Chapter 29: Do Not Break It

"I am no ordinary being. You were brought back from the brink of death by my heart's blood; that our pain is shared is our destiny."

Ju Sifu rubbed his temples with a look of disdain, beginning once more to scrutinize the self-important person before him.

"How can you prove it?"

Song Ruozhao snapped her fingers. "Did you not just feel an abnormal pain in your abdomen? As a woman, you should understand something of such cycles."

He raised an eyebrow, lost in thought. Then, he quietly pinched the inner part of his own thigh with his sharpest fingernail, watching Song Ruozhao’s expression closely. She truly did wince, though he knew she might be doing it to test him.

"Where does it hurt?"

"The softest part of the leg."

"..."

It was as if some spell had been cast—it was incredible. He looked up at the cobweb-covered ceiling and felt a sense of helpless resignation. If he himself could borrow a corpse to be reborn, then the inexplicable things in this world were hardly worth debating.

He nodded silently. "In that case, you should drink more hot water."

In the distance, the courtesan returned, triumphant with a field mouse in hand. The fallen blossoms of the forest settled on her slender shoulders, serving as mere adornment. Remembering the enchanting, "casual" atmosphere of Pingkang Ward, Song Ruozhao suddenly had a whimsical thought: "In the future, when you go to be 'casual' with Lady Qianchun, be careful. I hear that if it's too intense..."

"...you might get broken."

She finished the four words just as Qianchun set foot nearby. Ju Sifu gave a cold laugh, tinged with an unspeakable sorrow, and replied with three cold words that only the two of them could hear: "Rest assured."

The atmosphere fell into a sudden, stifling silence, enveloping everyone like a whirlpool. Qianchun, unaware of what had just transpired, asked, "What are you talking about? Is it something I shouldn't hear?"

She was brushed off.

By the time a pot of stewed field mouse was ready, Song Ruozhao had no appetite at all. As the pain in her abdomen struck again, Ju Sifu braced himself, served a bowl of the fresh, fatty broth, and passed it over from a distance. "Eat it."

Qianchun’s expression deepened; her eyes landed on the bowl even faster than Song Ruozhao’s. As the scent drifted over, Song Ruozhao’s disgust grew. She waved her hand. "I don't make a habit of eating rats."

"Eat it, or I shall take a few more drops of your heart's blood." The command grew increasingly sharp.

Qianchun took the bowl instead. "I'm not full yet; I have the appetite for it."

The bowl moved back a few steps, closer to Song Ruozhao’s lap. "One mouse is worth three chickens."

"It's not about the nutrition."

In the ensuing back-and-forth, the thick, milky broth surged like a wave, scalding his hand and shattering on the ground with a bang. Ju Sifu struggled to remain calm, while Song Ruozhao leaped up like a frog dropped into a hot pot, quickly fetching a basin of cold water.

Both pairs of hands vied to be plunged into the cold water...

After the relief set in, two sighs of comfort and contentment sounded simultaneously in the air, illuminated by the bonfire like a sunset.

Qianchun: "?"

Consumed by jealousy, she drew her sword and leveled it directly at Song Ruozhao’s slender neck.

"Want to kill me?" Song Ruozhao’s eyes were full of provocation.

"Why wouldn't I? He’s already awake; keeping you around is just a waste of rations."

"Why don't you ask your beloved if he agrees?"

Song Ruozhao remained unfazed, watching the pair of disgruntled lovers. Ju Sifu replied in his usual icy tone: "Put it down."

"..."

He offered no further explanation; ordinary people would never believe in such bizarre occurrences. Ju Sifu said with great solemnity, "If you kill her, you kill me."

Qianchun knew that he was always serious in his actions. This statement carried, beyond seriousness, the weight of an incredible, singular bond. For some reason, a sense of grievance welled up in her heart. She turned away, the tears in her eyes stubbornly refusing to fall.

...

Moyuer was not her usual self; she was in a state of extreme agitation. Song Ruozhao listened intently and warned the others, "There is the sound of a tiger!"

Hardly had her warning fallen than a thunderous roar approached, seeking out the light. Amidst the flickering flames, a pair of fierce eyes appeared and vanished, until they saw the beast draped in variegated battle armor. With every step it took, the mountain forest seemed to tremble. Its sharp fangs were bared as it opened a mouth as large as a basin, lunging toward Song Ruozhao...

She was light-footed, moving with the speed of a tornado as she vaulted over the mountain-like tiger. Her fists, which looked like mere embroidery, struck the tiger’s head with the force of iron. She took the opportunity to grab a pine branch, climbing with more agility than a squirrel, weaving through the dense foliage.

The fierce tiger was not to be outdone, its sharp claws gripping the bark as it sought to win the contest. However, due to its massive weight, it fell before it could reach the middle of the tree.

It climbed up clumsily, but the fresh, plump human had already vanished into thin air. A living person had flown up a tree, but the dead one still held promise; after all, it had tracked them by the scent.

Limping on its tiger paws, it walked to a small mound and dug frantically with its sharp claws.

Song Ruozhao held her breath, watching the tiger's movements with trepidation, until human hair, eyes, ears, and scattered facial features began to emerge...

It was a face identical to her own. She had been sitting on it just moments ago, using it as a stool. Her fear reached its peak in an instant. "That is the head of the original owner!"

She braced her body to leap from the tree, but suddenly, her scalp was yanked. Screams from both a man and a woman erupted simultaneously from two neighboring pine trees.

"You stupid shrimp!" Song Ruozhao flared with rage. "Why are you tying up my hair?"

"That beast is a Heaven-Devouring Tiger. If you provoke it further, it will pester you relentlessly until your energy is completely exhausted."

"I cannot throw away a life for nothing."

Glancing in Ju Sifu’s direction, Moyuer corrected herself slowly, "Oh, two lives!"

"Even less reason for you to go!" As she spoke, she waved her pair of shrimp claws, pulled more strands of hair from her bun, and tangled them even deeper into the branches.

Suddenly, the tightly coiled dark hair snapped like a broken string...

The fire starter before the shrimp’s eyes had burned to its limit, and the hair was being singed away strand by strand.

"?"

A fleeting thought of the hair-obsessed "Saliva Chicken" crossed Moyuer’s mind.

"With a wig, I don't care," she said, with the resolve of one facing death. "To live in this world and die unjustly is already pitiful enough. To watch her be gnawed upon by ten thousand teeth after death—that would be my sin."

Song Ruozhao climbed down from the tree. In the eyes of the others, she was walking toward the tiger as if seeking death. Ju Sifu, who cherished his own life, was so anxious he nearly shouted his throat out.

With fresh life behind her, the tiger naturally no longer cared for the rotting head. Every swipe of its claws had the power to rend the heavens and shatter the earth as it lunged at Song Ruozhao.

A sharp whistle rang out in the air. She lowered her fingers gently, whispering something under her breath, and the tiger began to shed tears...

The terrifying aura that had previously made everyone tremble was gone. In its eyes was wonder that this strange creature before it could warn it of danger in time.

Ju Sifu’s impression of her changed drastically. "Did you hear what she said to the tiger?"

Qianchun’s ears were sharper than most, and she nodded. "I heard it."

"Then why did the tiger start crying?"