Zhang Chengling’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he tried to shake his head.

The man narrowed his eyes, softening his voice even more. “No? Think again, my good boy, did you see him? Or did you not?”

The softer his voice was, the stronger his grip became. Zhang Chengling tried to breathe and struggle out of the grip with all his might, his face reddening; but all of his retaliating punches were futile. He rasped, “Fuck you!”

The man in red seemed not to notice, a demonic smile appearing on his face. “Yes… or no?”

Zhang Chengling felt like his chest was going to burst. He knew this man wanted him to say yes, but right at this life-and-death moment, his stubbornness awoke with a vengeance as he spit on the man’s face. The grip quickly turned crueler, and Zhang Chengling had no more strength to struggle.

The man’s voice was still gentle. “I’m asking you once again: Yes, or no?”

Zhang Chengling was slipping out of consciousness. He thought, This is it…

Suddenly, the man let out a sound of pain and let go of the boy. Air rushed into his lungs and he stumbled backwards, eventually falling on the ground with a “Thud!”, coughing painfully.

The man in red took a few steps back, eyes glancing at the rock that almost broke his wrist with hostility. “Who’s there?”

| | Next Chapter

Footnotes.

Both references 1 & 2 are from real historical figures.

1 Xiang Yu was a ruthless warlord famous for his conquests in the late Qin dynasty, and Qin Shi Huang was the most prominent Emperor of the Qin dynasty and is one of the most influential figures in Chinese history.

2 Emperor Guangwu was and emperor during the Han Dynasty, and Yin Lihua was his second empress. They knew each other when they were young and he had always been impressed with her beauty way back then.

3 王 (wàng) here, while literally translates to “King”, is a title used for the current/former Emperor’s/King’s siblings.

4 Likely refers to 土地公, a deity in Chinese myth.

Translator’s Notes. Fanart for the tree scene from ch.12! For anyone interested in Liang Jiuxiao, I’d recommend you read FW’s prequel novel (not yet translated, sadly) – he and Zishu are only side characters but there’re still a handful of scenes with them.

Chapter 21. Poisonous Scorpion

Out from the corner walked a gaunt man with an easily forgettable face that served no indication of his age. No one had any idea of how long he had been there, having unable to detect his presence at all.