Chapter 001: Prologue
Night rain was approaching as fierce winds whipped through the purple bamboo grove. The shadows of trees writhed like gesturing demons, and the darkness within the grove seemed to conceal man-eating spirits. Yet none of these terrors frightened Qin Wan as much as the footsteps behind her.
Qin Wan ran breathlessly, constantly looking back over her shoulder. He’s catching up! That person is about to catch up!
Her dark eyes brimming with tears, Qin Wan clutched her skirt and sprinted toward the grove’s exit with all her might. She was drenched in cold sweat as she flew forward, but she never expected the dead branch that appeared beneath her feet.
With a sudden slip, Qin Wan pitched forward, unable to catch herself!
The dull pain in her knees made tears stream from her eyes, but she dared not delay. Gritting her teeth, she tried to get up. Just as she was about to rise, suddenly, a shadow loomed behind her, and at almost the same moment, a pair of hands seized her ankles.
Qin Wan’s eyes flew wide with terror as she let out a piercing scream, “No—Help—!”
They were a man’s large hands.
He gripped Qin Wan’s lotus-stem-delicate ankles brutally, dragging her without hesitation deeper into the bamboo grove.
Qin Wan’s teeth chattered in fear. Sensing the murderous intent of the person behind her, she desperately kicked while flailing her arms, trying to grab onto something, but there were only scattered dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground.
She began to cry in despair as she watched herself being pulled further and further from the exit.
The fierce wind rose, and Qin Wan was quickly dragged into the depths of the bamboo grove.
Her screams were masked by the sound of the wind. When her ankles were finally released, the man seized her hair and with one violent motion, flipped her over. Qin Wan screamed desperately, “Help! Hel—”
Her cry was cut short as the man seized her throat.
The man used brutal force, choking Qin Wan until her vision darkened. She clawed at him viciously but could only see the murderous glint in his eyes.
Qin Wan knew she couldn’t escape. Her throat made choking sounds as her eyes filled with pleading—she didn’t want to die.
As breathing became increasingly difficult and consciousness began to fade, she couldn’t speak but formed words with her lips. The man knew she was begging for mercy, but he remained unmoved, his grip growing stronger and stronger.
Qin Wan felt as if her neck was about to break. She was going to die…
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
Qin Wan’s eyes brightened with a glimmer of hope, but when she heard the newcomer’s voice, that hope for survival was completely extinguished.
“You… you’re going to kill her?!” The approaching woman’s voice trembled. “She… she is after all the legitimate daughter of the Qin family!”
The man’s hands remained merciless though his voice was calm. “The Qin family keeping her would be wasteful anyway, and besides, she saw us. We can’t let her live.”
The woman still hesitated. “But… but she is…”
“There are no buts. Keeping her alive means our death.”
As the darkness grew heavier before her eyes, large tears rolled from the corners of Qin Wan’s eyes. Her brows twisted in agony, her face turned red, her eyes bulged, and her fingernails dug deep into the flesh of the man’s hands.
The man remained eerily calm, waiting for Qin Wan to breathe her last.
Moments later, the strength in Qin Wan’s hands weakened. The indignation, anger, disappointment, and terror in her eyes all faded away. Her pupils dilated as she stared blankly at the pitch-black night sky. Her legs, which had been kicking against the ground—once, twice, three times—fell still.
“Is… is she dead?” the woman asked fearfully. Without waiting for the man’s answer, she continued chokingly, “What about her… this place… people will come… if she’s discovered, won’t they know it was us…”
The man stood up, looking dispassionately at Qin Wan’s eyes that refused to close in death.
“Just throw her in the lake.”