Chapter 1

Our village lay deep within the mountains, hidden away from the outside world, where ruby mines ran through the earth.There was an old legend that said if one could craft an entire bed from ruby and sleep on it long enough, it would grant eternal youth.Ruby was rare and even harder to mine, but that was exactly why our village was so prosperous.Yet, for all our wealth, our village was a strange place. There were no men here, only women.I had two older sisters, but I should have had three older brothers as well. They were all drowned at birth.I witnessed the execution of a male infant once. The boy had just been born when they covered his mouth, not allowing even a single cry to escape."Men are born wicked. If their cries anger the mountain spirit, our clan will be destroyed!"They carried him to the deep pool at the back of the mountain and tossed him in. The baby struggled for only a moment before sinking beneath the surface with a faint gurgle.I crept behind them and p

Chapter 2

I clung desperately to the windowsill, wanting to get a better view. However, my grip slipped, sending me tumbling down. I twisted my ankle as I fell.I urged Lily to hurry back, but despite her assurances that she would, it took her a full hour to finally come out.When she finally appeared, I was leaning against the wall, massaging my aching ankle."Laura, come help me," Lily said in between gasps. She was out of breath. It was as though she had just emerged from the depths of the water, and her body leaned heavily against mine.As I helped her climb over the wall, my eyes inadvertently wandered up. I was startled to realize she was not wearing any undergarments.I asked Lily what happened in the ancestral hall. Lily's cheeks flushed red, and she stammered for a moment before saying, "Look at that smile on your face. You'll find out soon enough."Hmph! If she would not tell me, I would find out for myself.Feigning a stomach ache to avoid returning with her, I stealthily made

Chapter 3

On the table lay a mangled body, the flesh torn apart and the skin completely stripped away. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female. If it were not for the two prominent canine teeth, I would never have recognized this corpse to be Lily.They said she had been killed by a beast, but I refused to believe it.A beast would tear apart its prey, yet there was not a single additional wound on her body."Who said Lily was killed by a beast? She…"Just then, I caught a glimpse of Grandma, and my eyes widened in shock.Her skin had regained a strange luster. There was a small black mole at the edge of her nostril. Even though it was faint and nearly blended in with her age spots, I could see it with just a glance.Lily had a similar mole in the same spot on her nose, only a bit smaller and darker.At that moment, Grandma was staring at me. Her gaze was steady and calm, yet I was too terrified to move a muscle. I swallowed hard, trying to steady my nerves."Laura, how can yo

Chapter 4

It was Mom's voice."You're being foolish! I told you about this long ago. Are you really having second thoughts now?" Grandma's voice carried an intimidating authority that made Mom hesitate to say another word.What did they plan to do to Lily?As they approached the mourning hall, panic surged through me, and I quickly crawled under the coffin.Grandma scanned the room and asked Mom, "Did you hear anything just now?"Mom, trembling as she clutched Grandma's arm, replied, "Could Lily have come back? Rumor has it that those who die unjustly…"Before she could finish, Grandma slapped her across the face. "Stop babbling! It's her blessing if she could contribute to our village!""But… she's still my daughter." Mom cried as she held her red and swollen face.Grandma paused for a moment, a shadow of pain crossing her features. "Do you think I'm not heartbroken over Lily's death? Enough. While we still have a chance, let's get this done."With that, Grandma took out a golden urn a

Chapter 5

Lina had barely enjoyed her moment of bliss when Grandma caught her in the ancestral hall."Lina, what are you doing?!" Grandma charged in, swiftly lifting Lina off the man.With Grandma gripping a lock of her hair, Lina was forced to tilt her head back to face her.Her face flushed red. She fought back without hesitation, grabbing at Grandma's skin, nearly tearing it off.Grandma howled in pain."Hahaha, Grandma, don't you love your granddaughters the most? Why didn't you tell us there were men in the ancestral hall? Were you saving them all for yourself?"Grandma was furious and raised her hand to strike Lina.However, Lina was not in a hurry to escape. She kept calm as she pulled out a knife and pressed it against the man's throat. With a slight push, blood would flow from his neck."Stop!" Grandma panicked at the thought of the man's blood staining the floor but dared not approach.Lina threatened Grandma, insisting she leave. Naturally, Grandma agreed.Lina smiled and

Chapter 6

It felt more like a palace rather than a cave, with ruby-like steps that emitted a crisp, melodious sound with every step I took. The rock walls were adorned with large luminous pearls.I tore a piece of my clothing to wrap around my feet, carefully placing each step to avoid making any noise.At the end of the ruby staircase, there was an open area with a large pool in the center, filled with a vivid red liquid that emanated a nauseating odor. The smell of blood was overwhelming. Was this pool filled with human blood?In the center of the blood pool floated a corpse. If it were not for the lighter color, I would not have been able to recognize its shape at all.I hid behind a ruby pillar and watched as my grandmother pulled the body from the blood pool and tossed it onto the ground.It was Lily! Her vacant eyes seemed to stare directly at me.I covered my mouth to stifle a scream. My mind screamed at me to turn away, but it felt like I was possessed and was unable to move my nec

Chapter 7

"Laura, sweetie, go ahead and put on the beauty cream."Grandma stroked my cheek from behind and scooped a big glob of beauty cream onto my face, rubbing it in."I know you're a little clever, but being too smart for your own good can get you killed. Don't be like your two sisters."I dared not move. I swallowed hard as I watched her corpse-like hands roving over my face. The stench filled my nostrils.I could not hold it in and suddenly vomited. I threw up all over Grandma, and she slapped me so hard that I hit my head on the edge of the table.Blood blurred the vision in my right eye, and as Grandma frowned while holding my face, her soft words sent chills down my spine."What a nice little face you have. Don't go ruining it. You saw what happened that night, didn't you? I sensed your presence. Do you want to end up like Lina?"Grandma's thumb slid up and down my throat, and I had no doubt that she could snap my neck at any moment if she wanted to.She knew everything about h

All Chapters of Ruby: A Journey into Adulthood: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7