TBWE Chapter 31

Touching Limbs

The great gate of the shrine closed tightly behind her; the ground and walls trembled.

“Bang——!”

The loud crash struck Chu Li’s eardrums. The last bit of external light completely vanished; thick darkness, like ink, instantly submerged, enveloped, and swallowed her from head to toe.

This was no ordinary darkness; even her fingers pressed right before her eyes were invisible.

Absolute silence followed immediately.

No sound of the wind, no insect chirping, no distant uproar from the Chu family’s pursuit. Her breathing and heartbeat were amplified infinitely within this deathly silence; her heart pounded fiercely in her chest, once, then again, making her ribs ache.

The air was cold, like a tomb, chilling her skin until goosebumps rose.

Chu Li instinctively took one step backward. The gate behind her was cold and hard; the chill seeped through her sweat-dampened clothes, gradually adhering to her skin.

At that moment of entering, she regretted it.

The rear side of the gate was carved with uneven ancient patterns that seemed poised to come alive and bite her fingers at any time.

Chu Li froze in place, neither daring to move nor make a sound.

— It’s here.

That realization tightened every inch of her skin.

She fled in to evade capture, but coming here… could it be better than getting caught by the Chu family?

In the darkness, time lost all meaning; every minute, every second stretched endlessly.

Chu Li backed against the gate, her nails digging deep into her palms to dull her fear with pain. The copper coin sword had been lost during her escape through the window, and her talisman papers were already used up. Now, she had nothing, facing not a divine avatar, nor a dreamlike emanation.

But the original deity itself.

“Tap.”

A light sound abruptly shattered the silence.

It was not footsteps, but rather like some viscous liquid dripping onto the ground.

Chu Li held her breath. Her heart seemed to burst from her throat. It was coming!

“Tap… tap… tap…”

The sound was steady, with an eerie rhythm, approaching from all directions at once, as if countless things were closing in simultaneously in the dark.

A cold, slippery touch suddenly coiled around her ankle!

Chu Li let out a sharp cry, kicking as if bitten by a poisonous snake.

But it was too late.

More cold, flexible “limbs” emerged from the darkness, like living vines, accurately entangling her.

They twisted tight around her pale ankles, creeping under her skirt, climbing upwards along her calves, instantly stripping away her ability to move.

Chu Li was actually very afraid of cold-bodied soft animals.

For example, snakes, octopuses, sea anemones, and such.

She knew the deity understood her dislike, thus normally the touching limbs were not allowed to appear or make contact.

Clearly, the deity today had no intention of being considerate.

Chu Li struggled desperately, tearing wildly at the things entwining her legs. They felt slippery, tough, with fine scale-like textures on the surface; her nails scratched but could not inflict any harm.

“… Let go!”

Another touching limb coiled around her waist, squeezing so tightly she could hardly breathe. Her movements were forcibly restrained, leaving only futile trembling.

Chu Li whimpered; tears uncontrollably welled up, streaming down her cold cheeks.

The thick darkness began to stir and condense.

First, the outline of slender legs, then a narrow waist, broad shoulders, and finally a handsome, sculpted face. The deity, Xi Chu, silently appeared before her, raising a hand slightly, causing the darkness to dissipate just enough for her to barely see.

Chu Li met His eyes, like bottomless black holes, swirling with a sticky emotion she couldn’t understand but instinctively feared.

Cold fingertips brushed her tear-wet cheek with a strangely gentle touch, wiping away the nearly fallen tears.

“Li Li,” His voice was low and hoarse, each word striking against Chu Li’s tense nerves, filled with satisfaction and regret, “this time, you came willingly.”

His fingertips slid down her cheek slowly, like a snake gliding, crossing her heaving collarbones with a torturously slow intimacy, finally resting on her wildly beating heart due to her rapid breathing.

“Afraid?” Xi Chu seemed to smile faintly, “I’m much kinder than your kin. Look at how disheveled you are.”

Two fingers pressed against Chu Li’s lips, prying her teeth forcibly open, pushing into the warm mouth.

A familiar metallic sweet taste flowed down her throat.

“Ugh ugh…!” She couldn’t help but gag, pushing against Xi Chu’s wrist.

He effortlessly grabbed both her hands, pressing them forcefully on the gate, while his two fingers pressed on the root of her tongue.

“Swallow it.”

Chu Li couldn’t spit it out, forced to swallow; after swallowing, the wounds left from her escape quickly healed as if never existing.

