V1: Chapter 81: Caught and Tortured, the Poor Wicked Woman

"Damn it... I'm lost."

Having run like a madwoman, she hadn't paid attention to her surroundings, and now, Liang Lin had no idea where she was. The commoners around her, dressed in tattered clothes, were crowded like a surging tide. Liang Lin's appearance was so out of place.

"Uh..."

"Hey..."

Liang Lin was so tightly squeezed by the people around her that she couldn't even stretch her arms. She stumbled and staggered, her feet being stepped on several times, struggling to push her way out of the crowd.

Reaching the middle, she stood on tiptoe and looked inside. She realized it was a vegetable shop with a sign that read "Buy Two Get One Free." It was midday, and the shop wasn't open yet.

No wonder there were so many people. Liang Lin looked away, and with great effort, finally squeezed out of the crowd, stumbling as she came out. Looking down, she saw that her pristine white shoes had been trampled to a gray color.

"Ugh..."

So unlucky.

She looked around and found herself on a street with many shops, mostly selling meat or vegetables, and a couple of tailor shops.

"Oh, tailor shops have opened here?" Liang Lin stood with her hands on her hips under a tailor shop, inwardly praising Liang Di.

"Should I find a shop selling abortion pills here?"

Liang Lin wandered around for a while, when suddenly a small, dusty house caught her attention. The sign had fallen down, standing upright outside, and Liang Lin had to tilt her head to see it.

The sign had a bright, prominent character—"Pharmacy."

Simply concise.

"This should be a medicine shop, right?" Liang Lin muttered, thinking there was no harm in going in to take a look, so she stepped into the small shop.

The shop was small. As soon as Liang Lin entered, she saw an old woman sitting in the middle, dressed in tattered clothes, holding a broken fan she'd picked up somewhere. She sat with her eyes closed, legs crossed, leisurely fanning herself. Hearing someone enter, the old woman immediately opened her eyes and looked Liang Lin up and down.

Oh my!

Seeing the young woman's elegant clothes, the old woman's face lit up. Thinking she was some merchant's daughter, she immediately stood up and eagerly approached, rubbing her hands together.

"Oh my, whose young lady is this? So beautiful~" the old woman said, flatteringly. "What are you here to buy? I have all kinds of medicine, as long as you..."

The old woman raised her hand, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together, her cloudy eyes darting around in their sockets, indicating that as long as there was enough money, anything could be bought.

Liang Lin understood what she meant.

Fortunately, she had a purse with her, but not much money—just a few silver coins.

"Uh, are two silver coins enough?" Liang Lin took two silver coins out of her pocket.

She didn't dare to give more; she still needed some travel expenses. Liang Lin had nowhere to go. She planned to stay in the commoners' district around the capital, because she hadn't met her sister yet. When her sister was willing to meet her, she would find that she couldn't be found at the Langwendi mansion, and then she and Octaville would come looking for her.

They should be able to find me…

She would wait for her sister for two months. If there was still no news, she would take her former subordinates back to the border.

"I'm sorry, sister, I still have to protect the Soteland Empire."

Even with so many unwritten rules in the Soteland Empire, even with its increasing decline, Liang Lin hadn't completely lost faith in it; she remained utterly loyal.

What she didn't know was that what Hilary hoped for was for her to be utterly disappointed in the Soteland Empire.

The old woman has never heard of two silver coins in her life. Her eyes lit up instantly.

"Oh, Miss! No need for two silver coins, one, one is enough!"

Don't think she was being honest.

In reality, each dose of the medicine in the shop cost only two Vitcoins. She didn't ask for two silver coins simply because she was afraid Liang Lin would realize what was happening and come back to ask for more.

"Oh..."

Liang Lin breathed a sigh of relief, muttering, "Hmm...that's quite cheap."

"Oh, right, Miss, what kind of medicine do you want? You haven't told me yet, so I don't know which one to get for you."

"Uh..." Liang Lin was speechless.

Abortion pills... saying it out loud was too shameful!

She was still a young woman in the prime of her youth; saying the words "abortion pills" out of her mouth...it was completely impossible!

