Chapter 46

"Snap!"

In the crisp sound, Wu Fan's palm now held half a white tooth that had fallen from the mouth of the man from the Maitreya Sect.

This half a tooth was not easily obtained. Wu Fan experimented for a long time, finally using the saw teeth on the back of the knife to break it off with just the right amount of force.

Putting down the knife, he held the half tooth, glanced at it a few times, and turned to look at the man tied to the big tree, his face expressionless: "I don't know if you've heard the saying, 'Toothache is not a disease, but it can be deadly.' Of course, if you haven't heard it, I think you will soon understand its meaning and never forget it! Really!"

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

The man's breathing was heavy. He was indeed tough, enduring Wu Fan's torture without yielding!

Wu Fan took another steel needle from the knife case, walked to the man, and fixed his head, muttering non-stop: "Don't move! Don't move! Just a moment! It will be over in a moment... If you beg for mercy now, I can give you a dignified death, because... I can guarantee that no one can withstand this! Absolutely no one!"

"Ugh... Ugh..."

The man's mouth emitted indistinct groans and roars.

Wu Fan sighed and clicked his tongue: "Tsk tsk! Unyielding and brave! A tough guy!"

"Scrape..."

The sound that made one's teeth grind, the sound of the steel needle scraping the inside of the broken tooth.

"Ugh... Ahh..."

The man began to struggle. When Wu Fan pricked his fingers with the steel needle, it was painful, but he only showed fierce anger. Now, with just one prick, tears involuntarily streamed down his face! Tears like rain!

"Don't move! Don't move! This is just the beginning!," Wu Fan grinned, seeing the hope of victory in the man's eyes: "I said I would make you beg me to speak! I will also make you understand what it means to be civilized and polite! I'm not lying, right? Hehe! To ensure our conversation goes smoothly, I decide... to make you remember this unbearable pain!"

Wu Fan's steel needle found a place to pierce in the man's broken front tooth, and he stirred it violently and forcefully!

"Ahh... Ugh..."

The man's head was drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with tears, his face contorted, his skin flushed, his body stiff, and his face almost convulsing, with only the whites of his eyes showing. All of this indicated that he was enduring inhuman pain!

Pain!

Very painful!

Extremely painful!

Wu Fan looked at the red nerve he had extracted from the man's tooth and smiled slightly. No one understood the pain of root canal treatment without anesthesia better than he did, because he had experienced it himself, at least before coming to this time. He didn't know how to describe it with modern terms, but he could only say it to himself in his heart.

"Huff... Huff..."

The man's breathing was very heavy, and he was already weak from the massive amount of sweat. His eyes were pleading, begging Wu Fan to let him speak!

He, had surrendered!

Wu Fan reached out and removed the pieces of hemp cloth from the man's mouth, saying: "Have you decided what to say? If not, I think you still have nearly thirty teeth in your mouth!"

"No! Please! Don't... Don't torture me anymore! I'll talk!" The man, with tears streaming down his face, pleaded: "I'll say everything, everything..."

"Very good!" Wu Fan smiled and spread his hands, saying: "I appreciate your honesty! However, we need to be civilized and polite, so let's introduce ourselves first. I'll go first. My name is Wu Fan, I am seventeen years old, from Luoyang City, Yingyang County, Sili Prefecture. I have no parents and no children, but I do have a child bride. Also, I am really a member of the Maitreya Sect, really! If you don't believe me, I can make you believe it right away!"

"Believe! I believe! I believe everything!" Seeing Wu Fan about to break his teeth again, the man cried out, his voice distorted: "I... No, no, no! I am Ma Ye, thirty years old, from Jiangxia County, Jingzhou. I have... no living relatives... Whatever you ask, I will answer truthfully, just let me die quickly!"

Wu Fan smiled and said: "Those who understand the situation are wise, well done! In fact, I have to praise you, because the last person I tortured only needed five steel needles in his fingers to beg me, but you are excellent, making me use my best skills. Very good! Very good!" His smile turned serious, and he asked: "Enough talk, first question, what were you doing at the An Yuan Marquis's residence?"

Ma Ye, weakly, said: "The An Yuan Marquis is... a member of the Maitreya Sect!"

"Hmm, I know, then what?" Wu Fan blinked and said: "Continue, why is he a member of the Maitreya Sect, how did he become one, and how many other members of the Maitreya Sect are there in Luoyang, and what are their names... I am very interested in all of this."

