I Rule Fortune-Telling Livestreams-Chapter 93: Don’t Worry, I’ll Be Back

「Nine hundred years ago.」

Inside a dilapidated room was a window with rusty iron bars.

It contained only a simple wooden plank bed and a toilet.

A girl’s shrill cries echoed from within the room. "Help! Help! Is anyone there? Please, let me out! I want to go home! I want to go home! WAHHH..."

Curious, Lilia drew closer. "Who are you?"

The moment she drew near, the woman inside grabbed Lilia’s hand like a madwoman, her nails nearly digging into her flesh. "My name is Hou Xiaobei! Are you from this village? Are you from this village?! Tell me!"

Lilia timidly bit her lip and shook her head in fear.

’There’s a crazy person in the village? The Priest never told me about this.’

’What if she hurts someone!’

"I... My name is Lilia. I’m the village Goddess. I live not far from here, in the church at the village entrance."

Hou Xiaobei suddenly began to gasp for breath, glancing around warily. "Good... as long as you’re not from this village... Listen to me... You have to listen to me..."

Seeing the crazed look on her face, Lilia backed away in fear.

The dilapidated room’s window was fitted with sturdy iron bars.

The sky was growing dim as the sun sank lower, bit by bit.

Clutching the bamboo basket in her hand, Lilia took two more steps back. "I’m sorry, it’s getting dark. I have to hurry back to the church. The villagers will worry if they can’t find me."

"Don’t go!"

Hou Xiaobei’s nails left a bloody scratch on Lilia’s arm.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I really didn’t! You have to listen to me, you must!"

Lilia said timidly, "Alright... but please be quick. Otherwise, the villagers will come looking for me."

Hou Xiaobei closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were filled with a dead stillness.

She looked to be in her early twenties; over a decade ago, she too had been a bright, innocent girl.

But now her eyes were sunken and her face was haggard. Her exposed arms were covered in a mix of black and purple bruises from abuse.

Gazing at Lilia’s face, which bore a slight resemblance to her own, Hou Xiaobei couldn’t stop the tears from falling. "My name is Hou Xiaobei. I was pampered from birth. On my way to Beijing, I was knocked unconscious and dragged here... My parents came looking for me, but every time they neared the village entrance, the villagers would stop them... They’d cover my mouth, so I never even had a chance to scream... I’m in so much pain... I want to get out of here..."

Hou Xiaobei gripped the iron bars of the window, her body trembling uncontrollably. "I’ve been locked in here for over ten years. My parents moved away long ago, so I can’t contact them anymore. But I have a relative in this village! Please, save me!"

Lilia bit her lip and squeezed Hou Xiaobei’s hand back. "It’s okay if you can’t find your parents. Where is your relative? I’ll go find them. You’ll be able to leave this place, I promise!"

"No! Don’t go looking for that relative!" Hou Xiaobei’s voice shot up, her eyes filled with terror. "Not long after I was brought here, that relative came to see me! They’re all in on it together! They’re always kidnapping girls... to use them... to use... to use them as playthings for their lust..."

Hearing this, Lilia immediately retorted, "That’s impossible! The villagers are all very kind. They would never do something like this!"

"No! You have to believe me! Everything I’ve said is the truth!"

Growing agitated, Hou Xiaobei pushed up her sleeve, revealing an arm covered in black and purple bruises.

Lilia recoiled, taking several steps back in fright.

But she never expected that her retreat would only agitate Hou Xiaobei further.

Hou Xiaobei seized her by the wrist. "No! You have to believe me! The villagers did this! They come every single night. If you don’t believe me, just wait here. Wait until it gets dark and see if they come!"

Lilia took a deep breath, forcing down the fear in her heart. "Please, calm down first."

Lilia held Hou Xiaobei’s slender arm. With her naturally angelic face, she was the perfect choice for the role of Goddess.

She swallowed nervously. "There’s a Priest in the church. He has compassion for all living things. I’m sure he’ll save you. Just... let me go first."

At the mention of the Priest, Hou Xiaobei’s expression instantly went numb, but she slowly loosened her grip.

The sky had grown completely dark. Lilia breathed a sigh of relief. But just as she was about to turn, the door to Hou Xiaobei’s room was suddenly pushed open.

A tall, middle-aged man walked in.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the iron-barred window, falling right on the man’s face.

Lilia saw his face clearly and staggered back several steps in disbelief.

"Th-that person is..."

Under the pitch-black sky, Lilia hid in the shadows outside the window, clamping a hand tightly over her mouth.

The man who had walked in was the Priest!

Lilia’s throat tightened as she whispered, "How... How can this be? The Priest... he’s one of them too..."

