Chapter 75: The Devil’s Sacrifice (25)
…A canary?
Glancing at the golden chain on her ankle, Yu Jiao wasn’t too worried. After all, this guy had said before that he wouldn’t kill her.
—But he might make her life a living hell.
The golden scepter, named [Heart of the Dome], was pressed against Yu Jiao’s chin, cold and hard. Just like Yu Fenghe.
Yu Fenghe was sitting high and mighty, his pale hand holding the scepter, like a king’s sword that decided life, death, and honor. His dark, black eyes were like stars, thousands of light-years away, cold and disdainful.
“Just say it,” Yu Jiao said, her cool expression tinged with impatience, her tone direct. “How do you want to torture me?”
Yu Jiao was soaking wet. Without the gold ornaments, her light memorial service dress clung to her skin, outlining her graceful lines and revealing a pale, flesh-colored hue, like a watercolor painting of a fairy dew pearl.
—A pity the collector didn’t know its value.
“Torture you?” Yu Fenghe repeated nonchalantly, as if he were seriously considering the suggestion.
After a moment, his lips curled. “How could I?”
A smile suddenly appeared on Yu Fenghe’s usually expressionless face, like the calm water of a deep pool, suddenly disturbed, and the murky water was stirred up. It was very abrupt.
Like the first portrait of a novice sculptor, a horror valley effect, filled with painstaking effort.
The cold tip of the scepter slowly moved down Yu Jiao’s neck, like a superior caress.
The gesture was ambiguous, but his words were sharp:
“What do you think you are?”
The scepter contemptuously tapped Yu Jiao’s chest.
“You don’t think you’re some kind of irresistible, addictive drug, do you?”
The disdain in his black eyes, which were shaped like the leaves of a yucca, was like an inescapable spotlight. “You think everyone wants to have a relationship with you?”
“…”
No. God knows, Yu Jiao really didn’t think so.
She felt a sense of absurd speechlessness: Yu Fenghe, haven’t you always been in a posture of wanting to torture me? What’s with this disdainful declaration now?
Yu Fenghe snorted. “You’re thinking too much.”
Yu Jiao: “?” You’re the one who’s ‘thinking too much’.
Though Yu Fenghe was so rude, wasn’t he still doing the same thing as he said—provoking her again and again, like a dog that couldn’t be shaken off?
Yu Jiao opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Seeing his stubborn look, it was clear that Yu Fenghe couldn’t be reasoned with. She lowered her eyes listlessly, conveying a “I can’t do anything if you think that” passive attitude.
“…”
Her wet clothes were clinging to her skin, and the coldness was seeping in. Yu Jiao was a little cold and couldn’t help but shiver.
Because Yu Fenghe was still pointing at her with the scepter, the gentle force was as if it had been transmitted to him through this medium.
He suddenly paused.
His superhuman vision froze and magnified every detail. Yu Fenghe was caught off guard, passively watching her.
Her face was pale, her lips colorless, and her dark, heavy eyelashes were lowered, and, like her long hair, they were soaked with water, in strands. Her whole being was like a glazed, black-and-white porcelain, fragile and restrained.
“…”
As if he had finally realized his own inconsistency, Yu Fenghe suddenly withdrew his hand, as if in guilt.
His face was still cold and hard, his expression disdainful. He snorted. “You’re at it again.”
Yu Fenghe had a look of ‘I will not let you succeed in your scheme’, and he urged the churning black gas to roll towards her. In the blink of an eye, the water vapor on Yu Jiao’s body disappeared, and her white memorial service dress was once again holy.
Yu Jiao felt refreshed.
Regardless of what his motive was, she did feel much more comfortable.
Before she could give him a good look, she heard a cold snort. “Do you think I’m like those three lecherous idiots?”
The noble Yu Fenghe smoothed his sleeves and berated her, “Besides, those three despicable guys are not really sincere with you. They’re just after your body.”
“…”
There he goes again.
The golden scepter floated up and pressed against Yu Jiao’s eyelid.
“Helan Duo only likes your eyes, which are similar to Jiao Hongyue’s. When you look at him, he is reminiscing about the past, from over ten years ago.”
As Yu Fenghe’s cold words fell, the golden scepter tapped various places on her body.
“He likes to watch you use this skin, which is similar to Jiao Hongyue’s, to do things that she would not do, to satisfy his despicable pleasure. This kind of beast in human form is the most likely to turn on you. You’d better not count on him.”
“…”
“And don’t be fooled by Yuan Cang’s pitiful look now. Don’t think he likes you that much.”
The golden scepter shot up and pointed directly at Yu Jiao’s brow.
“At most, he’s using you as a continuation of Jiao Hongyue’s will. At best, a rare vessel. When you and his great cause conflict, see which one he will abandon.”
