Knife splashing

Chapter 709 Torture in Prison
"Master, Master Kong has fallen!"

Wang She's knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice trembling with fear.

Zhao Qingxu slowly turned to the side, the pale mask devoid of features facing him, its voice devoid of emotion:
"Are you scared?"

Even in this secluded courtyard, facing his only confidant, the eerie mask remained firmly on his face.

Even the voices seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, indistinct and unclear, making it impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

"Small...small..."

King Snake trembled all over, wishing he could bury his head in the ground and never see that mask again.

To outsiders, he was a powerful and ruthless leader of the Iron Anchor Society, but in front of this fearsome figure, he couldn't even speak properly.

A very faint sneer seemed to come from behind the mask.

Zhao Qingxu stopped looking at him, turned around leisurely, picked up the celadon water pot on the table, and slowly watered the peach tree bonsai.

The water flowed among the strange rocks, making a soft, rustling sound.

“I remember you weren’t this pathetic back then.”

"He dared to storm into the Ministry of Justice's prison with a chipped knife, knowing he was no match for me, yet he still managed to leave several cuts on my body..."

Where did that reckless ferocity go?

We're in such dire straits, why bring up these old stories!
Wang She inwardly grumbled with anxiety, but dared not show it on his face, and could only stammer, "This humble servant...does not know."

Zhao Qingxu sighed and put down the kettle. "People, once they get something, they're afraid of losing it, and even their bones go soft."

Wang She was even more confused, completely unable to grasp the meaning behind these words, and could only bite the bullet and ask:
"Master... Master, what exactly do you mean?"

Zhao Qingxu finally turned around completely, the smooth surface of his mask coldly facing Wang She, his voice instantly turning icy, "All these years I've helped you rise to power, given you authority, and taught you martial arts, all because I valued your reckless audacity!"

He paused for a moment, and an invisible sense of oppression suddenly increased:

"You know very well that I never do business at a loss."

"you!"

King Snake felt alarm bells ringing in his brain, as if he had been stabbed in the spine with an ice pick!
All doubts instantly turned into real fear.

Almost instinctively, before he could even change his kneeling position, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his body was launched like a crossbow bolt.

He was no mediocre fighter; under Zhao Qingxu's evil magic, he had at least reached the Dan Jin level and become a skilled martial artist.

This pounce was swift and decisive, like a rabbit leaping and a falcon swooping down with lightning speed.

Just as it was about to lose its balance, it did another somersault and ended up facing the courtyard gate.

There were still civilians living nearby, and the imperial troops patrolled the streets in the distance.

As long as you leave, there is a chance of survival.

However, seeing that his right hand was less than half a foot from the door, King Snake suddenly froze.

An indescribable chill, originating from the depths of one's bones, suddenly swept over the entire body.

Puff-!
He was like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing straight down onto the cold ground.

He tried to struggle, but found that he couldn't move even a single finger.

All the muscles and tendons in his body seemed to be tightly bound by invisible chains, leaving only his torso trembling violently like a sieve.

Even more chilling scenes followed:

His skin was like boiling water, instantly covered with large patches of wheals and red rashes.

These rashes spread and swelled rapidly as if they were alive, their surface turning blood red and translucent, strangely revealing clear, distorted square-holed copper coin patterns, and in the blink of an eye, they covered the entire body.

Wow——!
The crisp sound of the folding fan opening and closing rang out from behind me.

Zhao Qingxu leisurely flicked open his fan, and the shockingly huge character for "money" seemed to flow with blood-red light in the dimly lit courtyard.

Everything has a price.

"What I gave you, now with interest, should be taken back..."

Wang She could no longer hear any words; the intense itching that penetrated to his very bones and the excruciating pain that pierced his soul overwhelmed his consciousness like a tidal wave.

In a daze, he saw the figure in the green robe slowly approaching and crouching down.

Then, he felt a sudden darkness before his eyes.

That cold, lifeless, pale mask was now perfectly fitted onto his face...

…………

The Prison of the Mysterious Prisoner, Death Row Cell No. A.

This is the Enforcement Hall, a place specifically used to detain and interrogate serious offenders.

The air was so thick you could wring water out of it, mixed with the stench of blood that had seeped into the stone walls over the years, the bitterness of inferior medicine, and a more hidden, musty smell, like something crawling out from the depths of an ancient tomb, that made one want to vomit.

The torches on the wall crackled as a scarred-faced official in black robes walked forward with his head down.

His name was "Old Knife," and he had been in the criminal investigation business for thirty years. He was a well-known "living Yama" in the capital's Six Doors and the Commandery.

In his cases, there was no mouth he couldn't pry open, no seal he couldn't sign.

But today's order is different.

The prison door slid open heavily, the heavy iron chains dragging with a grating sound.

"Old Knife" went inside, his boots making almost no sound as they stepped on the cold stone bricks.

