Book 4 Chapter 30 – Ji Xiaoqin’s Sorrow

*Warning, some readers might find it hard to read this (Which is why I’m putting this in red). This was a difficult chapter to translate...*

Guo Xiang returned to his room, still frustrated by his encounter with Stargaze. The latter’s entrancing silhouette and delicate features fueled the fire of lust that burned within him. He then looked at Ji Xiaoqin, who was watching the television from a sofa in the corner. The collar of her sweater wrapped around her left shoulder, exposing inches of her silky smooth skin. Her legs rested on the tea table in front of her, and between her black stockings was an utmostly erotic sight, but Guo Xiang did not find it attractive at all today. ’Well, I suppose it’s better than nothing.’

After receiving Ying Mei’s invitation ten days ago, Ji Xiaoqin moved into the Guo mansion. This was the luxurious lifestyle she had been longing for, but somehow Ji Xiaoqin did not feel any fulfillment. Instead, the memories of that fateful night in the nightclub resurfaced in her mind over and over again, and the hollow satisfaction that followed her resignation soon turned into bitterness and regret. Guo Xiang had returned from overseas three days ago. He slept beside her every night since then, but Ji Xiaoqin was starting to feel convinced that this was not the life she wanted. Instead, every day, she longed for night to arrive and for an opportunity to meet Li Yiming in her dreams. Ji Xiaoqin knew what Guo Xiang wanted the moment she saw him approach. Frustration slipped past her eyes, and she looked away.

"What’s that expression? You should count yourself lucky that I’m choosing you!" Guo Xiang grabbed Ji Xiaoqin’s chin, his nails sinking into her flesh.

Ji Xiaoqin looked at Guo Xiang fearfully, unable to speak due to the sharp pain.

Guo Xiang stared at Ji Xiaoqin for a bit before noticing that there was something oddly arousing about Ji Xiaoqin’s evident terror and distorted features. He had finally found a way to de-stress himself. He pushed Ji Xiaoqin onto the sofa, picked up her ankle, and suddenly bit into Ji Xiaoqin’s thigh.

"Ah! You’re hurting me." Ji Xiaoqin screeched and tried to stop Guo Xiang.

"Hurt? I’ll make you feel like you’re in heaven soon." Guo Xiang continued on. He grabbed Ji Xiaoqin’s stockings and ripped them apart. It did not take long before cries of pain and sadness and a maniacal laugh reached the corridors outside of the master bedroom.

After a while, Guo Xiang stood up with a frown, looking down at his crotch. He opened the nightstand drawer and took out two blue pills from a small black bottle. After a moment of consideration, he took out a third pill and swallowed everything down. He turned back to look at Ji Xiaoqin’s bruised body and pounced on her again like a hyena onto a carcass. This time, the latter’s only reaction was tears that dribbled down her cheeks silently.

However, after another while, Guo Xiang stood up and went for the nightstand again. This time, he broke the seal on a brand-new bottle and swallowed down five pills. He then sat down on the bed and waited for the effects of the drug. Guo Xiang did not know that it was destined to be fruitless; this was Stargaze’s punishment for defiling a sage.

* * *

"What’s wrong with Guo Xiang? Does he ever take a break?" Ying Mei stomped the ground in discontent, disgusted by what she was hearing.

"Who knows, maybe she likes it." Bing Shuai looked at the ceiling and then shook his head. With Stargaze on his side, he was much more confident. Guo Xiang had lost his value, and Ji Xiaoqin was no longer a critical asset. The most important concern at hand was the showdown that was bound to happen soon. Should Bing Shuai emerge victorious, he would be able to mass-produce experimentations like Ji Xiaoqin.

"We shouldn’t have awakened him. He’s being a nuisance." Due to her young age, it bothered Ying Mei quite a lot to have to listen to such noises, especially since her heightened senses captured every detail.

"Guo Tai has worked hard for us for decades. He’s his only child, just let the kid do what he wants. At worst, we can send him overseas so we won’t have to deal with him." Bing Shuai tried to convince Ying Mei. He sipped his icy vodka contently; as its strong flavor filled his mouth, he felt all of his worries wash away.

"I don’t care. If he does this again, I’ll make sure that this is his last time." Ying Mei stood up and strode toward the door.

Bing Shuai shook his head. He knew Ying Mei well enough to understand that there was no need to worry about what she was going to do. She was going to scare him at best, which would put an end to the rather annoying spectacle. He was an old man after all, and being this kind of "spectator" was not a desirable thing either. However, the next moment, Bing Shuai frowned and turned his head eastward.

"What a busy day today. You’ve all decided to show up after this long? I’ll have a look at the progress you’ve made." Bing Shuai smiled and vanished the next second, leaving behind his cup with the drink still swirling inside.

* * *

Li Yiming laid low against the outer wall of the mansion. He looked at the surveillance camera near the roof and frowned. A moment later, the red light on the camera suddenly went off; Li Yiming had cut off its power. He quickly dove into the kitchen from the window.

This was the plan Li Yiming had concocted with Li Huaibei. The latter would show up and lure Bing Shuai away, while Li Yiming would infiltrate the mansion and rescue Fu Bo. As long as there was no other sage-level guardian, Li Yiming was confident in being able to carry out the mission.

