Citong Town sat on the eastern border of Dongling, separated from the neighboring Xichuan Kingdom by a vast natural barrier. An endless stretch of desert had kept the peace between the two nations for decades.
But the climate was extremely harsh. The night wind blew coarse sand everywhere. Aenwyn buried her face in the boy's chest, then he lifted her onto the horse.
"Where are we going?" Aenwyn asked. If they waited a little longer, her bodyguards might arrive. Staying in place would be the most efficient option.
Indigo frowned. The sandstorm was too strong tonight, and there was no shelter nearby. He didn't mind, but a physically weaker girl couldn't endure it.
He reached out and touched her exposed ankle, which was icy cold. With his other hand, he took a cloak from his backpack and wrapped it carefully around her.
Aenwyn let out a light sigh. This kind-hearted foreign youth, she rubbed her cheek lightly against the cloak's fur, feeling its warmth.
"What's your name?" Aenwyn looked up and asked. When she met the boy's confused eyes, she smiled and pointed at herself.
"Aenwyn," she said, switching between several languages.
She wouldn't call herself fluent in all of them, but basic communication wasn't usually a problem. In Country Y, English was commonly used, but this boy seemed to not understand a word.
Come to think of it, with his black hair and black eyes, he didn't look like a typical citizen of Country Y. Maybe he belonged to a small tribe there, Aenwyn guessed.
Riding a horse with such skill, the cold and quiet boy looked like a mystery.
His black hair danced in the wind, his traditional warrior robes looked ancient, and a jade pendant hung from his waist. He didn't seem like a foreigner, more like a handsome young hero from an ancient Huaguo legend.
Aenwyn laughed. What a wild thought.
When the horse started to trot slowly, she even hummed a tune. The night wind, the desert, the handsome boy holding her as they rode across the sands, it felt so romantic.
Right now, Aenwyn desperately wanted to paint.
Ah, her backpack.
Not far ahead, under the moonlight, thick yellow sand partially covered a bag. The glowing logo on it still flickered. It was clearly her backpack.
"Stop, stop." Aenwyn struggled to get down, then ran over to pick it up. Other than being a bit dirty, it was perfectly intact, and everything was still inside.
She had definitely thrown it away while escaping, so why was it here.
Before she could even feel happy, several dead bodies beneath the sand nearby turned her face pale.
It was them. The ones who had been chasing her.
They were all dead. Their faces frozen in terror. The sight made Aenwyn's hair stand on end.
Just then, a pair of hands reached out and covered her eyes.
Indigo looked at the bodies with an unreadable expression. These people wore the same outfits as Aenwyn, clearly from the same place.
"Don't be scared," he said, comforting her as he helped retrieve the backpack. His face remained calm, as if those corpses were nothing more than plants or flowers.
Dead was better. Saved him the trouble. A cold glint flashed in Indigo's eyes. There was no need to bury them either. By morning, the desert would erase every trace.
No matter where she came from, he had already decided that the girl was his.
On the continent of Qianchu, there had always been more men than women. In the past century, the birth ratio had skewed to 100 boys for every girl. Over thirty years ago, girls had become so rare they were treated as strategic resources and placed under strict state control. From birth, girl infants were taken away by the government. Regular people never saw an unmarried girl of suitable age.
Many men lived their whole lives without ever seeing one. Women past childbearing age were fought over. Even those over fifty, unable to bear children, could be sold for huge sums on the open market.
It was a twisted society, male-dominated, obsessed with reproduction, where women were treated as property and human trafficking was legal.
Girls born here had a natural red mole between their eyebrows. It was bright red if they were unmarried. After marriage and childbirth, it turned blue. Every girl had it, no exceptions.
Indigo looked down at Aenwyn's smooth forehead, completely bare. That was the reason he had once left her to fend for herself.
He never thought she was a girl. He just assumed she was a scrawny young man.
After all, every year people carried Dongling goods across the vast Ketaer Desert to smuggle them into Xichuan, dodging inspections and taxes to make fortunes.
After retrieving the backpack, they continued on their way. The mood was very different now. Since seeing those corpses, Aenwyn had lost her spirit. Something felt very wrong, though she couldn't tell what it was.
She wanted the boy to stop and wait for her bodyguards. But either he didn't understand her, or he understood and simply refused.
Along the way, Aenwyn no longer felt like talking. She just listened to the rhythmic sound of the horse's hooves. The boy held her tightly. The large cloak covered her from head to toe. In the howling wind, it felt warm. And suffocating.
After walking for about one or two hours, the sky began to lighten.
With the early morning light, a cluster of low and ancient-style buildings came into view from a high spot, catching Aenwyn's eyes. She gasped. When did such a large-scale Chinese-style architectural complex appear in Country Y?
Though still at a distance, the clothing and hair accessories worn by the people clearly showed that this place was not part of Country Y.
Indigo felt the person in his arms trembling. He tightened his cloak around her. It was still dawn and not many people were around. He had to hurry and get her back.
