Chapter 3: Slave Brand

Fuluoxi narrowed her eyes, her red pupils gazing coldly at Aiwei.

“Explain yourself.” Fuluoxi spoke, then fell silent.

“Ex…explain?” Aiwei asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

Explain what?

Explain why she gave in so easily?

Or explain why her personality was completely different from before?

Aiwei twisted her fingers together, unsure how to answer.

She couldn’t possibly say she was a transmigrator, that the original Hero was already dead.

If she said that, even if Fuluoxi didn’t believe her, she’d most likely be treated as crazy and dealt with directly.

Aiwei lowered her head, and after a long while finally spoke:

“My…my personality might really be a bit different from before, but that’s because I lost my memory.”

“After I drank that potion and fainted, I found I seemed to have forgotten a lot of things. I only remember that I’m a princess, sent here as a sacrifice…”

The more Aiwei spoke, the quieter she became. Even she was finding it hard to keep up the story. At last, Aiwei looked at Fuluoxi cautiously, “Um…do you believe me?”

“What do you think?” Fuluoxi’s expression didn’t change, still as indifferent as ever.

Aiwei shrank her neck.

“But what I said is really the truth.”

Fuluoxi stared at Aiwei, pondering for a few seconds, suddenly feeling a bit foolish.

Why was she wasting time on such a boring question?

Since this little thing liked to pretend to be obedient, there was nothing wrong with letting her pretend.

After all, she had already confirmed that Aiwei was indeed the Hero. Since that was the case, it wasn’t a bad thing for her to become more pleasing to the eye.

In any case, she couldn’t escape from Fuluoxi’s grasp.

Even if, in the worst case, this abandoned girl managed to run away, just where could she go?

“Hmm, since you say you’re telling the truth, I suppose I can believe you for now.”

“But, since you’re so weak and obedient, I hope you don’t slip up. I really hate being deceived.”

Fuluoxi deliberately emphasized the word “deceived,” as if she was warning Aiwei.

Hearing Fuluoxi’s words, Aiwei’s face instantly turned a bit pale.

Did she just shoot herself in the foot?

“So, dear little Aiwei, you just made a mess on the floor. What do you think should be done?”

Fuluoxi pointed at the small cake that had fallen to the floor, cream splattered across the brown floorboards like snow.

Aiwei thought for a moment, then slowly got up from the bed, walked over to the cake, and crouched down. Just as Aiwei was about to pick it up with her hand, Fuluoxi spoke.

“Don’t use your hands.”

Aiwei’s hand froze midair. She turned to look at Fuluoxi.

Fuluoxi sat on the bed, her long, fair legs elegantly crossed, one hand propping up her head, red eyes watching Aiwei with amusement.

Seeing that look in Fuluoxi’s eyes, Aiwei instantly understood what she wanted her to do.

Aiwei bit her lower lip, her hands unconsciously balling into fists.

“What, you don’t want to?”

“If you keep this up, you’ll slip up~”

Aiwei closed her eyes, let out a heavy breath, and then slowly lay down on the floor.

She didn’t use her hands, but instead, like a kitten, began to eat the cake off the ground.

At first, it went relatively smoothly, but the more she ate, the harder it became.

After all, she wasn’t a real cat. Imitating a cat’s movements was a double ordeal for both body and mind.

But Aiwei had no choice.

Her arms, supporting her on the floor, gradually began to ache, and her head was almost pressed to the ground.

Aiwei licked up the cream and cake crumbs in small bites, her water-blue hair trailing on the floor, picking up white cream.

But Aiwei didn’t notice, and just kept going with her task.

After several minutes, Aiwei slowly got up from the floor.

The small cake on the ground had been completely eaten by Aiwei, not even a trace of cream remained.

Fuluoxi nodded, neither praising nor criticizing her, not even saying a word, just beckoning to Aiwei.

Aiwei looked at Fuluoxi and walked toward her.

But when Fuluoxi saw Aiwei’s movement, she narrowed her eyes slightly, and Aiwei’s steps came to a halt.

She felt a sense of danger. Her instincts told her that if she kept walking forward like this,

Something bad would happen.

