STNS: Chapter 507 (Patreon)

“You were thinking something extremely rude just now,” Zhao Xian declared.

Yōuměi struggled for something to say. “No… Yōuměi wasn’t… thinking anything like that…”

“Hmph! Do you think I don’t know what most people say about me?” Zhao Xian said, cutting her off.

He walked over to a painting. It was of a woman naked hugging a man. Yōuměi had noticed it already, but most of the artwork in here was naked men and women in various weird poses.

“I am well aware of what everyone says about me. They call me Zhao Pàngguǐ because of my weight and appearance. They mock me because I’m not that great at cultivation.” He clenched his hands into fists. “It is quite galling to be mocked by those lower than myself.”

That did remind Yōuměi that her roommate had called him that when they were in their room a couple of times. It wasn’t often. She had been very careful and worried about people overhearing them. However, sometimes when they were in their room, her roommate would be crying and cursing his Zhao Xian’s name. That was when she would call him Pàngguǐ--an insult used for fat people.

Yōuměi wondered why he was telling her all this. She didn’t care about him or his problems, but she was smart enough not to say anything. She still didn’t know why he had called her here.

“Did you need Yōuměi for something?” she asked.

Zhao Xian said nothing at first, which made Yōuměi struggle not to fidget. The silence was disquieting. She had no idea what this man wanted or what he was thinking.

“I’ve noticed that you haven’t once addressed me as Dàrén Zhao Xian as is proper.” Zhao Xian turned around and stared at her with an inscrutable gaze. “Even when you’re talking to others, you disrespect me by calling me by name and not using my title. Do you think I’ll allow such behavior to continue?”

Was that what he wanted to talk to her about? It was true that she didn’t call him by his title. The title dàrén was essentially the same as calling someone ‘master,’ and there was only one person who Yōuměi would call that. It was not this tub of lard.

However…

Yōuměi doesn’t think he’s going to give her a choice.

Yōuměi knew she wasn’t smart, but she wasn’t stupid either. Zhao Xian would no doubt use her slave collar to make her experience pain if she didn’t do as she was told. Yōuměi didn’t want to get hurt. She didn’t like it.

“Yōuměi… apologizes… Dàrén Zhao Xian…”

Zhao Xian smiled. It was an ugly smile that caused her to shudder. “Good. Good. You’re learning. Now, I have a task for you.”

“A task?”

Zhao Xian walked before her and parted his robes. Yōuměi wanted to wretch as she saw the fat rolls jiggling with every step. Worse was that he was not wearing anything beneath those robes. He stopped directly in front of Yōuměi, towering over her, and gestured to his groin.

“Suck it,” he ordered.

It took Yōuměi a moment to respond. “Yōuměi doesn’t want to.”

Zhao Xian narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to deny me? That’s not a wise idea. Need I remind you who is in charge here? If you don’t want to experience excruciating pain, then do as I say.”

“Yōuměi won’t. She doesn’t want to do it.”

She had occasionally seen her big sisters do this with Master. They always seemed to enjoy it, so Yōuměi wouldn’t deny she was curious, but that didn’t mean she wanted to do it with this man.

“Fine. It seems you need to learn the hard way.”

The man made a handseal. Yōuměi didn’t understand what he was doing at first, but then a scream tore through her throat as raw pain exploded in her mind. It felt like someone was drilling a hole into her skull! It hurt! It hurt so much! Yōuměi flopped onto the carpet, grabbing her head as she squirmed and writhed. She could scarcely breath because the pain kept her body from doing what came naturally.

Then the pain vanished.

And Yōuměi was left gasping on the ground.

“Are you going to listen to me now?”

“Yōuměi… won’t… do it…”

“Tch! Then have some more pain!”

Yōuměi screamed as more drills pierced her skull, or that was what it felt like. It was awful. She hated pain, and this was the worst kind of pain she’d ever felt.

“I can do this all day! Remember that! If you don’t do as I say, I’ll just have you lay there until you do!”

Zhao Xian’s words came to her as if from a distance. The pain made everything feel distant. Yōuměi had no idea why this man was doing all these awful things to her. Did he do this to her roommate? What about the other women who worked at this mansion? Was he doing this to them too? She had no idea, but even the thought that he was torturing people like this made her feel rage even beyond her anguish.

Yōuměi did not know where she found the strength to move, but she crawled to her feet even as her mind became hazy and blackness seeped around the edges of her vision. She locked onto Zhao Xian. The fat man was still practically naked. The robe was just barely dangling off him.

“Oh? Are you finally going to do what I say?”

The pain stopped suddenly. Yōuměi didn’t know how long that would last, so she acted before he could do anything again, lunging forward, taking him into her mouth, and then biting down.

Hard.

Another scream echoed around the room, but it did not come from Yōuměi. Snarling as she used her sharp teeth, Yōuměi tore through flesh. The taste of blood filled her tongue. It was disgusting, but she ground her teeth together until she ripped it off. 

“You stupid cunt!!”

Zhao Xian punched Yōuměi as hard as he could. His cultivation was much lower than hers, but because her cultivation was currently cut thanks to the collar, his punch hurt more than it normally would have. She fell onto the ground, her cheek bruised. Yōuměi quickly spat out the thing in her mouth. Then began wretching. Disgusting. Gross. Vile. She never wanted to do something like that again.

