Chapter 28 Duwo Sige: I Don't Like Men Who Are Afraid of Pain

Lu Wensheng had memories from birth and grew up in a densely populated village. In those eighteen years, she not only heard many times about who was a monster or where an anomaly had appeared, but she also witnessed how ordinary people, under the instigation of ignorance and slander, were labeled as outcasts and ultimately lost their lives amidst stones and flames.

She witnessed such things as a child but was powerless to save them. Now that she's grown up and lives in Yanjing, these kinds of things are less common, but that doesn't stop her from still hating the word "monster".

Lu Wensheng didn't bother with a scientific explanation or rebuttal, but instead stated directly, "Demons possess boundless magical power and wouldn't covet a human throne. Even if Shen Hegui was born to His Majesty and a demon, he still has the right to inherit the throne. Your Highness should be thankful that there are no demons in this world; otherwise, being disliked as a child and ostracized as an adult, with rumors spreading everywhere and everyone pointing fingers, a demon, inherently evil, would surely seek revenge against everyone who has hurt or harmed him, and this world would never have peace." Shen Hegui is not, and cannot be, a demon.

Shen Zhao scoffed, "I've been so good to you, and less than two months have passed, and you've already sided with him?! Well, Shen Hegui has always liked to take what's mine, so I don't blame you."

Amidst the clanging of the chains and the sound of water breaking apart, Shen Zhao stood in the four corners of the window's light.

Lu Wensheng's eyes remained fixed on his face.

Shen Zhao mainly inherited his mother's ordinary appearance; she wasn't ugly, but she wasn't particularly handsome either. When she smiled normally, she had two dimples, much like her older brother, Lu Wensheng.

In all his past memories, Shen Zhao was cheerful and gentle; negative emotions such as ferocity, jealousy, and madness had never appeared on his face. Without an oil lamp lit, the light in his vision was dim, and for a moment, Lu Wensheng thought he had seen a distorted demon.

She was so startled that she took several steps back.

The chains binding his limbs were pulled to their limit by Shen Zhao, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes, which were once full of cheerful smiles, were now filled with malice: "Now that you have sided with Shen Hegui, I will not hold it against you, but there is one thing you must tell the truth."

The sound of chains calmed Lu Wensheng down. She asked, "What do you want to know?" Sure enough, few children raised in the palace have normal personalities.

"Lu Wensheng," Shen Zhao questioned through gritted teeth, "Where is that imperial edict from back then? And why didn't you bring it out and read it aloud at the first grand court assembly after the New Year?"

Lu Wensheng's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously wanted to turn around to see if Shen Hegui was listening outside. His neat, rounded nails dug into his palm, causing a sharp pain, and he stopped himself from turning around.

Seeing that she remained silent, Shen Zhao smiled sarcastically. Having known Lu Wensheng for nearly four years, he actually understood her very well. He bluntly asked, "Did you keep the imperial edict to blackmail Shen Hegui into sparing your life? Or did you exchange something with him?"

Lu Wensheng's throat was dry, and her heart pounded with guilt: "I don't understand what you're saying. Don't try to frame me. I just heard you were arrested and came to see you out of kindness. I can't save you. If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll try to bring it in." She couldn't stay any longer. How come she hadn't realized before that Shen Zhao was such an impulsive person?

Shen Zhao sneered: "I lack the dragon throne in the Fengtian Hall and the head of Shen Hegui. Can you bring it?" That monster Shen Hegui will not let him go. He is afraid he will have a hard time regaining his freedom. No, he should be dying soon. Born into the royal family, freedom has always been a luxury.

As Lu Wensheng retreated, he said, "I have no soldiers or power, so I can't do these things. I have to go on duty this afternoon. If Your Highness has no other instructions, I'll be leaving now." Relationships maintained by interests are ultimately as thin as paper and have little trust.

"Get lost!" Shen Zhao said readily.

Thinking of Shen Hegui outside, Lu Wensheng stared at his toes, counted his steps, and dawdled back to his side.

Shen Hegui remained standing in the same spot, without moving an inch.

Lu Wensheng felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart, and he temporarily put the task aside.

Thirty-five steps isn't a long distance, and Shen Hegui should have heard everything. Next, is he going to take her home to retrieve the imperial edict? And then interrogate her and settle scores?

"Let's go, it's cold and damp in here. Let's talk outside." Shen Hegui's tone was as calm as his expression.

Lu Wensheng tried to smile in a generous and natural manner, telling herself that it was no big deal, but found that she couldn't even manage a smile.

"Okay," Lu Wensheng replied softly.

Shen Hegui glanced at her with lowered eyes, and seeing that she wasn't crying, he walked forward as usual. Lu Wensheng had just turned eighteen and was not yet of legal age. If he had grown up in a wealthy family in Yanjing, he would still be a pampered child. Should he not have brought him here to see the two sides of human nature?

Lu Wensheng got into Shen Hegui's carriage again. This time she sat by the carriage door, while Shen Hegui sat inside.

A steaming cup of tea was pushed in front of me.

Shen Hegui: "Ginger and longan tea. It's cold in Zhaoyu. Have some to warm yourself up. It's afternoon. What would you like to eat?"

Lu Wensheng took a symbolic sip: "I'm fine with anything, I'm not picky, I have no dietary restrictions."

It took less than a quarter of an hour to walk from inside the prison to outside and then onto the carriage. Lu Wensheng's eight fingernails had been scratched raw by her thumbs. Her gaze was unfocused as she waited for the sharp sword hanging over her head to pierce down.

Shen Hegui glanced at Lu Wensheng's hand movements, then lowered his head to take a sip of tea: "Now I'll let you choose again. Do you want to continue following Shen Zhao or follow me? Think it through before you answer. This is the third time."

