Love & Redemption
Chapter 159: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China - 16: Solitary Confinement (Part 2)

Chapter 159: Volume 4: The Splintering Dream of China Chapter 16: Solitary Confinement (Part 2)

Linglong had persevered in the cave for three days without eating or drinking or moving. By the end, she was so hungry that her vision blackened, and her throat felt as if it were on fire. Wu Tong did not force her; he brought her meals and hot water for washing on schedule every day. She didn’t eat or use them; he seemed not to notice. Anyway, the cold food was replaced with new, and the cold water was replaced with hot.

That day, at noon, he came again to bring food and water. When he lifted the lid, it was a dish of Peach Seed Chicken Cubes, with a familiar color and fragrance. Linglong instantly remembered her mother, He Danping, who cooked this dish best; every time she served it, she and Xuanji would gobble it all up. Thinking of every grass and tree at Shaoyang Peak, the tenderness of her parents, the adorableness of Xuanji, she couldn’t help but burst into tears.

The tears fell on her dry, cracked lips, stinging with salt. She licked them with her tongue, tasting bitterness and astringency. She stared blankly at the fragrant food, feeling a stir of impulse in her heart. It wouldn’t hurt to eat. She couldn’t just starve to death here. If she really died, wouldn’t that be giving him what he wanted? A voice in her mind kept repeating this. Gradually, she was persuaded, and as she was about to reach for the food, the curtain was suddenly pulled back, and he had returned.

Linglong hastily withdrew, her whole body tense with wariness.

Wu Tong paid no attention to her and just took out the cold food and water. Linglong was startled and blurted out, "Wait... wait a moment."

Wu Tong turned back, lifting an eyebrow at her, but still not speaking.

Linglong bit her lip and murmured faintly, "Don’t take away the chicken cubes..."

Wu Tong’s mouth curved in a slight smile and he said softly, "Alright, I’ll heat up the Peach Seed Chicken Cubes and bring them back." He swept out from behind the curtain swiftly. Linglong leaned against the cold cave wall, filled with a flood of resentment like the tide, waves of frustration, shame, helplessness, resentment.... All kinds of emotions overwhelmed her, leaving her in utter bewilderment.

After a while, he indeed came back with the warmed Peach Seed Chicken Cubes and a bowl of tea broth. Linglong, already at a disadvantage, could no longer care about her dignity. She threw herself at the broth, guzzling it desperately—she was so thirsty, she felt almost mad.

She finished one bowl of tea and longed for more, only to see Wu Tong holding a large purple sand pot, pouring another bowl, and saying, "Don’t drink so hastily, you might choke."

Linglong’s anger flared, and she threw the tea bowl away, turning her face and hiding back in the corner. Wu Tong did not bother her further; he set everything on the ground, one by one. After a while, he brought in two basins of hot water, several sets of small clothes, sweat towels, and covers. On his third trip, he brought in three or four thick quilts, spread them on the cold ground, and even prepared pillows.

Linglong stared as he left, still for a long time with no movement, until she cautiously began to unbutton her clothes. She dared not strip entirely, just slightly washed her face and hands with the hot water and secretly untied her undergarment to clean her body. The new clothes he had brought, she didn’t even glance at; she tossed them all aside.

Perhaps timing her shower, Wu Tong entered again, replaced the water with fresh hot ones, and brought soapberries and a comb, all ready for use. Though Linglong detested him deeply, seeing him prepare everything so meticulously did relax her some. She washed her hair again, feeling refreshed all over. With the quilts spread on the ground, it was undoubtedly more comfortable than before. Now, as she picked up the meal to eat, her heart couldn’t help but ache. She had maintained a lofty stance, making him accommodate her in everything, yet in truth, she had long since been utterly defeated.

Days passed with them not interfering with each other. Linglong’s initial wariness had long since vanished. Although she would still guard herself with a sword every time he came to deliver something, once he left, she no longer curled up in the corner and wept as before.

What Wu Tong ultimately wanted by imprisoning her remained unclear to Linglong. He must have planned to retaliate against the Shaoyang Sect and the other four sects for the manhunt decree against him, surely conjuring many sinister methods to torment her.

But why, in the end, had he done nothing? Perhaps she vaguely knew the answer, but refused to think about it. There are many things in the world that are better left unclear.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply. Xuanji had been watching her, observing the multitude of expressions crossing her face until it gradually calmed down. Finally, she carefully asked, "Did he torture you? Are you injured?"

Linglong closed her eyes wearily, shook her head, and whispered, "Xuanji, I’m so tired. I want to sleep for a while..."

