Chapter 6 Spring Snow (5)

Unable to empathize, yet not particularly averse

After all, the frailty of a beauty, her humility, and her seductive allure to men who crave blood and flesh, even if he deliberately avoids these things, still leaves a mental scar. Moreover, her desperate will to survive, which disregards her virtue and dignity, resembles him in some ways, yet is vastly different from him in others

The last spring snow of the twelfth year of Xingqing fell quietly, the scent of blood stirring the fragrance of the plum blossoms, causing the aroma to be cold and domineering.

Zhang Duo gazed at that stunningly beautiful tear-streaked face, which, even without makeup, was captivating and enchanting. He tried to find a flaw behind those crystalline tears, yet it seemed she was truly on the verge of being driven mad by his presence. Her pupils constricted, she babbled incoherently, completely at a loss for what to do, continuously apologizing and pleading for mercy.

To strip away a person's defenses, the most direct method is to inflict pain upon them to the utmost degree, to the point where their body loses the control of its faculties, revealing a beastly appearance. If one has not personally undergone such a purgatory of training, no one would be able to sadly comprehend this level of understanding.

She looked at Zhang Duo in terror, and although she was so frightened that her heart felt like it was about to burst, she still wept and pleaded for the person in question.

The dim light above has faded, and the dark clouds in the sky have gathered

Zhang Duo lifted his robe and crouched down, the tail of his whip inadvertently brushing against her waist, which caused her to convulse in surprise

In front of a prisoner in custody, one can temporarily lower their guard

"Who made me kill... Ah! It was a eunuch from the palace."

In that moment of her stunned silence, she received another blow to her leg. Although it still hurt enough for her to kick her legs wildly, the force was noticeably lighter compared to before

He watched her endure pain as she searched in the snow, and suddenly said: "Today is the third day of the new year, remember, you still have nine days to live. Is it necessary?"

Who allowed you to stop my car

Who ... ...

Having spoken, he stood up without waiting for her response, casually shaking off her hand that was gripping his sleeve, and turned to walk towards the Qingtan Residence, saying as he walked: "Once you have caught your breath, come in; otherwise, you will be nothing more than a bone in a dog's mouth tomorrow"

I will change the question

This glaring desire, amidst the chaotic smoke trees of Luoyang, is such a precious bright target

Xi Yin was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of emotions, letting out a cry of despair. Darkness enveloped her vision, and she could no longer grasp the knot on the branch. Her body fell heavily into the snow, and she immediately curled up into a ball, convulsing uncontrollably. Three deep, sharp whip marks marred her body, each one bleeding.

Stolen

That voice, tinged with a mournful cry, mingled with the involuntary sound of grinding teeth, dispersed into the wind

She was already in so much pain that she could not hold her teeth together. However, he did not interrupt her, allowing her to convulse and sob as she spoke intermittently until she finished.

Arrogant, humble

He grasped the whip's tail back into his hand

She did not understand the meaning of this sentence at first

I... I want to take some back for my elder brother, the rest can be sold

Pure fear, pure desire for survival

A sudden, explosive pain surged from her back all the way to her forehead. If the first lash was merely a warning from him, then this lash was his true intent. When she was young, she struggled to survive in a chaotic world and had endured many beatings, yet she had never experienced such excruciating pain that pierced to the bone. Her neck stretched long, veins bulging, and the breath within her suddenly stagnated in her chest, leaving her unable to even scream. All that remained was her body of bones and flesh caught in a chaotic struggle in the dimming light.

She hurriedly went to pick up in the snow, "Don't hit..."

Is it truly a matter of character, or is it a well-concealed facade

"To seek forgiveness, one must be able to be forgiven? Foolish."

Zhang Duo looked at her fingers, which were turning white from digging, as well as the four whip marks on her body that were strikingly discordant with her snow-white skin, presenting a distinctly eerie beauty.

