"The Dark Sword Empress."
The moment the title left Li Yuhua's lips, the room seemed to grow colder.
Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably as memories long buried surged to the surface.
"I saw her with my own eyes," she continued, her voice unsteady.
"Years before you were even born, a traitor of our Li clan was captured. He was dragged back in chains and displayed outside the clan gates… not executed, not spared, but made an example."
Her breathing grew shallow.
"For three long years, Yan'er. Three years he suffered. Every single day, he was subjected to torment beyond imagination… his body broken, his spirit crushed, his screams echoing through the entire city. It was slow. Deliberate. Merciless. His agony was not just punishment… it was a warning. A message carved into flesh and blood for everyone to see."
Li Yuhua's eyes glistened, her voice barely holding together.
