chapter 05

The gentle and obedient mask she had worn in front of this family for so long had finally shattered. She couldn't endure it anymore, nor did she feel the need to. After all, she wasn't even their real daughter, "Ling Ai." Why should she tolerate their tyranny?

"You ungrateful child! How dare you speak to me like this? I'm your father!" her "father" roared, attempting to intimidate her with his voice. But he didn't know that the person standing before him had heard far worse voices. She had listened to the terrifying screams of ravenous zombies and the heart-wrenching cries and screams of people being devoured alive.

 Such a yelling voice was nothing more than a barking dog that couldn't bite. It wouldn't even make her blink, let alone scare her.

"Oh, my father? Since when? You're nothing but a pathetic leech, always eager to drain the blood out of anyone who's useful to you," she sneered, her eyes cold as ice.

"When have you ever cared for me as a daughter? When have you shown the slightest concern for my well-being? Never. Since you found out I wasn't a guide but just an ordinary person, you stopped caring whether I lived or died. And now, you want to sell me to a man old enough to be your father for a few privileges and some cash?

And yet, you have the gall to call yourself my father?

Pah! You don't deserve the title."

Ling Zhi's face darkened, her words striking a nerve. Deep down, he knew everything she said was true. But he would never admit it—not in a million years. Over his dead body would he confess he was at fault.

Well, he would... eventually. But by then, Shen Ling Zhu would be in a place far beyond his reach, where he wouldn't even dare to look her in the eye. That, however, was a story for the far future.

"You insolent girl! Is this how you speak to me? Where are your manners?" Ling Zhi barked angrily before turning to Ling Ai's mother, Hua Mian.

"Is this what you've taught your daughter? Spending your days shopping and socializing with noblewomen while raising such a disrespectful child? Look at the mess you've created!"

Hua Mian frowned in disapproval but stayed silent. Before she could respond, Ling Xuan, the eldest sister, interjected with a feigned tearful voice, "Father, it's not Mother's fault. Ling Ai has always been like this—lacking in every redeeming quality. How can you blame Mother for failing to discipline her? Look at how she's talking back to you!"

Ling Xuan wiped imaginary tears from her eyes and smirked slyly in the corner, out of their father's sight.

"Have you all finished your little family drama?" Shen Ling Zhu asked with a bored expression. "If so, it's my turn. Listen carefully.

"If any of you try to sell me off or marry me against my will, I'll file a lawsuit against the Ling family. Believe me when I say that the juvenile protection laws will crush the Ling family's reputation into the ground. And you, Father, might even find yourself behind bars."

Her words stunned everyone in the room. No one had expected this "worthless girl" to grow a spine and threaten her so-called family with such icy determination.

Their shocked expressions were incredibly amusing to Shen Ling Zhu, enough to dissipate a bit of her anger. But she kept her face neutral. She had to be serious now to sever this relationship once and for all.

As the others remained frozen in disbelief, Ling Xuan recovered first and sneered, "See, Father? See how this ungrateful brat dares to threaten us? We've given her food and shelter, and this is how she repays us?"

Her words immediately provoked Ling Zhi, who conveniently forgot it was his duty, not charity, to provide for his child.

"If you're bold enough to threaten your father, then get out of my house! Let's see how you survive on your own," he bellowed in rage. Of course, he didn't mean it—how could a minor survive without her family's support? She wouldn't last a day, or so he thought.

But this was exactly what Shen Ling Zhu had been waiting for. She wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.

"Gladly!" she replied, suppressing her excitement. "Living on my own would be far better than staying with you."

Ling Zhi hadn't expected her to agree so readily. He hesitated slightly, unsure how to proceed.

"Father, why not remove her name from the family registry?" Ling Xuan suggested maliciously. "That way, she won't have access to any of the family's wealth or support. Let's see how long she lasts then."

Encouraged by his eldest daughter's suggestion, Ling Zhi wavered but didn't dismiss the idea. Ling Xuan leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "Just sign a disownment document, Father. Let her try to survive on her own. When she fails, she'll come crawling back, begging for forgiveness. Then, you can reinstate her, and she'll never dare defy you again."

Ling Zhi was almost convinced. He had promised to marry off this useless daughter to Marquis Gu Wei, and he needed to fulfill that promise. But if she really filed a lawsuit, it wouldn't just tarnish their reputation—it could ruin their businesses and land him in jail.

After a moment of contemplation, he smiled coldly and turned to Ling Ai. "Are you sure you want to leave this house?"

Of course, Shen Ling Zhu had overheard their entire conversation. Ling Xuan hadn't even bothered to lower her voice. But this worked in her favor. She wanted nothing to do with these hypocrites. She'd have to thank her wretched sister someday for helping her secure her freedom.

"Absolutely," she said, already envisioning her life without their suffocating presence.

Ling Zhi, finally making up his mind, drafted a disownment document, using the smart brain on his wrist, signed it, and sending it to Hua Mian's Light brain, who reluctantly signed as well. Then, he passed it to Ling Ai.

She signed her name without hesitation. Moments later, a soft chime indicated the document had been processed.

