Chapter 33: Temptation
Inside the courtyard, Su Xiao gave Bubu Wang and Amu a meaningful glance. The dog and the ox quickly understood his intention.
Su Xiao held Dunk Nick's head in his hand as he slowly walked forward, his target being the dead spirit wielding the wide-bladed short sword.
This dead spirit had already been riddled with holes by the Counter Shield and had lost all signs of life. It appeared to have been killed in battle, yet Su Xiao hadn't received any kill notification.
Seeming to sense the encirclement formed by Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, and Amu, the dead spirit lying on the ground opened its eyes.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The dead spirit coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. It struggled to stand up, but Amu, who was closest, leaped into the air and assumed a falling-weight posture mid-flight.
Bang!
Amu landed squarely on the dead spirit, the crisp sound of breaking bones echoing. The dead spirit's eyes rolled back as it lost consciousness.
Su Xiao quickly stepped forward, using the Apostle's Eye to examine the dead spirit's vital signs. Confirming that the dead spirit was indeed unconscious, Su Xiao learned that its name was Sajia.
Under normal circumstances, Su Xiao would have slit its throat with a single slash, but the current situation clearly didn't allow for that.
Su Xiao still had a hidden side mission to complete. If he couldn't identify the mastermind behind the little princess's murder within three days, not only would he lose his position as Iron Hand, but he would also be unable to remain in the royal capital.
Therefore, every living dead spirit captive was crucial. As long as he could pry open their mouths, the hidden side mission would be completed quickly.
Su Xiao signaled Amu to clean up the courtyard and imprison the unconscious dead spirit.
Tossing the head in his hand to Bubu Wang, Su Xiao picked up a severed arm from the ground. It was a forearm he had cut off earlier—Dunk Nick's forearm.
Patting the dust off his clothes, Su Xiao walked toward the underground interrogation room.
...
With a creak, the rusty iron door of the underground interrogation room was pushed open.
On the X-shaped metal frame, the dead spirit girl Yierduo hung her head low. Hearing the sound of the door opening, she looked up briefly before lowering her head again.
Plop.
A severed arm was thrown in front of Yierduo. The arm had just been cut off, and blood was still seeping from the wound.
Seeing the arm, Yierduo curled her lips. The enemy's intimidation tactic was "childish." She, Yierduo, had personally killed 99 enemies. A mere arm...
Yierduo's train of thought suddenly stopped because she noticed a certain feature of the arm.
On the tiger's mouth of the arm, a cross-shaped scar was very conspicuous. The scar was bluish, looking like a tattoo, but it was actually a special scar caused by being injured by a certain thorn vine in the Dark Moon Swamp.
Seeing this scar, the face of an elder appeared in Yierduo's mind. Her eyes gradually widened as she began to carefully examine the severed arm on the ground, not missing any detail.
After more than ten seconds, Yierduo confirmed the identity of the arm's owner. Tears gradually welled up in her eyes.
"Mas..."
Yierduo's lips trembled, and teardrops rolled down from her eyes.
"Don't start mourning yet. Dunk Nick isn't dead. Consider this arm a greeting gift."
Su Xiao dragged over a chair and sat down in front of Yierduo. Yierduo raised her head, her tear-filled eyes fixed on Su Xiao.
"What did you... do to him!"
Yierduo struggled violently, but her strength was nowhere near enough to break free from the restraints of the X-shaped metal frame.
"He came to rescue you. The result is obvious."
Su Xiao pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
"To be honest, I don't really care whether you live or die. That old lion gave a strict order: either find the murderer of the little princess, or I lose my position as Iron Hand in three days. It's a choice between the two.
Now, I'll talk, and you'll listen. For every unnecessary word you say, I'll have someone remove a 'part' from Dunk Nick."
Su Xiao was, of course, lying to Yierduo. Whether from a personal standpoint or from a faction perspective, the two sides were hostile. Earlier, Yierduo had wanted to kill Su Xiao, and her master, Dunk Nick, had the same intention.
If Su Xiao had lost today, he would be the one being interrogated. The dead spirits would have tried every means to extract secret information about the kingdom from his mouth, and the ones having their parts removed would have been Bubu Wang or Amu.
But Su Xiao had won. That was the victor's right. In this barbaric world, strength was the ultimate logic.
Su Xiao's words clearly had an effect. Yierduo stopped speaking and just stared at Su Xiao.
"First, you need to understand the current situation. I captured you and Dunk Nick, not the royal family. There's a fundamental difference."
Su Xiao wore a gentle smile, signaling that Yierduo could speak now.
"What difference does it make? You're all humans."
"No, there's a huge difference. If the royal family had captured you, you would be dead for sure. It's a matter of power and stance. My side is different. I only want to know one thing: who orchestrated this behind the scenes, or rather, who is the real murderer of the little princess. That's all I need to investigate. As for whether you live or die, the Iron Hand mansion is different from the kingdom's prison. You have a chance to 'escape' and leave.
To put it bluntly, you tell me who's behind this, and I'll let you go. Don't think this is absurd. Compared to the position of Iron Hand, I don't care at all about the lives of three dead spirits.
Or rather, you now have leverage over me. My letting you go can never be made public, and your betrayal of the mastermind can't be made public either. Rather than a fight to the death, I prefer to hold each other's secrets.
Your assassination plan against that old lion has already failed. The mastermind can't escape responsibility. Instead of letting him return to the Dark Moon Swamp to face the judgment of the dead spirits, why not hand him over to me? That can buy you and your master's lives."
Su Xiao stood up, walked over to Yierduo, and grabbed her face.
"You still have plenty of time ahead of you to enjoy. Speak up boldly. No one will know it was you who leaked the secret. Afterwards, I'll let you 'rescue' Dunk Nick. Even he won't know what you told me."
The smile on Su Xiao's face grew gentler, and Yierduo's breathing became rapid.
"Human, I won't trust you. Even if I die, I won't betray my people."
Yierduo's hands reached out toward Su Xiao, but Su Xiao tightened his grip on her cheek.
"Do you believe I'll tear your entire face off? By the aesthetic standards of your dead spirits—no, even by human standards, your appearance is quite beautiful. You don't have to believe me. I'll help you tear it off right now."
Su Xiao's hand clenched, and fine bloody lines appeared on Yierduo's cheek.
Would Su Xiao really tear off Yierduo's face? Of course not. He was using a combination of kindness and severity—first offering a sweet carrot (the hope of freedom), then striking her hard with a stick.