Chapter 149: Just Treat This as a Nightmare
As soon as he finished speaking, a blue lightning bolt streaked across the sky. The lightning disappeared, revealing Yu Yuanzhen's burly figure. "How dare you harm my son? Yu Yuanzhen is here!"
Yu Xiaogang seemed to see hope, his eyes clearly lit up, and he shouted, "Father, save me!"
"You're really too noisy." Qin Xuan snorted coldly, extended his sword finger, and said, "Silence!"
As he spoke, a large head was thrown out, landing in front of Yu Xiaogang. It was his father, Yu Yuanzhen.
Looking at his father's head in front of him, Yu Xiaogang's eyes were about to burst, and a look of despair appeared on his stiff face.
On the other side, Qin Xuan's Changming thrust had already reached his feet. A palm-thick sharp blade was pointed directly at his nether regions.
Yu Xiaogang was naturally unwilling to become a eunuch. He pushed off the relief with his legs, trying to avoid it. But he was still a step too slow, and the sharp blade veered off course, piercing into the weakest part of his Spirit Power.
Yu Xiaogang's stiff face first turned green, then showed a look of ecstasy. He felt a tingling and softness all over his body, an indescribable sense of exhilaration. Immediately following was a sharp pain, and he couldn't help but cry out.
"Ah!"
Yu Xiaogang woke up with a start, his body slick with cold sweat, the scream still caught in his throat.
At this moment, he was in a filthy, damp cave. The air stank of unwashed bodies, stale food, and something metallic that reminded him of his own blood and tears.
Beside him, a burly man lay on a pile of furs, sleeping like a dead pig. His lewd face was pale in the dim light of the dying fire, his eyebrows occasionally relaxed and occasionally furrowed, and sweat beaded on his forehead. It was clearly a sign of overexertion.
Seeing this scene, Yu Xiaogang immediately understood what had happened last night. His own body ached with a dull, familiar throb. The memories from the past month flooded into his mind like a tide of filth.
Only then did he recall everything. He had been robbed a month ago by those two terrifying, masked assassins named Mo Ya and Bai Feng. They had been cruel, professional, and methodical. They hadn't just beaten him; they had humiliated him, mocked his theories, and stripped him bare. He didn't even have his underwear left.
Not only did they steal the Immortal Herb he had gotten from Bibi Dong—his one hope, his future—but they also severely injured him.
Finally, they had had enough and taken everything, leaving him for dead in the forest.
Who knew that as soon as he left the wolf's den, he fell into the tiger's mouth.
He had been found, barely conscious, by the burly man in front of him.
Although the other party helped him heal his injuries, feeding him some foul-smelling herbal paste, it was no act of kindness. He was forcibly required to stay for a month to do "manual labor." He had to plant radishes every day in the man's small, hidden field.
But the "labor" was a lie.
Because there were only three days left until the end of the month, starting last night, this burly man had been... pulling his radishes... in various, agonizing ways.
This made it impossible for him to plant them, and he eventually collapsed from exhaustion, fainting midway through the torment.
During this past month, he had not thought of escaping, or even killing the other party. He had, of course, tried.
But he was only a Spirit Grandmaster at Level 29, his Spirit Power stagnant for years. The other party was a Spirit Saint, a mountain of power he could not hope to move.
Each time he tried to flee, without exception, he failed. What awaited him then was a new kind of inhumane torment. The man would seal his Spirit Power, leaving him as weak as a mundane child, and then commence the "pocket-grabbing and throat-clearing."
He was a plaything. A toy. He, Yu Xiaogang, the "Grandmaster," the son of Yu Yuanzhen, was nothing more than a slave.
Ultimately, Yu Xiaogang gave up on the idea of escaping.
Three days. Only three days left. He just had to endure it.
If he were caught again, who knew how the other party would torment him. Rather than that, it was better to endure for now.
Just consider this a nightmare!
With this thought, tears of unwillingness and abject humiliation flowed from the corners of Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He suppressed the rising nausea and the profound physical discomfort, closed his eyes again, and slowly, brokenly, fell asleep.
He had to rest well now. He had to recover his strength as quickly as possible.
Only then could he get through these remaining three days.
However, what Yu Xiaogang didn't know was that shortly after he fell asleep, the burly man opened his eyes. He licked his chapped lips, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth and a nasty scar that split his mouth.
He thought to himself, "You're a smart kid. But Rose, the rest time is over. It's time for the show again." He turned his massive body towards Yu Xiaogang, a hungry glint in his eyes.
Yu Xiaogang was playing a role-playing game.
On the other side of the world, in the opulent heart of Spirit City, Qin Xuan was doing the same, but his opponent was far more normal: Ling Yuan.
In the bridal chamber. At this moment, only Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan were present. The room was a sea of crimson and gold, filled with the scent of expensive incense and nuptial candles.
