Chapter 70

It seemed like Nan Yi had a long dream. Strangely, it had been a while since she last dreamt of Zhang Yuehui, and his appearance had grown vague. But after she had given up on finding him, she suddenly dreamt of the early days when she first met him.

Her mother had passed away two years ago, and no one took care of her meals. So she wandered the streets daily, picking up odd jobs. She had been observing this young master for several days. Every day, he would be heavily drunk, and sometimes when he couldn’t pay for his drinks, he would be kicked out of the tavern, more wretched than the beggars on the streets.

After waking from his drunken stupor, he would trade some of his belongings for money and continue drinking himself into oblivion.

She felt a bit sorry for him. Whenever he was drunk, unscrupulous tavern waiters would slip their hands into his pockets and steal small amounts of silver, sometimes even charging him for extra drinks. After all, he was out of his mind and couldn’t keep track.

She thought that this money would be better off in her hands.

So, after another drunken episode, she scolded the opportunistic waiter, paid for the drinks, and with great effort, dragged him to his room.

She figured that since he was such a waste, even if he had money, he wouldn’t have much left. She only asked for a small payment of ten copper coins.

Over time, they became familiar with each other. He told her that he was a scholar who hated reading, forced by his family to take the imperial examination in Bianjing. After leaving home, he traveled and spent all his travel funds, too embarrassed to return home. He ended up staying in this small town.

She tried to convince him to go home, but he said his family didn’t care for him and would rather he die outside.

She stopped asking, feeling that he was also quite pitiful and lonely.

After a while, he drank less and spent more time sober. He said he liked this small town and wanted to settle here.

She was happy because, for the first time, she had a companion, no longer alone.

People need someone to rely on; living alone in this world is not sustainable.

They built two small thatched huts, erected a fence, and shared a small courtyard. He was good at music, and even when it was just pots and pans arranged together, he could make pleasant melodies. She would rest her chin on the table and listen, letting the spring flowers fall on her face.

That was the happiest period of her life.

Even though she faintly knew there were things he hadn’t said, she never asked. She subconsciously avoided the side of him he kept hidden, instinctively knowing that if she confronted it, it would ruin their paradise.

As long as he truly enjoyed living with her, the things he kept hidden were of little consequence.

After all, who doesn’t have a secret?

She never told him that sometimes, when they were on the brink of hunger, she had to steal food.

She truly believed that their life would continue like this, with the sunshine shattered in the flowing water, the golden sand and silver powder spreading across the mountains and fields.

Nan Yi could no longer distinguish between dream and reality... What day was it today? She had a strange feeling. Could it be that the cruel years after Zhang Yuehui left were the dream, and she had just awoken and returned to the idyllic days of their early life?

Then, a bucket of cold water was splashed on her, and she woke with a jolt. Her eyes snapped open, the flickering candlelight hurting her eyes.

She found herself in a strange, dark dungeon, the air thick with the stench of rotting flesh, almost making her gag. The walls were lined with various torture instruments, ominous and terrifying.

Her limbs were bound to a rack, and she fearfully lifted her head to see a strange face before her.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Young mistress, our master wants to ask you some questions. If you cooperate and answer truthfully, you won’t suffer,” Luoci spoke politely.

Nan Yi felt as if she were falling into an abyss. This person knew her identity but had captured her like this… What did they want? Who was the master he spoke of? This was a scenario she had never imagined, and the unknown fear gradually consumed her mind. She tried to buy herself some time to organize her thoughts.

“What do you want to ask?” she feigned confusion, playing along.

“On the day before the Lantern Festival, you suddenly fell ill and went to the Xie family’s estate. Why did you appear in the Tiger Kneeling Mountain afterward?”

Nan Yi stared at him. She knew exactly what he wanted to ask and quickly thought about how to respond. Should she act like before, staying neutral?

She hesitated. She didn’t want to betray the Yucheng army, but she didn’t want to betray Song Muchuan either.

She came up with an excuse to divert the conversation: “I didn’t want to stay a widow at the Xie family, so I found a way to escape and hide in the mountains.”

“Who helped you?”

“No one helped me. I ran away by myself.”

“Then how did you encounter the Yucheng army?”

“What Yucheng army? I don’t know.”

“It seems the young mistress is unwilling to tell the truth,” Luoci sighed. “Then we’ll have to see how stubborn you are.”

At a signal, the executioner stepped forward with a whip, dipping it in water and swinging it through the air with a sharp crack.

She wasn’t unfamiliar with pain. She had survived rough living since childhood, and she knew what was coming. But people tend to forget pain after a long time. She hadn’t experienced this raw, primal agony in a while. When the whip struck, her whole body tensed, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

The air seemed to carry a coldness like a sharp knife, scraping against the flesh from her nostrils to her chest.

For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the time when she had nothing to cover her body, and stealing a meal would earn her a beating.

