“Next, we shall proceed to the second game of this evening.” Suo Lun said, “From this point on, you had best answer whatever I ask you. Otherwise, you shall suffer pain unlike anything you have ever known.”
The first thing Suo Lun did was the Golden Rooster Standing on One Leg.
By now, Gui Qinshao’s hands were already bound, suspending her in mid-air.
Next, Suo Lun bound and hoisted her other leg as well. Instantly, her two legs formed an absolute split.
And what was most agonising was that now, only one of Gui Qinshao’s feet touched the ground.
This was incomparably humiliating, and incomparably painful.
In mere moments, Gui Qinshao’s entire body was drenched in sweat like flowing paste. Every muscle in her body trembled.
Suo Lun gave the rope a sharp tug. Instantly, only one of her toes touched the ground, supporting half the weight of her body.
“Argh…”
And she could not make a sound at all. The immense pain could not be released. In mere moments, tears were already gushing forth.
“Next, I shall release the seal upon your mouth’s nerves, allowing you to speak.” Suo Lun said, “However… the moment you cry out loud enough for those outside to hear, my knife dipped in bone-etching fluid shall slash directly across your face, disfiguring you.”
This was, without question, the greatest threat to Gui Qinshao.
Then, Zhi Yan released part of the seal upon Gui Qinshao, allowing her to open her mouth and speak.
Suo Lun asked, “Tell me, how many troops and how many ships are involved in your attack upon Tianshui City, and when shall the attack commence?”
“Ptooey…” Gui Qinshao’s response was a gob of spittle, landing directly upon Suo Lun’s face.
“Dream on if you think I shall betray my father.” Gui Qinshao said coldly.
And strangely, her beautiful eyes were filled with pain, humiliation, yet also another exceedingly peculiar gleam.
Suo Lun took out a whip, dipped it in water, then lashed out with a fierce swing, striking Gui Qinshao’s incomparably delicate skin.
“Smack…”
This was a specially made whip, so the sound was not particularly loud, but it hurt terribly…
Gui Qinshao trembled violently from the pain, shuddering fiercely, tears surging forth.
“Tell me, how many troops and how many ships are attacking Tianshui City, and when shall the attack commence?” Suo Lun asked again.
“Ptooey…”
The response to Suo Lun was another gob of spittle.
“Smack, smack, smack, smack…”
Suo Lun’s whip struck again and again. The pain twisted Gui Qinshao’s face almost beyond recognition, nearly causing her to bite her gums until they bled.
But strangely, she did not let out a single scream. She endured it in silence.
After a full dozen or so lashes, Gui Qinshao’s delicate body was covered in wounds from head to toe.
“Tell me, how many troops and how many ships are attacking Tianshui City, and when shall the attack commence?”
The response to Suo Lun was a gob of spittle tinged with blood.
For Gui Qinshao had already bitten her gums until they bled.
This… this was not reasonable.
When had the pampered and spoiled Gui Qinshao become like Qiu Jin, who would rather die than submit?
Under such severe torture, she still refused to confess?
…
However, this was merely the beginning.
Gui Qinshao’s subsequent performance completely overturned Suo Lun’s understanding.
Whether by whipping or by scalding molten wax, nothing could make her open her mouth. Her eternal response to Suo Lun was her spittle.
And most crucially, the light in her beautiful eyes grew increasingly frenzied, as though fierce flames were blazing within.
Suo Lun was completely certain. This was a person with a high degree of masochistic tendencies.
In the end, Suo Lun employed every single method he possessed upon Gui Qinshao’s body.
She still did not confess.
Later on, she even gazed at Suo Lun provocatively.
“Gui Qinshao, you have forced my hand.” Suo Lun said coldly.
“Come then. Whatever methods you have, use them all.” Gui Qinshao said through gritted teeth.
Suo Lun took out a box and opened it.
Inside were colourful caterpillars, each one poisonous.
Of course, these poisons were not fatal, but they would cause the skin to swell and burn with unbearable pain.
At the time when Suo Lun had bullied Tu Lingduo, there had been merely one caterpillar.
But now, Suo Lun’s box contained at least several dozen caterpillars.
When Gui Qinshao saw them, her expression changed completely. For the first time, a truly fearful light appeared in her eyes. Her incomparably beautiful face instantly lost all colour.
“Suo Lun, how dare you?” Gui Qinshao was about to scream out loud.
But in that very first instant, her small mouth was stuffed with a cloth gag, rendering her completely unable to make a sound.
“If you are willing to confess, simply nod your head, and I shall remove the cloth gag from your mouth.” Suo Lun said.
Then, Suo Lun picked up one poisonous caterpillar and moved it towards Gui Qinshao’s chest, inch by inch.
“Mmm, mmm…” Gui Qinshao emitted suppressed cries filled with terror from her mouth, yet she continued to shake her head.
Finally, Suo Lun placed the first colourful poisonous caterpillar directly upon her neck.
“Argh… argh…” Gui Qinshao struggled desperately, trembling violently. Then her beautiful eyes rolled back, and she fainted directly.
