Chapter 69

Inside, the three men were covered in blood, having been subjected to intense interrogation, yet their lips remained tightly sealed, and they still had not revealed any information.

When they saw the young Taoist enter, all three recognized him as the one responsible for their capture, and they glared at him with anger.

If it weren't for this Taoist, how could they have been defeated today?

They had already had the upper hand, and it seemed they were about to wipe out all the guards of the Chancellor's residence. But then this young Taoist intervened, killing their leader, which led to a reversal of the situation. The others had been killed, and these three were captured for questioning, enduring countless tortures, leaving them covered in blood.

The three men were burning with anger, but when they thought of the young Taoist's skills, their anger was mixed with uncontrollable fear.

"You don't need to look at me like that," Qin Xianyu said to the three men, speaking slowly. "I was not originally involved in this matter, but since you ambushed me with a crossbow bolt without any reason, it nearly cost me my life. If I didn't have a way to save myself, wouldn't I have died for nothing?"

The three men looked at each other.

The crossbow bolt was clearly aimed at the old man hidden in the Chancellor's convoy, but who knew you, a Taoist, would be the scapegoat?

However, even if they had known it was a Taoist, they wouldn't have held back. They would have just cut him down, as he was traveling with the Chancellor's convoy and thus needed to be eliminated. This was something the three men understood clearly and couldn't argue about. Moreover, it was too late to argue now.

But hearing the young Taoist's words, it seemed he was originally an outsider and only acted out of anger because of the crossbow bolt.

The three men couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.

This ambush was supposed to be a sure thing, but who would have thought they would encounter such a formidable young Taoist?

Qin Xianyu said, "I just wanted to see which heroes were so fierce. Since you won't speak, I can't force you. However, you must be hungry and have suffered from the torture. I have already ordered some food to be prepared for you to eat, though it's just a makeshift meal. As for rice and meat, I will give the order later."

One of the men sneered, "If you're so kind, you must have poisoned it, right?"

Qin Xianyu smiled, "If I wanted to kill you, I would just draw my sword. It's just a matter of one strike, why would I need to poison you?"

With that, the Taoist chuckled, lifted the curtain, and walked out.

The guard who was watching the three men closed the inner door behind the curtain, isolating them from the outside world.

After a long time, Su Li entered with a pot of vegetable soup.

Qin Xianyu pointed inside and said, "Take it in and let them eat it."

Ye Qing added, "If they don't eat it, force them to drink it."

Su Li quickly agreed and took the soup inside.

Ye Qing, curious, asked respectfully, "I wonder what the magic of this pot of soup is?"

Qin Xianyu smiled slightly, "This won't fill them up."

Ye Qing was slightly taken aback.

Qin Xianyu continued, "It will make them even hungrier."

Ye Qing was even more surprised.

Just being hungry?

Even severe torture couldn't make these three tough men talk. Would making them hungry make them talk?

Qin Xianyu patted his clothes and said, "Of course, it will make them talk."

...

"Does it seem strange to you that the more they eat, the hungrier they get?"

Qin Xianyu looked at the three men and said, "The more they eat, the hungrier they get, and they will also feel some diarrhea."

"But that's not all. After a while, they will be so hungry that their intestines will rub against each other, making it unbearable. They will want to eat anything, including themselves."

"They will become so hungry that they will lose their minds, and even raw meat will seem appetizing, but they won't be able to get it. So, they will start eating their fingers, then their arms, and gradually consume themselves."

As he spoke, the others, including Ye Qing, turned pale.

As for the three hungry men, they were filled with fear and anger, but they were too weak from hunger to do anything.

"But such a method is too cruel," Qin Xianyu turned and asked, "Is the meat ready? Is the rice ready?"

Ye Qing, being a seasoned veteran, said tactfully, "We are well-versed in hospitality and cannot serve them with simple food. We have sent people across the Huai River to buy the famous fragrant rice from the south, which is renowned nationwide and far superior to the rice from the north. This round trip will take about two months, so please bear with it for two months."

