Chapter 10: Chapter 005: The Hungry Beast

Inside the antique-style room, upon a sandalwood carved bed with soft couches and brocade quilts, Cen Xue slowly opened her weary eyes once more. Looking at this unfamiliar environment, she tried to shift her body slightly, but an immediate wave of aching soreness surged through her. In particular, the faint stinging sensation in her lower body caused her to frown involuntarily.

Memories from before her coma instantly flooded her mind, but looking at the surroundings, what on earth was going on? Was God playing a joke on her? Every time she woke up, it was in a place like this; so, was she about to be taken somewhere inexplicable again?

As if on cue, just as this thought crossed her mind, the door was pushed open from the outside. She thought a group of eunuchs or something similar would enter, but to her surprise, the people who walked in were two young girls of about fifteen or sixteen. However, their attire was somewhat strange; they wore plain gauze long dresses and had their hair styled in buns. Although she wasn't a historian, she possessed enough basic common sense to know that aside from acting in shows, who else would dress like this in the modern age!

"Sorry to disturb you, but may I ask who you are and where this is?" Seeing that the two palace maids were just children, Cen Xue took the opportunity to politely inquire, hoping she might learn what had happened from them.

The two palace maids exchanged a glance. One of them, who appeared slightly older, walked to Cen Xue's side and answered with utmost respect, "Miss, this is the Kingdom of Loulan located on the Easton Continent. This is the Royal Palace of Loulan. This servant is called Wen Qing, and she is called Wen Xing. We are both palace maids in this inner palace."

"The Kingdom of Loulan???" After hearing this, Cen Xue's mind was filled with question marks. Was this another dream?

"Miss, what is wrong? Is the wound on your arm hurting? This servant has brought medicine for you. This medicine is very effective for reducing swelling and relieving pain. Let me apply it for you, shall I?" Seeing that she had suddenly fallen silent, the maid Wen Qing cleverly brought an exquisite porcelain box to her side. Just as she was about to pull back the quilt, Cen Xue nervously pulled the covers tight and huddled into the corner of the bed.

"What are you trying to do?" Cen Xue watched the two girls warily. The Kingdom of Loulan? The Royal Palace? What they were saying was far too bizarre.

The Kingdom of Loulan was an ancient civilization that had vanished from history, established before 176 BC and perishing around the 4th century AD, with an estimated long history of about 1,600 years. Was the Kingdom of Loulan that girl just mentioned the same mysterious, vanished ancient Loulan from history?

Regardless, this was simply too absurd!

However, thinking back to everything she had encountered after waking up in that tsunami, as well as the bite mark on her arm and the aching soreness throughout her body, she was certain that everything before her coma had actually happened.

She really had been sent into an underground palace by those eunuchs, had a large amount of blood sucked out by a man who was neither human nor ghost, and had even been's damnably violated by him. How hateful!

Seeing her bewildered expression, the palace maid who had answered her earlier provided more information: "Miss, this is the Easton Continent. There are three countries on this land; the most prosperous is our Kingdom of Loulan, followed by Dong'ou and Tianye. In the desolate surrounding areas, there are many foreign tribes distributed in various places."

Listening to the young girl's words again, Cen Xue seemed to understand something. This wasn't the mysterious, vanished ancient city of Loulan from Chinese history at all; this was the Kingdom of Loulan on the Easton Continent. And this Easton Continent did not exist in Chinese history, nor were there any records of the countries Dong'ou and Tianye!

Could it be that after that global catastrophe, she had been brought by some mysterious force to a kingdom in another dimension? Currently, this was the only explanation that could make sense of it all.

The two palace maids stood by the bed, seeing her staring blankly as if lost in thought. They didn't dare approach to disturb her, standing quietly to the side, waiting for her instructions.

Coming back to her senses, Cen Xue saw they were still there, and her stomach suddenly let out a warning growl. Calculating the time, it seemed she hadn't eaten for a long while; she was truly starving.

Looking at the things they had brought in earlier made her even hungrier. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she asked them, "Um, Wen Qing, Wen Xing, are those things brought for me to eat?"

"Replying to Miss, these meals were specially prepared for you!" The two palace maids answered decisively. She also unhesitatingly got out of bed immediately; she needed to fill her stomach first before she would have the strength to investigate this whole matter.

After taking a comfortable hot bath, Cen Xue became increasingly convinced that this was all real. Looking at the clear bite mark on her arm, was that man from last night really the King? If so, wouldn't he be the King of the Kingdom of Loulan?

A sovereign of a nation actually sucking a woman's blood in an underground palace—what kind of madness was this? Was he a monster or a vampire?

