Еvеn mоrе terrifyinglу, hе quiсklу ignitеd a fire within her bоdу. She did not knоw what it signified, but shе undеrstооd with hоrrоr that if she did nоt struggle, she would surely die оf shаme оncе thе асt was dоnе!
Не lаughed! Нe was triumphаnt аnd arrоgant. He sеized her hаnds, and no mаttеr hоw shе triеd tо turn hеr facе аwaу, hе аlwaуs found а wаy to kiss hеr smаll, crimsоn mouth.
He bеgan to undo his оwn сlоthes. Shе would not be а blосk of iсе; hе knеw thаt оne dау, she wоuld welсome him willinglу—onсе hе beсаmе hеr only man...
Yеs, she was merely а female slаve for his аmusemеnt; thеre wоuld never be anything more between them. He believed this with absolute confidence—after all, it was her beauty that had, for the first time in his life, sparked a desire for possession toward a woman. Even as the Yilijin of the Yelü Tribe, it was not excessive to possess a Han concubine. Casting all other thoughts aside, he began to treat her with a wild abandon—though, without meaning to, he still showed a gentleness born of the fear of hurting her. She was so petite—yet this small, frail body brought him a pleasure he had never known before, until even his last shred of reason vanished. He had originally only intended to vent his lust, but afterward, he discovered with chagrin that he had become too invested.
When everything finally calmed down, he carried her into the pool, only to find that he had still hurt her. It turned out that even his gentlest strength was still too heavy for her.
She refused to face him. She turned her back to him, crossing her arms over her chest, as tears dripped one by one into the pool. she refused to let herself sob aloud. She was not mourning her innocence; rather, she was ashamed to find that her body had reacted beyond her control—her resistance had eventually turned into compliance, and when she drifted back to consciousness from the heat of passion, she found herself holding him! She was no different from a prostitute! She was a prostitute, she had to be! Otherwise, no woman with any sense of shame would have responded to a man she did not love. Especially in a place like this—how could she ever uphold the dignity of the Jun family’s eldest daughter again? She was no longer worthy!
The fading color of her Guardian Palace Cinnabar served as a further reminder of the shamelessness she had displayed. She only wished she could die at that moment, but his arms were wrapped around her, giving her no chance to take her own life.
Her heart ached so much! How much longer would this man torture her?
Chapter 3
He no longer made her wash clothes, nor did he compel her to skin those disgusting furs. Was this the price her body had paid?
He certainly knew how to calculate!
In two more days, the camp would be moved, yet she was guarded even more strictly. Now, she could only stay within his tent; otherwise, no matter where she went, someone would follow. If it wasn't Dahe Jiyao, it was Duoluo Qi. Whenever Yelü Lie went out, he would surely leave a deputy to watch over her.
Occasionally, at dusk, he would pull her onto his horse and gallop through the mountain forests. She understood his intent—he was warning her that the only outcome of escape was death. The Helan Mountains were wild and desolate; if she tried to leave alone, she would likely wander in circles through these woods until she died.
He was a man of volatile temper. She had once seen him whip a subordinate for falling out of formation during training; to this day, that man still could not get off his kang.
If she ever provoked him to the point where he wanted to whip her, it would probably only take one strike for her to be liberated. However, thus far, his punishment for her remained the heartless fondling of her body. He knew all too well that her body had been awakened by him, one part at a time, and he took pleasure in watching her struggle with herself.
She had become weak. She often wept when he was away, fuming at her powerlessness against all of this. Her home in Jiangnan was moving further and further away; would she ever have the chance to return alive? Her elderly father, her young sister—was there anyone to look after them? Was there anyone to manage the vast family estate? Were there any unscrupulous merchants cheating her kind-hearted old father? He would surely be easily deceived!
As long as she lived another day, she had to go back! She looked down at her lower abdomen, instinctively shielding it. She could not get pregnant! She would not bear his bastard! But for a man as powerful as him, making her conceive would be a simple matter. Once she had a child with him, she would be inextricably tied to him forever. She wouldn't love that child; she definitely wouldn't! She could not bear children for him while her heart was filled with hatred.
