Ch-7 "The Devil's Palace"

The talking suddenly stopped by Shin-Se-Gi and a rush of thoughts started in his mind. He wondered why tears weren't coming or anger wasn't shown by Yan Zhen. Is she going crazy or did I hurt her too much? Shin-Se-Gi felt a bit irritated with this thought. Then he looked at her and asked, "Do you remember this place ?" He stared at her waiting for an answer. Yan Zhen just sat there, looking back at him, her head on her knees.

Then she remembered that this question had been asked before In their previous life, then Yan Zhen had thrown a glass at him and shouted, "Are you crazy? Leave me alone!" when he asked the same question now she remembered how angry he was, and he stormed out of the room.

The room became silent, heavy with their shared history. Shin-Se-Gi's impatience mixed with curiosity, while Yan Zhen's silence added unspoken tension. It was a moment frozen in time, where the past and present collided, and the echoes of their shared destinies filled the air.

Yan Zhen found herself puzzled, wondering why he asked her the same question again from their previous life. Despite her attempts, she couldn't recall anything related to this place. "Did she come here before?" The surroundings seemed unfamiliar, and she shook her head in confusion.

Anticipating his anger, Yan Zhen stared at Shin-Se-Gi. However, to her surprise, instead of anger, she saw disappointment on his face. He simply uttered, "It doesn't matter," and offered her water to quench her thirst. After that, he left the room and didn't return until 8 pm that night. The air between them carried a sense of mystery, and Yan Zhen couldn't help but ponder the significance of the question and the unexpected response from Shin-Se-Gi.

Upon Shin-Se-Gi's return, he presented Yan Zhen with her favorite food and informed her that they would be leaving for their palace the next morning at 10:30. Yan Zhen simply nodded in acknowledgment and confused about her actions , Shin-Se-Gi left the room. Outside, he encountered his personal aide and trusted guard. Seeking an explanation for Yan Zhen's silence, he inquired, "Why would a girl who's been kidnapped be silent?" The guard responded in a sarcastic tone, suggesting, "Maybe she fell in love with your ugly face." Unable to tolerate the mockery about his appearance, Shin-Se-Gi swiftly kicked the guard in the stomach, his sensitivity to his own looks making the sarcasm particularly provocative.

In a serious tone, Shin-Se-Gi asked his guard, "Where do I look ugly?" The guard carefully examined his face and pointed out, "You have a large forehead, hooded eyes, and a nose like a pig. Your lips are okay, but the overall structure of your face is very average." After a moment of thought, he added, "You need to have a good nose to give your facial structure a good look. Tch tch, all the good points are your bad points." Shin-Se-Gi, concerned about his appearance, examined his reflection in the knife he held. Worried, he pondered, "How will she love me if I look like this?" The guard, continuing his critique, remarked, "What a joke, even your girl is average. Who would fall for her except you? You both are made for each other, as there is a saying that goes, 'Ugly guy and ugly bitches always end up together,'" and burst into laughter.

Shin-Se-Gi, ignoring the guard's words, turned to another guard and told him arrange a 10-1 fight for my lovable guard . The loyal and his trusted guard, frustrated, shouted back, "You are too petty! You're the one who asked for my opinion, and I'm not ready for a fight now. I'm exhausted, especially with 10 prisoners! No way!" He continued to shout at the top of his lungs.

The next day, Shin-Se-Gi, accompanied by his seven guards, embarked on their journey to the Devil's Palace from a small den nestled within the forest. The trip took half a day before they reached their destination.

As Yan Zhen stood before the imposing gates of the Devil's Palace, a flood of memories from her previous life surged within her. The air hung heavy with an unsettling stillness, casting an eerie aura that penetrated to the core. It was a sensation difficult to put into words, reminiscent of the profound silence one might feel when standing alone in a graveyard at the witching hour, surrounded by the spectral presence of the departed.

The atmosphere seemed to crackle with an intangible negative energy, sending a shiver through her entire being. The tingling sensation crawled from her toes to her fingertips, reaching its climax on her face. The wind, carrying the whispers of unseen forces, gently rustled her hair, creating an otherworldly dance around her.

As she took in her surroundings, Yan Zhen's eyes settled on two distinct structures. One, noticeably grander in scale, stood as the prison that housed individuals condemned to the Devil's Palace. In a kingdom boasting a population of 1.3 billion, around 95 thousand prisoners were confined within these walls. These were not common criminals; they were the most severe offenders, their crimes earning them a one-way ticket to the abyss of the Devil's Kingdom. The air itself seemed to echo with the warped and disturbed minds of those who resided within, casting a palpable pall over the entire realm. The Devil's Palace was not just a physical structure; it was a manifestation of the darkest corners of human nature, a place where the condemned and the condemned alike were bound by the chains of fate and the echoes of their twisted pasts.

The carriage inched forward, making its way toward the foreboding gates of the Devil's Palace. As Yan Zhen observed the scene around her, she noticed a formidable force of over 25,000 soldiers meticulously guarding the perimeter. Their vigilance was unwavering, ensuring that no prisoner could slip away and breach the confines of the Devil's Palace.

The name "Devil's Palace" itself carried a weighty significance. It wasn't just a mere title; it embodied the essence of the place. To administer justice to the deranged and psycho individuals held within, one needed to possess a darkness within that surpassed even the most twisted minds imprisoned there. The very nature of this place demanded a ruler, an emperor, who could out-devil the devilish, someone devoid of kindness and immersed in the shadows of their own malevolence. It was a realm where the boundaries between punishment and malefaction blurred, and only the truly wicked could maintain order amid the chaos that thrived within those walls. The Devil's Palace stood as a testament to the duality of human nature, a place where darkness confronted darkness in a relentless struggle for dominance.