Zhang Sheng didn't take the bait of Li Sheng's words; his attention was entirely captured by the dishes served by the cat-eared girl.

Needless to say, the presentation was exquisite, but just the exotic fragrance wafting into his nostrils was enough to perk him up, causing even the Sea of Blood and Qi within his crimson heart palace to ripple slightly.

He dared to conclude that the dish in front of him, which looked like braised pork knuckle, contained an absolutely massive amount of vital essence!

"Brother Luo, this is good stuff!" Li Sheng pointed at the plate.

"It's the hind leg of a wasteland pig equivalent to a True Fetus Realm Cultivator, prepared by a top-tier chef. It's a great supplement for vital essence! Try it quickly!"

The meat, coated in thick sauce, melted the moment it entered his mouth!

A warm current surged through his entire body. Zhang Sheng was secretly shocked; the vital essence contained in this one bite of meat was actually worth ten blood essence pills!

The taste was even more superb; no wonder this place was packed with diners.

"Brother Li," Zhang Sheng put down his chopsticks, his tone becoming a bit more sincere.

"Just for this delicious meal, I accept you as a friend. There is no need to mention the debt of saving my life before."

"That's great!" Li Sheng was overjoyed.

"It is my, Li Sheng's, good fortune to get to know a Genius like Brother Luo!" He immediately handed over his communication jade slip, and Zhang Sheng accepted it readily.

At this moment, several Cultivators arrived at the neighboring table.

The sturdy man leading them was particularly eye-catching; his arms were as thick as an average person's waist!

A cat-eared girl carefully finished serving their dishes and was about to retreat.

Suddenly, the sturdy man's cattail-fan-like hand lunged out, clamping onto the girl's slender waist!

"Heh heh, brothers," the sturdy man leered, his large hand kneading the girl's waist and hips wantonly.

"This feeling is just different from those sluts in Chun Lai Tower! So tight and bouncy! How about we take her back to 'appreciate' her properly?"

The cat-eared girl's face flushed red instantly, and she struggled in terror: "My, my lord! I am just a servant here... please... let me go!"

Her meager strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree in front of the True Fetus Realm sturdy man.

The sturdy man's expression suddenly darkened, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes: "A lowly servant dares to refuse me? You're courting death!"

The giant palm clamped around the girl's waist suddenly exerted force and tightened!

"Wuu... my... lord... plea... please..." The cat-eared girl's voice was squeezed until it became intermittent; every word seemed to be forced out from her throat, carrying the suffocating sensation of impending death.

There was no pity on the sturdy man's face; instead, a morbid excitement and ferocity appeared!

The immense pain caused the girl's face to twist. She turned her head with difficulty, her gem-like eyes looking desperately at Zhang Sheng, who was closest to her. Her lips fluttered, emitting a weak, barely audible breath of sound: "My... lord... save... me..."

With every word she uttered, the light in her eyes dimmed a fraction.

In the entire hall, apart from a few who were Eating on their own, most diners were watching this "good show" with great interest, as if it were a common occurrence.

The manager of Zhenshi Tower and the other beast-eared girls either turned a blind eye or silently turned their heads away.

The force in the sturdy man's hand continued to intensify.

The cat-eared girl's body was squeezed and deformed like a fragile doll, unable to even emit the last trace of a sob, leaving only the faint groaning of bones unable to bear the burden.

Puchi!

A dull, teeth-gritting sound!

The girl's slender waist was like a crushed berry, and flesh and blood flew instantly!

Zhang Sheng didn't even lift his eyelids; a Profound Light Shield instantly expanded around him, enveloping him and Li Sheng, shielding them from the spattering flesh and debris.

The sturdy man's companions reacted quickly, using their Mental Energy to sweep up and collect the scattered flesh.

Throughout the entire process, Zhang Sheng remained expressionless.

His attention seemed completely captured by the fragrant, soft, and glutinous wasteland pig meat on his plate; he focused intently on cutting and tasting it, too stingy to even spare a glance at the tragedy unfolding right before him.