Vоlumе 1 Chaptеr 23: Нe Was thе Sacrifiсе Оffеrеd tо the Luоshа Ghоst
Мeow.
Тhe kitten raised its tаil аnd cirсlеd аrоund Yаn Chеng’s fееt.
Little Yan Shi’s hаnd, whiсh had рaused in mid-air, slоwly lоwered. His liрs silentlу formеd twо words: “Naughtу.”
In the next mоmеnt, thе whitе kitten was liftеd bу thе nеck by Yаn Chеng, who loоked down аt little Yan Shi with а sinister smile. “Freаk, уоur cаt сhose me, nоt yоu.”
With thаt, his hand tightenеd. The whitе kitten hissеd аnd strugglеd, its limbs flailing in thе air a fеw times befоrе its fоur legs went limp and hung down.
It had been strаnglеd to death by Yаn Сheng.
Strangled аlivе.
Yun Jiao’s pupils dilated as she backed away, pressing herself against little Yan Shi in shock and disbelief. He was the real freak!
Yan Cheng tossed the dead kitten in front of little Yan Shi, then turned and left, as if he had come here only to kill his cat in front of him.
Little Yan Shi’s thin hand slowly reached out and touched the white kitten, gently closing its eyes. “It’s your fault for being naughty.”
For several days in a row,
Yun Jiao stayed by little Yan Shi’s side, watching him wait for the daily spoiled food as if waiting for death. She only accidentally caught a whiff of it, and her stomach churned with nausea.
But little Yan Shi seemed not to smell it at all. Expressionless and accustomed to it, he stuffed large mouthfuls into his mouth.
Yun Jiao’s eyes grew sore and stinging as she watched. She didn’t want him to eat it, but if he didn’t, there was nothing else to eat.
Why did someone of such noble birth have to endure such treatment?
Remembering how he had always given her the best, even a single hairpin, yet his own childhood had been so pitiful.
He, who had never been cherished, had once cherished her.
Yun Jiao hugged her knees, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Crying and crying, Yun Jiao grew tired and eventually cried herself to sleep.
When she woke up again, Yan Shi was nowhere to be seen in the room.
Panicked, she searched around the room, but it was empty. The bed had only a thin, tattered cloth, and at a glance, there was nowhere to hide anyone.
She hurriedly ran out, searching room by room. When she reached the main hall of the Jin Cui Palace, she finally saw the small, frail figure lying on the ground.
Before she could get closer, she was met with a barrage of curses.
“It’s all because of you, you evil ghost!”
“It’s all because of your disgusting father!”
“This is what you owe me, what you all owe me!”
“What praying for the prosperity of the Great Yan Dynasty? Go to hell!”
The woman with a beautiful face now wore a twisted, ferocious expression as she mercilessly stabbed a needle into little Yan Shi’s lower back.
Skin that had just begun to heal was ruthlessly pierced, drawing beads of blood. The earlobe that had been struck by a whip was now pierced through with a needle, and the other intact ear was also punctured.
A pair of familiar bell earrings hung from the bleeding earlobes.
The tip of the needle carved a lotus-shaped pattern on his lower back.
Yun Jiao staggered back in shock. That was the appearance of the sacrifice most favored by the Luosha Ghost.
The scene swayed and blurred.
In the next moment, Yun Jiao found herself beside an altar, at the center of which was a ritual platform.
Little Yan Shi sat in the very center, his back straight, his eyes slightly lowered. His clothes had been changed to a clean and tidy set.
Below the altar were the emperor, his consorts, a host of ministers, and the common people—especially the common people, who raised their hands high and cheered loudly.
“Heaven has bestowed auspicious blessings upon our Great Yan!”
“May our Great Yan Dynasty prosper for ten thousand years!”Everyone stood in front of the altar, unable to see clearly what was happening on it, but Yun Jiao could see it vividly. Little Yan Shi had a thick, heavy wooden pole propped against his waist, holding him up so he wouldn’t fall.
What kind of blessing was this?
He didn’t even have the strength to sit up!
How could they, how could they offer him as a sacrifice to evil spirits!
Yun Jiao’s eyes grew hot, and a dense, piercing pain rose in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Tears blurred her vision, and she could barely see him anymore.
She couldn’t even touch him—how could she save him?
Endless anger and sorrow welled up within her, overwhelming despair and helplessness sweeping over her as if she had plunged into the depths of a hopeless sea.
A soft ding-dong echoed, like something dropping into the water.
“Yun Jiao.”
“Jiao Jiao.”
“Darling.”
“This Prince’s precious Jiao Jiao.”
One call after another, like waves lifting her from suffocation, and Yun Jiao suddenly sat up in bed.
Breathing heavily, her small face still streaked with tears, she turned and met a pair of familiar peach blossom eyes.
She stared without blinking for a few seconds, her nose tingling and her eyes uncontrollably growing hot as tears began to well up.
Her eyelashes fluttered, catching the glimmer of tears. Slowly, the tears on her lashes grew heavier until they could no longer hold, gathering into round, heavy droplets that rolled down in large drops.
“Prince, wuwuwu!”
Yun Jiao buried herself in Yan Shi’s embrace, crying loudly.
Her small hands tightly circled his waist, and tears quickly soaked through his clothes.
Yan Shi was still holding a handkerchief to wipe her tears. He had only turned away for a moment to rinse it when she woke up crying.
Before he could react, he tossed the handkerchief aside, pulled the quilt over her, and wrapped both her and the quilt in his arms, gently stroking her back.
“What’s wrong?”
The little girl was crying more intensely than ever before.
She cried until she choked, cried until she gasped for air, cried until she could barely catch her breath, yet she refused to stop.
With her head resting on his shoulder, she even cried until she hiccupped.
Yan Shi’s heart ached.
Smoothing her long hair, he asked, “What nightmare did you have that made you cry so sadly? Did you dream that This Prince was settling scores with you?”
Yun Jiao didn’t answer. Instead, she loosened her grip and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself even closer against him, burying her face deep into his shoulder.
Yan Shi pursed his lips, his hands never stopping their comforting motion. “Did you dream that This Prince hit you?”
Yun Jiao remained silent, only sniffing and holding him tighter, her face buried even deeper.
“This Prince won’t settle scores with you anymore.”
“Be good, stop crying, alright?”
He felt a pang of frustration. What had he done in her dream to make her so upset?
“What exactly made you feel so wronged in your dream?”
Yan Shi reluctantly pulled Yun Jiao away from him. If she kept her face pressed like that, he was afraid she might suffocate herself.
“Tell me, and This Prince will stand up for you.”
Yun Jiao’s lips quivered, her teary eyes welling up again as she cried even more urgently and fiercely.
She had him to stand up for her, but who had ever stood up for him?
Seeing that he couldn’t comfort her, Yan Shi kissed her eyes, his touch gentle as he wiped the tears from the corners with his thumb.
He moved downward, kissing her damp cheeks, her reddened nose, and finally her lips, which were trembling from crying so hard she could barely breathe.
He only gave her lips a light kiss, not daring to linger, afraid she might run out of breath.
“Stop crying, I admit defeat.” He held her in his arms, soothing her as she caught her breath, his voice soft.Yun Jiao lay softly against his shoulder, her lips close to his ear.
She turned her face to look at his earlobe, leaning in closer. On the right earlobe, there was a faint raised scar—left by a whip.
Suddenly, she sat up and, under Yan Shi’s stunned gaze, forcefully pushed him down. She straddled him, her fingers pulling down his belt, then gripping his clothes and yanking them downward, exposing a large expanse of skin.
Yan Shi’s eyelashes trembled slightly.