Qin Qianyu turned his head and saw Feng Luan's smiling face. The moment he turned, his palm transformed into a blade, slashing towards Feng Luan's neck.
A graceful figure suddenly appeared. Lu Wan darted between Qin Qianyu and Nan Shiying, blocking Qin Qianyu's palm-blade with her hand and launching a punch in return. The heavy blow landed on Qin Qianyu's abdomen, forcing him to spit out a mouthful of bitter bile.
Having struck true, Lu Wan pressed her advantage. Her fist flicked upwards, hitting Qin Qianyu's chin with a crisp "crack." Qin Qianyu's jaw broke and detached. Lu Wan then changed her fist to a palm and slapped his mouth hard. The painful cry he was about to let out was forced back by the impact.
It was too late for him to counterattack.
The cold glint of a dagger tore through the night. In an instant, the icy blade kissed his neck.
The blade was sharp, immediately slicing through his skin. Blood stained the blade and seeped into his neck, dividing along the skin's texture.
"Young Master Qin, will you confess willingly, or will you take a trip to my prison cell!"
The torture instruments, not yet removed from the cell, gleamed coldly under the moonlight. The blood splattered on them had long since soaked in. In the blood grooves of the blade, congealed blood emitted a foul odor. Merely looking at it, fear surged into Qin Qianyu like a tide.
For a moment, his limbs felt ice-cold.
"I understand!"
Seeing Qin Qianyu's continued silence, Nan Shiying nodded in understanding and waved to Lu Wan. Lu Wan, as if knowing her mind, escorted Qin Qianyu towards the prison cell.
Qin Qianyu knew that if he couldn't break free, a horrific torment awaited him. He desperately tried to control his trembling body. As he neared the prison door, a rat darted out from within.
Its appearance was so sudden that Qin Qianyu seized Lu Wan's momentary surprise. He forcefully shook off Lu Wan's hand gripping his shoulder, simultaneously clamping down on the wrist holding the dagger. With a sharp outward twist and a forceful downward press, just as the dagger was about to slip from her grasp, Lu Wan reacted swiftly. She rotated her wrist, flicking the dagger upwards towards Qin Qianyu's neck.
With a press and a thrust, the dagger halted in mid-air.
Lu Wan's brows furrowed. She suddenly kicked out, her foot slamming into the back of Qin Qianyu's knee.
Qin Qianyu lost his balance and fell forward. His hand, which had been pressing on Lu Wan's wrist, instinctively loosened to brace against the ground. The dagger was about to pierce Qin Qianyu's neck.
"Lu Wan!"
Nan Shiying called out. Lu Wan flipped the dagger, its handle grazing his neck. The next moment, Lu Wan twisted her wrist again and thrust downwards with force.
The dagger pierced Qin Qianyu's back, lodging itself in his shoulder blade.
Qin Qianyu let out a hoarse, ear-splitting scream.
With his shoulder blade trapped, Qin Qianyu's right hand was rendered useless, his martial arts completely sealed. Lu Wan grabbed his hair and dragged him into the prison cell.
Feng Quan watched the scene unfold, a flicker of surprise on his face.
He couldn't understand how Feng Luan, who appeared to be on her last breath, could still move normally. Her hand had been dripping blood when she placed it on Qin Qianyu's arm, yet he hadn't heard any pained gasps or groans from her.
Something was wrong. Feng Luan's condition was not right.
He thought this as he walked towards the prison door. A sound reached his ears, causing Nan Shiying to turn her head. Seeing Feng Quan approaching the door, Nan Shiying smiled and said, "If I were you, I'd stay put in the prison cell. Otherwise, even Ji Hong couldn't save you!"
Feng Quan stopped in his tracks, turned to look at her, his expression darker than the night. His chest heaved violently. If he had a blade in his hand at that moment, he would have drawn it to strike down Feng Luan, that treasonous rebel!
"Feng Luan, don't be so presumptuous!"
So, he was one of Ji Hong's men!
Nan Shiying stroked her chin, giving him another glance, and couldn't help but laugh, "Lord Feng is truly a loyal dog!"
"You..." The flames of anger surged in his heart, only to recede like a tide the next moment. Feng Quan looked at the blood-soaked Feng Luan and sneered, "What are you then?"
Nan Shiying couldn't help but chuckle, her lips curving into their widest arc, revealing pearly white teeth that gleamed in the moonlight. Lu Wan instinctively took two steps back.
Nan Shiying tidied her cloud-like sleeves, her dismissive voice echoing in the silent prison cell, "Leave him alive!"
"Yes!"
Someone responded from the darkness.
Feng Quan only saw a figure, like a ghost, suddenly appear. He didn't have time to react; the figure was already in front of him. Feng Quan threw a punch, his elbow barely bending. Before he could unleash it, it was intercepted. As an official in the Ministry of Punishments, Feng Quan possessed considerable skill. Even three young masters like Qin Qianyu would be no match for him. Yet now, facing that fleeting figure, he was utterly defenseless.
The opponent easily gripped his arm and bent it backward.
The crisp sound of bone breaking rang out. Gritting his teeth, he used the counterforce of the opponent bending his arm to pull his other arm back like a drawn bow. His fingers curled into hooks, striking rapidly towards the opponent's neck.
If this strike landed, five blood holes would instantly appear on the opponent's neck.
However, as if anticipating this, the opponent effortlessly pinned his wrist and forcibly bent it backward.
Both his arms were dislocated, his wrists twisted. The opponent didn't stop, raising a foot and crushing his ankle.
"Ah!"
Feng Quan finally succumbed to the torment and cried out.
"That's enough!"
Only when Nan Shiying's voice rang out did the opponent stop.
Feng Quan lay on the ground like a puddle of mud, utterly pathetic. Most of the bones in his body had been broken and shattered by the opponent. Without the support of his skeleton, Feng Quan was like a maggot. He propped himself up with his head on the ground, his neck bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle. He strained to lift his head, trying to get a clear look at the person beside him.
The moonlight pooled on the ground, blending with the candlelight from outside the corridor. From his upward perspective, he could clearly see the opponent's face. The moment he saw it, he felt as if he had been plunged into the bottom of a frozen lake in the dead of winter.
This person was actually the Xuan Guard who had delivered the Regent's decree at the Ministry of Punishments that day.
The Xuan Guard of Ji Jinmo, actually taking orders from Feng Luan?
At this moment, Feng Quan's mind raced. Countless thoughts flowed through his mind, only to be dismissed. Ignoring the pain that could drive a person mad, which afflicted his body and face, only one question echoed in his heart: since the Wangfu's Xuan Guard had been by Feng Luan's side all along, why did Feng Luan endure such torture when she didn't have to?
Why?