Carrying heavy doubts, even a scientist with an IQ of 200 like Cen Xue couldn't figure it out. According to the girl Wen Qing, the Queen of the Eastern Palace had passed away a few days ago, and the palace was currently in mourning. People from all palaces were not allowed to move about freely. She had originally wanted to go and investigate, but it seemed she could only stay tucked away here and take things one step at a time.

As night fell, Cen Xue tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The reason was simple: there were too many things she couldn't understand. Additionally, she was on guard at every moment, fearing that the living dead man might suddenly appear before her eyes.

Becoming increasingly drowsy, Cen Xue's eyes began to close against her will. It was already the latter half of the night, and assuming he wouldn't come, she let out a lazy yawn and closed her eyes to sleep.

Suddenly... a dark shadow slowly approached the bed. Looking through the window curtains at the sleeping figure inside, her skin was as white as snow with a faint rosy tint, and her features were as beautiful as a painting. The first time he saw her last night, he had been intoxicated by her unique aura and her world-shaking beauty. For the first time, he had made an exception and spared her life, bringing her back to the inner palace!

In her daze, Cen Xue felt something itchy and wet on her body. She struggled to open her hazy eyes, but the scene before her instantly chased away all sleepiness—a man was actually pressing down on her, looking at her with eyes full of intense charm. As she looked closely at the man's appearance, seeing his handsome yet wicked face and his domineering, cold aura, she wondered: who was this man who had descended from the heavens?

"Ah—!" Three seconds later, a scream rang out from within the bed curtains. Cen Xue's panicked little hands tried to push him away, but he was too heavy, pinning her powerless body down so firmly that she could not move anything except her arms.

"Little enchantress, it seems you've recovered quite quickly. That's perfect; now, come and warm my bed." A spark was hidden within his cold eyes, foreshadowing his intense desire at this moment.

Cen Xue felt panic and unease in her heart. His voice and his choice of words were exactly the same as that living dead man from last night. Could he be the man who had raped her? Was he the monarch of this Kingdom of Loulan?

"No! My body isn't healed yet, it still hurts so much, please let me go..." Her body was still trembling with pain; how could she endure his ravaging? She pleaded with him in a low, useless voice. Although she knew this was undignified, for the sake of the bigger picture and for the sake of her current physical condition, she decided to bow her head this once.

The man looked at her with a wicked expression. Her skin, exposed to the air, was so provocative. His massive member had been complaining to him all day; every time he thought of the exhilarating entanglement from last night, he felt an impulsive urge to rush over.

"Hehe~~~ Do you think a hungry predator would let go of its delicious meal?" His cold black eyes were filled with lust, as if they could ignite at any moment.

With a forceful tug, the collar of the clothes in front of Cen Xue was torn open, revealing her bright red camisole. Without a word, he leaned down to kiss her lips. The sweetness in her mouth made him addicted, making it impossible for him to stop.

"Mmph, mmph..." Her body was suppressed, and her arms couldn't push him away at all. The disgusting taste in her mouth made her feel suffocated. Not knowing where the courage came from, she took the first opportunity to bite his tongue.

"Ah—" A sensation of pain shot through the man's mouth. This woman actually had the audacity to bite him? Fine, then he would absolutely not let her go tonight!

"The spicier, the better. Little thing, tonight I will let you know the consequences of offending me!" With a sweep of the man's large hand, the clothes on Cen Xue's body tore apart. No one's skin had ever been this perfect; she had no flaws from head to toe, as white and translucent as jade.

"You beast—!" Cen Xue struggled to pull the quilt beside her to cover her torn clothes. She didn't know what he had just done to her, but her clothes had all mysteriously torn away, leaving her exposed before him.

Amidst her struggling, the man had already removed his own robe, revealing a strong chest and dark, smooth skin that exuded the charm of a mature man.

As his weight pressed down on her, Cen Xue felt as if she were being entwined by a cold black snake. She stared at his bloodthirsty black eyes, not daring to move: "Ah—what are you doing? Your Queen just died, shouldn't you be keeping vigil for her?"

"Hahaha~~~ Little thing, you really are interesting. Have you ever seen a monarch keep vigil for a Queen? Besides, I wanted to kill her long ago!" The man snorted in disdain, a cruel smile flashing on his thin lips. His free hand pinched her sharp chin, his slightly rough fingertips permeating with his contempt.

That made sense; how could a high-and-mighty beast like him care about a woman's life or death? Perhaps that Queen was even killed by his own hand!

"Little thing, what are you thinking? Let me tell you, don't even dream of any schemes to leave this place. Any woman I set my eyes on can only grow old and die within this Loulan Royal Palace!" Meeting her clear eyes, the man made a domineering declaration to her.