A Zhan said, "Are you fucking out of your mind, daring to make such a big decision yourself? Go back to the kitchen and cook. This isn't over, and I'll settle with you after I've investigated this properly!"
The one who went to buy groceries scurried back to the kitchen with his basket. Ah Bei stood there, not daring to move, awaiting A Zhan's judgment.
A Zhan turned his head and looked at Ah Bei, saying, "You come back to my room."
The room he referred to was Brother Hui's living room.
This made Ah Bei a little uneasy. After all, his mental fortitude wasn't strong enough to face Brother Hui directly. Moreover, he had betrayed Brother Hui earlier. If this matter were discovered, he would truly be thrown into the crocodile pond to feed the crocodiles.
Thinking of this, his legs began to tremble, and he could barely take a step.
You can't avoid death by pretending to be asleep; you have to go whether you're afraid or not.
Entering the room, A Zhan took a leather whip from the rack, flicked it a few times in his hand, and walked up to Ah Bei, commanding in a low voice, "Kneel!"
Ah Bei's legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees with a thud, saying loudly, "Master, I was wrong!"
"What did you do wrong?"
"I shouldn't have gone out without permission."
This was Ah Bei's cleverness, exaggerating the fact of going out without permission and downplaying the serious issues.
With a crack, the sharp whip sound rang out, lashing Ah Bei fiercely.
"Why did you go out without permission?"
A Zhan, the man in black, was no ordinary person. He had been Brother Hui's longest-serving and most trusted bodyguard. Influenced by him, he had received Brother Hui's true teachings. He trusted no one. Could he be fooled by a few words from Ah Bei?
"I really had such a bad headache that I asked the chef to help me go out."
"Crack!" Another whip, a piercing pain.
"Why did you go out without permission?"
The same question.
"Master..."
He dared not say more. Whether he spoke or not, it would result in a whip. He waited for the whip to fall.
After a moment, the crisp whipping sound did not come.
A Zhan paced around him, not rushing to ask.
The more A Zhan acted like this, the more unnerved Ah Bei became. He didn't know what wicked ideas A Zhan was brewing.
"Who did you see in town?"
"Who could I have seen? I didn't see anyone. I just went to the pharmacy to buy medicine."
A Zhan didn't ask him to take out the medicine to show him. Buying medicine on the way was too simple, and he could definitely produce it.
Instead, he went straight to the crucial point.
"You think I'll believe that? We have medicine boxes in the training room, with five or six types of painkillers. Can't they cure your headache?"
Ah Bei was startled. Yes, the training room always had anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. He had forgotten this.
No wonder A Zhan dismissed his excuse.
It only made him more suspicious.
Ah Bei had dug a hole and fallen into it himself.
"I was confused by the pain and forgot that there was medicine in the training room."
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Three whip sounds, leaving him bleeding.
"Do you want to confess or do you want me to investigate? If you confess, you might save your life. If I investigate, you'll end up in the crocodile pond."
Ah Bei hesitated. Fear of death was human nature. It was better to live than to die. Of course, he didn't want to die.
However, Ah Bei understood clearly that even if he spoke, he would still die, and all four of them would die.
Because this matter could not be kept secret.
"I just bought medicine, I didn't see anyone."
"Crack!"
Ah Bei cried.
"Crack!"
He cried out loud.
"Crack!"
He cried even harder.
At this moment, he could only show weakness, making A Zhan think he was innocent.
Although his reason for buying medicine was far-fetched, he couldn't find any other excuse. At most, he would be whipped a few more times.
"Someone, hang him up for me!"
Ah Bei shouted to the two men in black behind him.
The two men in black dragged Ah Bei up and tied his hands together above his head.
There was a power rack by the wall. The two men pulled Ah Bei and hung him up.
A Zhan, the man in black, looked at Ah Bei's feet leaving the ground and turned to the other two men in black, saying, "Let him stay here. We're going to eat."
Staying? Was this staying? With both arms supporting his entire body weight, Ah Bei felt like his arms were going to break.
When I didn't see Ah Bei near the kitchen, I felt something must have happened.
Later, I overheard people whispering in the dining hall. I deliberately glanced at the one who was busy at the stove, buying groceries. He looked dejected, and his eyes revealed panic, further confirming my suspicion.
Ah Bei must have been controlled by them.
I exchanged a look with the Taoist brothers who had already finished breakfast. They stood up and followed me out.
We returned to our room. The Taoist brothers had already guessed the outcome and anxiously asked me what to do.
I also couldn't think of a good plan. At this point, the only thing we could do was act preemptively and confront them head-on.
However, our chances of winning with this plan were almost zero.
If it were night, we could still stage a sneak attack or something. But now, in broad daylight, not to mention Brother Hui's five or six personal bodyguards, we might not even be able to handle these outer guards.
What should we do?
Ah Bei must have suffered a lot. I wasn't sure if he could endure what was to come. After all, he wasn't truly my brother. He only followed me after a certain transaction. Although he had stood by me without hesitation these past few days, it was before any real trouble. Now, if he were subjected to torture, I had no idea if he could withstand it. In fact, strictly speaking, he wasn't Brother Hui's person either. They were just in an employer-employee relationship, selling their lives for money. This was my only remaining bargaining chip.
I could only gamble that he would hold out until the very last moment.
The problem was, I couldn't just stand by and watch him die for us.
"Why don't we just fight? Regardless of whether he speaks or not, we are all suspects in Brother Hui's eyes. Instead of letting him suffer, we might as well fight!"
Said one of the Taoist brothers.
I nodded and said, "We'll go find him now, and then act according to the situation."
We left the room and passed by Brother Hui's villa. The door was closed, and there were no guards at the entrance.
Most likely, Ah Bei was inside.
It would be difficult for us to enter rashly like this. We should go to the training hall first and see if A Zhan was there.
There was no one in the training hall either. According to the usual schedule at this time, we should be training here. Not only Ah Bei was missing, but the two black-clothed men who used to train with us were also gone.
I said, "Let's go to Brother Hui's room."
The two men didn't say anything, touched the daggers at their waists, and followed me.
The door was still closed. I didn't bother with anything else and pushed the door open.
As soon as I entered, I was stunned. Ah Bei was hanging from the power rack, surrounded by all the men in black, and Brother Hui, wearing his pajamas.
Zhou Yingying was not seen.
Brother Hui saw us enter and said nothing.
It was Ah Bei who's eyes lit up when he saw us. He took a few steps towards us and said, "You've come at the right time. I was looking for you anyway, and you've come on your own."