Liang Lin's fidgeting and awkward movements were all observed by the old woman. Having lived for so many years, the old woman had seen all sorts of people and scenes; seeing the young girl fidgeting and blushing, she immediately understood.

She grinned, "Oh, alright, alright, Miss, no need to say anything, I know what you want, it's... you're pregnant, right? This child...you don't want it?"

Tsk!

Liang Lin's face instantly turned bright red, even redder and hotter than before. She couldn't speak, only nodding frantically, while simultaneously realizing the old woman's voice was a bit loud, she looked around in alarm, then glared at her.

 "Shh, don't speak so loudly."

"Okay, okay, I understand, I understand~" The old woman had a limp, and she hobbled behind a row of tables. "Miss, please wait here for a moment, I'll find it for you right away."

Liang Lin was still immersed in the shame from earlier, unable to pull herself out of it. Standing at the door, her body was almost writhing like a silkworm cocoon.

Fortunately, there was no one else around besides her and the old woman; if even one more customer had entered, she would have exploded with embarrassment.

The old woman huddled under the table, rummaging through drawers and cabinets for a long time, before finally standing up shakily, holding a bag of black powder in her hand.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and shook the bag in her hand. "Miss, I found it for you. This is the medicine."

Liang Lin nodded, took a silver coin from her pocket, and handed it to the woman. "Here, take this silver coin."

Seeing the gleaming silver coin, the old woman's eyes lit up instantly. She seemed several years younger in that instant; she was overjoyed, almost like a grandchild.

"Oh my, oh my~ Thank you, Miss, thank you, Miss~" the old woman bowed repeatedly, stuffing the bag of black powder into Liang Lin's arms.

Liang Lin weighed the bag in her hand. Thinking of the child she was about to abort, a sudden heaviness settled in her heart, and her steps became heavy.

She left the small shop.

Next, she needed to find a place to stay.

Actually, Liang Lin had some reservations. She hesitated, unsure whether to wait two months for her sister to come looking for her. Or should she go directly to her former subordinates and return to the border with them?

If she stays near the capital, the chances of Liang Di finding her or discovering her are too high. Liang Lin can easily imagine that after she escapes, Liang Di will send many people to search house to house, and she'll be constantly hiding.

Ugh, this is so troublesome, being entangled with this weird woman.

Liang Lin found an inconspicuous little inn, tucked away at the very end of an alley, easily overlooked. Naturally, the price was very low, and the environment was terrible; a musty smell hit her as soon as she entered.

Although disgusted, Liang Lin, with her delicate fingers pinching her nose and suppressing her germaphobia, checked into the inn.

The room was relatively clean. Although there was only a simple small bed, at least the blankets were clean. The tables and chairs were a bit worn, but there was no dust, and no cobwebs. Liang Lin was somewhat satisfied with this.

Liang Lin took off her dirty shoes and collapsed onto the not-so-soft bed. She couldn't even fully stretch her arms out, unable to lie in a completely relaxed "spread-eagle" position.

"Sigh..."

Having gotten used to being a noble lady, suddenly being in such a poor environment was hard to adjust to.

"I'm really getting more and more fussy. Before, on the battlefield, sometimes I slept on filthy floors," Liang Lin muttered to herself, staring at the ceiling.

After a moment of blankness, she slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on the small bag beside her pillow. It contained black powder—the substance that could abort the child in her womb.

Now, she should take the medicine. It was better to get rid of the child sooner rather than later. If she waited any longer, Liang Lin feared she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it.

In fact, she already couldn't bear to.

That life was inside her, fused with her body; it was, after all, a piece of her flesh, a little thing with a soul. To do this would be tantamount to killing her unborn child with her own hands.

The black powder lay quietly beside her. She reached out and grabbed the bag of medicine.

"Liang Lin, when did you become so indecisive? You haven't sorted out your own affairs, you haven't found your sister, and part of the border has fallen. How can you hesitate about the child in your womb at a time like this? There's absolutely no need to choose… that child shouldn't have been born in the first place."

Liang Lin muttered to herself, seemingly trying to convince herself.

But then, a little angel popped into her mind.

