The sky was shrouded in dark clouds, lightning and thunder roaring incessantly, the atmosphere so ominous it felt as if it was about to collapse, leaving one's heart skittering with fear.
"Aaah!"
A shrill scream echoed from a room, deafening and shriller than even the uproar of the thunderstorm.
A frail woman was bound to a cross. Chains secured her firmly, making her immobile.
Two burly men whipped the woman viciously with barbed lashes. Every attack bore fresh, raw flesh from her body, pushing her to the brink of unbearable agony, leaving her with nothing to do other than to let out screams of horror.
Her entire body left a horrible mess of blood and flesh. Her clothing was torn and tattered revealing skin inverted from the vicious abuse. Several wounds were deeply gashed to the bone, making for a terrifying sight.
Not far away, a richly dressed woman watched the brutal and bloody scene with an undaunted expression. With a raised hand, she signaled the burly men to stop. Taking two steps forward, she cupped the chin of the female captive," Hua Xiwu, I'll give you one last chance. Will you agree now?"
The woman known as Hua Xiwu was a sight of bloody tears. However, her eyes sparkled brightly as she stared intently at the rich woman as if imprinting her image into her mind. After a moment, she spat a mouthful of blood aggressively at the rich woman's feet, breaking into a maniacal laugh, "Tch! Fourth Aunt, even if I die, I won't let you win!"
"Slap!"
Fourth Aunt, in fury and humiliation, slapped Hua Xiwu violently on her face. Not satisfied, she rained more slaps onto Hua Xiwu, the woman's mouth gushing with blood. Fourth Aunt's face contorted with anger, "You wretch! Very well! I'll show you there's more cruelty where this comes from. You want to die? Relax, I won't grant you that wish. I'll make you wish for death! Guards!"
"Yes, madam!"
Two maidservants walked forward. They glanced at Hua Xiwu before extracting a set of steel needles from their sleeves.
The gleaming needle points reflected threatening glints in the candlelight. Fourth Aunt snickered coldly, "Hua Xiwu, enjoy your evening! And remember, avoid the vital spots, but don't miss any sensitive spots!"
"Yes, madam!"
"Hahaha!"
Fourth Aunt chuckled heartily as she left the room, leaving the woman inside to shriek with rising intensity of agony...
Day turned to night and then back to day. Pouring rain came and went. Several days passed. Hua Xizhuan had been tortured until her face was unrecognizable. Her body had been pierced with steel needles which were repeatedly inserted and removed. By now, she nearly resembled a colander, her body riddled with holes, from which a mix of blood and pus flowed, emitting a nauseating smell.
An older female servant walked to the portal, "Is that wretch still refusing to talk?"
The doorman shook his head.
"Tch!" She spat out in disdain, her voice cold, "The Madam has ordered to take her to the Yilan Courtyard."
"Yes!"
...
Pain!
Hua Xizhuan was shocked awake by the intense pain.
The agonizing pain appeared boundless, infiltrating every corner of her body like tidal water. Cold sweat instantly broke out on her forehead, and she couldn't help but cry out in pain.
An unfamiliar but somehow recognizable voice eerily resounded by her ear, "Well? Still refusing to marry? I'll give you one last chance, if you still refuse to marry, I will send you to the butcher Li who lives five miles to the east. This butcher Li is not a man of tenderness, he..."
The voice began to blur. Countless images flooded Hua Xizhuan's mind like a silent film, causing so much agony that she nearly passed out once again.
After a long pause, Hua Xizhuan opened her eyes again, her formerly frail and tenacious gaze now replaced with a cold and ruthless one.
Not far away, a burly man with a meaty face held a whip in his hand. Each time he swung it, a piece of Hua Xizhuan's clothing was stripped away, causing her already wounded body to bleed profusely.
A snickering Butcher Li approached, "Sweetheart, behave. I've been very gentle with you. Be good now..." As Butcher Li spoke, he reached out with his greasy left hand towards Hua Xizhuan's chin, his right hand casually snapped the whip, making a resounding "crack" on the ground, "In a moment, I'll make you feel like you're in heaven...".
Regrettably, before Porky Li's hand could touch Hua Xiban’s chin, he suddenly felt a tightening around his wrist. Before he had time to react, a cracking sound echoed from his wrist.
Intense pain surged through him, Porky Li instinctively wanted to yell, but a swift hand was suddenly wrapped around his throat, subsequently, a mild crack was heard again. His mouth agape, he found himself unable to utter a shred of sound.
Hua Xiban swiftly kicked Porky Li's kneecap, and after he toppled over, she continued to kick, connecting with various joints throughout his body. In no time at all, Hua Xiban had dislocated all his joints, including the cartilage in his throat, rendering him to be completely motionless, resembling a heap of lifeless meat. His eyes were wide open staring at Hua Xiban in terror, but his body was immobilized!
Having done this, Hua Xiban collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. The searing pain on her body was almost commandeering her consciousness. She bit her lip hard, tearing several cloth strips from her already tattered dress, and wrapped up the parts on her body that were bleeding heavily. Afterwards, she stood up and, walked to the outer room, following the directions stored in her memory.
Just before, the intense pain from the influx of newfound memories left her unable to comply with Auntie Four’s interrogation, which led the latter to believe Hua was still resistant. Angered, Auntie Four indeed handed her over to Porky Li. Of course, Auntie Four didn’t actually intend for Porky Li to violate Hua, she was merely attempting to induce fear in Hua for submission.
Currently, Auntie Four, was anxiously waiting in the outer room, wanting to check up on the situation yet fearing being discovered and tipping Hua off.
She had exhausted all kinds of punishments on Hua Xiban, but the girl just wouldn’t budge. Threatening her chastity was her final trump card.
As Auntie Four was anxiously waiting, she suddenly noticed a shadow emerging behind her. Upon turning her head, she was met with a face streaked with blood and sweat, causing Auntie Four to gasp in terror. She instinctively wanted to scream, but before she could even utter a sound, a severe pain struck the back of her head, and her vision blackened as she instantly fell unconscious.
Gazing at the woman in front of her adorned with fancy clothing and makeup, Hua Xiban's eyes were filled with palpable rage. Her body covered in wounds and needle marks, were the masterpiece of this woman standing before her!