/
Chapter 36: How Much Pain Did He Endure?
October 1, 2022Merchie
Qi Changyi was pulled out of the dream realm by a strong force. He landed directly on the cold ground, and without thinking, supported himself with his hands. The wound on his palm that had finally stopped bleeding was instantly torn open again, staining the gauze red.
He opened his eyes in a daze and saw one half of Pei Zheng’s face. The other half was obscured by the darkness; only those cold eyes were exposed, and there wasn’t a single trace of warmth in them.
Pei Zheng leaned forward and tilted the little man’s chin up. He stared downward at his face which was illuminated by the dim moonlight; his forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat from the pain.
The little man’s nose twitched slightly, and he sniffed. The strong scent of wine immediately tore into his nostrils, which made him frown.
This minute change in expression was caught by Pei Zheng, and his gaze was immediately engulfed in another layer of coldness.
“Where is it?! Hurry up!”
The angry voice echoed through the hall, and the guards stationed at the door, who did not dare to act rashly, hurriedly brought a long, clanking chain inside.
With a flick of Pei Zheng’s finger, the little man collapsed to the floor.
“Tie him up.”
Qi Changyi was lifted slightly off the ground, and the cold, thick chain was wrapped around his delicate arms several times before it tightened against his wrists.
“Ugh…”
Qi Changyi’s soft groan was heard by Pei Zheng, who was standing beside him. He asked angrily, “Didn’t you say you were good at enduring pain? Are you telling me now that you can’t endure something as small as this?”
Qi Changyi bit his lower lip. Pei Zheng’s expression was so gloomy and terrifying. He had treated the little man well for the past few days, but Qi Changyi couldn’t forget the other’s true nature.
Pei Zheng’s true nature consisted of nothing but ruthlessness, cruelty, and the desire to kill.
But the Pei-gege of the past had never been like this…
“Pei-gege, what’s wrong…”
Qi Changyi’s hands were chained to the wooden bedposts. His torn wound was still dripping blood, and his eyes had reddened slightly.
Pei Zheng stepped forward and grabbed his chin again. “There’s nothing wrong, I’m feeling great. There’s just one thing that I need to ask you: why don’t you listen to me anymore? Hm? Why must you insist on not listening to me?”
The tears in Qi Changyi’s eyes rolled down. “I know I was wrong, I won’t run around anymore in the future, I’ll be good…”
Pei Zheng didn’t seem to hear him. He suddenly pulled his jade and brocade belt off of his waist, lifted his hand, and whipped Qi Changyi.
The brocade belt was slender and soft, so it wouldn’t leave any scars. But that didn’t lessen the pain at all. Each lash left a swollen red mark that would inevitably fade the next day.
“How can you still not get it into your head, why are you always going against me?!” Pei Zheng whipped him a few more times. “You clearly promised you wouldn’t, yet disobeying me is so easy for you!”
Pei Zheng’s eyes were scarlet, and his consciousness had long since been sent to heaven by the alcohol; he could only vent his frustrations to himself.
“You, all of you royals must have been born ruthless and cruel! That’s fine, I’ll just have to be even more heartless than you!”
The sound of the belt hitting skin pierced the air again. Qi Changyi pulled his arms together from above his head and bit his lip until it bled. Tears were covering his face; his muffled sobs made one’s heart tremble.
Pei Zheng heard his soft cries, and the hand that was raised in mid-air had abruptly frozen in place. No, no, this wasn’t right, an arrogant and proud son of the heavens would not be crying like this, and he would not have thrown his dignity aside to beg for mercy.
Pei Zheng tossed the brocade belt to the side and stared deeply into Qi Changyi’s tear-beaded eyes. It seemed like he was trying to discern the truth from Qi Changyi’s face, and he didn’t say a word.
He remembered that cold, snowy night again. That young master who wore a golden brocade robe gave an order, and he had taken a step into the gate of Hell1. Pei Zheng remembered the look of disgust on his face; it had been engraved into his memory for all these years.
