Chapter 3: Mutilation
Liao Lusheng was left alone in the room. He began to pant a little after she left. Feeling himself heat up below and on his face. He covered it, wiping the sweat, feeling his heart quicken at strange new thoughts that had appeared the moment his little slave had spoken, 'bad thoughts about master'. what was this? It was true he had played around with both genders, but he much preferred females, although he had never felt a lasting connection with them. He had also never considered thinking sexually about any kind of fellow subordinate of the blood cult. He had low libido as it was, what would be the point of causing more problems for himself?
Lusheng had been born weak and also with albinism. He had also had a secondary condition where he lacked the ability to perceive emotions the same way as others, and was rather pyschopathic.
Born to a breeder in the blood cult, he was grown up, trained until he would die for the sect if it need be, but due to the harsh training, surving against all odds with his brittle body, his condition only worsened, until he began to obsess over blood being drawn, over the torture of others. It seemed to send some kind of relief and dopamine to his brain every time he saw someone helpless in his hands. Without this relief, he would gain headaches, and shadows would begin to appear in his vision, ghosts that haunted him, wanting to kill him, basically schizophrenia. And he would be unable to sleep. But despite the relief overhaving someone so helpless in his hands, he would often lose control, accidentally killing them.
He didn't like when they died, it took out all the fun, and he hated dead things. Dead things often haunted him at night, crying out his name. He hated them dead. Thus, this servant of his, he had put through several tortures, but during his worst episodes, he had taken it out on others, not his servant, to keep the little tongku alive. It had been over 8 years, the tongku was still alive by his side. No one had been able to survive by his side this long. only, it seemed the tongku could randomly calm him down, he felt less triggered, less need to fall for his cravings when he was around, like a calming aroma. In fact, he hadn't tortured someone to death for several months before he went to the serving district. He considered for a moment how strange this was. Even that lady, he had only lost control due to the excitement of the other action they were doing, this always happened when he did such things.
This boy…he didn't want to act on but..now that the seed had been planted…what if it grew?
***
Tongku came to the deep pits. This area was where monsters that were bred on demonic energy were kept. They were kept to train or punish subordinates, and were also there when one needed to be released amongst mortals to cause some chaos. However, less and less had been released recently, as if planning a larger scale invasion, the more control the heir had gained over the leadership position.
Now, the pits were more full than ever, cries of animals echoed out from the darkness below her. She stood on a platform that led out over the darkness. Only the beast-catchers could usually go down there and survive. The rest were usually punished or sent there to see if they could overcome long enough to reach the exit. Below, there were other exits that could be activated with a blood cult token. whether you could reach them or not however…that depended on your own strength.
She rubbed the handguard she had built around her right forearm and hand. After all, she still couldn't bend her fingers, after they had healed, the bones healed erratically, and only hurt dully, so she had made a metal forearm guard that covered it, to at least be able to use it as a shield in combat. Then she took out the blade at her hip, testing its edge with her thumb. A soft tap left a bleeding cut. Perfect. Resheathing it, she leapt into the darkness. She landed effortlessly, quickly blending with the darkness, able to see in it as if it were bright as day with a technique taught to her by Ruyang.
Strength was everything in the blood cult. If you were strong enough you could automatically gain a color above yours, and if you were strong enough you could bargain for a better position in the cult. But she, Tongku, despite her strength, still carried a white band and was in the lowest grunt position. However, she still had her cult token.
She made her way through the darkness, circumnavigating many beasts, going deeper and deeper. The deeper she went, the larger, more powerful the beasts became, until she could no longer hide her presence from them, and had to fight for her life.
She stayed there for two weeks. It wasn't her first time there, she had gone for punishment before. But this time, she reached the last gate in the deep pits. A gate not accessed by anyone but the heir in almost a hundred years. She remembered it made quite the commotion that time, everyone had been watching when he entered, so everyone knew when he left again, after less than one week. She had taken a few days herself. She considered not accessing it, as she sat, gasping against it, a large dragon-like serpent dying at her feet. However, she also knew that the heir must have cleared out some other worse ones six months ago. She had seen the bones of a towering beast. And the one she had just fought, had old wounds.
she glanced down at her chest. Just as she had hoped, she had finally found a creature with acidic-like spit that corroded flesh at a touch.
