CH 3

III Peril

♚♔

I’ve been thrown into the prison again but this time around I get better treatment. A doctor has come to check on my wounds the past few days and the food isn’t moldy anymore.

I take a deep breath in and immerse myself in water, not giving a care in the world, not to Murong Yu or what they have planned for me. I mean, having a bucket of bath water after long days of interrogation to wash off the dried blood and plastered dirt is just fantastic.

But would it kill them to heat up the water?

Stingy bastards.

I put on some clean garments and pull back my wet hair using the water as a mirror then stroll out the prison doors and past the guards with a smirk, feeling more refreshed than ever.

Candlelight flickers and feminine perfumes mixed with alcohol and sand waft out from Murong Yu’s tent. He lies on a ta, eyes closed, slightly distracted. A few strands of hair hang loose lazily on his shoulders. His clear fair skin can be observed from the open collar of a snow-white robe. A woman barely wearing anything is beating his back lightly with a seductive smile.

So, this is what comes from one raised by the royal family. The beauty behind him can’t even compare to his exquisite complexion. Tsk tsk, if he was a commoner, he’d probably be… Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves. From the looks of it, they’ve already had plenty of fun in here.

Snapping out of my reverie, I notice that he has opened his eyes and his lips curve slightly upwards.

“I have discovered that you enjoy daydreaming quite a bit, Deputy General Han,” he says before taking a sip from the green jade cup handed to him by the woman.

I wanted to say a smart retort but stayed silent because nothing good came to mind.

He gives a look to the woman and her smile disappears. She steps down from the ta and shuffles grumpily out of the tent.

“What appears to be the matter, Deputy General?” he inquires after putting down his cup. “Nothing for me today?”

“No common language, I’m afraid,” I reply casually.

He gives an amused chuckle in response before taking another sip and unintentionally glancing over me.

“What a loyal subject. Unfortunately the other prisoners have not exactly been.”

I glance up at him cautiously. He looks smug and puts down his cup but remains on the ta.

“See, we caught another soldier today. He was much more cooperative than you; just a few whippings and he gave us everything,” he brags.

Another soldier? Just wait until I get my hands on him.

“Glaring at me will not help anything,” he laughs amusingly. “I just wanted to inform you of the inevitable defeat of Rope Hill Creek.”

He fixes his robe a bit, steps down from the ta and stops in front of me. His gaze wanders over me; his smile ambiguous. “Well, well, well, you certainly look sharper with some fresh garments.”

I turn away and avoid his gaze.

“You were so skilled with your words. Why are they so few today? Honestly I am not quite accustomed to it.”

“The fuck you want with me?”

He stops, shocked, and then guffaws while I wait patiently.

“After all this torture, this is what you wanted right? Now that you’ve had your wish, grant me mine. I merely wish for a quick end.”

♚♔

The candles in the prison burn depressingly, accentuating the eeriness and desolation.

I bury myself furiously into the grassy bundle. Dim light casts in from the windows. This sort of environment normally makes you drowsy but I am extremely alert.

Murong Yu said at the latest tomorrow night but if General Zhou is there I doubt the Pass will fall that soon. Even though the majority of forces are placed at Hill South Pass, Rope Hill Creek has been a heavily-guarded, elaborately planned point.

According to my knowledge, if…

My head drops. What does it matter what I know if I’m stuck in here?

I’d rather ride off to somewhere faraway and live a free life. I will live on and leave this place alive, I quietly tell myself, leave Great Rui alive and live on for a free life.

I hear some shuffling from the cell across from mine. I squint and catch a glimpse of a tenebrous figure through the dim firelight scuffle out from a grass pile.

No way! That looks like-

The figure wavers and jumps onto the cell door.

“Han Xin!” he calls.

“You!”

Something clicks in my head.

After waiting for that guy to finish crying and wipe his snot, I snap at him, “Are you fucking done?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he sniffs.

This guy is Xie Zhen, the only son of the Minister of Defense, Xie Yun. I only hold the title of a dandy but this guy is the real deal. Drinking, prostitution, gambling; name it, he does it. With his father there to protect him, he raped and killed a young woman and it was only after they discovered she was the daughter of an influential family that his father hurriedly sent him to the army to get away from the heat. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?

It’s obvious that Xie Zhen has been interrogated. You wouldn’t call it a bloody mess but it was definitely hard to look at. His hair is all tangled up, whip marks cover his face and purplish red marks peek out from the gashes in his clothes.

I turn helplessly to the ceiling, suddenly bummed out. 

My god, why did this guy have to be here?! What did I do to deserve this?

He sniffs and looks at me pathetically. “So they got you, too, huh.”

I give him a shrug for an answer.