Chapter 35 A Child's Debt (10) Senior Brother, you might as well tear mine apart...
The door lock clicked shut again, the heavy clanking of the chains bringing the scattered souls back to their senses.
"How did the sorcerer Song predict that the millstone would crack?" Wan Hongling rubbed her burning wrists and looked toward a corner of the cell.
She had been pampered since childhood, dressed in fine silks and satins, and her skin was delicate and smooth. Today, bound by hemp ropes, purplish-red marks were left on her fair wrists, which were particularly eye-catching.
Song Qiling chuckled lightly, without raising her head, and said, "I don't have the ability to predict the future; I'm just taking a gamble."
As soon as she finished speaking, she bent down and bit open the seal of the porcelain bottle, then poured the contents into Gu Lianzhou's palm.
The white powder, like fine salt, was sprinkled down, covering the two wounds evenly.
The long, pale fingers curled up rapidly in a conditioned reflex, and Song Qiling, quick as a flash, pressed those hands down tightly before Gu Lianzhou could react.
Looking up again, she saw the man's brows furrowed and his lips taut, clearly in extreme pain.
"What happened today was my fault; I'm sorry you suffered." She leaned close to the wound, gently blew on it, and then asked, "Junior Brother, are you still angry with me?"
Warm breath brushed across my palm, a stinging sensation mixed with a slight itch.
Gu Lianzhou shook his head somewhat awkwardly, "It's good that I was able to help my senior brother. It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
"Rip—" Song Qiling casually tore off a corner of her clothes and used it to bandage Gu Lianzhou's wound.
Gu Lianzhou glanced at his senior brother's increasingly tattered clothes, feeling a mix of emotions.
After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Senior brother, why don't you tear mine..."
“It’s all just an illusion; it doesn’t matter whose side you tear apart,” Song Qiling interrupted. “Don’t get bogged down in these trivialities.”
After binding his hands into a rice dumpling, Song Qiling breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Gu Lianzhou. "If I'm not mistaken, the demonic energy in your body overflows through your blood and repels this illusory realm. Once it's stained with your blood, the millstone loses its function."
She deliberately lowered her voice, so that only her junior brother, who was standing close by, could hear her clearly, "Others may not know the secrets you hold, and you must not reveal even a trace of them, understand?"
"Is that so?" Gu Lianzhou's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Since my blood has this effect, wouldn't it be of great help to you, Senior Brother, when I enter and exit the Void Realm?"
That guy has a pretty good idea.
Song Qiling rolled her eyes, pursed her lips, and said, "You'd better pray that you don't drag me into the illusory realm again. Ordinary little demons are fine, but if you encounter a level nine great demon, even if you drain your blood, it won't help."
"Ah," Gu Lianzhou sighed softly, "that's really a pity."
There are seven demonic energies within his body.
-
After cleaning up, Song Qiling put away the medicine bottle, stood up, and walked towards Wan Hongling and her servant.
"I had previously heard that Wanxing Trading Company was a royal court merchant. This trip was to celebrate the birthday of the old lady of the Nancheng Prince's Mansion. This encounter with evil spirits is inseparable from the trading company. As the eldest daughter of Wanxing Trading Company, do you know the reason behind it?"
Wan Hongling's face was blank. Before she could say anything, Qiu'er suddenly spoke up, "My young lady knows nothing. Master Song, please don't wrong an innocent person."
Song Qiling glanced indifferently at the disheveled maid and continued, "If you don't want to say, fine, I won't ask. But..."
She turned to look at the silent Wan Hongling, "Miss, you also saw what that man in the official hat did during the day. He colluded with bandits and took lives in order to obtain people's blood. I suppose it has something to do with the birthday gift that was presented to the old lady of the Prince's Mansion. Miss Wan, I heard that you have been traveling with merchant caravans since you were a child. Do you really know nothing about the birthday gift that you are escorting?"
“Since it’s an illusion, how can we take it seriously?” Wan Hongling raised her neck, clasped her hands together, and twisted a plain handkerchief. “Hongling has a clear conscience.”
Her face was covered in dust, and a few strands of hair fell from her forehead, making her look disheveled and haggard, which diminished her imposing presence.
This doesn't seem to match her claim of having a clear conscience.
Song Qiling curled the corners of her lips slightly, then revealed a mocking smile, "Miss, you may not understand the stakes involved, and you only regard this illusion as a dream. Little do you know that illusions are born from human desires. If the caravan had not colluded with the bandits, we would not be trapped here today."
Wan Hongling lowered her gaze, staring silently at the handkerchief in her hand.
Song Qiling continued, "Please heed my advice: if you wish to leave this place, you must first break through the illusion. Among everyone here, only I have the ability to help you leave. Miss Wan and I should no longer keep secrets from each other."
Seeing the girl's long eyelashes tremble slightly, and her heart still wavering, Song Qiling pressed on while the iron was hot, raising her hand to press down on Wan Hongling's right arm, "Things have come to this point, we have no way out."
The candlelight burned overhead, making an inappropriate "crackling" sound.
Wan Hongling's voice trembled slightly as she looked up at Song Qiling, who was standing close to her. "I...I only saw it once. Believe me, Master Song, I have never harmed a single life."
Song Qiling nodded. “Tell me everything you have seen and heard. Whether you believe me or not, I will make my own decision.”
