Chapter 6

Chapter 6

My heart skipped a beat, and my body began to tremble involuntarily.

What should I do? What should I do?

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching from not far away, getting closer and closer.

Since I had already been seen through, there was no point in pretending anymore.

I simply rolled out of bed and knelt on the floor, pleading, “Lord Cheng, I beg you, please let me go! I’m begging you!”

Cheng Wei only gave me a faint, indifferent glance.

He stood before the table and unwrapped a cloth bundle, revealing over a dozen knives of various sizes.

The blades were razor-sharp, glinting with a bone-chilling cold light.

I felt a sudden, sharp stinging sensation on my neck and face, as if I were already being cut.

“My Lord, please spare my life.”

I slammed my forehead against the ground. “If this concubine has ever inadvertently offended you in the past, I will kowtow to you! I will apologize! Please, spare me! I beg of you!”

Cheng Wei ignored me completely.

He pulled a silk handkerchief from his robes and meticulously wiped each knife.

His expression was focused and his face cold, but his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a predator scenting blood.

Looking at him like this, I knew that pleading was futile.

I scrambled toward the door on all fours, desperate to escape.

I wanted to live. I was only eighteen; my life had only just begun.

I didn’t want to die.

Yet, the moment my hand touched the door, someone grabbed me by the hair from behind.

My scalp exploded in pain as he yanked me back, sending me flying. I slammed against the wall before hitting the floor hard.

My vision went dark as Cheng Wei walked over.

He stood beside me, his shadow looming over me like a mountain, surrounding me completely.

“Help! Someone, help me!”

Even though I knew I was a bird trapped in a cage and that crying for help was useless, I couldn’t stop.

I crawled forward frantically, trying to escape the prison of his shadow.

But he pinned me firmly to the ground, leaving me nowhere to hide, nowhere to run.

He pinned both my arms behind my back with one hand while his other hand gripped my throat.

I couldn’t struggle; I couldn’t move.

Despair washed over me. Knowing I was doomed, I gritted my teeth and asked, “Why? How exactly did I ever humiliate you?”

Cheng Wei laughed. “Why? You’re actually still asking why? How ridiculous.”

“Ye Qingqiu, your birth is as lowly as it gets, yet you dared to covet a status and position you don’t deserve. You’ve enjoyed three months of wealth and glory; now, you must pay the price.”

The pads of his fingers were covered in thick calluses. He traced them slowly across my face, causing a slight, stinging pain.

“You heard it just now. Divine Physician Meng is a soft-hearted man who didn’t dare to do it, so I shall be the one.”

“Originally, you were supposed to drink a special anesthetic so your face could be flayed while you were still alive to keep it fresh and usable-just that thin, single layer, without a single tear.”

“That kind of craftsmanship isn’t something just anyone possesses.”

He leaned close to my ear and let out a cruel, soft chuckle:

“However, for the sake of the night we once shared, I’ll show some mercy. I won’t skin you alive; I’ll give you a quick end.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I heard a sickening crack of bone.

My world turned into absolute darkness.

…

He had snapped my neck.