Red Rose [Never Let You Go, Again Book 3]

20: Who Will You Save?

Wei Wuxian found himself slowly waking up to the sound of people walking into his cell again. "Hmph, another shower?" He groaned.

"Awake, Wei Wuxian? I can't believe this! All that boiling water and you're still alive?"

Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes. "Nie Jiuyue, my thresholds are high."

"Sky-high, I can see that," Jiuyue grinned as he walked closer and wrung the chains around. Wei Wuxian was chained at the wrists, ankles, knees and neck, firmly held against the wall. Every last vital joint was twisted around with the chains.

Ignoring the threatening sobs of agony pushing their way up his dried throat, Wei Wuxian hoarsely snarled, "If there's something you want to know from me, why torture me without even asking?"

"Nothing to know from you! We have to find it out ourselves. But you, my good friend, are a necessity to complete it all."

"Complete what?" Wei Wuxian asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, just a little procedure I want to find out. You know, something to make me equal or greater in power to you? We're looking for the details of the procedure, it's long lost, apparently," Nie Jiuyue sulked.

"But you're essential to its completion, so..." Liu Zhongliang smirked as he dug his dagger into the scar across Wei Ying's cheek and dragged it down the wound. "Here you shall stay!"

His laughter and joy multiplied at Wei Ying's intensifying screams. Blood dripped down his face and fell onto his hand. Wei Ying looked down to see his beautiful wedding ring drowning in blood fast. Biting his lips to sink in the throes of Liu Zhongliang's torture, Wei Ying shook his hand, desperately flinging the blood in the intricately cut reddish white rose away.

"You don't want to stain it?" Liu Zhongliang snorted. "That precious, eh? Then... Huli."

Zhang Huli arrived at his side and nodded before walking to Wei Wuxian and plucking the ring off him.

"NO! GIVE THAT BACK!"

Sniggering, the Mistress Vixen walked to the table beside the prisoner and placed it there. Wei Wuxian twisted his head to look. His wedding ring and his Heixing, removed long ago while he was unconscious, sat side by side, neither being of any use while off their master's fingers.

"No..." Wei Wuxian snivelled. The red will die out... A-Zhan's going to think I'm dead... No, I've got to get it back...

"You treasure a wedding ring to this extent? Even more than that black ring?" Nie Jiuyue crossed his arms.

"That black ring's mine, not yours!" Zhongliang huffed.

"Mine now," Wei Wuxian smirked. "It's my own spiritual ring now that it's sealed with my energy. Why else aren't you wearing it right now?"

Liu Zhongliang roared with anger and thrashed a thick whip against his barren torso, the black robes and hood torn apart by that same whip two days ago.

"Clan Leader!" A man rushed into the cell just when the whip was raised again.

"What?"

"We found something on what you told us to search for. Metal for the sabres."

Nie Jiuyue rubbed his palms with anticipation and walked out. Liu Zhongliang growled at Wei Wuxian before tucking the whip in his belt and marching out.

The one woman who'd come remained at the cell's corner, arms crossed, grinning maliciously.

Wei Wuxian looked away. "What do you want, Madam Liu?" Wei Wuxian sneered.