Chapter 115 Chapter 115 "My Lady, how can I bear to do this...
Wuliang Mountain is purple at night.
The small black-sailed boat swayed gently, and in the light of the torches held by the disciples on the shore, it slowly left a trail of water and approached the shore.
Wuliang Mountain, like a hibernating ancient beast, crawls in the mountain fog.
Nan Qiongshuang stood side by side with him at the bow, watching Gu Huaijin row the boat straight.
The boat slid smoothly into the red light of the two rows of torches. The boat was so small and the mountain was so huge. When she looked at it, she always felt like a sheep in the mouth of a tiger and suffocated.
Seeing Gu Huaijin approaching the shore, all the disciples on the mountain bowed and saluted: "Welcome the master back to the mountain."
Gu Huaijin stood tall at the bow, his dark black robe trailing behind him. He looked cold and aloof, ignoring everyone and stepped ashore.
The silver handcuffs connecting the two of them jingled, and Gu Huaijin turned around and stretched out a hand towards her.
She felt uneasy and moved away, wanting to go down and lift her skirt herself, but he grabbed her arm and lifted her up.
He held her slender arm and walked among the disciples who lined the aisle to greet her.
The disciples on both sides bowed their heads and saluted silently. She felt inexplicably respected by the fox who was taking advantage of the tiger's power. She felt an indescribable uneasiness in her heart. She looked to the side and saw the person next to her walking hurriedly with an expressionless face, obviously not allowing her to ask any more questions.
Suddenly, there was a buzzing vibration under my feet, spreading from deep underground and gradually reaching the ground, even the small stones on the ground were bounced up a little.
There was a thunderous rumble in the distance, and suddenly the forest birds took flight, crying out from the dark forest. When I listened carefully, I could hear the sound of water splashing in the distance.
She staggered a few steps, thinking it was an earthquake. She looked up and saw the person in front of her holding her and walking up the mountain without looking back. She called out in fear, "Huai Jin——"
There was an extremely clear sound of rolling rocks behind me.
She turned around and was horrified to find that among the heavy shadows of the forest, a row of dam-like shadows rose slowly and rumblingly, enclosing the entire mountain in a stone circle.
The sound of rushing water grew louder and louder.
Gu Huaijin finally slowed down his pace, released her arm, and put his arm around her waist.
A figure came running over on the branches beside the road. When he reached his side, he bent his knees on the branch.
"Reporting to the headmaster, all arrangements have been made."
Gu Huaijin nodded: "Well done."
She was worried. What were the arrangements?
The figure instantly disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
Gu Huaijin smiled, and placed his hands on her waist, rubbing them. The warmth came through her thin clothes, "Did you hear the sound just now?"
"It's because the mountain is closed." He smiled contentedly, hugged her, and kissed her temple. "It's been raised fifty feet. The Tongtian River dam has also been opened. Within half an hour, the water level will rise several feet. Also, the imprisoned crocodiles have been released. They are all in the Tongtian River."
"The mountain roads and waterways are all blocked." He laughed even harder, his thumb stroking the narrowest part of her waist. "Run, my lady. Call your secret guards to come with us."
His tone is so weird now.
She couldn't stand it, so she pushed him away and turned her head away to avoid him.
He didn't get angry. His hand brushed across her back for a moment, making her hair stand on end. "It's been years since we've met. You're a rare guest. Why don't you come sit down with us? Come on, sit down with us."
She felt more and more that something was not right with this man, a kind of insidious and resentful gentleness.
She pondered for a while and said, "Actually, you worry too much. I had no intention of escaping." Now, the gap between their martial arts skills was too great, why should he go to so much trouble?
Gu Huaijin knew that her martial arts skills were no match for his.
However, the person he had been searching for for five years, thinking about him day and night, searching the sky and the earth, turning the sea and the river upside down, not only did not die, but was even chased and forced up the mountain by him. No matter what, he would not allow any mistakes.
