The Devil's Contract Lover - Chapter 30

“Running to the mountain can kill a horse”  a long way off, despite appearances.

It wasn’t until the sun had set and evening approached that the little car finally entered the village. The entire village was shrouded in a dull, deathly stillness, reminding Yao Yuan of the dead skin on the old woman’s hands.

There were few fields visible, but several pigpens dotted the landscape. The street—if you could call it that—was filthy, with dust, dead leaves, and packaging from counterfeit food products blowing everywhere. Occasionally, half-grown boys would run around, shrieking and bumping into things.

It was dinner time. A few thuggish-looking men were resting bare-chested in the shade. Most people seemed to be inside, as there wasn’t a single young or even middle-aged woman outside.

Walking closer, Yao Yuan was startled to see a naked girl, playing sluggishly with mud, chained to a tree stump.

“Who is that? Why is such a small child locked up here?” she couldn’t help but ask, only to remember that the person beside her was a trafficker.

To her surprise, the old woman was amicable: “This was a losing venture.” She curved two fingers. “I only sold her for two thousand yuan, and only made six hundred in total.”

“You mean this child…”

“Nonsense, even a university student.” The old woman was quite a piece of work. “If the first child is a boy, she gets another 1000 yuan, and if the child is smart, another 2000.” The old hag’s expression was full of regret.

“Granny, how much are the goods this time? Is it our turn?” A bare-chested ruffian stood up, shook his torn trousers, pulled out a cigarette, and eagerly offered it to the old woman.

“Go away, go away. These two are virgins, the price is different.”

The ruffian’s greasy eyes slid over them, then drew back reluctantly: “Then don’t forget us, Granny.”

“Pah, if you can’t scrape together 100 or 80 thousand yuan, don’t even think about buying a young woman.”

The old woman spat and led them straight ahead. Soon, they arrived at a house that looked slightly better than the others.

She knocked heavily on the door. A crack appeared, and a shifty-eyed head peered out. The middle-aged woman, whose hair was sparse, offered the old woman a flattering smile: “What brings you here, Auntie?”

“Xiao Ju, take a good look,” the old woman said, moving aside.

The middle-aged woman’s watery eyes slowly lit up: “Is this the wife you found for our son?”

The old woman simply nodded.

“That’s wonderful,” the middle-aged woman reached out to pinch Yao Yuan’s face, making her recoil in fear.

“It’s this one,” the old woman quickly pushed the younger girl forward. “Look, she’s younger.”

The woman seemed difficult to fool: “Look at all the injuries on her face. Won’t she be hard to manage?”

The old woman secretly regretted the earlier beating: “She’s just a child. Hit her a few times with a broom, and she’ll be obedient. Your eldest son isn’t well; he needs a strong wife.”

“How much? I’m afraid I won’t be able to control her.”

“Afraid you won’t be able to control her? You have three sons!” The old woman caught her attempt to haggle and held out a hand: “Seven hundred-thousand-yuan, final price. Not a penny less.”

This price seemed accurate and ruthless, landing squarely on the woman’s psychological limit. Her expression immediately changed: “How many years of schooling has she had?”

The girl shouted viciously: “None!”

“She’s playing with you,” the old woman said, quite embarrassed: “She can work and give birth, no problem. She’s young and has a pretty face.”

Everyone looked at the girl’s swollen face, speechless for a moment.

“Sixty thousand, I really can’t go any higher.” The woman lowered her head: “Auntie, we’re the only ones here who can afford this price. We can’t empty out the family savings just to buy a wife. I still have the second and third sons to ask you for help with.”

“Your second and third sons are healthy. They can be sweet-talkers and trick someone outside,” the old woman suggested.

After a lot of back and forth, they couldn’t settle on 60,000 or 70,000. The woman in the room simply tapped the door frame: “Auntie, why don’t you stay with us tonight? Your home is a long way from here.”

