Chapter 2

The torrential rain, accompanied by the rumbling of thunder, causes the wind to blow the dilapidated windows askew, making them flap and rattle! In the small, broken side room of the temple, three young women are curled up. Their bright red wedding dresses appear exceptionally eerie in this pitch-black, gloomy temple that reeks of decay everywhere.

There are no lights in the room, and occasional lightning illuminates the broken temple. Each bolt of electricity, like a sharp sword, seems to strike directly into the ground. The blinding white light and the deafening thunder make the youngest-looking woman shrink in terror.

Pulling hard on her eldest sister's arm, Qing Mo sobs: "Eldest sister, what should we do now? I'm so scared!"

Another bolt of lightning flashes, finally revealing the appearance of the women. All three are in the prime of their youth, each with her own grace. Their beautiful left faces could make all women jealous and men admire them, but unfortunately, two deep knife scars have been slashed across their right cheeks, almost ruining the entire right cheek. On this night of thunder and lightning, they look quite ferocious.

Patting her little sister's shoulder, Qing Ling's face is ashen as she murmurs: "After crossing this mountain, we will be out of the Haoyue Kingdom. Is it true that we really have no way to escape the fate of being a gift?!"

"I'm not reconciled!" Staring stubbornly at the rain curtain outside the temple filled with thunder and lightning, Qingfeng bites her lower lip so hard it almost breaks and bleeds.

Slowly raising her head and leaning against Qingfeng's shoulder, Qing Mo comforts her in a sensible, low voice: "Second sister, don't be afraid. I heard that the Prime Minister Lou you are to marry is a rare gentleman, outstanding in both literary and martial arts; he shouldn't treat you badly." The most pitiful one is eldest sister, who is to be sent into the palace. Legend has it that the Qiongyue King is temperamental, bloodthirsty, and overbearing; how could the gentle and quiet eldest sister endure that!

Qingfeng scoffs: "Who cares!"

Turning around, holding her eldest sister's hand with one hand and her little sister's hand with the other, Qingfeng roars fiercely: "I hate it! By what right can the Qiongyue ruler do whatever he wants with a single word! By what right must our Qing family bear the consequences of the Emperor's incompetence?! By what right, after he killed our parents, must we still be offered as his tribute to please Qiongyue?! By what right!?"

Gently stroking Qingfeng's face, which has become distorted by roaring and hatred, Qing Ling sighs: "Just because Qiongyue is the hegemon among the Six Kingdoms, and all nations pay homage. Just because the Emperor is the ruler of a nation, and if the ruler wants his subject to die, the subject must die! Who told us to be just a few women with no power to truss a chicken?!" Fate has never been in their hands!

Shaking off Qing Ling's hand, Qingfeng stands up abruptly, turns her back, and replies unreconciled: "So what if we are women?! I just won't go to Qiongyue!"

Looking at her second sister's stubborn back, then at her eldest sister's worried face, Qing Mo says timidly: "Even this face that everyone admires has been ruined, yet they still want to send us to Qiongyue! Second sister, we have no way to change anything, do we?"

Gently stroking her cheek, which still aches to the heart, Qingfeng takes a deep breath and replies through gritted teeth: "Even if I die, I, Qingfeng, will never let others manipulate me! Especially that person, who is still a muddled ruler with hands stained with our parents' blood!"

Qing Ling is startled and says urgently: "Feng'er, what do you want to do?!"

Slowly turning around, Qingfeng clenches her hands into fists and says firmly: "Sister, I want to stay in Haoyue, stay by our parents' side, even if it is my corpse that stays behind!"

As if to echo Feng'er's words, a mysterious white bolt of lightning strikes down. The bright light shines on Feng'er's face, and Qing Ling sees her persistence and determination.

Forget it. Grabbing Qingfeng's hand tightly, Qing Ling suddenly feels a sense of relief and smiles faintly: "Good! Sister will accompany you. Anyway, living on has no meaning for me anymore." Not having to think about everything she will have to face in the future might be a relief!

Qing Mo, who is half-squatting on the ground, also stands up quickly, grabs their hands, and says urgently: "Whatever my sisters do, I will do. No matter what, Mo'er will not leave you!"

Qing Ling hesitates, looking at the innocent Mo'er with a heartache. She might not understand the meaning of death yet; she is only fifteen years old?!

