Chapter Text
Shen Jiu walked slowly through empty streets, the air around him was extremely cold, chilly and icy enough that it froze his bones. The streets were full of people whom he couldn’t discern any type of facial feature, they appeared blurry and forgettable. He looked down to see a rat being chased down by a cat; suddenly, when he looked up, he noticed that all the people who surrounded him had disappeared.
His legs moved on their own and kept on walking despite the strangeness of the scenario that unfolded.
The more he walked, the higher a sense of impending danger augmented; something was not right, the invisible threat was there, he could feel it on his limbs and body, he knew for a fact that he had to run away from it, or something terrible would happen to him.
He looked at his own hands; they were not those of a 22-year-old martial artist.
Full of blisters, scarily skinny and small, the same exact hands he had when he was younger.
The hands of a small and little dirty thing.
His mind swirled into confusion and fear.
He couldn’t escape. He turned his head to the left with fright, and there was someone, someone he trusted, someone his heart recognized. He accompanied him with his warm presence. Shen Jiu held his hand; he felt safe with him, not afraid of the darkness that surrounded him now.
He looked up to see the person, the soothing presence shifted abruptly, the face of the person twisted in an eerie way, making him snatch his hand back with horror. That faceless person turned around and shoved him away into a dark and deep pit.
Millions of hands came from the ground, touching him, and handling him roughly as if he were a mere toy; he couldn’t see, but the pain? He did feel it. Everything happened in slow motion, the foreign but disgusting and familiar sensations he wished he could forget but couldn’t, the shameful feeling of being at the mercy of another due to his own weakness, but worse than the anguish and desperation was the feeling of betrayal that was etched into his mind.
A hand stayed persistently on his shoulder with bruising strength.
He heard a whisper murmured disgustingly playful and lascivious.
“Shen Jiu.”
He opened his eyes.
His heart pounded rapidly on his chest; it was almost painful and unmanageable. The only sounds heard in the room were his heavy breathing and the sound of flesh being torn slowly. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was the one tearing apart his shoulder.
He looked down at both of his trembling hands, observing the blood on his fingertips.
Another nightmare.
He stood up slowly and moved toward the faint light the moon cast. He stood in front of the mirror looking at himself. He slid down his underrobe just enough to see his mauled shoulder.
The marks of his nails were visible, almost as if a wild animal had done them; the wound oozed fresh red blood that fell down his back slowly. That same mark of his nightmares was still there; he knew it too well, even if at this moment it was not visible due to the ripped flesh. The moment the wound healed, it would look as if he hadn’t hurt himself.
Shen Jiu clenched his jaw, his expression clear with displeasure, giving himself one last look in the mirror before looking away and putting on his overrobe.
That night, he had forced himself to sleep.
Soon, he was going to become a peak lord, and the number of responsibilities he had kept on growing without stop; aside from the tasks he previously had, he trained to death every day to narrow the gap he had with his other martial brothers due to his late start and crippled cultivation.
He can’t allow anyone else to take up his place as head disciple, not after putting his life on the line to have come so far.
But even if his mind had the drive and motivation to achieve it, his body didn’t, or rather couldn’t without proper rest.
His almost immortal body was still human after all; no matter how much meditation he did and how many elixirs he consumed to avoid sleeping, he still had to do it from time to time.
”I have to…” Shen Jiu mumbled to himself with tiredness and resignation.
Shen Jiu knew his limits; he wasn’t stupid, he knew what he could and could not do, and he knew when it was necessary to back up.
Qi deviating so close to the peak lord ceremony would do no good to his reputation; he had enough with people thinking he was a spoiled brat who only entered the sect because of familial influence. Listening to basseles gossip about his incompetence might actually be the last straw for him..
He grimaced and looked at the empty bamboo house, sighing heavily with relief.
Luckily, his Shizun had been absent that day due to an important reunion all of the peak lords had to attend, even if he knew that his Shizun knew well of his condition, that didn't mean he would allow any mishap to happen in front of her.