Even if she could turn into a fly, she wouldn't let him release the fly.
"It's okay, you can make your own plans. Don't I always let you do whatever you want?" He smiled, playing with her long hair. "But first, come and meet two people with me."
"Two people?"
Gu Huaijin smiled but said nothing.
The mountain path turned a corner, the road gradually widened, the dense forest receded, and a large open space appeared in front.
In the open space, there were two racks and two people.
His hands were hung high on the iron pillars on both sides, with iron chains as thick as forearms wrapped around his wrists. His head drooped to the side, as if his cervical vertebrae were only connected by a tendon.
There were bloodstains all over his body and the ground. In the hot and humid summer night, in addition to the bloody smell, some bad odors soon swirled and hit his face.
She was already used to this smell and didn't make a fuss about it.
Gu Huaijin looked at her expressionless face and raised his eyebrows without any surprise.
"Do you recognize these two people?"
Nan Qiongshuang stood there, took a look, and then looked away.
How could I not know him?
Clear water and distant fragrance.
Apparently, Gu Huaijin had captured and tortured the two of them immediately after she disembarked. He wondered if they had revealed her whereabouts to him.
She smiled calmly, "My two maids. Everyone has seen them in the Forbidden City. Why torture them?"
Gu Huaijin smiled and opened his palm. The iron handcuffs on Qinglian's left hand broke for some reason. One arm was suddenly untied and hung under the shoulder.
It looked like his arm bone was broken.
Nan Qiongshuang's heart trembled, and she looked sideways, seeing Gu Huaijin smiling nonchalantly.
"What are you doing?" He bent his index finger and rubbed it against her cheek. "They're spies from the Rebirth Sect. They both have Chinese characters branded on the soles of their feet."
She was silent for a moment.
Within the Wangsheng Gate, there are several departments, including the Command Department, the Blade Hiding Department, the Review Department, and the External Affairs Department. Jile and Qi Sha both belong to the External Affairs Department. People like Qinglian and Yuanxiang are domestic slaves kept by the Wangsheng Gate for generations. They were trained as martial servants within the gate several generations ago and belong to the Internal Affairs Department.
The maidservants of the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have new Chinese characters in seal script branded on the soles of their feet to indicate their status.
"I don't understand." She laughed.
Gu Huaijin looked at her smile quietly, waited for a moment, and then smiled indifferently.
"Is that so?" he said. "I also know that the Queen has nothing to do with the Wangsheng Sect. The Wangsheng Sect's carefully trained martial servants are all good seedlings with good foundations and bones, and this -"
He reached out his hand and lifted Qinglian's chin. She closed her eyes and was manipulated lifelessly. "The figure and appearance are somewhat similar to you. From a distance, even I have to distinguish them for a moment. I think it's just a coincidence. How can it be related to the Empress?"
She listened without reacting.
She may be at a loss when facing love, but she is very good at torture.
She let go of his hand: "Don't be crazy, you must know whether there are brand marks on the soles of my feet."
The women of the Paradise Hall use their bodies as weapons, and the Wangsheng Gate has always kept a strict watch on them. They are not even allowed to harm themselves, let alone brand them.
Gu Huaijin: "Of course I know. There's nothing about you that I don't know." As he spoke, he pressed his hot palm against her back, his slender fingers spread out, almost covering half of her slender back, and said softly:
"...So, I didn't doubt you, dear."
Her back felt numb with shame and she closed her eyes.
Gu Huaijin acted as if nothing had happened and began to caress her smooth back groove, again and again, rubbing it slowly and affectionately with his fingertips:
"Your Highness, this has nothing to do with the Rebirth Sect. I, Gu, naturally know that. However, these two people surrounding you might threaten your body. I cannot bear to do that. Therefore, I will teach you two self-defense techniques."
While speaking to the shadows of the trees, he said, "The clouds are hanging."
