Chapter 331: Arrogant for a Lifetime, Suffering a Little at Death Is Only Right

"Ahh... no... please no..."

"Ahh... Just kill me... Kill me... Ahh..."

In the dungeon, screams of agony echoed endlessly.

No one who entered this place begged to live; they all begged for death. But once here, even death was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

Anyone who heard the screams silently moved away.

Though they knew spies were being interrogated within—a fate that would never befall them—the sounds alone sent a chill down their spines and made their scalps crawl.

Ever since the Empress unleashed this fiend upon this place, not a soul wasn’t terrified.

Inside the dungeon, a man in purple robes casually selected a branding iron. He examined it with the careful eye of a connoisseur choosing a piece of art.

Finally, he selected a pattern to his liking and walked toward the person tied to a pillar, a figure already mangled beyond recognition.

"No, no... Just kill me. Kill me..."

The bound man continued to beg for death, but the branding iron still descended upon his flesh.

"AHH..."

His skin sizzled and smoked as it was seared, cooked through in an instant. Blood and sweat mixed, dripping down like a steady stream.

There were three racks in total, each occupied by a suspended person. Not a single one of them had a patch of unblemished skin left on their bodies.

They were spies who had infiltrated the facility, hoping to steal the Empress’s secret weapons—especially the cannons and shotguns.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated the Empress’s defenses. They were captured the moment they reached the core area and became the devil’s playthings.

Though only the three of them now hung from the racks, the floor was stained black as ink with blood. Every one of the hundred-odd torture instruments on the wall was caked in filth and gore.

Clearly, they were not the only visitors this place had seen.

As for those who came before them, they had been thrown into a pit in the mountains behind to fill the graves.

Begging for mercy was useless. Wailing did nothing to ease the pain.

Driven to despair, they finally broke down and began to curse him.

"Lou Yan, you help a tyrant in her cruelty! You’ll die a miserable death!"

"You’re so cruel, so inhuman! Aren’t you afraid of being cast into the eighteenth level of hell after you die?"

"You animal! You’ll get what’s coming to you! May you be struck by lightning and eaten by wild dogs, left to die without a grave!"

He cursed with gusto, but Lou Yan had heard it all before. To him, it was no different from a compliment.

So, he was in an excellent mood and rewarded the man with the full course of tortures he had personally developed.

By the time he was finished, the man could only writhe on the ground like a maggot, howling in agony, begging for a death that would not come.

’Struck by lightning, eaten by wild dogs, left to die without a grave?’

’It doesn’t sound so bad.’

He had committed endless atrocities and killed countless people in his life; he never expected to die peacefully in his bed.

’Live an outrageous life, suffer a little at the end. That seems only right.’

He picked up a nearby towel and wiped his blood-stained hands. He was in high spirits today, just about to deal with the other two.

Mu Bai entered. "Boss, a letter for you."

’A letter?’

Lou Yan hadn’t received a single letter since coming to Longxi Gully. Even if he wanted to write to Her Majesty, the message had to go through Song Junzhan.

’It had been a full five months, and Her Majesty hadn’t sent a single word in reply. She’s probably forgotten all about me.’

His brow furrowed, and a vicious aura flared around him. Nevertheless, he took the letter.

Even though he felt it was impossible, he couldn’t bear to miss that one-in-a-million chance.

But the moment he unfolded the letter, he froze.

A wave of immense joy washed over him, leaving him stunned. It took a moment for him to register it, but when he did, he used Qinggong to dash outside.

’Mu Bai understood. The letter was from the Empress.’

’It made sense. Longxi Gully was protected by layer upon layer of security. Without the password, one couldn’t even get through the gate, let alone reach this central heartland. The only thing that could get through was a decree from the Empress herself.’

------

The Empress’s procession returned to the Capital City, escorted by a thousand Silver Armor Guards. With countless men clearing the way ahead and behind, the journey was naturally smooth and unobstructed.

The trip there took over half a month, but the return only took nine days.

The pace was faster, but Xiao Li felt like she was going to lose her mind.

Nine days of it, whether on horseback or in a carriage, had turned her backside into an iron ingot... Every passing minute strengthened her resolve to destroy the world.

With half a day’s journey still left to the Capital City, the procession stopped in the mountains to rest and regroup.

Xiao Li sat on a boulder by the roadside. The burden of being the Emperor forced her to maintain a final shred of dignity, and she resisted the urge to flop onto the rock like a pancake.

Xiao Li was no pampered, weak-willed fool. She was skilled in martial arts and possessed considerable willpower; she could endure hardships. Besides, with a spacious carriage and a full retinue of Maids and guards attending to her every need, she wasn’t truly suffering.

But the constant jostling of a long journey like this was genuinely, thoroughly uncomfortable.

It was the kind of deep-seated physical discomfort that not even a massage could soothe.

"AWOOO~~~"

A wolf’s howl suddenly echoed through the mountains, instantly putting the guards on high alert.

Still, even if it was wolves, no one was particularly afraid. What were a few wolves to a thousand guards?

Soon, a massive gray wolf appeared in their line of sight.

It was truly enormous.

A normal wild wolf is about three feet long, but this one looked to be nearly six feet. It was tall, too, standing twice the height of an ordinary dog, with a thick, glossy coat.

It was a true giant wolf.

Its enormous size made even the Silver Armor Guards take it seriously. They quickly raised their shields, while a row of men behind them leveled their shotguns. If the wolf attacked, they would kill it instantly. It could not be allowed to get near Her Majesty.

"A-WOO, A-WOO..."

The gray wolf showed no signs of approaching. It just paced at the edge of the forest, whining in their direction. There was no aggression in its calls.

Xiao Li, who had been sitting on the boulder, watched for a moment before suddenly rising to her feet.

"Your Majesty, don’t go."

Wang Wanqing grabbed Xiao Li’s arm. She was terrified of the massive beast and feared for Xiao Li’s safety if she went any closer.

Xiao Li patted her hand. "It’s alright."

She walked forward and ordered the Silver Armor Guards to stand down.

Yang Jun seemed to guess what was happening and didn’t stop her. Still, he stayed close behind Xiao Li, on full alert and ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Xiao Li walked to the front and met the wolf’s gaze for several seconds before suddenly laughing. "Mo Jiang."

"AWOO!"

The gray wolf responded at once, pacing back and forth, as if it wanted to approach but didn’t dare.

It hesitated until Xiao Li raised a hand. "Come here."

"A-WOOOooooo~~~~"

Permission granted, the gray wolf’s eyes lit up. It immediately bounded over, skidding to a halt in front of Xiao Li and enthusiastically nudging its massive head into her palm.

’Its fur looked coarse, but it felt surprisingly nice to the touch.’

Mo Jiang was exceptionally well-behaved. After a few pets, it flopped onto the ground, exposing its belly as if inviting her to roughhouse.

Xiao Li was happy to oblige, hugging the great wolf and ruffling its fur for a good while.

It was very clean and had no strange odor, clear signs that someone was taking meticulous care of it.

Hugging and petting such a large wolf was surprisingly therapeutic. Much of her travel-worn irritation melted away.

When she’d had her fill of playing with Mo Jiang, Xiao Li stood up. Her gaze flickered toward a large tree in the distance. "If you don’t come out now, I’m leaving."

No sooner had the words left her lips than a figure in deep purple appeared beneath the tree. A pair of long, narrow, darkly elegant eyes fixed on Xiao Li, suppressing a tide of longing that threatened to overwhelm him.