But this time, no one rushed to check on her.
Instead, a servant walked up with a bucket of cold water and splashed it straight onto her face.
"Ahhh!" Liu screamed as the icy water hit her skin. She jumped and shivered, her body curling.
Her teeth clattered as she shouted angrily, "You cannot do this to me! You cannot mistreat me ! I am still a human! You will regret this!"
Long Yifan laughed coldly, his eyes sharp like blades.
"Mistreat you? You have not even begun to understand what mistreatment is." He raised his hand and motioned to the servants.
At once, another tub full of water was brought in. This time, it was filled with ice cubes. The water was so cold that mist rose from it.
Using his psychic element, Long Yifan lifted Liu’s body into the air without touching her. She kicked and struggled, but she could not move against his power. With a flick of his fingers, he dropped her straight into the freezing water.
Liu’s scream echoed through the hall. "No! Stop! It is too cold! I cannot breathe!"
But Long Yifan did not stop. His face was full of fury. Out of everyone in the room, he was the one who hated Gu Aihan the most, second only to Mr. and Mrs. Gu.
"If it were not for you, I would have been together with Gu Jin long ago. If it were not for your disgusting schemes, she would not have suffered so much. Do you know how many times I tested things? How many times I doubt myself, thinking I was wrong, because of you? And now you dare to act innocent?!"
He motioned again. The servants pulled her out, only to dunk her back into the freezing bucket.
Again and again she was submerged, each time coming up coughing and screaming.
At last, Liu could not take it anymore. She choked out, "Please! Please stop! I will do anything, just stop!"
Long Yifan’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Anything? Then kneel down and beg Gu Jin for forgiveness. As long as she forgives you, I will let you go."
Liu froze. She gritted her teeth. Her whole body shook with anger and shame. She turned her head slowly and looked at Gu Jin.
In front of her stood the girl she had always looked down on, the one she had tried so hard to suppress. Gu Jin’s calm eyes made her chest twist with hate and fear.
Inside her mind, Gu Aihan screamed. ’Why? Why does she get everything? Why is she standing above me now?’
But her lips trembled as she whispered, "Gu Jin... do not let him... do not let him continue..."
Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "Then tell me. Who was behind the baby swap? Who helped you? Speak the truth, and I will let you go."
Liu shook her head quickly, her hair wet and clinging to her face. "I... I do not know. I really do not know!"
Gu Jin let out a cold laugh. "You do not know? Very well then. You will remember after some more pain." She turned away and waved her hand. "Continue." This content belongs to novèlfire.net
The servants moved again. This time, they brought in a set of torture devices. Sharp whips, metal rods, and heated irons. The sight of them made Liu’s face turn pale.
"No! No! Please, not that!" She screamed, trying to crawl backward. "You cannot do this!"
But before she could move far, two guards grabbed her arms and pinned her down. The first lash of the whip landed on her back.
"Ahhhh!" she cried, her voice breaking.
The second slash cut deeper. Blood appeared.
At first, Liu tried to resist. She clenched her jaw, trying not to scream, trying to prove she was still strong. But with each strike, the pain grew unbearable.
Her body shook violently. Tears streamed down her face as she begged, "Stop! Stop! I will talk! Please, I will tell the truth!"
Long Yifan ignored her at first. He crossed his arms and looked away. For ten long minutes, her screams filled the hall, but he gave no signal to stop.
Finally, when her voice grew hoarse and weak, he raised his hand. "Enough."
The servants stepped back, their weapons dripping with blood.
Long Yifan walked forward slowly and crouched in front of Liu’s broken body. His eyes were sharp as knives. "Now. Speak. Who was behind it?"
Liu sobbed, her whole body trembling.
She knew she could not hide anymore. With a defeated voice, she whispered, "It was... my parents. They were the ones who switched us."
Gu Jin’s eyes narrowed. "Your parents?"
Liu nodded weakly, tears mixing with the blood on her face.