“Sixty-five thousand, no less.”

“What if she can’t give birth? That would be a huge loss. How about this: you give her to me for sixty thousand first, and once the child is born, I’ll give you another ten thousand.” The woman scrutinized the girl.

“Fine, no tricks,” the old woman said, turning back to the two girls: “You’ll have good food and shelter today, don’t think about running.”

The “home” the woman mentioned was more than just this room; there was a series of small courtyards behind it. Yao Yuan and the girl were assigned one room, and the old woman insisted on squeezing in with them.

Dinner was actually decent compared to before; they had rice porridge and some vegetable soup. They were so hungry that they didn’t care if anything had been added to the food.

After they were full, the room light went out quickly, and they fell into an exhausted sleep.

The next day, Yao Yuan was woken up by a clanging sound of metal rubbing.

Yao Yuan covered her ears and sat up, only to see the girl grinding the iron chain on her leg. “Why do you have a chain on your foot?”

The girl didn’t lift her head: “They put it on me this morning. They said they want me to wear it until I give birth to a son.”

The old woman wasn’t in the room; she was probably eating breakfast.

“You can’t grind through an iron chain like this. You need tools or a key.” Yao Yuan shook her head in disapproval: “They’ll hit you if they hear the noise and get annoyed.”

“So what? Let them hit me.”

“You should wait until they are less guarded before escaping. If they find out what you’re doing, they’ll watch you more closely.”

Hearing this, the girl finally looked up at Yao Yuan: “Are you going to escape too?”

Yao Yuan hesitated, hinting: “I have a relative who has the ability to find me. Maybe things will be fine in a few days.”

The girl snorted, then lowered her head and resumed her clanging: “I thought you had some guts. Just wait for them to make you give birth to ten or eight poisonous brats.”

Right, no one would believe an empty promise…

Yao Yuan suddenly noticed the coarse paper in the corner of the bed: There’s coarse paper here. I should try the talismans. A talisman has three components: spiritual power, a medium, and an incantation.

She picked up one sheet, drew a rough talisman with saliva, and tried to light it.

Yao Yuan silently recited the incantation, holding a faint hope: What if it works? Her fingertip felt warm, but nothing happened.

She moved her finger, and a tear appeared on the paper underneath, either from burning or piercing: The edges show a slight scorch mark, so it probably had some effect.

A thought struck her. She tore off a few sheets of coarse paper and hid them on her body: If I’m taken to a dangerous place, I might have to rely on this to save my life. The technique that required three to five years of practice could only be a desperate last resort now.

Not long after, the old woman, looking triumphant, led her out. It seemed the woman had paid the money, and the girl was left behind.

The small car jolted and climbed the mountain road, moving farther and farther away from human civilization.

Finally, the car stopped at a house on the roadside, far from the village. Everyone got out and continued on foot.

The old woman walked in front, the blind man brought up the rear, and Yao Yuan felt a prickling sense of danger between them. The farther she walked, the stronger the feeling of danger became.

She unconsciously swallowed. If I were to draw a Tarot card for myself right now, it would definitely be Death, upright.

No, I can’t think about that. She lightly patted her chest, where the paper was hidden. The basic book of magic said that using blood from the fingertip or heart was an easier way to activate a spell in special circumstances…

“We don’t bother with betrothal gifts or wedding ceremonies here,” the old woman said, opening the door and glaring at her fiercely.

Yao Yuan’s heart pounded like a drum. The shadow of death instantly enveloped her. The intensity of her intuition was even stronger than when she had been near death before.

“I’m a little tired today. Can whatever it is wait until tomorrow?”

“Go to hell!” The old woman kicked Yao Yuan inside: “Blind Man! Go sort out your wife!”

As soon as the blind man entered, the old woman violently locked the door: “Don’t let her out until she’s disciplined. Don’t forget the skills Granny taught you.”

A thread of blood spilled from her lip.

That saves me from biting my finger.

