The Phoenix Reborn Book II

Chapter 11 The Price to Pay

‘Should have, I just kissed him,’ thought the man, regretting the thing he had missed. His eyes led to a mossy floor decorated with tanned red patches—a mixture of wet and dry blood. ‘How long have I been here?’ I don't know who it was to.

Suddenly, the man's eyes caught a fist aiming at his body. In a split second, a loud clashing and the shaking of the flesh could be heard accompanied by a heartbreaking cry of pain that shot out from his lips.

The knuckles of the fist are decorated with thin needles that produce small holes when stuck in the body of the target. The resulting wounds are neither large nor life-threatening, but the pain given is able to shake sanity.

“Yunlin, ‘kan?” said the man with long black hair who was tied tight to the back. “The four being subordinates of the Li family should have made you smart enough not to look for trouble with the Fifth Prince.” He raised another fist, this time aimed at Yunlin's chest, causing an even louder cry of pain. “However, you even approached the fire like a brainless moth.”

“Ah!” yunlin shouted loudly as she then squeezed, letting herself hang. Both his hands and feet were tangled in chains that towered out from the two sides of the wall of the prison room, making himself supine in mid-air without any defense and could only accept attack after attack with resignation.

Yunlin's body had been filled with so many wounds, the holes that the little needles produced in his torture knuckles, the incision of the long sword on his waist side, the, as well as the torn skin that showed off the blood and flesh from the merciless lashings on his back and chest. Such cruel torture without the slightest sense of humanity, typical of a member of the Death Squad.

‘How can .. I was so negligent,’ inner Yunlin as her head floated limply in the air.

A while earlier—or maybe hours before—Yunlin was following Huang Wushuang who left his residence along with Xiaoxue. Specifically wearing a hood and coming out in the middle of the night was clearly a sign that Yuanli's guess was correct, the woman would meet Li Guifei.

As in previous times, Yunlin followed Huang Wushuang behind the darkness and jumped over some of the palace walls as well as shady trees to avoid the supervision of the patrolling warriors as well as the knowledge of his own targets. Everything went smoothly and without a hitch, even to the point that Huang Wushuang talked to Li Guifei about their plan to trap Huang Miaoling with Wang Junsi. At that moment, Yunlin could still easily perch on the roof to eavesdrop on the conversation of the two people.

However, everything went awry when Yunlin realized the Fifth Prince's involvement with Li Guifei.

After Huang Wushuang left Li Guifei's residence, Yunlin stayed for a moment on the roof of his palace building to watch over the woman for longer, a habit of keeping watch for other important events that might occur. A few minutes passed and Li Guifei left a letter to Shuixiang. The servant girl left Li Guifei's residence and Yunlin followed her.

About ten minutes later, Yunlin realized that Shuixiang had gone to visit the residence of the princes, rather, the Fifth Prince's courtyard. Zhongcheng's figure appeared before the woman and she received the letter given by Li Guifei through Shuixiang.

‘Wang Wuyu really cooperated with Li Guifei!’ peekik Yunlin in heart. It was a confirmation that Huang Yade needed for quite a long time. Therefore, he knew that on that very day, this must come to the ears of the Minister of Defense, especially because tomorrow … there will be a trap that has been prepared for First Miss Huang and the Fourth Prince.

Who would have thought that at the second he intended to leave, a shadow with the form of a woman bared her teeth while smiling horribly and stuck a needle in Yunlin's neck. It didn't take two seconds for Yunlin to lose consciousness from the poison that was very likely coating the tip of the needle that pierced her. The moment Yunlin regained her senses, she had been in the basement with a sickening smell in a chained state.

“Kill me ..” said Yunlin in a raucous voice, already very tired of the things that befell him. His brain curses his stupidity for being able to so easily get caught by the Death Squad, but his heart is grateful that it is not Yuanli who is in his current position. “Kill me ... and your assignment in ... This bastard space ... will be finished faster, won't it?”

Hearing Yunlin's words, the man before her laughed out loud. “Are you stupid?” mean it. “Torturing you is a form of entertainment for me! The longer you last, the more fun it is for me!” He threw another punch, creating other small holes on Yunlin's body. “If you really want to die, why not bite your tongue? That's easier, isn't it?!” One more punch was landed on Yunlin's stomach.

A mocking snort came out from Yunlin's lips, he raised his gaze and spat towards the man before him. “Dream,” responds to the challenge his tormentor gave him.

This member of the Death Squad glared, annoyed by Yunlin's actions. “You forced me!” he shouted as he walked to the side to grab the whip and raised it high, preparing to paint the agony on Yunlin's body. “Ha—!” However, just as he wanted to wave his lash, he felt something holding back the rope. “Hmm?” He looked back and found the presence of someone holding the tip of his whip. “Zhongcheng?”

Zhongcheng looked towards Yunlin in a flat tone. Then, he looked at the torturer. “Hudie, what have you got?” ask her coldly.

“Hah?” Hudie looked at Zhongcheng in confusion.

Zhongcheng's forehead wrinkled, showing displeasure towards Hudie's reaction. “Don't say you just tortured her without getting any information?”

Hudie's eyes looked terrified. “T-of course not, Zhongcheng! However, this rotten brat was so stubborn! He didn't say anything.” That's obviously a lie. From now on, Hudie was only focused on the pain she inflicted on Yunlin, and nothing else.

From Hudie's attitude, Yunlin was convinced that Zhongcheng was a terrible existence for ordinary Death Squad members. Because his time with the Death Squad was so short, Yunlin never knew of Wang Wuyu or Zhongcheng's relationship with the Death Army. Thus, seeing Hudie fear towards Zhongcheng was quite a surprise.

‘How terrible would that man be if a Hudie would rather lie than be considered negligent in her job?’ yunlin thought with a dark look.

Right at that moment, Zhongcheng's eyes turned to Yunlin. Then, he walked over to the man and the two stared at each other for a long time. Zhongcheng's gaze looked as if he was trying to glare at Yunlin's spirit and read his thoughts.

In the next instant, the sound of flesh being torn apart and one's low moans could be heard. Yunlin's gaze that was still fixed on Zhongcheng's eyes slowly descended down, staring at the sword that was immersed on the side of his stomach. Fresh blood flowed out from the formed wound, painting a stream of red rivers on Yunlin's body.

Zhongcheng pulled out his sword without mercy and said, “If it can't get anything, then just kill it. Don't waste time.” He swung his sword in the empty air, letting blood splash onto the floor and walls, returning his sword form to a spotless clean. Then, he put his sword into the sheath and turned around and said to Hudie, “We still have to handle the Junzhu.”

Yunlin could hear the sound of Zhongcheng's footsteps leaving the prison room, followed by Rudie's annoyed tongue as his toy had been destroyed beyond his will. Then, there was the sound of the whistling of the door of the prison cell that slammed shut.

Yunlin's breathing was breathless, so difficult for her to maintain her consciousness. ‘Begin with?’ thought. His head that was bowed limp gave him the flexibility to pay attention to the wounds formed due to Zhongcheng's sword that had penetrated him, blood flowing out profusely from the wound. ‘Yuanli ...’ Yunlin's gaze slowly looked blank. ‘You must ... warn .. Miss.’