Xu Tingyu couldn't believe it when she was grabbed by several people and forced to the ground.
Blood covered her face and clothes, making her look extremely terrifying.
"What on earth are you doing?"
All this was beyond her comprehension. Was this something that could happen in the 21st century?
The old master of the Qi family was a very traditional man.
In other words, he was rather feudal and believed in things like feng shui and fortune.
So after Xu Tingyu married into the family, she had heard some things but had never seen them with her own eyes.
Let alone becoming the protagonist of this ritual herself.
If it weren't for the burning pain of the whip marks, she would even suspect that this was a nightmare.
No, even in her dreams, she had never had such a absurd and outlandish one.
"Aren't you going to obediently let the master whip you ten times?"
"Do you want to keep the evil spirit on you and kill all of us?"
Liu Ning scolded her while winking at the people holding her.
The men exerted force, but she struggled fiercely.
Maybe people would burst out with great strength in extreme emotions.
Or maybe those men didn't dare to use too much force.
Anyway, for a moment, they couldn't subdue her.
Finally, under Liu Ning's scolding, someone kicked Xu Tingyu in the back of her knee, forcing her to kneel on the ground.
Then someone brought a rope and tied her up.
Liu Ning even stepped in person and stuffed a rag into her mouth.
She whispered in her ear in a voice only audible to the two of them.
"Weren't you so powerful on TV? You even managed to make my son speak up for you."
"A useless vixen. You should have just agreed to the divorce obediently. Instead, you dared to use a feigned - suffering scheme. Do you really want a share of the family fortune?"
"Fine, I'll grant your wish and make this feigned - suffering scheme a reality."
Ignoring Xu Tingyu's wide - open eyes, after stuffing the rag, Liu Ning disgustedly picked up a wet wipe to wipe her hands.
Then, she elegantly smiled at the old man holding the whip. "Master, I'll trouble you."
It was as if she was saying that the show could start.
The old man also showed an obsequious smile. "Madam, don't worry."
Saying that, he waved the whip and lashed at Xu Tingyu again.
When the solid whip, with the strong wind cutting through the air, landed on Xu Tingyu's body, she curled up on the ground in pain.
As someone who had danced since childhood and had been injured many times, she was actually quite able to bear pain.
But at this moment, she finally understood what double pain, both physical and psychological, meant.
After this whip, she felt that her soul was about to be shattered.
Originally, she had agreed to the divorce, signed her name on the divorce agreement, and moved out.
In the eyes of the Qi family, this was a feigned - suffering scheme.
That's why Qi Shifeng didn't even ask her why she wanted a divorce after she proposed it.
And Liu Ning's offer of 30 million yuan as divorce compensation was just a test.
A test to see if her request for divorce was just for the money.
How ridiculous.
Her disappointment, pain, struggle, and collapse were, in their eyes, a feigned - suffering scheme and a means to get money.
Xu Tingyu curled up on the ground. The surging pain drilled into her heart from all directions and penetrated every part of her body.
She trembled all over in pain. Her face was already covered with tear stains, and sobs came from her throat.
All this talk about expelling evil spirits was just an excuse to whip her in front of so many people.
And the whipping was enough to shatter a person, from body to self - esteem.
Some people around couldn't bear to look and turned their faces away.
Even the old man hesitated for a moment when he was about to whip for the second time.
Only Liu Ning was in high spirits, as if watching some show, with an uncontrollable smile on her lips.
After two whips, a thin layer of sweat broke out on Xu Tingyu's forehead, and her vision went black.
If she really endured ten whips today, she might die here.
But with her hands and feet tied and a rag in her mouth, she couldn't struggle or shout.
If only she hadn't married him.
This gloomy thought appeared in her mind again.
Every word was sharp enough to pierce her heart.
However, after this thought, driven by the pain, she actually thought that if only Qi Shifeng could come and save her.
She would obediently divorce, stay far away from the Qi family, and never mention this marriage in public.
She admitted defeat. She couldn't die yet.
So, could he come and save her?
When the third whip fell, Xu Tingyu's face quickly turned deathly pale.
There were no more tears in her beautiful eyes, only emptiness.
The old man didn't dare to whip anymore.
After all, this woman was curled up on the ground, shivering all over, like a wounded little beast, terrified and covered in wounds.
It seemed that she would die the next second.
Although he wanted to make money, he didn't dare to be involved in a death.
So he held the whip and looked at Liu Ning.
Seeing that he stopped, Liu Ning was very unhappy. "Are you done? Is ten whips that fast?"
Seeing Xu Tingyu trembling non - stop on the ground, Liu Ning found her pleasing to the eye for the first time.
She was just a low - class woman who was lucky enough to marry into the family. In the past three years, she had never done anything to make Liu Ning happy.
She always looked so aloof and arrogant.
Liu Ning could tolerate her when the Xu family was still okay.
But now that the Xu family was gone, what was she still being so proud of?
"Since expelling evil spirits requires ten whips, not a single whip can be missed. If we miss any, it won't work, and all the whipping will be in vain. Isn't that a joke?"
Liu Ning hadn't had enough of seeing Xu Tingyu being whipped, but she said it so righteously.
As if she was really doing it for expelling evil spirits.
The old man hesitated for a while, then thought of the money Liu Ning had given him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and raised the whip again.
Actually, Xu Tingyu had already fallen into a semi - comatose state after the third whip.
After hearing Liu Ning's words, she passed out completely.
Just before her vision went dark, she saw a pair of sports shoes.
At that moment, she actually thought rather pathetically: Someone's here, but unfortunately it's not Qi Shifeng.
Then she completely lost consciousness.
She didn't know how much time had passed when Xu Tingyu found herself in darkness.
It was very quiet around. There wasn't a single person, not even a blade of grass.
Was she dead?
At which whip did she die?
After her death, how would they fabricate the cause of her death?
How would the outside world spread the news? Would they say about her, just like they said about her father, "He couldn't even hold on to the family company. A useless person is dead, so what"? Or would they say that she deserved it?
She knew that Qi Shifeng didn't love her, but she still flew into the fire like a moth and got married.
Not only did she get married, but she also always put him first, loved and respected him, almost losing herself.
It was only right that she was beaten to death.
Who told her not to know that one should leave some leeway when loving someone? She was like a fool, taking out her whole heart and offering it to others.
She thought silently in the darkness.
First self - mockery, then pain, and finally, it turned into unwillingness.
This unwillingness burned like a raging fire. What was wrong with her just loving a person?