CH-011

Cold air, wrapped in moisture, seeped out from the grey stone walls.

The lighting in the dungeon was not clear; only after staying in place for a long time could one discern the direction of the path in this gloomy space. However, when looking upward, one still could not see the end of the black ceiling.

Is this a dream?

Just as Shu Li had this thought, his feet automatically moved downward until he reached the depths of the dungeon, stopping before a heavy, cold iron cellar door.

The lock hanging on the door was as thick as a child’s arm, signaling to any visitor that this was a door impossible to open.

But as soon as Shu Li’s hand touched it, the lock loosened, as if it had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Simultaneously, accompanied by a piercing screech, the door swung inward on its own.

Facing him, he could see a white-haired youth whose ankles were bound by iron chains.

His figure was tall and lean; even though his prisoner uniform was tattered like rags due to flogging, it could not hide his sharp, chiseled skeletal frame, like a hidden blade waiting to be drawn from its sheath. Moving closer, one could see a stray streak of black remaining at the roots of his hair, contrasting painfully with the rest of his snow-white hair, which had lost its color due to torture and hunger.

This person was Leslie, who had been locked in the dungeon for many years.

At this moment, his head hung low, as if he had lost consciousness, yet also like a predator feigning sleep, waiting for its prey to let down its guard and approach recklessly once more.

Shu Li rationally halted his steps; at this time, he should continue to observe, but he spoke out involuntarily, “Leslie.”

The other party did not budge.

Thus, Shu Li watched silently for a moment and slowly approached in his direction—

This step was like the black mist obscuring his eyes suddenly dispersing.

He clearly saw Leslie’s wrists and ankles covered in a crisscross of mottled scars, indistinguishable between new and old. These wounds that tore open the flesh spread across his body as if suffering and torture were deeply rooted in him, growing into these shocking cracks that no one could repair.

“Water…”

A raspy voice emerged from Leslie’s mouth.

He didn’t seem to care who the visitor was, whether they were here to help him or to torture him. He didn’t even lift his head.

Shu Li’s footsteps faltered slightly, but he quickly changed direction to bring water to Leslie.

However, while feeding him, Shu Li noticed the water was extremely murky; because the light was dim, he couldn’t even distinguish the color of the water. Just as he wanted to stop Leslie from drinking further, the other party tilted his head back. His weak eyelids did not lift, relying entirely on instinct as he swallowed in large gulps following the position of Shu Li’s hand, spilling water all over Shu Li’s hands.

Leslie’s face was also covered in scars.

Shu Li felt a bit of pity.

However, just as this thought surfaced in Shu Li, Leslie’s eyelids trembled slightly, and his blue pupils appeared.

The two stared at each other for a long time before the dark pupils slowly closed again.

This time, Leslie drank the water slowly.

Silence congealed in the air. No one wanted to strike up a conversation or probe. At a time like this, neither had the mental energy for boring wordplay, until the water in the cup in Shu Li’s hand was completely gone.

Leslie’s pupils brightened again, and his moistened throat produced clearer, more complete sentences, “Isn’t this the priest who says I’m a demon? Have you come to pity what I’ve become?”

Shu Li clearly felt a terrifying sense of a gathering storm—every muscle in Leslie’s body tensed as if he might spring up at any moment to kill. The chains continued to emit a low “clank, clank,” as if the metal itself was sounding a warning triggered by its master’s emotions.

Contrasting with this chilling aura, his voice was exceptionally low and calm; he even had a slight curl to his lips, murmuring as if joking.

“I’m fine. I’m fine…”

Shu Li instinctively wanted to pull back from him, even though he saw the chains binding Leslie were still firmly anchored to the wall.

Opposite him, Leslie also seemed to notice the other man’s vigilance. His shoulders relaxed first, and he spoke slowly, proactively changing the subject: “I want more water.”

Shu Li was about to stand up, but was stopped by one sentence: “In your hand, there’s still a little.”

Shu Li looked down; there were indeed a few drops at the bottom of the cup, but they were so few they wouldn’t even make a mouthful. Yet Leslie stared at it fixedly, like a beast trapped in the wilderness; even for a single drop of water, he was unwilling and loath to give it up.

The Shu Li in the dream was much more dull-witted than the real self.

If he were awake, Shu Li would have left decisively to keep his distance from Leslie.

Because Leslie right now was like a wolf who, despite having had its fill of meat, still eyed people hungrily. But the Shu Li in the dream handed the cup over again to let him drink it clean.

Leslie was unhurried, not rushing to drink. With a gentle nudge of his chin, the cup was pushed away. His cold, cracked lips seemingly accidentally brushed against the back of Shu Li’s hand. Before Shu Li could react and withdraw his hand, in the next second, he suddenly lowered his head and bit Shu Li’s hand hard!

Sharp pain exploded!

Dull white canine teeth sank into the flesh, like a rusty, blunt saw grating through skin and muscle.

Pain!

PAIN!!

The pain was bone-piercing!!!

Shu Li’s scream was stuck in his throat.

