### Chapter 20: The First Encounter with Daji, Meeting at the Torture Chamber - Ah? The Wives I Abandoned Turned Out to Be Real

### Chapter 20: The First Encounter with Daji, Meeting at the Torture Chamber In front of Su Mo appeared the unique perspective exclusively belonging to a woman’s first-person view. The camera zoomed in. Clad in regal attire woven from white silk and silver threads, with hair cascading down like silk to her waist, the woman’s figure was as supple and resilient as a willow swaying in the breeze. Her face was as exquisitely carved as creamy white jade with a subtle pinkish hue. Her eyes, half-closed, exuded an alluring charm—elongated and enticing. Beneath a prominent nose lay lips as crimson as blood, standing out starkly against the backdrop of white. The faint smirk on her lips, engaging yet detached, was fixed intently on the kneeling Su Mo. Taken aback, Su Mo couldn’t help but marvel. He didn’t expect that even in the savage and bloodthirsty era of the Shang Dynasty, there existed a woman whose beauty and bearing could rival that of Bai Suzhen. Yet, in the next instant, he collected himself. Standing from the perspective of Di Xin, it struck him. Could this woman be Daji? Intrigued, Su Mo felt a sliver of hope. According to previous experiences, there always seemed to be a turn of events—his destined love interests would encounter, recognize, and eventually love him due to various reasons. Su Mo couldn’t help but look forward to it. --- Upon seeing this woman, memories surged within you—how the Shang King, Di Xin, following a period of unconsciousness, was married to the daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou, Su Hu. This woman before you must be Su Daji, the daughter of Su Hu. Yet, these thoughts flickered quickly in your mind, overwhelmed by the hopelessness facing the surrounding priests as you resignedly closed your eyes. Inevitably, you were about to be made a sacrificial offering to the ancestors and deities of the Shang people. The grand priest, holding a bronze blade, was poised to cut open your chest to extract your heart—a method of blood sacrifice prevalent in the recent years within Shang. In your despair, the Shang Queen, Su Daji, stepped forward with milfoil in her hands, speaking gently to those present. “Today is an inauspicious day; let’s wait for an auspicious one to proceed with this human sacrifice.” Rumors circulated of Su Daji's formidable prowess. In recent times, she wielded power second only to Bi Gan and devised punishments like the cauldron and serpent pit to eliminate her adversaries. Given her significant status as the descendant of a grand witch from the Tu Mountain lineage, even Bi Gan avoided crossing her path. Her milfoil, as it turned out, became your lifeline. In Shang, men favored tortoise shells or ox scapula for divination. Women, on the other hand, preferred using milfoil for readings. The method involved taking fifty stalks of milfoil, dividing 49 of them into two portions—one in the left hand and the other in the right, leaving one piece called the supreme stalk. How to decipher it was left to the woman's method and intuition. Upon Daji's assertion that today was inauspicious, the grand priest had no choice but to halt his actions. Thanks to her intervention, you narrowly escaped death. Deep inside, a sense of luck blended with burgeoning curiosity regarding the infamous Daji. When preparations were being made to send you back to the slave quarters, it was Daji who interrupted. “Don’t release him just yet. Keep him in the palace; I’ve been meaning to test the venom of some new snakes in the serpent pit and need a robust sample.” No one dared oppose Daji's words. The fate of those who previously defied her commands served as a potent warning to all. Hearing about the experiment with the serpent pit made your scalp tingle. Throughout the journey, conversations among the Shang soldiers revealed that this sinister punishment was Daji’s brainchild, crafted to punish disobedience. A pit dug on bare ground, filled with venomous snakes, scorpions, or other deadly creatures as a terrifying punishment. Reflecting on Daji’s eerie creativity, you no longer saw it as imaginative brilliance, but sheer malice. Now, held in Daji’s grasp, that admiration turned to dread. You were ushered into the palace. Inside the Torture Chamber, pits filled with freshly caught venomous creatures lay scattered around. Facing imminent death, you attained a strange calmness. At the brink of it all, what else mattered when you couldn’t even choose the manner of your demise? In the scene, Su Mo knelt before the serpent pit, teeming with toxins of snakes and scorpions. Daji, now donned in a mysterious black robe overlaid with a gossamer black shawl, stood before him. Her adornments flickered subtly in the dim-lit hall. Once the door was shut, Daji instructed everyone else to leave the chamber. Step by step, she approached Su Mo. Witnessing the scene, Su Mo was taken aback, uncertain about Daji’s intentions. Adjusting his view, he closely observed the enchantress advancing toward him. The black attire amplified her enigmatic allure. --- As Daji approached you, an unquenchable primitive urge erupted within you. In a surge of inexplicable strength, you snapped the ancient vine ropes binding your hands and feet, lunging desperately toward the beguiling Daji. But before you could reach her, you felt an invisible force lift you off the ground, leaving you suspended like a helpless turtle with nowhere to leverage your limbs. “Ha-ha-ha.” Daji chuckled; her laughter, a delightful chime resonating like wind-blown bronze bells to your ears. “So savage,” she teased. With a brutal force, you were hurled to the ground, the smooth, unyielding stone making you acutely aware of a piercing pain. Daji lingered before you, taking measured steps closer. With your body weighed down by an unseen force, you couldn’t move an inch. Removing her shoes, Daji placed her silken-clad foot on your face. The thin silk was all that separated your skin from hers, warm and delicate, as it caressed your cheek. An exotic scent flooded your senses. Looking up, all you saw were the hem of her skirt and her shapely legs. She leaned slightly forward. “What is your name?” she inquired. “Su Mo!” you managed, your voice muffled. Daji comprehended, her gaze filled with curiosity at your robust form, incapacitated by her sorcery. “Want to die?” she taunted. Her words ignited a fiery retort from within. “Who… Who wishes to die?” you retorted angrily. Amused by your defiance, Daji smiled. Her songbird-like, crystalline voice echoed through the Torture Chamber. “If you don’t wish to die, then serve as my slave.” (End of Chapter)