The Priest walked toward Hou Xiaobei step by step, a lewd smile on his face. He reached out, caressing her face.

Hou Xiaobei stared at him, her eyes wide and clear. "You’re disgusting. A person like you, do you deserve to be a Priest? You don’t even deserve to be a dog!"

"I’m only doing this for your own good... Come, let me ’purify’ you a little. HAHAHAHA..." The Priest’s laugh was coarse and grating, like the scrape of rusty iron.

As his face drew near, Hou Xiaobei suddenly opened her mouth and bit down hard on his ear.

"AHH—" the Priest cried out in pain. He smashed his fist into Hou Xiaobei’s face, knocking her to the ground. "Fuck! You damn bitch! You deserve to rot in here for the rest of your life! Don’t push your fucking luck!"

Her eyes were fixed on the window. ’I wonder,’ she thought, ’if Lilia would be disappointed to know the Priest is this kind of person!’

"What are you looking at? Is there something outside?"

Frowning, the Priest shoved the window open. Outside was empty, save for the howling night wind.

He turned back and unleashed a torrent of kicks and punches on Hou Xiaobei, who was still on the ground. "You’d better learn to behave! If you dare to defy me again, I’ll kill you!"

In the narrow room, the sounds of the beating, muffled groans, and curses intertwined into a horrifying symphony.

Lilia kept her hand clamped over her mouth, her wide eyes staring blankly. She crouched outside the window, listening to the torrent of filth from within, not daring to move a muscle.

The sounds finally stopped half an hour later.

"Hmph. So you do know what’s good for you. Behave yourself next time I visit, understand?" The Priest straightened his clothes, his tone icy.

Hou Xiaobei lay on the floor, her eyes vacant. "You’ll all get what you deserve... You will all pay for this..."

The Priest kicked her twice more. "If you must blame someone, blame your own bad fortune! But don’t worry, the Saint Heir will awaken soon. When that time comes, you’ll be able to ’leave.’ The Saint Heir will ’bless’ you."

He shot Hou Xiaobei one last cold glare, then slammed the door and left.

A long time passed before Lilia, rubbing her sore and numb legs, cautiously crept back to the window. "Um... Hou Xiaobei? Are you okay? Are... are you still alive?"

"I’m not dead. I’m used to it by now."

Lilia bit her lip and stuck her hand through a gap in the iron bars. "Here... take this."

"What is this? A cross?" Hou Xiaobei stood up, pinching the pendant in her hand. She let out a cold laugh. "You saw what the Priest did to me, and you want me to wear this? That’s hilarious."

With that, she tossed the cross to the ground, where it landed with a sharp CLINK.

Lilia made the sign of the cross over her chest, her voice pious. "God loves all his children. It’s just that the holy light has not yet shone upon you."

Hou Xiaobei scoffed. "Are you sure the Priest will save me?"

Lilia nodded firmly. "I’m sure of it. The Saint Heir is about to awaken. You just need to hold on a little longer."

Hou Xiaobei leaned against the window, impatiently tugging her clothes back into place to cover the black and purple bruises on her body.

"What Saint Heir?"

"The Saint Heir is the object of our village’s faith. When he awakens, all the darkness in the village will be washed away by the light. Then, you will be free."

Hou Xiaobei sneered. "And when is he going to wake up?"

Lilia’s expression faltered. "I... I don’t know."

"That’s as good as saying nothing, you fucking idiot!" Hou Xiaobei suddenly roared in anger. "You’ve never been locked in here! You have no idea what my life is like! My life wasn’t supposed to be this way! Now I’m the one who has to bear all the villagers’ filth, and I’m about to break! What could you possibly understand?!"

Lilia reached her hand back inside to wipe away her tears. "Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I can’t understand your pain, but I will do everything I can to help you."

Hou Xiaobei looked at her, the corner of her mouth hooking into a strange smile.

"Alright, then." She picked up the cross from the floor and shoved it back into Lilia’s hand. "There’s a hole in the floor beneath the window. You crawl in through there and let me go outside for a little while. A second person will come in five hours. I’ll be back before then."

Lilia was confused. "You can get out? Then why don’t you just escape?"

"I’ve tried. I was caught and dragged back." Hou Xiaobei’s voice was laced with desperation. "Please, hurry. I just want to see the outside world again. I’m begging you..."

Lilia swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and bent down to crawl through the hole under the window.

"You have to come back..." Lilia pleaded, standing inside the room and watching Hou Xiaobei outside the window with wide, hopeful eyes.

Standing outside, the pleading expression on Hou Xiaobei’s face vanished, replaced by a thick veil of sarcasm. "Don’t worry. I’ll be back..."