Chapter Eight: A Single Sword Pierces the Heart
Grace was Caucasian, with a cascade of wavy golden hair that needed no makeup to enhance her natural beauty. Her casual attire effortlessly radiated an inherent nobility: a silver-white satin low-cut, form-fitting long-sleeved blouse paired with crisp white straight-leg jeans. She wore sheer white stockings and stepped into white high-heeled sandals, exuding an aura of undeniable elegance.
Tossing a remote key to Xiao Feng, she spoke with haughty confidence, “Go start the car.”
“Sister, you’re so noble. The more I look at you, the less I want to leave. Could you enslave me forever?” Xiao Feng teased.
“Ha! Don’t even think about negotiating your way out!” she replied with a mischievous smile.
“I told you, that contract is forever binding. Don’t you believe me?” he insisted.
Grace’s smile deepened wickedly. “Is it truly willing consent? I never forced you, did I?”
“Absolutely willing!” he affirmed.
“Then go drive.”
“As you command!”
Though the fortune of Grace’s family was unknown, their collection of luxury cars was extensive. Without the remote, Xiao Feng wouldn’t know which one to choose. Pressing the remote, a red luxury car’s lights flashed on and it started automatically. Xiao Feng looked on enviously. “Sister, rich families really are different!”
“Do you like it?”
“I do. This car must be more expensive than the one you wrecked, right?”
“Of course. I love driving luxury cars!”
“Sister, I’ll work hard to earn money so that you and Auntie can drive a different luxury car every day, all year round.”
Grace settled into the passenger seat with satisfaction. “Then you better put in the effort and maximize your value as my slave!”
“As you command!”
The two drove away from the villa, laughing and joking all the way to the old city district. This area had yet to undergo redevelopment, so it lacked the bustling prosperity of the new districts. The buildings dated back to the 1980s and 1990s. Arriving beneath Hu Shan’s apartment, Grace frowned unhappily. “This place is filthy!”
“Sister, would you prefer to wait in the car?” Xiao Feng offered.
“No need. Just make sure you lick my shoes clean when we get back!” Grace snapped.
Xiao Feng was mortified. “Sister, do you really not consider me human?”
“You’re a slave. Why would I treat you like a person?”
“That’s too insulting…”
“Enough nonsense. Get out of the car!”
Xiao Feng led Grace to the stairwell. The building had no elevator, and Hu Shan lived on the fifth floor. Grace, a pampered noble lady accustomed to luxury and idleness, couldn’t manage the climb. “I can’t go up—carry me!”
“From now on, I’ll always obey you, Sister!”
Completely submissive to the wills of Megan Venturi and Grace, Xiao Feng lifted her effortlessly to the fifth floor. Just as they arrived, Hu Shan opened the door, about to leave. She looked pale and hollow-eyed, her gaze dull, exhausted from the hardships of the previous night.
Grace, unfamiliar with such a lowly figure, showed no recognition, and Hu Shan likewise did not know Grace. Xiao Feng gently set Grace down. Hu Shan’s eyes flickered with surprise, then fear mixed with curiosity and confusion.
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Grace smiled mockingly and stepped forward. “Hu Shan, I must thank you. You’ve given my Xiao Feng a good home. I’ve gained a loyal slave.”
Hu Shan was stunned, her eyes reflecting a strange light, as if this was more than mockery—it was a turning point of fate. Xiao Feng was also taken aback; he hadn’t expected Grace to be so magnanimous, showing no insult but rather a rare noble kindness to this stranger.
“Xiao Feng, this young lady is—”
“She is Grace, a noblewoman from Northern Europe! Hu Shan, you had a rough night, didn’t you?”
“Are you here to mock me?”
Xiao Feng showed no sorrow, only regret. “I know about you and Ye Feng. Using such despicable means against Auntie Ye—do you realize that’s akin to murder?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“No need to deny it. You’ve lasted this long only because I held back. The Xuanwu Chilian Talisman you placed on Auntie Ye has been removed by me. I came to lift the curse!”
“Xiao Feng, why are you ruining my plans?”
Grace could no longer contain her anger. In a fit of fury, she struck Hu Shan repeatedly.
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
Hu Shan stood there silently, neither resisting nor dodging. Grace’s nobility and arrogance intimidated her; she knew better than to challenge the lady before her.
Xiao Feng did not intervene. Grace’s hand grew sore before she stopped, pointing at Hu Shan and cursing, “You filthy wretch! If it weren’t for my slave saving you by not revealing the truth, Ye Lan would have already killed you. Now he’s my slave. Who do you think you are, daring to slander me?”
