Chapter 723: No Destruction, No Construction

The days to come were no different from hell itself.

No, I was already in hell, and had become its most pitiful existence. I was a hero whose neck was being squeezed while the swallows were snatched away.

Zhou Zhenglong ascended the throne, even more deranged than Wancai. Perhaps his fate wasn’t yet exhausted—when he took his seat, I caught a whiff of that foul, sickly sweetness.

From then on, if I didn’t obey his orders, he would beat Sister Siwei mercilessly. Yet he never laid a finger on me. The family believed he hadn’t broken any “house rules,” so they began to follow his every command.

He deprived us of food for long stretches, locking the two of us in a dim, cramped room—a converted storage space that became our prison.

No sunlight ever reached this place, and the air was thick with stench.

Zhou Zhenglong’s rule added an element of “force” that Wancai lacked. He was too confident in his strength—so much so that he even tossed a dagger into our cell, telling us we could end our lives if we couldn’t endure any longer.

Every morning, the entire family lined up and passed before me. All I could do was nod or shake my head numbly.

I truly wanted to abandon these people, but they had taken the swallows. So I had no choice but to comply.

But my half-hearted attitude soon angered Zhou Zhenglong. He threatened me with Sister Siwei, demanding that from then on, I could only say, “I smell so-and-so’s ‘sweet fragrance.'” If I missed even a single word, he would punch her once.

During those long, dark days, I often heard Sister Siwei hugging herself late at night, choking back sobs as she whispered, “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, it’ll be over soon.” She was trying to heal her wounds, but every time she finished, fresh torment awaited her.

Her scent began to change, as if she had become someone else entirely.

Was there any good news in this hellish existence?

Yes. The only good news was that Sister Siwei was still by my side.

But I could feel it—after enduring so much torment, even she, who had always loved me most, was on the verge of madness. Her scent would shift unpredictably—sometimes like Wancai, sometimes like Zhou Zhenglong, and at other moments like Brother Gu Yu. It was never her own.

I was terrified she would lose her mind. She was my only anchor in this place, the swallow beside the “Happy Prince.” But no fairy tale ever warned me that swallows might go mad before they die.

Doubt and helplessness coiled in my chest, with no one to guide me. Sister often sat in silence, lost in thought, sometimes unresponsive no matter how many times I called her name.

Maybe I was being selfish. Why had I never realized… not only did I need care, but so did she?

How much better was her situation than mine?

After Brother Gu Yu left, the only ones left in this ghastly household were her and me, surrounded by hollow-eyed family members. The “Happy Prince” no longer held a sword—just a crown that slipped off with every step, and a swallow covered in wounds.

We walked along the edge of a towering abyss, where a single misstep could send us plummeting. One wrong word, one misdeed, and death would come swiftly.

Even in this dark prison, Sister always comforted and guided me. But who was there to guide her?

She had been barely twenty when she arrived here. Now, I was nearly her age. Why had it never occurred to me… that she, too, needed protection?

She once said she loved everyone in this world. She tried to reach out to the family in her own way, but nothing ever worked.

A blade seemed to hang over our heads, descending slowly toward me. But I was a statue, unable to move, powerless to intervene in anything beyond this cell.

My mind was flooded with endless questions—Had the other teams collecting “jade” succeeded?

These people no longer seemed human. Would Sister still love them?

As our numbers grew, food became scarce. Could the few “fragrant ones” really sustain so many?

Now I understood—fairy tales were lies. A hero might command thousands, but a hero could never feed them all.

“Hero…”

Sister Siwei, lost in thought, suddenly turned and called my name, startling me.

“Wh-what is it?” I forced a smile. “How are you feeling today, Sister? Are you in pain anywhere?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I just thought… you haven’t eaten in so long. Are you hungry?”

“I’m fine…” I smiled weakly. “Don’t worry about me, Sister. I’m used to going without.”

“That won’t do…” She hesitated, then managed a faint smile. “You can’t go without food… You’re still growing. Starving will ruin you…”

I realized then—Sister must have been hungry. Even if I didn’t eat, I had to ask Zhou Zhenglong for something for her.

But just as I turned away, a strange noise came from behind, followed by a muffled grunt.

Confused, I turned back slowly—only to see Sister Siwei clutching the knife Zhou Zhenglong had given us. Her arm and hand were a mess of blood and flesh. For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

“Ah…” Sister dropped the knife with a shuddering breath, then touched her arm. In a voice thick with tears, she whispered, “It doesn’t hurt… it doesn’t hurt… it’ll be over soon…”

“S-Sister?” My mind went blank.

She murmured the words over and over before finally releasing her grip. There was no wound left on her arm—only blood.

What… had she done?

Trembling, she cupped her hands together and held them out to me. I expected to see blood, but nestled in her palms was a piece of flesh.

“Hero… Hero…” She smiled. “I found something for you to eat…”

“Eat… your… flesh?”

My voice shook as I spoke.

“Yes… Hero. I can ‘heal’…” Her smile never wavered. “I can provide food for everyone… just by letting them eat me. I can keep healing myself… over and over…”

Staring at the flesh in her hands, I felt my mind slipping.

Had my memories been altered?

In *The Happy Prince*, the swallow plucked the gold leaf from the prince’s body, piece by piece, to give to the poor—until the prince was stripped bare.

But now, why was it the swallow cutting off her own flesh?

This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

I didn’t know what to do except step forward and embrace her gently.

“It’s alright, Sister… Leave it to me. I’m the ‘Hero’… I’ll protect you…”

At last, I understood what Brother Gu Yu meant by *”No destruction, no creation.”*

To protect Sister… I would have to kill her myself.