Her martial arts were not inconsiderable, yet she was terrified to such a degree.
A bowl of cold water was splashed upon her, and Gui Qinshao once more slowly came to.
Suo Lun asked, “How many troops and how many ships shall attack Tianshui City, and when?”
Gui Qinshao’s face was covered in tears, yet she still shook her head desperately.
She was already terrified to such an extent, and still she would not speak?
Suo Lun then placed the entire box of caterpillars before her and said, “If you still refuse to confess, I shall pour all these insects upon your body.”
“Mmm, mmm, mmm…” Gui Qinshao shook her head desperately, tears gushing forth, her beautiful eyes filled with absolute pleading.
“How many troops and how many ships shall attack Tianshui City, and when?”
Gui Qinshao still shook her head desperately.
Suo Lun poured all the poisonous caterpillars towards her body.
Instantly, Gui Qinshao’s terror reached its absolute peak. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away once more.
Of course, before she fainted, Suo Lun withdrew his hand and did not pour the insects upon her body.
For once she fainted, she would no longer feel fear.
At this moment, Suo Lun truly looked upon Gui Qinshao with new eyes. It was completely unimaginable. Previously, she had not confessed because of her masochistic tendencies.
But now, she was clearly terrified to the extreme, yet still she had not confessed. This truly surprised him greatly.
…
Once more, Suo Lun splashed cold water upon Gui Qinshao to wake her.
She immediately looked towards her own body. Seeing no caterpillars, she let out a long sigh of relief.
However, in the next instant, her soul nearly flew from her body in terror.
For Suo Lun placed the knife with bone-etching fluid before her, gesturing towards her incomparably beautiful face.
“Gui Qinshao, I know that what you cherish most of all is this pretty face of yours, even more than your own life.” Suo Lun said.
Of course this was so. Gui Qinshao would rather live decades shorter than allow her beautiful face to suffer the slightest damage.
“This is bone-etching fluid, combined with another terrible poison.” Suo Lun said, “When I use this dagger to slash open your face, your flesh shall melt and twist. Your incomparably beautiful face shall not merely be ruined. It shall become uglier than any woman in the entire world, even uglier than vengeful ghosts and demons. Any man who sees you shall have nightmares.”
At this moment, Gui Qinshao’s fear rose to its absolute peak.
Her pretty face was her life, surpassing everything.
If her face were ruined, what meaning would there be in her living upon this world?
She shook her head desperately, her eyes revealing boundless pleading.
“Tell me, how many troops and how many ships shall attack Tianshui City, and when?” Suo Lun asked.
This time, Gui Qinshao did not shake her head. She merely stared at him with wide eyes.
Suo Lun removed the cloth gag from her mouth.
Gui Qinshao wept and said, “Suo Lun, I am the most selfish woman in this entire world. I cherish my beauty more than anything, even more than my own life.”
Suo Lun nodded.
Gui Qinshao said, “I once always believed that there was nothing in this world that could make me sacrifice even the tiniest bit of my own interests. Merely because Tu Lingduo displeased me, I would go and harm her. Merely because Zhi Yan was more beautiful than I, I wished to use any method possible to kill her, to ruin her face. I always believed there was nothing that could compare to my life, my beauty. Yet…”
Gui Qinshao’s face was covered in tears.
“Yet, only now do I know that there is still one thing in this world that surpasses my life, my beauty. That is… my father and mother.” Gui Qinshao shook her head and said, “You may do anything to me. You may defile me ten times, a hundred times more. Of course, you may also ruin my face and make me uglier than a vengeful ghost. But I shall absolutely never betray my father.”
“Of course, if you ruin my face, the moment I regain my freedom, I shall immediately kill myself. What meaning is there in living without a beautiful face?” Gui Qinshao finally sobbed uncontrollably, “I truly regret it now. Why did I come here? I wished to take revenge upon my father, upon Ling Ao. I clearly knew what would happen if I came to see you? I… I originally believed you would merely possess and torment me once more. I originally believed this would be more or less like… **.”
“But I never imagined it would be like this. You would make me betray my father. I truly cannot do it!”
In the end, Gui Qinshao was completely overcome with sobs.
Suo Lun gazed at her in astonishment. Such a Gui Qinshao was truly something he had never imagined.
He had originally believed this extremely selfish woman would betray anyone for her own benefit.
Yet, when faced with her parents, she would rather be disfigured, would rather die, than betray her father.
And just today, her father Gui Xingfu had fiercely slapped her across the face. She had felt betrayed by the entire world.
Yet she still possessed what she cherished most of all.
Instantly, Suo Lun felt as though he were seeing Gui Qinshao for the very first time.
And right at this moment, Tu Lingduo’s voice suddenly rang in Suo Lun’s ears, audible only to him and Princess Zhi Yan.
“Suo Lun, you wish to know how many troops, how many ships, and when they shall attack Tianshui City, do you not? I can tell you.” Tu Lingduo said coldly, “However, I have one condition.”