The next day.
Heaven Dou City, Crown Prince Residence, Dungeon.
"Snap--"
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle--"
"."
"Ah--"
Just as Qian Renxue arrived outside the cell where Yu Xiaogang was imprisoned, she heard the sounds of various torture implements striking flesh, followed by a hoarse scream. Catching the faint scent of blood permeating the air, Qian Renxue frowned slightly, but the moment she thought about whose blood it was, her minor displeasure instantly vanished.
She looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was bound to a cross, his entire body beaten to a pulp, covered in a complete collection of wounds: whip marks, stab wounds, and burn marks. Qian Renxue was quite satisfied with this, though the only slight drawback was that he seemed a bit delirious; he needed to be kept conscious!
As Qian Renxue thought this, Shadow Three on the other side seemed to hear her inner voice. He picked up a pair of pliers, clamped them onto the fingernail of Yu Xiaogang's right middle finger, and asked, "What is two hundred ninety-three minus seven?"
Hearing this terrifying question once again, Yu Xiaogang's previously blurred consciousness snapped back to clarity. His pupils constricted and his whole body trembled violently; the devil before him had started again.
"Three," Shadow Three began the countdown.
"?? minus seven equals what?" This question was far too damn stimulating for Yu Xiaogang. Throughout the night of torture, whenever Yu Xiaogang's consciousness wavered, Shadow Three would pose this question. If he answered correctly, it was fine, and he would only receive standard punishments like more whipping. But if he failed to answer or exceeded the time limit, various punishments that challenged the limits of human endurance would be unleashed—nail pulling, finger bone crushing, splints, and all sorts of other tricks Shadow Three had arranged.
"Two."
Hearing the "two," Yu Xiaogang's heart hammered wildly, and sweat poured down his forehead. Shadow Three's pace was neither fast nor slow, as this was part of the torture itself—instilling intense fear while denying Yu Xiaogang too much time to think.
Even though Yu Xiaogang had snapped out of his daze, his mind was already a mess from being abused all night, and combined with the overwhelming psychological pressure, he simply couldn't answer.
"One."
As the final "one" fell, Yu Xiaogang's heart was completely submerged in fear. He looked at Shadow Three with pleading eyes and whispered through a hoarse throat.
"No... don't..."
"Don't stop, is that it? I'll satisfy you."
But Shadow Three clearly wouldn't grant his wish. Before Yu Xiaogang could finish, he ripped off his fingernail.
"Ah--"
Hearing the scream beside his ear, Shadow Three felt nothing but satisfaction. Torturing people! The best feedback was the victim's screams; otherwise, if he were the only one doing the work and the other party had no reaction, how boring that would be!
He glanced at Yu Xiaogang's left and right hands, and seeing that the wounds on both sides were symmetrical, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Creak--"
Hearing the sound of the cell door opening, Shadow Three looked back and saw that it was Qian Renxue. He immediately bowed in salute.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
"Rise."
Qian Renxue replied indifferently.
Seeing Qian Renxue again, Yu Xiaogang's attitude had changed drastically. The arrogance and toughness of yesterday were gone; now, he only wanted to beg humbly, asking Qian Renxue to show mercy and let him go. He would agree to any condition.
"Please, let... let me go! I can agree to any condition..."
Seeing that Yu Xiaogang's backbone and pride had been completely beaten out of him after only one night, Qian Renxue felt even more disgusted.
How she wished Bibi Dong could see this man's current face, to see just how blind she had been to choose someone so weak, incompetent, and of such poor character. It was a pity that she couldn't; she couldn't beat Bibi Dong, and the person would just be taken away.
"Let... let me go."
As Yu Xiaogang spoke, he even started to cry, and he cried so uglily that Shadow Three's hands grew itchy again.
Qian Renxue also found it disgusting. Like Bibi Dong, she had no feelings for those who groveled before her and only admired those who ignored her. Now, Yu Xiaogang's behavior only made Qian Renxue loathe him more. Unable to stand it any longer, she asked.
"Speak?"
Hearing Qian Renxue's question, Yu Xiaogang was ecstatic. The fact that the other side was asking a question meant there was a possibility of being released. He urgently controlled his sobbing, opened his mouth, and wanted to ask what he should say.
But Qian Renxue's next sentence left Yu Xiaogang completely bewildered.
"Not going to speak, then? Fine, keep beating him."
Qian Renxue stepped back, making room for Shadow Three. Shadow Three understood his master's intent, wore a smile that suggested he was "blessed once more," and looked at Yu Xiaogang.
"The Young Master gave you a chance, but you're useless! Why won't you speak?"
As the words fell, another whip lashed out.
"I'll speak. (What?)"
"Ah--"
Yu Xiaogang wanted to ask what he should say, but as the whip struck and the familiar pain surged, all he could blurt out was an instinctive scream.
For the next half hour, Yu Xiaogang received another round of "loving lashes." During this time, Shadow Three kept asking him, "Will you speak? Will you speak?", which nearly caused his mental state to collapse.
Speak about what?! You damn well ask me!!
Yu Xiaogang roared internally. As for why it was internal, it was because his mouth was too busy.
"Alright, stop."
"You go out first."
Qian Renxue ordered them to stop. After watching Yu Xiaogang get beaten for half an hour, she felt much better, and it was time to discuss serious matters.
Shadow Three obeyed and left, and Qian Renxue began her interrogation.
"Tell me about your past with the Pope, Bibi Dong."
Dazed and confused after a round of lashing, Yu Xiaogang had no brainpower left to think about anything else. Upon hearing the question, he immediately spilled everything about his past with Bibi Dong like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, hoping only to avoid another brutal beating.
"In the year 2617 of the Douluo Calendar, after I left my family, I never saw Bibi Dong again."
Yu Xiaogang spoke in fits and starts. His mind was a complete mess, and his speech was not particularly coherent, but Qian Renxue had already grasped the general sequence of events.
However, things were a bit different from what Qian Renxue had imagined. Yu Xiaogang was not a new flame of Bibi Dong, but an old one, and this old flame had been forced into existence by her own Father. But then, how did her Father develop a relationship with his disciple that went beyond the bond of master and student? It was all a bit messy!
Qian Renxue never considered that Qian Xunji might have used force, because in her heart, her father was not that kind of person. With her mother's cold distance and her father's affection during her childhood, the two treated her in completely different ways, so she naturally leaned toward her father.
Using the storytelling to stall for time, Yu Xiaogang had regained a bit of clarity. But once the story was finished, he realized that Qian Renxue had kidnapped him just to listen to gossip, and he was completely stunned.
If you wanted to hear gossip, you should have just said so! Yu Xiaogang thought. Between the kidnapping and the life-threatening beatings, what kind of decent person uses such a devilish process to ask questions? Clearly, he was ignoring the issue of his own arrogance.
However, it didn't take long before the sleepless night combined with the dual torture of mind and body caused him to collapse completely. His head drooped, and he lost consciousness.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader