Half a greasy chicken butt was held up brazenly right in front of Song Yubai's face.
Black grime was wedged under the beggar's fingernails, and a dried trail of some unknown liquid hung at the corner of his mouth. Yet, his eyes conveyed an infuriating sense of compassion.
It was as if Song Yubai were the pitiful wretch in need of charity.
"Take it. What are you spacing out for?"
The beggar shook the chicken butt impatiently, the flying droplets of grease nearly splattering onto Song Yubai's snow-white inner robe.
"This is Orleans flavor, leftovers from the Xu Manor yesterday. Ordinary folks couldn't even snatch a bite if they tried."
"Oh, an outsider like you probably doesn't know what Orleans flavor is. Anyway, it was made by Miss Xu. Miss Xu's culinary skills are truly exceptional."
Then, the beggar muttered to himself:
"Tsk, wait. Isn't it perfectly normal for a living Bodhisattva like Miss Xu to know how to do everything?"
Song Yubai felt his stomach churn violently. The bizarre aroma, a mix of cumin and caramelized sugar, was currently more nauseating to his nose than the stench of rotting corpses and festering meat.
This was humiliation.
This was naked humiliation!
"Take it away!"
Song Yubai hurriedly waved his sleeve, his body jerking backward several steps as if electrocuted, until his back slammed heavily against a white marble lamppost behind him.
The beggar paused for a moment, then rolled his eyes dramatically. He stuffed the chicken butt into his mouth in one bite, chewing it with a loud crunch.
"Tch, ungrateful. One look and I can tell you have the miserable face of someone who's never enjoyed a day of luxury."
Grumbling, the beggar tucked a wooden sign that read "Off Duty Today" into his shirt and swaggered into a nearby alley, leaving behind a carefree silhouette.
Song Yubai's chest heaved violently. His fingers dug fiercely into the carved cloud motifs on the lamppost, his knuckles turning white.
Fake.
It was all fake!
Refugees eating meat? Beggars taking days off? This was clearly a meticulously orchestrated play!
The Xu family must have known he was coming and deliberately arranged these actors at the city gates just to present a false picture of peace and prosperity, all to disgust him!
"Young Master Song, are you alright?"
Li Wencheng, wearing a coarse cloth vest printed with the words "Taoyuan Is My Home," cautiously approached with a fawning smile on his face.
Song Yubai turned his head furiously, his glare causing Li Wencheng to shrink his neck in fear.
"Is this what you meant by the people living in destitution?"
Song Yubai gritted his teeth, squeezing every word out from between them. "Is this what you meant by starving corpses littering the fields?"
Li Wencheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes darting rapidly.
"Young Master! This... this is an illusion!"
Su Bingzhang also shuffled over. Although the old academy head's beard had been chopped unevenly, his knack for fanning the flames was as sharp as ever.
Su Bingzhang lowered his voice, his face the picture of utter heartbreak.
"Just think about it, Young Master. If that beggar were truly starving, why would he offer meat to someone else? He is clearly a shill planted by the Xu family! It's all to pull the wool over your eyes!"
"Exactly!"
Li Wencheng quickly chimed in, pointing indignantly at the bustling streets around them.
"All the glitz and glamour on these streets is just a show for outsiders! The true sins are hidden in the shadows by the Xu family! That wicked woman, Xu Qinghuan, excels at making things look fair on the outside but foul on the inside!"
Song Yubai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger and humiliation in his heart.
That was right. Su Bingzhang was correct.
Where in the world would a beggar refuse to eat meat? This absolutely defied common sense!
The more the Xu family tried to cover things up, the more it proved that the truth behind the scenes was too hideous to look at!
"Good. Very good."
Song Yubai sneered. He straightened his somewhat disheveled collar, his gaze turning sharp once again.
"Since everyone on these streets is an actor, then I shall go see the places where they can't possibly put on a play!"
"You mentioned earlier that the Xu family forced disabled veterans to scoop excrement and established something called the Night Soil Department?"