Thanks to the advanced technology of this world, in under two minutes, Shen Ling Zhu was no longer affiliated with the Ling family in any capacity. Re-registering it in the family register requires more than just digital documents, as entering a noble family is much more difficult than leaving it.

Ling Zhi and Hua Mian left without another word, while Ling Xuan threw her a condescending glance before following them.

Shen Ling Zhu returned to her room, packed a small bag with her few belongings, and left the house.

As she stepped outside, a fiery phoenix emerged from her spiritual core, circling her face as if to console her. She chuckled.

"Why would I need comforting? We're finally free! Let's go explore this world together," she said with a bright laugh.

Then she paused. "Oh, I never gave you a name, did I? Do you have one in mind?"

The tiny red fluffball chirped enthusiastically.

"Hmm… How about Hong? It means 'red.' Xiao Hong—do you like it?"

The phoenix twirled around her joyfully, clearly delighted with the name.

"Let's go, Xiao Hong. Let's live our lives in freedom."

With her bag slung over her shoulder and a radiant smile, Shen Ling Zhu left the Ling estate behind.

She still had some money left, a lot of money actually; the original owner had saved up a significant amount.

When she said she had a lot, she wasn't exaggerating. She had enough to buy a used flying car. While it might seem incredibly cheap to the nobles, for ordinary people, purchasing one required saving for two full years while living a life of extreme austerity.

Of course, Shen Ling Zhu wasn't foolish enough to buy a flying car only to end up without food or shelter.

First, she called for a taxi and headed to the outskirts of the city. Naturally, in the imperial city, the poorest areas were only found at its edges. Though it wasn't exactly poverty-stricken, at least living there would help Shen Ling Zhu reduce her expenses, which was precisely what she wanted.

When she arrived, she found that the buildings in this area were so tall that sunlight couldn't reach here. Perhaps even the 200th floor wouldn't get any light.

She sighed and approached an old man sitting on the side of the road, who seemed to own the shop behind him. Frankly, she had no idea what was being sold there.

She asked if there were any inns in the area, and to her fortune, there was—right in the dark building she had been staring at earlier. Well, all the buildings here looked almost identical.

As she entered, the receptionist greeted her with a bright smile. "Miss, are you looking to book a room for today?"

"Just book me a room for a week," Shen Ling Zhu replied. She wasn't sure how long she'd be staying, but a week should be enough time to search for a job.

"Alright, Miss. Would you prefer a room on the higher floors that receive sunlight or the lower ones?"

Shen Ling Zhu was taken aback by the question and asked suspiciously, "What's the difference?"

The receptionist maintained her professional smile and explained, "Miss, the prices vary by floor. The higher floors pierce through the clouds and get sunlight, while the lower floors, as you've seen, remain in darkness. For example, it's morning right now, yet it looks like nighttime outside. It will stay like this all day. Some guests prefer rooms on the higher floors for the sunlight, but naturally, those are more expensive."

Shen Ling Zhu was stunned. It wasn't as though she hadn't noticed the darkness, but she had assumed it was just because of the early hour—it was still only eight or nine in the morning. But now, this girl was telling her that there was no morning for the people living in the lower levels of this city?

Looking closely, almost the entire city consisted of skyscrapers piercing through the clouds, their tops impossible to see. Did these people live in darkness day and night? This was far beyond anything she had expected.

Since the original Ling Ai had spent her entire life in the Ling family mansion surrounded by vast land, never venturing near poor neighborhoods, Shen Ling Zhu had no knowledge of such matters from her memories.

She sighed with pity, though she knew she had no right to pity the people here. She herself was now homeless and unemployed, with an even worse situation.

She paid for a room on one of the lower ten floors and made her way to "her room."

Her steps were heavy, her face frozen in shock. The reason? She had asked the receptionist about the floors that received sunlight.

The answer? "The floors above 1000."

Forgive her ignorance and inexperience—she had never seen a hotel with more than 100 floors in her life. And now someone was telling her that 10,000 floors were merely the midway point of this building.

Her expression shattered completely. It seemed she needed to work harder to adapt to this world and learn more about it. Otherwise, she would undoubtedly expose herself as a clueless outsider, just like what had happened earlier with the receptionist. The poor girl had thought she had made a grave mistake that upset the customer and had been visibly terrified.

Shen Ling Zhu unlocked her room with the magnetic key and was immediately astonished by its size. It had all the essentials for living—a small table with some food, what appeared to be a mini fridge, a shower with transparent doors, and even a set of pajamas.

"Wow, the luxury of people among the stars," she muttered as she threw herself onto the bed after closing the door.

At some point, Xiao Hong had flown out and was now zipping around the room, playing.

Shen Ling Zhu chuckled softly, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep while thinking about her new life and future. Before long, Xiao Hong snuggled into the curve of her neck with his tiny body and fell asleep peacefully.

...

R

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hello dear readers,

hope you do love this chapter, like i thought of letting the FL Cheap family force her ...then after a bloody fight she Get rid of them and live freely.But when you think about it again. like hello! we're in an Advanced world and so..., we're not in the ancient times where girls are buried at birth with no rights or protection, so hell with going along with this damned family, just let the heroine reaper them...

RINNA has something to say:

Long live the Keralis Empire and the laws protecting minors

hip hip, hollyyyy

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