After his taunt, Qian Ran summoned Mu En's spirit, forcing the elder to witness the pitiful state of his beloved great-grandson.
When Mu En appeared and saw Bei Bei groveling on the ground, his expression turned to one of utter despair.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was already in decline, its bloodline growing thinner with each passing generation. Mu En's death marked the clan's last pillar, and with Bei Bei on the brink of death, the family would soon fade into irrelevance.
Mu En had known that Qian Ran would target Bei Bei after killing him, but witnessing the reality left him overwhelmed with regret.
Bei Bei, seeing Mu En's spectral form, abandoned all hope.
"Qian Ran, please spare me! I was wrong!" Bei Bei wailed, slamming his head against the floor in desperation.
"From now on, I, Bei Bei, will be your loyal dog! Woof, woof, woof!"
"Do whatever you want with me. My women are yours too. Take them, play with them however you like, just please let me live!" he begged, hoping his pitiful display might stir some mercy in Qian Ran's heart.
Bei Bei had finally figured out how to exploit his position as Mu En's heir to live a life of indulgence and privilege. Even without Mu En, his identity could still win him respect and favors at Shrek Academy.
As long as Qian Ran let him go, he could continue being a scoundrel.
"Your women? What women? You don't even have anyone worthwhile—Dai Hao had better options than you," Qian Ran sneered, planting a foot on Bei Bei's head.
"This is pathetic. Trash like you is just wasting air."
"Please! I'm begging you!" Bei Bei's voice cracked with sobs.
Qian Ran unleashed a wave of mental energy infused with his necromantic power, shattering what little resolve Bei Bei had left. Fear and a desperate will to survive consumed him.
"My shoes are dirty. Lick them clean," Qian Ran ordered, extending his foot.
Bei Bei scrambled forward and clutched Qian Ran's foot, licking the sole of his shoe without hesitation.
The sight filled Tang Ya and Zhang Lexuan with disgust. They felt fortunate to have found Qian Ran, knowing that associating with a man like Bei Bei would have been unbearable.
Qian Ran, however, watched with amused pity. So this was what became of those who once paraded their power and status—they groveled like dogs when faced with death.
Even so, Bei Bei's desperate display did nothing to move Qian Ran.
Had Bei Bei submitted earlier, Qian Ran might have spared him as an amusing pawn. But after repeatedly opposing him, Bei Bei had squandered even the faintest chance of redemption.
In a final bid to please, Bei Bei crawled toward Tang Ya's feet, intending to lick her high heels. Before he could, Qian Ran kicked him across the room.
"What made you think you deserved that reward?" Qian Ran scoffed.
"Bei Bei doesn't even qualify to touch your shoes, Tang Ya, Lexuan," he added, glancing at the two women.
"Mu En, this is your precious great-grandson? Not much to be proud of, is he?" Qian Ran sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. Watching Mu En's despair only heightened his satisfaction.
"Darling Ya Ya, how do you want to see Bei Bei die?" he asked with a smirk.
"Let me and Senior Sister teach this trash a lesson first," Tang Ya replied gleefully. She rose, picking up a whip studded with thorn-like spikes.
Bei Bei turned pale at the sight of the weapon, trembling violently.
"Qian Ran, can't you just let me go? I've already given up my pride. Don't you have any compassion?" Bei Bei sobbed, his voice rising with anger and despair.
His dignity was gone, yet Qian Ran still wouldn't spare him. It wasn't fair.
"Damn you, Tang Ya. Why did I ever fall for a slut like you?" Bei Bei snapped, his hatred boiling over.
"Do you really think Qian Ran loves you? He only wants your body! You're nothing but a plaything to him, and when he's done with you, you'll be discarded like trash!"
Tang Ya's eyes narrowed with fury. Insulting her relationship with Qian Ran was crossing a line.
"Shut up, you rabid dog," she snapped, striking him with the whip.
Crack!
The whip lashed across Bei Bei's face, leaving a deep, bleeding wound.
"Trash."
Tang Ya lashed out again, shredding Bei Bei's clothes. Each strike left fresh, bloody marks on his body. His screams echoed through the room as he writhed in agony, blood pooling beneath him.
When Bei Bei finally fainted from the pain, Zhang Lexuan retrieved a jar of salt from her storage soul tool and began sprinkling it over his wounds.
"AAAAHHH!"
The searing pain jolted Bei Bei awake, his body convulsing as he screamed.
"Tang Ya, Zhang Lexuan, I curse you both! You'll never have a happy ending!" he howled, his voice raw with hatred.
"If you're going to kill me, just do it! End it already!"
His screams turned to incoherent sobs as his body shuddered uncontrollably.
The two women continued tormenting him, alternating between cruel methods to ensure he hovered between consciousness and fainting.
Eventually, Xian Lin'er entered the room. Calmly, she approached Bei Bei and grabbed him by the throat.
"You'll all get what's coming to you! Qian Ran, you'll die a horrible death! Tang Ya, Zhang Lexuan, Xian Lin'er—you'll regret everything!" Bei Bei snarled, laughing hysterically despite his tears.
Without a word, Xian Lin'er twisted her hand, snapping his neck with a sickening crack.
Bei Bei fell limp, lifeless.
"Lin'er, you've severed your master's bloodline. That's quite heartless of you," Qian Ran remarked, smirking. He kicked Bei Bei's corpse for good measure.
"That old fossil wasn't worth the effort. Well done, my dear," Xian Lin'er replied, her expression unbothered as she glanced at Mu En's spirit.
From the moment Mu En had plotted against Qian Ran, any remaining bond of teacher and student between them had been severed.
"Mu En, look at your legacy now," Qian Ran jeered. "Your prized disciples and your great-grandson, all turned to dust."
Mu En's spirit trembled, his anger and despair palpable. Watching Zhang Lexuan and Xian Lin'er, the students he had nurtured, aid Qian Ran in torturing Bei Bei was a torment beyond death.
"If only I'd killed Lexuan and Lin'er myself," Mu En thought bitterly. The betrayal of those he had trusted most cut deeper than any blade.
"Bei Bei thought he could haunt us as a ghost? What a joke. I'll make sure his soul never finds peace," Qian Ran declared, laughing darkly.
(Chapter End)