Interrogation

Crippled Blade kept his head down and ran.

Seeing that the distance was about right, Lu Chen sent a knife shooting straight into the back of his right knee.

Three more throwing knives appeared in his hand, and he flung them almost simultaneously at Crippled Blade's left leg, left shoulder, and right shoulder.

Thud, thud, thud!

Crippled Blade knew he was finished!

Agony shot through his limbs, leaving him unable to muster any strength in his hands or feet. His momentum sent him pitching forward, and a branch scraped him as he plunged face-first into a thicket of bushes.

He twisted his body, still struggling to escape.

Lu Chen sprang forward and swiftly wielded his dagger, using Tendon-Lifting, the eighth form of the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique, to sever the tendons in all four of Crippled Blade's limbs one after another.

"Ah!" Crippled Blade let out a bloodcurdling scream.

While Crippled Blade's mouth was open in a scream, Lu Chen quickly grabbed a huge clod of dirt from nearby and brutally stuffed it into his mouth, pressing it firmly in with his hand.

Crippled Blade felt his throat fill with dirt. He couldn't help retching several times as he stared wide-eyed at Lu Chen in disbelief, trembling all over.

What is he doing!?

Why is he stuffing dirt in my mouth!?

Why is he humiliating me like this!?

He struggled violently, his face flushing red and his eyes nearly splitting at the corners. He shook his head, trying to spit out the dirt, but instead choked himself so badly he nearly stopped breathing.

Lu Chen picked him up and carried him to a relatively flat spot under a nearby tree, then patted him down in search of spoils.

"Eighteen hundred taels in silver notes? I'll take them. Another token? Iron? Four-Star, Black Kill Pavilion?"

Lu Chen scrutinized the hefty iron token in his hand.

Black Kill Pavilion. Judging by the name, could it be an assassin organization?

Who sent an assassin after me?

The Black Pole Gang?

Wang Xiong, Meng Ping, or Li Ziren?

Or the Green Bamboo Gang?

It couldn't be the Canal Gang or the Great Whale Gang, could it?

Those were all the enemies he had.

"Huh, is that my name?"

Lu Chen found a small booklet, and his expression changed as soon as he opened it to the first page.

It recorded his affairs in detail, from his social connections to his recent experiences. It even clearly stated which doctor he had seen after Li Feng beat him and what medicine he had used.

Of course, it didn't mention the things he had done in secret, but it did contain some conjectures.

"Suspected of obtaining a cultivation method through a hidden channel and consuming heavenly materials and earthly treasures or special pills, thus gaining strength no weaker than the Organ Tempering Realm in a short time. May be skilled with hidden weapons and Swordsmanship."

"The deaths of Lu San, Cheng Kui, and others of the Green Bamboo Gang may be connected to him."

"His connection to the destruction of the Black Pole Gang remains unclear for now."

"Strongly suspected of being Li Feng's killer."

Someone was investigating him.

And the sheer detail of the information sent a chill down his spine.

Fuck, there aren't even any surveillance cameras in this world, and I'm absolutely certain I didn't leave any traces connected to me. How did they get so much information?

They couldn't have worked it all out through guesswork and deduction, could they?

This Black Kill Pavilion...

Lu Chen's expression grew grave.

Crippled Blade lay on the ground, and seeing Lu Chen's changing expression, he felt inexplicably pleased.

"What are you smiling at?" Lu Chen asked coldly.

Crippled Blade: ?

Smile, my ass! My mouth is full of dirt! How am I supposed to smile? When did I smile?

Lu Chen held his dagger and waved it back and forth near Crippled Blade's crotch. Crippled Blade couldn't help shrinking back, clenching his buttocks as a chill ran through his balls.

"Now, I ask and you answer. Are you from this Black Kill Pavilion?"

Crippled Blade turned his head aside, his face full of disdain.

Lu Chen stabbed down, his aim slightly off. The blade grazed the head, sliced a patch of skin on his thigh, and sank into the dirt.

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"

Crippled Blade's eyes widened, and his whole body jerked backward as his heart pounded.