As for Jingni, after seeing Ling Yuan help a "drunken" Qin Xuan in, she had first poured Qin Xuan a cup of sobering tea. Then, leaving a message saying, 'I'll wait for you in another room,' she left.
Clearly, she knew what kind of mischief the two were up to. Even now, she still couldn't let go of her reserve. When she was alone with Qin Xuan, she could do anything, but she absolutely could not have anyone else present.
The last time Qin Xuan had succeeded in pulling her into a threesome, she took it as a hard lesson and was almost never willing to stay in the same room as Ling Yuan. No one could stop her from leaving, let alone when Qin Xuan was also present and clearly enabling it.
Ling Yuan stared at the little rascal in front of her with a smile, her eyes glittering. She leaned over to hold his teacup, and with a glance from her beautiful eyes, complained aggrievedly:
"Look at you. Now Sister Jingni doesn't even want to talk to me. Sister Jingni's eyes when she left were so scary, and you don't even care about me."
"My heart is still pounding right now, if you don't believe me, touch it."
As she spoke, she casually put down the teacup, took Qin Xuan's hand, and placed it on the soft, warm, and generous curve in front of her, right over her heart. She then winked her right eye.
"I told you long ago that next time I would hold a grand wedding just for you. Why are you so impatient?" Qin Xuan said, though he made no move to retrieve his hand, instead embracing Ling Yuan and walking towards the soft, silk-covered couch.
"You're the impatient one, barging in here. Tonight is supposed to be for you and your two new wives," she pouted.
"And you're not my wife?" he countered.
Perhaps this was what was meant by getting a bargain and then acting innocent. He had planned this, knowing Jingni would leave and Ling Yuan would be waiting.
"Then shall I leave?" Ling Yuan said with a teasing smile to Qin Xuan, her soft small hands holding Qin Xuan's paw, pressing it tightly against her heart. She hummed softly, a low, purring sound. Her beautiful eyes slightly opened, rippling with the water of spring, charming and captivating.
"Where are you going? You offended 'Second Majesty' and still want to leave?" Qin Xuan leaned down and pecked Ling Yuan's bright red lips. Their eyes met. Qin Xuan said seriously.
[Inorin's Note: "Second Majesty" is a title of respect used for Jingni, the Second Offering, and Qin Xuan's first wife.]
"Then how can I leave?" Ling Yuan reached out, her arms wrapping around Qin Xuan's neck, her smile turning sultry.
Qin Xuan said earnestly, "You offended Second Majesty, Jingni. Of course, it's a matter of reciprocity. As compensation, I also have to offend Elder Ling Yuan."
"You scoundrel, always so improper—" Ling Yuan lightly bit her red lips, her breath hitching. She urged, "Hurry up!"
"I hope Elder Ling Yuan will forgive Qin Xuan for his offense."
"Mmm hmm."
Two hours later, under Qin Xuan's powerful Reincarnation Divine Skill, Ling Yuan finally succumbed, her body pliant and boneless, and fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.
Qin Xuan took a bath, the hot water washing away the scent of Ling Yuan's perfume. He changed into a new, identical groom's attire and came to the backup bridal chamber.
Unlike Ling Yuan's wild charm and passionate allure, Jingni was more like a homemaker. The room was just as opulent, but it felt calmer.
After Qin Xuan lifted her red veil, she thoughtfully prepared wine and dishes that had been kept warm. The two sat, and she poured for him, their movements practiced and comfortable. They drank the cross-cupped wine, sealing their vows.
They were, in many ways, an old married couple; after drinking the cross-cupped wine, it was time to get down to business.
"It's going to be dawn in two hours. Are you not planning to go to Bibi Dong's place tonight?" Jingni said while helping undress Qin Xuan, her voice calm and without a trace of jealousy. It was a simple, practical question. "She should be waiting for you now."
"No." Qin Xuan shook his head, lifting Jingni and carrying her onto the soft couch. "Although I like women, and she is my type... if I were to take her now, it would only sow discord."
"Why?" Jingni wrapped her arms around Qin Xuan's neck, a puzzled expression on her beautiful, serene face. She didn't understand. The wedding was a political move to bind Bibi Dong to him. Consummating it was the final, logical step.
Qin Xuan thought for a moment, his hand stroking her long black hair. "It's hard to say. Bibi Dong is... different. She's broken. She's full of hatred for Qian Xunji and a twisted, childish dependency that she thinks is love."
"If I go to her now, on our wedding night, I become a replacement for her trauma. I become the new center of her 'love-struck' world."
He shook his head. "That's not what I want. I don't want her naive love. I want her loyalty. I want her ambition. To get that, I must let her wait. Let her wonder. Let the trauma fade, and let her realize that I am not her savior, but her master."
Qin Xuan's eyes were cold and strategic. "I can only tell you this: unless one day I no longer plan to find other women, it's better to maintain the status quo."
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