Pulled by the chain, Wang Jie followed behind the two. If the woman had that much trust in her servant, he was probably a cultivator. With his mortal strength Wang Jie knew he wouldn’t be able to overpower him.

They went out through the main entrance and entered the woman’s carriage.

“Sit.” Siyu pushed him down on the bench seat. Yeah, there was no way he could overpower him.

Wang Jie noticed the woman staring at him, “What are you looking at?” he growled.

She recoiled slightly while Siyu smacked the back of his head.

“You will refrain from speaking to the Missus that way.”

The rest of the ride continued in silence. They exited the city and Wang Jie saw the stream from the city out of the window. It looked like they were moving downstream. Whatever that was worth.

She was staring at him the whole trip, like a child appraising her toy. He didn’t speak up though.

Soon they crossed a bridge and drove up a slight incline. When they passed over it, a colossal manor came into view.

After they stopped the woman left the carriage while Siyu dragged Wang Jie to another part of the manor. As they walked through several halls, they passed guards along the way that nodded and let them past. Wang Jie focused his attention on committing the layout to memory.

They passed through a door and met two guards on the other side. Focusing on them, Wang Jie saw they each had a keyring attached to their belts. Siyu exchanged glances with the guards and then led him to an empty cell. He led him in and then started talking.

“This is going to be your new home till you learn to behave.” Siyu glanced at his shackles, “Still, I think we can take those off now.”

He brandished a key and unlocked the shackles. It felt good to regain ones movement.

“Someone will be by shortly to give you some clothes, if you don’t want to make it hard on yourself you would be smart to put them on.” With that, he left and locked the iron door.

The moment he left Wang Jie started looking around the room. There were brick walls on three sides of the room, the final side was made up of vertical iron bars, meaning he had no privacy. A bed with a metal frame stood in the corner, a tall wooden dresser beside it. He checked the drawer, empty, of course. He started searching the bed when he heard a noise behind him and hurriedly withdrew his hand.

“You looking for something?” One of the guards from the entrance stood behind him.

“Uhhh, no,” His mind turned a mile a minute, “just making the bed.”

“Riiiiiight…” The guard didn’t believe him. “Anyway, heres your clothes. I’ll just put them here.” He stuck the clothes through the iron bars and left them on the ground.

As soon as the guard left he started searching the clothes, there had to be something useful right? But no, it was just clothes. A linen shirt, some pants and boots. In his frustration he picked up a boot and threw it at the wall. It bounced off harmlessly and landed on the floor.

He sat on the floor waiting for a few minutes before he heard footsteps walking down the hall.

“I see you haven’t changed.” Siyu eyed the boot on the other side of the room, stepping towards the .

“Can’t say I wasn’t expecting it.” He held up his whip, “I came prepared.”

“Screw you.” Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you say?” Siyu took a step towards him, “Go over and put your hands on the wall.”

Wang Jie just ignored him.

“Listen to me.” Siyu screamed and kicked Wang Jie in the face with his boot.

The blow sent him knocking against the bed frame. He caressed his face and tightened his fists, he wanted to fight back so much but he couldn’t.

“I’m not giving you another chance, hands on the wall now.” Siyu pointed towards the wall.

His fists clenched so hard as he walked over to the wall and put his hands up.

“Now take off your robe.” Siyu fondled the whip in his hands.

Wang Jie grumbled a bit, but none the less he pulled the robe up over his head and threw it on the floor.

“Good, now as I whip you, I want you to count out each and every single lash, loud and clear.”

The crack of the whip broke by his ears as he was struck on the back. He couldn’t help but yelp in pain, his whole back burning with pain.

“I didn’t hear you count.” The crack of the whip came again, even harder than before, the pain even worse than before.

Wang Jie bit his lip and cried out, “1.”

“Much better.” Siyu’s lips curled into a smile as he swung the whip again, striking him so hard that he drew blood.

“2.” The pain was so bad, it felt like it was burning him both inside and out.

“3.” His eyes bulged outward and he began to feel the blood drip down his back.

“4.” He bit his lip so hard he tore through, the taste of blood filling his mouth.

“5.”…-

“6.”…-

It just continued on and on, he so angry. At himself, the world, the slavers, the colonel, Siyu, the woman, the guards. Why was he so helpless? Why couldn’t he do anything?

It was a gruesome night as the cries of pain rang out through the halls. He took a total of 20 lashings before Siyu saw fit to stop and left.

The pain tore into him as he laid on the bed to sleep. He barely slept at all.

He didn’t even bother trying to resist the next day, and just put on the servants outfit when he woke up. The shirt hurt as it touched his back, but he had to wear it.

Early morning a guard came by with his meal. Without saying a word he shoved a bowl of rice with fish, some chopsticks and a flask through an opening.