Facing Mo'er's pure, large eyes, Qingfeng also feels as if her heart is being twisted. But thinking of the cold-blooded butcher famous on the battlefield she is to be betrothed to, Qingfeng shivers immediately and says: "Eldest sister, Mo'er is so simple and kind; leaving her alone in this world will only bring her suffering. Today, let's have a family reunion in this broken temple!"

Looking at the three pairs of hands stacked together, Qing Ling suddenly feels warm in her heart. As if to convince herself, Qing Ling nods vigorously and says: "Good! A family reunion is best!"

The three look up at the roof beam, smiling at each other with tacit understanding. This is the first time they have smiled since their parents passed away, because after today, they will never be separated again!

Nimbly untying the red silk belt from her waist, she strips off the gorgeous red dress, wearing only a plain white undergarment. Lightly throwing the red silk over the roof beam, the three stand on the broken square table, putting their necks into the red silk without hesitation.

Qing Ling glances at her sisters beside her, closes her eyes, and says softly: "Feng'er, Mo'er, in the next life, let's be sisters again!"

"Mm!" Qingfeng and Qing Mo nod vigorously.

The three hold hands, kick the square table, the red silk suddenly tightens, and three vibrant lives gradually fade away.

The soldiers escorting the Qing sisters to Qiongyue are resting in the main hall of the broken temple. Seeing the rain is about to stop, it suddenly turns torrential again, and the lightning and thunder become even more frantic, as if they want to split this already swaying broken temple to pieces.

One of the young soldiers shrinks his neck. It is still spring, and he has never seen such heavy rain in spring since he was born! He glances casually at the side hall where the Qing sisters are. This look scares him half to death. Under the white light of the lightning bolts, three straight shadows are swinging back and forth in mid-air, their clothes fluttering!

With a strange cry, the soldier tumbles and crawls in front of Li Xu, exclaiming: "Ghost... there's a ghost!"

"What?!" Li Xu is startled. Following the soldier's gaze, the three swaying shadows also break him out in a cold sweat! The Qing sisters have hanged themselves?!

Li Xu hurriedly gets up and kicks open the door of the side hall, only to see red clothes all over the floor and three pairs of bright red embroidered shoes swinging before his eyes. Li Xu steps back in fear, calling out in a panic: "Quick... quick! Get them down!"

A group of soldiers, in a flurry of confusion, finally gets the three women down. All three have black faces and closed eyes.

Li Xu stares at Qing Mo, who is on the far left, and asks urgently: "How is she?"

The soldier carefully touches Qing Mo's breath, swallows his saliva, and replies: "She... is dead."

Li Xu points his trembling hand at Qingfeng and asks urgently: "This... what about this one?"

After checking the breath, the soldier withdraws his hand. Seeing the pale face of Lord Li, the soldier is too scared to answer, just shaking his head gently.

Are they all dead!? Li Xu breaks out in a cold sweat. These Qing sisters were the tribute candidates personally selected by the Qiongyue King, and now they are dead just like that! How could he possibly keep his life?! I'm afraid the Haoyue Kingdom cannot escape its doom! Just as Li Xu is in despair, the soldier suddenly cries out: "My Lord, the eldest Qing sister still has breath!" Although it is very weak, she is definitely still alive.

"Really?! Great! Quickly put her on the carriage and call a doctor!" Finally, one of them is still alive!

Li Xu directs the soldiers to clumsily put the wedding dress on Qing Ling, having no heart to deal with the other two corpses on the floor.

The thunder outside the broken temple rings louder and louder, the blinding white light like sharp swords. The corpses on the ground look even more lonely and cold. The soldier is scared, but he cannot bear to see the two pitiful women exposed in the broken temple, so he picks up the wedding dress on the ground and carefully covers them.

Just as he is about to stand up and leave, a red light, different from lightning, flashes by, and the two people on the ground who had no breath suddenly open their eyes—

"Ah—" The soldier's scream echoes through the broken temple!

Li Xu, who has already walked outside the main hall, asks impatiently: "What are you screaming about again?!"

"She... they..." This time, the soldier cannot even speak, just crawling out of the side hall in a sorry state.

Could two female corpses scare him like this?! Li Xu is suspicious and walks into the side hall again, only to find that the two women who had no sound just now have miraculously slight rises and falls in their chests and abdomens. Although their eyes are still closed, their faces are not as purple as before!

(End of chapter)