Note :
I cried while writing this chapter. I hope this chapter touches you emotionally too.
Ronin reached out his hand to caress her head and said, while squeezing a smile onto his envious face, "You go and join them, then finish your bath; we have to continue our journey soon."
"Hmm," Sese nodded her head, displaying her bare teeth with a wide grin on her little face.
She moved away from there at lightning speed, and as he saw her disappearing, he released a sigh and settled back in the water.
Meanwhile, in the town's lord's estate in Folks Town...
"Town's lord, we still haven't found the young master," said the guard, bowing his head with his body slightly trembling.
"You useless things! Dogs would have done better than all of you in protecting my son if I had reared them instead of having you in my estate," barked the town's lord, his anger echoing through the air.
"You all must find my son before evening, or you'll have to face my wrath," said the town's lord, frustration etched on his face.
"Yes, the town's lord," said the guard, walking out of the main hall without turning his back to the town's lord.
The town's lord turned to look at the woman who had placed her head on the floor, her body trembling. "Did you see my son walking out of the room?" the town's lord asked, his brows furrowed.
"T-town's... Town's lord, I... I didn't see the young master stepping out of the room," replied Sakina, her face filled with fear, and her back drenched in sweat.
"You were in my son's room, but you didn't see him walking out?" inquired the town's lord, releasing the pressure from his body, causing her to gasp for breath.
"Please forgive me, town's lord. I'm... I'm innocent," stammered Sakina.
"Hmph, innocent? Are you the whore who came to sleep with my son, thinking you'd have a luxurious life in my estate?" asked the town's lord in a calm tone that somehow felt like it came from a demon from hell.
"Town's lord, I never thought of living here. I'm here because the young master asked me to. I... I will go on," Sakina hurriedly stood up from the floor with a panicked look on her face.
"Hmph, guards, take this whore and whip her to death," ordered the town's lord, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes.
The guards quickly surrounded her and captured her without much effort, further fueling the town's lord's disdain and disgust in his eyes, as he observed how weak she was.
" My good-for-nothing son, can't he find a better girl than this weak-ass whore?" the town's lord murmured inwardly, his anger boiling within him.
"No..." Sakina tried her best to free herself from the tight clutches of the guards, but as a level 9 Dantian Formation Stage cultivator, she had always relied on her fair looks. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape from the encirclement of the guards.
As she continued to struggle, the guards dragged her away and tied her in front of the estate, where they began whipping her.
Ah...
Ah...
***
Her miserable cries echoed throughout the area, attracting passersby and a crowd from the surrounding area. Some recognized her, some sympathized with her condition, while others gloated over her misfortune. Most of them were there to enjoy the show.
Slap...
Slap...
Each whip strike made her wail in agony, her blood seeping out of her wounds. After a few strikes, her body was completely drenched in blood.
"Water..."
"Water..."
Sakina murmured in a low voice, devoid of energy.
"What is she saying?" asked the leader's guard, stopping the whipping upon hearing her murmur.
The guard loosened the ropes that bound her, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud. Dust covered her face, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth as she let out painful, muffled moans.
The guard stomped his feet on her face and leaned down to listen to her words.
"Water..."
"Haha, brother, this whore is asking for water," the guard said, his leg still on her face.
" Hmph, she is a whore to the core. I heard that this whore dumped an idiot who almost lost his life just to get a herb for our young master's breakthrough. How could he not see the true colors of this whore? His luck is still not bad, as he was saved by someone. Otherwise, he might have come out of the demon beast in the form of feces," said the guard with a mocking smile on his face.
"Haha, Brother is right."
"Yeah... yeah..."
He is the leader of that group of guards, so all the guards in that place started bootlicking him.
Praveen stumbled upon the unconscious Fuku on the outskirts of the city when he was leaving town with his belongings. Soon, he recognized Fuku's clothes. Instead of saving him, Praveen took his storage pouch, which had many resources that helped him raise five levels in a single knight. He went from level 1 to level 6 in the core expansion stage.
"Why don't you give her some water?" said the guard's leader sarcastically.
"Ah... yes," said the guard. He loosened the rope tying his pants and took out his earthworm, aiming it at Sakina's face.
He was about to urinate on her face, but his gleeful smile froze and was replaced by excruciating pain. His earthworm flew into the air and fell on the ground. A dog hurriedly ran towards it and bit it with its mouth before running away.
" My thing," the guard shrieked, feeling excruciating pain in his crotch, his bloodshot eyes filled with agony.
Then he saw Sakina disappear, and all the guards looked around to find the man with the straw hat on his head gently holding her in his arms. He carefully placed her on the ground, tears streaming down his lifeless eyes. Feeling the tears on her face, Sakina slowly opened her eyes. Her body trembled uncontrollably as soon as she saw Praveen's face.
Seeing tears streaming down his own eyes, she felt as if knives were stabbing her heart. Tears started to fall from the corners of her eyes. Without speaking, they exchanged countless emotions through their eyes. Praveen reached out his hand to gently wipe the tears from her face and stood up straight.
"Praveen... run... If there is a next life, I want to live it with you... the way we want to live together," she said, remembering their interactions and how he had cared for her like a little baby without any malicious intent.
Shoutout :
DaoistGatsu973, thank you so much for the gift. I'm dedicating this chapter to you as a token of my gratitude for your unconditional support towards my novel.
Heartfelt invitation :
Find the Discord server link in the 'creator's thought.'