It was a matter of pride as the future peak lord of Qing Jing.
If he couldn't even handle that without qi deviating, then he was only a joke.
He discarded his bloody underrobes and grabbed fresh new ones. Before putting them on, he bandaged where the wound was to avoid dirtying himself.
He spread his qi, skillfully sensing his surroundings. After confirming that everyone was sleeping soundly, he took his sword, running away swiftly with utmost silence; he had been praised greatly by his shizun for his mastery in qinggong, and it was in this sort of situation where he found it the most useful. After getting away from the sect, he stood upon Xiu Yia and soared up in the skies, hiding in the clouds to not attract unwanted attention.
The cold air of the night hit his body, allowing him to clear his mind enough and fully wake up.
The nightmare felt more real than ever.
He touched his shoulder without care, squishing where he had hurt himself to feel more pain.
“Fuck.”
A few minutes later, he circled around the warm red pavilion, avoiding in his way all the drunkards that were up at that time.
He touched the ground with his feet and sheathed Xiu Yia with a swift movement, walking slowly, he got closer to the back door that was rarely used by customers. It was mainly used by the workers when they had to leave or get in silently.
Shen Jiu was allowed to use it as a thanks from the girls who knew him and knew well his situation as a head disciple of Qing Jing, two times he had almost been discovered by the brute that seemed to put a tail on him every time he went out.
As if knowing where he was going was his business.He probably thought that he went out to do some indecent things as always.
Shen Jiu opened the doors slowly, only being noticed after getting closer to the reception where customers arrived first.
Madam Li was chasing away a drunkard who appeared to be getting aggressive; the other two girls were trying to hold him down, but the man didn’t budge a bit.
He was quite tall and burly for them to move him.
Shen Jiu got closer, and with one of his hands, he grabbed the man by the collar holding him midair while opening the door with his Qi. He looked towards the eyes of the man who was making a scene. He startled once the cold gaze of the cultivator fell on him; the pressure on his collar became more evident, it was a clear warning from part of the cultivator.
“Do you wish to be thrown out, or will you walk out willingly?” Shen Jiu spewed with irritation.
There were always men like him everywhere, believing themselves better than others, acting weak towards the strong and strong towards the weak without any sense of pride.
“Pathetic.”
A few seconds passed, and the man didn’t give him an answer. Shen Jiu, without a second thought, decided that it was enough time for him to decide. He yanked him roughly and yeeted him towards the street. Before closing the doors, he only saw the constipatedlook on his face.
The door closed with a loud thud.
“Thank you so much, A-Jiu.” One of the two girls who was trying to hold the man down let out a breath of relief.
“There’s no need to thank me Su Yan. I was merely taking out the trash.” Shen Jiu said, annoyed by the man he had thrown out before.
Their work wasn't easy at all, it required a strenuous amount of adaptability and mental strenght. There were probably more instances where it was unpleasant for them but they had to get the job done; either way, she seemed to light up when she noticed that he was there for a service.
Shen Jiu turned around to politely greet Madam Li.
“Young master Shen.” She bowed elegantly to him. “What service may we offer you today?” She spoke softly, although she was already 60 years old, there were still traces of the beauty that she once had, and even her demeanor and posture were those of royalty.
“Just…the usual.” He said, gazing at her, she understood what the usual meant; Madam Li nodded in silent agreement.
She stood straight and called out to Su Yan to accompany him upstairs to one of the rooms that was available. Shen Jiu already knew the layout well enough, having been there countless times; it was only normal.
After entering the room, Su Yan turned on the incense and made haste to prepare the bed with comfortable duvets and soft pillows.
She had noticed the eye bags and rather pale color of his skin; after all, Shen Jiu had not come to sleep for a few months, he wasn’t at his best.
Su Yan signaled with her hands that it was ready to lie down.