She had planned an attack to perfectly hit her chest, it burnt away the fat quickly, she sent her spiritual energy into it, controlling it from spreading farther, only burning away what she wished, before finishing. Then, she covered it in salve from the skinner and bandaged it up. This was miraculous salve, could even regrow skin where it had been burnt away, but the skin would be discolored still, like a normal burn. Her burn was across her entire chest, in more of an eye shape and diagonal, she had kept her original skin in places to make it look like a more naturally shaped scar.
She finally stood up, sighing in relief that she had survived such a risky endeavor, walking over to the snake she'd downed, bandaging it up. She had done her best not to kill any beasts after the red level token door. It would be a waste to do so.
She had brought with her many medicinal herbs in the sash at her waist. She used them here. right, this world really was magical, she had even heard of a mystical item called a spacial ring and it had magical beasts like the one before her, that could supposedly talk and transform into small versions of themselves, and one could make teleport portals and have weapons with souls. Well, there were limitations though. She had once read a cultivation book back on earth, where they flew on swords and could ascend to the heavens or extend their lives. That wasn't this world. People would still die at the same time without pills, only extending them a little with extremely powerful martial arts and special spells, they didn't use swords to fly, and couldn't ascend. However, getting stronger did still make you more beautiful for whatever reason, she considered her own face, which was nigh immaculate already.
The black dragon-like snake watched her actions, as she gave it a healing salve, after patching it up, stepping away. "How's that? Feel good?" She asked curiously.
"It's okay." He shrugged by shaking his head, "It would've hurt less if you hadn't cut it to being with." It was the first time one of the animals had actually decided to talk to her.
"That's good." She nodded, realizing her wrong, "I'm sorry for hurting you, I just wanted to get wounded myself."
"Ah." He considered for a moment. "Wait." he suddenly brought his head up. "Couldn't you have just asked then??"
she also considered. "Ah. you're right." before clicking her tongue. "I guess I owe you one then, here, have this." she couldn't give him all the beast cores she had collected, but she could give him a few. One, she had killed on accident at the purple door.
He gobbled it down. "not bad. but I'm still a little hurt."
"oh? where?"
"my feelings!!!" He scowled, finally turning directly into a human. "Think about the mental stress you've inflicted!"
"Wait." she paused. "I heard mystical beasts can transform into minis, but not normally human."
"Ah, that's because I'm a snake, born with transformation arts, and if I transform small I just end up looking like a black worm, really, it's a bit too demeaning, and I don't like to be called gross-looking."
"I see."
"Yea, the last guy that came here was almost beaten by me! But sadly, managed to force me back long enough to go through the door, you are the only one to have been able to defeat me completely after spending like a thousand years down here, perhaps because my old injuries weakened my realm, so thanks for healing even those old ones, perhaps I can have a chance of ascending again, say, you," he considered, "You're rather powerful, aren't you?"
"Ah, but I cheated in the fight."
"You did, but that doesn't change the fact you can beat me."
She cheated, in that, she hadn't fought him directly strength to strength but made many deceitful moves, and even used a couple bombs and poisons. She figured the heir never had to cheat. He was just that strong. She would claim unfair, but that would be like claiming it's unfair that not everyone is born the same gender.
She sighed. "Say, will you try to kill me if I sleep here?"
"No," he shook his head. He looked quite nice, he had completely black, sleek skin, with pure silver hair cascading over one shoulder. His yellow eyes shown out brightly. He didn't look overly human other than his shape.
"That's nice." She didn't ask for more, nor did she take his words at face value, trusting or befriending a snake was a wonderful way to lead yourself to death, and she had found this life rather nice to live. It would be a shame to die again.
She spent the next week and a bit more, running around getting a couple more cores, and patching up her wound until it was healed enough to remove the bandages.
She walked back to the orange door, only to find the snake still following her. It had been rather hard to sleep with him around all the time, but eventually, she had found he preferred just laying next to something warm when she came to sleep in his territory, so to kill her would be counter-intuitive.
"Are you going to leave?" She asked.
He shrugged, "I don't know, I can't really." It seemed even he couldn't beat the magical formation that locked him inside with the rest of the beasts, although she considered he might be close if he ascended gain
"I can trade." She finally considered.
"Oh?" He looked curious. She liked that his robes were so loose they barely stayed on his shoulder, displaying most of his chest, it was quite nice.
"Yes, what would you give me for a plaque?"
He tilted his head. "How about some of my poison?"
"It will burn through everything I own to carry it."
"Ah." What a dilemma, they both began to think hard. "I know," as the more informed, he found the solution faster. "How about I give you some of my poison, and you carry it in a bag made of my shedded skin?"