"Yes... my parents... they worked for an organization. That organization was your Gu family’s enemy. "
Mr. Gu’s voice trembled with anger as he stepped closer. "Which organization? Speak clearly!"
Gu Aihan shivered. Her face was pale, her lips cracked. She swallowed hard, then whispered,
"The Black Serpent Organization."
At once, both Mr. and Mrs. Gu froze. Their eyes widened, and silence fell over the entire hall.
Mrs. Gu’s hands shook. "That... that name... I thought we erased them years ago."
Mr. Gu’s jaw clenched.
"Yes. I remember. We gathered evidence, we risked our lives, and we handed everything to the police. We thought they were destroyed. The leader escaped, but we believed he would never dare to rise again."
Gu Jin frowned deeply. "But he did. And instead of attacking directly, he targeted us through you."
She stared coldly at Gu Aihan. "Tell me. Why swap me? Why not kill me?"
Gu Aihan’s eyes darkened with resentment. She forced a bitter laugh.
"They wanted to kill you. I will not lie. You were supposed to die. But when they tried, something strange happened."
Everyone leaned forward.
Gu Aihan continued, her voice trembling with both fear and hatred.
"The one carrying you... suddenly died. No one knew why. An invisible force killed him on the spot. Your body disappeared. They searched everywhere but could not find you. It was as if some mysterious power was protecting you."
The room was filled with gasps.
Gu Jin’s eyes flickered with surprise. Her heart thudded painfully. An unknown force? Protecting me?
Mrs. Gu covered her mouth, tears filling her eyes.
"So... all these years... my daughter was alive... and I never knew..."
Gu Jin’s expression hardened. Her voice was sharp.
"If you lost track of me, then how did I survive in an orphanage? Why not find me? Why not kill me later?"
Gu Aihan spat blood, then laughed weakly.
"Do you think we knew? We thought you were dead! If we had known you were alive, I swear, you would not be standing here today. They would have ended you long ago."
The words stabbed into everyone’s hearts. Mrs. Gu shook her head, weeping quietly.
Gu Jin took a deep breath, then asked slowly,
"When you swapped me, did you damage my meridians? Was that the organization’s work too?"
For a moment, Gu Aihan was silent. Then her lips curled into a mocking smile.
"You are clever. Yes. That was a backup option. The Black Serpent wanted to make sure that even if you lived, you would be useless. They ruined your meridians and twisted your mana channels. That is why you could not cultivate."
Gu Jin’s fists clenched. Her teeth ground together. So that was it.
That was why the original host suffered so much. That was why her body was weak, her cultivation broken.
She glared at Gu Aihan. "You destroyed my future. You destroyed everything."
Gu Aihan laughed hoarsely.
"Blame fate, not me. I was just the replacement. I was just doing what I was told."
Mr. Gu stepped forward, his voice shaking with rage.
"Then tell us. What was your mission inside my family? Why plant you here at all?"
At those words, Gu Aihan’s body stiffened. Her lips sealed tight. She stared at the floor, refusing to speak.
Long Yifan’s voice rang out coldly.
"So you wish to stay silent?" He gestured sharply, and the servants brought out the whip again.
Gu Aihan’s face turned pale. Her whole body shook. "No! Wait! I will speak!"
She gasped for breath, tears streaming down her face.
"I... I was ordered to destroy your family’s reputation. That was my task. To make you fall, one by one."
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
She continued bitterly.
"I ruined Gu Jichun’s reputation in secret. I whispered lies, I spread rumors, I twisted her image. Once she was destroyed and sank into depression, the plan was to make sure she died. Then I would report it as your fault. I would say that you, Mr. and Mrs. Gu, were cruel, that your favoritism and bias killed your own child. In this way, your family name would collapse. Gu Jichun dead. You both shamed and hated. Slowly, the Gu family was destroyed from within."
A horrified silence filled the room.
Mrs. Gu covered her mouth with trembling hands.