Shen Jiu tiredly dragged his feet to the bed; all of them were of the same material in each room, they weren’t as comfortable or of as good quality as the one on the bamboo house.
Yet he always found sleep here.
No expectations were held for him
No dangers were found here.
He was safe.
Su Yan spoke softly. “Would A-Jiu wish for me to sing a song?”
Shen Jiu seemed to consider it for a moment. Usually, he would decline, but that night, he didn’t want his mind to think about the nightmare anymore; he needed something to ground him, or at least to distract him enough to not focus on it.
“Yes.”
Su Yan sat on the side of the bed adjacent to Shen Jiu’s side; she was still a bit away from him. As she had learned that Shen Jiu preferred that, more than overly closeness, she was the one most acquainted with him; for that reason, she felt comfortable enough with him, as well as Shen Jiu.
She started to sing a few songs she knew. Her voice was soft and comforting, her tune gentle.
She sang for a bit laying beside Shen Jiu.
Normally, having someone so close would alert Shen Jiu and make him be on edge until they were far away from him.
But here at the red warm pavilion, it was different.
Even that irrational part of his brain that always made him scared of things he shouldn’t be scared of anymore, calmed down.
There were no thoughts left, sleep came to him as the warmth of the bedsheets wrapped his tired body. The distant tune of Su Yan's voice seemed to blend in with the sound of his own breathing.
When Shen Jiu woke up, he felt good enough to continue with his work at the peak.
It wasn’t quite late yet, but by this time, most of the drunkards and customers would have left already, leaving only the workers there.
He descended the stairs with soft steps. He noticed that the workers were gathered around someone.
The voices were heard by him easily thanks to his keen sense of hearing; it was almost inevitable not to.
“It’s so beautiful!”
His gaze shifted to where the other girls paid their attention; his steps were light and soundless.
The girl who was showing off her arm was a worker He was acquainted with; she had an exceptional talent for calligraphy, and she often shared her dreams of becoming a writer with him.
Her debt was close to be paid, so she took on any client, no matter how aggressive or difficult they were. Because of that, one day, a client who had grown obsessed with her, that man found her attending to another client, making him blind with jealousy.
In a fit of rage, he slashed her arm with a knife, leaving a horrible scar that went from her elbow to her neck. He had been the one to save her life and kill the man who had done that.
She barely made it alive, and the scar remained as one of her biggest insecurities; it even made it harder to take on more clients.
Wen Xi’s face of the past and now overlapped in his mind; she looked joyous, as much as she did before the incident.
He understood well once he looked at her arm.
The big slash from the knife was replaced instead by branches of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, the petals blended perfectly, making it appear as if they had truly fallen on her skin.
No one would have thought that she had a gruesome scar after looking at it.
At first, Shen Jiu thought that it was simply paint and that some eccentric artist had decided to use her as a canvas.
As if in a trance, he got closer to analyze the intricate and detailed drawing.
Wen Xi noticed his presence and soon brightened up after recognizing him. “Young master Shen!” She called out to him enthusiastically. “Come look closer!”
He made his way to the center of the crowd; once he was close enough, he discovered that it wasn’t quite like paint, rather it seemed to be part of her skin.
He turned his gaze to look at Wen Xi. She looked bashful, but then she directed his hand to her arm as a sign of permission to touch it.
Shen Jiu traced over the design carefully, trying to comprehend how it worked.
It appeared to be under the skin. Permanently there, the prominence of the scar was palpable, but only if you touched it; whoever did the job was someone knowledgeable enough to make it appear as a simple painting without anything out of the ordinary.
And not only that, the mastery of their technique was quite high; they knew well about all the fundamentals, as if they were an artist with many years of experience.
He wondered what kind of painting they would make if they were handed a good set of tools.
He himself was an artist, as Qing Jing demands of every scholar, but Shen Jiu saw it more as a requirement rather than an enjoyable hobby; he had always been more interested in music, and yet, despite his lack of attention to art, he was still considered one of the best of his generation.