"Are you that powerful? Your skin is impenetrable to acid?"
"Well, even you only managed to poison me through my eyes."
"Oh, yeah, you're right, that's cool. Hey, you know, rather than poison, why not give me the whole snake skin?" she asked.
"It's rather big."
"Um, fold up as much as I can carry?"
She got a tightly folded bundle of snake skin, he still seemed to feel it wasn't enough. "Ah, you know…I have another poison, in my left tooth, rather than my right. It doesn't corrode stuff like my right, but it can still be rather useful."
"oh?"
And after getting a little poison from his other fang, she opened the door with her plaque, stepping through, and tossing it back.
"Thanks." He threw back at her.
"Thanks." she replied.
After the door shut, she touched her now flat chest. She was surprised by how much regret she felt after doing what she did, as well as how much it made her want to cry. She didn't really fully understand why. But, well, marriage and love were impossible for her in this life anyway. what was the point of being a girl, if all it would do would mean you would get raped instead of promoted? She didn't know. She could still have kids if she wanted too anyway. There was no loss. No loss. She could convince herself of this. She wouldn't cry. There's no reason to cry.
She had exited the red gate, returning to Liao Lusheng.
She came to kneel before him, the outfit she wore, still bloodied from the fighting, she looked incredibly thin, now that she didn't wear bandages up her entire body, and her coat was shredded, so she removed it, her robe also so torn, the entire neckline and collar bone and some chest and abs were shone. but it no longer mattered. She didn't have a chest she needed to hide anymore. It was flat, flat as any man's, a diagonal scar across it.
"Master." She held out the beast cores. "I came to submit these to you, every monster on the list for termination has been dealt with by your servant."
"Ah. Was the punishment…difficult? You look thin, was it hard to accomplish?"
She was a little confused about the worried question, but looking up she saw her master merely gazed at her phlegmatically, his bright red eyes digging deep into her.
She nodded, "Indeed, it was difficult but master," she bowed again, "Don't worry! I shall do my best to have no more problems in the future, should it happen again, please, punish me as you desire."
Ah. Liao Lusheng thought to himself. Why am I almost disappointed. "Well, you look good like this, with less layers, you should wear more clothes that show your neck and waist more often."
"Yes, master," she paused.
She had grown up in the hospital in hospital gowns, then the dirty blood cult. She was almost 21 but had no idea where to even get clothes, much less what looked good, she had just worn the uniform provided for her with extra layers. Well, fine, she would just get a new uniform then, and wear less layers and her top looser.
She turned to leave.
"Oh, and make sure to join with me tonight, after getting cleaned and refreshed, I will be going to the meeting for all red members and above, you will accompany me there."
"Yes, master."
***
When Liao lusheng saw her again, he had trouble to his own surprise, not taking a second look. She had stripped down to just the inner white robe of the blood cult. Her thick black overrobe gone, as well as the vest, coat and thick belts, she now had just a simple white belt of her station, and her robe was loose, leaving most of her chest out. Her hair tied in a low pony tail.
"Master," she bowed.
"Let's go." He shrugged, walking towards the door again, before realizing this was his servant so it didn't matter if he looked again anyway, and turned around, grabbing her by the shoulders, where she followed closely, looking her up and down, memorizing every stretch, "Little Tongku you…" He nodded slowly, "This looks very good." He suddenly realized Tongku was already getting taller than him. Ayah, how children grow up.
"Thank you." She commented back, it always felt good to get a compliment, and if one received one, it was always right, "You also look as devastatingly beautiful as always," To give one back. She spoke monotonely, but her eyes flickered a little with hidden intent.
He felt his lips twist in an s, his own eyes bulging a little in perplexity. "Am I…like that in your eyes?"
It seemed he, like herself, rarely got compliments.
She grabbed his shoulders. "Don't worry master, I can confidently say you are the most beautiful person I have met that is still alive."
Yes, she had rarely met someone as good looking as him, other than one sickly patient in the hospital once who died shortly after, her mom, the lady that had been in that orange member's office, and the woman he'd strangled to death in the brothel area.
well, she hadn't seen a whole lot of beautiful people at all but, well, that was alright.
"Ah." He, having seen her grow up, quickly realized her thought process. "That lady…um that I did it with two weeks ago…"
"She was hotter," she confirmed.
"Ah." He looked rather let down.
