"I...if I beg for mercy, I can't be considered a...hero! Ahhhh——"
The torture chamber was filled with the screams of prisoners, and Zhao Shui picked his ears with a leisurely expression:
"A hero? What kind of hero are you? If we were to fight with real swords and guns on the battlefield, I would barely accept your words and follow the villagers sneakily to Yanze City, wandering around all day long, that's all.
Fabricating rumors and causing unrest in the market, is this considered a hero?"
When Zhao Shui was a child, he followed his grandfather everywhere, and he often met these "heroes of the forest". Although most of them were ruthless gangsters who did not deserve mercy, there were also a few of them who were brave and loyal. After all, the world was still in chaos, and they were
Forced to become a robber and bandit.
So Zhao Shu took the opportunity to talk about the truth: "If you are really a good man, then don't help the tiger. If the evil spirit really spreads the plague, what good will it do to you? What the common people want is good weather and a life without major disasters. You should be lucky.
I'm just spreading rumors. If there were really evil ways to spread the plague, you would have been beheaded in public a long time ago."
The prisoner was sweating all over because of the severe pain, and his whole body was convulsing while hanging on the rack. The pain was relieved, and his face was full of fear.
"It doesn't hurt anymore?" Zhao Shu smiled and said: "Don't worry, ordinary people eat one bite at a time, and the same goes for the poisonous insects. When it gets into the intestines, you will feel more pain. The last guy I drank was poisonous.
, in the end it hurt so much that he cut open his belly with a sharp knife and pulled out his intestines. Guess what he saw? A long worm came out directly and pounced on his face. That scene was..."
The prisoner's face turned horribly white, and the temporarily relieved severe pain faintly reappeared. It was like the feeling of having dozens of steel knives stabbed into his stomach, and he really didn't want to experience it again:
"I said! I said it! It was the boss who asked us to do this!"
"Master?" Zhao Shu asked, "Whose last name is he? He is tall, short, fat and thin. Where are you now?"
"The boss's surname is Xiong, he is big and round, and he is good at using mace." The prisoner quickly explained: "Our group started to hang out with the boss six or seven years ago. At that time, the brothers in the mine were overwhelmed and they worked together to kill them.
Foreman, go to Qingluo Mountain and join the gang."
"Are you a miner?" Zhao Miao rubbed his fingers, as if he could activate the worm at any time.
When the prisoner saw this, he told the story like he was pouring beans: "Yes, I used to work in the mines in Yuyang County. The foreman and the mine owner had to rush me every day. If I moved too slowly, I would be whipped. All I ate was mixed with sand.
Hundreds of people died in the mines, and their bodies were thrown into the ditch casually. The brothers really had no way to survive, so they defected to Master Xiong in Qingluo Mountain."
Zhao Shu asked again: "Qingluoshan? How many people do you have in total?"
"Around two thousand, many miners in Yuyang County have taken refuge there." The prisoner felt relieved and a little relieved.
"Besides you, how many people did Master Xiong send to Yanze City?"
"One or two hundred people? I'm not sure."
"Besides spreading rumors like you, what other purpose is there?" Zhao Shu saw the prisoner hesitated a little, and the finger gestures on his hands changed. The other party felt colic coming back again, and shouted:
"Save, save! The immortal leader of Chiyundu was captured by you, and we are here to save him!"
"Oh?" Zhao Shu was curious now: "You two hundred people, not to mention sneaking into Yanze City pretending to be villagers, even if you are officers and soldiers wearing helmets and carrying armor, you want to rescue Sang from the county prison.
It’s not easy for Hua Zi. For people like you, it’s a bit too whimsical.”
The prisoner was dripping with sweat: "That's all I know, the boss didn't say anything else!"
Zhao Shu did not comment and called the government servants in: "You will now take a team of people to the small courtyard in the east of the city to capture all the faces nearby and bring them over to identify them one by one."
The officer was ordered to leave, and the prisoner lowered his head and looked at his stomach: "Then I..."
Zhao Shu waved his hand and asked the jailer to take the prisoner away: "I can take out the poisonous insects, but only if you identify your accomplices. You'd better hope that we can catch a few more people, then your days of suffering will be long."
Shorter."
The prisoner was wailing and being taken away. Zhao Miao turned around with a smile and saw Secretary Chen huddled in the corner with a pale face.
"Are you scared? This is the first time you have seen torture to extract a confession?" Zhao Shu picked up the record, glanced at it, and nodded in praise: "Good words!"
Chen Shuban held his wrist and relaxed: "Official Zhao Fu is so complimentary. This is indeed my first time seeing this. There may be some omissions in my record."
"No, it looks good to me." Zhao Shu smiled and said, "Actually, I don't like torture either. The method of beating people to pieces is laborious and ugly."
Chen Shuban was hesitant to speak, but when Zhao Shu saw this, he asked: "Do you think my methods are more cruel than those corporal punishments?"
"I have heard a little bit about the theory of Gu insects. It is a weird and profound magic technique in the Jiuli Kingdom. Men are called Gu masters and women are called Gu mothers. They can control hundreds of insects and specialize in using highly venomous snakes and insects to harm people." Chen Shu.
