Fear Makes People Lose Their Minds

"Is that so! Do you even know how much we lost because of those bandits you hired..."

Gu Sheng flicked his blade, the sharp edge already leaving a bloody mark on Qin San's face. The blade danced across Qin San's face, and the Li Manor guard captain's demeanor became somewhat strange.

"Hah... hah..."

Qin San suddenly burst into laughter, fear stripping away his inhibitions. Knowing that Gu Sheng had uncovered everything and likely realizing his fate wouldn't be pleasant, he defiantly provoked Gu Sheng as if he had nothing to lose.

"Yes, I hired those men. You peasants deserve to die, thinking you're doing us a favor by giving us money to forge weapons, and you even dared to haggle. You've got a death wish..."

His mouth was so full of filth that Gu Sheng couldn't help but give him a harsh blow.

"Ugh~ uhh~~ uh~~~"

Qin San stiffened for a long time without speaking, feeling as if the most sensitive part of his body had been kicked heavily. Even if it still worked in the future, it would be forever traumatized.

"Originally, I was going to flay you alive, watching yourself turn into a skeleton step by step. And I was planning to start from that area of yours, confiscating a useless tool of the trade for the heavens first."

Gu Sheng lowered the Jade Chill Blade, gesturing, scaring Qin San so much that he desperately braced his legs, refusing to let them drop.

"However..."

Gu Sheng continued, "Now that I think about it, dying like this is too easy on you, and I don't get any benefit. It's not worth it!"

"What do you want!"

Qin San said in a low voice, "Speak up, and we can discuss it." His words still carried a hint of condescension, clearly placing himself on an equal or even higher footing than Gu Sheng, failing to understand, or perhaps unwilling to admit, that he was at a disadvantage.

"Your Flying Star Sword manual..."

Gu Sheng made many demands, not only the Flying Star Sword manual but also a wealth of intelligence about Li Manor, the changes in Miss Li, and her recent plans. In addition, there were some of the most important things: Qin San's own evidence of crimes and all the dirt he had on hand.

If all these things fell into Gu Sheng's hands, it was no exaggeration to say that even if Qin San kept his life, he wouldn't dare to act up in front of Gu Sheng. Gu Sheng could expose anything and he would be in deep trouble.

Qin San's face grew darker and darker. Gu Sheng's demands were outrageous. He not only wanted his inherited manual, but also wanted him to hand over all his weaknesses. This was simply... excessive!

"Impossible!"

After listening, Qin San squeezed out these three words. He knew too well the consequences of handing over all these things. He would be better off dead. Because he had done too many things like this, threatening and persecuting others with their weaknesses, and driving them to despair.

"Your demands are too excessive. I can't agree to all of them."

He didn't completely dismiss the idea, hoping to negotiate with Gu Sheng so that he could cut his losses and regain the initiative to some extent.

"Is that so! Then there's nothing to talk about!"

A sneer appeared on the corner of Gu Sheng's mouth. How could he not see Qin San's plan? He just wanted to negotiate and seize the initiative. Unfortunately, he had no intention of playing along.

Gu Sheng's cold gaze made Qin San shiver. Before he could speak again, a piece of cloth had already covered his head.

"Clang!"

Qin San felt a little strange. What was this bastard doing, putting a copper basin behind him?

"Hiss~"

Suddenly, Qin San felt a burning pain in his wrists, which were tied behind him. His hands were warm and wet, and a bloody smell filled the air. His hands must have been cut, and the splashes on his hands were 'blood'.

"Heh heh~"

Gu Sheng's laughter rang in his ears, followed by words that chilled him to the bone. "Whether it's a human or an animal, once the Bomo (artery) is damaged, it will lose a lot of Blood Essence in a short period of time. Excessive blood loss will lead to Blood Essence deficiency, followed by dizziness... until death."

"This process usually takes quite a while, and I have enough time tonight. Don't worry, I've used this method of cutting flesh with a dull knife to kill many wild animals, and I can grasp the measure. With your physique, you can last for a quarter of an hour (fifteen minutes)."

"Ah~"

Gu Sheng yawned and then slowly said, "To deal with you, I haven't rested today. How about this! I'll take a nap, and you wake me up after half an hour."

"Bastard! Let me go, get up! Bastard!"

Qin San cursed, but his throat had been injured by Gu Sheng at the beginning, and his voice was hoarse, unable to reach outside the room at all.

Qin San's face was covered by Gu Sheng, and his vision was blank, making it difficult to breathe. Moreover, he had killed too many people and was too familiar with the smell of blood. And as a former killer, he knew very well that Gu Sheng was not lying. Cutting open the Bomo (artery) would really kill people.

The darkness in front of him, the anxiety about his wound, and Gu Sheng's lack of response made him start to feel fear. At this time, Gu Sheng's snoring sounded again, further intensifying his fear.

"Bastard! Get up! Get up and let me go..."

Between life and death, many people would choose the former. Those who calmly face death are always in the minority, not to mention a guy like Qin San, whose hands are covered in blood, who is even more afraid of the end of life.

"Thump! Thump! Thump~"

Fear began to devour Qin San's mind, and he struggled desperately, stamping his feet on the ground, trying to break free.

Unfortunately, Gu Sheng had tied him too tightly, and even the recliner was fixed in place. Qin San's madness, apart from making the 'dripping sound' behind him faster, did not get any other response.

Qin San felt that his arms had lost sensation from the elbows, and waves of weakness swept through his body. He was very familiar with this feeling.

Once, when he and his senior brother were transporting goods, he was cut open by bandits on the way. He still remembered the days of recuperation, it was this feeling, Blood Essence deficiency, insufficient Blood Essence.

Qin San's condition became increasingly low, his face covered by the cloth was pale, his lips were blue, cold sweat had wet his hair, and he shouted constantly but was already weak.

The ticking sound struck his heart, he felt that this was the omen of death.

"Half an hour is up, half an hour is up, get up quickly!"

Qin San was actually counting unconsciously. When he realized that the time had come, he struggled violently as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw. But the sleeping Gu Sheng did not move at all, and the snoring continued.

Repeated struggles made him mentally and physically exhausted, and he became more and more desperate.

"Almost!"

In a place where Qin San couldn't see, Gu Sheng, whose throat occasionally made low roars similar to snoring, quietly observed Qin San's series of performances. When he realized that he was about to despair, he stopped 'snoring' and walked to Qin San, taking off the clothes covering his head.