Li Qiong Yu never picked fights with women, but when it came to matters of his bottom line, he was always unrestrained and fearless.
He walked slowly towards Li Yan.
Each footstep seemed to pound against her heart. Intense fear made her unable to see the man before her clearly.
Li Qiong Yu, the legitimate son of the Marquis of Xuan Ping, had been doing business outside for many years. He was dissolute, carefree, and amorous.
Having known him for so many years, she had never seen this side of him.
"What—what do you want to do?"
Li Yan's voice trembled uncontrollably with fear.
Li Qiong Yu raised an eyebrow and casually picked up a branding iron from the rack.
"I heard the princess was particularly fond of that face of yours. What a pity, it won't be there anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, before Li Yan could react, with a sizzling sound, the red-hot branding iron was pressed fiercely onto her face.
A piercing pain shot through her, burning her so badly that she screamed instantly.
"Ah----"
The shrill screams mingled with the hissing of snakes, echoing tragically in the silent, dark room.
Li Qiong Yu's face was cast in shadow, his expression unreadable, but his actions did not falter.
Li Yan fell to the ground in pain, contorted.
She struggled madly, but the tearing pain from her face and body, coupled with her limbs being held firmly, rendered her completely immobile.
Ah---
Disfigured, she was disfigured!
"Mmm, does it hurt?"
Li Qiong Yu threw down the branding iron and, with a smile, crouched down, pinching Li Yan's jaw.
"She was in a lot of pain too."
Li Yan's tears and snot streamed down her face, which was covered in burned, red, rotten flesh, a truly horrific sight.
"Give her the medicine, don't let her pass out."
"Yes."
Ye Yu approached. "Young Master, shall we take her now?"
Li Qiong Yu slowly stood up. "Let someone come in."
As he spoke, several burly men emerged from a secret passage and dragged the fallen Li Yan into the tunnel.
"Wh—what, you—what are you going to do?"
"We'll take the princess to a place that will make you feel very good. Walk obediently."
Li Yan kicked her legs in terror, wanting to struggle, but the pain on her face spread to her limbs, making it impossible to breathe and completely incapacitating her.
She couldn't even form a complete sentence before being dragged away forcefully.
"Break her legs, lock her in the mirror room on the third floor and treat her well."
Ye Yu trembled. "Yes."
The mirror room, as its name suggested, was entirely surrounded by mirrors. It was a place within the pleasure house specifically designed for torture.
For someone like the Princess of Qinghe, who was so vain, to be forced to look at her own dirty and ugly face, day after day, and receive guests with peculiar tastes, she was bound to go mad.
This kind of mental torment was the most terrifying.
"Don't let her die. Let her live and enjoy it."
"Yes."
Ye Yu followed and left. The secret door closed.
Li Qiong Yu glanced back at Li Cheng, who had been tortured beyond recognition, and curled his lips.
He slowly walked over and stopped in front of him.
The melody ceased abruptly, and all the strange sounds fell silent.
Li Qiong Yu stepped on Li Cheng's face, bending slightly, resting one hand on his bent knee, his demeanor mockingly lazy.
"Your Highness, do you like it?"
Li Cheng's mind was a blank slate. Blood trickled from his temple. Intense fear made him dizzy and his face ashen.
He struggled to open his eyes, enduring the severe pain in his body, and looked at the man above him.
The man who usually seemed the most approachable now resembled a monstrous demon, making his hair stand on end and his chest churn with overwhelming fear.
He wanted to shout loudly but was too terrified to speak.
"Today, Your Highness, I will let you properly taste the flavor of snake soup."
He used the gentlest words to do the cruelest things to him.
A tingling sensation spread from his spine to his scalp. Li Cheng shivered in terror.
"N—no."
He feared snakes the most.
Li Qiong Yu picked up a slender snake and played with it, coiling it around his hand.
"I heard Your Highness has been afraid of snakes since you were young. I wonder if you will still be afraid after today?"
Before Li Cheng could react to his words, a cold touch suddenly brushed his neck. Startled, he looked up and met the gaze of a dark snake head.
"Ah---"
Li Qiong Yu did not give him a chance to faint. The snake coiled around his neck tightened forcefully.
Li Cheng's face instantly turned ashen. He couldn't breathe, unable to draw air.
The large snake head was pressed against his mouth, constantly trying to burrow in.
He was terrified to the point of madness.
Not only him, but everyone present was also terrified, nearly retching. They all lowered their heads.
Li Qiong Yu's face was devoid of any expression, the smile on his lips extremely eerie and terrifying.
He tightened his grip. Seeing that the man was truly unable to bear it, he loosened his hold.
Before Li Cheng could recover from the fear and suffocation, his head was brutally lifted, his mouth torn open, and the entire snake was forcefully shoved into it. A knife was then plunged in.
Blood, tearing, revulsion, vomiting.
It made everyone present tremble with horror.
"Fresh snake soup, Your Highness, please savor it."
Xue Ren handed him a handkerchief from behind.
Li Qiong Yu took the handkerchief and wiped his hands. "Don't let him vomit. Keep pushing it in."
"Yes."
Forced to eat the snake, Li Cheng was so terrified that his eyes rolled back. He couldn't take it and fainted.
"Young Master?"
Li Qiong Yu smiled faintly. "Wake him up."
A splash of icy water soaked him completely. Li Cheng woke up.
"If Your Highness refuses to eat it obediently, we can also cut open your belly and stuff it in."
Li Cheng was forced to kneel on the ground. Hearing these words spoken with a smile, he felt as if death itself was beckoning him.
Overwhelming humiliation and fear left him breathless.
He was held down tightly. Nausea and vomiting surged to his throat, but it was all pushed down with a wooden stick, along with pieces of snake, forcing him to swallow.
This torment seemed to last an eternity, like a thousand cuts.
He wanted to faint, but he couldn't. His pressure points were sealed, leaving him rigid and at their mercy.
Yet Li Qiong Yu still felt it wasn't enough. He walked over gently.
Each footstep sent shivers down his spine.
"Does Your Highness know what 'breaking in an eagle' means?"
Li Cheng was too terrified to react, his mind a blank.
Li Qiong Yu tutted. "So weak."
His jaw was suddenly lifted, and the cold touch sent a chill down his spine.
"How can someone so weak have the courage to harm my person?"
He was smiling, but his eyes held no warmth.
Li Cheng had never known that this Marquis's son, who was usually uninvolved in politics, could be so cruel in secret.
Overwhelming hatred and rage made his mind feel like it would explode.
Don't let him leave alive.
Otherwise, he would use all his might to kill everyone in the Marquis of Xuan Ping's household.
Kill them, kill them all.
Annihilate the entire clan!
Li Qiong Yu was an expert observer. No matter how Li Cheng tried to conceal it, he sensed the hatred and killing intent emanating from him.
He chuckled lightly. "Hmm, it seems I cannot let Your Highness live."
'You dare.'
The tearing sound was as unpleasant as a ghost's wail.
Li Qiong Yu raised an eyebrow. "Your Highness, don't be so foolish. You are an unloved prince. If you die, no one will seek justice for you."