Tang Xiaomin still wore that pained expression, so he changed the subject.
"I'm tired. Where can I rest?"
It was shameful to admit, but he was clearly not liked by Tang Xiaomin's family.
The expressions on their faces when he left were proof enough.
Tang Xiaomin led Yan Jue into the lounge behind.
The lounge was decorated in gray and white, containing only a bed and no other furniture.
"This is your room. You always rested here before. I renovated the office, but this place remains as it was. You can rest here just like before."
"You're not going to stay and keep me company?"
Tang Xiaomin shook her head.
"My family is still waiting for me at home. If I don't go back, my mother will definitely come looking for me soon."
"Rest well. I'll be back to work first thing tomorrow. See you tomorrow."
Without giving Yan Jue a chance to persuade her to stay, Tang Xiaomin stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and lightly kissed his cheek.
The warm, delicate kiss, like a slippery tentacle, wound around his heart, making his pulse quicken to a suffocating degree, so full of contentment that he wanted to forget thinking for a moment.
She was gone, leaving him while he was lost in the warmth of her embrace.
After a quick shower, still riding the residual heat of that kiss, he fell onto the bed, utterly satisfied, and slept soundly.
...
In a basement tiled with black and white, Meng Yiren was bound and thrown into a corner.
Hearing a disturbance at the door, she excitedly stood up.
Upon seeing that it was Tang Xiaomin, she became so nervous that she stammered.
"Tang... Tang Xiaomin... why is it you?"
Meng Yiren instinctively recoiled, trying to escape by retreating.
With every step she took back, Tang Xiaomin took one forward.
Tang Xiaomin's eyes seemed to glow with a red light, and a fierce killing intent swept through the entire basement, causing the temperature to plummet by several degrees.
"What... what do you want?"
"Tang Xiaomin, I warn you, there are ten Yama Kings in the underworld. Even though you are the Queen of the Underworld, the underworld is not solely dominated by your domain. If you dare to harm me, how will you account for yourself to the remaining nine Yama Kings?" Su Dan Novel Network
The underworld governed the souls of all deceased people in the world, vast in scale. The territory under the jurisdiction of the Underworld was the Great Hell of Wailing, located beneath the jagged rocks in the northeast.
The Underworld was one of the powerful shogunates among the ten halls.
Normally, there was nothing to discuss. These ten halls would have little interaction for decades; each went about their own business.
Meng Yiren's threat was not an empty one.
"Tang Xiaomin, you'd better let me go. Otherwise, your peaceful days will come to an end."
Meng Yiren, relying on her special status, used it to threaten.
The red killing intent in Tang Xiaomin's eyes intensified.
"Hahaha..."
She let out a hearty laugh.
"Are you threatening me?"
Meng Yiren swallowed.
"How would I dare to threaten you? I'm just giving you a reminder."
"Oh, so I should thank you then?"
The moment she finished speaking, Zhong Li entered carrying a bundle of dark objects and dumped them on the floor with a clang.
Upon seeing that they were琵琶钩 (pípá gōu - a type of hook weapon), glinting menacingly, Meng Yiren cried out in alarm.
"Tang Xiaomin, what are you doing?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Tang Xiaomin did not answer Meng Yiren but proved her courage and resolve with her actions.
She stomped down hard, causing the琵琶钩 on the ground to spring up, and she caught one in each hand, left and right.
Meng Yiren's face turned pale with shock, and she turned to run.
Having come this far, how could Tang Xiaomin let her escape?
To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself.
Yan Jue's scars pained Tang Xiaomin's nerves.
Meng Yiren had only run a few steps before she was fiercely kicked to the ground.
"No!!!"
Rage coursed through every cell of Tang Xiaomin's being. She could hear nothing now; all she wanted was revenge.
Her hand rose, the hook descended.
*Puff puff...*
"Ah!"
Accompanied by Meng Yiren's piercing scream, the hook pierced the flesh of her back, embedding deeply into her collarbone.
"Meng Yiren, why are you screaming? Is the pain unbearable?"
"When you treated Yan Jue like that, did you ever consider his feelings!"
"I, Tang Xiaomin, treated you well. Why did you plot against me like this!"
"You knew I loved him the most. Why did you cruelly cut a piece from my heart!"
...
"Ah!"
The intense pain made Meng Yiren's cries continuous.
Compared to her, Tang Xiaomin's pain also intensified.
"When I was at my lowest, he gave me warmth, all his love. He is my heart and soul; I wouldn't bear to hurt him even a little, yet you cruelly tormented him."
"Seeing the wounds on his back, my entire heart shattered."
Tang Xiaomin cried. She hadn't dared to cry in front of Yan Jue.
But now, she could no longer control the pain within her.
She transformed her grief into revenge, pulling on the chain of the hook and walking step by step towards the other side of the basement.
The clanging of the chain echoed like the ticking of death's clock.
Where Meng Yiren had passed, a glaring bloodstain marked the ground with her blood.
Her wails grew weaker and weaker, as if she were on the verge of death.
Reaching a crossbeam, Tang Xiaomin threw the chain over it, then pulled the other end of the chain and personally hoisted Meng Yiren up.
Her eyes were filled with a potent killing intent, a bloodthirsty aura, making her look incredibly dangerous.
After securing the chain, she produced a long whip.
"Did you do this to him too?"
"If you didn't do this to him, you wouldn't have been able to make him drink the waters of the Forgetfulness River, would you?"
*Slaaaap!*
She lashed out fiercely, striking Meng Yiren. The limited edition dress she wore was instantly stained with blood and ripped open.
"Speak. Did you treat him like this?"
Meng Yiren endured immense pain, on the brink of death.
Even so, a defiant, cold smile still curved her lips.
"You're angry, aren't you? Angry that he doesn't love you as he used to?"
"Without his pampering, you truly thought you were the Queen of the Underworld. Don't delude yourself."
"You've turned the Underworld into a mess. Someone will deal with you. Your arrogance won't last for many days."
"Heh, is that so?" Tang Xiaomin also smiled.
"I don't know who will deal with me. All I know is that you will be dealt with by me now."
Tang Xiaomin stopped talking to Meng Yiren and proceeded to whip her relentlessly.
Before long, Meng Yiren was beaten until her flesh was mangled, her entire body a mess of bloody wounds, blood dripping down. At her feet, a pool of blood formed a stark red spectacle.
Even in her dying moments, she couldn't resist taunting Tang Xiaomin.
"Tang Xiaomin, just vent your anger. This body will die, but my soul will return to the underworld. While you can still torment my body, do as you please. Once I'm dead, you won't be able to."
Just as Meng Yiren was feeling smug, Tang Xiaomin revealed a startling fact.
"Do you think physical pain is the worst suffering? For you, returning to the underworld will be far more painful."
"Meng Yiren, have you ever considered what those past memories you drank away with the waters of the Forgetfulness River were like?"