War Prisoner Chapter 29

Su Yi’s entire body started to tremble uncontrollably. Although he knew that Wanyan Xu was not incapable of being vicious and ruthless, he had never imagined that he would be merciless to this extent, totally devoid of any human feelings. Is this really the Wanyan Xu he had come to know? Su Yi looked at his eyes, which were cloudy with killing intent and the bloodthirsty smile hanging around the corners of his lips and he felt a chill rising up from the bottom of his feet, spreading throughout his body to freeze all his organs. His flesh, blood and tendons were similarly frozen and finally, he felt his very nerves start to ice over. He desperately tried to dash forward, but he was restrained by the guards who he could not struggle free of. He wanted to scream for Wanyan Xu to stop, but although his mouth was open no sound came out. His face was deathly pale and his body was bowed, like a bull that was trying with all its might to escape its restraints and struggle onward. He dragged his feet forward step by step, but was immediately pulled back in the next instant. His whole person was enveloped with horror and tears were pouring down his face like a broken string of pearls. Before his eyes, Wanyan Xu slowly raised the sword, under the sunlight, the blade glinted with a cold gleam.

The old lady had already fainted, but two eunuchs propped her up between them. Wanyan Xu gave a chilling laugh and gripping the handle of the sword, began to bring it down slowly.

“Don’t...” An agonised shout erupted from Su Yi’s body, the sound rang out as if it had finally been unfettered from all the constraints put upon his body. Su Yi's face was covered with tears, and he was calling out wildly in his hoa.r.s.e voice: “Don’t... Wanyan Xu... I... I beg of you please... I beg you... let her go... she’s just a... just a pitiful elderly person...”

Wanyan Xu turned back, he was without any expression on his face, as if he were just a bystander enjoying a performance. Totally unruffled in the midst of such a scene, Wanyan Xu looked calmly upon Su Yi's sorry figure. After some time, the corners of his mouth quirked up again in another smile and he said: “Don’t kill her? That's right; after all she is already old, even if I [1] don't kill her she doesn't have many years of life left anyway. It is only a waste of my energy to kill her personally. Alright then, Su Su, let's pick another one." Again, he slowly walked along the line of prisoners, stopping in front of a girl who was about eight or nine years old.

"Su Su, I think you probably don't recognise her? But actually, you once held her, back when she was celebrating her one-year birthday. I heard that she was crying uncontrollably and even her mother was unable to console her, but when she saw you her little face began to smile happily. Of course, you began to carry her and she spent her very first birthday cradled in your arms. I’ve said enough, I think you should know who she is by now.” Wanyan Xu did not even bother turning his head to look at Su Yi, almost as if he was speaking to himself, but he believed that Su Yi was paying rapt attention to every single word he was saying.

The little girl looked at Wanyan Xu with fear, and kept trying to duck backwards, as if she was trying to hide behind her mother's body. A married woman [2] clutched her shoulder tightly, and wretchedly entreated: “Great King, please let her off, she’s still so young...” Even before she had finished speaking, the little girl had been dragged out of the line by Wanyan Xu who chillingly laughed and said: “She’s young, that’s why she’s ideal. The one just now was too old, that’s the only reason I stayed my hand. But this young one suits my purposes perfectly.” So saying, he raised his knife but to everyone's surprise, the woman was able to scramble forward. Kneeling, she said: “Great King, please let her off, please let my child off." After saying that, she directed a despairing wail below the platform: “General Su, General Su, I beg you to please help us ask for mercy from the Great King. Shan Er is still young, on account of you having held her before, I beg you to ask the Great King to spare her life.”

Hearing all these, Su Yi felt like his liver and intestines had been cut to pieces, he was in such pain. His body was already weak because he had been starving himself for a few days and now with the added stress, he was unable to continue standing. Utterly devastated, he knelt on the ground and cried in his hoa.r.s.e voice: “Wanyan Xu, I beg you...” Abruptly, the other party turned his body to face Su Yi and said viciously: “Who do you think you are? Why should I spare someone just because you want me to? Humph, you are still tied up yourself, are you really in a position to help others beg for mercy?" 

Su Yi had never felt himself to be so feeble before, even on the night where he had been forced to perform oral s.e.x on Wanyan Xu, he had not been this weak. At this moment, he could not care much about other things. Still on his knees, he crawled forwards a few steps and started kowtowing to Wanyan Xu. While kowtowing, he cried and said: “I beg you to spare her, I will do whatever you want, please let this child off, she is still merely a youngster. I beg you... let her off.”

Wanyan Xu saw that he was knocking his head against the ground, there was a distinct ring accompanying each knock and his forehead was soon covered with fresh blood. He couldn't stop his own body from giving a few trembles at the sight and had to take a few deep breaths to gather himself. After recovering himself, he said with the chilly tone he had been using all along: “You should be well aware of what it is that I want. Do you really need me to say it again?”

Stunned, Su Yi lifted his head and looked at Wanyan Xu blankly. Faced with Su Yi's obvious reluctance, Wanyan Xu grew even more callous, after laughing loudly, he said: “Actually, what you said is correct. I am the supreme ruler of Jin Liao, when I deign to use my blade, I should ensure that the results are extraordinary." He violently hauled a woman out from the a.s.sembled crowd of prisoners; she was none other than the woman who had initially called out to Su Yi for aid, his childhood playmate. With his gaze fixed upon her distended belly, he laughed sinisterly and said: “That's right, with a single sweep of my sword, two lives would end. That is indeed out of the ordinary. Su Su, I have agreed to your request to spare the life of the little girl, how about using this woman as a subst.i.tute instead?”

Su Yi gave a loud "ah" howl. Appalled, he tried to rush forward but he only managed to crawl a few steps before again being dragged back to his original position by the guards. He looked towards Wanyan Xu and saw that there was a gleam of excitement shining in his eyes that was unprecedented in its intensity. Wanyan Xu muttered: “This time, I won't let her go no matter what. Maybe when I make the cut an infant would emerge for me to toy with. Ha ha ha.” Su Yi saw that the woman was in such fear that she had begun wailing and shrieking, between cries, she kept piteously calling out: “Big Brother Su save me... save me please.” When he saw that Wanyan Xu's blade had already cut through her jacket, Su Yi could no longer withstand the pressure and called out in a miserable hiss: “Let her go... you let her go... I promise you... I’ll promise you, alright?”