Chapter 951: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 951: Worse Than Death (4)
As the thieves’ faces gradually twisted with the effort of enduring the pain, Mo Yan watched them coldly without a word, offering no explanation about the pill they had swallowed.
Before long, their expressions grew increasingly contorted with agony. They writhed and struggled on the ground, desperately trying to scratch their abdomens as an unbearable itch took hold. But with their hands bound behind their backs, they could do nothing.
Their cries of suffering were even more wretched than when the centipedes had bitten them. It finally dawned on them—the pill they had swallowed was not medicine but poison meant to claim their lives.
They had taken the job for money, not expecting to risk their lives. Some managed to roll onto their knees and, despite their bound hands, kowtowed repeatedly, mumbling broken pleas for mercy.
Others, unable to bear the torment, began rubbing their stomachs against the dirt, hoping to alleviate the itch. However, this only made it worse. The sensation intensified until they wished they had a blade to carve open their bellies and scratch their insides.
Mo Yan felt no pity for these accomplices in evil who had sought to harm her. The fact that she hadn’t broken their limbs or inflicted permanent injuries was already an act of mercy.
When she deemed it enough, she gestured for the red python to step forward and remove the cloth gags from the thieves’ mouths. Yet, they had been tormented so severely that they could barely close their mouths, let alone speak.
Mo Yan took out a packet of powder and poured a dose into each thief’s mouth. By the time she reached the last one, the others had begun to calm, their pain subsiding as a semblance of clarity returned to their eyes—though now, their gazes toward Mo Yan were filled with fear.
Mo Yan smirked coldly. “I know exactly what you intended to do tonight and who sent you. Since you dared to commit such crimes, you should have been prepared to face my retaliation. What you just experienced was only an appetizer. If anyone still thinks they’re tough, we can continue.”
She weighed another bottle in her hand, her expression indifferent as she looked down at the trembling, kneeling thieves.
“Your Grace, please… have mercy! We won’t dare again, never again…”
“Your Grace, if you spare me, I will serve you faithfully. Whatever you ask, I will do. I beg you!”
“Your Grace, me too! If you let me live, I will give my life for you without hesitation!”
“……”
The torment of the previous poison had shattered their resolve. Now that they had finally escaped that unbearable pain, they no longer had the courage to face another round of even worse suffering.
Mo Yan ignored their pleas and shook the bottle in her hand. “The poison you swallowed earlier is called ‘Hundred Claws Tearing Heart.’ The antidote I just gave you only provides temporary relief. Without the true antidote, you will relive this agony every day at the same time. Of course, you do have another option—death. That way, you won’t have to endure it anymore.”
“No! No! Your Grace, I beg you! I don’t want to die! Please, have mercy and grant us the true antidote! We will serve you with all our hearts in gratitude!”
“Your Grace, I have a family! I can’t die! Please, please give me the antidote…”
“……”
They were all still young, far from ready to die. Seeing that Mo Yan held an even deadlier poison in her hands, they were too terrified to do anything but beg for their lives. If not for the red python standing guard, they would have crawled to her feet in desperation.
Once she was certain they were sufficiently frightened, Mo Yan finally revealed her true intention. “I’m not unreasonable. If you want to redeem yourselves, there is one thing you must do for me. Complete it, and I will give you the true antidote.”
The thieves exchanged hesitant glances, afraid to agree too quickly. What if she asked them to commit murder or something equally impossible? Wouldn’t they just be signing up for more suffering?
A few of them, believing themselves clever, had already begun plotting—pretend to comply, escape the Mo estate, and seek help from a doctor to remove the poison.
But Mo Yan saw through them instantly. She sneered, her tone icy. “Don’t bother trying to find a doctor to cure you. Do you really think I would use a poison that could be treated by ordinary physicians?”
At those words, despair finally set in. One of the thieves, more perceptive than the rest, immediately dropped to his knees and swore, “Your Grace, I swear! Whatever you ask of me, I will do, even if it costs me my life!”
“Me too! Me too!” The others, not wanting to fall behind, scrambled to pledge their loyalty.
Satisfied that they were thoroughly cowed, Mo Yan nodded and revealed their task.
Once the thieves had received three days’ worth of temporary antidote and were tossed out of the Mo estate by the red python, Mo Yan turned to Xiao Ruiyuan, who had remained silent throughout.
She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Now that you’ve seen what I’ve done, do you think I’m cruel? That I’m not the person you imagined me to be?”
She had deliberately kept this side of her hidden from him out of fear. Every girl hopes to be seen as kind and gentle by the man she loves, even if that image is a façade. She was no different.
If Fan Meijiao hadn’t pushed her too far, she wouldn’t have resorted to such vicious methods. But Fan Meijiao was ruthless, and if Mo Yan didn’t strike back, she would only suffer further schemes in the future.
Still, she didn’t want the man she loved to see this side of her…
(End of Chapter)
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