Xuanji nodded, helped her to lie down, and tucked her in, but then she heard her whisper again, "Tell Xiao Liuzi... I miss him so much, why hasn’t he come to see me?"

Xuanji found it hard to respond, feeling a sourness in her throat and barely managed to reply before she pushed the door open and left.

Linglong closed her eyes, curled up under the covers, her thoughts in turmoil, as though she was back on that day.

She had been imprisoned in that cave, unaware of the passing time, chained and unable to leave. Each day, she could only wait for Wu Tong to bring her food and water, the two coexisting peacefully. Always, a tense chord was stretched tight inside her, constantly reminding herself that he must have a purpose for confining her, yet she knew not what it was.

Lately, he seemed busy with something, and the times he brought food and water were gradually delayed. For three or four days in a row, he brought her the dishes she hated most, tofu and green vegetables. She thought this was a new tactic of his to torment her, and finally one day, she couldn’t hold back any longer. They argued loudly, and she overturned the meal, shouting fiercely, "Then don’t bring any food at all! I’d rather starve!"

At that moment, Wu Tong’s face wore a subtle expression, somewhat humorous, his eyes seemingly condensing something dangerous. He sneered, "You really are hard to serve, Miss. Did you think you were here to enjoy yourself? You should be grateful you have food at all."

Linglong, who had given in earlier and asked for food, thereby accepting his favor, always felt uneasy about it. Now that he touched upon this sore spot, she could no longer bear it. She kicked over a basin of hot water and pulled out the broken gold to wildly chop up the mattress into strips of cotton, all the while shouting, "Why don’t you kill me now?!"

Wu Tong caught her wrist in one swift motion, tripped her with his foot, causing Linglong to fall, landing face down. He followed, pinning her beneath him. Linglong was terrified, assuming he was about to violate her. She clenched her teeth, ready to bite her tongue and end her life, but when she bit down, instead of her tongue, she bit his finger.

He forcefully placed his finger in her mouth, preventing her from biting her tongue. Linglong, driven by extreme hatred, bit down hard on his finger, wishing she could bite it off entirely. His blood dripped drop by drop onto her tongue, both metallic and bitter. Linglong expected him to torture her cruelly, so she shut her eyes tightly, keeping a firm bite on his finger.

After a long time, he remained motionless. Linglong, confused, hesitantly opened her eyes, and saw his face was very close to hers, his gaze like icy lightning, staring intensely at her, as though he hated her so deeply he wanted to flay her alive into thousands of pieces. Linglong, even more horrified, tremulously said, "Hurry... kill me!" His finger was still caught in her mouth, making her words unclear.

Wu Tong took advantage of her talking, her jaw loosening, and quickly withdrew his finger. Linglong was stunned, unprepared for him to grab a strip of the shredded cotton and stuff it forcefully into her mouth. She screamed, struggling desperately, not knowing how many scratches she left on his face until he finally stuffed her mouth full of cotton, leaving her unable to even close her mouth, let alone bite her tongue.

Her insides burned, her vision going dark intermittently, thinking this time he truly intended to torture her to death. Her limbs went limp, pinned down by him, he struck her acupuncture points, leaving her unable to move.

"You high-and-mighty Miss, what do you know? Oh, I get it, you’ve been treated like a princess since you were little, huh? In the world, there are only good people and bad people: your daddy, mommy, uncles all good people, and anyone who offends you must be bad, right?"

He asked sarcastically, pinching her chin and shaking it from side to side.

Linglong kept her eyes tightly closed, simply waiting for him to lose his temper and cleave her to death; it would be a relief.

"You don’t know what your daddy, mommy, uncles have done to me, do you? Heh, a reward of 500 taels! My life, Wu Tong’s, worth only 500 taels? Did I kill someone? Or commit some unforgivable sin? The Five Great Sects, so grand! So impressive! Joining hands to come after me, a mere junior, making me notorious in the world with nowhere to hide. I’m deeply grateful indeed!"

As he finished speaking, there was suddenly a ripping sound, like cloth being torn. Linglong’s heart thudded wildly, fearing he might do something indecent in his rage. After a moment, she heard him laugh and say, "Good child, open your eyes. Take a good look at what your dear uncles did to me!"

Linglong refused to listen to him, fearing he might use some demonic method to bewitch her; she kept her eyes firmly shut.

His hand suddenly caressed her cheek, stroking back and forth, his voice gentle, "Linglong, open your eyes and look at me." Then, he untied a knot on her clothing, "If you won’t look at me, then I shall look at you. Undress, and let’s have a good, thorough look."

