Chapter Ninety-Two: Torment

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Chapter Ninety-Two

“Tsk, tsk. What a lovely little girl. No wonder the young master treasures her so much. What a pity.” The man shook his head with a sigh, then forcibly took her from the other man's arms.

Li Ye watched helplessly as the woman was snatched away from his embrace, and there was nothing he could do. His eyes instantly turned bloodred, and the look he shot the man was savage enough to devour him alive. At the same time, he struggled to circulate the power within his body, trying to break through the restraint.

But the man was extremely cautious. After taking the girl, he turned and signaled to the man behind him. “Fourth, go force that medicine down his throat.”

“Got it, Brother Zhong.” The man called Fourth responded, pulled a bamboo tube from his waist, and walked toward Li Ye.

Knowing that whatever they meant to give him could not be anything good, Li Ye shut his mouth tight. Fourth pinched and pried at him, using every method he could, but still could not make him open his mouth. Helpless, he turned to He Zhong, the one he had called Brother Zhong.

“Won’t drink it? No matter. Fourth, bring the medicine here and feed it to this child instead.”

Seeing this, He Zhong did not hurry at all. Instead, he directed his gaze at the girl in his hands and threatened him with her.

“Oh, all right!” Fourth immediately turned back at once. With the bamboo tube in hand, he was about to pour the medicine down her throat.

“Wait. I’ll drink it!”

Li Ye knew that once he spoke, he would lose any chance of turning the tables. But how could he let them give her something of unknown effect?

As long as he still drew breath, he would not let her be harmed before his eyes.

Fourth grabbed Li Ye by the hair and forced his head back, then poured a whole tube of foul, fishy medicine straight into his mouth. Li Ye swallowed too late and choked into a fit of coughing, while much of the liquid ran down his neck and soaked into his collar.

Less than two minutes after he finished drinking, once the medicine took effect, He Zhong released his control over Li Ye. But Li Ye soon discovered that he could not feel even the slightest trace of power within himself. That medicine had ruined it.

“How is it? Is it pleasant, having no power at all?” He Zhong asked deliberately.

Li Ye said nothing. He only felt relief that he had not let them force that medicine on her. Her body was already in bad enough shape; if she lost her power too, who knew what would become of her?

Seeing no anger on his face, He Zhong immediately grew displeased. His eyes rolled, and he threw a dagger down before Li Ye.

“I know you’re formidable. Even without your power, you could still get out of here. So for safety’s sake, you’d best cut off both your arms and legs yourself.”

Li Ye picked up the dagger and lifted his eyes to look at him. The man’s hand was on the girl’s throat, tightening little by little.

Li Ye withdrew his gaze, then briskly severed the sinews in his left hand and both legs. Finally, the dagger spun once in his right hand, cut the sinews there as well, and fell to the ground. With his leg tendons cut, he could no longer stand and collapsed heavily.

“Crawl over here! Crawl like a dog!”

He Zhong kept his hand on the girl’s neck as he threatened Li Ye.

Li Ye glanced at him, his eyes cold and empty. He propped himself up on his elbows and slowly crawled forward as ordered. Because his arms were weak, he fell several times, then struggled to push himself up again, until at last he crawled to He Zhong’s feet, only to be kicked down to the ground.

He Zhong raised his foot and ground it hard into Li Ye’s face, laughing wildly.

“Hahaha! Li Ye, who would have thought you’d end up like this?” Looking at the once-dreaded Bloodthirsty Asura now lying before him with his sinews in ruin, He Zhong burst into triumphant laughter, every note thick with the pleasure of vengeance.

“What happened? What has our great chief laughing so happily?”

At that moment, a woman’s voice came from the doorway. A hot-bodied woman stepped in on a pair of black heels at least four inches high.

Her slender heels tapped the floor at an unhurried pace, while the graceful curve of her hips, wrapped in black leather trousers, swayed with each step. Her alluring figure made every man present swallow involuntarily.

The woman walked to He Zhong’s side, looked down at the man beneath his foot, licked her vivid red lips, and asked, “Where did you get this piece from? He has a fine body. May I borrow him for a little fun?”

“Miss Wen, if you want a man, anyone in the stronghold that catches your eye is yours. But this one won’t do. He’s my enemy, and I will never let him off easily.” Though He Zhong was the chief here, he did not seem to dare act grandly before the woman called Wen Yue. Seeing that she appeared interested in Li Ye, he spoke with visible urgency.

“Your enemy?” Wanqi Wen Yue’s eyes glittered, her brows lifting slightly as her voice rose in a light, teasing note. Noting his anxiety and the hatred in his gaze, she asked curiously, “What sort of grudge?”

“He killed my older brother!” He Zhong said through gritted teeth, then kicked Li Ye hard several times.

