cold clothes

It was freezing cold. The doors and windows on the third floor of Zhuoyu Pavilion were tightly shut, and a stove was lit inside. There was only one ventilation point at the stairwell leading to the second floor. The afternoon was quiet. The matrons were not there, and the four young courtesans were practicing their dances freely in the dance room.

"Do you think Ningbi will never come back?" Weifeng straightened up and suddenly asked as she stood up. No one answered, so she continued, "She has been locked in the dungeon for twenty days. I have never heard of anyone being locked in the dungeon for so long and still not dying."

"The fact that there's been no news of her death for so long shows that Mother values ​​her highly, so she's even less likely to be in any danger." It was Wu Xue who spoke, still with her usual indifferent demeanor, but unusually speaking so much.

"Hey, are you and Ningbi close? Why are you taking her side?" Weifeng asked, hands on her hips, clearly annoyed. She was puzzled. They had lived with Wuxue for two or three years, and Wuxue had always been quiet and aloof. How could Ningbi have become such a close friend after only a few days? It was hard not to be suspicious.

Wu Xue remained silent, coldly glancing at Wei Feng before walking downstairs. Wei Feng was furious and wanted to chase after her, so Nong Yue had no choice but to go up and stop her.

“There’s no need to be angry with Wu Xue. It’s not our business what Ning Bi does. I heard that Mom asked Sister Qing Chun to punish Ning Bi herself. Sister Qing Chun’s injuries haven’t healed yet, so Ning Bi is still in the dungeon.”

"Sister Qingchun personally punishes me? Ugh, that sounds terrifying..." Weifeng couldn't help but cover her mouth.

“Yes…sigh, I really don’t know what Ningbi will encounter. And, Ningbi probably won’t be able to participate in the small exam on October 1st,” Nongyue said.

The examination system at Zhuoyu Pavilion is the most rigorous in Fengxiang Pavilion. There are major exams and minor exams, held monthly. The minor exams are pass/fail; anyone scoring above the passing mark passes. While not as demanding as the major exams, they are still quite challenging. Each minor exam represents a test of their abilities.

Xia Hua was undoubtedly the strongest opponent; she had become increasingly silent since returning from the night of the Double Ninth Festival. At this moment, she was practicing her dance steps by herself, her straight waist and legs resembling a sword waiting to be drawn.

-

The bandages slowly loosened in the morning light, and delicate eyelashes fluttered like cicada wings as a pair of vacant eyes opened. Just as countless rays of light illuminated the night, the vacant pupils ignited in an instant.

Qingchun couldn't wait to look at her face in the mirror, and excitedly touched her smooth, newly peeled egg-like skin. Her beauty had returned, even though the eggshell hadn't completely peeled off and some mottled scars remained.

"My face... finally... I can finally see Erlang..." Qingchun murmured to herself, her cheeks flushed with excitement. But after examining herself for a while, the scabs that hadn't fallen off became even more unsightly, so she quickly asked her maid to bring her a veil.

She caressed her face with obvious affection, like a pink lotus reflecting its reflection in water. Xiao Ping couldn't help but marvel at her young mistress's beauty, but her unevenly flushed face looked somewhat eerie, which made her a little uneasy.

Qingchun whispered to herself in the mirror, "I can finally see the light of day... Hehe, let the wailing from the ground cheer for my recovery."

-

The dungeon doors swung open once again with a loud crash.

The dust and stench of decay wafted out from the unsealed container, and Qingchun quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hands.

"The dungeon is too filthy. Drag Ningbi out," Qingchun coldly ordered.

Soon after, Leng Yi was carried out by two people, with Ling Cao following behind. The maids did not stop her because they saw that Ling Cao did not make any unusual moves.

Leng Yi was dragged to the rack and bound with thick, barbed iron chains. She dared not struggle, lest the spikes pierce her skin. Her expression remained relatively calm as she squinted at Qing Chun, who sat veiled in a chair. She thought to herself, "I hope modern period dramas can take inspiration from this look; it's perfect for a mysterious and alluring female villain in ancient costume."

Or rather, if Qingchun were to travel to the modern era, she could easily become a top celebrity; with that innocent, delicate face and the allure of a poppy...

"Ningbi, look at yourself now, you're as dirty as a dog," Qingchun said with amusement after looking you up and down.

“I think so too. If you can’t stand it, you can let me go take a shower, and then we can talk slowly afterwards.”

"Take it easy? Hahaha—do you think I came here to waste my breath on you?"

"That's good. My lips are chapped from the cold, so it's hard for me to speak."

"Hmph, still so sharp-tongued even now." Qingchun snorted coldly, not particularly angry, because Lengyi looked utterly haggard. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were thin, her lips were chapped and purple from the cold, her face was bloodless, and even her unique blue pupils were dull and lifeless. She had also been in this dungeon before and knew how cold and unbearable the eternal night underground was. Knowing the suffering Lengyi had endured made her feel happy.

On the way here, she had already planned how to punish Leng Yi, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. She would make Leng Yi pay back double for the pain she had inflicted on her!

Qingchun sneered, waved for Xiaoping to bring over a medicine bottle, and stood up to walk towards Lengyi: "Didn't Ningbi throw medicine powder on my face? I'm a polite person, how can I not return the favor?" As she spoke, she uncorked the medicine bottle.

"No, Qingchun, the courtesan, please have mercy!" At this moment, Lingcao cried out shrilly, making a move to rush forward, but she was subdued by the maids after only a few steps.

“Gag her, her voice is really grating,” Qingchun said.

The maids should have, but the torture chamber couldn't find any cloth, so they used barbed iron chains to bind Lingcao's open mouth and neck, preventing her from making a sound. Even though Lingcao's mouth didn't move, the sharp barbs still cut her lips and tongue, and bright red blood flowed from the corner of her mouth down her chin, neck, collarbone, and into her clothes.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and it was because of the light that the bloodshed was so clearly visible.

Leng Yi stared blankly at the scene, her mouth agape but unable to utter a word, because the next moment someone grabbed her chin and forced her to turn her head. The medicine bottle looming over her told her that what was about to happen to her would be no better than what Ling Cao was going to experience.

Is this the truly terrifying aspect of Fengxiang Tower? Human life and bloodshed seem to be nothing here; no one blinks at the sight of bloodshed, and killing a person is no different from killing a pig or a sheep.

And she is about to lose her eyesight.

The instinct for survival made Leng Yi keep her eyes tightly closed; how could she possibly let the powder get into her eyes! Moreover, she didn't aim the powder at Qing Chun's eyes when she sprinkled it; just a little bit of powder caused Qing Chun's eyeballs to become inflamed and ulcerated, and she was afraid that her eyeballs would rot away.

"Pry open her eyelids!" Qingchun's furious voice boomed overhead. Immediately, someone forcefully pressed Lengyi's head down, and her eyelids were roughly pulled up and down. Lengyi tried to struggle, but with each movement, the spikes on the chains pierced deeper into her flesh.

Damn it! Leng Yi wanted to curse. I wasn't the one who really wanted to hurt you! Where's that bitch Yun Qiu?! She promised to protect me, but she just used me and then threw me away, huh? If you push me too far, I'll expose everything!