Three Lives Bound by Desire

"I truly didn't expect the renowned General Han Yan to be so young, nor to have such peculiar tastes," a beautiful woman in a white gown said, seated on a bench inside the tent. Though her long dress was stained with blood and dirt, the luxurious fabric was still evident, hinting at her noble status. Yet, this woman of extraordinary standing had her upper body tightly bound with a rope as thick as a finger. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her wrists crisscrossed with several loops of the rope. The binding continued, winding around her arms, over her shoulders, and then several times around her chest. Such restraints were impossible for a delicate woman to break free from, leaving her no choice but to sit quietly, her hair disheveled from the journey. Her legs were being meticulously bound by a pair of strong hands. The rope was secured around her thighs, above and below her knees, and was now being tightened around her ankles. Once the rope passed between her feet and was pulled taut around her ankles, the binding was complete. Han Yan clapped his hands and stood up. The young general admired his handiwork and remarked, "I didn't realize I was so well-known in your Qi kingdom?" "Hmph, what would the world think of you, and what would your subordinates think, if they knew you were so fond of bullying weak women?" she retorted, her hands ceaselessly working behind her back, attempting to escape. Her delicate face was smudged with dirt, making her appear disheveled, yet it couldn't conceal her captivating beauty or the unique aura she exuded. When Han Yan's reputation reached her ears, she had once lamented that such a valiant general was not from her own kingdom of Qi. Now, meeting him under such circumstances, she inwardly mused, "To think such a young and handsome general is actually a pervert..." "Subordinates? The unit that captured you was my personal guard. You were apprehended during a moonless, windy night, so no one else could see." Han Yan smiled, watching her for a moment. "Besides, you know that the soldiers escorting you have all been eliminated. I used the tattered hem of your dress and a shoe you kicked off while resisting to create the illusion that you were killed and fell into the river, five li from this camp." As he spoke, Han Yan's gaze fell upon her bare feet, one shod and one bare, and he crouched down again, grasping her bound, slender ankle. "You... what are you doing!" The woman flinched, fearful of Han Yan's actions, but with her legs held firmly by his strong hands, her slight struggles quickly ceased. "One foot in a shoe, the other bare, must be quite uncomfortable. Let's just take them both off," he said, then proceeded to remove her shoe. "Soldier!" Han Yan called out. "General!" a soldier waiting outside the tent entered. Han Yan handed the shoe he had removed to the soldier. "Tomorrow, I want you to find a civilian to go to the nearest town and see if they can buy a shoe of the same size as this one." "As you command." The soldier took the shoe and withdrew from the tent. The woman in white looked at Han Yan with confusion. "I can't have you going without shoes forever," Han Yan said, walking back to his desk and picking up a water cup, which he filled. "Now, can you tell me your name?" "Hypocrite. Untie me first, and I'll tell you." "If you don't want to say, then so be it. I'll consider you a worthless captive and have you executed." Han Yan put down the cup and reached for the sword at his waist. "..." The woman glanced at Han Yan, closed her eyes, and turned her face away. Perhaps out of fear, or perhaps because the military camp was too cold in the middle of the night. With no shoes on, and not wanting her bare feet to touch the icy ground, she kept her feet suspended, constantly rubbing them together. Han Yan approached her. Feeling his proximity, she flinched, turning her face away, biting her lip nervously. Han Yan smiled, shook his head, took off his cloak from behind him, and draped it over her legs. The cloak was long, and as he placed it on her lap, he squatted down, wrapping the cloak around her legs, paying particular attention to her bare feet, and then patted her knee. The woman's eyes widened in surprise as she watched what Han Yan was doing. "You...?" "Alright, stop trying to hold your feet up, it's tiring. My cloak is quite sturdy, and it will keep your feet a bit warmer, so you won't have to worry about stepping on the dirt and getting them dirty." "Hmph, why the pretense..." Han Yan ignored her words, walked to the basin of clear water, took a clean cloth, placed it in the basin, rubbed it, and wrung it out. The tent was exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of the wind outside and the clinking of Han Yan's armor as he moved. Han Yan gently lifted the woman's chin, preparing to wipe the dirt from her face with the cloth. She instinctively flinched, but quickly submitted to his touch, closing her eyes and allowing him to clean her face. "I didn't expect General Han to have such a meticulous side." As soon as she said it, the woman realized that her current predicament, bound so tightly, was all thanks to this General Han, and she wished she could take back her words immediately. The dream, she couldn't recall how many times she'd had it. Lying in bed, Chen Shanshan opened her eyes, replaying the scenes from her dream. In the dream, judging by her attire, she was a lady of a prominent family, addressed as "Zhou Mengxue, Miss Zhou." Yet, beneath her beautiful exterior... she was now accompanied by ropes. However, this entire binding was voluntary for Zhou Mengxue. Why so, you ask? Because she herself enjoyed the sensation of being bound. Though confined to her chambers, she had stumbled upon a description in a book of a woman bound by ropes. The author's vivid portrayal had flipped a strange switch within Zhou Mengxue. "If only I could be bound like in the book. I'm sure I'd look even more beautiful bound than described in the text." But Zhou Mengxue knew this little secret could never be shared with anyone. Until one day, unable to contain herself any longer, she confided in her personal maid. The maid, though perplexed by her young lady's peculiar hobby, couldn't resist Zhou Mengxue's persistent pleas and agreed to secretly bind her, keeping her lady's secret safe. However, today brought a significant unexpected turn. Originally, Zhou Mengxue and her maid would only indulge in their games within the privacy of their own chambers. But today, Zhou Mengxue felt an urge for fresh air, a change of scenery. The maid, Xiao Xiang, strongly advised against it, but her young lady's mind was made up, leaving Xiao Xiang no choice but to brace herself and accompany her. Though they ventured out, the young ladies dared not stray too far. They were within the city, just a few streets away from home, at an inn where they had rented a room. Zhou Mengxue lacked the courage for a deserted temple in the countryside; after all, she had barely left the city since childhood. "Alright, though it's not as grand as home, it's quite nice," Zhou Mengxue said, pushing open the window. "No one around to notice us here, and I can still enjoy the street view. Imagining myself bound while admiring the street scene... it sounds rather interesting." Xiao Xiang expressed her worry, "Miss, this... isn't it improper? What if someone sees..." "Oh, it's fine, don't worry. See? No one's paying attention here," Zhou Mengxue said, pulling Xiao Xiang to the window. "See? I wasn't lying. Alright, did you bring the ropes?" "Yes, Miss, I brought them," Xiao Xiang replied. Zhou Mengxue stood by the window, her back to Xiao Xiang, her hands clasped behind her. "Then let's begin. Please, Xiao Xiang~" "...Yes," Xiao Xiang responded, taking out several bundles of rope from the bag they had brought and placing them on the table nearby. One had to admit, for a wealthy family, even the ropes used for this binding game were of much better quality than the common hemp rope found on the streets. Xiao Xiang unwrapped one bundle and draped the rope over Zhou Mengxue's shoulder. The rope wound down around Zhou Mengxue's arms to her wrists, then crossed her hands, binding them tightly at the wrists. The remaining rope was pulled upwards, threaded through the rope already placed at the nape of her neck, and then pulled down. Zhou Mengxue's bound hands were lifted slightly. "Xiao Xiang is getting so skilled," Zhou Mengxue commented, feeling the ropes tighten around her body, not forgetting to praise Xiao Xiang. "You flatter me, Miss. It's just from accompanying you in this for so long... practice makes perfect..." While Xiao Xiang was pleased by the compliment, being praised for this particular activity always felt a bit strange. The rope circled Zhou Mengxue's chest twice, completing the upper body binding. "Miss, how does that feel?" Zhou Mengxue tried to struggle a little, then smiled in satisfaction. She then sat on a chair, brought her legs together, and said to Xiao Xiang, "Come, continue binding me." "Does Miss want to sit on the bed? It would be more comfortable, and you could lean by the window to watch the street view," Xiao Xiang suggested after a moment's thought. "That's a good idea," Zhou Mengxue said, rising and sitting on the bed. Xiao Xiang removed Zhou Mengxue's shoes. Zhou Mengxue then leaned against the wall by the window, her legs together, as Xiao Xiang proceeded to bind her legs while she gazed out at the bustling street scene. Xiao Xiang lifted her long skirt and looped the rope around Zhou Mengxue's ankles, winding it several times before tightening the loop in the middle. She then repeated the process above and below the knees. After the binding was complete, she tidied her young lady's long skirt. Sitting against the wall on the bed, Zhou Mengxue's bound legs were hidden by the skirt. Although she couldn't see the ropes on her legs, she could feel the tightening sensation, which filled Zhou Mengxue with satisfaction. "Just one last step," Zhou Mengxue said, slightly parting her lips. Xiao Xiang took a handkerchief, folded it a few times, and placed it in Zhou Mengxue's mouth, then covered her now-gagged mouth with a silk scarf. "Mmmph mmmph mmmph (Thank you, Xiao Xiang)," Zhou Mengxue hummed contentedly, gently wriggling her body, savoring the feeling of restraint all over. Xiao Xiang, meanwhile, tidied her things, attending to her young lady. The sunlight that day was perfect. Zhou Mengxue, enjoying the street view by the window, felt a pleasant languor from the warm sun. Despite being gagged, she managed a yawn. "Knock, knock, knock." Suddenly, a series of knocks came from the door, startling Zhou Mengxue out of her drowsiness and nearly making Xiao Xiang cry out. "Who... who is it?" Xiao Xiang called out to the person outside. There was no answer, only the persistent "knock, knock, knock." The two girls grew frightened. Xiao Xiang looked at Zhou Mengxue, who gestured for Xiao Xiang to quickly untie her.