Linglong just felt his hand reaching into her neckline, terribly frightened, she had to open her eyes and met his gaze. A strange light shone in his eyes as he stared at her, then abruptly straightened up, laughing bitterly, "How about that? Seen it now?"

His upper body was completely bare, revealing a muscular chest densely covered in countless scars, and especially one running from his chest to his lower abdomen, continuing further down, a fatal wound; the thick red scar resembled an ugly centipede crawling on his body. Linglong moaned softly, whether from shock or fear was unclear.

Wu Tong said sternly, "I have died countless times! Each time crawling back from the gates of hell! 500 taels for my life, Wu Tong’s? They think too highly of themselves! Now, it’s their turn to taste being driven into a corner!"

He tapped twice on his right lower leg, producing a hollow sound. It turned out his right lower leg had been amputated at the knee, replaced with a wooden prosthetic.

Seeing the fearful expression on Linglong’s face, he could not help but burst into laughter, "How about that, want to see more?" After speaking, he actually began to undo his belt. Linglong whimpered sharply and tightly shut her eyes again.

Wu Tong, seeing her cheeks flush, pink as peach blossoms, was moved and could not resist cradling her face, lowering his head to kiss her cheek. Where his lips touched was nothing but fragrant, soft, and delicate. At that moment, his emotions surged uncontrollably, and he began to undo her belt, muttering to himself, "It’s only just begun... maybe I should taste something sweet first..."

His palm slipped under her thin clothing, feeling skin as smooth and warm as jade, holding such a flower-like, beautiful young girl in his arms; how could he control himself, especially when he was no gentleman to begin with? He held her close in a passionate embrace, kissing her face finely, feeling her tremble slightly all over, pitifully delicate, his heart softened, his voice gentle, "Don’t be afraid."

Seeing her long eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings, suddenly, several large tear drops rolled down. His fiery passion vanished in an instant, yet he could not bear to let go; cradling her face, he kissed her trembling eyelids several times, whispered softly, "Open your eyes, just open your eyes and I won’t do anything. Wu Tong keeps his word."

He held his breath as he watched her long eyelashes tremble once, twice, until she finally opened her eyes, her distinct black and white pupils staring blankly at him. That gaze seemed to plead, yet also carried a deep loathing and intense pain, mixed with sympathy, fear, and despair.

Wu Tong watched her for a long time and finally slowly let go of her, put on his coat, and stood up.

"Peach Seed Chicken Cubes, isn’t it?" After a long silence, his voice suddenly arose at the entrance of the cave, "Haha, such a little miss."

Linglong said nothing, as her mouth was stuffed full of cotton and she couldn’t speak.

Wu Tong pulled back the curtain and walked out, then suddenly remembering something, he turned back and sneered at her, "At a time like this, where is your little lover? It seems he hasn’t come to rescue you, nor has he come to see you! Poor child..."

Linglong felt a great shock in her heart, as if a hammer had mercilessly struck her chest, and she cried even more fiercely.

After that, he never touched her again, and all her meals were her favorite dishes. Only Linglong herself, seemed to have lost her soul, sitting there all day in a daze, no one knew what she was actually thinking.

Later on, the First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother somehow encountered him. It turned out that not only were they out there, but outside the cave, there were no fewer than thirty demons at his command. He never allowed anyone inside, and she was never permitted to leave, so she had never known.

Linglong turned over in bed, her fingers suddenly deeply embedded in the bedding, her tears quickly soaking the pillow.

"At a time like this, where is your lover?" Wu Tong’s words stuck in her heart like a nail from that day onward. Zhong Minyan had never come, and she had waited until she was completely hopeless, until her soul was drawn out. Now that she had been rescued by Xuanji, she still couldn’t see him.

Suddenly, she felt that everyone was deceiving her. He had abandoned her, hadn’t he? Otherwise, why hadn’t he come to see her? His retreat for cultivation was just an excuse.

Linglong covered her head with the blanket and wept aloud. After crying for a while, she suddenly heard the door creak open, and someone floated in lightly. Thinking it was Xuanji coming to check on her, she quickly stopped crying and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep.

After waiting a while, the person did not enter the inner room but instead was rummaging through something in the outer room. She quietly lifted a corner of the blanket and saw a corner of the person’s clothes—wearing boots, it was clearly a man.

Her heart leapt with joy, thinking it was Zhong Minyan who had arrived, she hurriedly called out, "Xiao Liuzi! Why have you only come to see me now!"

"Huh?" Tengshe, who had sneaked in to steal food, almost choked on her shout, staring back with wide innocent eyes as both faced each other, both stunned. (To be continued, for further details, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)