Chapter 577: Chapter 447: A Family of Scum
Before dawn, Zhuge Rou with her hair disheveled, walked in, dragging her exhausted body.
Her exposed skin was covered with numerous bruises and red marks, each looking so shockingly painful.
But the most terrifying was her face; her eyes were lifelessly open, unable to shed a single tear.
"Mother, mother, please speak," Hong Yulang cried as he hugged Zhuge Rou.
Zhuge Rou stroked Hong Yulang’s hair, speaking softly.
"Yulang, mother is fine, everything I have done for my Yulang is worth it."
Outside the cell, the old prison guard, with his belt around his waist, strutted in, humming a tune, provocatively glancing at Hong Fang.
Hong Fang took a deep breath, his voice dry.
"You are satisfied now; it is time to fulfill your promise to me."
"Of course," the old prison guard pushed a poorly dressed young prisoner into the cell and dragged Hong Yulang out.
This was a young death-row prisoner, handsome, but someone had cut his tongue, and he could not speak, wheezing sounds escaping, and if not looked at closely, bore a slight resemblance to Hong Yulang.
"What are you trying to do! Mother, father."
Hong Yulang panicked, shouting.
"Shut up, you little brat, if it weren’t for your mother agreeing to spend a few nights with me, I wouldn’t bother with such schemes, and your worthless life would be spared because I have replaced you with a death-row prisoner," the old prison guard, fearing that Hong Yulang’s cries might alert the other guards, slapped him across the face.
Hong Yulang saw stars before his eyes, not daring to utter another word.
"What’s happening? Didn’t you promise to let our family of three go?" Hong Fang, seeing that things were not going well, demanded.
"Look at you, a former Imperial Tutor but as stupid as a pig. Who are you people, assassins of the Emperor, plotting rebels. If it weren’t for His Majesty’s respect for the Yue Marquis, it would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations. You think I would let you go? I just wanted to have some fun with your wife; she’s a real tease, tasting pretty damn good. She agreed to entertain me every night before the execution if I spared her son," the old prison guard showed his yellow teeth, his laugh revolting.
"Zhuge Rou, how dare you plot secretly!" Upon hearing this, Hong Fang realized Zhuge Rou had tampered.
He grabbed Zhuge Rou, choking her neck.
Zhuge Rou didn’t struggle; she gathered her hair, revealing that once stunningly beautiful face.
She burst into loud laughter, her voice piercing into Hong Fang’s ears, chilling with a touch of madness.
Her eyes were full of venom and hatred.
"Hong Fang, you son of a bitch. I, Zhuge Rou, was blind to have fallen for you. The Ye Family’s mother and daughter were right; you’re not fit to be called a human! I was your wife, bore your children, shared your bed for over a decade, and you asked me to sleep with other men? Since you are heartless, why should I bother? I’m already in this miserable state, better off dead, and if I’m going to die, I’m taking you down with me."
When Hong Fang suggested she entertain the old prison guard, she had already given up hope.
This man was no longer the right match; the more she once loved him, the more she now hated him.
"You whore, trying to get me killed, I’ll let you die first," Hong Fang’s eyes reddened with fury, his fingers like ten iron rods, tightly squeezing Zhuge Rou’s neck, until the sound of cracking bones echoed.
Hong Yulang wanted to rush inside but was firmly held back by the old prison guard.
Zhuge Rou, like a dying fish, could barely breathe, and in her last moments, she bit down on Hong Fang’s hand.
"Hiss—"
Hong Fang, in extreme pain, flung Zhuge Rou away and looked at the back of his hand where the flesh was blurry; Zhuge Rou had bitten off a chunk of his flesh.
Zhuge Rou, with that piece of flesh in her mouth, gave a chilling laugh, chewed up the flesh bit by bit, and swallowed it down, her eyes appearing as though she wanted to pounce and bite a few more times.
Hong Fang, enduring the pain, pleaded with the old prison guard.
"Sir, look, can you get me out of here too? I used to be the Imperial Tutor, and I still have a lot of money. If you get me out, I’ll give you a lot of money."
The old prison guard spit disdainfully, a gob of thick phlegm landing on Hong Fang’s face.
"You look somewhat decent but have been shameless for so long. Let me tell you the truth, the Heavenly Prison is being tightly guarded these days, even I can only get one person out. If you want out, then your son must stay. Who leaves and who stays, you dogs can figure it out amongst yourselves."
With that, he went to the corner and started smoking a waterpipe.
Hong Fang swallowed hard, turned his head towards Hong Yulang, his face bearing a look of plea.
"Yulang, your mother went mad, that’s why she did such an abnormal thing. Give this chance to your father. Once I’m out, I will contact my old subordinates and rescue both of you."
"Hong Fang, you beast. Yulang, don’t believe this bastard’s words. Listen to your mother, leave Xia Capital and never come back. Don’t seek revenge from Ye Lingyue, you can’t beat her. Go to Northwest City, find your grandfather, hide your identity from now on, and never return."
Seeing through Hong Fang, Zhuge Rou felt utterly disillusioned; she had lost the will to live, but she wanted her son Yulang to survive.
Yulang, unlike his sister Hong Mingyue, had no talent; seeking revenge would only lead him to death.
Zhuge Rou just hoped he would survive.
"Bitch, if you say one more word, I’ll kill you." Enraged Hong Fang furiously kicked at Zhuge Rou’s stomach.
However, Zhuge Rou tightly clung to his leg, shouting at Hong Yulang.
"Run!"
Hong Yulang, dazed, watched his parents struggling together, feeling they were so unfamiliar.
Were they still his noble and respectable father, his highborn and beautiful mother? In times of great peril, birds in the same forest fly separately.
"Kid, have you made up your mind?" The old prison guard shoved Hong Yulang.
"I, I am going! Take me with you, I don’t want to die." Hong Yulang had only one thought: to leave this place quickly, never wanting to see them again.
Hong Fang could only watch helplessly as Hong Yulang walked away, then kicked Zhuge Rou again before stopping.
In the middle of the night, Zhuge Rou was hastily dragged out by the old prison guard, their intercourse sounds ceaseless, Zhuge Rou shouting to anger Hong Fang, "You’re amazing," "Much better than that dog breed Hong Fang."
Those words hung in the air, Hong Fang’s eyes reddened, his fists clenched tightly, but at that moment, he heard a sound.
Hong Fang instantly became alert and looked over.