The Foremost Executioner

"Have you seen him?"

"I have. The Left Vice Minister of War's nephew. He was already dead when they brought him in."

"Burned?"

"Burned."

"I wasn't the one who burned him. I slept through that night."

"Oh."

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Just asking."

Luo Jiu sat across from Qin He, glanced at the food on the table, and asked, "Can I eat with you? I'm a little hungry."

"Sure."

Qin He turned around, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and handed them over.

"Thank you."

Luo Jiu took them, bit into a steamed bun, then picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. His brow furrowed slightly before he spat it out.

"What is this?"

"Beef."

"What flavor is it?"

"Spicy."

"That's novel."

Qin He ignored him and swept up the remaining beef and steamed buns like a whirlwind.

Luo Jiu seemingly did not have much of an appetite. He only finished the bun in his hand.

"Are you full?" Luo Jiu asked.

"Full."

"Good. You need strength when you're full."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Luo Jiu shook his head, removed the pack from his back, and spread it open. Inside were rows upon rows of tools—small knives, scissors, pliers, golden needles, iron awls, and more.

Silver-inlaid and engraved, gleaming brightly, they were clearly forged from Fine Steel, a dazzling array of every kind.

"What are these for?" Qin He asked curiously.

"You'll know soon enough."

Luo Jiu smiled faintly and struck seven points across Qin He's chest with lightning speed.

Acupoint Sealing, Body Immobilization.

Qin He was instantly frozen where he stood, unable to move.

Luo Jiu took out a rope and tied Qin He to the ceiling beam in the shape of a spread-eagle. With a soft laugh, he asked, "Do you know how many kinds of torture exist in this world?"

Qin He looked at his bound hands and shook his head.

"Four hundred and sixty-eight."

"That many?"

"There are over one hundred and seventy-eight kinds that torment the flesh, one hundred and ten that torment the mind, and one hundred and eighty that torment the soul."

"How many do you know?"

"I know two hundred and eighty-eight."

"Two hundred and eighty-eight—exactly the total for torturing the flesh and mind?"

"You calculate quickly. You don't seem like a Corpse Burner."

"A Corpse Burner is only poor, not brain-damaged. Let me tell you, there are especially many talents here. Every one of them speaks so pleasantly. Take me—I don't even want to leave after staying here."

"Heh heh, that is novel indeed. But I still don't think you seem like a Corpse Burner."

"Why?"

"You aren't afraid of me. Even after I displayed the instruments of torture. Liu Cang died by your hand, didn't he?" Luo Jiu's gaze gradually sharpened.

"So I still couldn't hide it, huh? Fine, I'll come clean. He died by my hand." Qin He shook his head and sighed.

"You dare to act and dare to own it. You're a real man."

"Do I get any preferential treatment?"

"I'll let you choose one kind of torture. That will shorten the time and lessen the suffering a little. Of course, torture is still torture, so you'll have to endure some pain. Besides, as you can see, I came in a hurry and only brought these instruments. Not every torture can be performed under these conditions. Pick one first. If it won't work, we'll switch."

Luo Jiu lightly ran his hand over the instruments, as though caressing a maiden's skin.

"Those knives of yours are too frightening. Do you have anything for the soul? Let's not use blades."

"Hiss, I've never tried soul-related methods."

"You don't know how?"

"It's not that. There are no conditions for it. Those are punishments of the underworld; they can't be performed in the mortal realm."

"How about this... should I send you down there to learn?"

"Mm."

Luo Jiu abruptly raised his head.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Qin He opened his mouth and shot out a nail. From so close it flew straight at Luo Jiu's brow, the Inscriptions upon it glowing red.

"The Nine Corpse Suppressing Artifacts, the Golden Needle Technique?"

A trace of disbelief appeared on Luo Jiu's face. "Didn't the craft of making golden needles vanish centuries ago?"

"Did it? It's been lost that long?"

As Qin He spoke, his bones and muscles crackled. His hand slipped free from its bindings.

"The Bone Shrinking Technique?" Even more astonishment appeared on Luo Jiu's face.

"A little trick. I hope I haven't startled you too much." Qin He rolled his wrist and bared his teeth in a grin.

"Not at all. It's only one Corpse Suppressing Nail."