Those inner demons instantly devoured him. Pei Zheng reached out and grabbed Qi Changyi’s neck. With the other hand, he violently tore open the little man’s robe, revealing his thin, white collarbone.
It was like a piece of pure white jade that shone in the darkness.
As Qi Changyi’s painful whimpers reached his ears, Pei Zheng’s grip slowly tightened. He leaned down and lightly touched the little man’s collarbone with the tip of his tongue.
Then, he suddenly opened his mouth and bit down. Even when the taste of blood filled his mouth, he didn’t let go. He kept biting until scarlet droplets rolled down the little man’s fair skin.
Pei Zheng raised his head and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
The neat teeth marks were next to the lower part of Qi Changyi’s collarbone. It resembled a blooming flower, an eternal reminder of tonight’s events.
After he swallowed the blood in his mouth, Pei Zheng’s vision became a little clearer. He saw that the little man in front of him had closed his eyes, as though he had fallen asleep.
Pei Zheng pinched his eyebrows hard as a splitting migraine hit him. It felt as though thousands of bugs were biting at his brain. He stepped back slightly and saw the messy bed and bloodstained sheets.
His heartbeat quickened and jumped in his chest. Pei Zheng hurriedly reached out and patted Qi Changyi’s cheek, “Your Highness, Your Highness?”
The little man who, in the past, would have responded with a smile, was now motionless.
“Someone!” Pei Zheng’s tone was laced with anxiety. “Find Imperial Physician Jiang!”
While they waited for Jiang Yubai to arrive, Pei Zheng ordered someone to untie Qi Changyi’s wrists. But the dark guard who was tasked to do so was stared at by Pei Zheng’s gloomy eyes; his hands were shaking violently, so he couldn’t undo the knot.
Pei Zheng was so angry that he stepped forward and kicked the guard away. “Get out! Useless thing.”
He began to undo the knot of metal links himself, his hands trembling slightly in the process.
He finally undid the heavy chain and threw it to the side. The little man’s delicate skin was swollen red, and there were a few open wounds.
He gently placed Qi Changyi back onto the bed. His eyes showed no signs of opening anytime soon.
At this time, the moonlight had receded, and the sky had lightened slightly.
When Cheng Feng arrived with Jiang Yubai, he found Pei Zheng sitting at the edge of the bed, holding the little man’s hand and staring at his closed eyelids.
“Master,” Cheng Feng bowed. “Imperial Physician Jiang is here, so you should prepare to go to court soon.”
Pei Zheng’s eyelids moved. His gaze shifted to the two people standing in the outer hall, before he finally got up and walked out.
As Pei Zheng passed by, Jiang Yubai was so overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol that he nearly fainted.
Did he just fall into a wine jar?
“Lord Pei,” Jiang Yubai stopped him and handed him a pill. “Eat this before you go to court, it will help with your hangover.”
Pei Zheng took the pill and tossed it into his mouth. He glanced at the quiet inner room, “Inside…it’s bad.” Then, he turned to Cheng Feng. “Stay here and keep watch. Don’t leave until he wakes up.”
The hall fell silent once more.
Jiang Yubai was obviously relieved that Pei Zheng had left. He walked towards the inner room with his medicine box and complained, “There are so many doctors in the Imperial Hospital, I don’t know what Pei Zheng sees in me, I already know so many of his secrets, he wouldn’t kill me for that, would he…”
As soon as he stepped into the inner room, Jiang Yubai was hit by the lingering scent of liquor mixed with the rusty stench of blood.
He was nervous and terrified; he walked quickly to the side of the bed and couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.
There was so much blood and so many wounds on his body; just how much pain did the little Highness endure in order for him to pass out?
Notes
These chapters are getting exceedingly long and they’re all filled with this utter tripe
Thanks for reading~ Let me know if there’s anything wrong
1: 鬼门: Ghost gate/Hell, when people say they’ve had a foot in the ghost gate or something like that, it refers to a near-death experience.