Ha, what a cold-blooded and impartial person.
Wan Hongling gave a bitter smile, then straightened her back and said softly, "The one that colluded with the bandits and engaged in the trade of pimps was not Wanxing Trading Company, but the Nancheng Prince's Mansion. It's because the old lady of the Nancheng Prince's Mansion was practicing the art of immortality and needed children's blood as a catalyst to refine pills."
At this point, a gust of cold wind blew by, and the candles, as if possessing human nature, were startled by these terrifying words and went out all at once.
The huge cell was plunged into darkness in an instant.
Song Qiling remained motionless, only whispering, "Continue."
"As you can see, death row inmates with blood on their hands are working for the Southern City Prince's Mansion, kidnapping children and killing innocent people indiscriminately, while the merchant guild is just a pawn in this plan."
-
The cell had no windows, and the candles had gone out. The people couldn't tell day from night, and they just sat in the dark, making the wait increasingly difficult.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of rustling footsteps suddenly rang in my ears again.
A large burst of flames instantly illuminated the room.
They arrived quickly; they must have repaired the millstone.
Song Qiling raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding firelight, looked at Wan Hongling sitting diagonally opposite her, and silently opened her mouth.
Having received the signal, Miss Wan nodded solemnly, then turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
The millstone was damp, clinging to my back, and chilled to the bone.
Today, Song Qiling volunteered and took the lead.
Before the butcher could make a move, she slowly walked forward and lay down comfortably on the millstone.
Judging from her appearance, she didn't look like she was going to her death; she looked more like she was lying on her bed at home.
In an instant, a sharp cleaver suddenly whistled through the air, aiming straight for her face.
Compared to yesterday, the butcher seemed to be in a bad mood today, showing no mercy whatsoever and delivering a fatal blow with his very first strike.
Song Qiling narrowed her eyes and raised her foot to kick the butcher in the chest! At the same time, she shouted sharply, "Miss Wan, do it!"
The boning knife pierced through the fabric and went into the butcher's back.
Song Qiling suddenly flipped over and leaped, gripping the rope tightly in her hand. Taking advantage of the butcher's staggering forward moment, she raised her hand, wrapped it around his neck, tightened her grip, and twisted it hard.
"Snap!"
The sound of bones breaking rang out instantly.
In the blink of an eye, Song Qiling had taken his life.
Holding the hilt of the knife, Wan Hongling gasped for breath, staring in disbelief at the scene before her. After a long while, she gasped again.
She only knew that the sorcerer Song had some skills, but she didn't expect him to be so agile. Given his abilities, his lack of action suggested that everything before was a test.
If that's the case... then the sorcerer Song's thoughts are probably much deeper than she thought.
Before she could say anything, she suddenly caught a glimpse of the person in front of her who swiftly bypassed the group of people, took advantage of the commotion, grabbed the person wearing a paper bag with the word "official" on his head, and then retreated.
"Get lost if you know what's good for you, or I'll kill your master." Song Qiling had just killed someone, and the rope was still hot from the blow. As he pressed down, it quickly left a bloody mark on the man's neck.
The men wearing paper bags with the character "兵" (soldier) on their heads looked at each other, then put down their long knives and took a step back in unison.
Song Qiling kicked the man with the character "官" (official) in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel down. Then she turned to Wan Hongling and winked, "Come here and take off its mask."
Having just stabbed someone, Wan Hongling's hands trembled and her legs went weak. She stood frozen in place, seemingly lost in thought.
Having no other choice, Song Qiling used magic to burn the ropes binding his wrists, then opened the paper bag with the character "官" (official) on it, revealing the man's face.
Everyone's eyes fell on that person's face, and they all gasped.
Why does this person look so familiar?
Upon seeing this, Qiu'er exclaimed in surprise, "Wang Hu, it's you!"
Wan Hongling's face immediately paled. Trembling, she pointed at the man Song Qiling was holding hostage and asked incredulously, "Wang Hu, what are you doing?"
How did her personal attendants turn into monsters who wanted to take their lives?
Since Wang Hu is here, then...
Wan Hongling belatedly looked down at the butcher at her feet, her gaze slightly narrowed, and then she slowly opened her eyes wide.
The body of an ordinary man was so stained with blood that his clothes were unrecognizable, turning a rusty crimson color. Only the pattern of birds entwined with branches on half of the sleeve was faintly visible.
impossible.
Absolutely not.
To verify her hypothesis, Miss Wan squatted down and roughly pressed down on the black and dirty pig's head, gritting her teeth as she pulled it upwards.
Unlike the paper bag on Wang Hu's head, this pig's head was heavy and tightly attached to the man's head.
Only when her knuckles turned white from strain did Wan Hongling feel her grip loosen, and she was thrown backward while still holding the pig's head.
Disregarding decorum, Miss Wan tossed aside the filthy object in her hand and practically crawled to the corpse, brushing aside the stray hairs scattered on its face to examine it closely.
Eyebrow.
Eye.
nose.
There was also an old, pale scar on the corner of his lip.
It's definitely his father's appearance.
How could it be the father?
How could her father be a butcher? Her father wanted to take her life?
Wan Hongling's hands trembled as she moved downwards, just touching the blood-stained blade on the man's chest, her fingertips pausing.
Yes.
Just now, she had personally plunged this boning knife into her father's chest.
She killed her own father.
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