Li Yutao, speaking in broken Chinese, pretended to be concerned: "The leader is so strong, isn’t he? He must have left you half-dead! Judging by your pale face, you probably won’t last through the night!"
"Forget that, just look at how much bigger the leader is compared to her! She can’t possibly satisfy him! It won’t be long before the leader comes back to us! Honestly, we’ve traveled all over Western Xia and Liao, and we’ve never seen a man as tall and handsome as him!" Li Xing pushed Li Yutao playfully, and the two exchanged knowing looks before bursting into laughter.
Jun Qiluo, her face expressionless, stood up and walked toward the tent, not wanting to let their vulgar words sully her ears.
"Hey! Stop!"
The two women didn’t let her go, surrounding her, one in front and one behind.
"What do you want?"
"Don’t think you’re so special! You’re just a whore, and once the leader gets tired of you, he’ll throw you into the red tent with the rest of us!" Li Xing raised her hand to strike Jun Qiluo—
"Stop!"
"Ah!"
With Dahe Jiyao’s stern shout, Li Xing stumbled back into Li Yutao, and the two of them cried out in unison.
Jun Qiluo didn't say a word, but quickly rushed into the leader's tent, once again deeply feeling the bitterness of despair. Was this really how the rest of her life would be? Stuck in Helan Mountain, as the woman of a bandit leader, skinning those blood-soaked pelts... Her family back in Hangzhou probably thought she was dead by now, didn’t they?
Dead? After once being so determined to seek death, now she couldn’t summon the courage she had back then! Her heart was softening—was it because she had reverted to her true identity as a woman? After Yelü Lie had destroyed her, he probably wouldn’t look at her again, and then... would she really become a shameless, dishonorable, lowly woman? God! What would she do then?
Being a woman was such a tragic fate! Especially now, when she would have to rely on her body to win the favor of a man—afraid of being discarded, she would have to constantly suppress herself, be gentle, humble, and strive to please him. Only then would she avoid being thrown away too quickly.
Oh, no! She collapsed onto the edge of the bed; she couldn’t let herself fall to such depths! She would rather die than live like that!
Now there were only three paths left—death, escape, or living without dignity in that man’s embrace.
Dying by her own hand seemed too cowardly; escaping would most likely lead to death as well—perhaps by starvation, being devoured by wild beasts, or being captured again. But, maybe—just maybe—she could succeed in escaping! Even if the chances were slim, not trying would be too cowardly. The very thought that Yelü Lie might hand her over to a group of men for their amusement was enough to make her determined to escape, even if it meant dying.
She was getting close to death—was she afraid? Why wasn’t she feeling completely resolved? Or was she—reluctant to leave something behind?
"No—no, it's not that!" she quickly covered her face. How could she possibly be reluctant to leave that despicable man? Even though he had touched her all over, she still couldn’t see him as her husband! He wasn’t her husband; he would only humiliate her and eventually throw her to others...
A pair of large hands suddenly grabbed her wrists—when had he come in? She hadn’t even noticed.
But he didn’t look at her face, only lowering his head to examine her hands.
What had once been a pair of delicate, jade-like hands had been damaged by the cold stream and rough clothes, becoming rough and chapped, with thin calluses forming.
He had never looked at her hands in broad daylight before; now his brows furrowed.
She knew her hands had become ugly, but it wasn’t his concern! His concerned expression was too fake! She forcefully pulled her hands back and hid them behind her; it was his actions that caused this, so he had no right to complain about the inevitable result—no woman who performed rough work would have soft, delicate hands!
"Why weren’t you outside?"
"To greet you?" she responded coldly.
"Don’t make me angry." He lifted her chin with one hand. "You know how easily I anger. Slave!"
She simply closed her eyes, refusing to look at him, not wanting to face his soul-piercing blue eyes, nor his so-called handsome face. Was he really good-looking? Only now did she realize that he truly was handsome, which made her even more unwilling to look.
"Should I strip you bare and put you on display? Or give you a beating? Qiluo, what are you thinking about?" He narrowed his eyes, his thumb gently brushing her soft cheek. Was she thinking of escaping? In a place where there wasn’t a soul for miles around, escaping meant death. But she—might just try!
"Someone!" he called out.
A curt reply came from outside the tent: "Yes!"
"Saddle the horses!"
"Yes, sir!" Jun Qiluo opened her eyes in surprise and looked at him. Did he want to go out? He hadn’t even eaten lunch yet!
He pulled her out of the tent, and one of his men quickly draped a cloak over his shoulders, while another led his tall, sturdy black horse to his side.
"Ah!" she gasped as Yelü Lie lifted her onto the horse—what was he planning?
