Inhuman Cruelty

"Murong Mo... y-you're actually still alive!?"

Di Nüfeng stared at Li Xuanxiao before her in utter disbelief.

Li Xuanxiao blinked.

He had never imagined that he would meet Di Nüfeng again in this manner.

Sure enough, she had not perished together with Liu Qiushui.

That day on Mount Wu Wang, after personally seeing Liu Qiushui beat Li Xuanxiao to death,

Di Nüfeng and Liu Qiushui had launched into a chaotic battle, worsening the injuries they had only just begun to recover from.

Then a third party had interfered. Left with no choice, both sides tacitly withdrew from the battlefield to avoid letting someone else reap the rewards.

After returning, Di Nüfeng had even erected a cenotaph for Li Xuanxiao.

She had even sworn before his grave that one day, she would bring Liu Qiushui's head there to pay tribute to him.

Who would have thought that she would encounter Li Xuanxiao once again today?

Li Xuanxiao forced a smile. "Actually... actually, I'm still alive."

Di Nüfeng raised a brow and looked toward the Nascent Soul Old Demon who had brought Li Xuanxiao and Zhang Tianxin back.

The Nascent Soul Old Demon hurriedly explained, "Honored Mistress, these two are both connected to His Lordship's disappearance. I suspect they captured His Lordship."

Di Nüfeng nodded thoughtfully, then looked back at Li Xuanxiao.

"You're alive, so why didn't you come find me?"

"Oh, you... went back to Shu Mountain again. You already agreed to be my underling, yet you went back on your word. I hate people who go back on their word the most!!"

Di Nüfeng planted her hands on her hips, rose from her seat, and paced back and forth.

"Heh, and here I was, setting up a cenotaph for you and having people offer sacrifices to you. You ungrateful thing...

Were you acting on Shu Mountain's orders when you took our His Lordship away? Are you going to talk or not?"

Li Xuanxiao forced a smile. "Boss... may I ask who this His Lordship is?"

"Playing dumb!"

Di Nüfeng said coldly.

A red whip appeared in her hand.

Smack!!

With a crack of the whip came a scream.

"Will you talk! Will you talk! Will you talk! I'll teach you to be so stubborn!!"

"Ahhh..."

Li Xuanxiao blinked and glanced at Zhang Tianxin, who was being brutally beaten.

Zhang Tianxin's mouth twitched, her eyes wide.

Did she... hit the wrong person?

Why was she hitting me?

If he wouldn't talk, hit him!

"Stubborn as a dead duck, are you?"

The red whip seemed to have been infused with spiritual power, as could be seen from Zhang Tianxin's even more miserable screams.

This time, it hurt even more.

Li Xuanxiao swallowed. This was inhumanly cruel!!

He felt that if this continued, Zhang Tianxin would be beaten to death.

"...Boss, I truly don't know who this His Lordship you're looking for is. I was just passing by, just passing by. This has nothing to do with me."

Zhang Tianxin's wails grew increasingly shrill.

In the end, Di Nüfeng even rolled up her sleeves and started whipping her.

Zhang Tianxin was beaten until the sour fluid she vomited splashed onto Li Xuanxiao.

At last, Di Nüfeng seemed a little tired from beating her and stretched lazily.

"Come, lock them up. After I rest, I'll interrogate them properly."

"Yes!"

Zhang Tianxin and Li Xuanxiao were locked in separate cells.

Zhang Tianxin was thrown onto the damp ground, sucking in cold breaths from the pain.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, are you all right?"

Li Xuanxiao's voice came from the cell opposite hers.

Zhang Tianxin: ...

If I said I was fine, would you believe me?

Li Xuanxiao said admiringly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you truly live up to being a disciple of a righteous and renowned sect. Even after being beaten like this, you still haven't said a word. I admire you!"

Zhang Tianxin's mouth twitched. She... she... she never asked me anything!!!

She only beat me up!!

I wanted to speak, but did she ever ask me?

She just kept whipping me.

Zhang Tianxin looked at Li Xuanxiao with resentment in her eyes.

"Who is that woman?"

Li Xuanxiao slowly replied, "Di Nüfeng."

"Di Nüfeng!?" Zhang Tianxin's expression changed drastically. "That Di Nüfeng from the Heavenly Fiend Hall?"

"That's her." Li Xuanxiao nodded.

"It seems there is absolutely no way out for either of us.

I heard that Di Nüfeng kills people like flies. She enjoys torturing righteous sect disciples to death, watching them beg bitterly, then giving them hope before finally plunging them into despair..."

Zhang Tianxin looked at the wounds on her body. It seemed today had merely been an appetizer.

"By the way, it seems like you know that Di Nüfeng."

"...More or less. I have some history with her!"

Some history?

No wonder she had only beaten her today. This was probably psychological warfare—making Li Xuanxiao terrified and trembling with fear.

He would constantly be wondering when it would be his turn. That was far more terrifying than pain inflicted directly upon the body.

It was like the difference between a slap that landed on your face and a slap that you had no idea when it would land on your face. Their levels of terror were simply not comparable.

Having figured all this out, Zhang Tianxin turned to look at Li Xuanxiao in the opposite cell.

Just as she was about to offer him a few words of comfort, she froze.

Li Xuanxiao's cell contained a spacious, brightly lit room with a large soft and comfortable bed. The bed was covered with thick velvet blankets.

Not far from the bed stood an exquisitely crafted table, its surface polished smooth as a mirror, its four legs carved with delicate floral patterns like a work of art.

A lavish chandelier hung overhead, its dazzling crystal pendants glittering with brilliant light.

There was even a dressing table in one corner of the room...

Zhang Tianxin looked back at her own cell. The only item in it was a bucket.

For holding her waste.

Zhang Tianxin: (⊙o⊙)...

"Y-you're a spy for the demonic sect, aren't you!!!"

Li Xuanxiao calmly explained, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, this is the demonic sect's scheme to drive a wedge between us. Don't fall for it!!"

Zhang Tianxin nodded thoughtfully, suddenly enlightened. "The demonic sect truly is sinister!"

"Time to eat."

At that moment, a demonic sect disciple walked over and casually tossed a bowl of food into Zhang Tianxin's cell.

Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators had not yet transcended the need for food and still required it to sustain their lives.

Zhang Tianxin looked at her meal. It had both meat and vegetables—not especially good, but not too bad either.

Then she looked at Li Xuanxiao.

He was given no food at all. The demonic sect disciple simply turned and left.

This made Zhang Tianxin believe Li Xuanxiao's explanation even more firmly. The other side was trying to sow discord between them.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you should eat some too."

Zhang Tianxin wanted to hand her food to Li Xuanxiao, but discovered that the distance was too great for her to reach him.

Li Xuanxiao shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, you suffered such severe injuries today. You should restore your strength first. It doesn't matter if I go hungry for a few meals."

Zhang Tianxin nodded and stopped insisting, stuffing the food into her mouth in large bites.

Once the food entered her stomach, she truly felt somewhat better.

At that moment, the demonic sect disciple returned, pushing a small dining cart over.

"Hey, this is your food."