The Birth of a Villainess

With the blood red curtain not covering the wall, the other two who were curious and clueless about what was hidden behind that curtain was rooted in their place.

From both ends of the wall, several tools were attached to the wall. It filled it and loomed over them like it was going to swallow and promise pain to whoever sees it.

Qu Xing Xu thoughtfully glanced at the tools before him after letting go of the chain that held the curtains in place. Like he was picking the finest silk one could find in the central market, Qu Xing Xu's eyes flickered on the torture items hanging on the wall one by one.

"No… Not this one either." He muttered when his eyes landed on some items. "This one is a little too soft."

Whenever Qu Xing Xu stopped before a scary-looking torture tool, Yu Fangzhu would clamp his mouth shut and tremble in fear and anger.

But Qu Xing Xu seemed to ignore the obvious signs of his test subject's nervousness and anxiety whenever his hand landed on the torture items he thought was a good one. Normally, the underground dungeon under the Qu residence was a serene, callous place: a huge space with several rooms to accommodate any newcomers or guests who wanted to stay there. The concrete stone floor was wet, the tasteless but impenetrable walls were clean with a faint golden tinge of light streaming through from the torches attached to the walls in a timely interval.

Yet, while Qu Xing Xu was choosing his torture item, the atmosphere between the other two who were with him inside that room became excruciatingly strained by the silence that stretched like the arms of a shadow when one walks in a vast land with only the moon lighting the path.

Like two birds of prey, Lin Xiaofei and Yu Fangzhu sized each other up, each wondering what the duke was trying to do as well as having their own individual thoughts.

"This one's perfect!" suddenly, Qu Xing Xu exclaimed in a gleeful way. Both the other two simultaneously turned to see what he had found. What Yu Fangzhu saw made him feel the discomfort climbing through from his toes to his head.

"W-what are you doing!" Yu Fangzhu shifted his knees and drew backwards.

Holding a leather encased tool in his hand, Qu Xing Xu strode towards the prince whose face was becoming more visibly whiter.

"Don't come over here! Qu Xing Xu, I dare you use that thing to this prince's body and I will have all the Imperial Guards storm through your Qu residence and kill everyone!" Yu Fangzhu screamed.

Qu Xing Xu paused, "Are we still doing this, your highness? You're already trapped inside my place and I doubt anyone else will be able to find you in here. Your threats are useless against me."

Raising the tool in his hand, Qu Xing Xu took off the leather encasing the tool, revealing an old, rusty, and metallic knee splitter.

"I was planning to take it easy on you since you're a prince. However, hearing your dirty mouth calling my wife names…" Qu Xing Xu put the knee splitter before the prince and kneeled before him then thrust his hand to grab Yu Fangzhu's neck in a tight hold. "I changed my mind."

'Pa!'

Qu Xing Xu let go of him.

Then before Yu Fangzhu could react fast enough, Qu Xing Xu already took a hold of his forearm, pulling closer and closer, but not towards him. A scream ripped through the air and when Yu Fangzhu realized where the pain was coming from, the knee splitter was already biting his elbow.

Blood seeped through his sleeves, and he could feel the metal spikes in the middle of the tool grating his bones and piercing it deeply. Like he was walking on a path filled with hot coals, Yu Fangzhu screamed and screamed until he was hoarse.

"You bastard! Devil! Villain! You dare harm this prince!?"

Qu Xing Xu scratched his chin, as if giving the matter a serious thought. "Hmm… yes, I think I do, your highness. I dare defy you. Now that we established a mutual understanding between us, can we start the part where I torture you and you scream part? I've got places to go."

Lin Xiaofei: "...'

Places to go? She did not know anything about this. The two of them planned to stay home the whole day and not do anything at all. So, when did he suddenly made some plans outside?

Just as she was thinking, Qu Xing Xu caught her eyes and winked at her.

Ah… so that was it…

"Now, let's start once again." Qu Xing Xu separated the spikes, taking some flesh with it and blood stained the sharp ends of it before he started to press once again.

If only Yu Fangzhu had some powers in his eyes, he would have already burned Qu Xing Xu to a crisp with how intense his eyes were glaring at him.

Another minute passed by, another agonizing scream tore the dungeon, even scaring away the ghosts who walked into that place. When the pressure applied on the knee splitter became harder and stronger, the door to the room suddenly was knocked by a person from outside.

However, because two people were occupied with their own world, one in pain and one enjoying the joys of torturing people, Lin Xiaofei was the only person who could give her entire attention to whoever knocked the room.

She opened the door once the person knocked twice and saw the servant whom they met earlier. He looked like he had just finished his military training and went straight there to report something.

"Are you looking for the duke? Wait…" just as Lin Xiaofei was about to turn around and call on Qu Xing Xu, the man stopped her,

"No. I'm looking for you, milady."

Raising a quizzical brow at him, Lin Xiaofei said, "Me? What is it? If it's not urgent, you can tell me what you have to report to me later."

"But this can't wait." The servant said and finally got the duke's attention. Then, he said, "A servant named Shen Mo came bearing unfortunate news. There seems to be an accident involving the carriage carrying Lady Chu Chu and Young Master Kael on their way to the Qu residence."