“Forgive… forgive me…”
Su Yun’s eyes were hollow. Those once-vibrant, large eyes were now filled with a scattered daze, as if covered by a layer of gray mist, completely devoid of focus.
Saliva flowed from the corner of her mouth, slowly dripping down her chin and soaking a small wet patch into the soft carpet beneath her.
Her petite body curled on the floor, trembling incessantly like a discarded ragdoll.
Several tails with spinal bones attached were scattered across the floor of the once-empty room.
Beside them lay torn fragments of what used to be ears.
“Phew…”
Sitting on the large, soft purple bed, Mo Qingqing crossed her long, straight legs elegantly. She exhaled deeply, the full curve of her chest steadying with the breath.
Her deep red eyes, though still as profound as a sea of blood, had shed their previous violence and madness, returning to their usual coldness and a faint, indiscernible trace of fatigue.
Strands of hair hung messily on both sides of her face. Rather than detracting from her charm, it added a touch of laziness and allure, as if she had just experienced a bout of intense passion.
“Ooh…”
She lowered her gaze, her eyes falling upon Su Yun, who was whimpering and trembling like a small animal at her feet.
Seeing that pitiful appearance — looking as if she had been almost completely broken — Mo Qingqing couldn’t help but furrow her brows slightly.
She suddenly felt as if she might have gone a bit too far. A subtle emotion welled up in her heart, one that even she couldn’t quite put into words.
It was an indescribable, complex feeling, somewhere between the emptiness that followed a release and a tiny, barely-noticeable spark of pity.
“Hey, are you still alive…?”
Mo Qingqing opened her red lips, her voice carrying a hint of hoarseness. It was as rich as aged wine, yet dangerous.
She extended a foot, her slender ankle looking particularly inviting under the artificial light.
Mo Qingqing used the top of her foot to gently nudge Su Yun’s soft waist.
The contact with Su Yun’s soft belly, a warm and elastic sensation, gave her a strange sense of satisfaction. Her toes curled almost imperceptibly, as if she were savoring the unique texture.
“Forgive me… forgive me…” Su Yun seemed unable to hear her, mechanically repeating the same words. Her voice was so thin it seemed it would break at any moment, carrying a fear that was rooted deep in her bones.
Mo Qingqing’s exquisite eyebrows knitted together, and a flash of complexity crossed her deep red eyes.
‘Did I break her?’
She used her mental power to coil around a fluffy pinkish-blue tail lying on the floor. The tail traced a soft arc through the air as she used it to casually wipe away the remaining bloodstains on her body.
Mo Qingqing’s movements possessed a careless elegance.
However, there was a trace of inexplicable irritability in her actions.
It seemed things had become complicated.
She stared blankly at the smooth tail for a moment before snapping the remaining bone.
Then, she tossed the tail aside and cast a Forced Sobriety spell.
“Agh…”
Su Yun let out a painful whimper and clutched her head. Her body convulsed violently several times, as if countless needles were being driven into her nerves.
A moment later, she staggered to her feet. Her knees, rubbed raw and bright red, trembled slightly, yet she forced herself to stand steady, struggling to maintain a humble posture.
“Master…”
Su Yun’s voice was still thick with the sound of crying, and her body shook like a sieve. Every cell in her being was shivering.
Although there were no actual physical wounds on her body, everything Mo Qingqing had done to her during that long stretch of time remained vivid in her mind.
The Rotating Cannon, the Dragon Raising Head, the Star-Sucking Art, the Louis XVI Cannon, the Mongol Cavalry…
Everything she had seen in the dark corners of the internet in her previous life, she had experienced firsthand in this one.
In truth, she hadn’t actually gone insane earlier.
To reduce the mental pressure, she had diverted a large portion of her energy into her spiritual world to hide.
She just hadn’t expected Mo Qingqing’s Forced Sobriety spell to be so painful.
It had forcibly dragged that part of her consciousness back out.
Mo Qingqing’s deep red eyes carefully scrutinized Su Yun from head to toe. Her piercing gaze seemed capable of seeing through everything, making Su Yun feel as though her secrets were laid bare.
As a result, Su Yun began to worry that her trick of hiding most of her attention had been discovered.
Mo Qingqing’s high chest rose and fell slightly with her breath as her long fingertips lightly tapped her thigh.
After a long silence, she turned her face away. A faint blush tinted her fair skin, and her voice became very soft, carrying an unnatural awkwardness.
“Well… it wasn’t your fault this time…”
“Eh?” Su Yun was stunned. Her newly regrown fluffy ears twitched slightly, clearly unable to believe what she had heard.
“…Sorry. I accidentally treated you like one of those commoners.”
Although she couldn’t see Mo Qingqing’s face clearly from this angle, Su Yun felt that it was probably turning red.
‘Is the sun rising from the earth’s core?’
She was incredibly shocked internally, but she didn’t dare show any abnormality on the surface. She simply lowered her head further to hide the deep thoughts in her eyes.
“You must be joking… I am your slave. Anything you do is reasonable,” Su Yun whispered, her voice filled with a perfect amount of submissiveness and a hint of self-deprecation.
Perhaps Mo Qingqing really did feel some regret now, but… what did that matter?
If she took it seriously, she wouldn’t even know how she died.
Su Yun didn’t feel wronged.
Before choosing to participate in the trial, she had already prepared for the worst.
No matter what happened, it was her own choice.
In her view, since she had made the choice, she had lost the right to regret it.
In a world where people were devoured, how could one survive missing an eye, a leg, or an arm?
She knew that following a Witch was like walking a tightrope.
But what else could she do?
She had no right to complain.
Rather than wasting time on that, it was better to perform better and max out her acting and cuteness skills.
If she could reach the pinnacle of those skills one day and make the Witch reluctant to hurt her, that would be a success.
Her soul was in someone else’s hands; how could she dare to feel wronged or complain?
“How about this. Consider it a form of compensation.”
Mo Qingqing’s deep red eyes flickered as she spoke after a moment of thought.
Her voice remained cold, yet it carried a rare trace of shame.
She turned her slender neck slightly, her gaze falling back onto Su Yun.
“Three requests. As long as they are within my power.”
“There is… no need to answer in a hurry. You can keep them and tell me whenever you want.”
“But I must also throw a bucket of cold water on you… the contract between us cannot be broken,” Mo Qingqing added.
This was a remnant of a Dominator, specifically one who ruled over the path of enslavement.
Unless the Dominator himself was resurrected, no one could break it.
Su Yun felt it was a bit funny.
‘Then how is this any different from a Death-Exemption Medal?’
Despite her thoughts, she spoke with a face full of gratitude.
“Thank you, Master!”
After saying that, she even wagged her tail vigorously to show that she believed her…