The drawing made him feel awe.
It was even better than most of the pieces of art that the most famous artist makes.
Shen Jiu, having read countless books of all sorts, remembered that some people did drawings on their bodies as part of their culture and named them ‘tattoos.’It was quite uncommon, and he had never seen one in real life, as there were only records in very old books.
Wen Xi explained happily after noticing the interest the people around her had. “Last week I went to pay a visit to my friend, there in that town I saw multiple people who had these, so I went around and asked them what it was.”
“They all pointed out to a youth that did this so-called “tattoos”, it didn’t hurt a bit, and it was really quick considering the type of tools he used!” She expressed happily, “ his name was Shen Yuan, he was pretty good at his job.”
The girls stared at her with stars shining through her eyes. They all murmured praises about how beautiful it looked on her, which only made Wen Xi puff her chest proudly.
Another woman came forth a bit timidly but with clear determination in her eyes. “D-does he make all kinds of scars disappear?” She asked with her hands grabbing the fabric of her dress tightly. There seemed to be a glint of hope and anticipation in her eyes.
Wen Xi turned her attention to her closing her eyes trying to recall something “Uhmm he did say that it can be tricky depending of the type of scar, but I think that’s doesn’t mean that he can’t do it, my scar was pretty bad and he was still able to get it done, so I think it’s better to check for yourself.” she held the hand of the other girl gently as a means to reassure her.
“Where can I find him?”
“Well, he works near a small town close to the Luo river, you will recognize the town because it’s the only one that has a lot of movement, it’s quite lively if you ask me, so you might as well enjoy the stay over there, oh! I can even recommend some good inns and stalls-“ Wen Xi went on a rant about many more things related to the town.
The poor woman who had stepped up looked seemingly overwhelmed by her burst of emotion, but she still smiled politely and paid attention to her.
They all began listening to the stories of her childhood and so more with great attention. Shen Jiu stepped outside the crowd silently. He bowed down to Madam Li before departing with a name in mind.
“Shen Yuan...” He muttered the foreign name
He rushed over to the sect’s library. It nagged him that he knew so little of these so-called tattoos, so he went straight to studying every single piece of information he found.
After going through hours of research, he was surprised to find that the information was as scarce as he remembered, only finding more in a book that talked about all types of cultivation.
His gaze landed on the words that were written down in the old and worn-out book. ‘ The strange drawings in one’s body are commonly used by demonic cultivators, it can show status and how adept they are at it. Some tattoos are used as a means to draw out the vital energy of victims.’
He skimmed through more of the book but it only mentioned a small paragraph of it, the rest of it was a guide to how identify an user of demonic arts and why they were dangerous, it had some offdated information, and Shen Jiu would have disregarded the previous as merely old teachings if it weren’t for the fact that most of it, was still true to this day.
He closed the book slowly, the fire of the candle that lit up his room fluttered softly due to the current of cold air that entered through his window. To the side of his desk, there were countless scrolls and papers that smelled like fresh ink.
The sleep he had taken the previous day had helped him greatly, allowing him to finish all his duties in one go.
He had 3 free days before his Shizun's arrival, considering the time, the Luo river wasn’t that far away by sword, at most it would take a few hours…
The words of Wen Xi’s praise of the man and the information he found in the book kept on repeating in his mind.
What if that was a demon cultivator trying to mark their prey?
And if he wasn’t one, then he could…
He snorted and turned off the fire of the candle.
He would have to see which option it is, but either way, he has to check it out. After all, Wen Xi had already been there; he must at least guarantee her safety.
He stood up and went to his bed, sitting in the lotus position. He decided to meditate before departing in the morning. He seldom had free days as of now, so he had to use his time wisely.
———
Shen Jiu changed into a set of plain clothes unrelated to the peak.
It was better to not be recognized as one of the peak; he didn’t want the demon cultivator to run away if he did know who Shen Jiu was.
