In a small, dark room in the Pang Clan's backyard, Pang Da had arranged it to look like a Torture Chamber, as Shen Zhao had instructed.
Ding Buer sat in front of the judgment table, cleared his throat, and then said, "Bring the accused in."
The next moment, Wang Shifan entered the Torture Chamber, escorted by Pang Da.
Looking at the torture instruments around him, Wang Shifan felt a vague sense of unease. He cautiously asked, "Why have you brought me here? Immortal Master, have you made a mistake?"
"Cut the crap. This is a temporary interrogation hall for the Public Tribunal. Don't try to cozy up to me; we don't play that game. Sit down."
As he spoke, he gestured with his mouth, indicating that he should sit in the seat opposite him.
Wang Shifan, feeling uneasy, had just sat down when the sound of a Judgment Block echoed from the judge's table. It startled him so much that he nearly jumped up to celebrate.
"Confess and be lenient, go home for the New Year. Resist and be lenient, rot in jail. Wang Shifan, tell us everything you know, and you might suffer less."
Hearing this, Wang Shifan immediately wore a sorrowful expression.
Since confessing meant strict punishment, it seemed he could only resist to the end.
So, he remained silent.
It wasn't because he was expressing resistance in this way, but because he had never experienced a "black prison," and didn't know what counted as resisting.
Perhaps silent silence was the best method of resistance?
However, he didn't know that trying to be difficult with a group of schemers was like a mule racing a frog – their thought processes weren't on the same track.
"Not talking, huh? Fine, you've got guts. Someone, give Young Master Wang a little Public Tribunal shock."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Pang Da, with a ferocious expression, had Wang Shifan hoisted up, and along with several Servants, directly hung him on the torture device.
"What do you think you're doing? I am the Wang Family's Young Master!"
Slap!
Pang Da slapped him across the face with a crisp sound.
"Daring to act so high and mighty in front of the Immortal Master? Where do you get your courage? What is the Wang Family? Just a speck of dust in the eyes of the Public Tribunal, I can pinch you anytime. I advise you to be sensible, or your Wang Family will also suffer."
Wang Shifan immediately shut his mouth.
Pang Da immediately put on a flattering face and said to Ding Buer, "Immortal Master, how should we punish this Ant who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth?"
Ding Buer: "Give him One Hundred Lashes first. We'll get him to talk then."
Pang Da immediately pulled a whip with barbs from his crotch. "I'm best at this kind of thing. No need for the Immortal Master to bother. Let this little one do it."
With that, he whipped Wang Shifan directly.
A shrill scream echoed clearly in the Torture Chamber, accompanied by Pang Da's shouts.
"Are you going to talk~?"
"Are you going to talk, or not~?"
"Still won't talk?"
"Talk to me!"
Wang Shifan's family had some connections to a cultivation sect, so he had also cultivated some Qi Cultivation Techniques to strengthen his body. Unfortunately, his aptitude was so poor that even mud would be ashamed, and at nearly thirty years old, his cultivation was only at the second rank of Body Tempering.
At first, he could endure the first dozen lashes, but after thirty or fifty, he began to wail like a pig being slaughtered.
Finally, after One Hundred Lashes, Wang Shifan's fine clothes were in tatters, and the bloody marks across his body were horrifying to behold, utterly destroying his previous suave demeanor.
"Are you going to talk, or not?"
Panting heavily, Wang Shifan, upon hearing the menacing voice, suppressed his tears and looked up, saying, "You keep asking me if I'm going to talk, but you haven't even asked anything!"
Slap!
As soon as he finished speaking, the imposing figure slapped him across the face.
"You dare to play these worn-out jokes even when death is at your door? It seems my methods aren't enough to make you take me seriously. Today, I'll let you, an Ant, know what it means to have a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond people."
After speaking, he grabbed a red-hot iron rod from the brazier. The triangular iron brand on the head of the rod emitted heat that shimmered like mist in the air.
Wang Shifan's eyes widened. He turned his face away and shouted repeatedly, "Don't come any closer!"
The next second, however, Pang Feiyan went directly behind him, aiming for his rear and branding it.
"Ah~ Three Delicacies Noodles~"
"Shaxian Yi Jianlian~"
"Xinjiang Tong David~"
"Peerless Pickled Radish~"
Wang Shifan was in so much pain that his words became incoherent, and a strong philosophical vibe filled the empty, dark room.
Right after, Wang Shifan lost control of his bowels, and a stream of liquid shot out like a fountain, immediately filling the small, dark room with a foul stench.
Fortunately, Ding Buer and the others seemed quite professional at dealing with such matters, having prepared masks in advance to avoid being overcome by the odor.
"Are you going to talk or not?"
"I'll talk… Please, stop torturing me."
Slap!
As soon as the words left his mouth, another slap landed on his face.
"The esteemed young master of the Wang Family is breaking so easily? Where is your young master's backbone? What about your family's honor? Are you really going to abandon your dignity just for these small pains?"
After speaking, Pang Da ordered someone to bring over a bucket of chili water and a funnel, preparing for the third round of torture, which scared Wang Shifan so much that he wished he could just faint.
"Alright, Steward Pang, since he's willing to talk, let's give him a chance."
"As you command, Immortal Master."
After the words were spoken, another slap landed on Wang Shifan's face: "The Immortal Master has spared your life for now; you must show gratitude and tell us everything you know. Don't try to hide anything, do you understand?"
