Chapter 264: A Love-Hate Relationship

The guards, despite having witnessed countless bloody scenes, were seeing the gruesome punishment of ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ for the very first time.

If they were merely spectators, at most, they might feel slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t something they couldn’t adapt to.

However, when the one performing the execution was themselves, and their own fate was tied to the thin, sharp blade in their hands, the immense psychological pressure they had to endure was unimaginable.

The bodyguards stood on the side, watching intently with fierce and vigilant eyes.

The guards had no choice but to brace themselves and proceed.

With the first cut, Lady Liu let out a wailing scream. She watched helplessly as the sharp, thin blade sliced through her legs and arms. Blood gushed out in torrents, the searing pain pulling at her nerves. Her entire body convulsed uncontrollably. She wanted to cry out at the top of her lungs, roll on the ground to alleviate the agony, but there was no escape from the torment.

Lady Liu had lived a life of smooth sailing, pampered and indulged, terrified of pain. Even the agony of childbirth had left her feeling worse than death. But now, this punishment of being flayed alive brought pain a hundred, even a thousand times worse!

Despair engulfed Lady Liu. Cold sweat drenched her forehead as she stared intently at Gu Qingsong, who watched indifferently from the side.

For the first time, Lady Liu felt regret.

Regret for provoking this heartless man!

Even though there was no love between them, she had been with him for seven or eight years. He still didn’t know that she had schemed to separate him from his wife and child back then. She had only lied to him, telling him that Liu Guixiang and Gu Huaizhi were dead, forcing him to raise another man’s child. Yet, he could still be this cruel to her!

The endless pain tormented her body and tore at her soul, driving Lady Liu to the brink of insanity.

She only wished for a quick death.

“Gu… Gu Qingsong… you… for the sake of… these years of… affection…”

I beg you, kill me with one stroke!

Let me die quickly!

But Lady Liu was in so much pain that her mouth could only emit gasps; she couldn’t utter a single word.

Gu Qingsong looked at her delicate face, now contorted with agony. Her eyes, illuminated by the dim torchlight of the dark prison, held no trace of life, but only an intense longing for death.

The veins on Lady Liu’s forehead bulged grotesquely, and her pale lips moved slightly: “Kill me.”

Gu Qingsong remained expressionless and, under her desperate gaze, turned and left the dark prison.

From within came Lady Liu’s despairing screams, as if they originated from the depths of hell. In the chilling and eerie confines of the prison, the sound was especially harrowing.

As he exited the dark prison, a biting wind swept over him, carrying away the scent of blood clinging to his body.

Gu Qingsong made his way to Gu Yunzhen’s courtyard.

The maid guarding the door greeted him respectfully, “Your Highness.”

From inside the room came a muffled “thud.”

Gu Qingsong immediately pushed the door open and strode into the inner chamber. He saw Gu Yunzhen sitting cross-legged on the disheveled bed, her expression flustered, as if he had done something shameful.

“Father,” Gu Yunzhen called softly.

Gu Qingsong’s gaze fell on Gu Yunzhen’s face. Upon closer inspection, he did bear some resemblance to him.

But the moment he thought about how this child was born from a surrogate arranged by Lady Liu, disgust and rejection surged in his heart. He couldn’t bring himself to truly face this child he had once loved so deeply.

When he first acknowledged his mistake and the transgression against Lady Liu, and later learned of the child’s existence, he chose to accept this error and genuinely loved Gu Yunzhen.

Even after discovering his true origins, Gu Qingsong couldn’t immediately sever the emotional bond he had with him.

To both love and hate, this was the essence of it.

He asked the maid who had followed him inside, “Who was here just now?”

“Master Liu,” the maid replied. Then, suddenly surprised, she added, “Huh? Where is he?”

Gu Yunzhen’s face turned even paler. His heart leaped to his throat as he widened his eyes, staring at Gu Qingsong with a mix of helplessness and innocence.

Gu Qingsong’s expression remained cold as he grabbed Gu Yunzhen and pulled him off the bed. After lifting the bedboard, a tunnel entrance appeared before them.