Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One-Chapter 81 - 77: Clangorous Iron Bone

"I stand by what I have said: regarding the matters of the Futang Group, I neither know a single word nor will I utter a single word."

Zhuge Weiwei slumped to the ground, firmly responding.

"What’s with your stubborn head!" The County Magistrate put down the teacup in his hand, stood up with his hands behind his back, and threatened with a severe tone,

"Mr. Zhuge, if you still refuse to speak, I will have my men proceed with the torture!"

"Hmph!"

Zhuge Weiwei looked towards the dark night outside the hall and defiantly said,

"Then kill me!"

"My lord, allow me to carry out the torture!" the Colonel suggested eagerly.

"No rush, let’s ask him again."

The County Magistrate nonchalantly walked over, slowly pacing around Zhuge Weiwei:

"Mr. Zhuge, how do you find my methods?"

"Vile and vicious tactics! You’re nothing but a beast!"

"Hahaha! Well said!" The County Magistrate did not get angry at Zhuge Weiwei’s insult; instead, he spoke with a softly threatening voice: freёnovelkiss.com

"I told you yesterday that I have notified the State Preceptor, and he will send someone tonight to bring you back to Chang’an, to be locked up in his Imperial Edict Office. I suppose you are aware of the reputation of the Imperial Edict Office, right?"

"How could I not be aware?" Zhuge Weiwei angrily replied:

"It’s rumored that the Imperial Edict Office doesn’t even deem ordinary criminals worthy of entry; it’s reserved for dealing with high-ranking officials. It’s a place that devours men, dedicated to fabricating charges and devising numerous cruel tortures, striking fear into all officials at its mere mention."

"Granted special authority by the Emperor, regardless of being Imperial Relatives, princes, or powerful gentry, the Imperial Edict Office can arrest at any time and has the right to execute first and report later!"

"Anyone who is taken there, once they enter the great dungeons of the Imperial Edict Office, if they cry out in innocence they wish only for death, and those who plead for death are immediately granted their wish."

"Common folk take a detour just passing by that place, saying that even immortals would shed their skin if they entered, and even a Bodhisattva would weep upon seeing it. It’s not the Netherworld Mansion, but it surpasses Yama’s Palace."

"Sun Wukong caused havoc in the heavens, so mighty and imposing, but there, he could only mark out a prison on the ground for himself. Even Erlang God, who split the Mount of Peaches with his mighty axe, would have to submit to looking at the sky from the bottom of a well when confined there. It’s the most perilous place in Chang’an, known to all as the killers’ den."

"Oh my! I thought you were unaware of it!" The County Magistrate laughed proudly and said soothingly:

"Since Mr. Zhuge knows so well, why won’t you speak the truth to me? Rest assured that if you tell the truth, I swear by my honor, I will spare your life, and at the very most, you’ll be imprisoned in my Qi County Prison City, and I absolutely won’t send you to the Imperial Edict Office!"

"That’s right, that’s right, you old fool, think it over quickly. If you were to be taken to the Imperial Edict Office, they’d make sure you could neither live nor die!"

The Colonel also followed with his own scare tactics.

The County Magistrate returned to his seat and continued to drink tea:

"Mr. Zhuge, your frail body wouldn’t last a moment in the Imperial Edict Office. You’re over seventy years old, don’t make things difficult for yourself. Speak the truth, then enjoy your remaining years in peace. Wouldn’t that be nice?"

"Though I am but flesh and blood, my heart is as firm as iron. Not just you, a mere County Magistrate, but even if the Dog Emperor himself were here, I would still maintain my ignorance!"

Zhuge Weiwei abruptly turned his head to look at the County Magistrate, filled with rage, and said,

"Either kill me, or don’t dream of prying a single word from my lips! Pah!"

Zhuge Weiwei, after speaking excitedly, spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, directing it onto the colonel’s body.

"Obstinate fool! Proceed with the torture!"

The county magistrate, guessing that the State Preceptor’s men would be arriving soon, and seeing that Zhuge Weiwei’s lips remained sealed, realized he would not be able to extract anything more during these last moments and thus dropped his pretense.

"You old bastard, how dare you spit on me!"

The colonel immediately raised his whip to strike Zhuge Weiwei!

It was only then that Li Ping’an understood that the county magistrate had set up a private tribunal to try to pry Zhuge Weiwei’s mouth open alone and claim all the credit.

But Zhuge Weiwei was nearly eighty, his body covered in wounds; yet even under the colonel’s lashes, he managed not to utter a single noise, truly an Iron Bone man, which earned Li Ping’an’s great admiration. For a moment, he really wanted to save the man.

However, he couldn’t, because the charges against Zhuge Weiwei were too grave, with extensive implications. If he intervened, it would mean bringing trouble upon himself, a path toward certain death, especially since they were no more than strangers with no life-debt between them.

"Endure! Hold on! Do not let compassion move you!"

Watching Zhuge Weiwei being beaten until his skin split and blood flowed, with old injuries not yet healed and new wounds added, the kind-hearted Li Ping’an could only close his eyes and cover his ears, to not watch or listen, which made it slightly more bearable.

After about the time it took to eat a meal, Zhuge Weiwei was beaten half to death, unrecognizable, lying on the ground twitching. The colonel, tired from the beating, threw the whip on the ground, wiped off his sweaty stench, and with a changed demeanor, sycophantically approached the county magistrate.

"Sir, let me rest a while before continuing the beating!"

As the colonel spoke, he opened the bundle he had brought, instantly revealing a dazzling array of silver, and said ingratiatingly:

"Sir, we struck it rich today. Some wealthy young master came out of nowhere with more than 950 taels of silver, all of which I managed to snatch!"

The county magistrate immediately showed avaricious eyes as he reached out to caress the silver:

"Was the job done cleanly? Don’t bring any trouble upon us!"

"Rest assured, sir, it was done spotlessly. That fellow came from Five Finger Mountain County, miles away from our Qi County. Moreover, he was duped by the trap you set earlier, we got him intoxicated in the Lion Tower, and then locked him up in the dead cell. By now, that guy still probably doesn’t understand how he ended up dead, dying a confused ghost, hahaha!"

The colonel said, laughing proudly.

"Hmm, well done, we’ve certainly found a fat sheep today, hahaha!"

The county magistrate also joined in the triumphant laughter, their voices echoing in the hall of the rear residence, angering Li Ping’an immensely.

"It’s time to settle accounts!"

Li Ping’an was about to charge out to retrieve his silver when someone rushed into the main entrance of the hall in a hurry.

"Sir!"

The colonel immediately wrapped up the silver, and the county magistrate snapped:

"Didn’t I tell you that without my command, you should not come near? What brings you here all of a sudden? Is this intentional?"

The government officer glanced at Zhuge Weiwei convulsing on the ground, already inured to such sights, and promptly replied:

"Sir, Zuo Qianhu, dispatched by the State Preceptor, has entered the city. His men have sent word asking you to prepare for the handover!"

"I know, I know, you may leave. I will deal with it myself!"

After the officer left, the colonel pointed to the bundle of silver and said:

"Since the State Preceptor’s men have come, should I deliver this money to the treasury for safekeeping?"

"No!"

"Ah? Wouldn’t it be bad for the State Preceptor’s men to see this money?"

Stroking his beard, the county magistrate glared calculatingly at the colonel:

"You know nothing! I’ve long heard that this Zuo Qianhu is a close confidant of the State Preceptor. If it were someone else, I might have settled it differently, but since it’s Zuo Qianhu, why not use this silver as a gift, as if ’borrowing flowers to worship Buddha’, take it as a greeting gift for Zuo Qianhu."