Make a statement.
Zhao Shu's eyes lit up: "You know a lot."
Chen Shuban felt ashamed and said: "To be honest with Zhao Fu, Xiaosheng wanted to join the tavern and practice martial arts. However, after several years, he got nothing. He could only return to his hometown to become a teacher, copying and writing notes for others.
...can Zhao Fuli really know how to use Gu insects?"
Zhao Mian smiled and waved his hand: "Where? The poisonous arts of Jiuli Kingdom are secretly passed down by the clan, and no outsider can learn them. What I fed him was not poisonous insects at all, but a bowl of talisman water with a reversed face turned into it.
The Qi Diaoxin Talisman and some ink were poured in, which is purely a charlatan's trick to fool ordinary people."
The so-called pain leads to blockage. If the inverse Qi Diaoxin Talisman turns into water and enters the abdomen, it will cause the five Tibetan Qi channels to become intertwined and disordered, causing unbearable pain. But as long as the person knows how to breathe in and out Qi and knows that spreading Qi and moving Qi can dissolve Qi knots, this technique
It's completely useless.
Apart from anything else, if Zhao Miao does not activate the spell, the negative energy will dissipate on its own after one day, leaving no trace of the root cause of the disease. It is far worse than a real voodoo spell.
What's more, the success of Gu insects and Gu arts lies in their weirdness and unpredictability, rather than fighting in battle formations. When Jiuli Kingdom fights foreign wars, the magicians it mainly relies on are the great witches and chief priests of those temples and temples. They can still do it.
Call for wind and rain, swallow clouds and spit out mist.
After a while, Zhao Shu asked the yamen to bring Na Sang Huazi. After these days of interrogation, Zhao Shu already understood his identity.
This Sang Huazi is not a casual cultivator like Ding Maocai who has recently surrendered, but a cultivator who has been in Chiyun City since the founding of the Five Kingdoms War.
"Speaking of the Red Cloud City, its origins are quite strange."
In the execution room, Zhao Shu did not let the jailer tie Sang Huazi to the torture rack, but gave him a stool to sit on, and the two of them talked across from each other. Zhao Shu held the cattail leaf fan that Sang Huazi had held in his hand and looked at it.
Among them, the Zhu Hong Fu seal says:
"Everyone outsiders say that Chiyundu is a military force formed spontaneously by a group of refugees, but this is not the truth. In the past, the Tianxia Dynasty fell apart, heroes fought, many monks and sects were also involved, and some old grievances followed.
As a result, the monks and masters fought against each other, leading to great chaos, and the inheritance of many sects withered as a result.
Among them, there was a sect of monks who were cultivating in the Red Cloud Mountains. They encountered great chaos and disasters. Many of their disciples were killed and injured, and only three disciples escaped. Seeing that the world was in decline and the people were suffering, they did not choose to escape into the mountains and forests, but resolutely joined the world.
At first, these three disciples only did some small things such as administering medicine, delivering clothes and repairing houses. Later, as their followers increased, they began to gather the homeless, teach them to practice good deeds and confess their mistakes. If they had any money or rice, they would help the poor.
I don't want to stay much.
Over the past few decades, these three disciples have millions of people under their command. They have also passed on the wonderful techniques and techniques of the Chiyun Mountain sect to everyone. Twenty-four of them have achieved success in practice, and are known as Chiyun Er in the world.
Fourteen generals. And these three disciples are regarded as the Three Elders of Chiyun by their followers."
Sang Huazi was sitting on a bench, his hands and fingers were twisted and swollen, his clothes were messy and his hair was messy, but his expression and eyes were still firm. Hearing Zhao Shu's retelling of Chiyundu's origins, there was still a bit of pride in his eyes.
"Are you one of the twenty-four generals of Chiyun?" Zhao Shu tapped his finger on the cattail leaf fan: "I don't know much about the Chiyun Mountain sect. It is said that the founder of this sect has achieved great success in cultivating and refining qi in the mountain.
The cloud descended and gave three volumes of immortal scriptures, namely the "Red Ming Jade Chapter", "Zhu Ling's Golden Book of Soul Saving" and "The Essentials of the Transformation and Refining of Flame Essence"."
Sang Huazi's face showed a look of surprise, but then he closed his eyes and said nothing.
When Zhao Shu saw him like this, he knew that he was right, and at the same time, he secretly admired Lingxiao's experience and knowledge.
The so-called three-volume Immortal Sutra was actually deduced by Lingxiao after seeing the vermilion seal on the cattail leaf fan, and he guessed that the inheritance of Chiyun Mountain came from an ancient immortal named Dongdan Yuanjun.
Lingxiao had discussed with Dongdan Yuanjun, so he knew that the other party had three volumes of immortal scriptures. As for whether Dongdan Yuanjun came down to give the Dharma, Lingxiao was not sure. Maybe it was just the Patriarch of Chiyun Mountain who found Dongdan Yuanjun and left him in the mortal world.
He found the precious treasure of the Immortal Sutra and fabricated the legend of the descent of the Immortal.