Even she thought that the pain would defeat her, that she would end up kneeling and begging for mercy. But since she had put on the skin of a human, learned etiquette, and started to take pride in herself, what came after the pain was more of shame and anger.

Did they think this would make her bow down? She was no longer that little thief.

Now, she could endure far more than they imagined!

This anger quickly spread through her body, becoming the strength that held her broken form together. She had already died once. If it came to it, dying again wouldn’t matter.

They wouldn’t get a single piece of information from her.

Her face was pale, veins bulging at her temples, her eyes turning bloodshot as she glared at Luo Ci and bit out, “I am the young mistress of the Xie family! How can you torture me without any distinction, without any regard for the law?!”

“The young mistress of the Xie family has already fled, her whereabouts unknown. Who would know you’re here?” Luo Ci tried to break her resolve, telling her that no one would come to save her. But in her eyes, he saw no hint of fear. Clearly, she could still glare at him, grit her teeth, and resist, which meant she hadn’t reached the breaking point yet.

Luo Ci glanced at the executioner, signaling to continue.

The whip lashed against her skin with each strike, and her cries of pain filled the air, slowly weakening until her voice became hoarse, almost inaudible.

Luo Ci was one of Zhang Yuehui’s most trusted subordinates. Zhang Yuehui was an elegant man who despised such dirty work, so these tasks were always handled by Luo Ci. There had been hundreds, if not thousands, of people interrogated by him. Information could be squeezed not only from cracks in the walls, but also from blood and flesh.

In his experience, women couldn’t withstand pain. After such severe torture, surely she would finally yield.

He ordered the men to push Nan Yi’s head into the water, forcing her awake.

Nan Yi gasped for air, water dripping down her forehead, stinging her eyes and making them hard to open.

“Madam, since you don’t like answering this question, let’s talk about something else. For example, how did you join the Bingchu Division?” Luo Ci asked with a smile.

Nan Yi weakly replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“Xie Que Shan, Master Xie, is he your contact?”

There was a brief silence. Nan Yi struggled to lift her eyes, and Luo Ci could clearly see a hint of confusion in her gaze.

She had thought he would ask about Song Mu Chuan, but instead, he asked about Xie Que Shan.

She even managed to catch her breath. Telling the truth was easier than lying. How could Xie Que Shan be her contact?

“Master Xie... is my late husband’s brother.”

Luo Ci’s voice suddenly grew harsh, “You both disappeared from Lidu Prefecture on the same day. Shortly after, he returned to the city, and you went to rescue the Yucheng Army. Clearly, the two of you were conspiring together!”

“He wanted to kill me! I wounded him and barely escaped with my life!” She gasped, her voice hoarse as she yelled back.

“Why did he want to kill you?”

“A widow running away... how could a noble family tolerate that? He wanted to kill me the day his elder brother was buried. It was just that he never had the chance.”

Her answer was a mix of truth and falsehood. She couldn’t be sure of the man’s stance before her, but tracing back to the day of Xie Heng’s funeral, it would undoubtedly lead to the events of King Ling’an’s entry into the city.

The worst part was that she knew where King Ling’an was hiding. If she slipped up and said something, would these people strip her down and force the truth from her?

She had to keep quiet—she had nothing to do with these events.

“Lie! As soon as you heard of his death, you rushed to Lidu Prefecture without hesitation! What is your relationship with him?”

Her relationship with him? How could anyone doubt their relationship?

Aside from that insignificant bond, what else was there between them? He still wanted to kill her. They were enemies.

These people were completely mistaken in the direction they were investigating.

But suddenly, Nan Yi sensed something off. How did they know she went to Lidu Prefecture because of the news of Xie Que Shan’s death?

Could his death be a trap?

Nan Yi suddenly lifted her head, her body drained of energy but her eyes blazing with fierce hatred. “So, Xie Que Shan isn’t dead?”

Luo Ci was startled. He could clearly feel the intense hatred in her gaze.

“Master Xie is alive and well. Why do you care so much about his life and death?”

Nan Yi smiled, her expression twisted into something grotesque. She hadn’t hoped for his death, but she had ended up dragging herself into this. It was foolish of her.

Fine, very well.

She was suffering here, but how could someone like him live on without a scratch, living a long life?!

She was furious, almost going mad. She wanted to drag him to hell with her, just like he had once done to her.

“I hate him! I just wanted to live, but he tried to kill me with his power and authority... isn’t it normal to want to see your enemy die?”

Luo Ci was stunned by her words.

The puzzle in his mind was growing larger. He could sense that she wasn’t lying. She hadn’t come to Lidu Prefecture because she was worried about Xie Que Shan... it seemed like she truly wanted revenge.

Her relationship with Xie Que Shan didn’t seem to be what the master had guessed. What was the truth?

Luo Ci furrowed his brows. Could it be that this woman was just too good at acting?

—It must be that. He had underestimated her.

He gave the executioner a silent signal to increase the punishment.