Chapter 19: Casting Nets Deep Underground
Before long, all twenty-three laborers, including Li Shun, were escorted into the floating residence of the Marquis of Changle.
The Marquis sat high at the front of the hall, her figure obscured behind layers of beaded curtains.
Gazing at the group of gaunt, skeletal laborers before her, her expression remained indifferent as she lightly clapped her hands.
Immediately, dish after dish of exquisite delicacies was carried in by maids, flowing in like an endless stream.
“Eat,” her cool voice drifted out faintly from behind the curtain.
At first, the group was intimidated by the Marquis’s invisible aura of nobility and authority, remaining silent and frozen in place. But in the end, they could not resist the temptation of the unparalleled feast before them. After a brief moment of hesitation, they all began to devour the food ravenously.
‘Looks like this is a last meal before execution,’ Li Shun muttered inwardly, though his mouth kept moving just the same.
Unlike the ordinary fare sold on the streets, the dishes bestowed by the Marquis of Changle were not only perfect in color, aroma, and taste, but once swallowed, they transformed into threads of warm energy that spread through his limbs and bones. It felt as though his entire body was soaking in a gentle, comforting spring, leaving him utterly at ease.
This strange warmth even gave rise to the faint illusion that he had grown younger from a single meal.