His slender fingers pulled out of her mouth, drawing a thin transparent thread.

She watched Xi Chu bring his fingers to his lips, licking them clean with his tongue.

“…” Chu Li’s pupils trembled; a tingling numbness ran from her fingertips to her scalp.

Xi Chu clasped her wrists, lowered his gaze and said, “Li Li, what do you come to wish for, protection or something else?”

The touching limbs at her calves slowly wound upward, curling around her thighs. Chu Li shivered; her current posture was terrible, like a fish on a chopping board.

“… Power.” She forced herself to speak, “I want to kill the Grand Nuo, to destroy the ritual ceremony.”

She also wanted to rescue her little aunt and the dozens of others about to be mysteriously sacrificed.

She wanted to make this sinful, decayed ancient family disappear.

Her beautiful, slightly moist eyes looked at Him with an almost intoxicating plea. “Xi Chu, help me. After destroying the ritual, I will find a way to break the seal here and stay by your side forever.”

The limbs tightened uncontrollably.

Xi Chu stared intently at Chu Li, locking eyes with those excessively beautiful eyes and lips that spoke sweet words.

Her words were like sweet syrup, giving Him a dizzying sensation.

He bent down, his burning breath pressing against her lips, “Okay.” Unexpectedly, He agreed so easily, joy instantly sweeping over Chu Li. But the next moment, He spoke again with a subtle, chilling smile, “But Li Li, wishing to the deity requires tribute. What is your tribute?… Also, we must settle previous accounts.”

As His words fell, the touching limbs replaced Xi Chu’s hands, binding her wrists above her head.

One of the limbs wrapping her legs split open at the tip with a ghostly blue gap, revealing a soft tip like a tongue, slowly and persistently licking her delicate skin.

The sensation was extremely strange, wet with an exploratory meaning, as if savoring a rare delicacy.

“No… what is that!” Chu Li struggled violently; unknown fear surged like a tide.

“Shh…” Xi Chu’s fingertips pressed against her lips, cold and firm. His bottomless black eyes overflowed with sticky greed, locking tightly onto her terrified eyes, “They belong to me.”

His voice dropped, cajoling, “Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt you.”

The touching limb did not stop despite her struggles; it explored the smooth curve of her calves, leaving clear wet traces. Another limb that had been coiled around her waist moved like nimble fingers, hooking the hem of her skirt, slowly rolling it upward with a terrifying slowness.

Chu Li’s body instantly stiffened like an ice sculpture, even her trembling ceased.

“No…” Her voice was weak as a mosquito’s.

Tears rolled down in big drops silently across her cheeks. Her throat felt as if grasped by an invisible hand, unable to emit even a sob.

Xi Chu slowed His movements, looking at Chu Li coldly.

Kill her.

That thought had risen many times in Xi Chu’s mind.

He should have killed every member of the Chu family as the price for betraying and imprisoning the god.

He made an exception for Chu Li.

But this weak human before Him, who repeatedly deceived and betrayed Him, should have died by His hand. Even if not killing her, He should have given terrifying punishment, imprisoning her forever, forever by His side. Her will was not important at all.

Yet now, He used gentle words and maintained a human facade.

Xi Chu’s eyes darkened; His hands clasped her slender neck.

Tears rolled down her face, hitting His wrist bones, cold in temperature, but the simulated human skin felt burned.

The hand gripping her neck froze, then after a moment, gave up self-destructively, roughly wiping away Chu Li’s continuous tears.

The limbs binding her wrists quietly loosened. He clasped the back of her neck with one hand, cupped her face with the other, pressed noses together, and kissed her lips.

A kiss that was tender but firm.

From shallow to deep, the tongue licked her lips, slipped between teeth, ignoring her resistance, slowly entwining, stealing all of Chu Li’s attention.

Her resistance slowed; the air stolen away, a slight suffocating sensation made her a little dizzy.

The limb rolling up her skirt had already pushed the fabric above the knees; the cold air touched her skin directly, causing an involuntary shiver; she instinctively wanted to close her legs, but another limb firmly stopped her.

The hand stroking Chu Li’s cheek moved down, fingertips tracing the hollow of her collarbone, then her slender shoulders. His actions were slow, as if measuring a precious treasure. When his fingers pressed on the first button of her collar, Chu Li snapped out of her dizziness, forcefully pushing against Xi Chu’s shoulder.

“No… ugh!”

He unclasped her neck and the lips tangled more deeply, swallowing the words she couldn’t finish.

The first button was undone.