The woman who had been hiding on the branches suddenly emerged from the darkness and appeared in front of him, kneeling on one knee. She was a woman with short hair and frighteningly long legs. Her waist almost reached her chest. She looked like she was riding on someone's head just by standing there.
He said, "Get the phalangeal pliers."
Yunchui handed over the iron pipe-like object with both hands.
Gu Huaijin took it and placed the thing in her hand. With a wave of his hand, Yun Chui disappeared. He smiled and said, "This is a spy from the Wangsheng Sect. Your Majesty, there is no need to be lenient. Please try it for a moment."
As he spoke, he picked up Qinglian's scallion-like fingers and pinched them between two fingers. "Your Majesty also has some internal strength, Gu knows this. Try pinching your knuckles with your fingers and gently exerting force on your hands-"
Before she could get scared, there was a loud bang.
The intact finger bone broke with a sound, half of the broken bone hung down, and the other half poked the flesh. The broken bone pushed a corner of the skin out, and the flesh was crumbling.
She swallowed her horror, her face remained unchanged, and she only blinked.
"Have you learned it? If you don't get the hang of it, you can also use the finger bone forceps." Gu Huaijin smiled and handed Qinglian's hand to her: "My Queen, come here."
With the sound of bones cracking, Qinglian woke up from the hallucination. She opened her eyes and felt a sharp pain on top of the old injuries all over her body. She looked closely and saw that half of her finger was shaking from side to side. She screamed.
Gu Huaijin's face remained calm as he waited for her reaction.
She didn't respond and just turned her eyes away.
He already knew that she was a spy, so Chu Jiaojiao's tearful act was no longer effective and there was no need to pretend.
Qingliandang swayed under the rack, tears streaming down her face, "My Queen, save me..."
She lowered her eyes and thought for a long time.
Gu Huaijin knew that she was an actress in the past, and guessed that she might not be as weak and pitiful as Chu Jiaojiao, but he did not expect that there really was a woman who could remain calm after seeing such a scene.
How much had she deceived him?
After a long pause, she frowned and asked, "What do you want? Is it interesting?"
Gu Huaijin smiled and twirled the emerald earring under her ear. Now that she no longer wears white clothes and wears gold and silver, it looks good. "Whether it's interesting or not, it's up to your Majesty. Will you tell me the truth?"
She remained silent.
What she can say is always less than what she cannot say.
"It's me who should be on the rack," she answered promptly. "Don't waste time, it's not a big deal."
Gu Huaijin placed his index and middle fingers together and slowly snaked them down the groove of her back. She almost felt a snake crawling across her back, its cold scales clinging to every inch of her skin, leaving frightening wet marks.
"Your Majesty is right. You are the one who should be on the rack. What a pity..."
He laughed and whispered in her ear:
"My lady, how can I bear to do that?"
She shuddered and closed her eyes.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please save me, I am innocent..." Qinglian had tears in her eyes. She was always hardworking and never said a word, but now she lost her composure and burst into tears, her hands constantly reaching out to her.
Gu Huaijin took her and took a step back.
She laughed. "If you're reluctant, that's your business. Besides, if you think about those days, you'll be willing to do it. What do they know about torturing them?"
The smile on his face finally faded away slowly, like a pale ghost suddenly appearing in an ancient building.
But his fingers still rubbed her back slowly, touching the protruding spine with tenderness.
She dodged: "Don't touch me."
His self-assured smile disappeared completely and his lips were pursed.
This man is really different from before. If he becomes like this, she may not still love him.
"So this is the Queen's temper." He laughed again, pulling her along, and walked to the other side, in front of the unconscious Yuanxiang, and stood still. "Okay. I really have never understood the Queen. I thought she was timid."
He took out a round collar from his sleeve, held the silver handcuffs that connected the two of them, and walked over to put the collar around Yuanxiang's neck.
Another object was pulled out from the circle, which seemed to be a small bolt.
She stood far away, not wanting to get closer.
After waiting for a long time, Yuanxiang didn't respond and was still unconscious.