What else could Wang Shifan do? He could only nod in agreement.
Slap!
Another slap followed.
"Are you mute or deaf, that you don't even respond to the Immortal Master?"
"I… I'll tell you everything."
Ding Buer finally began to question him with satisfaction.
"I'll only ask once. Answer honestly. Who was behind the burning of the granaries in the seven southern prefectures?"
"This... I really don't know."
"Steward Pang, show us your skills!"
"Leave it to me!"
"I... I say! It was the Pang Clan, who colluded with officials from various places, and also conspired with local sects."
"Who else was involved?"
"There's..."
The Sound Recording Stone on the table quickly recorded the evidence Wang Shifan confessed.
After Wang Shifan finished speaking, he pleaded miserably, "I've confessed everything I know. Can I go now?"
Slap!
Another slap greeted him.
"Are you joking? Your Wang Family was involved in this matter, and you still think you can get away? Where did you get the courage and confidence to daydream here?"
Having obtained what he wanted, Ding Buer knew he could report to Shen Zhao and didn't pursue the matter further. He directly ordered, "Take him down and keep him under strict watch, and also..."
Looking at Wang Shifan's battered appearance, he narrowed his eyes and said, "We at the Public Tribunal have never caused you any physical harm, nor have we threatened or coerced you. Everything you confessed was done voluntarily, right?"
Looking at Ding Buer's menacing gaze, Wang Shifan couldn't help but shiver and nodded repeatedly, "I know."
"Alright, bring in the next person."
Half a day passed. When Ding Buer brought over a dozen Sound Recording Stones and placed them in front of Shen Zhao, Gu Jingyan was speechless.
"Master Shen, all the evidence has been recorded. The suspects' statements are consistent; we can proceed."
"Hand it over to Lord Gu. This is a matter for the court. We are merely assisting with the investigation."
Gu Jingyan looked at him with disbelief. After picking up one of the Sound Recording Stones and listening to the confession, he looked bewildered. "Is that it?"
"Hahaha, that's it!"
Shen Zhao patted his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Lord Gu. You can now return and complete your duty. But, about our agreement…"
"Cleaning up these parasitic worms in the dynasty in one go will definitely bring a new atmosphere to the court of my Great Yin Dynasty. These insignificant possessions are yours."
"Then I shall humbly accept!"
Shen Zhao didn't decline, taking the storage bags filled with treasures and tossing them directly to Ding Buer: "Entrust someone to use Su Yunying's name to purchase surplus grain from the major Immortal Sects to provide relief to the disaster victims outside the city. I don't need to repeat the procedures to you, do I?"
"Leave it to me, it's a piece of cake."
Gu Jingyan was surprised to hear this: "You want so many spirit stones and treasures to help the disaster victims?"
"Not me, her!"
Following Shen Zhao's gaze, Gu Jingyan looked at Su Yunying, who was meditating not far away.
"Shen Zhao, what's your relationship with this girl?"
Gu Jingyan finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind.
"We've known each other since childhood, and the Supreme Emperor personally appointed you to be the Imperial Son-in-Law of the Great Yin Dynasty. But why..."
Shen Zhao gestured for silence. "I know what I'm doing, but have you considered what it would be like to spend your life with someone who doesn't love you? What's the point of such a life?
I only realized it after she ascended the throne. In fact, we're not on the same path at all. She is the supreme ruler, the one and only, while I am just a rootless nobody.
Do you think there would be happiness if we were forcibly bound together?"
Gu Jingyan frowned. "But if you do this, aren't you afraid of damaging Her Majesty's reputation..."
"Damaging reputation is a trivial matter, but if one's life is like this, that's the most painful experience. She will meet someone she truly loves, but that person will never be me.
Jingyan, you should understand that everyone has the right to choose their own destiny. Love is something that cannot be forced."
Gu Jingyan sighed, "Alright, but do you plan to keep this up forever?"
Shen Zhao took a sip of spirit wine, "What's wrong with that? I was born a vagabond. Besides, if I don't experience the strange scenery and different customs of this Immortal Martial Continent, and if I don't experience the mundane aspects of life, wouldn't this life be a waste?"
"Hahaha, you are quite carefree. So many people want to be an Imperial Son-in-Law, but it's not something they can get even if they want to. Yet, you, on the other hand, are so open-minded. It's truly enviable."
"Haha, everyone has the right to pursue their own way of life, regardless of how open-minded they are."
The two of them toasted each other, as if they had returned to their past lives.
At this moment, Pang Feiyan's cries and pleas came from outside the door.
"Tang Ran, please take me away too. I have nothing left now. You can't abandon me again."
"Pang Feiyan, your Pang Clan is finished now. I won't go down with your Pang Clan! Let go!"
"No, take me with you!"
"Bitch! You know to beg me now? Didn't think of me when you were in bed with Wang Shifan? You put horns on me and still expect me to save you? Do you think I'm that cheap?!"
"No, Tang Ran, what happened with Wang Shifan was an accident. He seduced me. I was blinded and did a stupid thing.
Also, he didn't put his tongue in me, so I'm not even considered to have cheated. Besides, even if I was wrong, it was just a mistake every woman makes at this age. Can't I just change?"
Shen Zhao spat out a mouthful of wine when he heard this.
What kind of outrageous statement is this from a little fairy? So cringe.
-----------------------
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