178 Chapter 17His tears rolled down his cheeks onto the sparkly clean floor. Like little dew drops, it got soaked in without any trace left behind. “I couldn’t help you at all master....” Xia cried aloud.

Day or night he did not know, but time passed on without him being aware. He laid on the bed unmoving, watching the familiar ceiling. After a while his stomach ached all of a sudden.

He rolled over, hugging himself close. “Long....I’m hurt and sad, where are you?” he whispered sadly.

His heart ached badly. He softly sobbed and rolled out of bed. Dragging his tired legs, he walked over to the spring lake. He suddenly tripped over something. In the dark he squatted down and blindly searched with his hands outstretched. His fingers met something cold. He glanced at the cauldron, which was casually near the bed and choked.

It was collecting dust. He cleaned it with his sleeve and placed it safely next to his pillow. He rushed over to the little bottle on the table next to the bed. It was the bottle which contained his spirit dust. He carefully put it inside the cauldron and placed it on a nearby shelf.

Just as he was doing so, a book fell off the shelf right onto him. It hit him right on his face. Without any expression he removed the book from his face and placed it back on the shelf, but there was something else behind it. He pulled out a wrapped up leather bag from the space. His trebling hands opened it slowly. It was nothing but a small black knife.

Groaning, Xia went back to the bed. He placed his leg onto the bed and glanced at his shin. The little golden anklet jingled softly. He tried to pry it open with the knife, but the anklet was undamaged.

“Why won’t you break?” he shouted and hit it continuously. But none of his efforts paid off.

Xia plopped on the bed tiredly and hugged his knees close. With his hand on his eyes, he peered at the glove intently. “Why won’t you work as well? Aren’t you supposed to be a heaven rank artefact?” he whispered and caressed it. Unlike usual it did not react to his touch, he sighed. “This stupid anklet! if not for this...I could have easily jumped off the boat,”

.....

When he was captured, that scar faced and had placed this golden anklet on him without Xia being aware. It was a golden punishment thread. In heaven realm, when a prisoner was captured they use this thread to lock their spiritual energy.

“That man, how did he get his hands on such a treasure?” Xia whispered softly and once again went back to sighing and dazedly watching the ceiling.

“I want Long....I want to see him.... I don’t want to be here. Maybe, I should go out for a breather. I will come back in a second,” he briskly got up and patted his clothes clean. It was still covered with blue shimmering dust that his master’s soul left behind.

With renewed hope, he hopped over to the spring, took a nice hot bath and dressed up neatly.

He gently picked up the pearl on the table and took a deep breath. “It’s going to be okay...it is,”

The pearl transported him outside; he suddenly appeared inside the familiar but unfamiliar ship’s room. He glanced out the window. It was till dark. “Thank god. I thought I would be caught....eep,” he glanced back. There was a dark figure sitting on the bed.

His legs tapped intermittently on the ground. “so you have a spirit space. Did not expect that, totally did not expect that,” he whispered and glanced up. His blue-green eyes glared right into his wide ones.

Xia trembled slightly. He held the pearl up, but the man suddenly plucked it from his hands. Xia reached out to it, but he held it up high from his reach.

“give it to me!! Give me!” he shouted, jumping.

The blue-haired Kirin chuckled humourlessly. “You really tricked me little crayfish, I totally did not expect that from you,” he then tossed the peal out the window.

“NOO!!” Xia rushed over, but it was too late. The pearl had already been swallowed into the deep blue ocean. “Why did you do that?” he shouted back at him.

“Why shouldn’t I do that? I think you are forgetting something crucial here,” he loomed over him. Xia watched him and stepped back slowly. But suddenly he grabbed him and pulled him over to the bed. “You are forgetting that you are less than a slave here. Just because I treated you a little better doesn’t mean anything,” he slowly pulled Xia’s legs apart.

This was the moment Xia started panicking,. He had no self defense. His spiritual powers are locked; his sword is not in hand. He kicked and screamed, but no one bothered. “Let go, please,” he shouted, glancing at him with tears in his eyes.

The scar faced man paused. He took out a golden thread from his sleeve and tied his ankle to the bed’s leg firmly. “What did you think I was going to do? I assure you, you are not to my taste. That little prince, on the other hand, he was delicious,” he licked his lips provocatively.

Xia yanked his foot out and rolled himself in his sheet. ‘I should not have come out...now my master’s space is lost. Even his spirit dust is gone,’ silent tears rolled down his face. His breath hitched as he sobbed loudly.

“Hey, I didn’t even do anything to you. Why the hell are you crying,” the Kirin impatiently shouted. He yanked the bed sheet away violently and glanced at his trembling form. “You happily stayed inside the space for two days; you know I was the one who had to take the heat. That guy, even though he is smoking hot, is a bloody ass. He chewed me out bit but bit, see,” he pulled his shirt down exposing his naked shoulder. There was a huge burn mark on his left shoulder, which was still oozing blood. “See, I told you to look,” he pulled Xia forward and showed his wound to him.

Xia turned his face away and sobbed loudly. “You mean man, why did you do that. My master...my master’s remains were in it,” he cried loudly. Tears and snot ran down his face, but he was least bothered. He hid his face with his hands and continued sobbing.

“Stop it! It’s not even that big of an issue. Here, eat,” the Kirin held out a food tray. It had freshly roasted fish. “I cooked it myself. Eat,” he held it close to his face.

Xia did not bother looking. He glanced at the ground and continued sobbing loudly.

“Oh my god, my ears are ringing, can you stop it. You are giving me no other choice,” the Kirin shoved the fish directly into his open mouth.

Xia choked. He spat out the fish and wiped his mouth clean. Somehow the greasy feeling of the fish and the fishy scent made him extremely nauseous.

“That’s rude; it took me an hour to make this....”

Xia shoved past him and rushed over to the window. He put his head out and puked his guts out. His throat ached and his eyes watered uncontrollably. Just the scent of sea made him sicker. He wiped his mouth and closed the window.

“Are you sea sick?” the man whispered with a frown.

Xia finally glanced at him without any expression. “Get out please,”

The man peered at him, huffed and left.

Xia silently picked up the fish and tossed it out. He plopped on the bed and tiredly rolled himself into a burrito. “Long, I hope you come soon...I hope you find me...or else...I might even be tempted to jump out,” he mumbled as sleep took over.

The next day he woke up when the sun was high above them. He tiredly did his morning routine and glanced at the side table. There was a tray with soup and milk. He took one sip of it, but it was too fishy. He grimaced and spat it out.

Just like that, he spent three days. Every time a tray was silently laid next to his bed. He tasted each time and tossed it out the window.

He had never been so averse to this fishy smell, but these few days he was not able to eat anything.

Three days of not eating his figure slimmed down exponentially. He was constantly tired and slept through the day.

“You have to eat,” the scar faced man growled.

Xia shook his head and faced away from him. The man grabbed the tray, placed on the table and went out. But all of a sudden he passed next to the door. “Did you eat anything?”

He did not get an answer, he grunted. “Hey at least answer darn it,” he glanced back with a glare. But He did not see Xia anywhere. “Did he jump out?” he anxiously whispered and rushed in. Near the bed he saw an unconscious figure on the ground.