Word spread widely when it came to head disciples and peak lords; maybe their appearance wasn't that well known, still, he decided to wear a veil just in case, as of lately, more people wore them so Shen Jiu knew he wouldn’t stand out even if he did wear something as conspicuous as that.
Parading around with his true name was a different matter.
He had settled for a rather common name, such as Zhang Jie.
Before acting rashly, he would investigate if there were really signs of demonic cultivation around the town.
He departed after preparing his Qian kun pouch, hiding it inside his robes; he grabbed Xiu Ya and sneaked out of the peak.
He had already memorized all the escape routes and the least patrolled paths after becoming a disciple; however, being a head disciple gave him even more information regarding the hidden shortcuts around all Qing Jing.
He walked for a few kilometers using his mobility arts to go undetected. Once he was far enough away, he flew with Xiu Ya. He followed along the Luo River until there were signs of the town Wen Xi mentioned before.
He searched with his eyes and found the town he was going to; it was easily identifiable. The other towns, although with many people too, appeared rather dull in comparison to this one.
Shen Jiu could see all the carriages that came and went, the colorful lights, and the buzzing sound that the people made; it was a cheerful atmosphere.
He came down a bit far away from the town and walked all the way to the entrance. Some kids ran beside him with cheerful expressions; not so far away, a couple of vendors chatted and laughed unworriedly.
At first sight, there seemed to be no traces of demonic Qi yet.
He strolled leisurely until he came across an inn that was packed with people. Even from outside, one could hear how lively the atmosphere was. He went through the door and spotted a free table in the corner.
Shen Jiu sat down and ordered a plain tea; waiters went by in a rush due to the number of people they had to host; he looked around and saw a man with tattoos; he then paid attention to the conversation he and the other customers were having.
“Yeah, and then my wife said that I wasn’t doing enough!?” The man hit the table with his palms angrily, making the finished plates tremble.
His other companions laughed at him while drinking more cheap wine.
“Well, you sure ain’t looking like you’re doing a lot right now,” his friend teased him.
“Oh shut up.” The man blushed and kept on fumbling.
The man didn’t seem out of the ordinary, no tainted qi in his body.
He exhaled and drank up his tea in one go. It was so annoying to watch and be in this kind of ambience.
The server came again once more after noticing the empty cup of tea that rested on the table.
They politely took it and looked at Shen Jiu.
“Is there something else you need, young master?” The young lady asked politely.
“No, Thanks.“
Looking through the veil, Shen Jiu paid attention to her appearance; on her arm, there was a tattoo of a bird, equally beautiful as the one he saw on Wen Xi's arm.
“Actually, may I ask where you got that done?”
The lady looked down at her arm, and after a look of realization, she turned to him with eagerness.
“Young master, have you come to the town for one of these?” She asked with a smile on her face
“I am curious about it.”
“Well, it is amazing after all, I wasn’t able to see art as good as this, let alone in my own body!, That man Shen Yuan is truly amazing.” She rubbed the tattoo on her arm with care.
“ I wanted to engrave the favorite bird of my deceased grandmother, and he did it so beautifully…” sadness seeped through her eyes, and her mind seemed to drift away for a moment.
“Jie Jie, more dishes are coming!” A voice in the background interrupted their conversation.
“Ah! I’m sorry, young master, it seems I must go!” She hurriedly bowed down and put the cup on her tray.
“That’s okay, is it possible to know where he is?”
“Yes, just head south near the Luo River!, You will notice it. There are not many stalls around, and his establishment is a bit bigger than the others, oh! And also it’s decorated by a few paintings,” she answered hurriedly, getting away to where they had called her. “ I hope my directions help.”
“Thank you.” Shen Jiu left a few coins on the table as a thanks, going south according to the instructions of the waitress.
It was weird that he was far away from the other stalls and big stores near the town; usually, one would always search to be closest to the center.
