How does it feel

On this day, Xuanjing City was in an absolute uproar.

The news that Su Yao, the Holy Maiden of the Wutong Holy Land, had been locked in a cage as an exhibit in the blacksmith shop by the Master grew wings and spread across the entire city in just half an hour.

What started as cultivators coming in twos and threes to upgrade their equipment eventually turned into a massive crowd that packed the entire blacksmith shop. Even the City Lord of Xuanjing City, the presidents of major merchant guilds, and reclusive rogue almighty cultivators made a special trip just to see with their own eyes what the legendary youngest Tribulation Transcendence Realm Holy Maiden of the Profound Sky Continent looked like locked up in a cage.

This was a Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert!

Especially since Su Yao was notorious for her ruthlessness; people had their entire clans wiped out just for saying one wrong word to her.

"It really is Holy Maiden Su Yao! I saw her at the Ten Thousand Sects Assembly before! There's absolutely no mistake!"

"My god! The Master is too ruthless! This is the Holy Maiden of the Wutong Holy Land! Just locked in a cage for people to gawk at?"

"Just what is the Master's background?"

Discussions, gasps of amazement, and laughter constantly drilled into Su Yao's ears.

At first, she would roar and curse with red eyes, using the most vicious words to curse Ye Chuan. However, not only were the onlookers unafraid, but they watched with even greater enthusiasm.

Some even took out spirit stones and asked Xiao Huli if they could get a closer look, or if she could make the Holy Maiden raise her head.

Later on, Su Yao lacked the energy to curse or make a fuss anymore.

She simply curled up in the deepest corner of the cage, covering her face tightly with her arms and shrinking into a ball, allowing those gazes to scrape across her body like knives.

Her pride, her dignity, and all her decency as the Holy Maiden of a Holy Land were thoroughly crushed and trampled into the dust on this day, leaving not a single trace behind.

She could even clearly hear people discussing her appearance, discussing her figure, and discussing how ridiculous it was for a high and mighty Holy Maiden like her to end up in such a state.

Her tears had dried up long ago, leaving only a bone-deep humiliation and despair.

She never could have imagined that she would see such a day.

Going from a Holy Maiden revered by millions to a rare exhibit that anyone in Xuanjing City could come and gawk at.

...

The sun set in the west, and night fell.

Xiao Huli saw off the last wave of guests, hung up the closed sign, and nimbly tidied up the items in the shop.

She sneaked a glance at Su Yao, who was like a walking corpse in the cage, and then at Ye Chuan, who was leisurely drinking tea behind the counter. Ultimately, she didn't dare to speak out of turn and quietly retreated to the backyard.

The shop became completely quiet.

Ye Chuan slowly walked up to the cage and tapped the iron bars with his fingertips, making a crisp sound.

"It's been a day, Your Highness the Holy Maiden. How does it feel?"

Su Yao slowly raised her head. Her originally lively phoenix eyes were now hollow and lifeless, filled with bloodshot veins, and her face still bore the traces of undried tears.

She just looked at Ye Chuan coldly. Her eyes no longer held their previous hysteria, leaving only a deathly, icy stillness.

"How does it feel?" She twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile uglier than crying.

"My face, my dignity, have all been completely stripped away by you today. Huang Haotian, are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied?" Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow and took out a key to unlock the cage.

"I was asking if you've thought it through? Are you willing to obediently serve people now?"

Su Yao slowly walked out of the cage. Because her legs had been curled up all day, she stumbled a bit before barely steadying herself.

She straightened her back. Even though her clothes were messy and she looked wretched, she still kept her chin high and enunciated every word:

"Even if I, Su Yao, die, I will never act as your beast of burden."

"My face is already lost, so I have nothing left to fear. If you want to lock me back in, go ahead."

"Oh? Still talking tough?" Ye Chuan stroked his chin, smiling playfully.

"Fine, you have backbone. Then we'll just keep you on display tomorrow."

Su Yao's body suddenly stiffened, but she still gritted her teeth and said:

"So be it! It's just being looked at anyway, I don't care anymore!"

"You don't care?" Ye Chuan took a step forward, leaning in close to her ear, his voice deep and malicious.

"Then tomorrow it won't just be a simple lockup. I'll strip you naked and tie you up in this cage, posing you nice and open, so that all the cultivators in Xuanjing City can get a good look at exactly how precious the body of the Wutong Holy Land's Holy Maiden really is."

"You wouldn't dare!!!"

Su Yao instantly bristled, her entire body trembling. Her face turned as pale as paper, and her originally dead eyes were instantly flooded with extreme terror and anger.

She could endure being locked in a cage and stared at, but she absolutely could not endure being stripped naked and paraded in public!

That was a humiliation more painful to her than death!

"What wouldn't I dare to do?" Ye Chuan crossed his arms.

"If you're still unwilling, not only will I tie you up for public display, but I'll also send you to Xuanjing City's slave market, so you can truly taste what it means to be better off dead."

"You're despicable! You're shameless!" Su Yao trembled with rage, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face again, but she couldn't hide the fear in her eyes.

She knew all too well that Ye Chuan was a man of his word.

This man was an out-and-out demon with absolutely no bottom line to speak of.

"Despicable?" Ye Chuan seized on her weak point.

"I'll give you three breaths of time. You should know what to do, right?"

"One."

"Two."

"I'll do it!"

Su Yao practically roared those words out, her body going limp as she nearly collapsed to the ground.

She had lost, completely lost.

In front of this man, all her pride and all her backbone couldn't withstand a single blow. She might not fear death, but she feared that kind of humiliation which was worse than death.

Ye Chuan smiled. "Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier? You just had to suffer through this whole day."

Su Yao bit her lip so hard it bled. Tears fell silently. Her heart was full of humiliation and unwillingness, yet she was utterly helpless.

She, the dignified Holy Maiden of the Wutong Holy Land, had ultimately been reduced to her enemy's maidservant.

...

Ye Chuan brought Su Yao back to the bedroom of the blacksmith shop.

The room's furnishings were simple, yet exquisite in every detail, and the spiritual energy was dense.

Su Yao stood awkwardly at the door, her hands tightly gripping the corners of her clothes. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Ye Chuan, like a prisoner being escorted to the execution ground.

"What are you just standing there for?" Ye Chuan sat down on the soft couch, casually took off his somewhat dusty boots, and stretched his legs.

"Come here and massage my legs. I've been standing all day, and my legs are sore."

Su Yao's body stiffened, her fingertips trembling.

Growing up, she had always been the one served by others. Let alone massaging someone's legs, she had never even personally poured a cup of tea or served water.

But now, under someone else's roof, she had to bow her head.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as if making some kind of resolution. Step by step, she walked up to the soft couch, then knelt on the carpet, trembling as she reached out her hands and placed them on Ye Chuan's calves.