The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1C5

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Prologue 1- Major Chu Qiao Prologue 2- Time's up! Prologue 3- The red dot on the GPS vanished 1- Royal Hunting 2- Zhuge, Wei, Mu, Jue, Che, Yan. 3- Fifth Brother 4- Without a Tinge of Regret 5- Bloody Heart 6- Bastards 7- Snakes 8- We Should All Know Our Place 9- Do You Know Who I Am? 10- Thank You, Sisters! 11- My name is 'None' 12- The Lantern Festival 13- Liar! 14- Everything Happens for a Reason 15- To escape, or not to escape?

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Chapter 5

Bloody Heart

Zhuge Yue [1] was dressed in light green clothes made from the finest fabric. Several green lotuses were embroidered on them, and his black hair was loose down his back. His complexion was as white as jade, and he had jet-black eyes, with lips darker than the rest. Although he was only about thirteen or fourteen, he appeared wicked and cold. With his eyes half-closed, nothing seemed worth his attention. He was as cold as the snow on the peak of Long Dong Mountain in the middle of winter. He was lying on his side on a reddish-gold cushion, arms behind his head. Two female servants knelt beside him, holding incense, occasionally peeling fresh lychees that had been sent from the Tang Empire by the fastest horses.

Barely twenty steps before him, a child in the servant's uniform was battered until her flesh was showing, and her cries started to weaken. A little female servant who was only six to seven years old knelt at the side, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for forgiveness. Her forehead was already grazed, and there was blood flowing down past her teary eyes.

The sun began to rise. The city of Zhen Huang was located in the Hong Chuan Highlands, and even though it was deep into winter, the sun still burned fiercely. Zhuge Yue lifted his head and frowned, squinting at the bright glare. Seeing this, the two female servants hurriedly opened their umbrellas to shield his head. Zhuge Yue sat up straight and waved off the servants beside him, leaning back in his chair.

Two strong, burly men shuffled forward respectfully, taking their positions in front of and behind Zhuge Yue's chair, lifting it, and heading toward the right door.

The girl who was kowtowing for forgiveness gasped in shock. She frantically crawled forward, crying and tugging at Zhuge Yue's clothes. "Fourth Young Master, please let Lin Xi go. He will not survive if you keep hitting him."

Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows and looked down, observing the girl's bloodstained hands, which were still dripping with fresh blood.

The child felt an overwhelming rush of coldness sweeping through her, freezing her mind. She noticed five bloodstained fingerprints on Zhuge Yue's white boots, clearly visible.

With a kick, one of the guards carrying the palanquin knocked the child to the floor. The two female servants rushed forward instantly, removing his dirtied boots. Zhuge Yue glanced at the child and turned back, remaining emotionless the entire time.

One of the female servants said coldly, "Cut off one of her hands."

The child sat shell-shocked on the ground, her cries stopping in an instant. Rushing over with rigor, a guard drew the sword by his waist, and a stream of blood spewed out. A tiny white hand had been chopped off!

Piercing screams erupted, startling the fierce vultures circling the sky. The teenager sat calmly in his chair, silent, with his eyes closed as if he saw and heard nothing.

Chu Qiao stood in a daze at the door. As if carved from stone, her hurried steps suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth. She froze in fear.

"Fourth Young Master, this child has stopped breathing."

Zhuge Yue glared at Lin Xi's tiny body. Rubbing his temples, he said coolly, "Throw him into the pond in the back and feed the fish."

"Yes."

The strong men lifted the palanquin Zhuge Yue was on and moved forward slowly. When they passed, everyone knelt down, not even lifting their heads.

"Wait," Zhuge Yue suddenly whispered as he passed through the right gate. Turning his head, he looked at Chu Qiao, who was glaring at him. He frowned and asked, "Which house are you serving, slave? Why didn't you kneel when you saw me?"

The morning breeze blew, lifting specks of dust in the corners of the wall. Sunlight pierced their eyes like thousands of sharp needles. White birds soared through the sky, flapping their wings, which were as white as snow. Chu Qiao took a deep breath and bit her lip, suppressing her anger and pushing it down her throat inch by inch. She plopped onto the ground and looked straight at the brick floor, her eyes wide open. With the voice of a child, she frantically said, "Yue Er is a slave in the backyard. May the Fourth Young Master forgive my lack of knowledge. This is my first time seeing you, Young Master, and I thought I saw a fairy."

Zhuge Yue's expression settled down. He saw that the child was adorable, young, and very eloquent. This piqued his interest, and he kept asking, "How old are you? And what is your name?"

"Fourth Young Master, Yue Er, is eight this year, and my surname is Jing."