“Liang Lin, that was a precious little life! Didn’t you want to protect everyone? Then why couldn’t you even protect your own child? You would even killed her with your own hands!”

Liang Lin shook her head, trying to shake the thought out of her mind.

At that moment, a little figure with devil horns jumped around in her mind.

“Liang Lin, you need to think more about yourself and everyone else! If you give birth to this child, it’s irresponsible of the child. You need to think about the bigger picture! You shouldn’t waste your time thinking about this kind of thing. Quickly drink your medicine and then go fulfill your mission.”

Liang Lin agreed with the devil figure’s words, but then, the angel figure spoke up again.

“Liang Lin, that was also a life! What if God knew…”

Liang Lin interrupted her directly, her face cold, “Sorry, I don’t believe in God.”

This time, it was the devil figure’s victory!

Finally, Liang Lin went to get some water. She asked the old woman downstairs for two clean cups, one filled with clean water and the other half-filled with water to mix with the medicine.

She carried the cups back to her room, sat on the bed again, and with mixed feelings, opened the medicine bag. A strange smell hit her, like the stench of a corpse sealed for years; even a simple whiff was nauseating. Liang Lin swallowed hard, feeling a jolt in her stomach, almost vomiting.

"Ugh... ugh."

This smell was unpleasant.

Liang Lin pinched her nose.

After drinking it, this child would completely disappear from this world.

Liang Lin stirred the water with a spoon. The black powder dissolved completely in the water, turning it a pale gray, and the smell seemed to lessen.

It was time to drink it.

Liang Lin sat on the edge of the bed, holding the cup, staring at the gray water, unable to drink it.

It wasn't because of the unpleasant smell, nor because of disgust, but because of the sudden surge of maternal love.

Her child was about to die, even before birth, but as the child's mother, how could she not feel any heartache?

Liang Lin sat quietly on the bed for about ten minutes, holding the water glass. She had filled it with hot water, but after so long, it had cooled down.

The little angel and the little devil in her mind were fighting each other again, Liang Lin's mind was a mess. She stared at the glass in her hand, pursing her lips.

Finally, she made up her mind.

I'm sorry, child.

Mommy really can't give birth to you. Mommy is sorry, I will be punished. Please let me fulfill my mission before I suffer the punishment.

Liang Lin gripped the glass tightly, her fingertips already white.

Okay!

Liang Lin closed her eyes tightly, the rim of the glass already to her lips; with a tilt of her head, she could pour all the water into her mouth.

Boom!

A deafening roar echoed throughout the small inn, like an earthquake or a landslide. Liang Lin felt the bed she was sitting on shake violently, and her cup, which she hadn't been holding tightly, fell to the floor.

Crash!

It shattered, the floor littered with transparent shards of glass.

The sound startled Liang Lin, who instinctively gripped her sword hilt. Opening her eyes, she stared intently, stunned, her eyes wide with undisguised surprise and terror.

Liang Di—no, Liang Di in her tentacle form—stood before her, her face unreadable, staring intently at Liang Lin without uttering a word.

Her tentacles had spread to every corner of the room, even obscuring the windows. The entire room resembled a heart, the crimson tentacles pulsating and writhing.

The room had become a cave of tentacles. Liang Lin wasn't wearing shoes; she looked down and saw that her shoes were nowhere to be found, probably hidden under the tentacles. Left with no choice, she could only walk barefoot on the soft tentacles.

"Liang Di… you…"

Liang Lin was surprised that the other party had found her so quickly, and how they could suddenly appear before her. But thinking about it, if it was Liang Di, this monster, then it was understandable.

Liang Di didn't say a word; she just silently looked at Liang Lin.

Back then, Liang Lin had thrown a handful of sand into her eyes and run away. After that, Liang Di stood there for a long, long time.

"I was wrong."

"I was utterly wrong."

She murmured to herself.

"I was wrong, I was so stupid, actually thinking you would willingly stay by my side. I shouldn't… have such thoughts, not even a little bit, and I shouldn't have tested you…"

Yes, Liang Di had only tested Liang Lin.

Releasing Liang Lin was merely a way to see if she would escape. Although Octaville's words had somewhat softened her resolve, she wasn't foolish enough to completely trust Liang Lin. She might have a twisted personality, but she wasn't so love-brained.

