At last, with the dawn light rising over the eastern horizon, he could clearly see what the person standing before him looked like.
It was a young man with an unusually calm expression, a sharp gaze, and a condensed aura surrounding him.
The threatening words died in his throat. The ferocity on his face receded like the tide, instantly replaced by terror.
Though he had only caught a fleeting glimpse before losing consciousness, that terrifying force surging from the mist had already robbed him of the slightest will to resist.
Chen Yuan spoke in an even tone, his voice carrying clearly into Scarface's ears. "I ask, you answer. Tell the truth, and you'll suffer less. If you utter even half a falsehood, or hesitate..."
His gaze swept over Scarface's twisted wrist and the reef below, its edges sharpened by the pounding waves. "I won't mind letting you savor the feeling of every tendon and meridian in your body snapping, then being thrown down there to feed the fish. On this deserted island in these wild seas, what does it matter if a bandit or two dies?"
Scarface shuddered from head to toe. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt. "You... you... Hero, spare my life! What do you want to know? I... I wouldn't dare hide anything!"
His desire to survive overwhelmed everything else.
"Your name, and your position among the Chishui Bandits."
"Liu... Liu Mang. My nickname is Scarface... I... I'm just a minor leader under the second-in-command of the Chishui Bandits. I'm in charge of a boat, collecting... collecting a bit of 'protection money' along the coast..." Scarface did not dare conceal anything and spoke haltingly.
"Good." Chen Yuan gave a slight nod. "What's the story with this Mermaid? Where did you capture her? And this so-called 'tribute'—who