Li Wencheng was taken aback and nodded subconsciously. "Yes... there is such a place."
"Lead the way!"
Song Yubai waved his large sleeve, his voice ringing out like striking iron and stone.
"I want to see if, in that filthy place, in that pitch-black corner, the Xu family can still act out this charade of peace and prosperity!"
"I am going to see with my own eyes what the place you called a living hell actually looks like!"
Li Wencheng and Su Bingzhang exchanged a glance. A flicker of panic flashed through their eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a hint of secret delight.
The Night Soil Department?
That was the distribution center for the entire city's excrement!
Even if Xu Qinghuan swept the streets spotless, there was no way she could make the digested remains of the five grains from tens of thousands of people smell fragrant, right?
Moreover, that place really did have quite a few disabled people missing arms and legs working there. The scene was bound to be incredibly miserable, and the stench was bound to be nauseating.
As long as Song Yubai went to see it, got smoked by that stench, and witnessed the tragic sight of disabled men carrying dung buckets on their backs, wouldn't they win this round back?
"A wise decision, Young Master!"
Su Bingzhang immediately put on a solemn, stirring expression and cupped his hands. "That Night Soil Department is the darkest, filthiest place in Taoyuan County. For you, with your noble status, to be willing to brave such a perilous place for the sake of the common people, this old man is... filled with admiration!"
"Cut the nonsense. Let's go!"
By this point, Song Yubai had been provoked into losing his reason by that half a chicken butt. He urgently needed to see evidence of the Xu family's crimes to wash away the humiliation he had just suffered.
He wanted to prove that he was right.
He wanted to prove that the world hadn't gone mad!
...
Taoyuan County, West City.
This area had originally been a wasteland, but now it was enclosed by a high wall.
Before even getting close, Song Yubai had already pulled out his orchid-embroidered silk handkerchief, bracing himself for an overwhelming stench.
However, as his footsteps drew nearer, the nauseating odor he had anticipated never materialized.
Instead, a faint scent of burning mugwort drifted through the air, mixed with the dry smell of quicklime.
"This is... the Night Soil Department?"
Song Yubai stopped in his tracks, looking hesitantly at the large, whitewashed compound before him.
Two red lanterns hung at the entrance of the courtyard, and several bold, vigorous characters were written across the lintel: Taoyuan County No. 1 Resource Recycling Treatment Station.
"This is exactly the place!"
Li Wencheng hurried forward, pointing at the gate as he spoke. "Don't let the fancy name fool you, Young Master! It's full of cesspits inside! The Xu family transports all the filth in the city here and forces those disabled folks to stir it day and night, claiming they are refining some sort of Jinkela fertilizer. It's absolute tyranny!"
Just as he was speaking, the main gate creaked open.
A hunched figure slowly walked out from within.
It was an old man with greying hair. His left sleeve was completely empty, fluttering in the wind.
He was wearing an incredibly eye-catching bright yellow vest printed with strange black stripes on the chest and back, which looked exceptionally glaring in the sunlight.
Using only his remaining right hand, the old man pushed a peculiarly shaped wooden cart.
The cart carried two massive, sealed wooden barrels that looked incomparably heavy.
The old man's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his face was flushed red, clearly exerting an extreme amount of effort.
"Look, Young Master!"
As if he had grabbed onto a lifeline, Su Bingzhang leapt forward in a frenzy, pointing at the old man and wailing loudly.
"The heavens have eyes! Young Master, look at that elderly man!"
"He is one-armed! An old man missing a hand!"
"The Xu family is utterly devoid of conscience! To think they would force a disabled old man to push a thousand-pound dung cart!"
Li Wencheng instantly turned on the theatrics as well. Wiping away his tears, he cried out, "And his clothes! Young Master, look at that yellow vest! It is a blatant humiliation! That is a prison uniform meant for convicts! They are treating these veteran soldiers, who defended our homes and country, like criminals just to degrade them!"