Zhao Shu, with the mentality of giving it a try, pretended to be profound in front of Sang Huazi, and it turned out that he was right.
"The sect of Chiyun Mountain is the best at controlling fire. In addition to fanning the wind and igniting fire, killing and attacking, your talisman fan can also regulate the internal and external aura and fire." Zhao Shu shook the cattail leaf fan gently: "If someone is possessed by a ghost, you can
With one wave of this talisman fan, it can emit real fire to kill evil spirits, and it can also dispel diseases. If you have a high level of cultivation, and practice more sacrifices with the talisman fan, you can emit flames that burn the mountains, forests, and city walls with just one wave.
No matter how well-defended Yanze City is, it cannot withstand the fire that burns the city."
Sang Huazi opened his eyes and said: "The officials in the imperial court are imposing excessive taxes, which is worse than the disasters of water and fire! We raise the flag of righteousness, build the highway, and wave our fans to keep out the fire, but we are trying to gain a breathing space for the people. We have no intention of committing evil and causing disaster."
"Even Chi Yun, who protected the refugees back then, can still say this." Zhao Shuyan said: "But now the commotion you are making in Xingluo County can be said to be unintentional and evil? Bandits roam the countryside and plunder at every turn.
Their brutal behavior is appalling, can these people be regarded as rebels and flags of justice?"
Sang Huazi's eyes tightened, and he was silent for a moment before speaking: "If it weren't for the demands of the high officials and the excessive demands of the local prefectures and counties, why would the people be willing to take risks to commit murder and plunder?"
"That's what you said again." Zhao Shu put the cattail leaf fan aside: "The people may have no choice but to become thieves, but you Chiyun have sent people to Xingluo County, how could you know that it is not to cause more trouble? Just say that it is enough.
The dishonest thieves and bandits, knowing that they have you as their backers, act even more recklessly and commit indiscriminate killings! The thieves and bandits recently even sent people to Yanze City to spread rumors, saying that evil practices are spreading plague and will spread the epidemic in Xingluo County. You guys
If Chiyundu really prides itself on holding high the banner of justice, then why doesn’t it eradicate these evils? Why should the civilians who were killed be to blame? I don’t believe you are completely ignorant of this matter!”
"Yes, we know." Sang Huazi admitted happily: "Unfortunately, it is no longer the time when Chiyun City was founded, and the improvement of military discipline cannot be achieved overnight. There is nothing to avoid this. If it were you, you could make this happen
Can you help the bandits change their minds in a blink of an eye?"
"I can't do it, so I won't make trouble with those bandits from the beginning." Zhao Shuzhi said: "I know that some of you in Chiyun are dissatisfied with the disbandment of the imperial court, but now the situation has been decided, and the five countries
It is extremely inappropriate to call a truce and continue raising the banner of Chiyundu.
You occupy Cangwu Ridge in the south, and I can't control it, but why do you have to come all the way to Xingluo County? Or is there something here that is worth getting at any cost?"
Sang Huazi closed his eyes and didn't answer. Zhao Shu laughed and said, "Even if you don't tell me, I know that Ding Maocai is not as stoic as you. He has already revealed everything about your intention to forge a magic weapon."
"Traitor!" Sang Huazi yelled angrily.
"This is not a traitor." Zhao Shuyan said: "He has already said that he is a casual cultivator who has only taken refuge in Chiyun City in recent years. You two are not like-minded to begin with, so you can still expect others to fight for you.
In the end?”
"What exactly are you asking?" Sang Huazi said impatiently.
Zhao Shu's eyes were sharp: "I want to know the real purpose of you Chiyundu coming to Xingluo County. Don't talk to me about raising the flag of righteousness and eradicating tyranny. I want to know why you forged the magic weapon? What do you plan to use it to deal with?
people?"
"We are not dissatisfied with Chiyundu's dismissal." Sang Huazi did not answer directly: "It's just that Huaxu Kingdom is hopeless now, and the court is full of incompetent people. They are the real source of trouble!
"
The corner of Zhao Miao's mouth twitched: "Don't tell me that Chi Yun is planning to rebel?"
"If you regard this as a rebellion, then it is." Sang Huazi said calmly: "We are not fighting for the survival of one sect, but fighting for the livelihood of millions of people. Do you think we have not complained to the court?
Love? We tried it, and one of the three elders was even suppressed at the foot of Difei Mountain!"
This was the first time Zhao Shu heard about this, and Sang Huazi was a little excited: "Later we understood that no one in the imperial court, no matter the king or the nobles, could save the people from the fire. If they can't do it, then don't cling to high positions!
If you can’t listen to good or bad words, let Jianfeng do the talking!”
"Are you finished?" Zhao Shu asked coldly with no expression on his face.
"That's it." Sang Huazi straightened his figure: "You don't need to ask any more questions. I won't say anything about the rest. You can chop off my head and hang it high at the north gate. I will watch how Chi Yundu attacks.
Yanze City.”
Zhao Shu felt helpless. As soon as he got up, he heard a warm voice coming from behind: