Before Su Su was thrown into the storeroom, her last two talisman papers and soul-nailing spikes, even the bell at her waist, were all confiscated.
This ship was Tantai Jin's vessel returning to the Zhou Kingdom. No matter how filthy the place might be, it couldn't be too terrible.
Yet it was indeed bitterly cold.
The winter night's harsh wind blew in, piercing through one's bones like needles, bringing stinging pain.
Unable to remove the black cloth covering her eyes, Su Su could only shift her position, crouching behind several wooden barrels to block the chilling wind.
The ship had already set sail.
The storeroom was far from the upper decks. From the sound of the waves, one could tell the wind was strong tonight.
Shivering, Su Su felt herself nearly frozen stiff.
Tantai Jin had thrown her here, of course he wouldn't care whether she lived or died.
Confirming no one was around, Su Su smiled.
"Blazing Fire, burn!"
The last talisman paper drifted out from her collar - fortunately no one had searched there.
The surroundings were illuminated, instantly becoming warm. A cluster of flames circled around Su Su, flying around her several times before finally burning through the ropes binding her hands and feet.
Su Su breathed a sigh of relief. This was the benefit of thorough preparation before going out.
Relying on heaven or earth is not as good as relying on oneself.
She brought her frozen hands close to the firelight, and soon her fingers became flexible and soft again. Su Su exhaled a breath, stood up and brushed off the mud on her clothes.
Naturally, she couldn't possibly follow Tantai Jin to the Zhou Kingdom. However, this was actually a good opportunity to go to the Desolate Abyss.
As Third Miss Ye, she couldn't travel far from home - now was the perfect chance.
Su Su planned to go out and investigate, looking for an opportunity to disembark.
Unexpectedly, just as she reached the door, footsteps sounded outside.
Su Su quickly returned to her original spot, covering her eyes with the black cloth and binding herself with the ropes, though without actually tying knots this time.
With a flick of her finger, the flames surrounding her extinguished.
Someone pushed the door open and entered.
The footsteps were light, carrying the scent of outside wind and snow, before finally stopping beside her.
A soft sigh sounded.
"Are you hungry? Have something to eat."
Su Su recognized the voice - it was that "Madam."
The woman set down a food container and brought food to Su Su's lips. Su Su turned her head away: "Who are you?"
The woman said: "Don't worry, I won't harm you for now. You're still useful to His Highness. I won't let you die before we reach the Zhou Kingdom."
"What happened in the Zhou Kingdom?"
The woman paused: "I can't tell you that."
Cold wind poured in. The woman tightened her fox fur cloak, and Su Su could feel her examining her.
"I heard His Highness had someone he cherished in the Great Xia Kingdom - a kind girl who helped him greatly. That person wasn't Third Miss Ye, was it?"
Su Su thought to herself, indeed it wasn't.
The original host had never shown Tantai Jin any kindness. The person before her seemed to understand and care deeply about Tantai Jin.
Seeing Su Su remain silent, the woman said sternly: "Although you are His Highness's wife, you insulted and trampled upon him. Even if you weren't Ye Xiao's daughter, you wouldn't escape death."
"Are you seeking justice for him?" Su Su said. "I am indeed this malicious, of course I can't compare to your His Highness's beloved. If you want to see me filled with regret, that's most likely impossible. If Madam is unwilling to tell me about the situations in Great Xia and Zhou Kingdom, then please leave."
Su Su smiled: "I have no appetite for food. As you can see, Madam, I'm covered in filth and this storeroom is freezing. If you truly pity me and fear I might die, why not find me some warm clothes instead?"Seeing her so obstinate and showing no remorse, the other woman said displeasedly, "Indeed, you are Ye Xiao's daughter! Since His Highness has ordered you to stay here, you'd better atone for your sins properly."
She then stood up and left.
As soon as she was gone, Su Su discarded the rope and black cloth. A food container on the floor held some dishes that actually looked quite decent.
Though hungry, Su Su dared not eat anything they brought.
What a pity she didn’t get to see who this "Madam" was.
Su Su clutched her stomach and pouted.
What was that woman here for anyway? To see what kind of vicious woman Tantai Jin had been forced to marry in Great Xia? Or simply to mock her and make her repent for how she had mistreated Tantai Jin before?
Whatever the reason, Su Su wasn’t buying it.
She agilely slipped out of the storeroom, crouching low to observe her surroundings.
Su Su moved with extreme caution. She could tell that although Tantai Jin didn’t have many people with him, they were all highly skilled in martial arts, each capable of taking on ten opponents.
Even the young maid sweeping the floor moved with noticeably light steps, clearly trained in martial arts as well.
Not daring to venture to the upper decks, Su Su could only prowl around the middle level.
Starving, she followed a maid to the kitchen and hid for a long time. Only when everyone on the boat had fallen asleep did Su Su pick out some edible food to eat.
She took a few fire strikers from the kitchen, wrapping them in oilcloth for emergencies. With her divine fire spell gone, the fire strikers might come in handy later.
Su Su wanted to find a weapon, but Tantai Jin’s men didn’t leave such things lying around. She had no choice but to retreat and check the stern.
The river was wide, its banks blanketed in heavy snow. The boat sailed in the center, far from either shore.
Su Su estimated the distance and realized with disappointment that, unable to use Sword Control now, she couldn’t possibly make it across. If she tried swimming, she’d freeze to death in the water long before reaching the shore.
She felt a headache coming on—how could she possibly escape?
It was all the Seven-tailed Fox’s fault.
She wondered if the Seven-tailed Fox would seek out her second brother after he returned. This demon hunt had truly been a case of going for wool and coming back shorn.
Unable to fly or swim, Su Su had no choice but to return to the storeroom.
Dawn was approaching. If anyone discovered she had slipped out, it would spell trouble.
Dejectedly, she curled up in a corner, thinking she could only wait until the boat passed a bend, bringing it closest to the shore, and then attempt to jump and escape.
The woman walked over slowly, frowning as she caught the scent of blood in the air. "What happened?"
"Madam, this servant went to deliver clothes to His Highness this morning," the maid said, her face pale with terror, "but I saw... His Highness, he..."
She didn’t dare utter the rest.
"Madam" said, "You may leave."
The maid bowed, her heart filled with fear, and stumbled away unsteadily.
After hesitating for a moment, Madam pushed the door open and saw Tantai Jin sitting cross-legged.
Before him stood a massive cage, inside which was imprisoned a huge wolf demon. The wolf demon was bound by iron chains, unable to move, and was letting out suppressed roars.
Outside, the sky was a pale gray, and a faint mist rose over the water.
The young man, with his dark hair and crimson lips, reached out and extracted the wolf demon’s inner core. The wolf demon convulsed a few times and fell still.
Tantai Jin swallowed the inner core without looking up, using a handkerchief to wipe his hands. "You’re here. Have a seat."
His fingers were cold and slender, with distinct knuckles. As he wiped away the blood, his fingertips turned pale.
Before him stood several such iron cages.
There was even a bloody skeleton, its bones chillingly white. Though she had witnessed such scenes before, Madam still felt a wave of nausea.Tantai Jin spread his hand, a swirl of black energy gathering in his palm. A glimmer of light flickered in his eyes, yet within moments, the dark energy dissipated.
The smile in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy chill.
"Still not enough."
Madam gazed at the wolf demon's corpse and couldn't help advising, "Your Highness, since this method is unfeasible, perhaps we should seek another approach."
"Another approach?" Tantai Jin slowly savored the words, then said, "Unable to practice martial arts, cursed with poor constitution, born with damaged lungs—who knows how many years I have left. Aunt Lan'an, what other methods do you suggest?"
As he spoke, he covered half his face and laughed.
"Look at you, why so pale? Aunt Lan'an, surely you're not afraid of me too? Do you find this method utterly depraved?"
The woman's gentle face turned ashen, reminiscent of the Lan'an who had "abandoned" Tantai Jin years ago.
Lan'an quickly replied, "Your Highness, of course I'm not afraid of you. Whatever you do, I will assist you."
"As long as Your Highness requires, not just a few human-harming demons, but even great demons—the Night Shadows will capture them for you."
