[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-37":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310835,4515,"Chapter 37: Another Tragic News","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>When Jia Cong woke up, he found his hands and feet bound again; light leaked into the cave, and the female bandit was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was pondering how to free himself and escape, when suddenly a shadow flickered at the cave entrance—the female bandit entered, carrying a cleaned and skinned mountain rabbit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She expertly skewered the rabbit over the fire, roasting it until golden, filling the cave with the scent of meat; Jia Cong’s stomach growled helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t eaten anything for a full day and night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female bandit tore off a rabbit leg, turned her back, lifted her face veil, and ate slowly; after finishing, she covered her face again, then turned and untied Jia Cong’s ropes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She threw the remaining rabbit meat at his feet; Jia Cong paid no mind to this dismissive gesture—he had been starving for a day and night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the rabbit meat, brushed off the dust, and devoured it greedily; soon he had eaten nearly half the rabbit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female bandit tossed a water bag at his feet and said, “Wash your hands clean first, then rinse them with water—if you leave even a speck of dirt, I’ll cut your hands off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong thought her voice was barely louder than his own; such cruelty and malice—he wished she’d never find a soul to want her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just tried to touch me!” the female bandit’s voice was icy, yet tinged with shame and anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she finished speaking, a blur flashed before his eyes; he cried inwardly in alarm, twisted his right shoulder to dodge—but his left shoulder took a heavy blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jia Cong had cleaned his hands, the woman had turned away and unfastened her clothes; he saw her back wound had fully swollen down, and yesterday’s ointment had been entirely absorbed by the wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cut flesh had sealed tightly together, leaving only a thin red line; the skin around the wound still glowed faintly red—the mark of healing tissue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had dozens of escape plans in mind—at least ten—but faced with her crude, brutal methods, he had no room to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong glanced at the black iron vial on his hand; such miraculous healing ointment existed in this world? Even the famed Yunnan Baiyao of later ages had never been said to work this way—he truly couldn’t underestimate the ancients.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed helplessly, wiped the grease from his hands on his new robe, which had cost ten taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After applying the ointment, the woman dressed herself; Jia Cong felt a bad premonition, every muscle in his body tensing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, sudden unease rose in Jia Cong’s heart—he must find a way to break free from this woman and return home quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had nothing to wash his hands with; his moon-white brocade robe, worn through forests and over mountains, was already torn and shredded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female bandit occasionally kicked him, tying his limbs and tossing him carelessly to the ground; the new robe was now ragged, and Jia Cong felt heartbroken—what a waste of Zhi Shao’s craftsmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong was still young; his body had not yet fully awakened to gendered sensations, yet when his hands touched the woman’s smooth, tender back skin, a pleasant feeling stirred within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, applying the ointment came easily, for the wound’s flesh had already sealed, making it far less troublesome than the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong was filled with helpless fury, and as expected, he fainted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of Zhi Shao, he wondered how she was now—was she still waiting at the small courtyard he’d rented? If he didn’t return for days, she must be frantic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Rongqing Hall, Lai Da knelt holding a red cloak; Jia Mu sat above, flanked by her senior maid, Yuanyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t,” Jia Cong denied flatly. “If I hadn’t touched you, how could I have applied the ointment? Don’t be ungrateful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the left sat Jia She and Lady Xing; to the right sat Jia Zheng and Lady Wang; the hall’s atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Lai Da was steward of Rongguo Prefecture, he normally could not enter the inner quarters; if he had matters, he only spoke at the second gate, sending maids to relay messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Jia Cong’s abduction had caused such an uproar, Jia Mu had ordered him into Rongqing Hall for questioning; all the younger female relatives were sent behind the screen by Li Gongcai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lai Da’s mother was Jia Mu’s dowry maid; he himself was a household-born servant of the Jia family, and only because Jia Mu favored him had he become chief steward of Rongguo Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in his thirties, sharp and capable; these past days, under Jia Zheng’s orders, he had dispatched men to search everywhere for Jia Cong’s whereabouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Madam, all able young servants in the household have been sent out to search for Third Master Jia. Yesterday yielded no trace, but this morning, at thirty li outside the West Gate, we found Third Master’s carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one was inside, only this cloak—we had Guo Zhi examine it; it’s the very cloak Third Master wore when he left. And…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu frowned. “What else? Spit it out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lai Da hesitated, then said, “Besides the cloak, we found a large pool of blood on the carriage’s yoke. I fear Third Master may be in grave danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the hall turned pale at these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu sat stunned for a long moment, seemingly unable to accept it. “What a tragedy—he’s so young, and now he’s to die before me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone betrayed rare sorrow; this grandson had vexed her for years, yet now that he was in peril, her heart ached—he was still her own flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng’s face turned ashen, hollow-eyed; he slammed his hand hard on the armrest. “How did it come to this? Jia Cong was such a talent—how many years had Rongguo gone without such a scion? And now this is his end?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled his colleagues’ admiration and flattery, and even the usually stern Vice Minister Li, who had spoken kindly with him—when had he ever enjoyed such dignity in the Ministry of Works?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now all was lost; the Jia family’s fortune had sunk so low it could not even bear a whisper of literary brilliance—how shameful before our ancestors!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She despised this son to the bone; he had always beaten or cursed him. Hearing Lai Da speak of the bloodstain, he assumed the bandits had killed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he was his own son; his heart was heavy, and he sat silent, saying nothing—though he could not claim deep grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he heard his bookish brother call that bastard son an outstanding scion unseen in Rongguo for generations, and speak of his talent—his face burned with shame, and his anger flared uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Xing’s voice rang out: “Madam, this sounds dire. The boy was never destined for fortune—he couldn’t bear the Jia family’s noble aura. I’ll go prepare his funeral rites now, to ward off ill luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu’s face darkened. “We haven’t even confirmed he’s dead—don’t speak such words yet, or you’ll truly curse his life away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to Lai Da. “Continue sending servants to search—alive or dead, we must find him. Keep watch on the yamen too; report immediately if anything turns up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the screen, Tan Chun saw the cloak in Lai Da’s hands—it was the very one she had given Jia Cong for warmth—and tears streamed down her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Chun, gentle by nature, heard of the blood and assumed her brother was dead; she could no longer hold back her sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daiyu, hearing how perilous the situation was, grew fearful; seeing Tan Chun and Ying Chun so heartbroken, and remembering Tan Chun’s room with its unmatched verses of Xizhou, she too shed tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baoyu had little connection with Jia Cong, yet he had seen the boy just days ago—how could he be gone? His heart felt heavy, though not truly pained; he merely urged Daiyu to stop crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Xichun, seeing her sisters weep, opened her mouth and wanted to cry too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu heard the commotion behind the screen, puzzled—this grandson had never entered the inner quarters; how had he become so close to his sisters?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Lai Da’s news, the old lady felt deeply unsettled; she dismissed everyone to attend to their own affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news spread rapidly through Rongguo Prefecture; along a pebble path near the kitchen in the eastern courtyard, a slender, delicate maid with a graceful posture hurried toward the grain storehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you for all the valuable feedback—I’ll post another chapter tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1447,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f11ccfb1b8a9333d2fab2d5afc7f2cd4f9fba337846abfba9c9f03a0b6565dc3","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-38","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-36",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]