She grabbed his shoulders again, "Don't worry, master, she is dead now, you don't need to compete with her, as they say, the dead only get uglier."
"Who said that?" he asked curiously.
"Ah….I don't know, but I'm sure it has been said by someone."
"It's hard to say something someone hasn't said."
"Master." She interrupted. grabbing his chin a little. "Remember…when you did this?" She asked. He gazed at her, "I remember," she threw her arms around him, "So don't worry about superficial things, I never forget…those I care about." Doesn't mean she wouldn't kill them though…She thought back to her previous life, before her saddening thoughts were interrupted by thin, pale arms encircling her waist in response, a face dug into her shoulder.
"Alright." He hummed, moving a little side to side. "I won't forget either then." Although what time she was talking about had left no impression on his own mind.
It was the first time she went to the first floor the underground. She had spent most of her time in the third and fourth. The first was richly decorated in the halls, and everyone looked well-fed and well-kept. It was strange to see. She had thought the blood cult was always dirty, filled with stench and filth and it was common for those to starve or die of illness in it. She was so used to the smell of feces, urine, rotting flesh and blood, that when she could no longer smell them, she had herself stop and take an extra sniff. In fact, the smells of her life had never been this pleasant, not since that carriage ride or the Hao place. But even the Hao place had been filled with pungent perfumes to mask other smells and the carriage she was reborn in carried the smell of the streets in it. In her past life, she had the smell of the hospital in her nose as long as she could remember, only able to open the window to risk a smell outside, if she could be carried into a wheelchair and pulled over to witness it, she would still smell that smell of hospital on her and the chair and the people round her when they left outside.
It never left, neither did the smell of the streets or the lower floors of the blood cult. It wasn't until she came to this floor, that she suddenly realized her nose…was actually really good, impeccably good. She could smell a sweet smell far a way, a citrusy smell another direction, the smell of mouse turds under the boards that lined the walls.
She had always played with the idea that she had a good nose in this life, but it wasn't till all the strong smells went away that she finally witnessed its absolute strength.
Liao lusheng had noticed she'd stopped, stopping as well. "What is it?"
"It smells…good." She finally affirmed, smiling a little. His smile was very nice, Liao Lusheng decided.
"If you want, you can make my room smell better."
She glanced at him excitedly. He did have a good door that sealed out outside scents well and he hadn't killed a man in there in over a year. "Don't take that back," she responded skeptically.
"Hah." He smirked, flashing his crooked teeth and turned back around to continue their way forward, his heels clacked nicely against the complete cement floor.
She was left alone in a waiting room that led to the main meeting room, guarding the doors of the waiting room with a couple others. None of them looked particularly normal.
The large man, seated by herself, an orange band at his waist, and his hair and beard dyed in purples and yellows glanced over at her, "You wounded?" He asked, curiously about the bandages from the cut on her arm she got before leaving the pits.
She looked up. He really was large. His waist was five times hers thickness, no, maybe six times, and his shoulders were easily two or three times as broad. "Yea, you?" She asked agreeably. A man cloaking in pink across from them, chuckled at her question.
"No." The large man responded seriously.
"That's nice."
"It is."
"Oh please," broke in a lady clothed in purple and gold, with her thin hair done in free flowing hanging braids, flicking a knife around in her hand like it was a nervous habit. "If we are going to talk, can we ban those two from having the discussion together?"
"What's wrong with it?" Crooned the man in pink. "I found it quite interesting."
a short man in brown pretended he was deaf.
Meanwhile, a taller young man in red stretched out his arms, waking up from across from the girl. "Ah, that's Liao Lusheng's man." He helpfully introduced, "Won him in a bet."
"Oh?" A man in white, with even a white scarf, gazed at him from the other side of the man in pink. "So he really does have an assistant afterall? Say, boy, are you his choice of heir then? Or you a body guard? No," he glanced at her waist, and partially exposed chest. "His bedboy?"
"I don't think he's gay," contributed the man in pink helpfully.
"He's not gay," confirmed the woman in purple.
"I always thought he was gay." Came a halfhearted grumble from the short man in brown, still gazing at the wall. Everyone ignored him.
"He's his servant." Explained the one in red.
"Then…" They looked at him, "Why was he brought here?" Asked the man with the scarf.
"Ah, it's 'cause he also works as his body guard."
"You're a bodyguard?" Asked the large man to her.
"Sort of, you?" She asked back, halfheartedly. She was terrible at small talk.
"Sometimes."