It could be that he wanted to hide something, or maybe it was just because the location was cheap.
But being so far away was rather suspicious.
Normally, the only people near the Luo river were washer women or fishermen; except that the latter preferred to head north due to the amount they could catch, this place wasn't abundant in edible fish.
Either way, he would figure it out once he got there.
With decisive steps, Shen Jiu walked all the way to said location. Little by little, the stalls became scarcer and less crowded, the establishments were smaller, and few people walked around.
Shen Jiu stopped in his tracks.
In front of him, there was an establishment that on the entrance displayed beautiful paintings of a crane, a dragon, and a snake.
The style was different from the art that was popular at the moment; in fact, Shen Jiu had never seen designs like that. So full of something he couldn’t comprehend.
Before stepping in, he set a pair of detection talismans for demonic qi; they didn’t light up, which meant that there were no traces of it inside.
Shen Jiu walked to the entrance, noticing the door ajar, he pushed it and walked in without a second thought.
Inside, there appeared to be a reception with a few chairs arranged side by side neatly. The establishment wasn't luxurious per se, but it was well taken care of, an open entrance led to another room further away from it.
He slowly walked to it until he was by the frame, being able to observe the other room.
The sight that greeted him was the back of a man who swept the floor with great joy; he hummed a strange melody.
The room was full of designs and paintings, all stuck around the walls as a demonstration of his work. If he previously thought that his art was great. Then, he found it overwhelmingly stunning and unique.
He was sure that no other person would replicate what he did.
The room smelled almost like Cian Qao Peak; it had that sterile smell of plants and medicine.
The man seemed to be a head smaller than him; his not-so-long hair was tied in a braid with some strands peeking out, he had a thin build, and a jade-like skin tone.
When the man turned around, he met a pair of clear eyes that caught his attention immediately.
Green and light, like the bamboo leaves that fell on Qing jing peak.
Warm and gentle.
The man jumped in fright and fell on his but ungracefully. Shen Jiu stood there watching how the man turned pink with shame.
He stood up slowly, shaking up the dust in his hands. “Ehem…sorry your presence took me by surprise, and with the veil and all, I thought you were a ghost.” The man laughed awkwardly, now completely paying attention to Shen Jiu.
Shen Jiu looked at him and unfastened his veiled hat. He took it off and stared at him unconcerned. “Your door was left open.” He said flatly.
“I forgot to close it while cleaning.” he put off the sweep away and got closer to him.
If someone were to see him, it would be hard to distinguish whether he was a man or a woman; his thin build didn't help at all either. His features were beautiful; he had a certain gentleness to them. Glasses framed his face, a clear sign of bad eyesight. And across the left side of the body, he had countless tattoos with different designs, in his neck, he had an abstract sun, his attire was quite simple too, but it seemed of good quality.
“So I assume that you are a customer?” He asked, curious, feigning ignorance while he assessed his appearance.
“Perhaps.” He replied while he activated his Qi to search for any kind of anomaly. “Are you the famous Shen Yuan?”
“Yep, that is me.”
Shen Jiu closed his eyes for a second. There was nothing weird about the room or about the man, but he did feel some type of Qi in him, really faintly; however, its path was not demonic.
When he opened his eyes, he saw him again, tilting his head with confusion.
“Ive heard that you can make scars appear as if they are not there…” Shen Jiu said, the last words were only a murmur, but were still said loud enough for the other man to listen.
His black eyes met his green ones. Shen Yuan avoided his gaze nervously.
“I can do it. Yes.” he answered firmly despite his trouble maintaining eye contact.
Shen Jiu felt a sliver of hope from it.
“However, that is dependent on the body and type of scar it is, young master-?”
“You can call me Zhang Jie.” Shen Jiu used his fake name without a second thought.
Shen Yuan continued, not finding anything strange. “Zhang Jie, it is not impossible, but there are cases where the cover-up can not be as effective as others.”
