Inside the prison, the old man Wu Chi, though already past seventy in appearance, remained vigorous, spiritual energy protecting his body.
Such was the physique of a Spiritual Practitioner. Though his age made him look elderly, the spiritual energy circulating within sustained him far beyond ordinary men. Even if Wu Chi retired, he could easily live another 40 to 50 years, perhaps even a full century.
“Who are you to dare arrest me? Do you know who my ancestor is? Release me at once!”
Wu Chi’s aged eyes widened as he glared at the middle-aged man who had just entered, his face filled with anger and disdain.
“I am Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat and concurrently Left Censor-in-Chief, Li Wu.”
“Li Wu? Lord Li, I have no grievance with you. Why have you arrested me?”
Wu Chi’s heart trembled as he looked at Li Changsheng.
He knew well that a rising figure named Li Wu had emerged in the court. That man impeached officials daily without fear of offending anyone. Most importantly, over the years he had accepted bribes openly, yet no one dared touch him. Several officials had attempted to impeach him, but all efforts failed.
“You have perverted the law for personal gain, seized innocent women, forced low-price land purchases, and driven dozens of households to death. You have violated imperial law. And you still ask why you were arrested?”
Li Changsheng smiled faintly. As he looked at the old man, a deep-seated hatred pressed down within him.
He remembered this grudge clearly. Years ago, his daughter Li Siyue had been killed because of this bastard.
He had allowed this old thing to live comfortably for so many years. How could he possibly let him go easily now?
Old hatred and new grievances would be settled together. If he did not kill this old wretch today, how could he extinguish the fury in his heart?
“Guards, apply the severe punishment!”
At Li Changsheng’s command, several prison guards exchanged uneasy glances. One of the jail wardens swallowed hard and lowered his voice. “My Lord, if we apply torture now, I’m afraid…”
“If anything happens, it’s on me. Say another word and you’ll join him.”
Li Changsheng’s expression turned cold. The warden shuddered and immediately ordered his men to strap Wu Chi onto the torture frame.
The shackles and instruments inside the prison were reinforced with formation arrays and talismans. Even cultivators could not break free.
“W-What are you doing? I am a court official! I am a county magistrate! You cannot do this. You cannot torture me!”
Wu Chi’s face drained of color, terror filling his eyes. He was over 200 years old and had never endured such cruelty.
Crack. The warden swung a magical whip down hard.
Another guard pressed a heated magical iron rod against his flesh.
In an instant, Wu Chi’s skin split open. The stench of scorched flesh mixed with blood filled the air.
His screams tore through the prison, raw and desperate, until he finally fainted.
Li Changsheng’s gaze shifted toward the other cells where the hired thugs and household servants were being held. Killing intent flickered openly in his eyes.
“What are you waiting for? Drag those foxes who relied on borrowed power out here and give them the same treatment.”
The warden’s face changed drastically. “My Lord, if we torture all these ordinary men, they may not survive…”
Before he could finish, a heavy sack was thrown into his arms.
Startled, the warden loosened the opening slightly. Inside, gold gleamed brightly. The bag was filled with gold coins, several hundred in total.
Before he could react, Li Changsheng’s low, chilling voice reached his ears. “Torture them all. Torture them to death.”
The warden felt a cold shiver run down his spine. This Lord Li was truly ruthless beyond imagination.
“Y-Yes…”
Clutching the heavy bag, the warden shouted, “Get to work!”
At his command, the guards moved at once. More than 100 servants were dragged out and subjected to brutal torture. Some were flayed piece by piece, some branded with heated irons, some bled dry, some had their fingers crushed, some had their nails ripped out, some endured heart-piercing torment through all ten fingers. Hundreds of cruel methods were used in succession.
Li Changsheng sat calmly in the prison, watching without even blinking.
One servant died from agony. Another was drained of blood until he perished. Another was carved apart until nothing remained but mutilated flesh.
When Wu Chi was splashed awake, his face was pale with horror. He confessed everything.
But Li Changsheng had no intention of sparing him so easily.
“Wu Chi, do you want to live?”
“Yes, yes! My Lord, spare me! No matter the condition, I will satisfy it!”
Wu Chi’s eyes were filled with terror. Without the spiritual energy protecting him, he would have died from the pain long ago.
“Then write a letter to your family. Tell them to bring money to redeem you.”
Li Changsheng smiled faintly.
“Good, good. How much?”
Wu Chi agreed immediately.
“All of it.”
The words struck Wu Chi like thunder. This Li Wu was insatiably greedy. He wanted the entire family fortune. How vast would that sum be?
“It seems your life is worth less than that bit of property. In that case, I can do nothing.”
“Fine! My Lord, everything! Everything will be yours! Just spare my life!”
Terrified, Wu Chi hurriedly agreed and wrote a blood-letter on the spot.
…
Smack!
“This Li Wu has gone too far!”
Inside the Wu Residence, Wu Maode’s face darkened as he read the blood-letter.
Li Changsheng’s greed knew no bounds. He demanded the entire Wu family fortune. This was nothing short of tyranny.
How could Wu Chi’s life be worth the entirety of their assets?
Wu Maode had not expected Li Changsheng to be so utterly ruthless, showing not the slightest mercy. Rumor had it that most of the arrested servants had already been tortured to death, and his great-great-grandson Wu Chi was barely clinging to life.
It was clear Li Changsheng intended to torture Wu Chi to death.
“Patriarch, you must save Wu Chi! He is one of the only two Spiritual Root bloodlines in the Wu family. He cannot die! He absolutely cannot!”
Inside the room, an elderly woman wept bitterly. A group of young men and women sobbed as well. Some were Wu Chi’s descendants, some his wives and concubines, others relatives.
“Li Wu, this matter is not over!”
Wu Maode’s face turned ashen with fury. Li Changsheng was clearly targeting the Wu family, using them as an example.
If he did not ruin the Wu family completely, Li Changsheng would never rest.
The next day at court, Wu Maode knelt in the Main Hall, tears streaming down his face.
“Your Majesty, this old minister has been wronged. I impeach Lord Li. He has abused his authority, applied private torture, beaten Wu Chi half to death, caused most of the servants to die, and forced Wu Chi to write a blood-letter extorting me to sell all my family property to bribe him.”
“I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and restore justice to this old minister.”
The entire hall was stunned. The officials were utterly shocked.
No one had expected Li Changsheng to be so ruthless, daring to conduct private torture inside the prison and even beating prisoners to death. It was sheer tyranny.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Long Cang frowned slightly. A faint suspicion arose in his mind. Perhaps Li Wu truly harbored personal motives in this matter.
At that moment, Li Changsheng stepped forward.