Chapter 10

Ton tilted his head down, beginning to bow deeply to Mo Qing.

Mo Qing stopped him before his knees hit the ground, gently grabbing his arm. “There’s no need.”

Ton lifted his head and shook it as he stood up. “There is. We’ve been suffering for years under the Town Lord's thumb. No other Sword Fighters have come to our aid. How can I not be grateful?”

Mo Qing answered, “If you need to be grateful for something, do so for yourself. You were courageous in resisting the Town Lord for so long. Soon, you all will be free.”

Ton smiled.

He wiped a tear that fell from the corner of one eye and said, “Did you want to visit Lady Secily then?”

Mo Qing nodded.

Ton continud. “I am the only servant allowed in this area. All other servants as well as guards are a little ways away. It’s my job to contact them if there are any problems. The Town Lord only permitted me to do this because he castrated me. He said I was only an old and ugly man and that I wouldn’t be needing it anyway. Since I no longer had it, it was impossible for me to dishonor any of his girls. Because of this, I can stand watch while you visit them.”

Mo Qing felt sorry for the man. Servitude was bad enough, but forced castration? The fact that he hadn’t ended his own life was something to be admired. Even a Sword Fighter wouldn't be so brave.

Ton took him across the hall to a room with fluttering curtains covering it. When they got there, Ton announced their arrival. “I’m here with a friend to assist you beautiful maidens with anything you may desire.”

Mo Qing thought the way he spoke was odd. He could have announced himself in a simpler manner. Maybe though, this ‘Lady Secily’ had come up with some code words for this servant as well.

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A woman's voice answered from the other side, “You may enter.”

Ton nodded and glanced at Mo Qing before walking in. When Mo Qing entered, he expected to be battered by the scent of strong perfumes and incense that had drifted from the ladies before. But the scents in the room were more subdued, smelling faintly of lavender and citrus. In addition, Instead of the beautiful array of colors he had witnessed earlier, every woman in the room was dressed plainly, their faces decorated in a more modest fashion than before. This time, there were no fans to cover them and Mo Qing could glean their true appearances.

Even with hardly any makeup, each of the women were beautiful. They were petite, yet curvy and their facial features were unique and attractive. Mo Qing had not seen a single woman working in the mines that looked like them and now he knew why.

He stepped forward. “I’m…”

The women were seated on a soft fur carpet and gathered around a table. The one with the flower symbol on her chest, who sat in the middle, put her hand up as a signal for Mo Qing to stop speaking.

She said, “Ton has been watching you from afar so I already know who you are. He has also told me that you’ve come to help us. Skip the introductions and tell me now, how is my husband doing?”

Mo Qing answered, “He’s fine. He and an ally of mine are currently in the mines awaiting a signal. There is something I have to do here to save them.”

The woman raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ton. Ton nodded in response.

Once her gaze returned to Mo Qing, she said, “We will assist you in any way we can. All the ladies here were separated from their loved ones by the Town Lord. They were either made to stay here to guarantee the safety of their families, friends and lovers at the mines or forced to stay here surrounded by guards and with no chance of leaving.”

The ladies around her nodded, their heads hung low. The woman named Lady Secily continued, “Tell us, how will you solve our plight?”

Mo Qing explained his idea to them. Once he finished, all of the ladies were excited. Their bodies were sitting upright and their eyes were glistening. Some whispered amongst themselves in happy, hushed tones. To quiet them, Lady Secily raised a hand.

She smiled at Mo Qing. “Alright, Sir Sword Fighter. We’ll go along with this. When shall it begin?”

“We will execute it before Lord Tincaid's associates arrive,” Mo Qing answered. “His guard should be lowered during this time.”