He desperately wanted to break free, but the other party’s physical strength was clearly superior.

Leslie opened one hand and directly choked Shu Li’s neck, his thumb pressing down hard against the Adam’s apple.

“Crack—”

The moment Shu Li’s back hit the stone bed, he also heard the groan of his own spine. The chains roared with rage as if caught in a violent storm. The shadow of Leslie leaning over almost swallowed the light before Shu Li’s eyes.

“I’m fine, did you see? Why didn’t you just kill me?”

Leslie growled, bl00d flowing uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth.

The warm, crimson liquid splashed onto Shu Li’s face and eyelashes, like a cursed symbol being carved into his soul.

Shu Li couldn’t catch his breath. Upon opening his eyes, he hurriedly sat up from the bed.

The heart in his chest was pounding wildly.

Too terrifying!

Is this the level of brutality of the original novel’s male lead?

He unconsciously swallowed several times. But his throat was dry and tight; with every swallow, he could feel the carotid artery pulsing under the skin. The sensation of being choked in the dream seemed to linger there.

After slowly regaining control of his body, Shu Li looked around.

Outside the window, the clouds were spreading gloomily, like a water-soaked shroud ready to fall before his window at any moment.

Fragments of the dream involuntarily churned in Shu Li’s mind. He subconsciously gripped the bedsheets until his fingertips touched dampness.

This woke him up completely.

Shu Li quickly looked at the ceiling—Help, the ceiling is leaking!!!

Traces of the rain’s visit were everywhere.

Not only was a corner of the bedsheets and mattress soaked, but there were water marks all over the room. The corners of the table were damp, there was a puddle on the chair, and even the wax of the eternal lamp was dripping water. Furthermore, a string of fine water beads hung on the outside of Shu Li’s water pitcher.

Clearly, during the time Shu Li was fast asleep, a significant rain had fallen outside.

The rain has just stopped; who knows if it will rain again?

Taking advantage of the break in the rain, Shu Li hurriedly began to repair his ceiling.

However, he didn’t have any knowledge in this area.

Logically, it would be better to wait for the professional, Raymond, to come and fix it.

But it rained last night, and Raymond probably wouldn’t be able to return on time. Shu Li couldn’t just watch the roof leak. He thought about covering the leaky spot with old wooden boards to make do for now. But the shape of the old boards had long since warped; they weren’t flat, and when put together, they didn’t match up like misaligned puzzle pieces, with gaps wide enough to stick half a finger through.

Would the water slip in through the cracks?

Shu Li was pondering.

Just then, a steady supporting force suddenly came from under the ladder.

Shu Li looked down—it was Herens, who had visited last night. He was wearing the somewhat old but clean hunting gear he wore during their first meeting, and his boots were still stained with wet mud.

“Lord Priest, I was just planning to go hunting and happened to pass by here, when I saw you on the roof…”

Herens explained an unnecessary backstory, and realizing his lie was quite clumsy, he couldn’t go on. So, he cleared his throat and said, “Do you need my help?”

As soon as these words were out, Shu Li quickly came down from the wooden ladder, stepping aside for the more capable person—

Buddy, I’ve chosen you!

And he stood to the side, reaching out to hold the ladder, bracing it steadily.

Herens worked very efficiently. In a few quick moves, he finished the job that would have taken Shu Li an hour.

“This can only serve as a temporary fix; the quality of the wood isn’t very good and it’s not that sturdy.” Herens looked at his handiwork and said, “Once the weather clears up, it would be safer to repair it again properly.”

Shu Li looked at him and found that Herens was constantly avoiding his gaze. His eyes were perpetually shifting, as if Shu Li had done something to him last night.

“Thank you, that’s a big help.”

“It’s just a small matter.”

When Herens said this, his gaze instinctively looked at the ground. But he didn’t seem ready to leave; he appeared to still have something to say.

So Shu Li waited patiently.

However, if Herens didn’t speak up, he wouldn’t proactively ask.

Herens hesitated for a good while before lifting his head to look at Shu Li, asking back, “Do you think… I’m ready now?”

If you weren’t asking that question, but just spoke directly, then you would be ready.

Shu Li looked at his face and asked, “What do you think?”

A flash of shame and panic crossed Herens’ face. “Then I… I’ll come back next time!” As soon as those words were out, Herens stepped toward the exit, clearly not wanting to stay any longer.

Shu Li just opened his mouth to stop him, at least to offer him some fruit. At that moment, a group of people suddenly burst into the church, each holding a scythe or a hoe, aggressive and menacing.

“Where is the priest? Hand over my Finnian! We know he came to your place!”

The shouting was like thunder, filled with rage and anxiety.

Shu Li instinctively leaned forward. Just as half his shoulder was exposed, he was stopped by a powerful arm.

Herens stood in front of him, his tone firm and serious: “Lord Alis, please stand behind me first.”

He stepped sideways, slightly opening his arms to protect Shu Li. Though his expression was calm, his eyes revealed alertness and a hint of suppressed anger.

“What do they take this place for?”