Venerable Demon King & The Doting Immortal (QT)-Chapter 196: Xiang Yu’s revenge 2

Xiang Yu stood at the centre of the room, his grip firm around the handle of a whip that felt deceptively light in his hands. The leather coiled and uncoiled like a serpent ready to strike, its familiar texture stirring memories of his old friend, his divine whip in the real world.

Across from him, Die Liang had been laid down on the ornate coffee table shirtless. Chaos erupted around them as the family members of the Die clan rushed forward. They were desperate to protect their patriarch, but they were held back unable to break free.

"Hold him down," Han Jing’s voice cut through the tumult. The command was clear and authoritative as several men lunged forward to pin Die Liang’s arms and legs down to prevent him from moving. Frustrated, Die Wenjie, who was Die Liang’s son, helplessly called out, "Mother!" to Yee Ming, whose gaze remained fixed on her husband with an unsettling calmness. She sipped her whiskey slowly, savouring each drop as if it were a poison meant for someone else. "This isn’t right!"

"This is what your father wants," she replied coolly, her voice laced with disdain while her eyes shimmered like those of a resentful ghost. It was clear, she planned on exacting far worse punishment on Die Liang when this was over. What she didn’t expect was that the young man Han Jing picked to do his dirty work would be so ruthless and heavy-handed.

Xiang Yu finally had the chance to teach Die Liang a lesson, so how could he be merciful? How could he show a man who blatantly trafficked women and children any mercy? How could he be merciful towards someone who treated people like livestock? Even livestock was transported in better conditions than the conditions the twins were subjected to.

A glint of unknown light flashed in his eyes as he raised the whip high above his head. The first crack sliced through the noise like lightning cleaving the sky. It struck true against Die Liang’s flesh. The older man’s eyes widened in shock. His cry echoed off the walls, raw and haunting, as though every fibre within him screamed for reprieve. He struggled futilely against strong arms holding him fast.

The room fell into silence after that initial gasp. Only Die Liang’s heart-wrenching cries like that of a dying animal filled the space now. The anguish in his cries reverberated through one’s soul. With every subsequent lash Xiang Yu delivered, the whip tore through the man’s skin. Die Liang became less human and more beast ensnared in its own fate.

Yee Ming furrowed her brow slightly at this display before narrowing her gaze at Xiang Yu. The young man embodied something dark and terrifying beneath that youthful exterior. He had become an executioner draped in righteousness rather than malice but malice lingered nonetheless like smoke curling from smouldering ashes.

A flicker crossed Han Jing’s face as well. It was a look of surprise tinged with trepidation at how instinctual cruelty manifested within Xiang Yu. It seemed almost innate within him as if he was born with that disposition.

As Die Liang’s body trembled and his gut-wrenching cries grew louder, one man stepped forward with a cloth in his hand meant to gag Die Liang, but Xiang Yu stopped him with fierce intensity, burning anew within those fiery depths gazing downward on Die Liang.

"No," he said his voice low yet resounding across the room. He wanted all of them to learn from this experience. He wanted the haunting cries of Die Liang to echo in their minds the minute they think of doing such a thing as bullying the weak. The man looked at Han Jing, who gave him a slight nod, telling him to listen to Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu struck repeatedly, the lash cracking mercilessly until bloody wounds bloomed across Die Liang’s back. After what felt like an eternity, Xiang Yu straightened his back, and the room fell into eerie silence except for the pained whimpers coming from Die Liang. Xiang Yu stood over him his broad shoulders tense with authority. Die Liang lay sprawled on the floor, a crumpled figure overshadowed by humiliation and pain.

Xiang Yu took a cloth from one of the men and slowly wiped the whip clean. Watching the young man thoroughly wiping the whip with great detail, Han Jing called out to him. Xiang Yu turned around his eyes glinting like shards of glass under moonlight, beautiful yet cold. For a fleeting moment, Han Jing thought perhaps he would be punished next.

Han Jing licked his lips slowly before placing a hand on Xiang Yu’s shoulder. It was a gesture meant to convey camaraderie but tinged with an unspoken warning. "Good job," he murmured softly before turning towards Die Liang who lay trembling at their feet.

"Our business here is done," Han Jing stated flatly, each word dripping with finality that resonated in the stillness surrounding them. "You break the rules again," he added coolly while leaning closer to Di Liang’s quivering form, "and I won’t be so generous... Let’s go."

Yee Ming stood off to one side—her posture rigid and her expression one of icy disdain as she watched her husband wallow in self-pity. She felt an impotent rage bubbling within her. "How pathetic," she said wondering what possessed her to marry such a man.

She glanced at the figure of the young man as they walked out. Han Jing may be untouchable but that brat who dared embarrass her clan wasn’t. She vowed to have her revenge and make him suffer a pain worse than death.

"Stop whining!" she shouted suddenly at Die Liang as though summoning forth all her fury into those two words alone.

"Get the doctor!" she commanded sharply before adding venomously: "And find me that woman who gave birth to that fucking wild child."

Die Liang opened his mouth to protest but Yee Ming was already moving toward him with purpose, brandishing an opened bottle of whiskey like a weapon ready for deployment against its intended victim. For a moment, he thought she would bash him in the head with it, but she did something far worse. In one swift motion, she poured its contents over his wounds, the alcohol seeping into his cuts.

The sting ignited agony within him; it clawed at his insides until cries escaped from between clenched teeth. He writhed on the ground while biting down hard on his lower lip until blood mingled with tears streaming down his face.

"Let’s disinfect those wounds properly, husband," Yee Ming said mockingly while watching him squirm like a predator revelling in its prey’s suffering.

Die Liang grimaced deeply as a fire burned along every nerve ending exposed by Yee Ming’s merciless ministrations. He had a feeling that this was only the beginning of his suffering, as his wife would take revenge on him for embarrassing her.