CH 14

Chapter 14 Slave Mark 

When Liu Zhongming came home to take a shower, Du Quan had already smartly sent the person over. 

But, it was not what he expected. 

His gaze flicked over Du Quan, who was panicked and under the steps, and landed at Du Quan’s feet. 

Du Quan appraised his eyes and hurriedly gestured to the side. Several of his servants stepped forward and unfolded the crumpled cloth to reveal the young man wrapped in it. 

The young man was naked, his hands tied behind him, and he was curled up as if in a coma. He was bloodstained and he couldn’t see his original face. He could only see how he badly he was beaten before he came.

“Prince Sir, please be magnanimous,” Du Quan gritted his teeth with hatred, but he only showed it a little and could only forcefully smile: “This little person brought him over. As long as it can relieve your anger, he will be handled by you. This little person has already eliminated his slave mark, so whether he is dead or alive, it will be up to you.” 

Liu Zhongming has heard of what it means to eliminate one’s slave mark. 

Anyone who becomes a slave must leave their owner’s brand mark, or name or coat of arms on their body. If the slave mark is removed and given to others, it is left at the disposal of others, regardless of life or death. 

Seeing his eyes sink, Du Quan was even more panicked and didn’t know where to put his hands. 

They are both in business, but he naturally knew what Liu Zhongming loved the most. He even secretly planned that if the prince took the opportunity to ask for money, he will simply step down on it and kill the little beast on the spot. 

“My prince,” Du Quan smiled humbly, squatted down, and grabbed the young man on the ground by the hair. He raised his face: “He is really crazy and this small person has already taught him a severe lesson. If Sir Prince is afraid of getting his hands dirty, this small person can help you…” 

His pleasing voice lowered Liu Zhongming’s gaze. 

“Boss Du, if you can cure his madness, why should you send it to me?” Liu Zhongming curled his lips, but there was no smile in his eyes: “If you killed him, what am I to play with?” 

Du Quan was sweating like he was under the rain. He only bowed his head and said, “Yes, yes…”

The butler standing at the bottom of the steps couldn’t help but look at Liu Zhongming’s face. 

It is said that amiability makes you rich. In his impression, The prince’s self-restraint was very good and he had always been very gentle. Although some people say that it is a fox’s fake smile, it had been a long time since the prince had looked so unpleasant. 

The prince was usually unhappy because of one thing——money, can it be… he secretly glanced at the young man on the ground. Did this kid make the prince bankrupt? 

It wasn’t until Du Quan led the people to leave in a hurry that he stepped forward and asked, “Prince, what should I do with this person?” 

Hearing what was just said, this child will probably not survive. 

It’s a pity, he was still so young. 

“Call the residence’s doctor.” Liu Zhongming raised his eyebrows when he looked at the butler’s puzzled eyes, and said again: “Call the residence’s doctor and treat him with all his strength. Whatever medicinal materials are required, you can purchase. You don’t need to ask me.” 

“Yes……” The butler was taken aback. Before he had time to ask again, he saw Liu Zhongming turned back to the house and couldn’t help but look at the young man lying on the ground. 

Whether it’s the conversation just now or the slave ring on his wrist, it shows the identity of this child. For such a bruised slave, he wanted to buy medicine with no regard to cost? 

His inquiring gaze flicked over and followed his attendant who went to the banquet with him who answered him with a shake of his head, a similar confusion on his face. 

Not only him, but Bai Shiyan who followed him into the study afterwards was also asking this question. 

“Zhongming, you asked for him from Du Quan’s hands to save him? Why? Do you know him? Do you like him?”

Even though he asked, he knew that it was the first time that Zhongming saw that little monster on the street that time. It’s even more impossible for him to like it. Who doesn’t know that An Ding Marquis’s prince only loves money. 

So Bai Shiyan didn’t understand: “Is it because you dreamed of him? That’s ridiculous.” 

He reminded: “It’s okay for you to kill him now. If you want to redeem him, do you believe that Du Quan will dare scare you with a sky-high price? I heard that the little monster was bought only for a few silver, yet it cost three hundred for a divination. Du Quan actually dared to ask for it.” 

Faced with his friends’ chattering, Liu Zhongming was quite patient after listening. He smiled: “Shiyan, I remember my father and uncle taught us that if there is something strange, it must have a cause. To get to the heart of the matter, there must surely be some gains.” 

“Strange? Do you think that kid is strange?” Bai Shiyan thought for a while: “I don’t think Jiang Xingzhi has any good intentions.” 

“Great minds think alike. Jiang Xingzhi has never had any good intent, but unfortunately, there is no way to tie Jiang Xingzhi to our courtyard to torture him for information.” Liu Zhongming helplessly spread his hands: “I can only settle for the second best thing.” 

Bai Shiyan wrinkled his brows and considered for a moment: “You want to learn something from the little monster? He is like a mute person and he’s crazy, he just…cough cough…” 

Although he was a little sorry for his friend, he couldn’t help but want to laugh when he thought of the appearance of Zhongming being poured with tea. 

With a flick of Liu Zhongming’s finger, a small pen went straight to Bai Shiyan, but was dodged. 