Aiwei pressed her lips together and, from standing, slowly dropped to all fours again, arms flat on the ground, crawling toward Fuluoxi.

Aiwei didn’t lift her head, her eyes fixed on the floor. Humiliated, tears welled up in her eyes.

But she gritted her teeth, refusing to let herself cry.

This was her last bit of resistance against Fuluoxi.

Aiwei slowly crawled to Fuluoxi’s side. In the next moment, she felt a force press down on her head.

“Aiwei, oh Aiwei, you really have no backbone at all, do you?”

“I’m almost starting to believe you really lost your memories.”

Fuluoxi’s foot pressed down on Aiwei’s head, applying a bit of force, pushing Aiwei’s head against the floor.

Aiwei’s cheek was mashed to the ground, pressed up close to the cold floor.

The tears in her eyes could no longer be held back, spilling out continuously.

But Fuluoxi acted as if she hadn’t noticed, stepping on Aiwei’s head as she spoke coldly:

“Aiwei, I told you, if you ever fell into my hands,”

“I would make your life a living hell.”

“Whether you’ve lost your memory, or you’re just pretending to win my trust, it’s all useless.”

“Because you will always be my Blood Slave.”

A magic circle appeared in Fuluoxi’s hand, a small stamp manifesting in her palm.

“Little Aiwei, you shouldn’t be unfamiliar with this, right?”

Fuluoxi was still stepping on Aiwei’s head as she bent over, waving the object in front of Aiwei’s face.

Aiwei’s pupils contracted sharply as she saw the mark.

She had seen this thing in the memories she’d received.

This was the thing every slave in the Empire Slave Market bore.

And it could never be washed off.

Some slaves, even after leaving slavery, were always treated as the lowest livestock because of the indelible Slave Brand.

If she was branded with the Slave Brand…

As long as she entered the Empire’s territory, she would always be treated as a slave.

And under the Empire’s laws, slaves had no more rights than livestock, considered someone else’s private property.

As long as the owner permitted, they could be beaten, killed, or subjected to anything.

“No…no!”

“Please, I beg you, anything but this…not this…”

Aiwei, her voice choked with sobs, pleaded desperately with Fuluoxi.

She no longer cared about Fuluoxi’s humiliation and contempt. Only one thought filled her mind—

Not to be branded with the Slave Brand.

“No—can—do—” Fuluoxi deliberately drew out her words, as if mocking Aiwei.

“Be good, Aiwei, it’ll be over soon.” Fuluoxi spoke as if soothing a baby, but her actions were anything but gentle.

The black stamp in Fuluoxi’s hand began to glow red. Fuluoxi lifted her foot from Aiwei’s head, bent down, and gently stroked Aiwei’s cheek.

Their faces were so close, their breaths mingling on each other’s skin.

Then, the stamp, reddened by Flame Magic, was pressed against Aiwei’s collarbone.

Accompanied by a sizzling sound.

Unbearable pain shot through her. Aiwei, already afraid of pain, struggled desperately.

But Fuluoxi’s strength was overwhelming; Aiwei couldn’t resist at all.

The room filled with the smell of burning flesh. After a long while, Fuluoxi finally tossed Aiwei aside and withdrew the stamp.

Aiwei lay on the floor, silent tears streaming down her face, her body curled up like a wounded little beast licking its wounds.

But suddenly, Aiwei sensed that something new had appeared on her body.

At that moment, Fuluoxi spoke.

“Little Aiwei, let me tell you a secret.”

“I made a few little modifications to this Slave Brand. Once I put my personal Slave Brand on you, you will never be able to resist my orders again~”

“Even if I ordered you to kill the one you love most with your own hands, you’d do it without hesitation~”

“For example, right now, I order you to kneel before me and call me Master.”

As Fuluoxi’s words fell, Aiwei felt her will being invaded.

She wanted to resist, but to her horror, she found she couldn’t do anything.

She could only watch helplessly as her body, like a puppet on strings, crawled from the floor to Fuluoxi, knelt before her, and said in a flattering tone:

“Master.”