Seeing Qiao Zhao’s lack of reaction, the man drew out a dagger, twirled it in his hand, then suddenly pressed it against Qiao Zhao’s fair neck.

“Little girl, the identity of Marquis Guanjun’s fiancée means nothing to us. Don’t think you have nothing to fear.” He applied slight pressure, and a red mark immediately appeared on the girl’s fair, tender neck, with blood beads quickly seeping out.

Qiao Zhao lowered her eyes to stare at the gleaming dagger and smiled with curved lips.

How fate truly comes full circle—not long ago, Chen Guang had used a dagger against their people in just this way, and now they were doing the same to her.

But how could she speak? If she didn’t speak, even if she endured all kinds of torture, she could temporarily preserve her life. Perhaps she could delay until Chen Guang came to rescue her. If she spoke now, this dagger would probably not just stay at her neck to frighten her, but would pierce her heart instead.

She wanted to live.

No matter how difficult living was, it was still much better than dying. She wanted to become Shao Mingyuan’s wife in name and reality. She still wanted to properly honor Li Zhao’s parents and relatives on behalf of the deceased Li Zhao, to be worthy of the body Li Zhao had left her.

“What are you smiling about?” Qiao Zhao’s reaction greatly surprised the two men.

“You two need not waste your efforts. I will not tell you where the prayer beads are.”

“Little girl, you have a hard mouth. Do you think the personal guards left by Marquis Guanjun can find their way here?” One of them spoke with an increasingly cold tone, looking at Qiao Zhao with a mocking smile. “Third Miss Li, I might as well tell you directly—hoping that Marquis Guanjun’s guards will trace to your Second Uncle, then follow the trail to find this place and rescue you, that’s impossible.”

Qiao Zhao smiled sweetly: “My Second Uncle is dead, isn’t he?”

The two men were stunned.

“Then, thank you for helping me get revenge.” Qiao Zhao said calmly.

Li Guangshu had served as a prefect in Lingnan for five years and brought back an unusual courtesan to the capital—there was something very suspicious about this. The most likely possibility was that Li Guangshu had long been bought by the remaining forces of Prince Su in Lingnan and had returned to the capital with a mission from the start.

The moment she realized she had been kidnapped, Qiao Zhao was certain of this guess.

As remnants of Prince Su’s faction, they would certainly be extremely cautious in plotting in the capital. Li Guangshu was not one of their core members, just an outer peripheral person they had bought. Killing him to silence him after using him was perfectly normal.

“Third Miss Li, has anyone ever told you that girls who are too clever aren’t lovable?”

Qiao Zhao pressed her lips together without speaking.

“It seems Third Miss Li refuses the toast only to be forced to drink the forfeit.”

“Why waste words with her? Torture her first!” The other man pulled out a rope, grabbed Qiao Zhao, and bound her wrists, hanging her from the room’s beam.

Qiao Zhao could only touch the ground with her toes, and her wrists immediately felt burning pain.

The raised whip struck her body fiercely, making the girl’s small body sway back and forth like a leaf in the wind.

Qiao Zhao bit her lower lip hard, not making a sound.

“She is stubborn. Let’s see how long you can hold out!” The man’s face turned cold, and he struck several more lashes, quickly tearing Qiao Zhao’s dress.

Qiao Zhao was in severe pain. She wanted to curl up but couldn’t, and tears uncontrollably fell from the corners of her eyes.

“Third Miss Li, why is a delicate young lady like you being so stubborn? If you tell us where the prayer beads are, we won’t make you suffer. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Qiao Zhao bit her lip and sneered coldly: “You’re a death warrior selling your life for others—why are you being so verbose? Wouldn’t it be nice to quietly carry out the torture?”

“Very well.” The man threw down the whip, walked close to Qiao Zhao, and slashed his dagger along her torn dress. A sleeve fell, revealing the girl’s fair arm.

The cold dagger touched the girl’s skin, sending a chill through her.

The man’s laughter rang out: “Third Miss Li has such beautiful skin.”

Qiao Zhao couldn’t help but tremble all over and closed her eyes.

At this moment, she felt as if she was being pushed onto that high city wall again, at the mercy of others.

Shao Mingyuan, why haven’t you come to save me yet? I’m in so much pain…

The man’s voice sounded right by her ear: “Third Miss Li, if we were to see your exquisite body completely bare, would Marquis Guanjun still marry you?”

Qiao Zhao kept her eyes closed without responding.

“Speak!” The man grabbed Qiao Zhao’s chin, forcing her to open her eyes.

The girl’s eyes were black as a deep pool, seemingly calm yet brewing with anger. Though too delicate to withstand much, the two interrogators could sense that the girl before them was like a spirited horse, difficult to tame.

Difficult to tame? He wanted to see just how a girl could be difficult to tame!

The man threw away the dagger and reached out to tear off half of Qiao Zhao’s skirt.

“Or perhaps we should act as bridegroom for Marquis Guanjun?”

Qiao Zhao’s eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes, but her tone remained calm: “He will avenge me.”

“Hahahaha, little girl, you’re too naive. A defiled fiancée—even if he avenges you, what kind of fate could you have? Could you still share a bed with Marquis Guanjun?”

Qiao Zhao spat lightly: “What right do you have to speculate about his thoughts? He fought bloody battles in the Northern Territories, guarding the borders for the people of Great Liang. What were you doing? You were trying to defile his fiancée!”

A surge of righteous indignation rose from Qiao Zhao’s heart, making her eyes particularly bright: “I originally thought you were death warriors. Now I see I was wrong—your behavior doesn’t deserve the word ‘warrior’ at all. I have nothing to say to you, simply because I am human and you are beasts! Come on, it’s just a stinking skin bag—I can still endure it!”

“Such eloquent words! Still so stubborn at death’s door. Today I’ll see just how much you can endure!” The man reached out to pull at Qiao Zhao’s sash, but was stopped by his companion.

He inquired with his eyes, and the other said, “For a little girl, there are many ways to force information out. Why use the most vulgar method? Let me handle this.”

Qiao Zhao watched the other man approach.

That man used his dagger to cut the rope, and Qiao Zhao fell to the ground. The whip marks on her body were pulled, making her cry out softly in pain.

The man smiled: “Third Miss Li, do you know what it feels like to have needles pierced into your fingernails?”

Qiao Zhao said nothing, coldly watching the man pull out a needle and crouch beside her.

“This needle piercing into fingernails—most men can’t endure it. I wonder if Third Miss Li can bear it.” The man grabbed Qiao Zhao’s hand, rotated the silver needle, and slowly pierced it into her fingernail.

“Mmm mmm mmm—” Qiao Zhao bit her lower lip hard, trembling all over from pain, cold sweat pouring down like rain.

Shao Mingyuan I’m a little afraid. I’m afraid my hands won’t be able to write, paint, play music, or play chess anymore.

Shao Mingyuan, please hold me. I miss you…

In her blurred consciousness, Qiao Zhao saw the tightly closed door suddenly kicked open as a group of people rushed in.

“Stop!” A man’s furious voice reached her ears as he kicked the torturer away.