When the guard left he lunged at the food. Wang Jie didn’t hold himself back as he ate. It was perfect, it might have even been the best meal he’d ever had. Scratch that, it really was the best meal he’d ever had. Back home they couldn’t afford eating like this.

It was almost like an abusive relationship. First they mistreat you, then pull you back in with little niceties here and there. The thought disgusted him.

After eating he kept the flask and chopsticks. He could sharpen the chopsticks and if he smashed the flask he’d probably get some sharp pieces out of it.

When the guard came back to collect the items, he quickly realized something was amiss though.

“Where’s the flask?” He asked, a frown on his face.

Wang Jie could only pull it out from under the bed and hand it over. With the flask in hand, the guard was happy and left.

Seeing home gone, Wang Jie couldn’t help but smile to himself.

He spent a few hours sharpening the chopsticks by driving them against the ground.

That evening Siyu came by again like promised.

“So I heard you tried to hide a flask?”

Wang Jie nodded.

“Well it’s good you’ve learned to admit your mistakes, but you’re not being entirely honest with me are you?” Siyu looked him into the eyes, “See I’m not an idiot like that guard, one would have to be blind to not notice a missing flask. Which means you didn’t take it because you thought you could get away with it. No, you took it to use as a distraction.”

Wang Jie shook, how did the man know so much?

“Which the real thing you’re trying to hide,” Siyu reached his hands into Wang Jie’s pocket, “are these chopsticks in your pocket am I right?” He grinned as the dangled the two chopsticks in front of Wang Jie.

To Wang Jie it was the most demonic smile fathomable. Standing in front of him, dangling his keys to freedom. The demon laughed in his face as it sentenced him to 40 lashes.

He didn’t even manage a wink of sleep that night. His eyes grew bloodshot as he lay in bed with the pain engulfing him.

The next day he didn’t bother trying to steal anything from his meals. It wouldn’t work, Siyu just knew too much and the guards had definitely been made aware by now to keep a look out.

But even though he had been good, Siyu still came by in the evening and lashed him 10 times. This continued everyday till Sunday, where he didn’t show up at all.

Mystified by it all, Wang Jie couldn’t help but wonder. He had come here everyday like clockwork, but suddenly he wasn’t coming around?

The line of thinking got Wang Jie to consider some other matters too. Every evening it was the same guard serving him his food. Breakfast and lunch differed, but it was always the same guard in the evening.

Was there only one on shift? He would have to find out.

On Monday, Siyu was back like nothing had happened. 10 lashes just like before and then he left.

He came every single day of the week, except Sunday where he was missing again.

With this clue, he started thinking about a plan. The biggest obstacle was the guards, were they possibly all cultivators? No, there was no way that could be possible. Siyu himself was probably only in the early stages of Qi Condensation, so it would be impossible for other cultivators to submit to his command.

Wang Jie could handle the guards, he had total confidence in that.

To check the schedule Wang Jie started calling out for a guard in the evening. Without fail, every single time it was the same one guard who came. He had tested it three times and was sure of it by now, he had to be the only one there.

After the guard had gotten annoyed with Wang Jie’s unnecessary calling, he had told Siyu about it. That very same evening he came by and sentenced him to 40 lashings.

While he was whipping him, he started asking questions, “What are you planning?”

Wang Jie just laughed back as he counted out the strikes.

“Are you laughing at me?” He flared up, “Another 10 lashings!”

At this point Wang Jie started embracing the pain instead of resisting it. He let it seep into his very bones, let it permeate his soul and envelop him from within. He was beginning to grow numb to it.

This pain was nothing, it couldn’t hurt him and it certainly wouldn’t break him. He would endure.

The days passed and one night he took out the drawer and broke off the back panel. It was super thick and wide, it would take a long time to sharpen it. Thus he started reducing his sleep to 4 hours and spent the night sharpening the wooden panel. During the day he hid it under his mattress, and would bring it out to continue sharpening whenever he knew it was safe.

Siyu continued to find trouble with him, lashing him tens of times every single night. The torture didn’t bother him anymore though, he would endure, he couldn’t be broken.

Suddenly one Friday the woman who hadn’t seen since he arrived at the manor came and checked on him with Siyu.

“Is he still not ready Siyu?”

“I’m afraid he’s not broken quite yet Madam, lately he hasn’t been responding as well to my methods.”

“Arghhh,” she stomped her foot. “I wanted to take him along for the trip on Sunday.”

A glint passed through Wang Jie’s eyes as he listened.

“Apologies Madam, I’ll have him trained for next Sunday.”

“Fine, but you better keep your word.” She stormed off.

‘So she goes somewhere each Sunday’ he thought. ‘That has to explain why Siyu is gone, he escorts her.’

Siyu gave him a glance and then left to follow after the woman.