Capítulo 64: Old Man Wu
Four men, their hurried footsteps echoing against the chamber's stone walls, burst into the room, bearing a sedan chair.
Suyin's heart pounded in her chest as she watched their approach. What the hell was this man planning? Every movement sent flares of agony through her battered body, rendering her barely able to shift.
But her injuries seemed to matter little to the men, who, with scant regard for her pain, deposited her unceremoniously into the sedan chair. Their grip was rough, callous, as they hoisted her up and followed the lead of the old man, who beckoned them onward.
Confusion and fear gripped Suyin tightly as the sedan chair bore her weight down winding corridors and through the gates of the old man's sprawling manor.
The path unfurled before them, leading into the embrace of a bamboo-laden mountain near the Wu estate. The sinking sun cast long shadows across the rugged terrain as they ventured deeper into the wilderness.
Their journey came to an abrupt halt before a massive stone shrine, its solemn presence amplified by the stillness of the surrounding waters.
A vast expanse of liquid encircled the shrine, its currents flowing eastward, while a stone pathway carved its way toward the heart of the shrine. Yet, peculiarly, the men halted at the water's edge, setting the sedan chair down with a jarring thud before carefully extracting Suyin from its confines.
A groan of pain escaped Suyin's lips, triggering an immediate reaction from old man Wu. With a swift motion, he delivered a resounding slap to one of the men, sending him tumbling to the ground and nearly causing Suyin to lose her precarious balance.
"You blundering fool! Handle her with care!" Old man Wu's voice crackled with fury as he turned his gaze toward the shrine, a faint smile playing across his lips. "She is the key to unlocking this." His words hung heavy in the air as he issued a command. "Assist her in reaching the shrine, at once!"
The other men sprang into action, lending their support to guide Suyin toward the heart of the shrine. Though she attempted to resist, her feeble efforts were no match for the relentless pain pulsating through her body. With every step, she feared exacerbating her wounds, her shoulders aching with a fiery intensity that threatened to consume her.
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Wu Fei, Qin Fuhua, and Weizhe stood before the imposing gates of the Manor of Wu, their gazes fixed upon the grand entrance that hinted at a once illustrious lineage now tarnished by a legacy of greed and debauchery.
Whispers lingered in the air, weaving tales of a family that had descended from nobility only to be consumed by the insatiable appetites of its patriarch.
Legend spoke of a grandfather who had squandered their fortune in the throes of gambling and revelry, leaving behind a tainted inheritance for his descendants to grapple with. And at the helm of this fractured dynasty stood the enigmatic figure of old man Wu, whose infatuation with youth and beauty had birthed sinister rumors of abduction and disappearance that shrouded the manor in an aura of dread.
Despite the murmurs that swirled around them, the court remained powerless to intervene, shackled by the absence of concrete evidence to substantiate the whispered accusations. Thus, old man Wu continued to evade justice, slipping through the grasp of the law with each passing ordeal.
"Allow me to venture forth first," Wu Fei declared, releasing Weizhe's hand as she prepared to advance.
But Qin Fuhua, his brow furrowed with concern, moved to intercept her before she could take another step.
"If your father were to discover your involvement in this, you might find safer refuge here," Qin Fuhua cautioned, casting a wary glance over his surroundings. "There seems to be a disturbance unfolding within."
As if in response to his words, the gates swung open with a creak, prompting the trio to retreat behind the shelter of a nearby corner, concealed from the prying eyes of the manor's inhabitants. Emerging from the depths of the estate came the Doctor, his solemn visage betraying the gravity of the situation.
Beside him walked the mysterious woman who had tended to Suyin earlier, her presence a curious anomaly in the tapestry of events unfolding before them.
"Do you believe she'll be alright?" the Doctor's daughter inquired, her voice tinged with worry as she glanced toward the manor.
"If it weren't for the debt I owe him, I'd have washed my hands of this long ago. To him, we're nothing but dirt beneath his feet," the Doctor muttered bitterly, his resentment palpable in the air.
Wu Fei's heart clenched at the Doctor's words, her eyes darting downward as a wave of concern washed over her.
Meanwhile, Weizhe continued to quietly absorb the conversation, his attention rapt. Sensing Wu Fei's distress, Qin Fuhua turned to her, his expression softened with concern.
"What's wrong?" Qin Fuhua knelt beside Wu Fei, seeking to meet her gaze.
But Wu Fei, her fear of her father's wrath, couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, her body trembling with apprehension.
"I believe I know where they might be," Wu Fei confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.
"There's a place my father frequents, one I've trailed him to before."
