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5 - Desire (Yùwàng)

((Sensitive material in the chapter of beating and child abuse))
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~*Lan Wangji at age 10*~

"Shufu?" I greeted as I entered Lanshi (the orchid room/lecture hall), "I have come to inquire about something."

"What is it Wangji?" He asked.

"As much as I love living with Xiongzhang, I ask to move to Gentian House?"

His face went three shade of red, "why must you go there? Why must you torture yourself when I have asked you many times to stay away?" He was furious.

"If not Gentain, then Jingshi..Even if you decline, I will not listen and move anyway," I said turning to leave.

Shufu growled and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me to Yashi (elegant room) courtyard, "come with me!" He scolded. He shoved me to a kneel on the sharp pebbles on the ground, "I will show you a new way if you must not listen."

I remained unmoving and deadlocked my eyes to the ground. It was only when I saw the silver whip in his hand, that I knew he was beyond furious. I did not care. This whip was No ordinary whip. Each sect has one. Typically, only one or two strikes of the discipline whip are given, as that is considered enough of a punishment for the bearer to remember for their entire life Just one strike is significantly painful, and takes a significant amount of time to recover from. The scars never disappear after the torture.

The silver-white whip was woven of about three feet long and one inch wide. The whip is exactly the precepts whip of the Lan family. The precepts whip seemed to weigh more than a thousand catties, and his hands trembled slightly. The whip was made by the ancestor Lan's, plus the secret technique of immortality. It looks white and light, with gleaming silver light. The whip looks light and fluttering, but in fact it is extremely heavy, and it can't be swung without spiritual power.

Whenever the whip is used, there's no need to worry about mercy of executioner. Spiritual power is poured into the whip, and it won't be reduced before it can be lifted. When the upper body is whipped, there is a bone-eating blood gap through several feet long and a few inches wide. The wound is not only difficult to heal, but also bites like tens of thousands of insects and ants day and night. It will not stop until the scabs slowly fall off.

The whip has never been fined more than five whips once. One whip on the upper body brings extreme pain before the injury, not to mention the pain of dozens of whip on the upper body.

Shufu stood behind me, "if you want to get out of this, tell me you will stop this obsession with that house and your damn mother!"

"No!" I said firmly making my hands into fists.

Shufu growled as the first sting of the whip struck my back. To say the pain was only mild was an understatement. It was unbearable, but I remained steady and unmoved. I didn't even shed a tear.

"I will move!" I growled through the second whip.

"I will never let her go!" I said after the third whip.

"Kill me if you hate this nephew so much!" I yelled after the fourth. There was a hitch in Shufu's breath after realizing what I just said, "you wished I was like Xiongzhang. He is in pain too. You don't care!"

Shufu struck me one last time with the discipline whip, "you will do what you please I'm sure, I don't hate you or your brother. I just want you to move on!"

"Wangji will not move on!" I told him as blood was now slipping out of my mouth, "I hate you!"

I stood up and stumbled out of the Yashi courtyard. Without stopping at the infirmary, I just stumbled my way to the Jingshi. There was a lock on the door, but I just climbed in through one of the windows. Once inside I stumbled to the floor and balled up in my side, hugging my legs to my chest. I cried myself to sleep that night, not even caring about the scars on my back, not even caring that after being whipped, my life was declining. It was declining because I refused to get treatment.

In the morning, I could barely open my eyes, but I could hear rattling on the door. Xiongzhang's voice rang in my ears as a healer from the infirmary entered behind him.

"Let me be so I can go to her," I told him through blurred vision.

"No!" Brother yelled.

I felt myself being lifted as the world darkened around me. My brother was not happy with Shufu anymore. He stormed over to his lecture hall and demanded for an explanation as to why my life was now hanging on by only a thread. Hearing this, Shufu's face became pale. He didn't say a word and just left to the infirmary.

He entered with my brother, only to see me laying there on my stomach. I was awake, but they saw the life in my eyes fading. It was only when a little blurry ball entered in from behind them through the door.

"Where did the rabbit come from?" Brother asked.

I smiled at it when I focused my eyes on it. I let my arm hang down and the little rabbit came over to me, nuzzling under my hand waiting to be pet.

"I know pets are not allowed, but can we make an exception?" Xiongzhang asked Shufu.

"It can stay with Wangji at The Jingshi," Shufu said, "he isn't going to listen if I tell him no anymore. Let him be."

He then walked out of the infirmary. Xiongzhang quietly walked over and lifted the bunny up to be on the bed beside me.

"It's a she," he said, "and she needs a name."

"Yùwàng," was all I said.

"Yùwàng...Desire," he said, "it's a beautiful name for her. She is yours now, take good care of her, but also take care of yourself so you can care for her."

"I will," I said and looked at the bunny, "hello Yùwàng."

She nuzzled herself into my neck. I giggled at the tickling of her fur against my skin, but soon fell asleep with her laying with me.