She pulled out the paper from her clothes, tremblingly wiped the blood from her lip, and used her forefinger to dip into the tiny bit of blood, hoping to smudge out a talisman.

As she pretended to wipe her mouth, the man didn’t step forward, which gave her a flicker of unrealistic hope. Yao Yuan pleaded in a voice filled with extreme sorrow: “Can you let me go? I’ll give you a lot of money! Even if you can’t, please give me a few days…”

I am not a devil who doesn’t lie.

Yao Yuan secretly mused: If there is even the slightest chance, she must bring these criminals to justice and prevent them from harming more innocent people.

The blind man was noncommittal. In Yao Yuan’s horrified eyes, he lifted a stool and smashed it down.

Yao Yuan instinctively used her shoulder to block the blow. A searing pain shot through her back.

The man didn’t give her a chance to recover, mechanically beating the prone Yao Yuan again and again, as if hitting a lifeless sack of rice.

He struck her five times before stopping, each blow delivered with full force.

In the intense pain, Yao Yuan could tell her right shoulder was likely broken. Ordinarily, a broken shoulder would have her sobbing uncontrollably, but she was now even calmer. She curled up under the threat of death, pressing the finished talisman to her lips and silently reciting the incantation over and over.

Her vision was blurring. “Fortunately,” more blood was pouring from her lip, greatly increasing the chance of the talisman activating.

She tensed her body, waiting for the man to approach, but he moved a few steps away and pulled a… chain from under the table?

Yao Yuan stared blankly at the iron chain in his hand, the end of which was connected to a cold, gleaming hook.

“What… is this?” The sweet, coppery taste of blood flooded her mouth. She clenched the crucial talisman in her hand, waiting for her one and only chance.

“The house doesn’t need you for farming or cleaning.”

“…” She didn’t understand.

The blind man stepped closer, holding a chisel in his other hand: “It doesn’t matter if your legs are broken. I’ll take care of you and feed you twice a day. You just have to give birth to children, and remember to teach them well later.”

“…” Yao Yuan’s eyes sharpened, and her heart sank to the bottom: I can’t be depressed or weak anymore.

You die, I live That’s all there is to it.

The man’s heart flashed with an ominous feeling as he looked at her gaze, and he paused his steps. But his contempt for women made him dismiss the worry and continue to hold the chisel and chain in front of him. He held them tightly, making sure he wouldn’t drop the weapons.

Three, two, one…

“You have one last chance—” Yao Yuan’s eyes did not blink.

At the same moment, he raised the chisel. The chance had arrived.

She intentionally let him see clearly that what was in her hand was a crumpled piece of paper, then spread it open and threw it straight at him! It was the only moment when his hands were raised to attack and he wouldn’t have time to dodge.

A piece of paper held no deterrence. The blind man didn’t flinch or evade, focusing only on aiming for Yao Yuan’s leg: He must hit a little lower, just crush the ankle, crushing the knee is too troublesome…

Crack. The bloodied strip of paper stuck to his skin.

A sizzling, tingling sensation. His vision suddenly blurred. The blind man’s consciousness was interrupted for one second, just one second.

However, the momentum of his downward swing couldn’t be stopped. He had put too much force into the chop, and his entire body lunged forward.

Then, his wrist went slack, and the handle of the chisel was pulled away.

“Ah!!!!” Excruciating pain! A sudden sharp pain in his back!

What he saw was Yao Yuan with bloodshot eyes. The frail girl was incredibly holding the chisel with both hands, raising her arm again with an unimaginable determination!

The blind man clenched his fists. He believed that even with his bare hands, he wouldn’t die at the hands of such a young girl!!

Boom! Boom! What was that sound?

The house vibrated violently. No, perhaps it was more than just the small house; the mountains were roaring! An earthquake?!

“Xiao Yuan, I’m here.” A voice from the depths of Purgatory suddenly rang out.