So, the instant she removed the collar from Liang Lin's neck, she cast a spell on her—a tracking spell. Liang Di had never trusted Liang Lin.

"I've always thought that if you, Sister Liang Lin, could fall in love with me, that would be wonderful. Now it seems that was just wishful thinking," Liang Di finally spoke. "Call me ruthless, call me cruel, maybe my love is just this extreme. You can't leave me, even if your heart isn't with me, I still want your body to stay by my side forever."

After Liang Lin ran away, Liang Di kept watching her with a small magic crystal, watching her flee in a panic, watching her run to the pharmacy to buy abortion pills.

At that moment, Liang Di still held a sliver of hope.

What if? What if Liang Lin bought the medicine and then changed her mind just before taking it?

What if? She wouldn't be able to bear it, she definitely wouldn't be able to bear it, it was their, Liang Lin and Liang Di's child…

Liang Di watched, watched, and finally, just as Liang Lin was about to drink the medicine, she suddenly stood up.

Beneath her feet was a teleportation magic circle that had been drawn beforehand. Liang Di chanted an incantation that no one else could understand, and the next second, she appeared in front of Liang Lin.

“Sister Liang Lin, you really… disappoint me so much… I actually dared to dream of a future with you, a future where we could stand in the sunlight.”

Liang Di’s legs had completely transformed into tentacles. She slowly moved her body, arriving before Liang Lin, her eyes filled with broken heartache.

“That was our child, how could you bear… to let it die?”

Liang Lin remained silent, feeling guilty about the matter. But quickly, she retorted.

"That wasn't my choice, nor was it something I wanted to give birth to. I have the right to decide its life or death!"

Liang Lin admitted she was lying, deliberately trying to provoke the other person; she still felt guilty towards the child.

The child hadn't done anything wrong; the child was utterly innocent. Its only mistake was choosing her as its mother.

"Sister, this whole farce is over. You should come back with me."

Looking at the room filled with tentacles, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over Liang Lin. She couldn't escape; she absolutely couldn't escape. She would definitely be caught and taken back. She couldn't defeat Liang Di; she would likely be completely overwhelmed.

If she were taken back, what meaning would life have left?

Liang Lin stared into Liang Di's eyes.

Liang Di slowly extended her hand, tilted her head, and without smiling, gestured for Liang Lin to grab it.

“Good Sister, hold my hand now, and I won’t blame you for what you did just now.” Liang Di coaxed gently, her voice exceptionally soft, but her eyes were icy, as if trying to pierce through the girl opposite her.

Liang Lin stared at Liang Di, despair gradually creeping into her eyes.

“I’ve had enough.”

She murmured.

Liang Di didn’t hear what she said.

“Huh? Sister?”

Liang Lin closed her eyes in despair and pain, her brows furrowed. She suddenly drew her longsword, raised it high, and shouted, her voice slightly mournful.

“I said! I’ve had enough! I said I’ve had enough of you!”

With that, she plunged it into her… own chest.

She couldn’t bring herself to stab her own stomach. She thought, if she did, how much pain would the baby inside have to endure?

She knew that the child was probably still an unformed little ball of flesh and might not feel pain, but she still couldn't bear it. She first raised the sword slightly, then stabbed it straight into her own chest.

Stab~

It was the sound of a sword piercing flesh.

But the expected pain didn't come; instead, there was a soft touch. Liang Lin opened her eyes, looked down, and saw her sword embedded in a tender red tentacle, pressed tightly against her chest. Looking up, she saw Liang Di, tears streaming down her face.

A tear slid down Liang Di's cheek and onto her neck. Liang Di didn't wipe away the tear, but slowly approached Liang Lin.

"Sister Liang Lin, please don't... hurt yourself..."

Her voice was filled with an utterly humble plea.

Liang Lin felt a pang of confusion. She felt that Liang Di had changed. Before, she would have punished her with violence, but now, she was begging her not to hurt herself.

Although ordinary swords couldn't harm Liang Di, and Liang Di's tentacles would heal automatically, she still felt pain, even though she had become numb to it.