As she spoke, Weizhe and Qin Fuhua exchanged knowing glances, their silent agreement evident. With Wu Fei leading the way, they set off, their resolve firm as they embarked on their quest to uncover the truth behind Suyin's disappearance.
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"My dear," old man Wu crooned, his fingers tracing the weathered surface of the imposing stone shrine, a manic gleam dancing in his eyes.
"At last, the moment is upon us." He turned toward Suyin, who was being supported by the servants as she navigated the precarious path toward the shrine's center.
"From the very beginning, I knew it had to be you," he continued, his voice tinged with fervent excitement. "Your essence, reminiscent of magnolia blooms, whispered the truth to me. And now, after countless trials and tribulations, I am on the verge of unlocking the secrets held within these ancient walls."
Suyin's steps faltered, her muscles tensing with a mixture of fear and disbelief. What twisted game was this man playing?
"What in the hell do you mean?" she demanded, her voice laced with defiance as she pushed herself away from him.
Old man Wu's laughter rang out, echoing off the shrine's stone walls with chilling intensity.
"Oh, but can't you see?" he exclaimed, his eyes ablaze with fervor.
"The fragrance of magnolia, so potent upon your skin and body—it is the key, the missing piece of the puzzle that has eluded me for so long."
He nodded emphatically, a triumphant smile stretching across his face. "Only a select few possess such a distinct aroma, my dear. And with your help, I shall bring my beloved wife back to life. After years of fruitless searching for a woman whose beauty could rival the magnolia, it was the scent of flowers that revealed the truth—the gateway to unlocking the secrets of this shrine."
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[Backstory]
After the passing of old man Wu's wife, a shadow descended upon the once-prosperous household, casting its inhabitants adrift in a sea of turmoil and despair.
It was a time marked by the erosion of wealth and status, as the family of Wu found themselves teetering on the precipice of ruin.
Yet, amidst the chaos, there remained a flicker of hope—their matriarch's restaurant, a humble beacon of stability financially.
Unbeknownst to old man Wu, his beloved wife bore the weight of a silent struggle, her efforts to maintain their financial affair, ensuring that their only daughter would be well-off and taken care of.
Day by day, she battled against an insidious illness, her resilience a testament to her unwavering devotion to her family.
In the depths of despair, whispers echoed through the town of a mythical door, rumored to possess the power to grant any desire.
From resurrection to the cure of incurable illnesses, it was said to hold the key to unlocking the deepest desires of the human heart.
Though dismissed by many as nothing more than fanciful tales spun from the fabric of myth, for old man Wu, it became an obsession—a lifeline grasped desperately in the darkness.
Driven by a fervent belief in the door's existence, he embarked on a relentless quest, scouring ancient books and hidden enclaves in search of clues that might lead him to its fabled location. It was a journey fueled by desperation, each discovery fueling his obsession until it consumed him whole.
As the years wore on, his sanity waned, eroded by the relentless pursuit of his singular obsession. He turned to desperate measures, resorting to the abduction of innocent women in a twisted bid to unlock the secrets of the shrine. With each failed attempt, his desperation grew, until he became consumed by a madness that knew no bounds.
The once-honorable patriarch of the Wu family had become a puppet to his own delusions, dancing upon the precipice of darkness as he sacrificed lives in a misguided attempt to appease unseen gods and unlock the door to his salvation.
"The flower that was laid rest on the heart of the door, opening to cure the sadness in the world. There's just one that only opens it. She who emits the scent of the flowers. The beauty within its door to happiness."
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Old man Wu's manic laughter echoed through the air as he brandished the dagger, his eyes alight with fervor as he advanced toward Suyin, his intentions chillingly clear.
"This time, I'll revive her!" he exclaimed, his voice a twisted symphony of madness and desperation. "Your sacrifice will open this door. Only then will she come back!"
Terror seized Suyin's heart as she struggled against the grasp of the men restraining her, her instincts screaming for escape as she fought against the inevitable.
Summoning every ounce of strength within her, she unleashed a fierce kick, sending one of her captors reeling backward.
With a surge of adrenaline, she propelled herself forward, hurtling into the icy embrace of the water below.
Pain lanced through her injured body as she sank beneath the surface, the weight of her wounds dragging her down into the murky depths. But even as darkness threatened to engulf her, a fierce determination burned within her soul.
Suyin's mind raced as she descended into the watery abyss, her thoughts a whirlwind of fear and desperation.
She grasped at the fleeting fragments of hope, clinging to the possibility of escape as her only lifeline.
As her vision blurred and the cold embrace of the river enveloped her, Suyin felt the current shift, the winds howling with newfound intensity.
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"Noooo!!!!"
Above, old man Wu knelt at the water's edge, his cries of anguish lost amidst the fury of nature's wrath.
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