“…”
“Nie Hongshen is even more shameless. He doesn’t like you at all. In his eyes, you’re not even a fake.”
The golden scepter drew a cross on Yu Jiao’s body, and Yu Fenghe curled his lip:
“You don’t really believe his tolerant and affectionate disguise, do you? Don’t be foolish. You’re just a tool he’s using to oppose me. If you don’t stay away from him, be careful of becoming a sacrifice in a power struggle.”
As Yu Fenghe manipulated the golden scepter, he was explaining with heart-piercing words.
His own hands were tucked into his wide sleeves, and he looked like a sandalwood shrine, built on the peak of a high mountain—as if even indirect contact with her was extremely disgusting.
His words did not cause Yu Jiao any emotional fluctuation. She calmly thought: He really knows these three very well. I have to admit, his analysis and predictions are basically correct.
It’s true that these three are more despicable than the next, but what good is Yu Fenghe?
Yu Jiao really couldn’t stand his self-righteous look.
She suddenly seized the constantly shaking golden scepter, interrupting his tirade.
Her glistening grey eyes narrowed, and she followed his words, perfunctorily, “Yes, yes, yes. They all like Jiao Hongyue and not me. She is the bright moon in the sky, and I am the fish eye on the ground.”
Her soft words were self-deprecating, and she was also setting a trap.
“After all…” Yu Jiao suddenly smiled, her tone changing. “Even the well-read and talented eldest son of the Yu family gave up his family business for Jiao Hongyue, and an atheist converted to the Apocalypse Cult. What a devoted lover.”
She looked at his face with a half-smile, trying to find a ripple of emotion.
Yu Fenghe looked at her with a blank face, and the choppy hair at his ears moved without any wind.
Seeing this, Yu Jiao fearlessly pulled at the scepter, a smile on her face, her movements gentle, like an intimate joke.
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air.
The tip of the scepter suddenly changed shape, as if it had been sharpened by an invisible pencil sharpener.
In a flash, the sharp, cold, golden tip shot forward and, just barely, stopped at Yu Jiao’s delicate neck, as if a slightly heavier breath would make her blood splatter on the spot.
Through the straight, golden scepter, Yu Jiao’s gaze met his dark, quiet, and solemn black eyes. Sarcasm, contempt, disgust, suppression, and some complex, unreadable emotions were all transmitted to her.
“…”
When the change had suddenly occurred, her hand was still on the scepter. It looked as if Yu Jiao were tilting her chin up and offering her fragile neck.
Her life was in danger, but Yu Jiao was not afraid at all. She even narrowed her eyes and smiled, her posture like she was offering her neck for slaughter. The sharp tip immediately cut a startling wound on her pale white neck.
Yu Fenghe was clearly startled. He had not expected her to self-harm.
The next moment, Yu Jiao felt a powerful force pull, and her hand slipped. The scepter flew back to him.
But it was already too late.
A hot, stinging pain came from the wound. Yu Jiao had controlled her strength just now, and the wound was not deep.
She had originally just wanted to provoke him, but she had not expected to have an unexpected gain. Yu Jiao slowly narrowed her eyes.
There, on Yu Fenghe’s pale neck, which was hidden by his collar, was a bloody gash, exactly the same as hers.
Yu Jiao understood, and the question in her heart was answered.
She had thought it was strange before: Why did Yu Fenghe, who hated her so much, say he would not kill her… So, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t. It was like—
A curse.
Because of his powerful self-healing ability, the wound on Yu Fenghe’s neck disappeared in the blink of an eye. In contrast, Yu Jiao’s wound showed no signs of healing, and beads of blood were slowly trickling down.
A cold, interested light flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes.
—She was familiar with shared sensation. It had happened in the last world.
As she stared at Yu Fenghe, she lifted her slender, pale hand and slowly caressed her neck.
“You hate me so much. Why don’t you kill me now?”
Her voice was sweet and light. As her words fell, her hand suddenly tightened, and her nails dug deep into the tender wound.
Just as she’d expected, the same wound appeared on Yu Fenghe’s neck.
Though it would heal in an instant, because Yu Jiao was repeatedly digging at her wound, his wound was like a glitching digital image, appearing and disappearing.
—It had been a long, long time since He had felt such pain. So weak it was humiliating.
Yu Fenghe narrowed his deep, dark eyes.
The next moment, a few chains extended from the golden cage and, with a rustle, bound Yu Jiao’s wrists, stopping her self-harm.
She was restrained, and the wound on her pale white neck looked like a festering pomegranate, but Yu Jiao was still smiling.
The startling blood color reminded him of a pair of equally festering, vibrant red eyes.
Yu Fenghe lifted his eyelids and met her glistening grey eyes.
“You think this will cause me any harm?”
His voice was flat, as if he were mocking her naivety, weakness, and pity.
Yu Jiao tilted her head and guessed, “It should be like scratching an elephant’s itch, right?”
“But,” the smile on her face slowly widened, “if I pierce my heart with enough speed, even you won’t have time to heal, right?”
“…”
In the empty darkness, only the two of them were illuminated by the shining golden light. The ripples of the water below spread out from them, dark and cleansing.
On the high seat, a few wisps of black gas, like swimming fish, appeared around Yu Fenghe. His complicated robes and hair were all floating, and he was looking at Yu Jiao with a blank face.
Yu Jiao returned a bright smile.
She was very happy now. She had finally found a way to suppress this annoying dead ghost. Though she didn’t know the reason, and it was at the cost of her life, it didn’t matter.
Yu Jiao was already a little tired of fighting for her life in this damn game. Anyway, the barefooted are not afraid of the shod.
“…”
Yu Fenghe lowered his eyelids, smoothed his sleeves, and said coolly, “You may not know, but I… hate being threatened the most.”
As his words fell, a roar from the abyss was attached to them.
The black gas, carrying the sharp scepter, suddenly flew over and aimed at Yu Jiao.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
Yu Fenghe looked up, a dark light churning in his eyes.
“Torturing you… might indeed be a pleasant thing.”
A sharp sound of something cutting through the air.
The sharp, golden spike, as if it were cutting a cake, cut through Yu Jiao’s white memorial service dress, leaving a vibrant, red, bloody mark.
Yu Fenghe’s black robe also had a dark spot in the same place.
He propped his chin on one hand and, with the other, he raised his hand, his long, black nails aimed at Yu Jiao. The choppy hair at his ears was surging even more violently, like a sea, as if some hidden, dark creature were about to break the surface.
Yu Fenghe was nonchalant, and, as if he were conducting music, he lightly tapped—
The golden spike cut a straight line from Yu Jiao’s chest to her abdomen.
The wound was not deep, but it looked terrifying. Yu Fenghe was clearly holding back, with a superior, teasing air, as if he were toying with a mouse.
Yu Jiao’s expression was always cool.
Though her hands were bound high by the golden chain, and the wounds on her neck and body were horrifying, Yu Jiao did not feel humiliated at all, nor did she seem very weak.
The blood slid down her undulating body, and the clash of crimson and white created a tragic, mournful beauty.
She lowered her eyes, and she actually had a holy quality, a suffering goddess statue.
Her blood-stained clothes were teetering, revealing a large expanse of skin and bloodstains. When the white clothes and the flesh were torn, it was like breaking a cocoon.
Yu Jiao lifted her cold, grey eyes. “You are the so-called god in this game, ‘The God’s Otome Game’, right?”
Finally, the thin, broken clothes could no longer bear the weight and were completely torn, slowly sliding down. With her bloody wounds and her bone-chillingly cold gaze, Yu Jiao was almost naked before Him.
“…”
It was unclear if it was her direct words or the shocking, eye-catching scene that made His movements and thoughts suddenly stop.
“…”
Yu Jiao curled her lips into a smile.
The Five Elements Bracelet, which was hidden in her clothes, suddenly lit up, and the golden one shattered and annihilated.
Taking advantage of his daze, Yu Jiao’s fingertips moved slightly, and the golden chains that were binding her hands and ankles, along with the golden cage and the scepter, were like molten gold, and they flowed, strand by strand, into her hands.
Losing the support of the golden cage, Yu Jiao fell from the air. She took the opportunity to leap up and, with her tattered, flying clothes and beads of blood, she rushed straight for the man who was sitting on the high seat.
The two of them were already very close, and now, the distance had shortened in an instant.
It seemed Yu Jiao was about to succeed.
The unexpected turn of events made Yu Fenghe’s pupils constrict. He subconsciously wanted to tear this arrogant woman to shreds. The next moment, he forcefully suppressed his killing intent—if he accidentally killed her, it would be difficult.
It was in this moment of hesitation that a few strands of gold, unexpectedly, like a snake, coiled around him, and they actually turned into handcuffs, restraining his hands.
Yu Jiao narrowed her eyes and smiled.
She just happened to fall into his arms from the air.
Like a falling spark, or a soul-stealing demon.
The almost-naked, blood-stained woman was on Him, her lips curled like a beautiful ghost, and she suddenly raised her hand. The gathered shining gold formed a sharp dagger.
Yu Jiao swung down fiercely—
—From the moment she had entered this strange space, she had vaguely realized: she had gained the ability to manipulate shining gold for a moment.
After enduring until this moment, Yu Jiao had finally turned the tables and, with a single strike, had won.
