Da Li Temple - Chapter 8.2

Chapter 8.2
Flogging

Lin Wanqing hadn’t dreamed for a long time. In her dream, she returned to the year she was four when Sheng City drowned in snow. She saw herself standing at a crowded street corner, struggling to climb a stone monument at her side, staring blankly at her parents in the distance. The snow she remembered was so heavy that she could see nothing but white before her eyes. Every breath of air she inhaled hurt her heart and lungs like a sharp blade, slid down to her throat, and fell into her stomach, turning into a big piece.
??
On a wooden platform, half were not only her parents but also twenty-one members of the Xiao family. Yes, her last name wasn’t Lin, but Xiao. It was one of the childhood memories she had of her parents. She remembered the day when the armored soldiers stormed into the Xiao residence. Her mother hid her under the deserted old stove in the kitchen, telling her everything was just a game. If she could stay out of sight, she’d win. Afterward, she could go out from the back door. Father’s best friend, Uncle Lin, would reward her. He would take her to places she’d never been and eat things she’d never eaten. Little kids were easy to fool once they got playful, even if it was a flawed explanation.
??
Lin Wanqing was on her way out of Sheng City when she realized something was wrong. Her parents, who had always kept their promise, did not go with her to the place they described as fun. Maybe it’s intuition or a child’s innate fearlessness. She found an excuse to sneak back to Sheng City, only to learn from the street talk that her father had been sentenced to death by a panel of judges. She didn’t know what that meant, but she could tell from the tone of the people’s voices that it wasn’t a good thing. Then, she followed the crowd to the intersection of the Western Market in a daze. At just one glance, she was so frightened that she almost lost her voice.

On the high wooden platform, twenty-one members of the Xiao family were kneeling in a row. Behind them were executioners with large swords. Without realizing the heavy snow around her, she saw the cold blades shaking her eyes to the point of pain.
??
A man in fancy dress marched out from behind the light of the blades, took out a bright yellow brocade scroll, and read something aloud. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand. That was the first time she felt regret. Had she known this would happen, she would have listened to her mother and studied properly with the teacher.
??
The crowd was in an uproar.

They started to push forward and almost forced her down from the stone monument she was climbing on. Lin Wanqing could only hold on to the cold stone, not realizing her broken fingernails poked into her flesh and dripping blood.
??
High on the wooden platform, the man in fancy dress made a gesture, and the executioners stepped forward and pressed everyone onto the stone slab, exposing their necks. The executioners raised their butcher’s knife high in the air, and a cold aura leaping from its sharp edge.
??
She finally knew what was coming, yet she could do nothing. Tears flowed down her frozen cheeks, obscuring her vision.
??
“Father, father ……,” She mumbled. Her voice was dry and hoarse. A hand darted out from the crowd and yanked her tightly, pulling her away from the stone monument. An embrace with the wetness of the wind and snow pressed up and held her close.
??
“Don’t look!” She remembered Uncle Lin saying to her.
??
Lin Wanqing couldn’t speak, only cried. The snow rustled down, staining her eyelashes and hastily melting into water.
??
“Close your eyes!” With the last ounce of strength, Lin Wanqing did as Uncle Lin told her. She looked behind with a pair of hands attached to her ears.
??
Vaguely, from far away, she seemed to hear a muffled sound. Then, all was silent —
??
“From now on, you are Lin Xiangyi’s daughter. Your name is Lin Wanqing.”
??
Lin Wanqing —
Lin Wanqing —

The sound of ‘Lin Wanqing’ in her dream gradually became unreal and overlapped, turning into a sound of ‘Lin Wanqing’ laced with hot breath.
??
She opened her eyes drowsily. Into her eyes was Liang Weiping’s half-annoyed, half-worried face. The dim candlelight behind him blurred his unremarkable features a few points higher.
??
Only then did Lin Wanqing remember after yesterday’s torture, they brought her to the temporary residence provided by the Capital Government Office. Because of the laborious running around during the day, coupled with new wounds, she fainted as soon as she touched the bed.
??
Liang Weiping should have heard about her and visited her. She moved her hand, realizing she was still lying on the bed. The gray robe she wore yesterday was stained with dried blood and stuck to her back, hurting her wounds when she moved. The quilt covered her vainly, and it didn’t help at all.

After the wounds, then came cold. Because Lin Wanqing didn’t treat her wounds properly yesterday, she now felt dizzy and cold. Her limbs were weak. It should be a fever. She looked towards Liang Weiping and pulled the corner of her mouth weakly. She squeezed out a dry and hoarse “Brother Liang.”

Liang Weiping was stunned and quickly fetched a cup of water.

It had been twelve years. Obsession had brought her here, but it also ended here. Lin Wanqing thought she had long stopped being that helpless little girl. But now she realized that everything was back to square one. She couldn’t even find someone to help her clean this not-so-light wound.
??
She looked at Liang Weiping and smiled bitterly, gently waving away the water he handed her.
??
“Brother Liang,” She called out to him. “If I tell you a secret, can you keep it for me?”
??
The water on Liang Weiping’s hand trembled, struggling before tentatively asking, “Sh, what ……”
??
Lin Wanqing knew he was timid. She had no intention of pulling him into any danger. But nowadays, apart from Liang Weiping, she couldn’t find a second person she could trust.
??
She half-supported her body from the bed, and that long, black hair flowed like a waterfall from the back of her shoulders, softening her beautiful face.
??
In such a short moment, Liang Weiping was flustered. An absurd thought that had haunted him a thousand times abruptly sprang up like an unstoppable meteor.
??
Lin Wanqing calmly pulled off the piece of fake Adam’s Apple glued on her neck, tucked back the hair that covered her vision, and tilted her head to look at Liang Weiping and said, “Has Brother Liang ever suspected my identity?”
??
Liang Weiping couldn’t hold the water cup in his hand and spilling it.
??
“You, you are …… you are ……”
??
Lin Wanqing continued his words hoarsely, “I am a woman.”
??——-

Author Notes:??
Liang Weiping : If this is a secret, please keep it yourself. I don’t want to know!
??
P.S. Everyone should understand, right? Qingqing wasn’t afraid of being planked. She was scared of taking off her pants when she was planked.