Huh? Shouldn't we be pressing her for the whereabouts of the imperial edict? How come this is completely different from what I expected? "Third time's the charm"? What does "third time's the charm" mean?

Lu Wensheng looked up, hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask but not daring to.

Just now in the water dungeon, she saw the crisscrossing wounds on Shen Zhao's back and his intact chest. In her past impression, Shen Hegui always used this combination of kindness and severity, giving both dignity and punishment. His personality and actions were always completely different from his gentle and refined appearance. He especially liked to play the process of striking, dominating, controlling, and subjugating.

If she still remains stubborn after going through the four steps, there is little chance of a good outcome. Reason tells her that she should choose Shen Hegui without hesitation, but her sixth sense is stopping her, telling her that it is dangerous and that choosing Shen Hegui is a path of no return.

Lu Wensheng wanted to stall for time by drinking tea. He separated his intertwined thumbs and raised his right hand to take the teacup.

"Hiss—!" Lu Wensheng gasped.

The fabric had somehow gotten snagged and embedded itself in the nail of her thumb. Her movements then tore a small piece of the nail off, and bright red blood beads gushed out.

She wanted to hide her hand, pretending nothing had happened, even though it hurt.

A hand with distinct knuckles, dry and warm, grasped the soft flesh beneath her thumb even faster than she could react.

"How could you be so careless?" Shen Hegui looked up at her. "I didn't rush you, you don't need to be so nervous." He hadn't even used any forceful methods on Lu Wensheng yet, and she was already this nervous. If he had, wouldn't she have belonged to him long ago?

"It was an accident." Lu Wensheng hurriedly looked away, stubbornly saying, "I wasn't nervous." Her back was already stiff because she actually saw tenderness and pity on Shen Hegui's face!

It's just a hallucination!

Thinking this, she glanced back again.

I think I'm not mistaken.

"Bear with it for a moment," Shen Hegui said, lowering his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Hegui had a sharp dagger in his hand. Before Lu Wensheng could react to what he was going to do, the cold blade was already pressed against her upturned nails.

The blade tip flicked lightly, causing Lu Wensheng to reflexively recoil in pain. Fortunately, Shen Hegui had anticipated this and preemptively grabbed her wrist, saying, "If you're a boy, don't move. This little pain is nothing!"

The sharp pain fueled Lu Wensheng's rebellious spirit, and he struggled back.

She's not a boy! The pain in her fingers is far more than just a little!

The blade was so sharp it could cut through iron like mud; a slight misstep could slice off half a hand. Shen Hegui glanced at Lu Wensheng and said gently, "I don't like men who are afraid of pain. Just bear with it."

Lu Wensheng: "?" What does Shen Hegui's dislike of men who are afraid of pain have to do with her? She doesn't need his affection anyway.

A flash of cold light, and the raised nail plate was precisely sliced ​​off. Pale yellow powder was poured onto the wound, quickly stopping the bleeding.

Shen Hegui wiped the blood from the tip of the knife and pushed the dagger back into its sheath: "Don't get it wet. It's a special medicine; it will scab over by tomorrow."

Lu Wensheng tried to blow on the wound to cool it down, but found that it was slowly getting cooler and no longer hurt at all.

This interruption gave Lu Wensheng a little courage, and she asked softly, "What does 'three strikes' mean?"

“I tried to recruit you once at the West Warm Pavilion, yesterday’s alley was the second time, and today is the third time.” Shen Hegui spoke slowly and deliberately, with a unique rhythm. Although he was very gentle, Lu Wensheng could hear the feeling of an ultimatum.

Fine, why not just agree? She can't outlast him, nor can she outmaneuver him, and besides, there's a mission she urgently needs to complete.

“I…” Lu Wensheng wanted to agree hastily.

“No need to answer now, take your time to think it over.” Shen Hegui interrupted, “Shen Zhao is unable to withstand major setbacks, and from a young age he is ruthless, narrow-minded, and good at hiding his true intentions. He is not a good leader.”

Lu Wensheng bent her painless thumb and said in a muffled voice, "I know." She had always known, but Shen Zhao's dimples looked so much like her brother's that every time she saw them, she couldn't help but think of him.

Under the feudal system of "the father is the head of the family," her father suffered from the common flaws of all men of his time: he was always serious and rarely smiled, deliberately keeping his distance from his children. He considered himself the monarch of the family, believing that the family could do without anyone else, but not without him, or it would fall apart. He was also very pragmatic and favored sons over daughters.

Although she disliked her father, she was also grateful to him because he and her mother had given birth to the best brother in the world. She didn't receive much fatherly love, but fortunately, her brother and mother both loved her very much.

The eldest son was given candy and snacks, but his brother would secretly share half with her; the famous tutors hired exclusively for the eldest son would be dragged by his brother to attend, and he would tell her that reading would enlighten her and broaden her horizons; and during holidays, his brother would always secretly give her his share of the lucky money so that she could buy snacks and pretty jewelry herself.

Thinking of this, a sense of loss gradually welled up on her face. It had been almost ten years, and there was still no news of her brother.

Shen Hegui's attention was focused on Lu Wensheng. Seeing her gradually becoming dejected, he frowned and said unhappily, "I took you to see Shen Zhao's true colors and exposed his usual pretense towards you. It seems I did something bad, which is why you are so disappointed!"

Forget it, it's better not to eat this meal. He's not hungry anyway. Shen Hegui, Shen Hegui, you can't be bought off by a few heartfelt words from Lu Wensheng in the dungeon. So what if Lu Wensheng understands you? So what if he likes your glowing scales? So what if he doesn't hate snakes?

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Author's Note: [Let me see]