He silently glanced around at his surroundings.

The surrounding walls were cast from cold iron and specially engraved with incantations, with solidified, blackened dark red cinnabar embedded in the engravings.

This is called a "Soul-Destroying Talisman." If a person commits it and dies, their soul will be scattered.

The same applies to sorcerers who can wander with spirits; they have no chance to cause trouble at all.

Kong Hui was tightly bound to a cross-shaped heavy iron frame.

This master from the Song Dynasty now resembles a vengeful ghost.

His arms were twisted grotesquely, his arm bones broken by Huo Yin's punch, and were hastily fixed with dirty burlap and wooden boards.

Blood clots and pus clung to the cloth, emitting a foul odor.

Two bloody holes pierced through the collarbone, through which a thick iron chain ran, connecting to an iron ring in the corner.

The chains taut, pinning him firmly to the spot.

The once respectable Confucian robe he wore was now tattered and torn, revealing a large, horrifying purplish-black depression on his chest.

Those are the marks of a broken rib.

"hu~hu~"

Each faint breath was accompanied by a jarring, broken bellows-like noise.

Faced with this tragic scene, "Old Knife" was clearly already used to it.

He stopped in front of the iron table three feet away, took off a shiny leather tool bag from his waist, and put it on the table with a clatter.

"The person who offended Kong Hui."

"Old Knife" spoke in a low, emotionless voice, "I'm here on imperial orders to question you. Are you willing to speak?"

Kong Hui's eyes twitched slightly, and he let out a muffled and short "ho" sound, as if there was bloody grit stuck in his trachea.

He grinned, revealing a mocking smile through his cracked lips.

"Oh…"

"Old Knife" nodded, bent down, and slowly opened the shiny tool bag.

A thick layer of waterproof tarpaulin was peeled away, revealing neatly arranged stainless steel tools underneath:
The crocheted hooks, strangely shaped and thin as willow leaves, gleam with a cold light at the edges; several hollow tubes of varying lengths, their ends polished like interlocking jagged teeth; a flat, thin blade with fine markings on its back; and several rows of silver needles, the longest almost as long as a finger, the shortest as thin as a cow's hair...

"Old Knife" ran his finger along the surface, but instead of taking out a small black jade bowl from the corner of his toolbox, he simply pulled it out.

The bowl contained a thick, paste-like sludge that emitted a pungent, gloomy odor and was oozing with blackish-yellow grease.

"This is called 'Yellow Spring Mud'."

"Old Knife" calmly said, "It's taken from the bottom of the extremely yin and filthy 'Corpse-Nourishing Pool,' mixed with 'Corpse-Suppressing Talisman Ashes' from the 'Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase,' cinnabar, and black dog blood. Legend has it that it was made by the sorcerers of the Han Dynasty palace..."

"'Sealing the orifices with mud from the underworld'?"

Before he could finish speaking, Kong Hui interrupted, scoffing, "During the Jingkang era, the Jurchens used this method to torture the Xuanmen protectors who refused to submit." "Oh, I almost forgot that you are a Yin criminal."

A glint flashed in "Old Knife's" eyes. "You're also a member of the Ghost Cult of the Great Song Dynasty. Could it be related to the Jingkang Incident?"

Interrogation is also an art; he was constantly trying to extract information from people.

"hehe…"

Kong Hui's eyes were cloudy and bloodshot. "To paraphrase someone, the shame of Jingkang? It's nothing but a bad debt..."

It's said without intention, but it sounds intentional.

Outside the prison, Li Yan and the others listened in.

Upon hearing this, a sudden inspiration flashed in Li Yan's mind.

He remembered fighting Zhao Qingxu, who used magic to conjure up "Great Song Dynasty Paper Money" to control the ghosts.

No matter how you look at it, it sounds like those words came from his mouth.

Inside the cell, "Old Knife" tried to get more information out of Kong Hui, but Kong Hui simply closed his eyes.

"Humph!"

"Old Knife" let out a cold snort, his fingers covered in mud, and a faint black resentment was immediately wrapped around his fingertips.

There are also cultivators in the government offices, and the fact that he was invited here means that his cultivation level is not low.

Snapped!
A sudden, unexpected explosion.

A small clump of thick, cold mud was precisely applied to Kong Hui's brow.

This is the ancestral aperture and life gate where a cultivator's soul manifests externally.

"what--!"

Like boiling oil being poured into clear water, the inhuman screams suddenly tore through the deathly silence!

The silt, like a living thing, instantly seeps into the skin.

Kong Hui felt an indescribable chill and filth freezing and corroding his spirit!

As a former master of Yin Fan, his soul was naturally incredibly powerful.

But suffering this "sealing the orifices with mud in the underworld" punishment is also excruciating.

Even so, he did not speak.

"Old Knife" was also a fierce man, but seeing this situation, he laughed instead of getting angry.