Ma Ye panted heavily, his head leaning against the tree trunk, and said: "The original doctrine of the Maitreya Sect is 'youthful immortality.' I... I am one of the earliest members. At first, the founder was a poor monk with some skills, claiming to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, calling himself 'the Great Benevolent and Wise Bodhisattva of the Twin Grove.' He preached the way of 'youthful immortality' and somehow obtained an improved version of the 'Five Stone Powder' to make elixirs, which made people feel energetic and sexually potent, making many people believe in him, especially those... like the An Yuan Marquis, who loved this substance. So, he joined the old founder... Huff... The old founder died three months ago, and the Maitreya Sect split into two factions. Lan Zhuke, citing the Buddhist scripture 'Maitreya's Descent and Enlightenment,' claimed that 'Maitreya Buddha will replace the Buddha Shakyamuni' as the new Buddha, changed the doctrine, and established the Mahayana Sect, with the doctrine of 'killing as a virtue'..."

Wu Fan nodded and said: "Continue."

Ma Ye closed his eyes and began to spill out the information bit by bit: "We did not want to follow Lan Zhuke, so we decided to continue upholding the old founder's doctrine... but... but Lan Zhuke attacked us, and we had to flee from the Southern Liang to the north. Lan Zhuke, on the other hand, was active in the Southern Liang, raising the banner of rebellion, but failed and led to the fall of the Southern Liang at the hands of the Sui Dynasty. To avoid capture by the Sui army, he also fled to the north..."

"Wait a moment!" Wu Fan pondered and said: "That Xu, is his surname Xu? Why did you kill that Xu the shopkeeper?"

Ma Ye smiled bitterly and said: "We fled to the north due to Lan Zhuke's actions, leaving all our wealth in the Southern Liang. Lan Zhuke used that wealth to recruit soldiers and raise the banner of rebellion. Without money, we naturally sought out Maitreya Sect members like Xu the shopkeeper, who had been active in Luoyang for years or decades. They learned of the old founder's death and, without any constraints, did not want to accept us. But due to the Sui Dynasty's attitude towards the Maitreya Sect, they were afraid of being dragged into trouble and had to accept us... I, I resented him for being rich and powerful while making us work in the horse stables, so I killed him to take his place."

"What about Whitehead Mountain? What happened to the people who died there a few days ago?" Wu Fan asked: "I am starting to understand. Your Maitreya Sect is now divided into four factions: one is the Mahayana Sect that changed its doctrine, one is you, the original members from the south who fled to avoid Lan Zhuke's persecution, and one is... probably the northern branch?"

"More or less, but... but there is also a faction of high-ranking officials in Luoyang. The Sui Dynasty's attitude towards the Maitreya Sect makes them keep their distance from us or any Maitreya Sect members, but they are afraid of their identities being exposed and have been secretly plotting," Ma Ye spilled out everything: "The incident at Whitehead Mountain was orchestrated by them. That day was supposed to be a negotiation between us, the original members, and Yu Xiang. But they betrayed us..."

Wu Fan sighed and said, feeling depressed: "The more I hear, the more complicated it gets! It's a mess! Do you know where Yu Xiang is now?"

Ma Ye smiled bitterly and said: "I know, she is at the An Yuan Marquis's residence! They have reached some agreement with her and are preparing to deal with us, the original members of the Maitreya Sect, and the two factions that remained in the north! I went there today to talk to the An Yuan Marquis, but from a distance, I saw Yu Xiang and the An Yuan Marquis eating together in a pavilion..."

Wu Fan raised an eyebrow and, after a long pause, pointed and said: "Last question, do you know everyone's names? Especially those high-ranking officials in Luoyang?"

Ma Ye closed his eyes, sighing as if relieved: "I don't know, only that the An Yuan Marquis has close ties with Xu the shopkeeper... I, I am an original member of the Maitreya Sect, but my position is not high. However... I know that Yu Xiang has a list, very detailed. Because of that list, many people are under her control and coerced."

"Oh! I see! Goodbye!"

"Swish!"

A flash of the knife, and blood splattered.

Looking at the blood-stained knife in his hand, Wu Fan took a long time to clean it with a piece of hemp cloth, sighing: "Being civilized and polite is good! What a pity!"

After sighing, Wu Fan packed up the fourteen-form knife case, slung it over his waist, looked up at the moon, and strode towards the An Yuan Marquis's residence.

Now, Wu Fan knew what he had to do!

...

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