Volume One, Chapter One: The Exiled Prince

“Don’t, sir!”
“You filthy woman, consider yourself lucky I want you! I’ll count to three—climb up on your own, or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs.”

Outside the tent, Liu Qi, clad in patched clothing, listened to the cries and curses within, his heart wrenching in pain.

These women were once respectable daughters of Dakang, now reduced to mere playthings for a foreign army’s humiliation. And he, the last surviving prince of Dakang, could only hide his identity and cling to life in secrecy.

It was laughable, really. Nine years ago, he was demoted to commoner status for openly opposing his father’s decree in court. Nine years later, that very decree had triggered the downfall of Dakang.

Because he was a commoner and not listed in the royal genealogy, he had escaped the catastrophe.

Yet, when the enemy’s army reached the city where he was, he could not bear to see the people slaughtered. He advised the county governor on defense strategies and even managed a minor victory against the invaders.

However, this only enraged the enemy further. The generals of the Qian Empire mobilized a force of four hundred thousand troops for an all-out assault. In the end, the city fell; the men were enslaved, the women forced into prostitution.

...

Half an hour later, the tent finally fell silent. The soldiers emerged, laughing loudly.

Liu Qi kept his head bowed all the while, waiting for them to leave before entering to clean up.

As he stepped inside, a wave of residual heat and bloodstained stench hit him. He frowned and looked up to see a disheveled woman lying face down on a carpet. Her black hair was tangled and spread across her back, her torn garments reduced to scraps. Yet the fine fabric spoke of her once noble origins.

She lay there quietly, utterly naked, her arms, waist, hips, and thighs flushed red, her body convulsing involuntarily—a chaotic and distressing sight.

Liu Qi sighed. The victor writes history; the defeated are doomed. If only the emperor had heeded his advice back then, things might not have come to this.

Just as Liu Qi approached to begin cleaning, the woman suddenly sat up, clutching her chest, curling her legs, and retreating in terror, her eyes wide with panic like a frightened bird.

She was beautiful—delicate features, a small face, black eyes like onyx—but filled with fear and dread.

“Don’t... come closer...” she stammered.

Liu Qi said nothing, silently sweeping away shards and remnants, speaking softly to soothe her.

Upon learning of Liu Qi’s plight, the woman gradually lowered her guard. “Young master, could you do me a favor?”

“What is it?” Liu Qi asked.

“Kill me...” she choked out, tears streaming down her face.

Liu Qi narrowed his eyes, pondering briefly before replying, “Live well. As long as you live, there is hope.”

“But I’ve lost everything. What hope remains?” she lamented.

“The prince still lives,” Liu Qi said. “He is said to be in exile among the common people. As long as we survive, there is hope.”

His words instantly gave her something to cling to. The prince’s survival meant the royal bloodline endured. If he lived, one day he could rally the people and restore the kingdom of Kang. That day was not far off.

The woman looked at Liu Qi with eyes full of reliance and trust. Perhaps their shared fate and origins bound them together.

Just then, a commander outside called the slaves to assemble, forcing Liu Qi to bid her farewell.

“Young master, may I ask your name?” she tried to stand but the searing pain and tearing in her inner thigh made it impossible.

“Liu Qi. And you?”

“Nong Yu,” she replied.

Liu Qi nodded. “Live well.”

With that, he left the tent.

The captured slaves gathered, their chains clinking. Faced with the soldiers’ cruelty, some cursed vehemently while others knelt begging for mercy. Regardless, all were executed on the spot as a warning.

“Raise your heads!” a soldier shouted.

The remaining slaves complied, and Liu Qi lifted his head as well.

The soldier scanned the group, suddenly punching a man who collapsed unconscious.

“Useless,” he spat, then selected another slave—handsome and sturdy—and dragged him from the ranks.

“Listen up! Our general is battle-hardened but currently exhausted and heavily intoxicated. She needs a good-looking, strong man to serve her. If you serve well, you might just keep your life. If not, you all die.”

The final words were cruel, delivered with a sneer and clenched teeth.

Everyone shuddered in fear.

The chosen man suddenly dropped to his knees and laughed wildly, eyes turned to the heavens.

“Ha! I spent my whole life toiling without wife or child, and now I’m to serve a man? Ha!”

Laughing maniacally, he suddenly flung himself headfirst against a large stone, killing himself instantly.

The crowd fell into stunned silence.

The soldier was furious. “Damn it! You think you can die so easily? Get him dragged away—cut into pieces, bones boiled for soup, skin burned to feed the troops. I want him obliterated beyond even the afterlife!”

“Yes, sir!”

The man’s body was torn apart on the spot, terrifying everyone present. Even Liu Qi felt a chill crawl down his spine and bowed his head in silence.

But this small gesture was noticed by the soldier, who singled out Liu Qi and pulled him forward.

Born royal, Liu Qi was tall and handsome, well-educated in the six arts, with a noble bearing and strong physique.

“It’s you. Strip him and search him, then take him to the general’s tent!” the soldier ordered.

After being stripped and thoroughly inspected with no weapons found, Liu Qi was brought inside the general’s tent.

He had never imagined that, as a prince of Kang, he would be sent to serve a man! Surely this Qian general must have some unnatural desires.

Yet, upon entering, he saw a well-built woman.

She lay on her side by the table, her battle helmet resting atop it. Her glossy black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her armor was removed, the buttonsI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.