In the first year after my biological parents took me back in, the fake heiress suggested we return to our ancestral village for the Dragon Boat Festival to pay our respects.
But as soon as we arrived, I was tied up and brought before the sacred tree in the mountains.
I was stripped and bound to the tree before I even had a chance to fight back.
A long needle pierced my chest, its other end inserted into the sacred tree.
The fake heiress explained, “This is our village’s custom. Connecting part of your heart to the sacred tree will ward off disaster and misfortune.”
My parents nodded in agreement beside her. “Your mother and I have both been in poor health lately. Only if you complete the ritual can we get better.”
For my parents’ sake, I could only agree.
But when the heartbeat-transmission ritual had been performed 49 times, the fake heiress still refused to stop.
I stared at her in terror. “One more time and I’ll die.”
She suddenly smiled. “That’s exactly the point.”
Several men suddenly appeared beside her, eyeing me hungrily.
Only then did I realize she had wanted to kill me from the very beginning.