"I guess we're like twins then." She'd heard her sister say that every time someone said something that she had in common with them.
"I guess so."
"No." Assured the man in pink. "You guys, are not at all like twins."
They both looked at him with a similar expression.
A small snort came from the corner from the man in brown.
"You don't look very strong." Begged the lady. Next to her was another woman, completely powdered, and well-dressed, who had done her best to remain out of everyone's attentions, lest she get bullied.
But when the partially bald woman stood up, flicking around her blade, it sort of revealed her, she quickly covered her face with a fan, backing up into the corner farther.
"I get that a lot." Tongku shrugged.
Suddenly a dagger was thrown at her face.
She caught it effortlessly testing the edge. "This…is kinda dull." She commented, the woman frowned, annoyed at the diss at her blade. Tongku took out a whetstone, and began to sharpen it.
"Satisfied yet?" Commented the man in red, Miao Ruyang's favorite apprentice, besides Tongku, who he had put all his efforts into to hopefully attempt to take over the blood cult. The young man already had a red belt, and had his own force, but had yet to transfer out of Miao Ruyang's leadership, due to no leadership spot opening up for himself, and no one excited to be forcibly retired.
"Satisfied? I saw nothing but quick fingers." Grumbled the lady back.
"Okay, keep testing him then." Leaned back Lv Raoxi.
She caught on. "Hey, you, why do you want me to test him so bad? I know you, you don't like me."
"Casting baseless shade," he feigned.
"There they go again." Groaned the man with white scarf to the man in pink.
"Heh, explain last week then." She crossed her arms. "He's a hidden genius? Is that it? Or is he overly vicious? Does he have some trick…"
"Ai, instead of asking me, why not just test him yourself? Lot of barking, no biting." he pulled wax from his ears.
She turned back, decided so far Tongku had been a rather straightforward individual. "Say, are you strong?"
Tongku shrugged. "It depends on what you mean but, my brother here's stronger as far as muscle mass goes." she elbowed the large man by her side, he scratched his head.
"Thanks, you don't seem bad yourself…"
"I do work out often."
The woman in purple glanced back at Lv Raoxi while the two of them went back and forth, before whirling round to look at the thin boy again. "You fight him." She finally concluded, striding over.
"What?" Lv Raoxi felt betrayed, "What do you mean by that? I don't need to know anything, this is your problem, why bring me into it???"
"Heh." She lifted up her leg dominatingly on the bench by him, "Are you scared, then?"
"Whether I'm scared or not doesn't matter, I don't want to be the one getting trouble for causing a ruckus in the waiting area, like last week, I ain't getting baited into it again."
"You're scared." She concluded.
"How do you conclude that!!!" He protested.
"Heh." She turned to him. "Say, kid, what did you do to make Ol Lv scared of you?"
"I'm not that old." Complained Lv Raoxi.
She lifted up her head, testing the blade, it took a little harder press, but it still cut skin without much effort or needing to rub it, she tossed the blade over. "I didn't do anything, I always keep him from any fatal injuries when we fight, and I don't even use poisons or explosives."
"You literally used explosives last fight!" He stood up in annoyance at the lack of honesty.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to him, then back to the thin boy, then back to him.
"Say," the man in white leaned back, "To think there's someone that can actually fatally injure Lv Raoxi amongst us."
"I just said I don't!!!" She protested.
The man in pink gave her a thumbs up, "Well done, little one, I always wanted to hit him too, say, was the bruise on his chin three weeks ago you?"
"Zhiyong! You looking for a fight?!" Lv Raoxi bared his fists, standing up.
"Apparantly I don't need one to see you defeated," chuckled Rui Zhiyong leaning back comfortably, before having to dodge out the way, as Lv Raoxi made a good hit.
"Tch!" Snarled the woman as the sudden movement bumped her, as she tossed around her knife, and nicked her with the extra sharp blade, spraying blood across the room, happening to land on the man with the scarf's outfit.
"Hey!" He also stood up, enraged, "Why is it always you, Li Ruifei!!!"
"Suck it up." Growled back Li Ruifei, annoyed by stopping the blood, and flicking some more at him to warn him off. It didn't work, he flew at her, with a, "Fine let's make it dirtier then!" She also happily flew at him.
The man in brown in the corner just sighed, and the large man next to her watched excitedly. The lady in the other corner cringed as close to the wall as she possibly could.
Tongku was also rather entertained, when she felt a stir in the formation near the door.
"Sit!" She called out, "They're done!"