Big Peony and the short woman left one after another, leaving a few men in short skirts circling around Song Jiu. If one did not look closely, it would be hard to distinguish these people—bald heads, tattoos, gaunt bodies, and strange sounds escaping their lips. Their murky pupils lacked any spark or light, resembling products from a shoddy assembly line, even less appealing than the zombies wandering outside.
Song Jiu struggled to lift her head and survey her surroundings. She had no time to explain much; the bald men had separated them. The gravel underfoot gradually diminished, and the cave began to brighten. After navigating around several large rocks, they were led into a spacious cavern.
The cavern seemed to be a hollow within the mountain, at least half the size of a football field, with rocky formations scattered throughout. Behind her stood a man who was unfamiliar, unlike the Bald Gang; he had hair, fair skin, and vacant eyes. A collar was fastened around his neck as he massaged Swallow Woman's shoulders from behind.
Jiao Ziqian paused for a moment, then glanced at the long tables on either side, realizing there was more than one of these massage men. The Direct Descendant Young Man who had been captured alongside Song Jiu was among them, his face pale and wrapped in bandages. He was desperately signaling to Jiao Ziqian with his eyes. Feeling as if he must be going insane for witnessing such a bizarre scene, Jiao Ziqian pinched the inner thigh of his leg hard enough to elicit a yelp, which drew laughter from the women nearby. Some tossed him a few peanuts. Angered, Jiao Ziqian prepared to curse but suddenly remembered Song Jiu's instructions. He quickly swallowed his words and thought that replenishing his energy was more important. He hurriedly picked up a peanut, peeled it, and tossed it into his mouth.
Suddenly, cheers erupted from across the cavern. The women's voices echoed in the acoustically perfect space like thunderclaps. Startled, Jiao Ziqian quickly looked up to see that the fight in the center had reached its climax. He hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw that only two bald men remained standing; the others lay bloodied on the ground, breathing shallowly—likely not long for this world.
"Beautiful lady, what’s going on here?" Jiao Ziqian instinctively turned to ask. As soon as he spoke, he realized it was a mistake and quickly shut his mouth.
However, the woman closest to him had been watching intently and heard his question clearly. This woman had two zebra-like stripes tattooed under her eyes and long hair cascading down her shoulders. Compared to those with faces covered in strange symbols, she appeared relatively attractive. She paused at his question before breaking into a smile, tugging at the animal hide slipping off her shoulder as she leaned closer to Jiao Ziqian and said cheerfully, "What did you just call me?"
Jiao Ziqian initially intended to pretend he hadn’t heard her; however, Zebra Stripes twisted his ear and turned his face toward her.
Jiao Ziqian glanced at her heavy bosom and muttered, "You can speak Chinese?"
Zebra Stripes laughed again, her cheeks forming two dimples as she replied playfully, "I’m Chinese; is it strange that I can speak Chinese? You’re quite bold."
Jiao Ziqian pouted but remained silent; however, his anxiety eased slightly. He had thought everyone here could only make incomprehensible sounds. Just then, a slender foot suddenly appeared in front of him and waved in front of his eyes. Turning to look, he saw Zebra Stripes propping one leg up and gesturing toward him with her lips pursed. "Give me a massage; there’s a reward if you do it well."
Jiao Ziqian was taken aback and followed her long leg downwards only to find she was wearing nothing below. The dense forest of tattoos on her skin painted an intriguing picture against her body—a striking contrast against the dimness of the cave.
Jiao Ziqian stared blankly at what was below him, and Zebra Stripes let out a chuckle. Intentionally, she spread her legs and shook them, casually draping both over Jiao Ziqian's shoulders. "Go ahead, squeeze. Be careful with your claws if it hurts."
Jiao Ziqian felt a bit dazed, swallowing hard without saying a word. He took a deep breath, reminding himself to endure and stay calm. It was just a leg massage after all; he might as well enjoy it. So, he obediently began to massage Zebra Stripes' legs. She smiled in satisfaction and turned to whisper something to the women beside her, causing them all to burst into laughter.
At that moment, the brawl in the arena came to an end. Bald Beetle had smashed Bald Man B's skull with Dog Stick, claiming the final victory.
Behind the long table, two women exchanged shouts and insults from afar. One Blonde Woman, looking quite pleased with herself, walked over to Roast Suckling Pig, picked up a knife, and sliced off a piece of sizzling meat before tossing it to the victorious bald man. Ignoring the hot meat that he caught with his bare hands, he knelt on the ground and repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude. The Blonde Woman paid no attention to the bald man's thanks and wrapped herself in animal skin as she gracefully approached Wu Wentao and his companions at the exhibition area.
Jiao Ziqian glanced over and caught sight of Song Jiu being led by Big Peony from behind the group of women toward the main seat at the end.
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