What did you take

She heard Zhang Duo's voice lower slightly, and only then did she dare to timidly look at him. Seeing the thin whip in his hand droop down, she hurriedly curled her body up again. Her fingers desperately clutched her shoulder blades, her toes also tightly pressed together, and she sobbed, "I used to steal rice to eat in the music class. When they caught me, they would beat me... I begged them, I begged them desperately... Later, they stopped beating me and even gave me rice soup to drink..."

As she wept and recounted her sorrow, she reached out to grasp the corner of his robe, gradually pulling it tighter, as if she could endure the pain in this manner

Zhang Duo used the whip handle to lift the robe that she had shed in the snowy ground and threw it over her body

Put it on

Ah, teaching you all this, and you still kill for him

These things are neat and clear, very real, and he likes them very much. However, in contrast, he has some doubts about his judgment of this woman

Who taught you

Let me go... Please, I beg you, I don't know anything, I just want to return to my brother's side, I am begging you, please... Please... I am in so much pain, I really can't take it anymore, don't treat me like this, please don't treat me like this...

Just as she finished speaking and was about to rise, her gaze caught sight of a bundle that had fallen from Jiang's belt.

The voice was cold and devoid of emotion, and before the words had even finished, another whip was drawn from her waist and struck down, without any semblance of method, as if even her life was of no concern.

From ten paces away, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, hitting the target immediately, thus making it the ghost under the bowman's arrow, a prisoner at his feet

Xi Yin was momentarily stunned; who would not fear a person with sharp claws like a fierce ghost. Her soul was about to be torn apart, how could that be something one could feign.

Dare to kill in the palace, yet do not even recognize the poison used for assassination

At this moment, Zhang Duo was actually filled with hidden joy

Don't hit me anymore... I beg you, don't hit me anymore...

Assassination is an act of survival at the edge of a blade, yet she cowered like a young rabbit under the knife

Ah! It is what my elder brother taught me! My elder brother said that this is how we can survive

However, Xi Yin did not understand why she had to endure this beating, nor why she had survived.

She responded repeatedly in agreement

Humiliation and abuse have forced her into a paradoxical situation that is both real and absurd

She knelt in the snow, clutching her robe, and looked in the direction of his gaze. After a long pause, she timidly uttered a single word: "Fragrant"

Who taught you

She was so afraid of being punished for being slow that she nearly bit her tongue

"My elder brother is truly good to me. Even with his eyes in that condition, every time I am beaten, he still... holds up the lamp to help me apply the medicine. Young master... we are all lowly and useless people, and we must live together in order to survive."

As expected, yet also sudden

Yet unexpectedly, a whip struck fiercely across the bare shoulders and back.

Once she came to her senses, she was instantly terrified, disregarding the pain in her body. She scrambled to her knees and grabbed his sleeve, saying: "I truly know nothing. I didn't realize that was the young master's carriage. I was just afraid of being taken back by them. I was driven mad by fear and offended the young master. I was wrong... I was wrong, young master, please spare me!"

Why steal

Zhang Duo lowered his head to look at the woman curled up on the ground and said in a flat tone, "Who made you kill?"

He did not give her a moment to breathe, lifting the whip handle to tilt her chin up

Zhang Duo instinctively felt a sense of suspicion. However, what troubled him even more was that he actually saw a trace of his own past reflected in her contorted body, along with a force of struggle that was entirely different from his own.

Do not hit me anymore ... ... I really can't take the pain ... ...

Under the plum blossom, she endured a calamity, and she survived

Good ... ... Good ... ...

Ah?

Her back stiffened, and the pain rendered her completely out of control. After collapsing and softening, she could not help but lurch forward, crawling on the ground. No longer able to restrain herself, she began to cry heart-wrenchingly, shaking all over, her shoulders heaving like a sieve, and she spoke incoherently, "I dare not deceive you! They have captured my brother, and I did not listen to them... they... they are going to kill my brother..."