After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Wolf and the Whip-Wielder

◎ Her legs have already been broken. ◎

Jiao Qingyin had just awakened from a state of chaos when she smelled a scent that made her skin crawl. There was an overly thick layer of makeup powder, lingering incense, and… despite the attempt to mask it with fragrance, a bloody metallic stench that was impossible to ignore.

Jiao Qingyin frowned slightly, enduring the headache caused by the massive influx of information, and opened her eyes.

A blonde girl wearing… a blonde girl wearing almost nothing at all came into view. Despite the low temperature in the room, the girl wore only a transparent gauze robe. She was kneeling at Jiao Qingyin’s feet like a lamb awaiting slaughter. From Jiao Qingyin’s elevated angle, she could only see the girl’s thin back and her skin, which looked dazzlingly bright against the gold ornaments on the gauze.

Stunned by the visual impact, Jiao Qingyin could only stare. “…”

She instinctively shrank back, but the back of her chair—embedded with numerous gemstones—poked her, forcing her to stay put.

Perhaps her movement gave the girl some kind of signal. The girl, who had been kneeling quietly, suddenly leaned forward. Her blonde hair spilled over, revealing a beautiful face and plump, rosy lips. Under Jiao Qingyin’s stiff gaze, the girl leaned closer and closer. Only then did Jiao Qingyin realize with a start: the girl intended to kiss her shoes.

Seeing the girl’s lips just inches from her footwear, Jiao Qingyin jerked her feet back.

The girl’s low-bent body began to tremble. Her gold ornaments clattered against the floor with a crisp, sharp sound.

The girl wasn’t the only one who misunderstood Jiao Qingyin’s reaction; a young female knight standing nearby like a stone pillar did as well. The knight stepped forward, grabbed the girl’s long hair roughly, and began dragging her toward the door without a word.

The girl let out a shrill scream, struggling with all her might, but her frail frame was no match for the knight. She was like a wilting flower being forcibly torn from its branch.

Everything happened so fast. Seeing several bloody streaks left on the floor by the girl’s fingernails, Jiao Qingyin suppressed the throbbing in her temples and squeezed two words through her teeth: “Wait.”

The knight stopped immediately. She lowered her head, waiting for Jiao Qingyin’s next command. According to the original owner’s rules, servants were never allowed to look directly at their master’s face without permission—a rule that now gave Jiao Qingyin a moment to breathe.

Jiao Qingyin waited a long time until she was sure she could speak and move normally before saying: “Everyone out.”

The knight responded with a “Yes” and prepared to drag the crumpled blonde girl away again. A look of total collapse and despair crawled across the girl’s face.

“Don’t drag her away. She’s still useful,” Jiao Qingyin’s cold voice rang out from the seat of honor.

Having briefly skimmed the original owner’s memories, she knew this girl was one of the many slaves purchased by the original Prince. The Prince’s greatest hobby in life was to torture commoners and slaves using various means—especially those who were beautiful. She took extreme pleasure in personally destroying beautiful things.

The knight hesitated, seemingly unsure of how to exert force if she wasn’t allowed to pull the girl by her hair.

Jiao Qingyin’s tone became impatient. “Do I have to teach you?”

Shuddering, the knight quickly scooped the girl up by the waist—the same way one would carry a sack of flour. Without waiting for further orders, she quickly carried the girl out and shut the door.

“…” Once the sounds outside faded, Jiao Qingyin slowly began to relax.

But just as she tried to adjust her posture to sit more comfortably, the System—which had been silent since her arrival—finally spoke:

“Detected a humanoid lifeform within 10 meters. Host, please judge the situation and maintain your character persona.”

Jiao Qingyin froze. Her face remained expressionless, but she secretly scanned the room. Only then did she notice that in the corner of this opulently decorated room, someone else was lying there.

This person’s clothing was similar to the blonde girl’s, but they were covered in blood and filth. They were curled up silently, so still they looked dead.

Jiao Qingyin’s breath hitched. She finally knew where that persistent smell of blood was coming from. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up and walked toward the corner.

As she drew closer, she saw the horrific whip marks crisscrossing the person’s body. Memories belonging to the original owner surged into her mind. She saw the original owner holding a whip covered in barbs, her face twisted with malice as she lashed a girl on the floor over and over again. The bloody imagery made Jiao Qingyin feel like she couldn’t breathe.

“Useless! Filthy slave! If you can’t learn the rules, then don’t ever stand up again!”

“Don’t! Ever! Look at me with those eyes again!”

It hurts—!

The original owner’s curses mixed with the bloody scenes, stabbing Jiao Qingyin’s brain like needles. she stumbled, nearly falling onto the unconscious girl. When she finally recovered from the throbbing pain, she didn’t have time to process her emotions. She crouched down and placed her index finger under the girl’s nose.

…She was still breathing.

Since no one else was around and the girl was unconscious, Jiao Qingyin let her guard down, finally showing her true emotions. If I find someone to treat her quickly, there might still be time…

Suddenly, the girl snapped her eyes open.

The moment their gazes met, Jiao Qingyin felt her blood freeze. She felt the terrifying sensation of being a prey animal whose throat had been locked onto by a wild beast.

Before Jiao Qingyin could hide the concern on her face, a System notification chimed:

[Iris recognition successful… Mission World Protagonist (Unnamed) detected. Issuing Main Mission to the Host.]

At the same time Jiao Qingyin received the notification, the girl halted an impending attack. An illusion…? The girl thought. How could she see a trace of… tenderness in this person’s eyes?

The moment of surprise passed, and the girl missed her best chance for a sneak attack. Meanwhile, Jiao Qingyin nearly lost her composure due to the System’s next words.

[Main Mission 1: Heal the Protagonist (Unnamed).]

[Warning: Host failed to strictly play the role in front of the Protagonist. Persona Points -1. Current Persona Point balance: 9. If the balance reaches 0, the Personality Erasure procedure will automatically begin.]

The two messages sent Jiao Qingyin’s mood into a tailspin.

To the girl, the noblewoman in front of her suddenly “changed face.” The previous expression receded like a tide, and within a single breath, she returned to the disgusting version the girl remembered.

Disgusting, the girl thought. And she had actually just…

The girl’s terrifying gaze made Jiao Qingyin intensely uncomfortable. She straightened up and raised her voice: “If you’re not dead, get up.”

This was a sentence Jiao Qingyin would never say in her own life, but it perfectly matched the original owner’s persona. The System even sent an encouraging signal for her performance.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Jiao Qingyin realized something was wrong. The girl was covered in whip wounds; she couldn’t even speak, let alone stand. She shouldn’t have—

Before she could finish that thought, the girl’s lips curled into a mocking sneer.

The girl’s face was covered in bloody scabs; evidently, the original owner hadn’t cared where the whip landed, leaving her nearly disfigured. Only those beautiful blue-green eyes remained, shimmering like a lake under the moonlight.

More details flooded Jiao Qingyin’s mind. The glaring blood and the original owner’s twisted laughter made her feel sick.

…She remembered now.

The person in front of her didn’t “want” to stand up. She couldn’t stand up.

Her legs had already been broken, inch by inch.