Thus, after Yelü Lie went out, she went to find the old woman. Dahe Jiyao was the one guarding her today; he almost never spoke, which meant he wouldn't go out of his way to tell Yelü Lie about her visiting the old woman.
The old woman gave her a long, deep look.
"I cannot give you that kind of medicine. The Chief would kill me!"
"He won't! He wouldn't care for a child of mixed blood." But he might be angry that she dared to do such a thing; he was the only one allowed to reject, while she was not permitted to refuse.
The old woman still shook her head.
"If the day comes that you are pregnant and the Chief decides he does not want it, I will brew a cleansing tonic for you; but not now."
She turned and left! She did not want to be treated cruelly after conceiving; if she didn't want the child, she should prevent it from existing in the first place.
Just as she stepped out of the old woman’s small tent, she saw those two Western Xia women. They were looking at her with ill intent. Dahe Jiyao remained inside the old woman’s tent, perhaps giving some instructions.
Jun Qiluo’s face remained cold and her chin held high, refusing to let any emotion show in her eyes.
Li Xing pulled a small oil-paper packet from inside her collar.
"Do you know why we don't get pregnant? As long as you take this medicine, I guarantee you won't have any trouble for the rest of your life."
Jun Qiluo did not move or speak. She didn't believe these two had any good intentions. She was already ruined at Yelü Lie’s hands; there would never be another man in her life. Since she was unwilling to bear Yelü Lie’s children, being sterile for the rest of her life didn't matter—she didn't care! However, what did they want from her? She understood well enough that there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Li Yutao pulled her hand affectionately and took the oil-paper packet from Li Xing.
"Oh, just take it! We are the same kind of people. How tragic it would be to get pregnant for a man for whom you have no feelings! As long as you don't mind letting the Chief visit us occasionally, we sisters will be very happy. Here, go take it quickly! Just dissolve it in water and drink it all at once."
Without a word, Jun Qiluo pulled a bracelet from her wrist and gave it to them. "Consider this the price for the medicine."
It was a Jade Ring carved from high-quality white jade, featuring a landscape scene; it was quite precious. Yelü Lie had given it to her three days ago, like a tip for a prostitute; no matter how good, beautiful, or precious it was, she didn't care for it.
As she turned to enter her tent, she heard the Li sisters crying out in excitement, shouting that it was a treasure! The silver they earned here likely wasn't worth as much as that Jade Ring.
Li Xing pulled Li Yutao back toward the Red Tent, her eyes filled with the look of a successful scheme.
"Once she drinks all of it, forget about never having children; I'm afraid she'll bleed from below until she dies. Who does she think she is, acting all pure and noble? She’s nothing but a female slave! Hmph!"
"Ha—she deserves it! That medicine is only supposed to be taken once a month, and only a tiny bit each time. If she drinks it all, even if she survives, she won't be able to let a man touch her again."
Their voices faded as they entered the Red Tent. Meanwhile, Dahe Jiyao, who had rushed out of the old woman’s tent, sprinted into the Chief’s tent.
"You—what are you doing?" Jun Qiluo looked at him in despair as he poured the medicine out of the tent and into the soil. She didn't understand why Dahe Jiyao was stopping her.
Dahe Jiyao kept his lips tightly sealed. When he saw that there was still a bit of powder on the oil paper on the table, he grabbed it along with the teapot and took them outside. Then, she heard the sound of the teapot being smashed. For the rest of the time, Dahe Jiyao stood guard outside the tent, giving her no chance to leave.
Jun Qiluo collapsed onto the carpet, putting her finger in her mouth and biting down hard to keep herself from crying out. Without the medicine, she would have to live in constant fear of pregnancy!
All these Khitan people deserved to die! Even if she was a captive, she was still a human being! They let their Chief decide what happened to her body, but wouldn't give her the slightest human right to decide her own fate. If a fetus was already growing in her womb, how could they have the heart to abort it! Ha! She understood perfectly well; Yelü Lie never intended to treat her well. Making her suffer was what brought him the most satisfaction!
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