The sharp blade of the dagger was dazzling as it pierced His chest.
“…”
Feeling an irresistible resistance, Yu Jiao raised an eyebrow.
There, the dagger had only gone in a tip before it could not go any further.
Not surprised.
It didn’t matter.
Yu Jiao pulled out the dagger and swung down again, three times.
Black and red blood splattered.
—One stab to get even, two more were a bonus.
Yu Fenghe’s face darkened, and the golden handcuffs instantly shattered.
The moment his pale hand was free, he seized Yu Jiao by the neck. She was strengthless, and the dagger fell into the water.
“You’re courting death.”
Yu Fenghe gritted his teeth, as if he wanted to bite a piece of flesh from her. His large, pale hand tightened, but he was clearly still holding back, not killing her.
“How could I,” Yu Jiao feigned innocence and blinked her eyes. In his grip, she forced a sweet, cloying voice from her throat. “I was just trying to help us test if this shared sensation is two-way or one-way.”
“…”
She gave an obedient smile and looked down at her smooth, pale white left breast.
“Based on the experimental results, we can conclude that it is one-way.”
“…”
“Don’t think that I wouldn’t dare to act.”
Yu Fenghe said slowly. The hand on her neck was slightly tightened, forcing her to lift her head. Her vision was occupied by his cold, dark face.
His thick, handsome eyebrows were slightly raised. “Even if the harm you inflict on yourself is reflected on me, do you think that a mere mortal body can compete with me?”
The hand on Yu Jiao’s neck moved slightly, and his thumb, as if with pity, caressed the delicate skin of her chin.
Yu Fenghe curled his pale, purplish lips and uttered a cruel threat. “There are plenty of ways to make you suffer.”
Provoked by her, His expression was much more vivid, full of life, as if he had eaten countless perverted villains and had integrated them.
Yu Jiao was in his arms, and though her lifeline was being squeezed, she burst out laughing, her eyes curving like a coquettish young woman, acting spoiled in her lover’s arms. “Don’t be so angry.”
Because of the lack of oxygen, her face was flushed, as intoxicating as if she had been doused in alcohol. She said, intermittently, half-true, half-false sweet words, “Of course I believe in my husband’s thunderous methods.”
Yu Fenghe’s face was blank.
“Stop with the disgusting words.”
“Alright.”
Yu Jiao feigned a pout, aggrieved.
Her fingertips moved slightly, and the dagger in the water softened again. The golden thread, like a snake, swam up and, along Yu Fenghe’s trouser leg, coiled in. Like a pleasing little animal.
He frowned and reprimanded her coldly, “Stop with the little tricks.”
“No little tricks?”
Yu Jiao’s eyelashes were slightly closed, and her glistening grey eyes were veiled in a mist, looking very cunning. “Then big moves are fine, right?”
As her words fell, her nimble hand suddenly reached for Yu Fenghe, catching him off guard.
“…”
The face that had just had a hint of life was once again blank. Even the large hand that was on her neck, in its shock, had relaxed its grip.
Yu Jiao took a deep breath, feeling her strength gradually return.
Her obedient, clever expression suddenly faded, and she bared her teeth in a vicious smile.
—Just like he had squeezed her neck, she, in return, used all her strength and squeezed back.
“…”
It was just a pity that the strength of a god’s body was not something she could shake.
Yu Jiao regretfully squeezed and found that it was indeed intact.
“…You!?”
His cold, dark eyes widened slightly.
His stalled brain finally started up again.
“Shameless!”
In his rage, Yu Fenghe waved his large hand. Then, Yu Jiao flew out, feeling a familiar dizziness wash over her. She knew that she was about to be kicked out of the room.
She reacted quickly. In a flash of lightning, Yu Jiao blew him a kiss and said quickly:
“Husband, you’re such a chaste martyr. Then let me help you on your path of celibacy.”
Her playful words sounded sarcastic.
Before Yu Fenghe could react, she had already disappeared from this space.
“…”
“…”
In the vast, empty darkness, only He was alone.
Feeling the strange coolness between his legs, His already cold, hard, pale, dead face grew even more livid.
—Yu Jiao had just used a feint and, when he was not paying attention, had secretly manipulated the shining gold to slip into his robes and create a… chastity belt.
“…”
In his long life, for the first time, He felt an emotion that was even more turbulent than killing intent.
Based on ‘Yu Fenghe’s’ extensive experience and consciousness, He knew that its name was—shame and anger.
Crack, crack.
The private gold ornament made a grating, cracking sound and was completely shattered.
Yu Fenghe clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, one word at a time:
“Yu. Jiao.”
His rage-soaked voice was like a volcanic eruption, a mountain collapsing, a thunderous roar.
But He did not know that in the laws of the human world, after destruction, something new should be born.