"Jing Yue Er?" Zhuge Yue said, "Change your name and follow me from now on. Let your name be… Xing’er."

Chu Qiao instantly knelt on the ground and roared, "Xing’er, thanks to the Fourth Young Master."

Zhuge Yue looked away. His men lifted his palanquin and went down the corridor. They vanished.

It was quite a lively finish, but there had been the death of a lowly slave. The men in the Zhuge household had already gotten used to this sight, parting ways without a word. A few cleaners lifted the child's body and put it in a sack, tying it up. They dragged it to the lake in the backyard.

The child was still young. His bones had been completely broken, and fresh blood flowed out of the sack. Sticky drops of blood stained the brick floor, leaving a long trail behind.

Chu Qiao was still kneeling on the ground, her back heaving up and down, her teeth clenched tightly onto her lower lip like woven shells. She looked straight ahead with her tiny fists clenched tightly. As she watched the sack being dragged away before her, with glaring blood spreading all over the floor and covered in dust and dirt, a huge tear welled up in her eyes and fell onto the back of her hand with a splash.

Sorrow and hatred coursed through her, but she knew she couldn't cry. She couldn't show even a hint of resentment right now. She wiped her face with her hand and quickly stood up. In the open area beside the well, Xiao Qi had already lost consciousness, blood pouring from her wrist, but no one paid attention.

Chu Qiao quickly tore her clothes and pressed Xiao Qi's acupuncture points, bandaging the wound to stop the bleeding with her expert techniques. After everything was taken care of, she clenched her teeth, carried Xiao Qi on her back, and headed toward the backyard.

When she stepped outside the gate, a cold voice suddenly muttered, "Stop! Who permitted you to carry her away?"

Chu Qiao looked up and saw Zhu Shun, who had kept her locked up for three days. She frowned and said calmly, "The Fourth Young Master didn't say he wanted her killed."

Master also did not say where to place her." Zhu Qiao glared at Chu Qiao and said coldly, "Guessing what the Master has in mind, you're asking for trouble. Men, take her down!"

Two servants stepped forward at once, reaching out to grab Chu Qiao's arms. She quickly backed away to avoid their hands. When they struggled to grab her, Xiao Qi let out a grunt. The wound that was bandaged started bleeding again.

"How dare you come close to me! I am working alongside the Fourth Young Master. Do you want to get killed?"

Zhu Shun sneered and said, "You barely received any recognition, yet you use it to command us. I don't think the Fourth Young Master will remember your existence by tomorrow morning. How dare you use that to scare me?"

Chu Qiao flicked her brow, carrying Xiao Qi as she retreated like a leopard, sharpening her gaze and frowning. "Housekeeper Zhu, I thought you were sending a message from His Royal Highness to Young Master Huai. Why are you badgering me with such matters? You seem to be very free to me."

A voice suddenly sounded. Chu Qiao turned toward the crowd and saw a boy who had served in a scholar's study speaking loudly and arrogantly. Not far away, a teen with a long, slender figure wearing a dark green robe stood in front of the court hall with his back to the crowd. At his side, there were four followers.

Zhu Shun was stunned. Turning his head quickly, he awkwardly bent down well below his waist. He bowed and scraped, nodding, "Royal Highness Yan, my men were not well disciplined, causing them to make fools of themselves in front of your Royal Highness."

Is your servant's discipline more important, or is my family's royal highness more important? Zhu Shun, I think you must be crazy.

Zhu Shun was surprised. He dropped to his knees and quickly began to kowtow, repeatedly saying, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, I know I am wrong."

The young man snorted, "If you know your mistake, what are you still doing here?"

After hearing that, Zhu Shun immediately stood up and rushed toward Zhuge Huai's study. The household servants retreated to a corner. One of them asked cautiously, "Can I invite Royal Highness Yan to wait in the hall?"

The teenager, dressed in robes, nodded and slowly turned, his jet-black eyes sweeping the surroundings. When he saw Chu Qiao, his eyes narrowed as if he remembered something. He walked straight up to her.

Chu Qiao stayed calm and cautiously took two steps back. When Yan Xun saw her retreat, he stopped and thought for a moment. Then he pulled a white porcelain bottle out of his sleeve pocket. The bottle was engraved with images of delicate orchids. The teenager reached out with the bottle and nodded, indicating she should take it.

Chu Qiao examined Yan Xun carefully, and the scene at the hunting arena flashed through her mind. She remained alert and cautious.

Yan Xun was puzzled. Immediately, his lips thinned, and he let out a grin, bending down to place the bottle gently on the floor. After that, he turned and led his followers into the hall.

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[1] Zhuge Yue (Fourth Young Master), age 13