Chapter 2
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The system warning, coupled with instinctive avoidance of danger, prompted Lin Qingyang to quickly sit up and move away from Chu Lishu.
Instantly, the warning in his mind disappeared.
Looking down at Chu Lishu, he saw his lips move briefly, then stop. Chu Lishu lowered his brows and gazed at Lin Qingyang coldly. It was as if a venomous snake in the grass, having missed the chance to attack its prey, had withdrawn its poised head, waiting for the next opportunity.
Lin Qingyang broke into a cold sweat. Could it be that the male lead still had the strength to get up and attack him just now? So vicious?! Truly deserving of the title of the mad tyrant.
“Shuncai, hurry up and come over to untie the Young Master! Look at the mess you’ve made!” Lin Qingyang shouted and then turned to Chu Lishu with a forced smile. “I understand that you must have some misunderstanding about me. I don’t want to touch you. You can rest assured; I won’t lay a finger on you.”
Shuncai approached, looking puzzled.
Lin Qingyang kept a close eye on Chu Lishu, who showed no signs of movement. He didn’t even spare a glance for Shuncai. Indeed, the male lead only wanted him dead. Shuncai didn’t qualify for the cannon fodder level; at best, he was just a background character.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but envy Shuncai.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the original body was the ultimate courting death cannon fodder. Think about it, in which novel can a cannon fodder successfully get the male lead? This would undoubtedly upset many female readers, making him the top-tier existence in the cannon fodder world, the most nauseating existence.
The original body was the legitimate eldest son of the Lin family, with his father being the Marquis An Nan, his mother the County Princess Yawen, his maternal grandfather an unrelated prince[5], and his maternal aunt the beloved concubine of the new emperor. With such a prestigious background, Lin Qingyang enjoyed unparalleled favor and was treated as if he were a prince.
However, later on due to a mistake made by his maternal grandfather, the entire family was demoted to commoners and sent to Jiangnan. Although the misfortune did not extend to the women who had married out, it still forced the County Princess Yawen and Concubine Liu to lower their heads. Concubine Liu soon passed away without leaving any heirs, prompting the new emperor to show kindness to the remaining County Princess and Lin Qingyang in the capital, highlighting the emperor’s benevolence.
Yet, the vast difference in treatment proved unbearable for Lin Qingyang. Rebelling like a wayward child, he became increasingly indulgent and unruly.
This background sheds light on his audacious behavior of coveting his cousin’s beauty, drugging him, and forcing him to become his male concubine.
The original identity of ‘Chu Lishu’ was the son of Lin Qingyang’s paternal aunt. She was the Young Lady of the Marquis An Nan’s family, married into the Chu family in the south. However, due to the decline of the Chu family, they needed to relocate north to seek refuge with relatives, making her a target for the male lead.
The male lead originally faked his death during that battle by swallowing a special drug called Tianxuan Pill. This substance altered his appearance and physique, causing him to shrink from eighteen to thirteen years old. This transformation allowed him to escape from pursuers in the shadows. Now, three years later, he is sixteen years old, coincidentally the same age as ‘Chu Lishu.’
As ‘Chu Lishu’ had not visited the capital since the age of three, no one knew what the real Chu Lishu looked like. On their journey north, the Chu family dwindled until only the male lead remained, holding onto a keepsake. In the end, he took on the identity of Chu Lishu, using the family’s token to enter the Marquis’s residence.
The reason a cannon fodder character like Lin Qingyang succeeded was due to the side effects of the Tianxuan Pill. This drug weakened the male lead’s muscles and bones, rendering him physically frail and unable to use martial arts, making it easy for the cannon fodder to drug and kidnap him.
The male lead probably didn’t expect that this homosexual older cousin in the Marquis’s residence would be shameless enough to disregard filial piety and lay hands on his own cousin.
Three days and nights of inhuman torture were simply a destruction of the soul. The dignified Crown Prince, harboring hatred, returned with strength, only to fall into the hands of a beast. Regardless of the hatred and suffering he had experienced before, none could compare to the humiliation of being treated as a forbidden plaything this time. If it weren’t for the people in the Marquis’s residence discovering it, the male lead wouldn’t have known how much longer he would endure such days.