Luo Jiu's gaze suddenly turned vicious. With a burst of internal force, he shot the Corpse Suppressing Nail from his brow.

Yet when one left, a hundred entered.

Thud, thud, thud...!

With a flick of Qin He's hand, over a hundred Corpse Suppressing Nails instantly pinned Luo Jiu into a hedgehog.

"So many?"

The viciousness on Luo Jiu's face froze. He toppled backward, kicking up a cloud of dust.

One Corpse Suppressing Nail could be endured, but a hundred was Mount Tai crushing down on one's head.

Qin He's face slowly appeared above him. "Tsk, tsk. The Punishment Slave, foremost executioner of the Di Barbarians' Eight Tribes Torture Prison—you really do have some skill."

The viciousness gradually faded from Luo Jiu's face. He asked in shock and suspicion, "You know who I am?"

"I do."

"Can we still negotiate?"

"No."

Qin He shook his head with great seriousness.

"I came here fine, but now I can't go back. I never expected this. I truly never expected this."

Luo Jiu sighed and slowly closed his eyes.

Bending down, Qin He picked Luo Jiu up and tossed him into the Corpse Burning Furnace. Out of habit, he straightened Luo Jiu's clothes, then placed his bamboo hat over his chest as well. "I generally don't burn living people, so I don't often ask this. Do you have any last words?"

Luo Jiu opened his eyes. "That set of torture instruments is my most treasured possession. Can it be buried with me?"

"Fine. I'll arrange it." Qin He nodded.

He added coal, poured in oil, and struck a match. After thinking for a moment, Qin He cocked his head and asked, "If I burn a living person with this fire, does that count as torture?"

"No." Luo Jiu's tone was resolute.

"How so?"

"Torture is a craft. It seeks life, not death. If the craft is not up to standard and the person dies before enduring the full punishment, then it has no meaning. Torture seeks to obtain something, not a meaningless corpse."

"So you mean I'd have to roast you slowly over a low flame for it to count as torture?"

"Uh... could you pretend I never said that?"

"Fine."

The oil ignited.

The foremost executioner of Liaodong's famed Eight Tribes Torture Prison met his end in Room Seven of the remote East City Corpse Burning Facility.

Everyone thought the Punishment Slave was a furious, bearded brute with eyes like bronze bells. Never could they have imagined that he was a fair-faced young man, refined in appearance, whose real name was Luo Jiu.

Even Qin He had not expected it before Luo Jiu spread out his torture instruments.

Compared to Zhu Ganglie from Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, he was only missing the slick of oil on his face.

As for how Qin He knew he was the Punishment Slave?

Naturally, he had learned it through Snake Immortal Liu Cang's Shadow Play. He knew such a person existed, but had never seen him before. It was only upon seeing the torture instruments that he put the pieces together.

The Punishment Slave had once successfully completed the difficult interrogation of the Guan Ning Death Warriors. The intelligence he gained directly reversed the outcome of the great Liaodong war, making immense contributions toward establishing the Di Barbarians' present dominance over Liaodong. For this, the Di Barbarian chieftain personally bestowed upon him the title of "Punishment Slave."

At the same time, the Punishment Slave was also a master of internal force, a recognized expert among the Di Barbarians' Eight Tribes.

This time, he had come south under orders to investigate Liu Cang's death.

Yet he met the same tragedy as Liu Cang: he encountered the monster known as Qin He.

Pulling the bellows, Qin He pumped the Corpse Burning Furnace full of air.

This would save quite a bit of coal while reducing the smoke vented outside, lest further complications arise.

From the Punishment Slave's situation, the Di Barbarians clearly knew nothing of Qin He's existence. The Punishment Slave had merely come to investigate.

Using too much coal would easily expose him, since the coal allocated to each Corpse Burning Room was fixed according to the number of corpses burned. Smoke was even more of a concern, though cooking over his own fire also served as cover.

Qin He possessed nearly fifty years' worth of internal force. Without ceasing to work the bellows, he burned the coal red-hot, and before long the Punishment Slave's corpse turned to char.

The moon hung at Middle Heaven. A massive gray-white curtain slowly descended, while the tapping of wooden clappers pierced through the dim yellow lamplight, swaying with graceful life.

The Shadow Play Performance unfolded, illusory yet real. Qin He saw the Punishment Slave's entire life.