“You young master Li must have long since forgotten. The one you broke to pieces and tortured to death three years ago, He Kun, was my brother! If my brother had not fought desperately to stop you, I would never have escaped your poisonous hands! I hid in this hellhole for three years just to avoid your hunt. I thought I would never have my revenge in this lifetime, but I never imagined heaven would open its eyes: I awakened a special power, and then you were delivered right to my doorstep, giving me the chance to avenge my brother with my own hands! Tell me, how should I torment you?” He Zhong stepped on Li Ye and spoke with venom.

At this, Li Ye slowly lowered his eyes, saying nothing.

Long ago, when he began killing with methods of torture and slaughter, he had already considered that one day he might be treated the same way. Yet he had never changed his ways, because he believed only bloody terror could restrain senseless killing. Today that reckoning had come upon him, and it could only be blamed on his own lack of caution.

So he had nothing to say.

“That is truly unfortunate.” Wanqi Wen Yue knew that unless the man died, He Zhong would never let him go, and so she said this.

She spoke of regret, yet there was not the slightest trace of it in her eyes. Bored, she shifted her gaze, and when it landed on the little girl in He Zhong’s hands, a faint light flickered there.

Hearing her words, He Zhong narrowed his eyes, then said, “I can’t hand him over to you, Miss Wen, but letting you look is no problem. You lot, strip him for me. And make sure you strip him clean!”

The people in the room, apart from Wanqi Wen Yue, were all He Zhong’s trusted men. At his command, they immediately surged forward and tore Li Ye’s clothes to shreds.

“Well? Miss Wen, isn’t this man built well?”

“Mm. He really is exquisite.” Wanqi Wen Yue admired Li Ye’s taut muscles, long legs, perfect proportions, sensual lines, and masculine endowment without the slightest embarrassment.

“Hang him up for me, and let Miss Wen have a proper look! The young master of the Li family is not something just anyone can see!”

He Zhong deliberately emphasized Li Ye’s status as the young master in order to humiliate him mentally.

Sure enough, Li Ye’s expression darkened at the words, his gaze turning sharp.

But that look could not frighten He Zhong in the least. In fact, He Zhong rather enjoyed seeing it, because the more unwilling and unyielding the other man was, the more it stirred his appetite for cruelty.

Once Li Ye had been bound in a cruciform shape by iron chains, He Zhong handed the girl to Fourth, who had been following him, and took up an iron rod himself before stepping in front of Li Ye.

“Back then you broke my brother’s bones. Today I’ll let you taste what it feels like when every bone in your body is shattered.”

With that, He Zhong raised the iron rod and slammed it hard down on Li Ye’s hanging arm.

The sound of bones breaking rang sharply through the room, making many of those present shudder. Yet Li Ye did not even furrow his brow.

Seeing this, He Zhong raised the rod again, breaking Li Ye’s arms and legs one by one, then lashed him violently with the iron bar until he felt tired and finally stopped.

“Come, the rest of you go together and give him a proper welcome!”

After venting a portion of the hatred in his heart, He Zhong handed the task of beating Li Ye over to his subordinates.

The five men in the room responded by grabbing whatever was at hand, some wooden clubs, some belts, and turned them all upon Li Ye.

He Zhong threw the iron rod into the fire burning in the room, then looked at Li Ye, who at last showed pain, and grinned viciously. “Young master, you’d best work hard and not let yourself die. If you die before I’ve exhausted my methods, then don’t blame me for using the rest of them on your precious little heart’s desire!”

At this, Li Ye’s eyes flew wide open, his expression ferocious as though he meant to tear someone apart. The men beating him could not help but take a step back.

Yet his expression only delighted He Zhong, who laughed triumphantly once more.

“This little girl is your enemy too?” Wanqi Wen Yue suddenly asked when she heard this.

“Not exactly. But she is that man’s treasure. If I didn’t have her in my hands, I could never have subdued him so easily.” He Zhong shook his head.

Though the girl was not his enemy, she was the chip with which he controlled Li Ye. If blame had to be laid, it could only be that Li Ye valued her too much; otherwise, he would not have laid hands on her at all.

Hearing this, Wanqi Wen Yue turned her gaze once more on the little girl. “Fourth, bring her here so I can have a look.”

Fourth did not move. He only looked back at He Zhong.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. Apart from men, what Miss Wen likes most are little lolis like this. I can’t hand over the man, but this little girl is no matter.” Realizing this, He Zhong showed an enlightened expression and motioned for Fourth to pass the child to her.

At that moment, Li Ye struggled violently, staring fixedly at Wanqi Wen Yue as though if she dared do anything to the girl, he would pounce and tear her to pieces.

Wanqi Wen Yue took his expression in at a glance, then curled her lips disdainfully.

He could hardly save himself. What good would unwillingness do? Men really were useless things.

Indeed, seeing Li Ye struggle, He Zhong raised a hand to stop his men, then walked over and admired the wounds covering his body.

“Quite spirited, aren’t you? Why don’t we do something a little more interesting?”

He came behind him, patted the already bruised and swollen flesh of his rear, and felt the muscles beneath twitch and stiffen all at once. Then he laughed again.