The woman hurriedly weaved through the corners.

A man in black closely followed behind her.

The woman's constitution was weak, and after running for less than ten minutes, her pace slowed down.

She was cornered, with nowhere to escape.

"Don't come near... don't come near..." she cried to the man in black, "I have no blood left for you to draw. Please, let me go."

The man in black, expressionless, grabbed her hand, ready to forcibly take her away.

The woman exerted all her strength, trying to break free from the man's grasp.

Unfortunately, it was to no avail.

No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.

The man in black held her wrist firmly.

"Don't blame me; blame your ancestor from the Yuan Clan. Because of her, you're in this situation," the man sneered coldly.

The woman sobbed, "Back then, our ancestor was merciful and took you outsiders in, yet you repaid kindness with enmity."

"Slap!"

The man, without another word, slapped her hard across the face, scolding, "It's lucky enough that you've been spared a miserable life. Be grateful."

Her cheek reddened, and blood appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Just when despair overwhelmed her, an unexpected event occurred.

Mo Lin suddenly appeared behind the man in black.

Before the man could speak, Mo Lin acted first. A golden light emanated, passed through the man's body, and ended his life.

"Come with me," Mo Lin said to her.

The woman stepped back, watching Mo Lin warily, clearly not trusting him.

"I have a grudge against Yuan Qi. I won't harm you," Mo Lin said again.

Hearing this, she lowered her guard.

"We can't go where people gather; it's safer there," she pointed to the distant barren mountain, addressing Mo Lin.

So Mo Lin followed her to the barren mountain.

The woman led Mo Lin to a cave.

The cave floor was covered with wild grass, and there was a very dirty-looking sheet.

And many scavenged items.

"Earlier, why were those people chasing you?" Mo Lin asked, puzzled.

"I escaped from the Yuan Family, and he wanted to take me back there."

She recalled something and added, "Many of my kin are imprisoned in the Yuan Family, and they draw our blood every fifteenth of the month."

"The Yuan Family outsiders use our blood to extend their lives."

Her voice trembled as she spoke, clearly frightened.

"Using your blood to extend life?" It was the first time Mo Lin heard that human blood could prolong life.

"Yes."

She nodded and replied, "Our Yuan Clan carries the mermaid bloodline, which has beautifying and life-extending properties.

Over the centuries, our bloodline has diluted, yet there's still a trace of mermaid blood."

"Yuan Qi treats us like livestock, using our blood to prolong her life, and this has been ongoing for hundreds of years."

Her tone suddenly shifted to anger, "It's all because of that damned ancestor of mine.

If she hadn't been kind and taken in that poisonous woman as a sister, our Yuan Clan wouldn't have ended up like this."

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into flesh, causing blood to flow down her fingers.

"Why do you say that?"

She explained again.

"My ancestor, Lady Yuan, was beautiful and kind-hearted. While traveling, she pitied a stray woman and brought her back to the Yuan Family.

She named that woman Yuan Qi.

Later they became very close, and since Yuan Qi was older, Lady Yuan acknowledged her as her elder sister.

They were like sisters who shared everything.

One day, Lady Yuan confided in Yuan Qi about our clan possessing mermaid blood.

One night, Yuan Qi gathered a group, captured Lady Yuan, killed her, and took over the entire Yuan Family.

After that, she treated the entire Yuan Clan as livestock for hundreds of years."

Mo Lin finally understood the situation completely.

The Lady Yuan she mentioned must be the Ghost Mother.

The girl before him was a descendant of the Ghost Mother.

"What's your name?" Mo Lin asked her.

"I have no name, they only call me 9th generation number 63," she answered softly.

Her words carried an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

"I'll give you a name; from now on, you'll be called Yuan Tiantian," Mo Lin said gently.

Her eyes widened, then she shook her head, "No need, I don't need a name. I'll be dead soon anyway."

She was acutely aware of her predicament.

The whole Longzhou County was the Yuan Family's domain.

Her only fate was being captured back to the Yuan Family and facing death.

There was no other option.

"It's okay, now that I'm here, you won't die," Mo Lin comforted her.

"Why?"

"Because I will kill Yuan Qi," Mo Lin said seriously.

Hearing this, she became excited, "Really?"

"Are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying, honestly."

She suddenly cried, tears flowing uncontrollably down her face.

"Alright, from now on, I'll be called Yuan Tiantian."

"How many of your Yuan Clan are still alive?" Mo Lin asked Yuan Tiantian.

"Less than five hundred."

Yuan Tiantian thought for a moment and added, "Yuan Qi plans to hold a blood replacement ceremony next month. She'll definitely kill many of our clan then."

Yuan Qi holds a blood replacement ceremony every ten years.

She's lived this way for hundreds of years.

Just then, Mo Lin received a message from Zhao Tian, asking for Mo Lin's location.

So Mo Lin sent his location to Zhao Tian.

About ten minutes later, Zhao Tian arrived.

"Mo, I've discovered an earth-shaking secret!"

Zhao Tian approached Mo Lin and said, "Do you know why there are no ghosts in Longzhou County?"

"Why?"

"The place is filled with too much evil qi; ghosts dare not come."

Zhao Tian continued, "Everyone here has lived for hundreds of years."

"People here don't raise pigs or dogs, they raise humans.

Every household has one or two people.

The humans they raise possess the mermaid bloodline, originally from the Yuan Clan,"

Zhao Tian had a knack for uncovering truths quickly after just a short excursion.

The Yuan Clan were the Ghost Mother's kin.

The Yuan Clan, now treated like livestock, was because the Ghost Mother's one act of kindness harmed her and her descendants.

The people here have lived for hundreds of years because they drink the Yuan Clan's blood.

Mo Lin thought only the Yuan Family imprisoned the Yuan Clan, but every household here kept someone from the Yuan Clan.

"And there's another shocking piece of news: everyone here is a descendant of someone named Yuan Qi."

Zhao Tian reminded Mo Lin, "If you want to kill Yuan Qi, you'll make enemies of the entire Longzhou County."

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