Sickly Jade - Chapter 4

Ye Shaoyun fought to remain calm, asking in a cold voice, “Who are you? Why are you doing this, and who sent you?”

The man in black held him by the waist with just one hand, radiating an unfamiliar and powerful pressure that left him unable to move.

“Hmph.”

A strange, low hum entered his ears it was the deep, resonant voice of a man. He frantically worked his brain, trying to guess which faction might be causing him trouble. But he had made too many enemies over the years, and for a moment, he truly couldn’t recall who it might be.

He could only probe tentatively: “What is your goal? Money? I can give you money as much as you want.”

The man chuckled again. “I don’t want money. I want something else.”

The cold, icy voice made Ye Shaoyun’s back crawl with chill. He clenched his palms, praying it wasn’t what he feared. “What do you want? I can give you anything just let me go.”

The man laughed. “Fine. Give it to me, and I’ll let you go.”

Ye Shaoyun was startled. “What do you want?”

The man didn’t answer. He carried him into the inn. The door was kicked open, and Ye Shaoyun watched helplessly as he was carried inside and up the stairs. An ominous premonition filled his mind. He tried to call out to the people inside the inn for help, but they acted as if they couldn’t see him at all.

“Save me! I’ll give you whatever you want! I am the current…” Mmph!

For the first time in his life, he was so desperate that he wanted to use his status to beg for help, but before the words could escape his lips, his mouth was covered. The man’s hand was warm and powerful; it felt familiar, yet filled him with a sudden, overwhelming fear.

The man moved quickly, and within seconds, he struck a pressure point (xue dao). Ye Shaoyun felt his body go limp and unresponsive, collapsing softly into the man’s arms.

This feeling of helplessness lasted for a long time. He could only watch as the man carried him into a room and tossed him onto a bed that reeked of rot and mildew. Unable to move, he managed to emit a fragmented sound from his throat: “Don’t… don’t touch me…”

The man ignored him, lunging forward to tear at his thin clothing. He didn’t even want to waste the effort of untying them; he ripped apart his outer robe and sash before reaching for his trousers.

Ye Shaoyun stared with vacant eyes at the man’s cold gaze. He couldn’t understand why the man was doing this. The man didn’t look like those lecherous bandits blinded by lust there was no filth or malice in his eyes, only a calm that bordered on indifference.

When the cold palm touched his thigh, Ye Shaoyun’s entire body shuddered violently. He couldn’t move, yet he could feel that hand roaming across his skin.

Ye Shaoyun panicked. Despair flowed from his vacant pupils into the man’s eyes, yet it earned not a shred of pity. The man leaned over, his emotionless voice pouring into Ye Shaoyun’s ears, word by word: “I want you. Today, I, your master, am here to rob you of your virtue.”

Ye Shaoyun had never been touched by any man other than Qi Chu. Being touched by Qi Chu had already required immense resolve; he would never allow anyone else. If his pressure points hadn’t been sealed, preventing his internal energy from surging, he would have broken through them immediately and chosen to die rather than let the man succeed.

“Don’t… you dare, I will… kill you!”

Ye Shaoyun’s pupils trembled violently. His threats held no weight now, like the weak groans of a dying cat.

The man didn’t care. The corners of his eyes curved slightly, revealing a faint smile. “To die beneath a peony flower is a romantic way to go. You beautiful creature, not staying home on a rainy day but wandering out it’s your bad luck to be robbed by me. Just relax and let me have my fun.”

For a split second, Ye Shaoyun felt that the man’s features were familiar, but the expression was entirely alien. Addled by his chaotic thoughts, he couldn’t figure out who the man was.

“No… you can’t, get out!”

He screamed with all his might, and soon, wetness overflowed from his eyes.

“Don’t struggle in vain; be careful not to make yourself sick…”

The man’s cold voice echoed in his ears, appearing to console him even as he ruthlessly humiliated him. At a certain moment, Ye Shaoyun felt everything before him blur. A sense of intense humiliation left his mind blank; his body was immobilized, and his thoughts became sluggish.

In two lifetimes, this was the first time he had felt a longing for death that he couldn’t fulfill.

At this moment, Ye Shaoyun did not know that beneath the black mask was a face he knew better than anyone, nor did he realize that the Crown Prince he had raised had now gone insane to this degree.

His noble, elegant face looked like a piece of jade about to shatter. Crystalline tears rolled down his red-rimmed eyes, sinking into the cold, damp quilt beneath him, looking incredibly heart-wrenching.

It was the first time Qi Chu had seen Ye Shaoyun cry. It was beautiful despair filled those cold eyes, making Qi Chu’s heart tremble. It was as if a steel blade was slowly grinding against flesh that had long since hardened it was both painful and exhilarating.

Qi Chu paused in his actions and leaned down to kiss Ye Shaoyun’s lips through a layer of cloth, only to find the man beneath him trembling more violently than he had imagined. His soft, thin lips were cold to the touch.

“Are you that cold?” Qi Chu frowned slightly, seemingly worried about him.

Beyond the anger and fear, Ye Shaoyun was also suffering from the wind exposure, and his old stomach ailment flared up painfully. He couldn’t move, had nothing to brace himself against, and could only grit his teeth and endure the trembling of his body.

Seeing his state as if he had suffered a sudden, severe illness Qi Chu hurriedly released his pressure points.

Just as he leaned over to check on Ye Shaoyun, a heavy blow flew at him with lightning speed. He blocked it with both hands, but was still sent reeling back a few steps.

The small table from the bed hit Qi Chu’s left arm with no mercy, instantly shattering into pieces and nearly ripping the mask from his face.

Ye Shaoyun lay on the bed, his clothes wide open, breathing heavily. The hatred in his eyes dyed, his eye sockets a deep crimson.

He wanted to kill!

[Life Value -2, -1. Host, please calm down. Your Life Value is decreasing.]

The impact of intense emotional fluctuations on his Life Value was direct. Facing that cold, chilling gaze, Qi Chu was afraid. He knew he couldn’t push things further at this moment, or both of them might die right here. Ye Shaoyun would absolutely sacrifice himself to kill the person who insulted him.

He acted like a profligate rogue who hadn’t had his fill, flashed a wicked, challenging eyebrow at Ye Shaoyun, and before the other man could throw anything else, vaulted over the inn’s window frame.

He wanted Ye Shaoyun to remember this feeling this feeling of having lost all power and status, of being helpless, of being trampled and insulted by any random mountain bandit. He knew this feeling well because he had clawed his way up, and now that Ye Shaoyun seemed to have forgotten it, he would help him remember.

The flower pot on the table was hurled by Ye Shaoyun as a weapon, crashing into the wall and shattering, leaving a significant dent in the plaster.

Ye Shaoyun endured the stomach pain and tried to chase after him, only to realize he was exposed below the waist and was forced to retreat back onto the bed.

The sound of the shattering flower pot brought people running.

After a burst of footsteps, Qingyi was the first to rush in. No sooner had he appeared than he was stopped by a stern, sharp command:

“Do not come in!”