Chapter 723: No Break, No Build
The days that followed were no different from hell.
No, I was already in hell, and I had become the most ridiculous existence in this hell. I was a hero with my throat seized and my swallow taken away.
That man, Zhou Zhenglong, ascended the throne. He was even crazier than Wan Cai. Perhaps his fate hadn't run out yet, because when he took the throne, I caught a whiff of that foul yet fragrant scent.
After that, whenever I didn't do as he said, he would beat Sister Siwei black and blue. But he never once touched a single hair on my head. The family members believed he hadn't violated the "family rules," so they began to obey him without question.
For long stretches, he gave us no food at all, locking the two of us in a dark little room—a prison for me and Sister Siwei, converted from a storage closet.
Not a single ray of sunlight ever entered that place, and even the smell was unbearable.
Zhou Zhenglong's rule added a layer of "brute force" on top of Wan Cai's. He was far too confident in his own strength. He even tossed a dagger into our prison cell and told us we could use it to kill ourselves when we couldn't take it anymore.
Every morning, the entire family lined up and walked past me. I just nodded or shook my head woodenly.
I really wanted to give up on these people, but they had caught the swallow, so I had no choice but to cooperate in a dull, mechanical way.
But this perfunctory attitude quickly drew Zhou Zhenglong's ire. He threatened me with my sister, ordering me to say only "I smell so-and-so's 'fragrance'" from then on. If I missed a single word, he would hit Sister Siwei.
In those long, dark hours, I would often hear Sister Siwei, late at night, hugging her own body, sobbing softly, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt—just one more time and it'll be fine." She was trying to heal the pain on her body, but every time she finished, even fresher agony awaited her.
The scent around her began to grow strange, as if she had become a completely different person.
Was there any good news in these hellish days?
Yes. The only good news was that Sister Siwei was always by my side.
I could feel that amid the prolonged torment, even Sister Siwei, who loved me the most, was going mad. Her scent sometimes became like Wan Cai's, sometimes like Zhou Zhenglong's, and at other moments, it reminded me of Brother Gu Yu—in short, it never smelled like her own.
I was terrified that my sister would lose her mind. She was my only support here, the swallow beside the "Happy Prince." But fairy tales never tell me that the swallow will go mad before it dies.
My panic and helplessness swirled in my heart. No one could show me a clear path. Sister would often sit still and stare into space, sometimes not even answering when I called her several times.
Maybe I was being too selfish. Why had it never occurred to me... that it wasn't just me who needed care—my sister also needed someone to look after her?
How much better off was she than me?
After Brother Gu Yu left, only she and I remained in this dark, eerie family. We circled among the many family members with vacant eyes. The "Happy Prince" no longer held a sword—just a crown that fell off with every step, and a swallow covered in wounds.
The swallow and I walked along the towering heights where we could be annihilated at any moment. If we said one wrong word or did one wrong thing, we would be executed on the spot.
Even in this gloomy prison, my sister always comforted and guided me. But who was there to guide her...?
She had been only about twenty when she came here. Now even my age was catching up to hers. Why hadn't I realized... that she too was someone who needed protection?
She once said she loved everyone in this world. She had tried to guide those family members in her own way, but it never worked.
It felt like a sharp knife was hanging over both our heads, slowly descending toward me. But I was a statue—I couldn't move an inch. I couldn't even influence what was happening outside the cell.
Every day, my mind was flooded with questions. For instance, were the other teams collecting "jade" close to finishing?
Or, now that these people no longer seemed human, would my sister still love them?
And as our numbers grew, food became scarce. Could those "fragrant ones" really supply enough for everyone?
Only now do I realize that fairy tales are all lies. A hero may have thousands of subjects, but a hero can't feed them all.
"Hero..."
Sister Siwei, who had been staring blankly, suddenly turned and called out to me, scaring me.
"Wh-what's wrong?" I answered with a smile. "How are you feeling today, sister? Anywhere that hurts?"
"No." Sister Siwei shook her head. "I was just thinking... you haven't eaten in a long time, have you... Are you hungry?"
"I'm okay..." I forced a smile. "Sister, don't worry about me. I'm used to going hungry."
"That won't do..." She paused, then squeezed out a faint smile. "How can you go without eating... You're still growing—you'll starve yourself..."
I thought Sister Siwei must be hungry. Even if I didn't eat, I needed to ask Zhou Zhenglong for some food for her.
But just as I turned around, I heard a strange sound behind me, followed by a muffled groan.
I froze, slowly looking back. I saw Sister Siwei holding the knife Zhou Zhenglong had given her. Her arm and palm were a bloody mess. For a moment, I couldn't figure out what had happened.
"Ugh..." She grunted, dropping the knife. Then she touched her arm and said, almost sobbing, "It doesn't hurt... it doesn't hurt... just let it heal..."
"Si... Sister?" I blinked, my mind going blank.
She muttered for a long time before letting go. I saw that there was no wound on her arm anymore—but it was covered in blood.
What was going on?
Trembling, Sister Siwei cupped her hands together and held them out to me. I thought it was just a pool of blood, but inside it was clearly a piece of flesh.
"Hero... Hero..." Sister said with a smile. "I found something we can eat..."
"Eat... your... flesh?"
My voice trembled as I said the words.
"Yes... Hero... I am 'Heal'..." Sister said, smiling at me. "I can even provide food for everyone... as long as they eat me... I just keep 'healing' myself..."
Staring at the piece of flesh in her hand, I felt a sudden dizziness.
Was there something wrong with my memory?
In *The Happy Prince*, the swallow plucked the gold leaf from the prince's body, piece by piece, and gave it to the poor people in the city, until all the prince's skin was stripped away.
But now, why was it the swallow cutting off her own flesh?
This wasn't right... none of this was right...
I didn't know what to do. I just stepped forward and gently hugged my sister.
"It's okay... Sister, leave it to me. I am the 'Hero'... I'll protect you..."
I think I understand what Brother Gu Yu meant by "No Break, No Build."
To protect my sister, I had to be the one to kill her.