Yelü Lie waved off anyone who tried to follow and spurred the horse towards the northern mountains, galloping at a speed that felt like flying. Even her own horse, Zhu Feng, had never run this fast! Although the black horse was intimidatingly tall, she quickly adjusted to the ride. However, once she did, she realized she was facing a bone-chilling wind.
He suddenly let go of the hand that had been supporting her waist. In all the ways she had imagined dying, falling off a horse and breaking every bone in her body wasn’t one of them. Left with no other choice, she clung to his chest.
Yelü Lie pulled the cloak around her, wrapping her completely in his warmth. Her heart trembled, unsure of how to react...
This unexpected tenderness was more destructive to her defenses than his cruel actions! Was this another one of his tactics? Where was he taking her?
After what felt like about a quarter of an hour, the fierce wind in her ears died down, and she realized the horse had stopped. She lifted the edge of the cloak and saw that they had arrived at a pine forest. Surprisingly, at the peak of the mountain, there was a lake surrounded by the pines, with steam rising from its surface. It was a hot spring! This must have been a volcanic crater once, but the volcano had long since died out, and the cold-climate pines had grown over it. There was no reason for the lake to still be warm.
Yelü Lie dismounted and helped her down from the horse. Curious, she walked over to the lake, knelt beside it, and cupped some of the water in her hands—it was warm! The temperature of the water chased away the chill in her hands. It really was a hot spring!
And then, she understood why he had brought her here. She hadn’t properly bathed in a long time. Ever since leaving the Great Wall, she had been disguised as a man and had only been able to wipe her face and hands in passing. After arriving in his camp, she couldn’t bring herself to bathe in the freezing stream like the men did, so she had only washed her hands and feet while doing laundry, each time shivering from the cold.
In other words, this hot spring was something she desperately craved. He had noticed her need! It was strange, making her cautiously wonder about his intentions.
Yelü Lie sat on a smooth rock, leaning back against a large tree. He casually plucked a wild stalk and chewed on it, his expression a mix of casual indifference and teasing amusement as he watched her. His cloak lay discarded to the side, one leg bent and the other stretched out, his arms crossed over his chest, clearly showing no intention of looking away. No! He had made it clear he didn’t want to miss the sight of her undressing.
Jun Qiluo bit her lower lip, once again feeling lost—perhaps even embarrassed... He had already seen her, so why was he still...?
And—since he had already seen her, did she really need to be modest anymore? Oh! She couldn’t do it! Even though they shared a bed every night, and sometimes he would touch her body with a certain kind of teasing... but... but...
She turned her back to him, not daring to meet his gaze.
"In seven days, we’ll break camp and leave, and it’ll be at least half a month’s journey. There won’t be any more hot springs along the way. This is your only chance!" he said lazily, his gaze shifting to the red and purple wildflowers by the lakeshore. She was like those flowers, growing in the cold, proud and aloof—but beautiful!
Half a month without bathing? She had never been so filthy in her life!
Slowly, she undid her hair, letting it fall to the ground, and then began to remove her clothes one by one. But she couldn’t let go of her modesty completely, so she kept on her undergarments and stepped into the hot spring, all the while keeping her back to him.
Yelü Lie’s appreciative gaze lingered on her right arm, where a small, bright red mole marked her fair skin—it was a "virgin spot"!
He hadn’t noticed that she had this before. Its presence not only proved her chastity but also hinted at potential trouble—especially if he took her back to Liao! If he allowed her to keep that mark when they returned to Liao, it would only cause more problems. He was certain her exceptional beauty would attract attention! She was his, and he wouldn’t tolerate anyone else trying to claim her! He spat the stalk he had been chewing into the water, aiming it just right so that it startled her when it struck the water’s surface.
Jun Qiluo jumped, thinking there might be a water snake or something, and quickly moved away from the ripples—only to find nothing but a stalk of grass! Was he teasing her? She glared at him angrily, splashing water in his direction, but he easily dodged it. His mischievous laughter only fueled her anger as she searched for him. Then, she noticed—he was laughing! Really laughing, out loud! Was that possible? Could he actually laugh?
While she stood there stunned, a pair of strong arms lifted her from the water and pulled her close to his warm chest.
She suddenly woke up, looking at him in panic and helplessness. His eyes had turned that deep shade of blue-black again, the color they always took on when he was toying with her, but this time it was even darker and more intense! A shiver ran through her body, but deep inside, it felt as if a fire had been ignited.
God! Was he going to take her by force? In broad daylight? Out here in the wilderness? How could he even think of desiring her in such a place? It was shameful, and—depraved and base! Only disreputable women were treated like this, just like those two women from Western Xia. Even if she couldn’t escape her fate, she would not allow it to happen under these circumstances.
