**Chapter 19: Parading Through the Streets, Delivered to Chaoge City** - Ah? The Wives I Abandoned Turned Out to Be Real

**Chapter 19: Parading Through the Streets, Delivered to Chaoge City** **[You find yourself imprisoned in a prison carriage. To prevent your escape, the cavalry leader has bound you with numerous bronze chains.]** **[You want to escape.]** **[But even with your robust build, you cannot break free from the bronze chains.]** **[The cavalry leader senses your intentions and immediately rides next to you.]** "Don’t even think about escaping. These chains can restrain an elephant, there's no way your strength alone will free you!" "Once we deliver you to Chaoge City, earning a noble title isn’t impossible." **[Hearing the cavalry leader's words, you feel a heavy weight upon your heart.]** **[You are uncertain about what fate awaits you.]** **[You sink into a state of depression.]** ... Observing the scenario within the simulation, Su Mo lets out a sigh. It seems there's little hope now. Next, we'll see if any options present themselves. A physique as strong as an ox. It doesn't stir much of a commotion. ... The scene gradually unfolds. **[You spend the most constricted period of your life within the prison carriage. For necessities, you have no choice but to relieve yourself inside the carriage. When hungry, a designated person feeds you a gruel of grain, dried meat, wild vegetables, and water using a long spoon.]** **[Before offering you up to the nobles of Chaoge City, these merchant cavalrymen ensure you remain alive, taking surprisingly good care of you.]** **[Days drag on.]** **[Fifteen days later, your prison carriage arrives outside Chaoge City.]** **[By the river outside Chaoge, the merchant cavalrymen wash you thoroughly and shave off all your body hair with a long knife.]** **[This is all to improve your appearance and spark greater interest among the noble merchants.]** **[You're brought into Chaoge City.]** **[Inside the prison carriage, your powerful physique is visible to all.]** **[Numerous young maidens can't help but cast sidelong glances your way.]** **[Even some married women occasionally steal a look, only to be promptly chastised by their husbands.]** **[It's no surprise.]** **[Your build is too formidable, too perfect.]** **[Being in the prime of your youth at eighteen, your form is akin to a sculpture crafted with flawless golden proportions.]** **[Such beauty is universally appealing.]** **[However, you are soon to be presented to the nobility, eliciting secret lamentations from all.]** **[Fortunately, due to your earlier frailty, your grown appearance is entirely different; none recognize your identity.]** **[You gaze at the crowd, expressionless and unsure if your father is among them, while on the other, you continuously contemplate escape.]** **[You are ultimately delivered to the estate of the royal kin, Zi Xu, otherwise known as Bi Gan.]** **[Bi Gan, the current Junior Tutor and second son of the Shang king, Di Wending. Brother to Di Yi and uncle to the tyrant King Zhou, Di Xin.]** **[Legend states that Bi Gan possesses a heart of seven orifices, capable of discerning sincerity and deceit.]** **[Since King Zhou fell into a coma, he has been managing the court, his presence preventing the collapse of the Shang dynasty.]** **[Confined to a sectioned-off slave camp within Bi Gan's residence, you find yourself in company of mostly Qiang people and a few criminals.]** **[Since your arrival, Bi Gan has shown no interest in your affairs, aside from ensuring the provision of three meals a day.]** **[Yet, wherever there are people, there are politics. On your first day, a group of slaves marks you as their target.]** **[This faction, among the earliest slaves, clings together for survival.]** **[Whenever sacrifices are required, they assist in capturing others for the ritual, prolonging their own lives.]** **[As a newcomer, you are expected to receive a 'lesson,' your spirit needing breaking to prevent future defiance.]** "Where did you come from, boy?" **[The leading slave approaches, looking down at you with superiority.**] **[He’s been in this slave camp for three years, sending countless victims to their fate.]** **[Not wanting trouble, you ignore him.]** **[But to the slave, your disregard signifies disdain, prompting him to summon others to subdue you.]** **[At this moment, you must decide:]** **[Option one: Endure the beating, reducing your presence to the minimum.]** **[Option two: Fight back fiercely and subdue them all.]** **[Option three: Rise up and kill, eliminate all the slaves, and escape the camp.]** ... Seeing these choices, Su Mo ponders deeply. Option one seems cowardly but potentially beneficial. After all, being sent here under the guise of invincibility, continuous humiliation might expose the lie of those who brought him. Option two, overpowering the slaves, would draw too much attention. It's clear evidence of being an unnaturally strong human, likely to make him a prime sacrificial choice at major ceremonies. As for option three... Su Mo hesitates to select it. He stands out too much. After his parade, nearly everyone in Chaoge knows him on sight. Escaping the camp would mean immediate capture once more. And utilizing the sewers isn’t feasible either. Now much larger than in his youth, navigating the narrow passages would be impossible for his current build. Yet, choosing the first option would indeed be stifling. Finally... Su Mo opts for the second option. **[When the group attacks, you immediately counter.]** **[With years of hunting experience, your reflexes are as nimble as a leopard's and, combined with your ox-like strength, you swiftly take down all the slaves.]** **[The slaves are terrified.]** **[They never anticipated such ferocity from a newly arrived slave, akin to a god descending.]** **[They beg for mercy in droves.]** **[Just as you prepare to address the disheartened slaves, Bi Gan's steward arrives with a team.]** **[Bi Gan, having learned of your exploits, intends to present you to the royal family, hoping your offering might awaken King Zhou.]** Witnessing this turn of events, Su Mo shakes his head helplessly. It seems that regardless of the choice, being destined for sacrifice remains unavoidable. The only question is... Will there be further opportunities to shape his fate? **[Captured once more, you are bound with ropes crafted from century-old withered vines, inescapable even for a dragon.]** **[You are taken to the sacrificial altar.]** **[You recognize the scene; the priests encircle you, eyes reflecting the same gaze afforded a prime bull.]** **[This is where you once escaped, only to find yourself returned.]** **[You question whether this is fate's design, your heart brimming with resentment and frustration.]** **[As you glance skyward, you see a woman.]** **[A woman dressed in the regal garments of a queen.]** **[She stands where King Zhou should, her icy eyes fixed directly on you.]** **(Chapter End)**