Li Yiming placated himself against the door and extended his senses. ’Two people on the left and one on the right... One, two, three...’

Li Yiming appeared between the two guards on the left after a flash of light. He touched their necks with his fingers. Tens of thousands of volt brought the two guards to the ground instantly. Li Yiming then carried the their body and retreated into an empty room with prudence.

* * *

Ying Mei was about to enter the bedroom, but the noises inside suddenly died out. She stomped at the ground angrily and turned back. However, just as she was going to go down the stairs, her transmitter began flashing.

"Miss Ying, I think we have a situation." A hesitant voice was heard.

"What is it?."

"Three of our cameras had a problem. The power went out for three seconds. It seems like some kind of mechanical issue, but you’ve told us to report every incident..."

"Tell me the location!" Ying Mei cut off the man’s meaningless ramble.

"Number seven, nine, and twelve."

"Keep an eye on number four and six. If the same thing happens, ring the alarm." Ying Mei closed her eyes and pictured the locations of the three cameras. Within an instant, she narrowed the possibilities down to the single route taken by a potential infiltrator.

After throwing out her orders, Ying Mei turned around and made for the kitchen.

* * *

Ji Xiaoqin was laying on the sofa, with a cushion between her arms. She looked at Guo Xiang fearfully and hid her joy at the "problem" Guo Xiang was having. Today, Guo Xiang was unlike his usual self. ’Is he really the kind of person I can spend my life with?’ Ji Xiaoqin’s heart sank into regret once again. This time, she wrapped her fingers around her pendant. It was a stone of unknown origin that Li Yiming had given to her, and there was something strangely attractive about it, enough so that she had decided to keep it the day she moved into the Guo mansion.

"Come here." Guo Xiang suddenly raised his head and said in a glacial tone.

Ji Xiaoqin was frozen in place, terrified.

"I told you to f*king come here!" Guo Xiang suddenly roared in anger. He stood up and towered down on her.

"Don’t..." Ji Xiaoqin begged him and squirmed toward the door, refusing to let go of the cushion.

"Shit! Trying to run away?" Guo Xiang howled and jumped down from the bed. He grabbed Ji Xiaoqin by her hair and slapped her on the face.

"Ow!" A red mark appeared on Ji Xiaoqin’s cheek. She fell backward from the blow, but Guo Xiang’s grip stopped her.

"It’s all your fault, you whore!" The blow brought to Guo Xiang an odd relief from the series of frustration and unsatiated cravings for lust he just had. He struck at Ji Xiaoqin again, this time even stronger than the first time. Ji Xiaoqin was sent to the ground, her head still spinning from the blow.

Guo Xiang removed the ripped hair between his fingers, picked up the belt that hung on the bed frame, and approached Ji Xiaoqin with a monstrous expression.

* * *

Li Yiming was slowly inching forward in a prone position. He had been through four rooms already, but all of them were empty. What was worse was that more and more footsteps could be heard around him, but he did not dare to attack any of the guards.

"Ah!" Li Yiming suddenly heard a scream from upstairs. ’Ji Xiaoqin?’ Li Yiming was shocked at hearing the voice he was so familiar with. He turned around and quickly crawled toward the second floor.

Even from across the door, Li Yiming could hear the horrifying whipping sound. He pushed the door open, unable to repress his fury, only for a repulsing scene to unfold in front of his eyes. Guo Xiang was standing naked with a belt in his hand. Kneeling down in front of him was Ji Xiaoqin, with bruises and injuries all around her body, moaning in pain.

"You?" Guo Xiang was about to burst out at the person who dared to interrupt his good time, but he was surprised at seeing Li Yiming. "Why are you..."

Li Yiming rushed toward Guo Xiang, all of his spite translating into a full powered punch directed at the Guo Xiang’s face. The latter was sent flying back with a loud crack from around his spine; even if he did recover from the blow, he would have to spend the rest of his life on a hospital bed.

Li Yiming knelt down to check on Ji Xiaoqin. The red marks on her cheeks were difficult to even look at, and the bruises and marks on her body showed revealed just what kind of living hell she had gone through in the hands of Guo Xiang. Li Yiming knew that he had to act quickly, especially since Ji Xiaoqin was showing sign of losing consciousness. He put his hand on her forehead and activated the healing technique he learned from Shangbei. The swollen marks on Ji Xiaoqin’s face receded and the marks on her body vanished.

"Yi... Yiming?" Ji Xiaoqin recovered some of her senses and touched Li Yiming’s face with her hand. She had been through the same scene so many times in her dreams already that she thought that it was just another such occurrence.

"I... thought you were going to be happy..." Li Yiming looked at Ji Xiaoqin, his voice broken by a sob.

"Where am...I, I’m very happy." Ji Xiaoqin smiled happily and mumbled. It was a dream sweeter than the other ones she had seen, for she was able to touch Li Yiming for the first time.

"It’s okay. Let’s go. Let’s get out of here." Li Yiming’s heart ached as he heard her speak. He pulled off the bedsheets, wrapped it around Ji Xiaoqin and picked her up.

"Leave? To where?" A cold voice came from the door. It was Ying Mei in a black leather skin-tight suit. The barrel of a Desert Eagle shone under the light of the hallway, making her impression of a femme fatale almost perfect.

The author himself states at the end of the chapter that “it was one with potentially problematic content.”