But he feared the gleaming saber in Master Tiger's hand and dared not resist in the slightest. He could only press one hand tightly over his bleeding ear and crouch to one side, trembling.
No matter how Cui Jiuyang explained, he only said, "God loves all people, but God also punishes those who do evil."
Only when Cui Jiuyang pressed him hard did Thomas raise his head and say, "You can write to the church in the Shanghai French Concession and ask them to pay a ransom for me."
Stranger still, when Cui Jiuyang brought the dome of light imprisoning the Ear-Reporting Spirit before Thomas's eyes, hoping to show him exactly what had been causing trouble, Father Thomas merely stared blankly at the seemingly empty dome, his face bearing an expression that said, "Are you making fun of me?"
Clearly, he could not see the Ear-Reporting Spirit at all!
Seeing that Father Thomas had lost quite a bit of blood and kept making a fuss, Master Tiger caught a few pheasants and wild rabbits in the mountains, lit a fire, and roasted them until their fragrance filled the air.
He offered the roast meat to Thomas, hoping he would eat something to recover his strength.
But Father Thomas stiffened his neck and said, "You'll never make me submit! Until you release me, I'm going on a hunger strike!"
Looking at Father Thomas, who had recovered some of his senses only to become rigid and stubborn, Cui Jiuyang actually found him rather interesting.
Since he wanted to go hungry, he could stay hungry for now.
Cui Jiuyang continued toying with the stubborn Ear-Reporting Spirit and paid Thomas no further attention.
That afternoon, as the sun slanted westward, something seemed to occur to Cui Jiuyang. He suddenly rose and wandered mysteriously around