It is well-known that intruders in the manor face a horrific fate, blood flowing like a river.
What is less known is that the strongest boss carefully washes his hands before entering the room, living in trepidation beside the bed of the person who saved him, hesitantly saying, “I’ve cleaned myself… can you hold me now?”
—“I won’t allow anything filthy to approach you, including myself.”
【A Charmer · Determined to Rescue the Powerful and Tragic · Top vs. Unyielding Once Committed · Disturbingly Ill Receiver】
The discussions about childhood memories on StarNet are coming in one after another, increasing in fervor to the point that it even eclipses the incident involving the royal heir Lu Yuan Zhao’s mental energy injury.
In the hospital, the atmosphere is similar.
Although Lu Yuan Zhao usually garners a crowd of followers, the news of his psychic core being shattered leaves no hope for him to become the next Insect King; it is a foregone conclusion.
These followers, initially drawn together for their own benefit, scatter like birds when there are no more gains to be found.
Lu Yuan Zhao gritted his teeth in anger.
At that moment, the hospital room door was pushed open from the outside, and a familiar figure stepped in. “Your Highness, how are you doing?”
In contrast to the sleepless and anxious Lu Yuan Zhao, the tardy Lu Ting appeared rosy and carefree, seemingly having had his cast removed at some point.
“What are you here for? To watch my misfortune?”
Lu Yuan Zhao recalled how it was because he followed Lu Ting’s advice that he foolishly entertained thoughts about a common male insect.
Today’s predicament could not be separated from Lu Ting!
Noticing the anger in Lu Yuan Zhao’s eyes, Lu Ting strolled in leisurely and sat down on the chair beside the bed.
Lu Yuan Zhao snapped, “Who allowed you to sit down?!”
Lu Ting chuckled lightly and rotated his already healed left hand, saying, “Why take your anger out on me? We are both victims of this situation, just as Bai Xingluo is.”
“If it weren’t for you—”
“Your Highness, you are the one who acted. Don’t shift the blame onto me,” Lu Ting replied. “However, I’m here mainly to deliver some news. Bai Xingluo has been captured; you should save your energy for when you entertain him later.”
In the well-guarded Imperial First Prison, the high and sturdy walls towered around desolation, holding the empire’s most dangerous criminals.
Bai Xingluo was kept in the highest security underground cell alone.
Both his hands and feet were shackled with heavy iron restraints.
This special metal is typically used for constructing the exteriors of top-tier mechas; it is incredibly hard and suppresses military females’ psychic energy.
Before him lay several nutrient solutions that had not been touched, as his light blue eyes seemed to lose focus, staring blankly into a particular spot in the air, lost in thought.
Until the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the prison corridor, Bai Xingluo briefly moved, slowly lifting his head.
The footsteps were jumbled.
“Your Highness, be careful. The sinful female is isolated, so it’s best not to get too close.”
Lu Yuan Zhao approached the cell, gazing at Bai Xingluo, who was hanging high behind the bars, with a sickly malice in his eyes.
“Bai Xingluo, you have finally fallen into my hands.”
However, Bai Xingluo barely acknowledged their presence, as if their arrival was hardly worthy of note.
Lu Yuan Zhao was infuriated by his contemptuous attitude and ordered the prison guard, “Open the door.”
“But—”
“I commanded you to open it! Do you intend to protect him?”
“Of course not.”
The prison guard quickly input a string of identity verification codes into the smart device on the right wall of the cell.
The bars creaked open.
“You wretched female! I’d like nothing more than to kill you right here, but I won’t grant you such a quick death.”
Lu Yuan Zhao drew the whip he had brought and slowly walked in, the barbs trailing on the ground with an eerie sound, unnerving and cold.
“Today, I’ll let you experience what it means to wish for death.”
A fierce lash struck Bai Xingluo’s body.
The clean white shirt was immediately torn open, a dark stain of blood blossoming forth.
Yet Bai Xingluo seemed like a soulless shell, not letting out a single cry of pain, not even a groan.
This attitude ignited Lu Yuan Zhao’s fury.
“So you can endure, huh? Then I’m curious to see just how much you can take.”
One lash followed another, filling the empty prison with the sound of the whip slicing through the air.
The prison guard cowered in the corner, trembling, afraid to intervene, while Lu Ting thoughtfully stroked his left hand, enjoying the spectacle before him.
The shirt was no longer recognizable, drenched in blood as it dripped steadily onto the floor.
Lu Yuan Zhao’s arm grew tired, finally stopping, as Bai Xingluo’s body bore no unscathed flesh left.
His lips turned pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and yet he remained utterly silent.
Such brutal scenes added a stunning beauty to that face, which seemed untouched by mortal concerns, captivating in a disconcerting way.
Lu Yuan Zhao tightened his grip on the whip, “You have a rather nice face. What do you think will happen if I ruin it? How would your male lord react?”
At the mention of “male lord,” Bai Xingluo’s eyelashes twitched slightly.
When the next lash came down, Bai Xingluo moved, and an instant later, there was a sharp metallic clang as the whip got entangled in the chains on his hands.
Lu Yuan Zhao felt a foreboding sense of danger.
Bai Xingluo yanked hard, and before Lu Yuan Zhao could react, he was thrown to the ground in front of him, the whip flying from his hands.
A blood-stained hand picked up the whip before his eyes.
In that moment, Lu Yuan Zhao felt a shiver down his spine; his back was drenched, and his pupils contracted in terror.