The loud shrieking of the iron gates jerked Ling Yue awake from his half-dream of water. His throat was so dry that his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth. Before he could figure out what was happening, two guards rushed into the cell and hauled him upright.
"Water…" he croaked. "Can I get water, please?" he begged.
They gave no response as they dragged him out of the cell into a blinding sun. It was so bright that Ling Yue had to squint his eyes to adjust after being locked up for a day or two in the moonless cell.
When Xuan Han left his side, he fell asleep and woke up again, only to sleep, and he had no idea how many hours had passed. Now, the guards had come to take him out, which meant he was either summoned by Xuan Han or maybe freed, just like last time.
But he was wrong because instead of taking him to the flower hall, the guards took him to an arena where at least a hundred or more had gathered, chanting words he couldn't understand.
What was happening? he thought as he was pushed to the center, where two poles were positioned.
Ling Yue groaned as his face kissed the sand in the arena. Before he could question why they had brought him there, someone appeared before him. It was one of the guards, and in his hand was a golden scroll.
"Hear the decree of Heaven's Alpha Emperor," the voice boomed, and the screams from those in the arena ceased immediately. "By the order of Heaven's Alpha Emperor, the omega Su Ling Yue shall receive twenty lashes for high treason and attempted regicide. Let the heavenly crowd bear witness."
Ling Yue's brain went blank for a few seconds, trying to figure out what the guard meant. Had he heard it wrong, or did the guard say twenty lashes? He was going to be flogged publicly at the orders of Xuan Han?
"Twenty lashes?" he suddenly shouted and groaned as he struggled to stand up, his hands still bound in chains. "TWENTY?" he repeated and scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me!" He lunged forward, but the chains around his wrists snapped back so hard his shoulders screamed in pain.
The guards grabbed his hands and pulled him toward the pole. "Let me go! There is no way I am going to be treated like this!" he screamed, dragging his feet on the sand, but the guards were too powerful, and, of course, the crowd, the heavenly snobs, seemed to be enjoying his predicament as they pointed and laughed at him.
Twenty lashes. He was going to die.
Ling Yue had thought that by lying that he was Xiao Yu, Feng Lan's son, maybe Xuan Han would pardon him, but he knew that his lies would not last forever. Either Xuan Han had found out about his lies, or perhaps he didn't care.
He was the one who killed Feng Lan, the one who betrayed the warlord who was his lover, so there was no way his words would change Xuan Han's mind. Xuan Han was a cruel emperor, just like Author-nim had written him.
Someone threw a rotten pear toward Ling Yue, which splattered across his cheek. He turned and saw that it was from a little boy.
Great. Even a little boy hates him now.
The guards chained his hands to the poles and pressed his body closer, and Ling Yue groaned when he felt the cold iron kiss his spine.
Then he saw one of the guards raising a black whip, the one that would be used on him, and he let out a scream. "No! My pretty back. There is no way you can do this to me," he thrashed, but his effort was useless. Two guards were pressing his face against the pole, and his hands were chained like a criminal.
There was no escape for him.
"Xuan Han, you absolute flop," he screamed. "I said I was Xiao Yu to make you change your mind, and instead, you ordered me to be publicly flogged."
The first crack landed on his back, and Ling Yue's eyes rolled as he felt the fire on his skin.
"AAAAAHHH…"
The scream tore from his lips, a half-laugh, half-sob. This was not how he had imagined his isekai experience.
The second strike hit him on the back, and this time his screams grew louder. "STOP… please, I take it back. I shouldn't have attacked the emperor. I…" his voice cracked into hiccupping sobs.
Third.
Tears blurred his face as the arena turned into watercolor reds and golds.
Fuck you for this crazy story, Author-nim. What was the reason for a rebirth when this is how Xuan Han treats me?
Fourth.
"XUAN HAN, YOU PSYCHO…" he screamed out loud. "YOU COWARD OF AN EMPEROR, COME TAKE THE WHIP YOURSELF, YOU FLOP!"
Fifth.
The world began to blur, and Ling Yue could hear the sound of squelching flesh each time the whip made impact with his back and the wet sound of his own blood hitting the sand.
Never had he been humiliated like this.
He had never been beaten like this, and it was all because of Xuan Han.
"Just wait, Author-nim," he whimpered, his voice shaking with sobs. "When I get out of this shitty story, I will make sure that I give…" he paused as he began to grow tired.
He had even lost count of how many times they had hit him.
"I will give this story…" he sniffled as sweat mixed with his tears, streaming down his face. "O stars, because you deserved it. Not only did you make Feng Lan an omega, but a weak omega. I know Xuan Han is the one you love. Just wait until I am out of here," he gritted his teeth and coughed up the blood that had filled his mouth.
Ling Yue groaned weakly as his vision whitened, then slowly he muttered Xuan Han's name. "It seems you won this round, you dramatic flop emperor," he muttered, and darkness overtook his body.