Extra Chapter: My First Meeting with Little Shen Laoye (8)

"It's not me!"

He roared, but his voice was trembling and out of tune, and even he felt guilty.

When he bumped into the gray-robed scholar's arms, Shen Qing's mind went blank.

The talisman papers were scattered all over the ground, and the tracking spells on each yellow talisman were all directed towards him. The cinnabar runes burned on the ground, emitting sizzling green smoke.

"The Yang energy of a living person..."

The scholar's scream was like nails scratching glass, and Shen Qing felt dizzy.

How could he forget that he is a living person...

In the underworld, the yang energy of the living is like a torch in the dark night. It is hard not to be conspicuous.

Yeluvis must have figured it out long ago; there was no way he could escape from this damn place.

Shen Qingze's scalp tingled. He turned and entered a narrow alley. White mist wrapped in cold air rushed over, and he suddenly stepped on something soft and greasy.

It turned out to be a ghost fire. The flames ran up along his trouser legs, burning him so much that he stamped his feet.

The iron fence at the end of the alley was like a death warrant, and Shen Qing tried to push it.

The ghost writing on the iron bar suddenly lit up, burning his fingertips and causing blisters.

“Damn it…”

He stared at the chain wrapped around the fence. The leaves with eyes were staring at him like a caged animal.

Behind me came the sound of chains dragging on the ground, and Hei Wuchang's voice penetrated the mist.

"Don't hide, you can't get away."

Shen Qingze leaned his back against the cold iron bars, listening to his own heavy breathing mixed with the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer.

He suddenly remembered what Yeluvis had whispered in his ear last night - "Every brick in the underworld knows my scent."

It turns out it’s not a joke.

He looked at the red marks on his palms left by the ghost writing. The marks gradually overlapped with the marks on his wrists, like an invisible net tightening.

"What sin have I committed..."

Shen Qingze's throat tightened and his eyes became hot.

From being caught and sleeping with him, to now being hunted down by the whole city like a stray dog,

When had he ever suffered such injustice?

But no matter how wronged I am, what can I do? Should I go back and ask that madman Yeluvis for help?

The footsteps stopped at the alley entrance. Shen Qing closed his eyes and heard the sound of his teeth chattering.

It's over, there's really no way to escape this time.

----------

The sound of the iron chain dragging on the ground echoed in the hall, hitting the carved pillars and making a dull echo.

Shen Qing was dragged by the Black and White Impermanence and stumbled forward. The moment his knees hit the gold bricks, the coldness seeped through the fabric.

He caught a glimpse of dark red embedded in the cracks between the floor tiles, and he didn't know whether it was old blood or cinnabar.

The gilded chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the hall swayed, and the candlelight stretched his shadow long.

Looking up, I saw Yeluvis sitting on a high throne.

The black robe fell to the ground, and the dragon pattern embroidered with gold thread was winding and swimming under the candlelight, as if it would break free from the cloth and fly out in the next second.

On either side of the throne stood bronze animal-head incense burners, with faint blue smoke spiraling upwards, gathering into a lingering mist on the dome.

His face became even more blurred, leaving only his eyes that were surprisingly bright.

"Let me go!"

Shen Qing struggled to stand up, but the iron chain hurt his wrist.

The coarse linen clothes had long been torn to pieces.

The red mark on her neck had not yet faded, and she looked strangely pink in the chilly atmosphere of the hall.

He glared at the man on the throne, his eyes reddened.

The bronze bell in the corner of the hall suddenly rang without wind, and the buzzing sound made his eardrums hurt, as if it was mocking his arrogance.

Yeluweisi tapped the armrest twice with his fingertips. He said nothing, but his eyes darkened.

The smoke from the incense burner suddenly became faster, and a faint smell of blood swept past Shen Qingze's nose -

Even the air in this place is filled with murderous intent.

Bai Wuchang immediately understood, whispered a few words to Hei Wuchang, and the two dragged Shen Qingze out like a sack.

His shoes made a harsh sound on the ground.

When passing by the throne, Shen Qing saw a pot of datura in full bloom placed in front of the steps.

The edges of the dark purple petals are covered with silver frost, as if they were watered with solidified blood.

When he was pushed into the bathtub again, Shen Qing didn't even have the strength to struggle.

There was a huge water mirror embedded in the bathroom ceiling, reflecting his miserable appearance.

The surrounding walls were carved with lotus flowers, with eternal lamps lit in the lotus petals. The orange flames fell on the water, making people dizzy.

The ghost aunt took the sponge gourd and rubbed his back vigorously, with such force that it seemed as if she was going to peel off a layer of skin.

"Run, why don't you run?"

Her nails scratched the old wound on his side.

The petals in the bathtub suddenly surged up and turned out to be made up of tiny pieces of white bones.

The clothes the maids handed over were slippery, as if they were woven from shark silk.

There was a drizzle outside the window, hitting the glazed tiles with a crackling sound, dimming the candlelight in the hall.

The clothes stick to my body, it can't cover anything...

The neckline was open to the waist, and there was a charming Lycoris radiata embroidered on the back, which glowed faintly under the candlelight.

Shen Qing looked at himself in the bronze mirror.

The red-scarred skin was made more conspicuous by the gauze. When the rope was wrapped around his chest, he turned his head sharply and caught a glimpse of the window frame reflected in the mirror.

It was carved into the shape of a cage, perfectly framing his shadow.

"Don't think about running away"

The ghost aunt pinched his chin and turned his face back to face the bronze mirror.

"Your Majesty's orders and existence are absolute, just accept them."

In the next few days, Shen Qing felt like he was about to fall apart.

----------

There was always ambergris burning in the bedroom, and the tobacco formed a web on the top of the tent, filtering the moonlight into a pale golden color.

Yeluvis seemed tireless, always coming over when he thought he could catch his breath.

Sometimes on a wolfskin rug, with a crackling fire in the fireplace,

The shadows of the two people were cast on the wall, intertwined and unable to distinguish each other's shapes;

Sometimes it was on the carved windowsill, with the banana leaves outside the window rustling in the rain.

Drops of water seeped in through the window cracks and dripped onto his bare ankles, cold as ice;

He was even forced to stand in front of a bronze mirror and look at his own red eyes.

The silver lines along the edge of the mirror hurt my knees.

Outside the palace came the cry of a night owl, so shrill that it made one's scalp tingle.

The ghost aunt also adds to the trouble!

Today I put a bell in his hair, and tomorrow I will tie a red rope around his ankle.

The palace lanterns hanging under the corridor were swaying in the wind, and the light and shadow on Shen Qingze flickered.

The sound of bells mixed with the sound of the night watchman knocking on the gong in the distance became the background sound of this absurd night.

Shen Qingze was annoyed by the shaking, but he didn't even have the strength to pull it off.

I could only lie on the pillow, gritting my teeth, listening to the sound of wind and rain leaking in from outside the tent.

Why does even the rain in this damn place smell like rust?

It was late at night again. When Yeluvis was lying on top of him to take it, he suddenly stopped.

The moon outside the tent broke through the clouds, and its silver light flowed across his sweaty back like an icy snake.

The hot and humid breath brushed against his neck, and he heard the man's low laugh.

"Why do you always frown?"

Shen Qing turned his head away, his eyes burning.

"Who gave it to me?"

The voice was hoarse and bitter, carrying the grievances of the past few days.

"You're treating me like an object. Would you be happy with that?"

Yeluweisi's fingertips traced his sweaty back.

The charcoal fire in the fireplace crackled and sent out sparks, making his pupils flicker.