Li Que clasped his fists, voice steady.
"Rest assured, my lord. This humble general will deliver her safely."
He turned to Dong Bai, his expression tightening.
"Miss Bai, the Chancellor has given his word—while you remain here, you will obey Lord Zhang in all things. Remember that."
Dong Bai's lips curled in displeasure, but she nodded.
Reluctantly.
Li Que didn't linger. He bowed once more and departed.
Zhang Xin watched him go, then ordered a separate tent prepared.
Dong Bai didn't even bother with courtesy—she followed the guards like a caged animal being relocated.
Dinner was brought soon after.
Wine, too—an exception, rare in this camp.
Zhang Xin drank with Li Que, reminiscing about old campaigns, their laughter shallow, hollow. Beneath it, calculation lingered.
When Li Que finally left, the silence returned.
Heavy.
Before Zhang Xin reached Dong Bai's tent, shouting burst from within.
"Get out! All of you!"
A crash followed.
"Is this slop meant for animals?! I won't eat it!"
Two soldiers stumbled out, carrying the rejected food.
One bore a fresh scratch across his face.
Zhang Xin's gaze hardened.
"She struck you?"
The soldier said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Inside the tent—
A whip lashed through the air.
Zhang Xin caught it mid-swing.
Dong Bai froze.
Then scowled.
"It's you."
He ripped the whip from her hand.
"You struck my men."
She lifted her chin, defiant.
"They're nothing. Why shouldn't I?"
For a brief moment, Zhang Xin said nothing.
Then—
The whip cracked.
Her cry was sharp, stunned.
"You dare—?!"
Another strike.
She tried to run.
There was nowhere to go.
The tent was too small.
He caught her, forced her down, and the whip fell again. And again.
Eight times.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Her sobs broke apart into gasping breaths.
"I'll tell my grandfather… I'll have you executed…"
Zhang Xin released her slowly.
"Your grandfather?"
His voice was cold.
"He can barely save himself."
He leaned closer.
"Listen carefully. You are not the Chancellor's granddaughter here."
"You are nothing."
"If you raise your hand against my soldiers again—"
"For every strike, I will return ten."
The food was brought back.
This time, no one resisted.
The soldiers entered cautiously.
Dong Bai lay trembling, silent—but her hatred burned.
Then suddenly—
"I'd rather starve to death than eat this filth!"
Zhang Xin didn't even look at her.
"Then it belongs to them."
He gestured.
"Eat."
The soldiers hesitated… then obeyed.
They ate everything.
Slow at first.
Then faster.
Greedily.
Every bite deliberate.
Every chew loud.
Dong Bai watched.
Her throat tightened.
Her stomach betrayed her with a low, humiliating growl.
That night, Zhang Xin left orders:
"No food until tomorrow."
"And watch her. Closely."
By morning, she was pale, eyes bloodshot.
She dragged herself into the main tent.
"I'm hungry."
Zhang Xin didn't look up.
"Then wait."
Her nails dug into her palms.
But she waited.
When food finally came—
She didn't hesitate.
She devoured it.
Like an animal.
Like someone who had learned, in a single night, what hunger meant.
Zhang Xin smiled faintly.
But the next report came quickly.
"She attacked them again."
"With what?"
"The table."
This time, Zhang Xin didn't hold back.
The whip fell again.
But something… changed.
Her cries faltered.
Shifted.
Softened.
Distorted into something unsettling.
Zhang Xin froze.
Looked down.
Her face was flushed. Eyes wet—not just with pain.
Something was wrong.
Deeply wrong.
He stepped back immediately.
Disgust flickered across his face.
"Send her away."
"Now."
Within hours, Dong Bai was gone—sent to Qing Province like a problem to be buried elsewhere.
She looked back from the carriage.
Again.
And again.
As if unwilling to leave.
Weeks passed.
Then—
The rumor spread.
Like rot beneath the surface.
Like poison in still water.
Zhang Xin had aligned with Dong Zhuo.
The Vice Alliance Leader had become kin to the tyrant.
Yuan Shao would be betrayed.
An ambush was coming.
No one knew where it began.
But everyone heard it.
And once heard—
No one could ignore it.