Chapter 18 — The Illusion of Spring Peaches

The voice of Gu Nansheng grew increasingly cold, seemingly repressing a long-suppressed bitterness: “My father is exploited by the officials, but instead of standing up against them, he vents all his rage upon those weaker than himself! Mother has spent years weeping in endless sorrow, and the household servants are constantly beaten and cursed by him! You claim to love the country, but do you truly love the people of this land? You buy teenage girls to be concubines, you trim the wages of the weavers, forcing them to starve to death along the roads! They are Chinese as well, the citizens of this nation. Answer me, Father... What is it that you love? Whom do you love? Do you love the country... or merely its ruling government?!”

The air in the room grew heavy and oppressive, and I could hear every single word laden with bitter resentment: “Father, your so-called loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country is nothing more than a disgusting lie! Beneath that cloak of righteousness, it is so rotten and filthy that it makes one nauseous!”

Standing outside, my hands were ice-cold and my heart beat erratically. Gu Nansheng uttered one final sentence, his voice low yet resolute: “Father... you ought not to live this way. Since we are born as human beings, no one deserves to live like this!” Gu Nansheng’s voice was hoarse, every word striking heavily against my heart.

Old Master Gu slammed his hand violently against the table, his eyes bloodshot: “Shut your mouth! I provided you with the money to study abroad because I wanted you to learn Western skills to help the Gu family prosper! But what about you?! Not only did you cut off your queue, but you also learned all sorts of rebellious, heretical doctrines! Do not think I am unaware! You dared to go to the Shanghai foreign concessions to start a newspaper, and you associated with rebels against the imperial court! Now you crawl back here, and you even demand money from me... Do you think I do not know what you intend to do?! You unfilial wretch! Today I shall beat you to death, so that you do not drag the entire Gu family down with you!”

“Crash!” The room door was kicked wide open. Old Master Gu stormed out, his face flushed with anger. Startled and panicked, I hurriedly pressed myself tightly against the cold brick wall, holding my breath.

“Men! Tie this unfilial wretch up immediately! Today I shall use family discipline to teach him a lesson!”

Instantly, a crowd of servants rushed forward, pinning Gu Nansheng down and preparing to drag him away. I clutched the clump of fur Tu Tu had given me, not knowing where I found the courage to step out from my hiding place.

“No!” I cried out softly, hurling the clump of fur straight at the servant who was tightly grasping Gu Nansheng.

“Thud!” In the blink of an eye, the man’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight to the ground. The remaining servants froze for a second, and I immediately seized Gu Nansheng’s hand, lowering my voice urgently: “Run quickly!”

Gu Nansheng seemed to regain his wits instantly. No longer a captive, he took my hand and ran ahead, leading me through a maze of winding corridors. The two of us turned left and right, dodging the pursuing servants, and finally dashed toward the back gate.

“Look!” he said, panting heavily. “Run out through the front gate, and we will escape this place!”

However, just when we were less than a few steps away from the gate, I suddenly came to a halt. Right in the middle of the pathway sat Tu Tu, its dark green eyes filled with profound melancholy. That gaze was so chilling it made me shiver.

“Mother,” Tu Tu opened its mouth, its voice echoing like a cold wind from the netherworld. “As expected... you were going to abandon me once again.”

“Boom——” In that very instant, the back gate that had been wide open before our eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by a dense, solid brick wall. Every single brick was cold and heavy, sealing off my only path of escape.

I turned my head to look at Gu Nansheng, only to see his complexion drained of all color. I had a feeling... what was about to happen next was not merely a matter concerning Tu Tu, but a terrifying secret connected to this entire world. I stared in utter disbelief at the scene before me, unable to process what was transpiring. By this time, I finally reacted: “Tu Tu... all of these things... did you do them all?!”

Tu Tu stepped closer and closer, its green eyes now shrouded in a layer of gloom: “Mother, was the way I treated you not good enough?! Why were you planning to run away again?! I made this man become so terrifying, yet you still want to run away with him?!”

I pulled Gu Nansheng back step by step, trembling as I pleaded: “Tu Tu... I am not Chun Dao... I beg you... let me leave this place.”

Tu Tu’s round pupils slowly narrowed into slits, and pitch-black vapor billowed from its body. “Leave this place? No way! If he dares to entice mother to abandon me... then I will kill him right here and now!”

In the flash of an eye, Tu Tu’s tiny body expanded several times over, its sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light as it lunged straight toward Gu Nansheng!

“Wait!” Acting on pure instinct, I threw myself forward to shield him.

Tu Tu halted instantly, its razor-sharp claws stopping mere inches from Gu Nansheng’s face. Its green eyes were filled with hurt and rage, its voice trembling: “Mother... You want to turn against me... just for a man?!”

I shook my head and embraced it: “No... Let him go. I will stay by your side.”

Gu Nansheng pulled my arm in panic: “No! If you stay... his parents will kill you!”

I forcefully brushed his hand away and said sternly: “Rest assured. With Tu Tu here, I will be fine. Leave quickly! If you delay even for a second, your father will truly beat you to death!”

With that, I walked over to Tu Tu, bent down, and pulled it tightly into my arms. “Listen to mother... I will not abandon you and leave. This time... I promise.”

Tu Tu’s massive body gradually shrank back to its usual tiny form. It rubbed its head against my chest, its big, watery, round eyes blinking as it asked softly, “Really, mother?”

I looked at it and nodded seriously: “Really.”

It let out a soft meow, happily rubbing its cheek against my hand: “Alright... then I believe mother.”

At that exact moment, the solid brick wall before us suddenly dissolved, restoring the original doorway. I turned and signaled for Gu Nansheng to leave quickly. He stood frozen for a moment, seemingly making up his mind, and finally turned to run toward the door. After running a few steps, he suddenly looked back at me: “Thank you... But... why are you helping me?”

A faint smile touched my lips: “Helping you... am I supposed to help that stubborn, feudal-minded couple instead? Go quickly! Do what you must do!”

For a fleeting second, I saw a warm light flash within the empty sockets of his eyes. Then Gu Nansheng turned and fled without further hesitation, vanishing behind the opened door.

I held Tu Tu, intending to return to our courtyard to rest... but it was already too late.

Bang! Old Master Gu led a crowd of servants, surrounding me and Tu Tu right at the corner of the wall. Tu Tu immediately bristled all its fur, its body swelling once again into the shape of a fierce beast as it roared, “Mother, stand behind me!”

With a single sweep of its claw, the servants turned to dust on the spot. Even Old Master Gu was seized by it, torn to pieces and swallowed whole!

Just when I thought everything was over, a chilling sensation suddenly tightened around my shoulder! Startled out of my wits, I spun around abruptly—

Mistress Gu had appeared from nowhere, her lips stained with blood, wearing a horrifying smile as her long, slender fingers swept through the air, aiming straight for my eyes!

“Mother!” Tu Tu shrieked miserably, lunging forward to swat Mistress Gu away with a fierce swipe!

“Tu Tu, watch out!” But the moment the words left my mouth, Old Master Gu, who had been eaten down to his upper torso, suddenly lunged up from the pool of blood, sinking his teeth fiercely into Tu Tu’s back from behind!