Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 584: Still Has Her Emotions

"She will make a perfect pill slave," Han Yu said. "Maybe I can test some experiments on her. Or use her as a cauldron stand when I feel bored."

The guards burst into laughter, pleased at the cruelty in his words. To them, this was the proper attitude of a disciple of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.

"Good one," the second guard said. "She certainly does not look worthy of anything else."

Han Yu hid his disgust behind the cold expression.

He glanced at Meng Jueyan, hoping for a spark of reaction, any sign that she recognized him or remembered anything of their past. But her face remained still. With her mutilated features, stillness only made her look more haunting.

He handed his identity token to the guards.

One cut Meng Jueyan’s fingertip and let a drop of her blood fall onto the token.

She did not flinch.

Han Yu watched closely. She did not emit even a wisp of Eight Emotions energy. Not anger, not fear, not humiliation, not pain. Nothing. He expected her to suppress her emotions, but complete absence was beyond what he anticipated.

She truly felt nothing.

The formation flashed red and then settled back to normal. The transfer was complete.

"She is yours," one guard said. "Take her away. And get her a mask or something before she makes disciples puke and pick fights with you."

Han Yu nodded once. "Thanks for the warning."

He took Meng Jueyan by the chain and led her out. Her steps matched his pace automatically, a conditioned behavior. She did not look him in the eye. She did not look around. She simply followed.

Along the stone corridor, several disciples stared openly, their faces twisted in disgust or curiosity.

A few laughed. Some jeered. One even made an obscene gesture toward Meng Jueyan. Han Yu responded with a sharp glare and a faint pressure of his aura, the cold oppressive aura of Ju Fan.

The disciples immediately backed away.

They muttered, but none dared approach. It was common in the sect for disciples to guard their slaves fiercely even if they looked ugly. Allowing others to stare too long or harass them was seen as weakness.

If Han Yu had not reacted, it would have been strange, so he maintained his facade perfectly.

Minutes later he reached the long staircase leading up to his Fifth rib peak cave. He walked ahead in silence, Meng Jueyan trailing behind him like a shadow. His thoughts churned.

What would he even say to her?

He could not reveal his real identity. She had no reason to believe him. Even if she did, there was no guarantee she would stay quiet. Unlike Xuan Qing, Meng Jueyan still had her mind. She could slip up. She could be interrogated. She could be overwhelmed with despair or confusion and end up revealing something dangerous.

It was too risky.

For her sake and his, she would stay in the dark.

His only solace was that he would not actually treat her cruelly. The persona of Ju Fan could be used to deceive others, but he could choose his actions within the privacy of his cave.

He finally reached the entrance. The cave door slid open. The lanterns inside glowed softly.

And then something happened that he had not expected.

Meng Jueyan stopped walking.

Her one remaining eye widened the slightest bit. Her mutilated lips trembled. It was a subtle change, but Han Yu saw it instantly.

She had noticed Xuan Qing.

The doll like woman was sitting in the corner, her posture upright and her face expressionless as always. Her blank eyes followed Han Yu silently.

A faint wisp of Grey Surprise emotion flickered off Meng Jueyan.

’So she was not emotionless after all. Her emotional core was still present. Her face simply no longer reflected what she felt.’ Han Yu thought with a bit of hope.

Han Yu closed the door behind them.

Xuan Qing stood up immediately and bowed.

"Awaiting orders."

Her voice was hollow yet polite, shaped by the Doll Seal.

This only made Meng Jueyan a bit fearful, as Fear Energy drifted from her. She realized she might’ve ended up like this if she didn’t do what she had to herself.

Han Yu could feel one, two, three, four... Wisps of Fear Energy continued coming from her.

’Just how scared is she?’ Han Yu knew clearly that Meng Jueyan had understood the kind of state Xuan Qing was in and not just who she was.

Han Yu turned toward Meng Jueyan.

Her breaths had grown uneven. Not panicked, but tense, as if she were trying to process what she was seeing.

He needed to test her reactions.

"Do you recognize this slave?" he asked in the cold tone of Ju Fan.

Meng Jueyan hesitated.

She stared at Xuan Qing for several seconds. Her face twitched once, a sign that she was fighting against an internal storm of emotions.

Finally she spoke, her voice quiet and hoarse.

"I have seen her before. During the purge. She came from one of the orthodox sects when we were exploring..." She stopped her tongue. "When we had invaded your birthright." She corrected her words knowing she would suffer if she said what she was about to.

Han Yu felt something twist inside him. She was telling the truth. She remembered Xuan Qing as a fellow prisoner of fate.

Meng Jueyan then lowered her head obediently, waiting for further instruction.

Within the silence of the cave, Han Yu realized something.

Meng Jueyan was broken and scarred. She had lost her cultivation. Her face had been mangled. But unlike Xuan Qing, her mind still existed. She was still herself, even if a traumatized and shattered version.

If he was careful, if he planned everything correctly, he might be able to bring her back.

But if he slipped even once, she could be lost forever.

And for the first time since arriving in the sect, Han Yu felt the weight of two fates resting in his hands.

Two fates he refused to abandon.