The prison. Flames from a brazier cast sinister hues across the torture chamber.
Bound in chains, Wu Tian Nan breathed as if on his last breath. His entire body was covered in blood, and his once fine clothes were torn to shreds.
Interrogation was no gentle affair.
Shao Wu Bo and Shao Fu Bo had failed. What, then, could their subordinates do? Thus, Shao Ping Bo's people quickly uncovered everything. Wu Tian Nan was very swiftly brought into their hands.
In such a situation, with Shao Ping Bo's life hanging by a thread, it would have been surprising if Wu Tian Nan had been left untouched.
“Creeeaaak!”
The iron door opened. Shao San Sheng stepped inside.
Having learned that Shao Ping Bo was still safe for now, he decided to attend to other matters.
The interrogation was overseen by a man named Tou Mu. Upon seeing Shao San Sheng, he approached and greeted him:
“My Lord!”
Shao San Sheng approached the wall where Wu Tian Nan was bound, his brows furrowed as he asked:
“Why have I still not received the report? What's going on?”
Tou Mu awkwardly replied:
“My Lord, it's a bit unexpected. This fellow isn't as pampered as you said. He hasn't uttered a word and is holding firm, refusing to confess anything.”
“Hm?” Shao San Sheng was surprised. This bound man, it turned out, was truly so stubborn?
It seemed hardly possible to him. Shao San Sheng approached Wu Tian Nan, stretched out a hand, and began examining his face. He seemed to want to thoroughly inspect Wu Tian Nan, to see if he had truly been beaten well.
Shao San Sheng was indeed surprised. Wealthy individuals were usually weak and quickly divulged everything required.
Tou Mu understood Shao San Sheng's doubts, and to prove his capabilities, he cupped his hands and said:
“My Lord, please step back.”
Shao San Sheng turned his head and released Wu Tian Nan. He stepped back.
Tou Mu waved his hand and told his assistants: “Bring it.”
From the side, an assistant brought a bucket of salt water. He took the bucket and splashed it onto Wu Tian Nan.
As soon as the salt water touched his wounds, Wu Tian Nan felt a burning pain spread across his entire body, immediately bringing him to full consciousness.
Tou Mu shouted:
“Will you speak or not?!”
Wu Tian Nan, his face contorted, gradually caught his breath and uttered:
“I've said it. I know nothing. You've made a mistake. You've seized the wrong person.”
From the very beginning, he knew the risk he was taking and suspected such an outcome was possible. He understood that Shao Ping Bo's people could seize him so quickly.
But for now, he held on, for hope still remained. He believed that once Shao Ping Bo perished, he would immediately be released, and his position would become even better. The second and third young masters would help him.
For such a future, he naturally had to endure.
On the other hand, he still didn't want to expose Tao Yan Er. He truly liked her.
“Still daring to remain silent!” Tou Mu grinned. He walked to the brazier and pulled out a heated branding iron. After that, he turned and quickly approached Wu Tian Nan.
Wu Tian Nan closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain. He had already experienced this pain once, so this time, he wasn't particularly afraid.
Only then did Shao San Sheng wave his hand. It was as if he had perceived something.
“Release him. I will take him with me,” he said, then turned and departed.
Tou Mu immediately did as Shao San Sheng commanded. Wu Tian Nan was released, placed into a carriage outside, and sent directly to the governor's palace, to a specific house.
In that very house lay three corpses, specifically the bodies of Ruan Shi and her sons.
Shao San Sheng gestured for Wu Tian Nan to be brought forward. He wanted him to take a good look at them.
Upon seeing the corpses of Ruan Shi and her sons, even Tou Mu was startled.
For the news of Ruan Shi and her two sons' deaths had not yet been announced.
As for Wu Tian Nan, he was terrified when he saw them dead with their eyes still open. He began to whisper to himself:
“How could this be... How could this be?!”
He hadn't thought the struggle between the brothers would be so brutal. Hadn't he just seen them alive recently?
In the end, his last hope was shattered, and his entire will crumbled.
Shao San Sheng watched him intently and said:
“Who did you take yourself for, to get involved in such a matter? I don't know what you imagined about the consequences of your scheme, but now your entire family in Pingchuan has already been taken into custody. Think carefully: perhaps I will release you and your whole family, or perhaps you will all follow them.” As he spoke, he pointed at Ruan Shi and the others.
“My Lord, please forgive me! I confess... I confess...!” Wu Tian Nan mournfully began to beg, having already forgotten about Tao Yan Er.
Very swiftly, a group of riders with Wu Tian Nan arrived at the Tao brother and sister's residence. However, there was no trace of them.
At that moment, he understood and believed that he had been deceived.
It turned out he had been classicly led astray by a beauty. Why hadn't he thought of it himself? He had heard countless stories of beauties deceiving men. And now, this time, he himself had fallen for the trap.
And so, Wu Tian Nan, grief-stricken and wounded all over, wept...
