Chapter 67: Just Because She Is A Mother
“Just because she is a mother! She has the right to let a child be born or to die!”
Ming Zhaoshuang’s Frost Radiance shone with a cold light. She looked coldly at the child:
“But her rights were stripped away by your father! That’s how she gave birth to someone like you, who is ungrateful and shameless! Now, her rights are back in her hands!”
“Now, let your mother tell you! Whether she is willing to exercise her right to give birth to you!”
The boy did not understand what Ming Zhaoshuang was saying, nor did he understand why his life was in the hands of the woman he usually looked down upon.
But he still looked at her, with a hopeful expression.
The young woman he was looking at was also looking at him, looking at her own child.
And looking at the demon who had harmed her.
In the end, she shook her head and shed a tear.
“I am unwilling.”
She said, with tears in her voice: “I was born into a wealthy family. My parents had already arranged a marriage for me and the one I love. Why was I tricked here just to buy a hairpin, only to suffer torment here and then give birth to you and raise you? I don’t know if he will despise me for not being pure anymore, but I don’t want to meet him with any stain on me.”
“Therefore, I am unwilling to give birth to you.”
As the words fell, Ming Zhaoshuang slit the child’s throat.
She suddenly remembered something and reminded them:
“What this young woman said is just one scenario. You should understand that if you return alone, your families might still accept you and create a new past for you. But if you bring a child, your remaining lives will truly be burdened by them.”
“Besides, children born in this place, whether their temperament is like their father’s or yours, and whether you can re-educate these children well, these are things you know best. I shouldn’t say too much about it.”
As soon as she said this, the few lingering traces of maternal love, and the hesitation to keep the children, instantly cleared their minds.
Yes, could they re-educate these children well?
If they couldn’t, wouldn’t they become demons themselves?
In the end, out of thirty-four children, only eight were chosen to be born, and all of them were under six years old and unaware of anything.
Ming Zhaoshuang sighed, thinking to herself that she had played the role of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and had slain the remaining twenty-six children under her sword.
She felt pity for these children, but she felt even more pity for these mothers.
Many mothers present burst into tears.
Unlike the tears caused by fear earlier, the tears of these mothers were all due to reluctance, all because they personally chose to send their children to their deaths.
There is no suffering in the world greater than this.
However, if such a transaction had not occurred, they might have married the person they loved according to their own wishes, or married into a suitable family as their parents desired. They would not have had to face such a choice.
Thus, a village, three hundred people.
Except for the young women who were trafficked, and the eight young children and old women they chose, the rest were all killed, and not one was left alive.
Seeing that the sky had also darkened, Ming Zhaoshuang cast a Cleansing Spell, removing the dirt from herself and the young women.
They sat in the mountain forest with these young women, letting Fei Changxiu and others hunt, while she, He Qingqing, and Shen Liqian went to comfort them and inquire about their origins.
These young women, some lived in the territory of Lingxiao Sect, some lived in Ao Tian Sect’s territory, but most lived in Kun City and Qian City.
Ming Zhaoshuang learned that Kun City was not entirely composed of people who participated in such transactions, unlike Shuangyu Village. On the contrary, many families in Kun City doted on their daughters, valuing daughters over sons.
One young woman said: “But because so many women in Kun City disappeared, and there were even notices posted offering shelter, my father didn’t let me go out on the streets to play. Every time I went out, he or my younger brother followed me.”
Another young woman said: “I ran away because they bothered me by following me every day, and then I was knocked out and sold. If I had known it would be like this, I would have died before going out.”
Another young woman said: “I was different. My father ran a martial arts school, and I learned some boxing and kung fu, so I ran all over the streets. But I was sold here to help an old woman.”
Finally, the young women sighed repeatedly:
“I don’t know if Father and Mother have missed us all these years.”
These young women were fortunate to be born into families that doted on them, and they had the confidence that their parents would accept them even if they returned.
However, most of the young women remained silent, only shedding tears.
Even more extreme, some directly took a white silk sash and hanged themselves, or directly threw themselves against trees, to preserve their chastity and reputation. Of course, all of these were stopped by Ming Zhaoshuang and the others.
Ming Zhaoshuang couldn’t persuade them too much, only saying: “Let’s talk about it after you go back. Don’t let your parents and husbands wait for so many years in vain.”
He Qingqing said: “Chastity is the least important thing. If it hurts the heart of someone important, it’s not worth the loss.”
Shen Liqian also advised: “Living is more important than anything else.”
Before long, Fei Changxiu and the others returned, laden with several prey.
The group slaughtered pigs and cattle, and after a long time busy in the mountain forest, several hands suddenly reached out, wanting to help them clean the prey in their hands.
“Junior Sister Shen, let us men do this rough work,” Fei Changxiu replied subconsciously without even looking up.
“And Junior Sister, do you even understand what you’re doing by reaching out? Go play on the side.”
Suddenly, Fei Changxiu looked up and saw three young women smiling at him.
“Oh my goodness! Did I touch you!”
Fei Changxiu retreated dozens of steps and said: “I have absolutely no ill will towards you. I just turned seventeen two months ago, I’m still a kid, I can’t do anything.”
Previously, Wei Jiao and Qin Zhi had reacted strongly to his touch. This time, he was afraid of causing these older sisters bad memories.
At his action, everyone burst into laughter.
Fei Changxiu let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing that the young women were also amused by his actions, he finally relaxed.
Alas, he had scared himself.
One young woman even laughed and said: “Seventeen is still a kid? When I was seventeen, I had already given birth to twins for Yu Lang, you child.”
These three young women were already nearing thirty when they were tricked and had been married for some time.
Therefore, after resisting for a few months, they surrendered to the perpetrators.
It wasn’t because she was willing, but because she believed her husband and children would not abandon her, so she was willing to wait.
The young woman continued: “Look at you, you haven’t even cleaned the feathers of this pheasant properly. Clearly, you’re not cut out for this kind of work. You’re tired from hunting anyway, go rest. Come over after we’ve finished preparing the things.”
The other young women who had extended their hands also nodded: “Go rest.”
Ming Zhaoshuang noticed at this time that the older the young women were, the more easily they could accept their situation. Conversely, those under twenty cried every day and were prone to suicidal thoughts.
The more experience one had, the more one had seen, and the more one was at peace.
They weren’t unaware of their fate upon returning home; they simply understood that even if they weren’t accepted, they had their own value to live.
Even if rumors completely drowned them, they could find a place, change their names, and start a new life.
However, those young girls lacked that spirit and that capital.