Gu Huaijin turned around and smiled at her: "Come here, dear."
She said coldly: "What to do."
"I'll show you something fun."
"Gu Huaijin," she said, "if you enjoy torturing others, then I must have misjudged you."
Gu Huaijin stood there, not saying anything for a long, long time.
When he opened his mouth again, two lines of blood beads rolled down from under the black silk ribbon, hanging straight on his cheeks and pulling to his chin, like a strange witch mask.
"Chu Jiaojiao." He stammered for a long time before finally spelling out her pseudonym, his voice broken. "What kind of person was I before? What kind of character did I have? Who made me become like this? You know best."
When she came to her senses again, she was shaking violently, her tears soaking her clothes. She covered her face with her hands and turned her head away.
Gu Huaijin stood beside her, quietly. Now he seemed to have no tears, only blood.
The two didn't speak for a long time.
She didn't want to think about it anymore. All these things should come to an end, no matter who ended it. She had been tortured for too long and was in urgent need of retribution.
She said softly, "Don't torture them. Let me go to the rack. I owe you."
Gu Huaijin stood there, shaking, shedding tears of blood, and laughing, shaking so hard that he was almost convulsing.
But it just shouldn’t happen.
She added, "I beg you."
"Beg me?" He finally spoke again, raising his eyebrows teasingly as if he had heard something amusing. "I haven't even begged you yet, and you're begging me. How can you beg me? It's always me who begs you. Forget it."
He took the cold finger bone pliers from her hand, played with them for a while, and put them back in her hand.
"Then, as you wish. Take it and play with it for a while, so you don't get used to it later."
He called out to the side, "Yun Chui."
The exceptionally tall shadow just now suddenly appeared.
"Take the queen to bathe."
"yes."
She was stunned: "Bathing?"
Somehow, she suddenly remembered her terrible dreams.
"The Emperor's Qilin Grass must be picked by hand after a bath with a strong Yin body and burning incense, in order to maintain its medicinal properties."
Gu Huaijin took out a small key nonchalantly, untied the silver handcuffs that connected the two of them, and passed one end of the silver chain into Yun Chui's hand:
"Take good care of the Empress. If there's no news of her, I'll saw off your arms and make legs out of them, and then your legs and arms, so they don't get in the way."
Yun Chui said calmly, "Yes."
Gu Huaijin turned around and was about to leave.
She suddenly said, "Huai Jin."
He stopped walking for a moment and turned his head halfway.
Her silver handcuffs were held in Yunchui's hands. She took two steps forward, and the silver chain stretched straight. However, the person in control did not dare to neglect them, and hurried forward two steps, following her side.
She slowly walked up to him and stood still.
Gu Huaijin had his eyes blindfolded, revealing no expression or emotion. He looked as inhuman as a statue.
He lowered his head and waited for her to speak.
She hesitated for a long time, blinking her eyelashes, and finally made up her mind. She raised her hand, took his sleeve, and wiped the blood off his face bit by bit, and said carefully:
"Just now, I said the wrong thing. Don't be sad."
He said nothing, and his lips trembled violently.
With tears in her eyes, she stroked his face carefully, tears rolling down her cheeks as she said:
"But every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor, and there's no point in seeking revenge."
He laughed: "Do you really think I won't torture you?"
This made her laugh. "You think a finger bone clamp and a venomous snake ring are torture? You don't know what I've been through. If I didn't have the courage, would I have boasted to you?"
Gu Huaijin obediently let her wipe the blood, lowered his head, and just smiled, "I really have never known you. We were engaged, slept in the same bed -"
She smiled and shook her head: "The past is meaningless."
“It’s meaningless.”
He repeated it meaninglessly, and smiled with his lips curled up.
Nan Qiong Shuang found that he had seemed somewhat docile just now, but after she said that, he became terribly evil again.
He suddenly turned his face away, stepped back, and walked away:
"Take the queen down to bathe. We can talk later."
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