After that day, their bond grew cold. Beyond training, Mei's face was hard as ice. She said no words, avoiding Zhu when she could.
They no longer ate together. Though in the same house, they were like strangers.
Zhu felt deep pain but would not force his mother. As a man, he could ignore morals more easily. But she, a woman, would carry the shame.
If her honor was lost, she could never recover.
Weighed by guilt, Zhu's training failed. His skills grew worse. Mei no longer pushed him, only watched coldly.
Each night, Zhu heard her quiet sobs from the next room. Their hearts sank to the lowest point.
Half a month passed slowly, each day feeling endless.
They needed supplies each month, so they disguised themselves and went down the mountain together.
In the town below, Mei stopped. Wanted posters of her and Zhu covered the streets. They were blamed for sneaking into the imperial palace, stealing treasures, and hurting many.
In teahouses and taverns, talk was wild. People said Mei was Mei Ying, a leader of the Joyous Demon Sect. She was said to have joined the Hongmen, charming Song Jueren with her beauty to harm them.
She then brought Zhu into the sect, planning to make him leader to control the Hongmen. To do this, she killed her husband. When found out, they ran.
Weiting sent letters to major sects, saying the rumors were false. He claimed he searched for Mei to clear the lies. He asked for calm in talk.
But the martial world spread the story clearly, full of ugly insults. Mei, dressed as an old farmer, nearly fell from rage.
At the market, a terrible sight stopped her. A family of three: an old couple and their young daughter. Mei knew the couple as loyal Song family servants.
They knew no fighting skills but were faithful, helping Mei and Zhu during their escape.
Now, only their bloody heads remained. Their dear daughter, Acui, was stripped bare, paraded on a strange wooden donkey through the streets.
A thick iron rod on the donkey's back stabbed Acui's young vagina, tearing her soft flesh. Wheels below turned, moving a device inside.
The rod pushed in and out, each hard move pulling streams of blood from her small body. Her vagina bled heavily, the iron stretching her with every stab.
Tears ran down her face. Her braids were half-loose, hair sticking to her cheeks. Her mouth was gagged, but muffled screams came out, full of pain.
A snake mark of the Joyous Demon Sect was carved on her chest. Her small body was covered in bruises and blood.
It was hard to imagine how such a child could bear such suffering.
Worse, her parents' heads hung from her ankles, eyes wide, seeing their daughter's pain.
Officials by the donkey shouted their crimes. The family followed a evil cult, mixing with each other and ruining the town.
They were tied to Mei and Zhu, imperial fugitives. The couple fought arrest and were killed. Acui, after hurting officers, was caught.
She was sentenced to the wooden donkey, a punishment.
The crowd, kind at first, grew angry. They threw dung, stones, and spit at Acui. In moments, her head bled, her body weak, barely alive.
Mei's heart hurt badly. Fear grew inside her. She looked at Zhu. His face was pale, fists tight, shaking with anger.
His eyes blazed, remembering a painful memory that broke them both.
Mei grew gentle. She held his hand softly. "Let's go. Don't watch."
"No," Zhu said, his calm voice now hard with clenched teeth. "I'll watch to the end. Uncle Fu's family died because of us."
"I'll keep Acui's pain in my heart. Every time I train, I'll think of it. I'll kill Weiting with the worst death."
His face grew firm with determination. Mei's heart shook. His strong need for revenge both calmed and scared her.
She said nothing more, standing quietly, watching for government spies. Weiting's plan was cruel.
By tying them to this family, he made everyone believe Mei and Zhu were Joyous Demon Sect members.
Time passed. Acui's cries grew weak. The wooden donkey, a cruel machine shaped like a beast, moved on its wheels. A thick iron rod, as wide as a wrist, stuck out from its back, stabbing Acui's young vagina.
Each turn of the wheels moved a device inside. The rod pushed up, tearing her soft flesh, then pulled back, wet with blood. Her vagina bled heavily, pouring red lumps with every hard stab. The pain was too much, her screams soft behind the gag in her mouth.
Her small body shook, unable to escape. Blood ran down her legs, pooling on the donkey's wooden frame. Her insides, broken by the rod's constant force, began to split, leaking bits of flesh with the blood.
The crowd shouted, their anger fed by the officials' lies. They saw Acui as a monster, not a child. Stones hit her face, cutting her skin. Dung stuck to her shaking body.
Acui's eyes, once bright, faded with pain. Her vagina was torn apart, ruined beyond repair. The rod's final pushes brought only silence.
Acui died, her small body slumped on the donkey, held up only by the iron rod. Her lifeless form swayed with the machine's motion.
Mei silently prayed for Uncle Fu's family. Looking at Zhu, she felt a new strength in him.
Despite her sadness, she felt hope. Their loyal servants' sacrifice had meaning.