This also became the last calamity the male lead encountered, erasing all his humanity and subjecting him to a twisted and insane ordeal.
Naturally, the Marquis’s residence wouldn’t go against the legitimate son for the sake of a poor relative who came knocking on the door. They merely punished Lin Qingyang a bit, treated the male lead, had him move to a more distant courtyard to conceal the scandal, and then let the matter be.
Just a month later, Lin Qingyang accidentally slipped and fell into an icy lake, directly succumbing to the freezing cold and falling into a difficult to get rid of disease. There’s no need to guess; it was naturally the handiwork of the male lead. Not killing Lin Qingyang was a temporary necessity, as the Marquis’s help was still required. By that time, the male lead had become terrifyingly calm.
Two years later, the male lead ascended to the throne, and the Marquis’s residence was directly bathed in blood. Lin Qingyang was the only one brought alive to the imperial palace, drugged, limbs severed, and slowly tortured. In the end, in the cold palace, bleeding from every orifice, Lin Qingyang was tortured to death. The floor of the cold palace was stained red with his blood.
Later, due to his hatred of male homosexuality, the male lead ordered the execution of anyone showing such tendencies. These were all disasters crafted by the cannon fodder.
…
Thinking about the original cannon fodder’s ending, Lin Qingyang’s skin tightened, and his brain spun rapidly. Unfortunately, the recallable plot was limited. All he knew was that if today’s events made the male lead hold a grudge, he would undoubtedly be in for a miserable fate. Well, if he received it, he wouldn’t take it. Being tormented by illness for two years, he could just wait to be dragged out by the male lead for a beating and faced severe consequences two years later.
This is the most unbearable thing for Lin Qingyang, after all, he died in the previous life after enduring years of illness and torment. He would prefer a more direct death.
Watching as Shuncai, due to his confusion, moved slowly, Lin Qingyang wished he could step forward and untie the male lead himself.
“Is it done?” Big Brother, you’d better be quick. Every second longer, we add another layer of danger to our future!
Lin Qingyang scolded, Shuncai’s hands trembled. He muttered something, before rapidly untied all the ropes.
Only after this moment did Lin Qingyang realize the problem. Unbinding the ropes, Chu Lishu couldn’t move, and not only that, but the blanket that had just been placed on top was slowly rising in the middle.
Lin Qingyang: …
Inadvertently, Lin Qingyang took a glance and realized that although Chu Lishu currently had a body that falsely appeared to be sixteen years old, his physique was that of an adult underneath, making Lin Qingyang feel insecure. Now, with the effects of the drug kicking in, the reaction was even more spectacular.
At this moment, Chu Lishu’s face gradually showed a different expression. His eyes, once filled with killing intent, finally stopped staring at people and instead closed tightly to conceal his embarrassment. However, the charming redness at the corners of his phoenix-like eyes betrayed the emotions beneath. His breathing became rapid, and the previously iron-gray complexion took on a faint blush.
Can this situation still be salvaged?
“Ant… idote!” Lin Qingyang, his voice trembling, immediately said, “Shuncai, bring the antidote over.”
Shuncai also realized the situation but still harbored suspicions, thinking that his young master might be pretending to be a good person. Once Chu Lishu’s drug reaction occurred, everything would fall into place naturally. So, he cleverly cooperated and said, “Young Master, there… there’s no antidote. The only option is to let it out. Besides, the Young Master can’t move right now. You see…”
Thinking he had ingeniously smoothed the way for Lin Qingyang, Shuncai didn’t expect that this response would leave Lin Qingyang in despair.
It seemed like he was caught up in the typical plot twists arranged for the main characters in novels. What? Did they expect him to voluntarily offer his backside? But the male lead is straight, even if they swapped roles, it would still disgust the male lead. By then, he would really lose his body and even his life.
Lin Qingyang immediately said, “If there’s no antidote, find a physician!”
Shuncai was taken aback.
Seeing him still hesitating, Lin Qingyang angrily scolded, “What are you thinking?! If something happens to the Young Master, you won’t have a place in the Marquis’s residence.”
Shuncai’s face turned pale, finally realizing that his young master was serious. He quickly pretended to recall and said, “There is… I remember now, there’s an antidote. I’ll go get it.”