Tantai Jin nodded in satisfaction, wiping his fingers with a handkerchief. His fingers were cold and slender, with distinct knuckles. As the blood was wiped away, his jade-like fingertips appeared increasingly pale.
"I naturally trust Aunt Lan'an. You've proven your loyalty. I certainly won't treat you poorly. Nor should you pity them." He said, "All things in this world are equally tainted. Demons incapable of self-preservation will inevitably meet this end. I merely expedite their journey."
"Your Highness speaks wisely."
Tantai Jin looked at his hand: "Of course, I'm no different from them. Having absorbed so many inner cores, I'm irredeemably filthy."
Lan'an felt both sorrow and grief.
Over all these years, she occasionally questioned her initial decision, yet there was no turning back. Having chosen to nurture a demon, she couldn't truly stand by and watch him die.
Her life belonged to Consort Rou. Since Her Majesty wished for him to survive, Lan'an would ensure it happened.
The imperial physicians had said the young prince wouldn't live past ten, yet through demonic inner cores, he had now reached adulthood. Even if it was the wrong path, they had no choice but to continue.
Lan'an could only hope for Tantai Jin to grow stronger, ever stronger—whether cold-blooded, selfish, or ruthless—he must survive at all costs.
Studying Tantai Jin's handsome profile, Lan'an suddenly said, "The ship has sailed for two days. Today marks the third. I heard Your Highness didn't get along well with Third Miss Ye back in Great Xia."
Tantai Jin paused in wiping his fingers: "What are you implying?"
"Lan'an means to say that Third Miss Ye's actions toward Your Highness over the years would justify having her sliced to pieces. Yet, you've only confined her for two days. Left her in the storage room, untouched."
The air grew eerily still.
Tantai Jin said, "Ridiculous. Lan'an, surely you don't think I've developed feelings for her?"
Lan'an remained silent.
Though an absurd conjecture, she couldn't help entertaining the thought.
She had raised this young man before her—knew him better than anyone in the world.
He would gaze at her with pitch-black pupils, perplexed, asking: "What is life? What is death? If reincarnation exists, then death is but life."
"I merely guide them toward rebirth, Aunt Lan'an. Why do you weep?"
Tantai Jin was born cruel, yet remained unaware of his own nature.As a child, he would catch butterflies, slowly tightening his grip to watch their wings shatter.
Tantai Jin did not kill the butterfly that contaminated his food. In the end, the butterfly lost its wings, lay dying soaked in filthy water, and at some unknown hour of the night, gradually ceased to breathe.
When Lan An entered, the young boy was biting into the contaminated food, pointing innocently and obediently at the butterfly as he said, "Look, I've learned forgiveness."
But was that truly forgiveness?
No, it was a more contemptuous and mocking form of cruelty. Lan An had told him countless times that it was wrong, unacceptable, and that such behavior would make others see him as a monster.
Lost in thought, he gradually learned to achieve his desires through cleverer, more hypocritical means.
Two days earlier, upon seeing Su Su, Lan An believed she would ultimately become that butterfly—pale and fading away painfully in some night, vanishing from the world.
Yet the girl remained alive and well.
Lan An: ...
In the early morning, she went to the warehouse and saw Third Miss Ye curled up in a corner, arms wrapped around herself, her small face smudged with dirt, sleeping soundly.
The ship had sailed for two full days, nearly crossing beyond the borders of Great Xia, yet Tantai Jin had neither killed her nor humiliated her.
He had caught the butterfly but merely placed "it" aside, even seeming hesitant to touch "its" "wings."
Ye Xi Wu's presence had momentarily halted his cruelty. But for Lan An, this was not good news.
From the moment the emperor of Zhou Kingdom passed away, endless slaughter awaited Tantai Jin. He should not develop emotions at such a time.
Tantai Jin frowned and said, "I truly detest your line of thinking."
He pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the heart beneath his palm beating steadily, pulse by pulse, cold and unfeeling.
Why would Lan An entertain such a ridiculous speculation? It was utterly foolish.
"Tomorrow, the ship will pass Jiayu Pass," he said with a faint smile. "I'll show you a good play."
I'll prove to you that I don't like her.
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