Two months? The three men almost fainted at the thought.

"What about the meat?"

"I have ordered the innkeeper to kill a chicken and prepare it for them as a makeshift meal."

"Be careful."

"Of course, I have instructed the innkeeper to pluck the chicken feathers one by one, leaving no trace. It should be ready by dawn, and then we can start cleaning the innards..."

The two of them played along, which was quite terrifying.

The three men, who had already been tortured and were covered in wounds, were in great pain and had already started to waver. Now, after eating, they were even hungrier, and their minds were not as clear as before. With Qin Xianyu's real or feigned threats, their resolve crumbled, and one of them weakly said, "I'll talk..."

Ye Qing was full of admiration. Torture had been ineffective, but making them hungry made them talk. The skills of this young Taoist, Qin Xianyu, were truly remarkable.

Qin Xianyu chuckled and walked out.

...

Inside the room.

Su Wenxiu sat in a chair, looking at the golden leaf with a hint of panic in her eyes.

The old man surnamed Liu leaned against the bed and sighed, "Although the century-old cold-year grass was not burned by flames, it was scorched by high temperatures and has turned slightly yellow. I wonder how much of its medicinal properties remain?"

The old man, who was supposed to be unconscious for several days according to Ye Qing, had actually woken up within half a day.

With eight inches of inner strength, he was just one step away from being a grandmaster of martial arts, and his vitality was even more astonishing than Ye Qing had imagined.

The old man sighed, "I regret not being able to protect it, which led to the century-old cold-year grass being damaged. I've heard that the cold-year grass requires careful cultivation, and one plant can only live for eight to nine years, so a century-old leaf is extremely rare. I wonder if we can find another one."

Su Wenxiu smiled bitterly, "The century-old cold-year grass is a legendary medicinal herb. Encountering it is a great fortune. Where can we find another one? We can only hope it still retains its medicinal properties."

Su Wenxiu sighed again, "This century-old cold-year grass was obtained from the Shangguan family. The one who used it as a gift seems to be a young doctor who has disappeared."

The old man shook his head and winced as he touched his wound.

Su Wenxiu asked with concern, "Grandpa Liu, are you feeling better?"

"Fortunately, I was cautious. Although I didn't expect the crossbow bolt from behind, I managed to avoid it. The two bolts injured my shoulder and waist, taking away chunks of flesh. For a normal person, this would be a fatal injury, but with my eight inches of inner strength, I am close to being a grandmaster of martial arts, and my vitality is strong. It's not life-threatening, but I can't easily use my strength again."

The old man added, "If it had been me in the carriage instead of that young Taoist, I might not have survived."

"According to what Miss said, after I was attacked, the young Taoist came back to life and killed several people, even defeating an inner strength expert. He even managed to block a crossbow bolt and cut it in half."

"Such skills, I admit, even with my eight inches of inner strength, I cannot match. He is still young, yet he has the skills of a grandmaster of martial arts, which is truly unbelievable."

After a pause, the old man continued, "But if he truly has such skills, how could he be knocked unconscious by a horse? Ye Qing also examined his bones and confirmed he is not a martial artist, with no signs of training."

Su Wenxiu, recalling the young Taoist's skills today, suddenly felt a chill, "Could he be like those people in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?"

"A cultivator?" The old man frowned, deep in thought.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

It was Ye Qi.

Su Wenxiu asked, "Did Commander Ye Qing get any information?"

Ye Qi nodded, "The group that ambushed us today are martial artists, but they were either hired with a large sum of money or coerced. They don't know much. The three survivors were forced to act because they were being blackmailed, which is why they endured the torture without revealing anything. However, we finally got some information. The inner strength expert who fought Commander Ye Qing was actually a newcomer, and the two crossbow carts were brought by him."

Thinking about how the inner strength expert fought Commander Ye Qing to a standstill and even gained the upper hand, if not for Qin Xianyu's intervention, the consequences would have been dire. Su Wenxiu asked, "What is the identity of that inner strength expert?"

