Chapter 80: What Breed Of Beast
Lu Chengjing’s expression slightly sobered, shadows of past events flashing before his eyes, his voice very soft, “Actually, it’s not anything glorious.”
Shang Wan propped her chin with one hand, using a long stick with the other to poke at the fire pile, listening quietly.
“I started remembering things at around one year old. Because I was premature at birth, I was a medicine jar from childhood, starting to drink medicine even while still nursing. After I started remembering, I would cry at the sight of medicine, and cry at things similar in color to medicine. Mother had no way with me, but always gently coaxed me…”
Lu Chengjing watched the sparks jumping in the orange flames, speaking very slowly, yet saying a lot.
He said that when he was sick as a child, Mother stayed up all night by his bedside, quietly wiping tears.
He said that the family sought doctors and medicines for him, every doctor concluding he wouldn’t live past twenty. Mother cried until her eyes swelled, Father constantly furrowed his brows, and his two older brothers, though young, were also worried.
He said that to keep him from getting sick, the family restricted him from leaving his room. Occasionally, he could glimpse small birds on the branches from the window, chirping together.
He said Mother grew haggard day by day from caring for him, praying to gods and Buddhas all day, hoping the Buddha would save him.
He said Father stepped less and less into his room, perhaps so that when the white-haired person sent off the black-haired one, it wouldn’t be so painful.
He said his two older brothers took turns visiting him. Big Brother told him stories, Second Brother brought him exquisite toys bought from outside. The two older brothers would complain in front of him, who was only two, about Father’s strictness, the master’s harshness, too much studying, and too little time to play.
He said when he went several days without getting sick, Mother was overjoyed and hurriedly sent people to the temple to donate sesame oil money.
He said he yearned for the outside world. When Big Brother couldn’t take him out, he secretly taught him to recognize characters, hiding it from Father, and brought picture books for him to see, letting him glimpse a corner of the world from books.
He said he heard Second Brother complain about not wanting to study, wanting to be a wandering hero traveling the land.
He said his lively third birthday banquet, with the whole family gathered, Mother and his brothers making him a small bowl of longevity noodles together, Father a bit rounder than in his memory.
He said when he was four, a powerful master came to Qingchi Temple, and Mother hurriedly went to pay respects…
“And then?” Shang Wan was listening intently when it suddenly stopped.
She turned her head to look at the person beside her, only to find Lu Chengjing’s lips tightly pressed, his left hand clenched into a fist, blue veins bulging on his pale hand back, as if suppressing something with effort.
Shang Wan was slightly stunned. What… was this?
“Lu Chengjing?”
Lu Chengjing seemed lost in memories, staring blankly at the fire pile, showing no reaction to Shang Wan’s soft call.
Shang Wan frowned, grabbed his tightly gripped left hand, and pried open his slender fingers one by one with an irresistible force.
Looking at the four crescent marks nearly drawing blood in his palm, she hesitated a moment, then gently rubbed them until she felt the arm she held relax, before stopping and turning her head to look.
Lu Chengjing’s eyes were dark, a man-eating wild beast seeming to lurk in the black depths, staring at her unblinkingly.
At this moment, Shang Wan had the illusion of being targeted by an advanced mutated beast in the apocalypse.
She blinked, reached out to press Lu Chengjing’s crimson eye corner, her brow arching, “So pretty.”
Claws out looked better than when docile, as expected of her fox.
Lu Chengjing’s expression shifted slightly, slowly leaning toward Shang Wan until their nose tips touched before stopping.
His eyes like deep pools, reflecting the firelight, as if dotted with fragmented stars.
His long lashes, with each blink, seemed like wings brushing her heartstrings.
Shang Wan rarely felt at a loss, healed and already seducing her? If she couldn’t hold back, once this guy sobered up, wouldn’t he want to find a crevice to hide in?
She reached out to push him away by pressing his forehead, cleared her throat, “That thing that haunts you happened when you were four, right? Can you say it now? If it’s really too hard, you…”
“That day, Mother went out early with people to Qingchi Temple to find Master Liao Kong.” Lu Chengjing grabbed Shang Wan’s hand in return, his fingers interlacing, palms pressed together, ten fingers linked.
Shang Wan naturally leaned on his shoulder, half-closing her eyes, listening attentively.
“I fell asleep after drinking the medicine, and when I woke, only Lu Chengyuan was in my room. His… gaze on me was a bit strange. I only thought he was unwell and completely missed his abnormality.”
Shang Wan’s brows furrowed; her intuition told her the next words weren’t what she wanted to hear.
“He said he would teach me characters, excused himself as not having rested well last night, took a book onto the bed to teach, and while teaching, he…” Lu Chengjing paused, as if hard to speak, or gritting teeth in hate, quickly saying, “He undid my nightclothes.”
Shang Wan’s eyes gradually widened. Wait, this wasn’t the meaning she thought, right?
She sat up straight to look at Lu Chengjing’s face, euphemistically saying: “You don’t mean… Lu Chengyuan was plotting mischief against you?”
Lu Chengjing pressed his lips, recalling that incident, countless emotions surging in his heart, finally nodding lightly.
Shang Wan: !!!
“Then you…”
“No!” Lu Chengjing gripped Shang Wan’s hand tightly, coldly saying, “I caught him off guard and nearly bit off his ear. The servants heard his scream and rushed in, followed closely by Mother returning.”
His long lashes trembled lightly, “Mother questioned why I bit my brother. I… I couldn’t tell her.”
He knew well how much hope Father and Mother placed in Lu Chengyuan, and how much effort they invested. If he told Mother the truth, she definitely couldn’t bear the blow.
If he told Father, Father… might not believe him.
On one side was the highly hoped-for eldest son repeatedly praised by the master, on the other a sickly child doctors said wouldn’t live past twenty. What choice Father would make, little Lu Chengjing already knew in his heart.
“So you told no one?”
Lu Chengjing nodded.
Even if he had said, under Lu Chengyuan’s superb performance, probably no one would believe him.
After Father heard, he rarely stepped into his room, but it was to punish him with family discipline. The vine lashed his body, nearly taking his life.
Mother grew distant from him day by day, fearing to approach him.
Everyone in the mansion spread that he was a cold-blooded monster, not living past twenty was heaven’s punishment for him, hoping he would quickly die of illness.
Second Brother, hearing this, also feared him and dared not visit anymore.
Only Lu Chengyuan…
“What happened after? Did that beast reach out to you again?” Shang Wan’s killing intent surged, wishing she could fly to the Lu Family and grind Lu Chengyuan’s bones to dust.
Seeing Shang Wan so angry, the murky, indistinguishable emotions in Lu Chengjing’s heart faded somewhat.
“From that day, I became vigilant, not even willing to sleep alone at night. Even if he wanted to, he found no opportunity.”
Shang Wan wasn’t stupid; she could tell how much water was in those words. But looking at Lu Chengjing’s pale face, she couldn’t bear to uncover more scars.
“I suddenly remembered something I haven’t done.” She let go of Lu Chengjing’s hand and stood up, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, “When Shi Tou comes out later, have Shi Tou carry you to sleep. No need to wait for me.”