Shen Jiu furrowed his brow, frustrated.
Did he come here for nothing?
“How can I know if it’s possible?” Shen Jiu asked with clear annoyance in his voice.
“First, I have to assess the area to see what kind of design to make and, more importantly, if I actually can.”
Shen Jiu stilled after he heard his words. He did know that they had to see it, but allowing another one to see this unsightly part of himself.
It was, to say the least, uninspiring.
He breathed in deeply.
It was still better than nothing, it was still something…
Right now, he was not a weak kid anymore; if Shen Yuan even thought of touching him in an unprofessional way, then he would send his head flying with Xiu Ya.
He huffed with irritation.
“Very well, do that then.”
Shen Yuan nodded and brought a chair without backing. He signaled for Shen Jiu to sit down.
Shen Jiu hesitated to undress. After a few seconds of consideration and gripping his fabric, he took off his first layer, then his second, then his third, and before he let go of the last layer. He turned around to see Shen Yuan.
“If you ever talk about what you saw inside this room, I’ll make sure to kill you in the most painful way possible,” he glared at him coldly. The air in the room shifted, making Shen Yuan tense.
Shen Yuan’s corner of his eye twitched. “Yeah…I- I don’t know why there's a need to say that though.” he cleaned a drop of sweat that fell from his forehead.
Immediately after that, Shen Jiu stopped releasing his qi and went back to unfasten his last layer. “I warned you.” he got rid of the robe, letting it fall to the ground
Shen Yuan’s breath hitched.
He turned around to see a slightly shocked expression on the man, shortly after Shen Yuan's gaze softened and touched the mark with a furrowed brow.
Something about that sparkled rage in Shen Jiu.
Through his mind flashed countless faces that saw him as an animal, as something lesser than human, faces of people who believed themselves better than him for being born lucky.
He stood up quickly, grabbed his wrist, and pinned him to the wall.
“Agh!” his head hit the wall roughly, making him groan in pain.
“There’s nothing I despise more than useless pity. I am not a wounded dog; I do not need it. You can save it for yourself.” he spat with quiet rage.
Shen Yuan looked up at him with confusion. He could hear his heartbeat thrumming loudly on his chest and on his wrist.
He tightened his grip.
“Whether it is disgust or pity, you people always do that whenever you see a slave, you think that you can make me feel better by treating me like I’m your little pet, don’t you?” he laughed hysterically at his face. “You all enjoy flaunting how much better you are than I just because of my status.”
Shen Yuan turned his head around to avoid his face. Shen Jiu grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to make those green eyes look at him.
“Am I not right?” he sneered at his face with a violent tone.
Shen Yuan mustered courage, frowning slightly at the pain.
“It was not pity.” his clear eyes looked at him with determination.
“Hah, if not pity then what?” He softened the grip on his chin, giving him space to move his head freely.
He sighed softly
“Sympathy,” his gentle voice was firm and honest; there was no trick to it.
“Don't make me laugh.” his brows knitted together with displeasure.
He never thought he would meet a bastard who believed he could grasp his situation, his life.
“Sympathy requires understanding, and I doubt you would understand even half of what it means to be a slave.”
His gaze flickered between his eyes and the hand that held his wrist tightly.
“tch.” Shen Jiu let him go with and turned around, already making plans of silencing this person if he ever said something.
When he was about to put on his clothes, Shen Yuan replied calmly.
“I do get it though.”
Those words angered him more, making him believe that it was not enough of a lesson to leave him be like that.
Shen Jiu turned around quickly, ready to unravel his anger on the man, only to be met with a scene that caused him disbelief.
His expression shifted to genuine surprise.
Shen Yuan had unfastened his belt, and his shoulder was bare.
His gaze was fixed on the mark that was on his right shoulder.
A peony.
Not a tattoo design, it was a scar, an old scar that extended over all his back and shoulder.
No, not a scar.
A branding mark.