Several lashes of the whip immediately covered Wei Yong's once pristine white undergarment with red welts, and in places where the whip struck hard, it even tore the garment. The exposed, blood-soaked flesh looked quite gruesome.

Before the torture even started, Wei Yong screamed in agony, and Cheng Qingyan covered Ye Lingyu's ears.

He had barely begun to be tortured when he couldn't withstand the punishment and nearly fainted. As for Mu Zhiyue, almost every part of his body was injured; he was practically covered in wounds.

Seeing Ruan Banxia bandage Mu Zhiyue's wounds, Cheng Qingyan felt for the first time that being completely bruised and battered had become a tangible reality.

Mu Zhiyue was practically wrapped up like a dumpling by Ruan Banxia, ​​who also removed a lot of rotten flesh that had to be cut away due to infection. His entire body was covered in lacerations, with not a single patch of undamaged flesh.

Now the whip is falling on him, and he's yelling quite loudly.

When he unjustly accused others, when he was almost beaten to death by someone, when he colluded with Ye Zongzhi, how could he not have imagined that he would end up like this?

Wei Yong's screams were intermittent because he had been beaten unconscious and they had to splash water on him to wake him up so he could continue to be tortured.

Cheng Qingyan helped Ye Lingyu sit down at a table nearby and fanned her gently, saying, "Wife, if you feel uncomfortable, let's go out first."

Ye Lingyu shook her head: "It's alright, it's just that the smell here is a bit unpleasant, but everything else is fine."

The best way to improve the taste right now is for Cheng Qingyan to take out a few oranges from her spatial storage. She peeled the oranges, wrapped them in her sleeve, and crushed them. Her sleeve was covered with orange peels and juice, and every time she fanned herself, a refreshing orange peel scent wafted through the air.

When Wei Yong had already been beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, Cheng Qingyan had Ye Zongzhi and Ye Lingxi carried over.

Make an example of them to deter others from having any more inappropriate thoughts.

Each lash of the whip that struck Wei Yong caused Ye Lingxi to tremble. Although she wasn't physically touched, the whips felt like they were striking her heart.

Her fear stemmed from Cheng Qingyan's statement that if Ye Zongzhi didn't voluntarily hand over what they wanted, she would be the next one to be whipped.

The former magistrate's face was branded with two charred marks. His clothes were torn, exposing his flesh and skin. Blood soaked through his clothes.

Moreover, the constable would dip the whip in salt water before each strike. The pain of that whip breaking through flesh and piercing the blood was unimaginable. Just thinking about it made her feel like she was going to die.

After Wei Yong fainted several times and was revived by being splashed with water, Cheng Qingyan handed him a pill: "Feed him this, so he doesn't die before he finishes his torture. After taking this pill, even if he wants to die, he won't die without my consent."

"Also, throw him back into the cell later and get a doctor to treat his injuries. Otherwise, when we beat him again tomorrow, he won't have the strength to scream, or his voice will be too soft for them to hear."

Then, Cheng Qingyan looked at Ye Lingxi with amusement: "Nie Yilin, tie her up. She's in good spirits and should be able to hold out for a while."

These words terrified Ye Lingxi; she literally wet herself from fright...

Ignoring the dozens of lashes she had already endured, she knelt and begged Ye Lingyu, "No, please, let me go! I really know I was wrong. I really know I was wrong, I don't want to be tortured!"

She and Ye Zongzhi had both witnessed Wei Yong's miserable state. If she were to suffer the same torment as Wei Yong, how could she ever face anyone again?

Absolutely not, absolutely not.

Kneeling down and begging for mercy from Ye Lingyu was a desperate act. Face and pride were irrelevant at that moment; survival and avoiding further beatings were what mattered most.

Even when she knelt down and begged for mercy, Ye Lingyu ignored her.

When Mu Zhiyue was beaten and wronged, did he not beg for mercy? Did they let Mu Zhiyue go?

If Ye Lingyu were the weaker party today, begging Ye Lingxi for mercy would only embolden her, and she would certainly not let her off the hook.

So today, when faced with Ye Lingxi's pleas for mercy, Ye Lingyu remained unmoved, giving her a disdainful look as if she were looking at something dirty.

The disappointment had been building up for so long that even now, with her in control, Ye Lingyu felt no joy. She only felt a deep sadness; what were once the closest family members in the world had now become irreconcilable enemies.

It's truly laughable that her mother's entire life, and the first half of her life, were wasted on the Ye family. What a waste!

Ye Lingyu glanced at Ye Zongzhi expressionlessly, then said to Ye Lingxi, "I only want all of my mother's dowry; I don't care about anything else from the Ye family."

"Ye Zongzhi, I'm waiting for those things to be brought to me."

"Until then, we can only let your precious daughter suffer a little. Ye Lingxi, remember, it's all your father's fault. He's unwilling to exchange those material possessions for your safety, and there's nothing we can do."

"Officer Nie, what are you standing there for? Lift him up and tie him up. Don't let the charcoal fire in the brazier go out."

After saying that, the two constables carried Ye Lingxi toward the cross-shaped wooden stake.

It's okay if you can't walk, someone can carry you there.

It doesn't matter if he wets his pants, as long as it doesn't affect the torture.

Ye Lingxi screamed, first cursing Ye Lingyu and Cheng Qingyan, then pleading for help from Ye Zongzhi. No one paid her any attention, and she was successfully tied to the wooden stake.

Ye Zongzhi kept his eyes fixed on Ye Lingyu. At first, he didn't believe that Ye Lingyu would actually have someone torture Ye Lingxi. He knew that Ye Lingyu wasn't a malicious person, so he always felt that all of this should be blamed on Cheng Qingyan.

If it weren't for Cheng Qingyan's interference, he might have already brought Ye Lingyu back to the Ye family when he went to Mengjia Village last time, and none of this would have happened.

He directed his resentment at Cheng Qingyan, venting all his hatred and grievances on her. He remembered that Ye Lingyu had been a well-behaved child before her marriage.

It's all because she married Cheng Qingyan, this country bumpkin, that she ended up like this.

Only when Ye Lingxi's screams rang in his ears did he look at Ye Lingyu as if she were a stranger.

Unexpectedly, Ye Lingyu actually allowed Ye Lingxi to be whipped like that, tearing Ye Lingxi's clothes in front of her body. Her cries of agony and misery were not only due to pain, but also to shame.

Having exhausted all other options, she could only plead with Ye Zongzhi again: "Father, save me! Father! I don't want to die here! Father, please save me! Save me!"