Ye Qi shook his head, "Commander Ye Qing didn't recognize him, and he seems to have no reputation in the martial arts world."

"Expected," the old man surnamed Liu said, shaking his head. "Since they could bring two crossbows, their power must be significant. Sending an inner strength expert is not difficult. But it's strange that they only sent a black-clothed man with one inch of inner strength."

"From my perspective, a person with higher inner strength, no matter how low-key, usually has some reputation in the martial arts world. Tracing the线索, it would be easy to find the person behind them. Therefore, the people they sent were either hired with a large sum of money or coerced, with no direct connection to the person behind them. Even the inner strength expert has only one inch of inner strength and no reputation, making it hard to find any clues."

The old man surnamed Liu pondered, "Perhaps the only clue we can find is from the two crossbows, which are not common in the military."

Ye Qi said with admiration, "Sir Liu, you are wise. We found a clue from the two crossbows."

Su Wenxiu asked, "What clue?"

Ye Qi whispered, "According to the three men, when the crossbows were delivered, there was a swallow mark on them. However, before the ambush, the mark was erased."

"The Li family's Yan Yun army?" Su Wenxiu covered her mouth, showing surprise.

The old man surnamed Liu frowned, remaining silent.

Ye Qi dared not speak.

After a long while, Su Wenxiu, having calmed down, asked, "Did they see the swallow mark unintentionally, or did everyone see it?"

Ye Qi answered, "From their statements, when the crossbows were delivered, it was during a gathering. Whether others noticed or not, two of the three men saw the swallow mark."

"During the delivery, they didn't erase the mark, but only thought to do so just before the ambush. How could they be so careless?" Su Wenxiu frowned, "If it's the Li family, they are too careless. But if it's a frame-up, why leave the swallow mark?"

The old man surnamed Liu smiled, "Leaving the swallow mark would make the frame-up too obvious. With your intelligence, you would see through it immediately."

"Regardless of whether it's the Li family, since they are involved, it's the Li family." Su Wenxiu bit her lip, "If the other party wanted to frame the Li family after failing, they must have a grudge against them. Let the Li family investigate."

"The Chancellor's convoy suffered heavy losses, and we need compensation."

Su Wenxiu held the wooden box and said, "Regardless of the truth, for now, we will blame the Li family. When we return, we will demand an explanation from them. After that, the Li family can search for the real culprit, while we investigate in secret. Let the Li family compensate the Chancellor's residence first."

"Miss, you are right. The Li family is the only clue, so we will find the Li family." The old man surnamed Liu smiled, "Miss, though a woman, you have the spirit of the Chancellor in your youth. However, if the Li family is truly behind this, we need a different plan."

"Right." Su Wenxiu suddenly remembered something and asked, "When you reported earlier, the three men didn't seem to have given in. How did they give in so quickly?"

"These three men were blackmailed, so they were very tight-lipped. However..." Ye Qi showed respect, "It was Qin Daozhang who made them talk."

After that, Ye Qi recounted Qin Xianyu's interrogation method.

The old man surnamed Liu praised, "What a resourceful young Taoist. Despite his young age, he is skilled in martial arts, medicine, and psychological tactics. I wonder what his background is?"

Ye Qi said a few more words and then left.

Su Wenxiu asked Grandpa Liu to rest and was about to return to her room when she saw someone walking in the courtyard.

The person was tall and wore a Taoist robe.

Under the cold moonlight, the young Taoist stood in the courtyard, looking even more serene and elegant.

He carried a long sword, adding a touch of sharpness.

Su Wenxiu was captivated.

Suddenly, she saw the young Taoist draw his sword and slash the air, as if dividing the moonlight in the courtyard.

In reality, he had just cut a blood mosquito.

PS: This chapter is a bit longer, so I updated it earlier. Also, the weather is getting colder, and I just want to stay in bed. O(∩_∩)O Haha~

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