He felt a little pain down there.

It seemed the blade had cut him!

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!" His mouth was full of dirt, and he couldn't speak at all. He could only roar at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen's expression didn't change as he pulled out the knife, a faint trace of blood on its blade.

"Next time, my aim won't be so far off! You only need to nod or shake your head! Are you an assassin from the Black Kill Pavilion? Yes or no?"

Lu Chen stared at Crippled Blade, and the coldness in his eyes told Crippled Blade he wasn't joking.

Crippled Blade tried to swallow some saliva but swallowed a little dirt instead.

Crippled Blade felt utterly miserable.

He had never imagined that having his mouth stuffed with dirt all the way to his throat would feel like this.

He wanted to vomit, but couldn't.

He nodded, resigned to his fate.

"Good!" Lu Chen moved the dagger away from the head between Crippled Blade's legs and continued, "The Black Kill Pavilion has a branch in Shahu County?"

Crippled Blade nodded.

The worry in Lu Chen's heart surged up again.

It was a chain organization, too.

In fact, the iron token he'd found had already given him a clue. It definitely wasn't a small organization.

Four-Star meant there were also One-Star and Two-Star ranks. With so many ranks, it clearly had plenty of members.

This was an iron token, which might also represent a status rank. There might be ranks like bronze and diamond above it, representing different levels of strength.

The Marrow Washing Realm was only considered top-tier in a place like Shahu County. Across the whole of Great Qian, it was clearly nothing worth mentioning.

A chain of assassins couldn't possibly only kill people below the Marrow Washing Realm.

That would be far too unimpressive.

So, without a doubt, this organization had to be enormous.

He suppressed the heaviness in his heart and continued his questioning.

"Do you know who the employer is this time?"

Crippled Blade nodded.

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "Is it Li Ziren?"

Crippled Blade nodded, then shook his head.

Lu Chen was taken aback.

What does that mean?

It's connected to Li Ziren, but it isn't him?

Lu Chen suddenly remembered that Li Ziren had two sons.

Li Feng was only the second son.

Could it be Li Jun?

"Is it Li Jun?"

Crippled Blade nodded.

Lu Chen paused. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "If you fail a mission, will you send someone else to continue it?"

Crippled Blade hurriedly nodded.

Hearing that, Lu Chen kept his expression unchanged and continued, "Does the Black Kill Pavilion have a fixed base in Shahu County?"

A nod.

"Is the person in charge here stronger than you?"

A shake of the head.

Lu Chen wasn't sure whether that meant Crippled Blade didn't know or that the person was weaker than him.

"Then are they stronger than you?"

A shake of the head.

Oh, Lu Chen understood now. Crippled Blade wasn't sure.

Still, after thinking it over carefully, Lu Chen figured the person probably wasn't a Xiantian Realm expert.

"Can anyone hire you as long as they pay? Did Li Jun pay you to do this?"

Crippled Blade nodded.

Lu Chen breathed a small sigh of relief.

This meant Li Ziren wasn't someone with a particularly powerful backing.

After asking that question, Lu Chen fell silent.

Crippled Blade thought Lu Chen simply couldn't think of any questions for the moment, so he wasn't in a hurry.

But after a quarter of an hour passed, Lu Chen was still holding his dagger, toying with it as he looked Crippled Blade up and down, his gaze unreadable.

Crippled Blade began to feel uncomfortable.

All four of his limbs were injured, and his internal organs had ruptured. But what bothered him most now was the dirt in his mouth. It was unbearable!

Fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Lu Chen was still watching him in silence.

Crippled Blade began to panic.

What is he going to do?

If you're going to kill me, hurry up and kill me. If you're going to let me go, hurry up and let me go. What's the point of staring at me without saying anything?

Pain and torture were daily fare for him, but he'd never encountered anything like this.

He was on the verge of breaking down.

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!" he roared at Lu Chen, stretching out his neck to signal him to get it over with.

Lu Chen's gaze remained calm. Suddenly, he spoke. "Can I join you?"

Crippled Blade's body stiffened.

What?

Am I hearing things?