Chapter 16 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

I changed into fresh garments, dressed my hair, applied light powder, and was then led to another small courtyard. Along the corridor, servants and maids stood in neat, disciplined rows. Inside the room, a middle-aged man and an elderly matron sat with severe dignity on high-backed chairs. As I stepped in, I walked while casting cautious glances in their direction. The man leaned back against his chair, his eyes sweeping over me with a glitter of depraved lust. Strangely enough, he looked at me as though nothing had happened the previous night, as if he did not remember me stabbing him with a hairpin, nor recalled how the little cat had swallowed him whole. The middle-aged woman wore an expression as cold as ice, her gaze fixed on me with undisguised aversion. Her high cheekbones made her demeanor appear all the more arrogant and harsh. I surmised that this must be Madam Co. A maid approached carrying a tea tray, and said respectfully, "Fifth Concubine, quickly offer the tea to the master and the mistress."

I took the teacup, walked before the two of them, and extended it first toward Master Co.

"Impudent!" A shout sharp as a whip-crack startled me. It was Madam Co, who glared at me frostily. "You dare offer tea to the master without kneeling?!"

Acting on reflex, I slammed the teacup down onto the table and glared right back at her. "What are you yelling for?! Why on earth should I kneel?"

Madam Co's eyes darkened instantly, and Master Co beside her began to regard me with a dangerous expression.

"Crack!" Madam Co slammed her hand down on the table, her voice icy sharp. "I said, kneel!"

In that very instant, I felt an invisible, crushing force press down heavily upon my shoulders. Immediately afterward—I was forced down onto the brick floor!

I struggled to rise, but my entire body felt as though it were weighed down by a thousand pounds, rendering me completely immobile. Madam Co stood high above, her gaze full of condescension and cold disdain. "Since you have stepped foot into the Co household, you must learn to obey the rules. Someone, drag the Fifth Concubine outside and make her kneel on broken roof tiles!"

At once, two burly, crude matrons strode in, locked their grips around my arms, and dragged me away roughly.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" I struggled violently, exerting every ounce of my strength to resist, but the physical power of these women was far beyond that of ordinary people. In the blink of an eye, they hauled me out into the middle of the courtyard.

"Kneel!" I could not tell which of the crones it was, but one of them delivered a vicious kick to the back of my knees. Losing my balance, I pitched forward onto a pile of shattered roof tiles—

A piercing agony that tore straight through my heart and soul instantly exploded within my mind!

Clenching my teeth, I tried to prop myself up with my hands, but that damned invisible force still pressed heavily upon my shoulders, leaving me utterly paralyzed. High above, the orange-gold sun hung brightly, yet I could not feel even a shred of warmth. Only the ferocious pain radiating from my knees pierced through my bones with every passing second, inducing cold sweats and growing dizziness. Amidst my blurring consciousness, I suddenly thought of the little cat—it had once promised to come and save me. Deep within my heart, amid the abyss of despair, a fragile sense of reassurance suddenly welled up.

Dazed beneath the blazing glare of the sun, I saw Madam Co approaching, closely followed by a crowd of maids and old hags. Step by step... the sound of her wooden clogs tapping against the brick floor echoed with a bone-chilling coldness. She leaned in close to my ear—

"Are you looking for that damned cat?" Madam Co whispered right beside my ear, her voice gloomy and chilling, her breath like a venomous snake slithering up the back of my neck. "Don't even dream of it! That vile creature cannot enter this place, and you would do best to extinguish any thoughts of it rescuing you. Heh heh heh... Wait until you pass out, and I shall take over your body!"

That bizarre, dry laughter echoed in my ears, sending ripples of horror that numbed my scalp, as though my entire body had been tossed into an ice cellar. I did not know how long I had been kneeling, only feeling that the sun overhead had gradually turned a sickly, bleached white, as if all warmth had been sucked completely out of this world. In the distance, Madam Co still stood there, her eyes filled with chilling malice. My legs had gone completely numb, and my consciousness was fading into a haze. I thought to myself: I am probably... truly going to perish right here.

In that fleeting moment, a faint thread of fragile hope flickered through my mind—"I hope... outside of this reality, Young Master Li will take good care of A Li for me, as well as Mao Mao and Nhung Nhung."

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shattered the stillness: "Stop! What on earth are you people doing?!"

That voice... was familiar. I raised my head and saw a man in a black suit stepping into the courtyard. It was Co Nam Sen—the very man I had encountered yesterday while fleeing from the wedding!

Yet this time, his face filled me with a sudden surge of dread—His eye sockets were completely hollow, black blood streaming down his cheeks, while the corners of his mouth were torn wide open, gaping like a deep, crimson chasm.

The strangest thing was... Madam Co did not seem to notice this horrifying sight at all! Her expression shifted instantly, a false, ingratiating smile spreading across her face as she stepped forward to welcome him. "Nam Sen, why have you come here?"

Co Nam Sen did not answer. He swept straight past her, walked directly toward me, and gently supported my shoulders.

The moment his hand touched me—The invisible weight pressing down upon my back vanished completely. My numb and aching knees were instantly liberated, and I stood up as easily as a leaf lifted by the wind.

"Nam Sen! What is the meaning of this?!" Madam Co’s voice trembled, her gaze a mix of anger and disappointment.

Co Nam Sen turned his head, and from his bleeding eye sockets, an invisible aura of authority seemed to radiate. "Mother, I have heard everything. She is merely a poor, impoverished girl, forced by circumstance to sell herself into the Co household... Mother, why must you be so harsh as to treat her to this extreme?"

Madam Co gritted her teeth, pointing a trembling finger straight at him in fury. "She does not know how to keep the rules! I am the mistress of this house, what is wrong with me disciplining her?!"

Co Nam Sen looked at her, his voice low and heavy, pressing down like lead upon the chest. "Rules... It is precisely these rules that have shackled your entire life, making you live in misery for all these years. And now, you wish to repeat that tragic fate upon someone else?"

His voice was laden with accumulated bitterness and sorrow, causing me to shiver involuntarily. From those dark, empty eye sockets, I seemed to catch a glimpse of an unhealable, eternal grief.

Madam Co shrieked, nearly losing her control entirely. "Nam Sen! You are talking nonsense! If it weren't for these shameless wretches who know no better, constantly flirting and seducing your father, I would have lived a life of absolute happiness!"

Co Nam Sen shook his head slightly, his voice deep and subdued. "No... What has caused your suffering was never these women, but rather Father—a man unfaithful throughout his entire life, who, despite his advanced age, never ceases to prey upon young women. You dared not blame him, so you channeled all your resentment onto innocent women. But... they are just as pitiful as you."

"Crack!" Bursting into tears, Madam Co raised her hand and struck a fierce slap across her son's face. "Get out of my sight right now!!"

Co Nam Sen slowly touched his cheek, where a faint red handprint remained. "Mother, I had no intention of angering you... But you must understand, venting your hatred upon the innocent will never bring you peace; it will only burden your karma all the more."

With those words, he turned his gaze back to me, his tone growing considerably steadier. "Can you still walk?"

I nodded with effort. He supported me as we left the courtyard and returned to his own quarters.

Upon reaching the courtyard, Co Nam Sen instructed a maid to prepare water for tending to my wounds, then returned to sit on a chair beside the bed. He repeatedly stroked the hem of his trousers with his fingers, looking as though he were locked in deep, internal conflict. This time, I no longer felt the terror toward him that I had harbored yesterday, and instead quietly leaned against the headboard, silently waiting for him to speak.

After a long moment, he finally broke the silence in a hoarse voice: "Do you... wish to leave the Co estate?"

I was stunned, my eyes widening instantly. "You... can you take me out of here?"

He nodded with absolute certainty. "In a few days, I will be leaving this place. If you wish to go, I will find a way to take you with me."

Joy burst forth within my chest. I nodded repeatedly, almost crying out, "I agree! Of course I agree!!"

The blood-stained corners of his mouth curved into a gentle smile. "Good. Then you may rest easy and tend to your injuries."

With that, he stood up, gave a slight nod, and walked out of the room. A maid entered carrying a basin of water, helped me tend to my wounds, and then assisted me in lying down. Before long, I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.