A Brief Respite

Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing did not drag Ouchi Hiromi back until then.

Ouchi Hiromi's face was the color of gold paper, utterly unlike his former arrogance. His eyes were full of terror when he looked at Pan Yun, and he even trembled slightly whenever his gaze touched Chen Liutao or Qu Zhixing.

Pan Yun pretended not to see it and gave Chen Liutao and Qu Zhixing a slight nod.

How could those selected by the Northern Enforcement Division to follow Xue Shao overseas possibly be lacking in skill?

Their backgrounds might not have been strong enough, and their families might not have been distinguished enough, but their abilities were certainly beyond question.

Chen Liutao tossed Ouchi Hiromi beside the fire, while Qu Zhixing stuffed a pill into his mouth. As long as he did not die, that was enough. His bleeding had already been stopped before they dragged him back.

The two sat beside Pan Yun and Xue Shao, quietly reporting what they had learned.

"We used torture, but he still refused to say who that person was. However, we did pry out some other things."

Pan Yun asked, "What things?"

"This matter is connected to Izumo Taisha. In last year's village massacre, the Ouchi clan did not truly intend to plunder wealth. They merely used it as a pretext to draw enough Japanese pirates ashore, while members of the Ouchi clan slipped past the checkpoints and entered Quanzhou's interior amid the chaos. He refused to say what they went to Shuangyang Village and Huaihua Village for, but it could not have been anything good."

Pan Yun's gaze fell on Ouchi Hiromi as she said gravely, "We have time. Interrogate him slowly. Who else is in his family?"

Chen Liutao said, "Aside from his parents, he has a younger