Chapter 15: Pitch Black

Junior Brother Bai Ming's face burned, his heart filled with trepidation.

Forget it, I can only try for now.

He could not take another hundred thousand strikes.

"Thank you, Miss."

Song Wanqing straightened her body slightly, "Oh, what are you thanking me for?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming hesitated, "Thanking you for sparing me the last shred of my dignity, Miss."

Song Wanqing chuckled, "Dignity? Do you still care about such things?"

She stood up and walked over to Junior Brother Bai Ming, "Or is it that you don't need to consider such things when you're in front of me?"

"You are quite interesting. You don't want to appear servile in the eyes of others, yet you have no burden when it comes to me. Did I force you to be this way?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming cursed inwardly.

If it wasn't you, then who? Did I beg you to do this?

A slight displeasure leads to torture. Who could bear such pain? And now you're forcing me to admit it's voluntary. Song Wanqing, I wish I could kill you.

"It is voluntary, Miss. I feel more at ease by your side."

Song Wanqing looked into Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes, "The truth?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming's gaze was firm, "Words from the bottom of my heart."

Song Wanqing turned around, a smile on her lips. Her soft black hair drifted, bringing a unique, faint fragrance into the air, "Good. If you can endure this one hour, I will believe you."

Junior Brother Bai Ming was bewildered. What one hour?

Before he could think more, complex azure patterns appeared on his forehead, faintly glowing with blue light. An abnormal sensation began to emerge in Junior Brother Bai Ming's mind.

An exceptionally uncomfortable sensation emanated from his brain, attempting to split his spirit in two.

Junior Brother Bai Ming rolled on the ground in pain, a raging fury surging in his heart.

Song Wanqing, I will kill you!

As long as I can get out, I will definitely avenge this in this life.

The abnormal sensation deepened. It felt as if there was a blade in his mind, slicing through his brain without deviation.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's spirit was in chaos; he was almost unable to think. Only hatred connected his brain, which felt split in two.

His will was constantly worn down under this assault. The humiliation of acting like a dog in front of others and the shame of kneeling in submission all vanished.

Only the hatred in his heart remained.

This mental torture was truly too painful, yet he could still perceive it clearly.

He could only let this strange, blade-like sensation continue to gnaw at his brain.

His mind was hollow, his thoughts filled with pain. Apart from hatred, he had not a shred of any other emotion now.

Junior Brother Bai Ming clenched his teeth hard, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth, screaming inwardly.

Stop, stop it now!

Just fucking stop!

But the blade would not stop because of his wails; instead, as time passed, it became more numerous and larger.

Pain filled Junior Brother Bai Ming's entire mind. His face twisted, and he kept slamming his head against the floor.

Song Wanqing, you really are a bitch.

When I get out, I will definitely kill you.

The intense hatred caused the spiritual root within Junior Brother Bai Ming to become restless. To avoid being discovered, he had to use his remaining will to suppress the spiritual root's response.

For Junior Brother Bai Ming, every minute and every second was such torment, as if he would be torn apart by the madness in his mind at any moment.

Junior Brother Bai Ming pulled at his messy hair with both hands, a point of extreme darkness emerging deep within his eyes.

Good, let it continue like this. When my hatred reaches its peak, that will be the moment of your failure.

Song Wanqing's pupils faintly flashed with light, a curve playing on her lips.

In her eyes, Junior Brother Bai Ming's body was already more than half black, and there was an extreme blackness within his eyes.

Soon. Spend a little more time, and you will completely become my possession. You will no longer be polluted by this world, and only my image will exist in your mind.

Living only for me.

Thinking of this, a flush appeared on Song Wanqing's face, and she couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.

Junior Brother Bai Ming clutched his head and slammed it fiercely against the floor. His forehead was a bloody mess, blood flowing from between his brows and dripping onto the floor.

The abnormal sensation in his mind gradually vanished. Junior Brother Bai Ming hurriedly knelt and bowed his head, waiting for Song Wanqing's next command.

Song Wanqing wore a somewhat eerie smile, "Do you hate me?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming said calmly, "I do not."

"I believe you."

…

Xiaoxue held a towel soaked in medicinal liquid, gently wiping the dried blood from Junior Brother Bai Ming's forehead. Junior Brother Bai Ming closed his eyes slightly, recovering his meager remaining spirit.

Xiaoxue's brows were furrowed. She didn't know what to say to break the somewhat awkward atmosphere, so she just tried her best to fulfill her duties.

Junior Brother Bai Ming didn't open his eyes but suddenly spoke.

His voice was weak, but very gentle.

"Xiaoxue, do you know the situation over at the Yuqing Sect?"

Xiaoxue's small hand paused as she wiped, "I know a little. The Yuqing Sect is still the same as always, treating all the Song family's various rules and orders as nothing."

"How many routes are there from the Song family's back gate to leave the city?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming opened his eyes, took the map Xiaoxue handed him, and placed it on his lap to examine it carefully.

"Three routes, huh."

Junior Brother Bai Ming asked Xiaoxue for relevant information and began to analyze.

Xiaoxue pointed her small finger at the map, "Song family cultivators often pass through here, while there are some Yuqing Sect cultivators over there."

Junior Brother Bai Ming nodded, "Is that so? It seems only this one route has the highest chance of escaping."

He handed the map back, "There is still plenty of time to analyze slowly. It will still be some time before my cultivation reaches completion."

"Unexpected turning points might appear. Xiaoxue, please keep an eye out for me."

Xiaoxue packed up the medicine bucket and prepared to leave, "Alright, Young Master."

The iron door let out a creaking sound as it closed. Junior Brother Bai Ming sat cross-legged, concentrating on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, thinking to himself.

I must first raise my cultivation; otherwise, it would be terrible if a good opportunity arrived and I couldn't seize it.

In Junior Brother Bai Ming's mind, there was only one chance to escape. If he failed then, only tighter supervision and endless torture awaited him.

By then, he might as well end his own life, so as not to drag Xiaoxue down.

Thinking this, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a strange sense of relief. Regardless of the outcome, a month later, he would be free.

That mental pain was truly too unbearable, so unbearable that he was willing to do anything to stop it.

But Song Wanqing lacked nothing, and wanted nothing. Just as she said when they first met, she simply wanted to torture him.

No matter how he begged or how submissive he was, every day he still had to endure that hellish pain.

She was just a crazy woman, using any excuse to torture him with those unbearable methods.

No matter what he did, he couldn't change the outcome of being tortured.

Junior Brother Bai Ming smiled bitterly, a trace of sorrow on his face, "Must I endure another month? What will I become by then?"

He couldn't imagine what his mental state would be like after enduring a month of torture.

Even just thinking of that pain made his current body begin to tremble.

A few drops of cold sweat slid down the young man's face, dripping onto the floor with a ticking sound.

"It really is torment." Junior Brother Bai Ming wiped his sweat-soaked forehead, and thinking of the escape plan, he managed to muster a bit of confidence.