“Okay, okay, I won’t laugh anymore.” Bai Shiyan held back a smile: “Unexpectedly, we laughed at Panhe before, but look at how karma comes around…”

“Do you really think he is crazy?” Liu Zhongming didn’t want to debate with him. Going straight to the point, he asked straightforwardly: “Don’t you think that his eyes are not suitable for his identity?” 

Bai Shiyan didn’t put his energy on Qu Chenzhou, and naturally didn’t see the fast sweep of his eyes: “Why is it unsuitable? Because he grew up? It must be different from when he was a child.” 

Liu Zhongming shook his head. 

Such a calm and steady gaze shouldn’t be a gaze that a teenager should have. Even if others always say that he was young and mature, he can’t guarantee that he can still be so calm and indifferent under bondage. 

Because he had been living in such harsh treatment this entire time? Impossible. 

He has seen many slaves, but those people have had to lower their eyes all their lives. Their eyes were numb, desperate, or panicked. He has never seen any slaves with such a temperament. 

It can even be said to be noble? 

At this point, Liu Zhongming didn’t even think about it. He felt that he was panicking and treating everyone as an enemy. 

He can only observe slowly. 

“Also, how many people were there at the banquet?” 

Bai Shiyan was taken aback: “Eleven or twelve, what’s the matter?” 

“Shi Yan, did you know that the gaze given to people you know and strangers are different? This is instinct, and no one can fake it.” 

Liu Zhongming was convinced of this: “I think he at least knows you, me and Jiang Xingzhi, and it is very likely that he also knows Qi Wang.” 

“Maybe he’s seen us before?” Bai Shiyan felt that this statement was a bit mysterious: “Can you have read it wrong?”

“Maybe.” Liu Zhongming no longer said anything more. He only slowly jotted down these elusive doubts on a paper—— Now that the person was already in his hands, he naturally had more opportunities to observe. 

There were more mysterious things he didn’t tell Bai Shiyan. 

When the little monster looked at him, there was a feeling of deja vu unexpectedly. 

Qu Chenzhou gradually awakened from the pain of a hundred limbs. He was too familiar with this pain, and also familiar with the taste of being hung up on the verge of death. 

At this moment, he thought that he was still in a dark prison. In his dazed state, he repeatedly thought…..why didn’t I die? Why did they give him such a long-standing hope?

After enduring a while, he can get closer to Zhongming. 

“Zhongming…” 

The unconscious groan made him completely awake. 

He touched his throat, and his eyes became clear in the dim candlelight—the strange bed curtains, the strange decorations, and the strangeness all around him. 

Not being mute, this was not a dark prison, and it was not Qisheng Building. It was a completely unfamiliar environment. 

The room was very quiet and there were no other people. He sat up with trembling arms and braced himself. His whole body was painful as if he had been torn into pieces and was patched up. The back of his waist was especially painful like a piece of meat was gouged out. 

When he was dragged out of the wing, he had given up struggling.

During Du Quan’s mad screams, he accepted the lashes like raindrops wordlessly until the soldering iron from the brazier came close to the slave mark on his back. Then suppressing his scream, he lost consciousness. 

So he couldn’t understand at all, why he would wake up in this environment. 

Qu Chenzhou lowered his head to look at the wounds on his body that had been properly handled, and the soft and close-fitting silk clothes. The arms under the silk clothes still had traces of bluish purple. 

If it weren’t for the injuries on his body, he would almost think he had been killed, and he had resurrected again inexplicably. 

He took a look at the bronze mirror on the side of the bed. The ugly scars on his face were vertical and horizontal, and the thin face of the young boy really looked like he was fourteen years old. 

He didn’t die, he actually survived. He smiled wryly in his heart—— he didn’t know who saved him this time. 

His body hurt badly, and his chest was tight. According to his previous experience, there should be blood congestion that hasn’t been vomited out. He couldn’t get out of bed, so he could only stay on the bed and look at the environment he was in. 

The room was not very decorated, but was clean and tidy. It can be seen that the owner was a low-key and self-disciplined person. A faint fragrance wafted from the incense burner not far away, which made people feel much calmer and peaceful. 

He had only lived in Qisheng Building and the Palace in the past, which were the extremes of dirt and the heavenly palace, so it was not clear what kind of family would arrange a place like this.

The owner was very attentive. The kettle and teacup were placed on a small table not far from the bed. The water was still warm and within reach. At the side, there were also some light refreshments and porridge with the temperature just right. 

He was so injured that he couldn’t get out of bed, and he also didn’t rush to check what was going on outside the room. His long experience let him know that being too proactive and rushing might not necessarily bring in good results. 

Since the master was kind and he didn’t care about his life or death, what can’t be done slowly? 

He didn’t know how long he had been sleeping for, but his stomach was really uncomfortable. He leaned on the bed, first touched the teacup and made a little noise. After waiting for a while, no one came in, so he rinsed his mouth. 

After several attempts, he could not vomit the blood congestion, so he could only take the bowl of porridge, eat until he was 70% full, then fall asleep again. 

He did not know how long he slept until he was awakened by the noise outside the door. 

At first there was only a mess of footsteps, then there were people shouting to open the path. The sound of all these noises receded when the door was opened, then only an elegant young voice asked: “Why has the person not woken up?” 

This familiar voice, Qu Chenzhou couldn’t help but tremble under the quilt. 

It’s really enemies on a narrow road, it might have been better off to be beaten to death by Du Quan in Qisheng Building.