Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT) novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Severing ties

Xiang Yu slowly opened his eyes but realised that his left eye wouldn't open. His other eye managed to focus and he could see the half-rotten beams of his small room at the back of the brothel. He took a breath and his chest screamed in pain. It seemed he had a broken rib grinding against his insides. His shoulder which had been dislocated and put back in place was throbbing. When he moved his legs he felt one of them was painful. His ankle on his right leg was twisted and swollen.

His throat felt raw as if invisible hands had squeezed the life out of him. Both his eyes were swollen with one blue and the other closed shut. His right eye's blood vessels had burst. His lip was split and had a crust of dried blood. He licked his lips from thirst only to have the taste of iron linger on his tongue.

The older woman who was keeping watch on his bedside opened her eyes from a short nap. When she saw his movements her sickly pale complexion brightened up. She honestly thought she would be guarding a corpse. The child hadn't woken up for two days and they had already prepared for the worst. The boy's head had been bashed against the wall and floor several times. The injury at the back of his head was more severe than any of his other injuries. This alone made them lose hope.

Her eyes filled with pity she poured out some water. "You are awake," she murmured, offering him the cup of water. "Thank the heavens. You are lucky to be alive."

The woman held up his head and helped Xiang Yu drink the water. "Slowly. You don't want to choke," she said her voice filled with concern. "Stay still. I will go call the Madam."

Xiang Yu was left alone in the small room her words echoing in his mind. "You are lucky to be alive," he repeated those words in a soft murmur. Wasn't he too lucky? He was told that when he was born a thief broke in and accidentally stole him only to dump him in the forest.

They said he was in the cold snow for three days and he was lucky to be alive. Was it luck or something was wrong with him? Xiang Yu was well aware that he was different from other children. When he got hurt he would heal much faster than others.

This coupled with his mother calling him a monster he had a feeling that there was something special about his father but he had never thought about it until now. Knowing that his mother didn't want him and almost killed him he sneered the coldness in his eyes intense. He chuckled but it emerged as a raspy wheeze.

The door was suddenly opened and the proprietress walked in. She didn't say much. She carefully checked his injuries with a focused gaze.

After a long silence, she said, "I didn't think you would live. You are indeed blessed by the heavens," with a sigh. "Your relationship with your mother is irreparable. Your mother has severed ties with you so... as soon as you get better you should leave. I can help you find another home."