Before she could try anything else, immense pain slammed into her. It was worse than someone drilling into her mind. It felt like her mind was being crushed. The pain was so intense that she could do nothing but fall face first onto the ground as darkness descended upon her.

***

When Yōuměi woke up again, she was no longer wearing the maid uniform. The pain was gone, so she sat up, and looked down at the loose rags she had been dressed in. She wasn’t in Zhao Xian’s room anymore. Looking around at the drab gray walls covered in grime and bloodstains, Yōuměi wondered where she was? What happened to her?

“I see you are finally awake,” a cold voice said.

Turning her head, Yōuměi found Huo Lin, still dressed in her servant’s outfit, standing on the other side of several thick metal bars covered in a sealing array. The woman had a strange look in her eyes. Yōuměi wasn’t good at figuring out what someone was thinking by their expression.

“You made quite the blunder back there,” Huo Lin said after a moment’s silence. “Dàrén Zhao Xian was this close to killing you. You’re quite lucky that I convinced him to sell you instead.”

“Sell me?”

“To the Colosseum.”

Huo Lin told Yōuměi about what happened after she bit Zhao Xian’s thing off. He had continued to torture her even after she fell unconscious, and he might have even killed her, but Hup Lin had interrupted him. She had said it would be a waste of money to have Yōuměi killed and suggested they sell her off to the Colosseum. A cute girl being forced to fight in the arena would be extremely popular and draw in a big crowd, according to her.

The Colosseum was founded during a period of chaos and violence on the Da Continent, when strong magical beasts preyed upon weaker ones. Built by a particularly bloodthirsty magical beast known as Cian Chen, the Colosseum began as a brutal arena where powerful magical beasts would pit weaker creatures against each other for entertainment. As word of the Colosseum’s existence spread, it began attracting more and more powerful magical beasts. Fights here soon became a lavish spectacle where powerful magical beast clans would place bets on the outcomes.

“Over time, the Colosseum gained a reputation as a place of terror and pain. Many magical beasts live in fear of being captured and sold to the arena. The very term ‘Colosseum’ has become synonymous with fear,” Huo Lin explained all this to Yōuměi, pausing at the end. “However, you might actually be quite fortunate.”

“I am?” Yōuměi tilted her head.

“Indeed, you see. While these fights are brutal and your life will be in jeopardy every second you spend here, you might also win your freedom.”

“How can Yōuměi earn her freedom?”

“By being victorious in the Colosseum, of course,” Huo Lin said. “Slaves can earn their freedom by participating in fights. You can earn rewards by fighting a certain number of matches.”

“And one of those rewards is Yōuměi’s freedom?”

“Yes, though to earn your freedom, you need to stand at the top of the Colosseum. Only the most powerful fighters are granted their freedom. You also need to be wary of the other fighters. If a powerful fighter takes a liking to you, they can challenge you to combat, and if they beat you, they can take you as their slave. If that happens, you might as well give up.”

Yōuměi crossed both her arms and legs to think. She wasn’t very good at thinking, but she would do it when the situation called for it.

“Can Yōuměi get Mystic Dew Herb, Golden Thread Root, and Celestial Lotus Pollen if she participates in fights?”

Huo Lin blinked several times. “Those are some pretty rare ingredients. I don’t know why you’re searching for them, but you can likely find them here. The Colosseum has all kinds of rare items and valuable alchemy ingredients that you can get as a reward.”

Yōuměi went into more deep thinking. The entire reason she had begun traveling was because she wanted to find those ingredients for her master. She wanted him to recover his legs so he could play with her again. However, so far, Yōuměi had not found any of those ingredients. All she found instead were nightmares.

But this might be her chance; if she fought in the Colosseum and won all her matches, then she could ask them to give her those ingredients as a reward.

It won’t be easy…

Even Yōuměi understood this wasn’t going to be easy. If Huo Lin was to be believed, then she would be fighting against powerful magical beasts. They might be even more powerful than she was.

Yōuměi was still only at the first subrealm of the Deva Realm. That was stronger than most of the magical beasts and cultivators in this world, but that didn’t mean she was the strongest. There were still plenty of people stronger than her. She knew there would be people stronger than her in the Colosseum.

Huo Lin suddenly shifted. “Well, I’ve done all I can for you. I need to get back. Honestly, I shouldn’t have spent this much time talking to you.”

“Huh? You’re leaving already? B-but Yōuměi still doesn’t know a lot about the Colosseum yet!”

Her master and big sisters always talked about the importance of information. The more you know, the better you can prepare. That was what they always say. Yōuměi wanted to know everything she could about the Colosseum.

“Sorry, but there’s very little I can help you with. This is my first time coming to the Colosseum, so I only know what I’ve already told you. Anyway, good luck.”

Yōuměi’s eyes widened when Huo Lin began leaving. She leapt to her feet and reached for the bars. She couldn’t use her cultivation because the collar was still around her neck, but she was strong even without Qi. Some wimpy looking bars surely wouldn’t be able to hold her--

“NYA?!”

Yōuměi jerked back as the bars shocked her. It was like she’d been struck by lightning! She looked at her hands as steam rose from them, blackened and burned. Blood seeped from cracks in her hand. Yōuměi bit her lip. She looked up, hoping to see Huo Lin still there, but the woman was already gone.