Amidst the surging public sentiment and A-Lie's relentless pressure, the Mo-Zong chieftain finally pointed a finger toward the thick totem pole at the tribe's edge—used for binding prey and punishing criminals—his face grim: "Tie him to the pillar! Assign two men to watch him day and night! No one approaches without my permission! A-Lie, you're responsible for identifying the source of the illness!"
The order given, Gu Liang was immediately seized by two of A Lie's men. They roughly twisted his arms behind his back and bound his wrists with tough, soaked vines. Dragged along, he was hauled before the totem pole standing in the clearing's center—blackened by wind and rain.
His back slammed against the cold wooden pillar. The thick vines looped around the pillar and his body, tightening in layers until his arms and upper torso were rigidly fixed to the totem pole. The ropes dug deep into his flesh, leaving him nearly immobilized.
The open clearing offered no shelter. The biting night wind and the scorching daytime sun would beat down upon him without mercy. This was a public humiliation and punishment, meant to appease the crowd's fury and leave him nowhere to hide.
Despair seeped into his bones like cold night dew. The hard-won dignity and freedom he had grasped were shattered in an instant by this brutal bondage. What chilled him even more was the certainty that his guards were undoubtedly A Lie's men.
Tribesmen gathered at a distance, pointing and whispering. Their eyes held mostly anger, fear, and suspicion. Only a few, like Fangclaw and Greyclaw, showed a flicker of reluctance, yet none dared to approach.
Time dragged on. The sun dipped low in the west, bringing a chill. His tightly bound wrists began to swell and go numb. Hunger and thirst burned like flames in his stomach and throat.
Footsteps approached. A Lie came alone, carrying a rough clay bowl holding a little water and scraps of meat.
He stopped before Gu Liang, his shadow completely engulfing the man.
"Thirsty enough to smoke your throat, huh? My little lost prey." A Lie's voice carried a sated mockery. He pinched a scrap of meat, nearly shoving it to Gu Liang's lips, relishing the sight of his parched, cracked lips and the humiliation in his eyes."Tsk. Look at that. Such beautiful fur, all caked in dust. It's heartbreaking, isn't it?" His other hand reached out, seeking to stroke Gu Liang's cheek.
Gu Liang jerked his head away, his eyes blazing with hatred.
A Lie's hand froze mid-air as he chuckled softly. "Still as stiff as ever. Good." He withdrew his hand, flicking the meat scraps back into the bowl. His tone turned icy. "You think those mumbling numbers and mud-digging claws will let you escape my grasp? Open your eyes!Who else but me would give you this stale water now? Who else would remember this piece of meat tied to a pillar?"
He leaned closer, his golden pupils flickering with a cold, eerie light. "Bow your head. Touch my instep with your forehead. Acknowledge that your bones and soul belong to me. Then I'll give you water to drink, meat to eat, and even let you continue scribbling those gibberish symbols on the ground. Otherwise..." His voice turned icy. "You'll rot on this pillar, waiting to be dried by the sun or torn apart by your enraged kin."
This was the ultimatum. Complete submission in exchange for survival.
Gu Liang's heart clenched with overwhelming humiliation. He gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. His bound body trembled slightly with rage.
Seeing the fierce struggle and unyielding hatred in his eyes, A Lie seemed even more satisfied.
"Take a good whiff of this flesh and think," A Lie said, casually tossing the clay bowl onto the ground beside Gu Liang's feet before turning away. "My patience flows as swiftly as a dry-season stream."
Footsteps faded into the distance.
Gu Liang stared at the murky water mixed with meat scraps at his feet, his stomach churning violently. Extreme thirst burned his throat, but he was bound tightly to the pillar, making even lowering his head an agonizing struggle.
Just as his consciousness began to blur from the thirst, the familiar, heavy footsteps sounded again, drawing nearer until they stopped directly before him. Every muscle in Gu Liang's body tensed instantly as he jerked his head up.
A Lie had returned. Holding a bowl, his towering figure completely blocked the light, casting a shadow that enveloped Gu Liang entirely. A cruel amusement played on his face as he watched the slightest tremor of his prey bound to the pillar.
"Thirsty?"
Without waiting for an answer, he pressed the rough rim of the bowl brutally against Gu Liang's parched lips and tipped it violently.
The murky liquid, mixed with grit, flooded into Gu Liang's mouth. Caught off guard, he choked violently, coughing as water and debris spilled from the corners of his mouth, trickling down his chin.
"Lick it clean," A Lie commanded, pressing the rim harder, nearly shattering his teeth. "Not a single drop wasted."
The last vestiges of biological instinct crushed his will. Gu Liang closed his eyes, humiliated, and extended his tongue. Once, then again, mechanically licking the rough rim of the bowl and the sour-smelling wet residue clinging to his chin.
Tears mingled with the foul liquid, slipping silently down his face. He knew he was being driven into a corner.
As night deepened, the temperature plummeted. The two beastmen guarding him lit a small campfire nearby, whispering and laughing, occasionally casting indifferent or mocking glances his way.
Just as Gu Liang's consciousness began to blur from cold and exhaustion, an extremely faint sound reached his ears—the sound of a pebble hitting the ground.
He jolted awake, his eyes darting warily toward the source. In the shadows, a small figure darted behind a pile of debris and vanished. The silhouette looked like a half-grown child.
At his feet, in the shadows, a small bundle wrapped in leaves had appeared.
Gu Liang's heart pounded wildly! With great effort, he stealthily hooked the bundle toward him with his bound foot. Then, straining to bend over, he fumbled to pick it up with the fingers that still had some mobility.
Opening it, he found several familiar, dark brown, pungent roots inside! It was precisely the same medicinal herb that had worked wonders on his hand injury earlier!
Inside the leaves, a simple pattern seemed drawn with sap—an arrow pointing toward the ground.
Someone was secretly helping him! Was it Emma's doing? Or... ?
He clutched the roots tightly, as if grasping a faint glimmer of light piercing through a cold, dense fog.
This small amount of medicine couldn't change his bound situation, but this unexpected "gift" was like a tiny spark, temporarily dispelling the utter darkness and despair that threatened to swallow him whole.
He hadn't been abandoned by everyone.
He carefully tucked the roots into his robe, leaned against the cold totem pole, closed his eyes, and began to think frantically.
The arrow pointed toward the ground... What lay beneath? Dig a hole? Impossible. Send a message? Or... something else?
A-Lie's prison was invisible yet unyielding, yet the faint light seemed never to have been completely extinguished. The game continued, unfolding on an even darker plane.
ns216.73.216.141da2
and then Add to home screen.