On the second day, the governor's palace announced the deaths of Ruan Shi and her sons. They merely omitted any mention of Shao Ping Bo's poisoning. Everyone was told that an assassin had infiltrated the palace and killed them.
As soon as the news spread, the entire city was stunned.
In an instant, all joyous events were canceled. Entertainment venues also temporarily suspended their operations...
Qingshan. In a mountain valley outside the city. Niu You Dao stood on a massive rock beneath a waterfall. He allowed the waterfall to pound against his body.
The ceaseless torrent struck Niu You Dao. With closed eyes, he swayed back and forth. He felt the water's force and how its power changed with his movements.
Now, he stood under the waterfall every day, thus integrating the Qian and Kun Method within himself.
When strong winds blew, he stood in the wind and felt its assault on his body.
When it rained, he likewise stood in the rain and became drenched, allowing his body to embrace all the moisture of the downpour.
At dawn, at night, constantly. In this way, he even developed a tan.
This was a monotonous form of cultivation with an extremely slow rate of progress. Perhaps it couldn't even be called cultivation. It was, in essence, a very tedious undertaking.
If Yuan Gang were in his place, he would have died of boredom. But Niu You Dao patiently *cultivated*
In these days, it couldn't be said that he had achieved a breakthrough. Niu You Dao had already sensed a certain spiritual ray. For instance, when he stood in the rain, this ray seemed to show him a direction.
He had a feeling that in a boundless desert, where there was no hope of salvation, he had nonetheless seen clouds. And as soon as it rained, this endless desert would transform into beautiful green meadows.
Only, this rain was not in the sky, but in his heart. He only needed to find it.
He believed that as soon as he understood this, immense changes would occur.
At that moment, Yuan Fang glided down from the cliff and landed on the bank. He shouted:
“Lord Dao!”
Niu You Dao, standing beneath the waterfall, furrowed his brows. He knew that he wouldn't be disturbed without good reason. He flickered into existence and landed on the bank.
Steam began to rise from his body.
When he had dried, Yuan Fang handed him a secret letter.
Niu You Dao read the letter, his brows furrowing. He pondered for a moment, then, tearing the letter, he shook his head with a bitter smile:
“Shao Ping Bo must have escaped death.”
Yuan Fang had also read the letter, but it only mentioned the deaths of Ruan Shi and her sons. Nothing else was said.
In truth, because the governor's palace had not yet disclosed any other information, few knew what had truly happened. The Supreme Purity Sect didn't know, Song Shu and Cheng Gui Shuo didn't know either. Lu Sheng Zhong was even more clueless. No one knew what had transpired within the governor's palace in Beizhou.
No matter whether it was Lu Sheng Zhong or Cheng Gui Shuo, all the information they obtained was relayed through Wei Duo. In truth, Cheng Gui Shuo or Lu Sheng Zhong could not attract Shao Ping Bo's attention if they used Bird Kings. But Wei Duo, from the Supreme Purity Sect, could dispatch Bird Kings.
Of course, Lu Sheng Zhong and Cheng Gui Shuo didn't know that they were sending messages through Wei Duo. Wei Duo himself rarely appeared outside the Supreme Purity Sect.
Yuan Fang asked in surprise:
“Did Lu Sheng Zhong fail the mission?”
Niu You Dao shook his head:
“No. He did everything well. The fact that he brought it to this point is already good.”
Niu You Dao had constantly waited for Shao Ping Bo to make his move. As soon as the Ice and Snow Palace began its investigation, Lu Sheng Zhong immediately launched his attack.
In truth, Lu Sheng Zhong's mission was extremely difficult. The governor's palace was not a place Lu Sheng Zhong could simply walk into. Moreover, he couldn't even directly contact Shao Wu Bo and Shao Fu Bo. It was already challenging for Lu Sheng Zhong to convey the full picture to them.
The most crucial thing was that Shao Ping Bo never noticed any of Lu Sheng Zhong's preparatory work. And Lu Sheng Zhong managed to bring Niu You Dao's design into reality.
Therefore, he naturally understood that Lu Sheng Zhong had brilliantly completed his mission.
Yuan Fang didn't fully understand everything, although he had also read the letter. So he asked:
“Lord Dao, how did you know that Shao Ping Bo is still alive?”
Niu You Dao sighed and said:
“It's very simple. If Shao Ping Bo had perished, the Shao family would have simply announced that everyone had died. They wouldn't have just said that Ruan Shi and her sons alone had died. Why would they periodically announce it?”
Yuan Fang, blinking his eyes, asked: “If they wanted to kill Shao Ping Bo, then why did they kill Ruan Shi and the others?”
Niu You Dao replied with a bitter smile:
“The deceased were Shao Ping Bo's adversaries. What more is there to say? The mother and sons were likely killed by Shao Ping Bo himself. It's all clear. Shao Ping Bo definitely had a reason to kill them. Why not earlier or later? Because they learned Shao Ping Bo's plans at that time. Ah, I put so much effort into them, and they ended up spilling everything to Shao Ping Bo. How else could they have conveyed it?”