Blood trickled from Hu Shan’s mouth, but her eyes glinted coldly. Seeing Grace defend Xiao Feng stirred jealousy within her. After all her efforts, this was her fate, while Xiao Feng had joined with such a noble girl. Bitter, she sneered, “Grace, do you really think you’ve won? The one Xiao Feng truly loves might not be you!”
With that, Hu Shan suddenly pulled a talisman glowing with eerie light from her pocket and hurled it at Grace.
Caught off guard, Grace was struck. Instantly, a powerful force began consuming her consciousness.
Xiao Feng panicked, trying to intervene but found himself frozen in place.
Hu Shan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Grace, you didn’t expect I had another trick, did you? This was meant for Ye Lan, but I’ll use it on you first. This talisman will trap you in endless illusions, making you taste the agony of losing everything!”
Grace’s gaze grew vacant, her body swayed as if drawn into a bottomless, dark whirlpool.
Xiao Feng’s heart was aflame. He struggled with all his might, but his strength was insignificant against this mysterious force. Just then, a radiant light burst from his hand, shattering the talisman and dispelling the surrounding darkness.
He caught Grace in his arms, distressed. “Sister, are you alright? Mistress, wake up...”
Grace wearily opened her enchanting eyes. “Xiao Feng, she tried to harm me!”
“No one will ever hurt you!”
Xiao Feng glared fiercely at Hu Shan. “Hu Shan, that old man hasn’t left!”
“Xiao Feng, you ruined my plans and made me lose the one I love most. I’ll make you lose Grace too!”
“Don’t be delusional…”
Before Xiao Feng could finish, the old man suddenly lunged from behind Hu Shan. “Xiao Feng, after years of training, I won’t lose so easily to a child like you!”
“Are you controlling Hu Shan?”
“Indeed!”
“Looks like I shouldn’t show mercy.”
Xiao Feng spread his palm, and from his palm emerged a short sword about a foot long, gleaming with golden light and swirling with a gentle radiance. The light that saved Grace before must have come from this sword.
The old man’s eyes widened in shock. “Th-this is the... the...”
“Yes, the Supreme Sword. I will destroy your evil arts!”
The sword carved a dazzling arc through the air, aiming straight at the old man. He twisted his body strangely, attempting to evade the fatal strike, but a murderous glint appeared on Xiao Feng’s lips. The sword suddenly accelerated, as if piercing space itself, and pierced through the old man’s chest.
The old man’s eyes flickered with disbelief as his body slowly collapsed, turning into a wisp of black smoke that vanished completely.
Seeing this, Hu Shan was terrified and tried to flee, but her legs felt like lead. Xiao Feng advanced steadily, lightly waving the sword. A flash cut through the talisman on her body, which instantly dissipated. She collapsed to the ground, eyes filled with resentment and despair.
With Xiao Feng’s support, Grace finally remained standing, her complex gaze meeting his. “Xiao Feng, am I still your mistress?”
Xiao Feng smiled sweetly. “Mistress, as long as you wish, I will always be your slave!”
Hearing this, a tender smile curved Grace’s lips. She gently raised her hand, fingertips brushing Xiao Feng’s cheek, her eyes shimmering with a mix of coquettishness and affection.
“Xiao Feng, remember, you will forever be my slave.”
Sunlight streamed softly through the stairwell window, bathing them in a warm golden glow. A flicker of joy flashed in Xiao Feng’s eyes as he held Grace’s hand tightly, as if grasping the whole world.
Overwhelmed, he stammered, “Grace… no, Sister… no, Mistress!”
They exchanged a smile, as if time had stopped, leaving only two hearts beating closely in the morning light.
“What should we do with Hu Shan?”
Xiao Feng glanced at her and sighed softly. “The talismans on her have all been removed. I don’t want to kill her; after all, she’s a victim too. I hope she takes care of herself.”
“Then let’s go, my loyal slave!”
“Yes, Mistress!”
“I’m too tired to walk—carry me!”
Excitedly, Xiao Feng swept Grace up in a princess carry. “Yes, my Mistress!”
“From now on, you can call me Sister or Mistress, but never my name!”
“What about Auntie?”
“When you call me Sister, say ‘Mama Mistress.’ When you call me Mistress, say ‘Mama Auntie.’”
“Looks like I can never escape the grasp of Sister and Auntie!”
“That’s because you’re a slave.”
“Right, I’m a slave and should be controlled!”
“That little sword was amazing. I like it…”
“You’ll get to play with it at home, Mistress!”
“Good, you know your place…”
Watching them disappear up the stairs, Hu Shan’s eyes filled with terror—was it regret or conspiracy? She could no longer tell.