Chapter 131: Ah Bao is a Boy

“Di Hongluan, oh Di Hongluan, what exactly do you have in that head of yours? Stop talking to me about destiny and fate. Can you actually tell fortunes or read faces? How old are you? Do you really think you’re some kind of master?

Even Taoist Baiyun wouldn’t dare to talk to me like this, but you, here you are, muttering away in front of me. I’m not listening, I’m not listening.”

The Third Prince felt annoyed. “Alright, that’s enough for today. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything. But if you dare speak disrespectfully again, even if you are my sister, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Di Hongluan was scolded by the Third Prince for no apparent reason, leaving her feeling quite uncomfortable.

The Third Prince shot her a glance and strode away.

Clearly, he didn’t want to deal with her.

Di Hongluan became even more anxious, her cheeks puffing up in frustration.

[Host, the task has failed.]

Di Hongluan: ???

She clenched her small hands into fists, dumbfounded.

Failed again?

Why Did It Fail Again?

[Host, your task performance has been declining lately. You couldn’t even complete a beginner-level task, so what will you do with the intermediate and advanced tasks in the future?]

Even the system began to worry about Di Hongluan.

This host was a bit useless!

“What’s the punishment this time?”

[According to the difficulty of the task, the punishment this time is three electric shocks.]

Di Hongluan was so angry that her eyes almost shot fire. The last time she received five electric shocks, she was bedridden for seven days.

Although the electric shocks might sound simple, they were truly life-threatening punishments for her frail, mortal body.

“Why is it always electric shocks? Can’t you give me a lighter punishment?”

[Because the host fails the task every time. The host should be more concerned about reflecting on your recent decline in ability, rather than the punishment.]

Di Hongluan was nearly driven mad with anger.

If she kept failing tasks in the future, not only would she miss out on rewards and points, but she’d also be subjected to daily beatings.

How would she survive the days ahead?

The electric shock punishment began, and Di Hongluan collapsed to the ground, twitching.

A passing palace maid saw her, and when she noticed Di Hongluan foaming at the mouth and convulsing uncontrollably, she was so terrified that she didn’t dare approach. Instead, she ran off screaming, “Someone help! The little princess is sick! She’s having a seizure!”

Di Hongluan, who had been fully conscious until that moment, was so enraged by the maid’s words that she fainted on the spot.

…

The Third Prince arrived at Qingyun Palace, completely unaware of what had transpired.

When Concubine Hui saw him, he seemed lost in thought.

Concubine Hui was already in a bad mood, and seeing his gloomy expression only made her more irritated.

But when she remembered something important, she suppressed her emotions. “Why haven’t you come to the palace to see me lately?”

The Third Prince casually found an excuse, “I’ve been a bit busy.”

Concubine Hui rolled her eyes and couldn’t stay comfortable on her chaise longue. “Busy, huh?”

She knew all too well what her son was like.

Busy, my foot!

If he’d said he spent his days eating, drinking, and playing, she’d believe it.

“Have you been to your grandfather’s house?” Lately, there had been no news from her family, and she was starting to worry.

She had a feeling something was going to happen.

“No, I’ve been staying at the manor.”

Concubine Hui massaged her temples. “Li’er, when will you let your mother be at ease? Your lack of ambition is truly worrying me to death.”

The Third Prince didn’t want to hear anything about the throne; he always felt it was cursed.

Noticing the Third Prince’s displeasure, Concubine Hui changed the subject. “Today, why don’t you accompany me out of the palace? I’ve been feeling uneasy lately and want to go pray at the temple.”

The Third Prince reluctantly agreed.

In recent years, his mother had developed a habit of leaving the palace to pray at temples.

Each time, he accompanied her.

…

Outside the palace.

In a large courtyard.

The skinny sister wiped Ah Bao’s little face until it was clean, and Ah Bao held two small cookies in his hand.

Munching on one, Ah Bao was leisurely enjoying himself.

He didn’t seem at all like a child who had been kidnapped.

The plump sister pushed open the door and walked in excitedly. “Sis, it’s done, it’s done!”

“Plump Sister, did you find a buyer?”

The plump sister was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling. “We were really lucky today. The buyer we contacted earlier confirmed it—they want a boy to carry on the family line. Don’t just stand there, go pick out a child to send over.”

Ah Bao was sitting on a small stool, eating his cookie, and he understood what they were saying.

[Human traffickers! Tsk tsk tsk.]

“Huh, why is this little girl sitting here? Why isn’t she locked up in the woodshed?” The plump sister asked harshly.

Ah Bao didn’t like her, but he wasn’t afraid of her either.

The skinny sister chuckled. “This little girl is lively and has a good temperament. She woke up early this morning, so I let her get some fresh air in the yard.”

The plump sister frowned.

The skinny sister added, “She’s the youngest of the group of children, don’t worry. She doesn’t understand what we’re saying, she only knows how to eat.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Ah Bao reached out his little hand towards the plump sister. “Cookie…”

[These cookies are pretty tasty.]

[It’s best to eat your fill before doing anything.]

The plump sister glared at Ah Bao. “She really does just eat.”

Ah Bao smiled sweetly.

[You’ll see soon enough if I only know how to eat.]

The skinny sister quickly stuffed two more cookies into Ah Bao’s hands and coaxed him to sit aside. “You stay here and don’t move, or you’ll be locked up in the room later.”

Ah Bao smartly nodded.

The plump and skinny sisters went into the second room, where four or five children were tied up.

They were all two or three years old and older than Ah Bao.

Among them were three boys, around two years old.

The plump sister looked at the five children. “This one’s too dark, not good. That one has a flat nose, also not good. This one’s decent.”

“Plump Sister, what kind of buyer is this? They’re very particular.”

The plump sister chuckled. “Let me tell you, this is a big buyer, the biggest we’ve ever had—a wealthy family from the capital! Not the kind of people we can ask too many questions about. They have only one requirement: about one year old and good-looking.”

The skinny sister understood.

Generally, the wealthier the family, the more rules they have.

Everyone wants the best of the best.

“Wahh, wahhh—”

The little boy they picked out started crying loudly, and then, accidentally, wet his pants.

For a child, this was a completely normal occurrence.

But as the plump sister was cleaning up the child, she discovered he was lame.

The plump sister exploded, “Damn! He’s disabled, this… this won’t do.”

The rich families were most concerned about appearances.

They wouldn’t want a crippled child.

“It’s over, it’s over. Will this deal slip through our fingers? This money… it’s a lot.”

Because it was a wealthy family, the commission was substantial, enough to last her for years.

Sister Fat slapped her thigh and kept sighing. She paced around the room anxiously, wishing she had more kids to choose from.

Her eyes glanced toward the doorway, where little Ah Bao was standing. The little girl looked up at Sister Fat and squinted her eyes with a smile.

“She’s so pretty… this girl is really beautiful,” Sister Fat murmured. Everything about her was perfect, except for one thing—her gender.