"No!" She refused him with an icy gaze and a proud tone, desperately trying to conceal her fear and unease. She knew that if she showed any weakness, it would only strengthen his resolve. She hoped her coldness would be enough to extinguish the flames in his eyes.
"Do you think you have a choice?" He reached behind her neck and began to untie the knot of her undergarment.
Her voice started to waver. "You can’t! You’re a leader, you can’t do this to me here, in this place—do you have no shame at all?"
"What would a bandit leader know about shame? Haven’t you heard that we Khitan people are so wild that we’re beyond all law?" He spread out the cloak beside them and pushed her down onto it.
Jun Qiluo’s face turned ashen as she tried to roll away, even if it meant falling into the lake and drowning—anything to avoid being defiled by this shameless man in such an outrageous manner. This man never missed a chance to humiliate her; she should have known that his sudden decision to take her out here wasn’t out of kindness. But she hadn’t expected—he would be so depraved.
He pressed his body against hers, his hand gently tracing the red mark on her arm. "Why did you get this mark? Who were you trying to prove your chastity to?"
She remained silent. Of course, these licentious Liao people wouldn’t understand the sacred significance of the "virgin spot." She wouldn’t be surprised if he mocked her for being foolish! To them, concepts like self-restraint or chastity meant nothing.
Yelü Lie tore open her undergarment, and the hand that had been caressing the mark began to torment her body.
"Having this mark will only make you a target for conquest. By flaunting your purity to the world, do you know how many men will fight to be the first to deflower you? You’ll have to follow me back to Liao and become my woman. If you still have this mark, do you know how savagely men will fight over you? An unattached Han woman has no rights; anyone can take her at will, especially where we’re going, which isn’t a place where Liao and Han people mix like in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but a place that’s entirely Liao."
She bit her lower lip and stared at him.
"I know your Liao people too well! All the worst traits are embodied in you. It couldn’t get any worse!"
"You despise doing this out in the open?"
"Filthy!" No! This time she wouldn’t beg. Let him do as he wished—couldn’t she endure it? Just like those two Western Xia women said, once he had satisfied his male desires, he would lose interest in her, and then if she tried to escape, he wouldn’t bother to send anyone after her. It was something she would have to face sooner or later; she had to endure it before her spirit was completely broken, and never again let him trample on her pride.
"Proud little flower, you think you can escape? Once you’re my woman, I’ll never let you go. I know a little about you Han people—you emphasize chastity, remaining loyal to one person, where only a husband can divorce his wife, not the other way around. And you, my little slave, when I no longer want something, I won’t hand it over to anyone else—I’d rather destroy it with my own hands than let someone else touch it." He knew what she was thinking, and his anger flared, making his once gentle caresses turn aggressive, delighting in her panic. She was utterly unprepared for such a fierce assault; she began to hit and push him—he was hurting her!
What was more terrifying was that he quickly ignited a fire within her. She didn’t know what it meant but realized with horror that if she didn’t struggle, after everything was over, she would be so ashamed she’d want to die!
He laughed! So pleased with himself, so arrogant. He pinned her hands down, and no matter how she turned her face away, he always found a way to capture her soft, red lips.
He began undoing his own clothes. She wasn’t made of ice, he knew that. One day, she would willingly come to him—once he was the only man she had ever known...
Yes, she was just a plaything, a slave for his amusement. He and she would never be anything more. He was confident in that—after all, her beauty had made him feel a possessiveness he had never experienced before. Even as a tribal leader of the Yelü clan, having a Han concubine wasn’t unheard of! Casting aside all other thoughts, he began to treat her wildly—yet, unintentionally, he still showed a fear of hurting her. She was so delicate—yet this slender, fragile body brought him an unprecedented joy, and he lost his last shred of self-control—in the beginning, he only wanted to release his desire, but afterward, he was annoyed to find he had gotten too caught up.
When it was all over—he carried her into the lake, only to discover he had hurt her after all; even his gentlest touch was too much for her!
She refused to face him—she turned her back, arms crossed tightly over her chest, tears falling silently into the lake as she fought to keep from sobbing aloud. She wasn’t mourning her lost purity but was ashamed to realize her body had reacted beyond her control—in the end, her resistance had turned into submission, and when she came back to her senses, she found herself clinging to him! She was no better than a prostitute! She must be a prostitute! Otherwise, how could a woman with any sense of shame respond to a man she didn’t love? And in such a place—how could she ever hold her head high as the eldest daughter of the Jun family again? She was no longer worthy!
The fading color of the virgin spot on her arm reminded her of her shameful surrender. She wished she could die at that moment, but his hands were wrapped around her, giving her no chance to end her life.
Her heart ached so much! How long was this man going to torment her?
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