After speaking, Shuncai immediately ran out and found the antidote in the outer room. He came back to give it to Chu Lishu.
Lin Qingyang also timely retreated to the outer room, giving Chu Lishu the opportunity to recover and get dressed.
Soon, Chu Lishu finally regained normalcy, but his body remained weak. He struggled to lift the blanket, and a sharp pain shot through his fingers. His little finger’s nail was filled with coagulated blood. Any movement would cause it to split open, blood flowing freely.
He looked expressionless, moved his mouth, and slightly opened his cherry-red lips, spitting out a piece of nail, precisely the nail from his little finger.
When he was kidnapped and drugged, he had forcefully bitten off his own nail, grinding it to a sharp point between his teeth. He had planned that, as long as that beast approached him and he still retained control over his reason, he would use the nail in his mouth to slash the creature’s throat and seize the opportunity to escape.
Just now, when Lin Qingyang got close, Chu Lishu’s mind was also in a state of hesitation and analysis. Initially, Chu Lishu shared the same suspicion as Shuncai, thinking that Lin Qingyang was just putting on an act and still harboring dirty intentions. He must kill the beast to wash away the shame and humiliation he had suffered tonight. However, with Shuncai present at that time, if there was a murder, it would be hard for him to escape the consequences. Everything achieved would be in vain. In that moment of hesitation, Lin Qingyang withdrew.
But now…
Chu Lishu lowered his eyelashes, and the thick, slightly curled lashes, like the wings of a black butterfly, covered his gloomy eyes. With a face as cold as ice, he suppressed the uncontrollable killing intent in his heart, gradually putting on his clothes, hiding the sharp nail between his fingers. He steadied himself with the indoor furnishings, moving step by step towards the exit.
At that moment, Lin Qingyang paced anxiously, and beside him, Shuncai couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master… were you feeling unwell today?”
Lin Qingyang’s steps paused, observing Shuncai’s puzzled expression. He realized that he had been acting too unusually. In a typical story setup, he would have been more careful to maintain his established character. After all, even in a transmigration novel, this was an ancient society. Without a fever, amnesia, or a miraculous revival, casually changing one’s character would likely make others think he was possessed, and there was a possibility he could be burned alive. However, tonight’s situation didn’t allow for a slow and deliberate approach.
Pretending to be impatient, Lin Qingyang said, “I had my reasons.”
Fortunately, Lin Qingyang usually had a strong presence among his servants. With that statement, Shuncai assumed that he had just had a sudden change of mind and didn’t dare to inquire further.
Before long, the slender figure of Chu Lishu walked out, bowing and saluting respectfully, “Second Cousin, Lishu has been impolite.”
Just as Lin Qingyang was about to apologize, he felt a sudden discomfort. He quickly reciprocated the greeting, bowing even lower than the other, saying, “It was my negligence. Please forgive me, Cousin Lishu. I assure you, such incidents will never happen again in the future.”
Chu Lishu remained seated, his low, almost emotionless voice stating, “I wouldn’t dare to have you apologize.”
Unable to see Chu Lishu’s expression at the moment, Lin Qingyang could sense a lingering pressure around him. He was ‘enduring humiliation to survive.’ While verbally stating he wouldn’t dare, who knew if he was already plotting how to retaliate later.
Lin Qingyang’s heart was pounding. He hadn’t forgotten that the male lead was just one step away from going completely black.
The more humiliation he showed, the more he felt that his life was hanging by a thread.
“If Second Cousin has no issues, Lishu doesn’t feel well, I would like to take my leave.”
Lin Qingyang quickly waved his hand to bid him farewell. In his current state, he couldn’t engage in a prolonged conversation with the male lead. Every extra word felt like adding another death sentence.
Chu Lishu slowly bowed, turned, and walked out the gate. However, the effects of the drug hadn’t completely worn off yet. He could barely walk, and in the chilly night breeze, he staggered along the silent blue stone path. His frail figure seemed somewhat pitiful.
Watching Chu Lishu leave in such a sorry state, Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
He, who originally held a proud and noble status given by fate, now…
A fleeting thought pricked at Lin Qingyang’s heart. It seemed that being transmigrated into the cannon fodder’s original body wasn’t entirely without its benefits. At the very least, it prevented the worst from happening to the male lead.
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