"Very well, as expected of a grandmaster, I will certainly satisfy you!"

He took out several hollow silver needles with hair-like tips, polished them into a spiral shape, and connected the ends to tiny jade tubes.

"This is the 'Soul-Infusing Needle,' which pierces directly into the 'Qi Acupoint' and the 'Intersection of Yin Meridians,' infusing it with cinnabar and incense ash, and then sealing the acupoint with Yellow Spring Mud. This can cause an imbalance of Yin and Yang, leading to demonic possession and reversed meridian flow..."

"This is the 'Severing Meridians and Inducing Evil Blade,' derived from the Miao 'Heart-Gouging Gu' and the Taoist 'Evil-Breaking Talisman.' This blade is not for cutting flesh, but specifically for severing meridians, which can slightly alleviate the pain of going into demonic possession. However, when the blade falls, it is as if it has summoned ten thousand ghosts to devour the soul..."

Round after round, the tortures used were unlike anything Li Yan and the others had ever heard of.

Just looking at it gave them the creeps.

However, Kong Hui refused to confess.

His spirit was so strong that no amount of bewitching techniques could stop him.

Seeing that the person was about to be tortured to death, Li Yan frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Stop first, let me do it."

Having said that, he pushed open the door and entered the cell.

"Old Knife" glanced at it, seemingly somewhat displeased, but said nothing and stepped aside.

Kong Hui, his body mangled and bloodied, slowly raised his head and burst into a violent cough, splattering blood and saliva along with his saliva.

He stared at Li Yan, his voice hoarse, and said, "Boy, are you here to collect souls?"

Li Yan said calmly, "You wish! Don't think I don't know. Even if you were thrown into the Netherworld, you still have a way to escape. To tell you the truth, both Lu Sheng and Wang Xuanmo have already been annihilated. I don't want any reward, but I won't let you get away with it."

"Heh, you idiot..."

Kong Hui hissed and growled in a tone that was a mixture of schadenfreude and extreme resentment: "Living underworld messenger, I had the chance many years ago, but I threw away that warrant without hesitation. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"That's a road of no return. You're not in control of your own life while you're alive, and you won't find peace even when you die."

"Where do you think those underworld soldiers you summon every time come from...?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

He had thought about this as well.

Throughout history, very few people have been able to successfully ascend to godhood.

However, the number of soldiers in the underworld was quite large.

Could it be that "living underworld messengers" are enslaved after death?
But when asked again, Kong Hui refused to answer.

Li Yan's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Are you truly willing to risk your life for Jianmu?"

Kong Hui looked up at Wu Ba, whose eyes were filled with murderous intent, and sneered, "Wu Qu was killed by my scheme. You think you can let me go?"

Li Yan paused for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

"That's it."

Kong Hui laughed maniacally, "I have reincarnated several times and lived long enough. I am not bound by the laws of heaven, nor do I obey the laws of the mortal world. This world is all an illusion. I have had a good time and it was worth it!"

I feel sorry for you!

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Last night I entered the 'Nine Gates Yin Ruins,' and Zhao Qingxu betrayed you in order to escape."

Kong Hui sneered, "Sowing discord is useless against me."

Li Yan laughed, "Without his guidance, how would we have found those polluted places?"

"If he had nothing to hide, why didn't he inform you when something happened at 'Nine Gates Yin Ruins'?"

"besides."

Li Yan looked at Kong Hui's body and said, "We did not find the 'Earth Official's Edict of Pardon.' I remember you had a copy, but we saw Zhao Qingxu take two in the Nine Gates Yin Ruins. That's why we didn't catch him."

"You...you wouldn't be foolish enough to give him your protective treasure, would you?"

Li Yan's bluff was nine parts truth and one part falsehood.

But this really stung Kong Hui.

He had gone mad, his bloodshot eyes filled with madness. "That's right, I was wrong to believe his nonsense."

"Zhao Qingxu? Heh heh... he's much more secretive than I am..."

"He...he's not human! He's a vengeful ghost that crawled out of the 'treasury'!"

"Where there is 'Jiaozi,' there are his debts..."

"This Da Xuan... sooner or later... he'll turn it into a complete mess!"

The laughter was manic yet intermittent and weak, like the mournful cry of a dying beast.

"What exactly does he want to do?!"

Li Yanhao didn't pause, and asked in a deep voice.

Kong Hui was already at his wit's end when it came to this matter, and he muttered to himself, "Why...why did he betray me?"

"There's no reason... In this way, the capital's years of hard work will be destroyed in an instant."

"He has betrayed Jianmu, unless something..."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked up and said, "I know, he's plotting against the Qiankun Academy!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zongti's face darkened, and he entered the room to inquire.

Kong Hui lowered his head and laughed self-deprecatingly:

"I don't know, but I do know that it is a key to the transformation of humanity!"

(End of this chapter)