Huo Qixiao’s eyes were sinister as he stared at the Emperor Rui, who had fallen to the ground, his face filled with disbelief.
He slowly crouched down and reached out towards Emperor Rui's neck. His fingers formed a loose grip, not applying force, yet holding him firmly.
"At this point, you still dare to flaunt your status in front of me? How long do you think you can remain Emperor?" Huo Qixiao spoke as he slowly tightened his grip on Emperor Rui's neck, while his other hand provocatively patted his face.
With his throat constricted, Emperor Rui felt his breathing becoming increasingly difficult. He clawed and scrabbled at Huo Qixiao's arm with both hands, unable to utter a complete sentence.
"Let… go… of… me… I… will… kill… you…"
"Kill me? Hahahahaha…" Seeing Emperor Rui gasping for breath, Huo Qixiao seemed to find something hilarious.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Wouldn't it be a waste of Huo Qiyuan's efforts to capture you if you don't get to experience his methods firsthand!" After speaking, Huo Qixiao threw the man, who was already rolling his eyes, away.
Emperor Rui flew like a tattered rag for two meters before landing heavily on the ground. He coughed earth-shatteringly, followed by sounds of vomiting.
After being starved for two days, he had finally eaten something, and before he could digest it, he vomited it all out.
Emperor Rui suppressed the tickle in his throat, trying to minimize his presence. From that punch and being thrown so far, he could feel the immense strength of Huo Qixiao. He was currently weak and had no chance of winning.
In fact, Emperor Rui couldn't understand how Huo Qixiao, whom he had beaten half to death not long ago, had recovered so well in such a short time.
The burning sensation in his throat finally subsided a little. Emperor Rui thought the matter was over, but just as he adjusted his sitting posture, Huo Qixiao walked towards him step by step.
"What… what else do you want?" Huo Qixiao's attitude was something Emperor Rui had never expected.
After all, in the past, Huo Qixiao used to flatter him, revolve around him, and offer him advice. However, the prerequisite for him to bow and submit was that he still held the identity of Emperor, not being a prisoner as he was now.
As Huo Qixiao walked, he tore off strips of cloth from his hem and slowly wrapped them around his hand, his eyes leering at the once "high and mighty" Emperor before him.
"Given our current state, no one knows what the future holds; perhaps there won't be a future at all. So, of course, I must seize this opportunity for revenge."
Without giving Emperor Rui a chance to say anything else, Huo Qixiao leaped up and began to beat the terrified Emperor Rui.
Huo Qixiao assumed Emperor Rui would also be captured and tortured by those monsters, so he carefully chose his blows, avoiding the face and neck, and targeting areas that were painful but not fatal.
Soon, cries of pain from Emperor Rui echoed in the misty sea. The dull thuds of fists landing on his body could be heard.
This one-sided brawl did not last long before Su Muqing intervened.
Huo Qixiao was far superior to Emperor Rui in terms of age, physical condition, and combat skills. If he were allowed to continue, Emperor Rui might have died then and there.
Su Muqing, with Huo Qiyuan, flashed into the misty sea. Huo Qixiao had already been separated by the thick fog.
Emperor Rui lay on the ground, still gasping for breath. With each exhale, he sprayed saliva and blood foam; his appearance was truly miserable.
He was like the pigs that had their blood drained in the videos Su Muqing had watched in her past life, waiting powerlessly for death as their lifeblood slowly ebbed away.
Su Muqing crouched down and fed Emperor Rui some spiritual spring water to heal his injuries, then took out a special pill.
She planned to give it to him later, after Emperor Rui had completed what he needed to do.
The Spirit Binding Pill was a nerve-like drug that could infinitely amplify the body's sensations. To put it plainly, even if Emperor Rui's injuries were completely healed, the intense pain in his body would not diminish at all.
The spiritual spring water worked wonders, and Emperor Rui's physical pain eased, his consciousness gradually returning to clarity.
He opened his eyes and saw the silver-haired man standing before him, with a woman standing beside him.
Emperor Rui's eyes instantly welled up with tears, his entire being filled with surprise and relief, giving the impression that he had finally found a relative.
This inexplicable reaction from Emperor Rui left Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan bewildered.
Emperor Rui was genuinely delighted. He knew Huo Qiyuan had captured him but didn't blame him; instead, he accepted his suffering as penance.
Therefore, after experiencing fear and being beaten by Huo Qixiao, seeing Huo Qiyuan again, Emperor Rui naturally thought that perhaps he would be forgiven in the future.
Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan were unaware of Emperor Rui's thoughts. Outside the space, the sky was already dimly lit. Usually, at this time, the Emperor would have risen and would be preparing for the morning court.
"Put on your clothes!" Su Muqing waved her hand, tossing the clothes on the ground onto Emperor Rui.
Emperor Rui lowered his head and timidly began to dress, not daring to look at Su Muqing. The last time he had tried to see what this woman looked like, Huo Qiyuan's gaze at him had been as if he wanted to devour him.
As soon as he finished dressing, Emperor Rui found that his surroundings had changed drastically in the blink of an eye.
Warm yellow light, surrounded by damp white mist, and a chill that seeped into his bones.
Had he returned to the ice chamber again?
Reaching this conclusion, Emperor Rui was overjoyed! Even though he was still under Huo Qiyuan's control, being returned to a familiar place eased his inner fear.
Before Emperor Rui could rejoice for long, a cloak was thrown over his head, and two figures appeared before him.
Seeing Huo Qiyuan, Emperor Rui murmured, "Brother Yuan, I..."
Huo Qiyuan looked at him with cold eyes, his tone utterly indifferent. "Don't call me that! While Huo Qixiao was the one who caused these troubles, if it weren't for your narrow-mindedness and listening to slander to wrong my father, the Prince of Pingbei's mansion wouldn't have ended up in its current state."
"I know, it's my fault, I am guilty! Whatever you ask, I will compensate! You will issue an imperial decree to clear Uncle Huo's name and restore the reputation of the Prince of Pingbei's mansion. I have truly regretted it all these years..."
Emperor Rui spoke with urgent sincerity, afraid that if he spoke too slowly, Huo Qiyuan would not see his remorse.