In the Magic Tower, she frequently experienced the pain of having her tentacles severed, so she was no longer able to feel the pain.

Liang Di grabbed Liang Lin's hand and placed it on her face. "Sister Liang Lin, just like that time, hit me, slap me, if it makes you happy, if it makes you feel better."

Liang Lin touched the tears on Liang Di's face.

She broke down, completely broke down.

"Liang Di, why does it have to be me? Why?! Why can't it be someone else? Why can't you find someone who listens to you?"

"Because you promised me, you would marry me when you grew up… because you protected me, because you said you would protect me forever."

Liang Di's tears streamed down her face, her emotions surging. "It was because of those words that I persevered for so many years! Otherwise, otherwise I would have died long ago, died under their torture. I, I only survived to become your wife."

Die under their… torture?

And, survive?

Liang Lin keenly sensed that behind those two sentences lay a story she didn't know. But in this situation, she couldn't ask what had happened.

Liang Di was about to shatter.

"Sister Liang Lin, you must come back with me, you absolutely must stay by my side forever."

With that, Liang Di raised her hand.

Liang Lin's body swayed suddenly. Looking down, she saw two tentacles wrapped around her ankles.

Why… did it feel like I was sinking? Was it an illusion? No, it wasn't!

Her ankles tingled, as if countless thorns were piercing them, delivering that familiar toxin.

Liang Lin's legs went weak. She fell backward, landing on the ground—no, to be precise, on the tentacles. The soft tentacles against her buttocks gave her a strange, pleasurable sensation.

“Liang… Liang Di… I hate…”

Her speech was already slurred, her brain was no longer functioning. This time, the toxin's effect was even faster than before; Liang Lin quickly succumbed, unable to speak clearly.

Before she could finish speaking, a tentacle burrowed into her mouth, silencing her. Liang Lin's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up, her chest heaving violently.

My throat…

Feeling nauseous…

Breathing!

I couldn't breathe!

She could only breathe through her nose…

“Uh, uh uh…”

“Huff, huff huff!”

Liang Lin struggled, a feeling of suffocation washing over her. She wanted to cough and vomit repeatedly. But the tentacle was blocking her mouth; she couldn't cough, and even biting hard wouldn't break the incredibly tough tentacle.

“Ugh ugh ugh…”

Liang Lin's vision was soon reduced to only the whites of her eyes.

“Sister, you look so pitiful…”

Liang Lin tilted her head back, her eyes blurry with tears, barely able to make out Liang Di’s face.

Liang Di gently stroked her cheek.

The other tentacles began to move, some encircling Liang Lin’s waist, others wrapping around her wrists and neck. Soon, Liang Lin was completely wrapped up, tightly bound, like a rice dumpling about to be cooked.

Now, the feeling of suffocation was even stronger.

Liang Lin felt nauseous; she dry-heaved, her throat extremely sore.

The tentacles wriggled, continuing downwards, making Liang Lin’s throat hurt even more.

No, no, if it continues, will it reach my esophagus?

Ugh, ugh.

I really want to vomit! When will this pain end?!

Tears welled up in Liang Lin’s eyes, dripping onto the tentacles.

“Sister Liang Lin, don’t say things that hurt me so much,” Liang Di pointed to her heart. “My heart is already aching enough, please don’t make me suffer any longer.”

Liang Di clasped her hands together devoutly, like a believer facing God.

“Please don’t take away my only light… Sister Liang Lin.”

In those dark days, Liang Lin was her only light.

Her stomach churned, and Liang Lin began to convulse violently, as if she would faint at any moment. Seeing her like this, Liang Di regained some of her senses and hurriedly withdrew her tentacle.

She withdrew it so quickly that Liang Lin didn’t even have time to react. She lowered her head and began to gag violently.

“Ugh…”

“Ugh ugh!”

Lianglin hadn’t eaten anything, so she couldn’t vomit, and could only gag forcefully. Her mouth was wide open, and saliva kept flowing out, down her chin, onto her neck, and dripping onto the tentacle.

Liang Di reached out her arm and gently wiped the saliva from her chin with her hand, without any disgust.