The cloak was wrapped too tightly. Aenwyn struggled uncomfortably, "Let me go," she called out. Her soft and delicate voice sounded so pitiful.
Indigo's heart melted when he heard it. All his coldness disappeared, and even his eyes curved with amusement. She was really cute.
"Be good, endure it for now," he coaxed gently. "I'll loosen it once we're back." Even though they didn't speak the same language, their conversation fit together perfectly.
After some effort, she managed to leave a small opening.
"Flatbread, flatbread, three wen for one, it smells amazing." From the vast desert to the bustling human world, it was only a few steps apart.
They passed through an ancient city gate guarded by soldiers and arrived at a noisy street market, filled with shouts and chatter that Aenwyn could not understand.
She looked around, her heart sinking. This was not her world.
This kind of vibrant atmosphere could never be recreated by any tourist site designed to look ancient.
She stayed silent, watching a vendor selling flatbread. He wore coarse clothes with a short jacket and shouted in a rough voice as he quickly wrapped the bread and collected money.
"Want one?" Indigo asked.
Aenwyn was in a daze. It wasn't until a flatbread the size of a plate was stuffed into her cloak that she came back to her senses. She took a small bite and tears instantly fell.
Can I still go back, she asked herself in her heart. The dazzling aurora, the corpse in the desert, the mysterious boy, and the ancient buildings all pointed to one truth. She might have arrived in another world.
Maybe the sweet taste of the flatbread brought back a bit of clarity to her mind.
Aenwyn noticed the street was filled only with men, young, old, all kinds. Along the way, she had already witnessed at least three street fights.
She also noticed that anyone walking toward them stayed far away from their horse, with fear and caution in their eyes.
She let out a bitter laugh. Maybe she should feel lucky that the boy she encountered was not a simple person. After all, power and money had always been valuable throughout history.
"Master Indigo, you're back," someone asked.
Indigo had his arm around the girl. He clearly didn't like being stopped in the street. His face turned cold. "What is it?"
The man shrank back but forced a smile and stepped forward. He mysteriously lifted the bundle in his arms, revealing a corner of a blue book cover.
What is this, Aenwyn was confused.
"Master Indigo, this is something new from Huashu Study in Danzhou. I brought it to you right away," he said with a creepy smile and tried to open a page to show Indigo.
But Indigo was not interested. "Get lost." With one long leg, he kicked the man a fair distance.
The vendor was stunned. This was the newly released spring manual from Danzhou. What man wouldn't want it? If Master Indigo didn't usually offer the highest price, he wouldn't have come running.
Indigo was visibly annoyed. He glanced at Aenwyn in his arms without thinking.
"Master Indigo, this really is the new work by Master Liu. I wouldn't dare to bring you anything else," the vendor whined, feeling wronged.
Aenwyn didn't understand a word. Her mind was full of question marks.
"Ah, Master Liu's new work."
"I want it, give me one."
The moment people heard it was by Master Liu, the place turned chaotic. No one feared Indigo anymore as they all crowded around, craning their necks to get a look at the spring manual.
They couldn't afford a copy, but that didn't stop them from trying to sneak a peek. It was said that Master Liu's art style was stunning, the women in the illustrations looked like goddesses, and the poses were wild. The pictures got people's blood boiling. Truly a must-have for lonely nights, the perfect match for one's own hand.
Just too expensive. The price of one of these manuals could buy you a night at the Chunfeng Courtyard.
The crowd kept growing. The conversation got louder and more excited, and everyone's faces were full of longing and excitement.
This was basically a public fantasy session. Aenwyn squinted, observing them. However she looked at it, they seemed like a group of men discussing indecent things about women. But how could something like this happen so openly?
She couldn't figure it out.
But wasn't it happening right in the open? It was all men here, and they lacked women. The lower the standards got, the fewer limits there were.
When someone started discussing which position felt best, and another praised which young man at Chunfeng Courtyard had the smoothest skin and looked most like a woman, Indigo's face had already turned pitch black.
Those who had some sense began quietly backing away. Anyone who didn't know better, well, in this town of Sitong, everyone knew that the Indigo family's young master hated hearing about Chunfeng Courtyard.
This terrifying man was once famous throughout Danzhou for being even more beautiful than the top courtesans of Chunfeng Courtyard. Naturally, anyone who gossiped about him or offended him had long been buried six feet under.
Yes, Chunfeng Courtyard was a male brothel. There were no women.
Still talking about women? Dream on. Talking about how beautiful their bodies were, what, did you see them in your dreams? Maybe check your own miserable face first.
With a loud snap, a whip cracked through the air, followed by cries of pain. They looked up and saw Indigo, looking like a god of death, whipping people aside.
No one dared to protest. They scrambled away in panic.
The crowd scattered. The air felt cleaner again. Aenwyn took a deep breath, she felt alive once more. It really stank. These people clearly didn't bathe.
Indigo noticed her small reaction and gently patted her to comfort her, his expression softening a bit.
Just then, a low, magnetic voice called out, "Who made our dear Master Indigo angry?" The tone was teasing and full of amusement.