When Ci awoke, she saw Ju Juxian, Ji Jing and Yang Zhen standing beside the bed.

Ci was not surprised. She slowly sat up and dressed herself. It was cold and she put on a cloak.

"You... Aren"t you afraid right now?" Yang Zhen asked.

"Why should I be afraid?" Ci tied back her hair with a ribbon and continued, "Everyone has to die. I know you want to kill me. I have no choice but to resign myself to fate."

Ji Jing said to Ju Juxian and Yang Zhen, "Cut the c.r.a.p. Let"s get to work."

Ci closed her eyes.

She knew that she was going to suffer, but she didn"t expect that she would be dragged into the endless pain.

She thought that she was going to die, but she didn"t expect that she would be tortured day after day and suffer a living death.

She knew that Nima would be back, but she didn"t expect that by then they would be so close but yet so far.

Ju Juxian, Ji Jing and Yang Zhen tore off Ci"s hair as if they were pulling out the weeds. Her scalp peeled off, as blood oozed from the wounds, streamed down her forehead and dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision. Before long, Ci became an incomplete baldheaded woman. Waves of pain penetrated her every pore. Strangely, a faint smile appeared on her face, weirdly and horribly.

They took barbed whips from the wardrobe and began to flog Ci. Her clothes were torn to shreds by the whips, the same as her skin was. Ci fainted away. For her, it was better to be unconscious. It was like falling into a deep sleep. She could dream about Nima and forget the pain for the time being.

They sprinkled salt on Ci"s bloodied body and wrapped the cotton cloth around her. This was Ji Jing"s idea. She had frequently bragged about how wonderful the idea was, but when she did it, she felt a tremor in her hands.

An hour later, the white cloth was completely stained red by the blood.

Yang Zhen asked Ju Juxian, "Why not kill her directly? It will save trouble. Madam, you needn"t have dirtied your hands."

Ju Juxian said, "If you can"t bring yourself to continue, go outside and bring the cage in to me."

Yangzhen cast a look at Ci before she went out. The cloth had sunk in her flesh. When Ju Juxian and Ji Jing pulled off the cloth wrapped around her, the skin all over her body was torn off. Ci became a skinless monster. She was bathed in blood. With no skin on her face, her eyes and mouth stood out in particular.

Ju Juxian cut out Ci"s tongue which was red and long.

Ji Jing said, "I never thought that her tongue is so long."

A few minutes later, Yang Zhen came in from outside again with a cage in her hands. There were many big moles in the cage. They snapped at the iron bars of the cage with their big front teeth. They had small s.h.i.+fty eyes and black coats.

Yang Zhen picked up a sharp knife and killed the moles, and then flayed them. The furs with warm rat blood were placed on the floor and soon piled up.

Ji Jing glued the furs onto Ci"s skinless body with trembling hands.

Ju Juxian asked Yang Zhen, "Will it work?"

Yang Zhen nodded, "Madam, trust me. I have experimented on others."

Ju Juxian nodded, went over to cut off Ci"s tendons and pulled them out. Then she wiped the blood off her hands with a silk handkerchief and looked down at Ci on the floor with a satisfied smile. "You two do the rest. I"ll go back first. It"s too cruel. I can"t bear to stay here anymore."

She walked to the door and turned around to say, "If she dies, throw her body away and ask some monks to chant scriptures and release her soul from purgatory."

Ji Jing covered her stomach with her hands. "Ouch, Yang Zhen, I don"t feel well. I believe you can handle it by yourself. Now I"m going to return to Nima Mansion with Sister Juxian."

There was only a piece of mole"s fur with long black hair left on the floor. Yang Zhen gummed the fur and stuck it into Ci"s mouth. "Don"t blame me. I have no choice," said Yang Zhen.

Ci couldn"t hear what Yang Zhen said. She was on the way to death.

San couldn"t hear what Yang Zhen said. He was on the way to the capital.

Nima couldn"t hear what Yang Zhen said. He was on the way to the pub. At the thought of the chewy cured meat, he was filled with joy.