97: I'll teach you, hang it up, and fill it with water and mustard oil
For a moment, Long An stared blankly at everything before him, appearing somewhat at a loss.
“Is this a Fifth-Stage Secret Martial Artist?”
A hint of doubt and a touch of disappointment flickered in Qin Jiang’s eyes. It seemed he had somewhat underestimated his own strength.
“Yes, the top five Golden Masks in the Jin Yu Pavilion are all Sixth-Stage Secret Martial Artists, and those from sixth to tenth are all Fifth-Stage Secret Martial Artists.
Gold Seven’s strength is considered upper-tier among Fifth-Stage Secret Martial Artists, not far from a Sixth-Stage Secret Martial Artist.” Long An said, his voice unconsciously becoming more respectful.
Qin Jiang nodded, casually threw Gold Seven down, and with a wave of his hand, unleashed a stream of Azure Fire to seal the opponent’s Qi meridians and vital points.
“Take him down for interrogation. I’ve already severed the meridians throughout his body. Oh, and arrange for people to go down the well.”
With that, he directly leaped down the well. Just as he landed, he had noticed Gold Seven trying to escape and hadn’t had time to find anyone.
Upon landing, Qin Jiang looked around. It was a huge square space, surrounded by cages holding people, with black-clad individuals lying everywhere.
These people were all members of the Jin Yu Pavilion. Earlier, in his haste to pursue Gold Seven, he had used his Qi to knock them unconscious.
He checked the cages one by one along the perimeter, but after a full round, he still couldn’t find Qin Hong’s trace.
He frowned slightly as he heard the sound of landing behind him; it was the Black Armor Army.
“Fourth Master! What are your orders?” the leading Black Armor General asked.
“Take all these Jin Yu Pavilion members back for interrogation. As for the remaining people in the cages, question them individually: where are they from, what do they do, and do they know why they were captured.” Qin Jiang instructed.
“Yes!”
The Black Armor General raised his hand, directing the Black Armor Army soldiers behind him to tie up these people and send them to the surface.
That night, in the Long Manor dungeon, inside a steel cell.
Qin Jiang sat on a chair, toying with a golden mask in his hand, looking at Gold Seven, who was kneeling opposite him, his mask already removed.
He appeared to be a young man.
But in reality, Secret Martial Artists could control their appearance, though few chose to do so.
“Are you that stubborn?” he asked.
Long An’s expression shifted slightly. “Fourth Master, rest assured, give me one more night, and I will definitely make him talk!”
He was known as the Human Butcher; killing people was no problem for him, but when it came to forced confessions, he might fabricate things, but extracting information was not his forte.
Looking at Gold Seven before him, a surge of anger rose in his heart; he didn't want to lose face in front of Qin Jiang.
“Hmph. Long An, you’re still so useless! If it weren’t for this guy this time, I would have captured you alive!
If there’s a next time, I’ll make sure you taste this pain of flesh and skin too!” Gold Seven said, his head half-bowed, his eyes filled with disdain.
If it weren’t for this unexpected setback, how could a mere Fourth-Stage Secret Martial Artist like Long An be so arrogant here!
“Next time? You still think there’ll be a next time?! Watch me whip you to death!”
Immediately, Long An grabbed a whip, soaked in saltwater, from nearby and was about to lash out, but Qin Jiang raised a hand to stop him.
“Alright, you only know how to hit. I’ll teach you how to do it: hang him up and then pour water into his nose. Mustard oil, actually, should work better than water.”
It had to be said that the torture methods in this world were still too primitive; many techniques had not yet been developed.
Long An’s whipping hand paused mid-air, his eyes looking at Qin Jiang with a hint of surprise, then turning somewhat excited.
This... just thinking about it made him, a Secret Martial Artist, feel uncomfortable all over. How did Fourth Master come up with such a brilliant method?
A moment later.
“I’ll talk! Ah! Stop pouring! Stop pouring! I really will talk! Just ask! I beg you, please ask me now!!”
The inverted Gold Seven wailed in agony, snot mixed with mustard oil and chili oil sliding into his eyes, making him feel as if he was going blind!
Long An, standing beside him, showed no intention of stopping, his eyes filled with exhilaration.
Such methods, while not life-threatening for a Secret Martial Artist, could inflict extreme pain.
Qin Jiang also had no intention of stopping; this was just the beginning. It was hard to guarantee that the other party wouldn't lie, so he had to wait until the opponent felt despair before stopping.
After all, this method wasn't fatal; it was specifically used to break psychological defenses.
Several more hours passed. By now, Gold Seven had become weak and listless; each breath was accompanied by a cough, and even the force of his coughs had significantly weakened.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, please, I beg you, please ask me, I really, really...”
Before he could finish, he directly fainted.
Qin Jiang nodded slightly, thinking it was enough. Just as he slightly raised his hand, intending to call a halt—
Long An, quick-witted, instantly understood Qin Jiang’s meaning and immediately picked up a small wooden stick from nearby.
He dipped it heavily into a plate containing a gelatinous mixture of mustard oil, chili oil, Sichuan pepper oil, and other ingredients, then directly shoved it into Gold Seven’s nostrils!
“Ah—!”
A piercing scream echoed through the steel dungeon, making all the prisoners in the dungeon involuntarily shiver.
They had been listening to screams for half the night; the wailing had never stopped, it was simply mental torture!
Not just them, even Qin Jiang felt his scalp tingle, and he quickly waved his hand, “Alright, alright, don’t break him. Let’s stop for a bit.”
Long An was stunned. Was that it?
He pinched his earlobe, glanced at the unconscious Gold Seven again, and casually pulled out the two wooden sticks from the opponent’s nostrils, throwing them aside in disgust.
He’s not much fun to play with, not even as resilient as some death row inmates.
“Get two buckets of water and wake him up.”
A moment later, accompanied by a splash of water, Gold Seven opened his eyes in a daze.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
Just as he was still disoriented, he suddenly clearly saw the person standing before him, and the devil-like figure behind him.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything.”
Although his eyes were filled with terror, wishing he could fly out of there, he was utterly exhausted from the torment.
Especially the mental torture; when that mustard-oil-covered stick was shoved into his nostrils, he felt as if he had returned to his childhood.
He saw his great-grandmother, who used to secretly give him candy, and those past memories flickered like shadow puppets.
“Tell us everything you know.”
Long An spoke. Years of experience told him that at this point, one shouldn’t ask questions, but rather let the other party speak voluntarily; there might be unexpected gains.
Gold Seven took a breath. “Is there any water? It’s too chok—cough, cough, cough.”
He coughed softly, but what came out wasn't just spittle, but a red, yellowish oily substance.
“Hey, you, do you want to be hung up again?” Long An said fiercely.
“Give it to him.” Qin Jiang said.
If the opponent’s words satisfied him, he wouldn’t mind giving the opponent a dignified death.
Long An ‘hmph’ed at Gold Seven, then turned, grabbed a bucket of water, seized Gold Seven’s hair, and poured the water into his mouth.
After a while, Long An threw the water bucket aside. “Speak!”
Gold Seven shook his head, flicking off the water from his face. “Ning’an City, those collaborating with our Jin Yu Pavilion are people from your Ning’an City, either from prominent families or influential clans.”