The Night Watcher of Great Jing - Chapter 71

Pacification Office.

Early that morning, Zhao Li swung a heavy sword, sweat pouring from her head.

Ever since she handed the Three Moon-Eclipsing Kills saber art to Shen Yan, he had begun teaching her martial arts the very next day.

Perhaps because of the points added to her constitution, her body could keep up, and her progress was fairly good.

Shen Yan sat nearby in a broad, commanding posture with his arms folded, watching her practice. The slightest lapse earned her a terrifying stare.

Zhao Li had no idea why he was being especially strict today. The pressure was enormous.

Distracted by the thought, she let her form slip slightly.

Shen Yan rose, caught her wrist, and corrected it.

The sun gradually climbed higher.

When morning practice ended, Zhao Li returned to her room, washed and wiped herself down, then reported for roll call.

After a busy night, the torture chamber finally had room for their prisoners.

Zhao Li offered a stick of incense to the Bian’an statue outside the door and, as usual, managed to score a piece of fruit for a snack.

“Thank you, Lord Bian’an.”

She happily carried the apple into the torture chamber on the third underground level.

The instant she entered, the heavy reek of blood nearly knocked her backward.

The chamber was already full of people.

Lu Zhao, Lu Jianxing, Zheng Lian, and Li Qing occupied a table between them.

On the table lay peanuts wrapped in yellow paper, sliced soy-braised meat, and two small pots of wine.

Zhao Li marveled at how unconcerned these men were. How could they eat in a place that stank this badly?

When they saw her, they all shifted to make room.

Zheng Lian moved to pour her wine, but she stopped him.

“Drinking on duty? Are you trying to die?”

Lu Zhao laughed. “Don’t worry. Naturally, we can’t drink during ordinary duty, but it’s permitted here.”

“The torture chamber is cold and damp. Sometimes an interrogation lasts the entire day. Breathe this chill air for too long, and you’re liable to develop a wasting cough.”

“That is why drinking is allowed in here.”

With that, Lu Zhao poured just enough to cover the bottom of Zhao Li’s cup, then pushed the soy-braised meat toward her.

Zhao Li thanked him and sniffed lightly. “Realgar wine?”

“Exactly.” Lu Zhao nodded.

Realgar wine could indeed dispel dampness and clear phlegm. In her previous life, it had also been commonly used against monsters.

After thinking it over, Zhao Li took the smallest sip.

The liquor scorched her tongue the instant it entered her mouth. She stuck out her tongue and hurriedly grabbed a piece of meat to suppress the burn.

“You’ll get used to it,” Lu Zhao said with a chuckle, pushing the peanuts toward her. “How can anyone work this trade without learning to drink?”

Creak.

Just as tears sprang to Zhao Li’s eyes from the choking liquor, a shy-looking young man entered with two jailers.

The jailers held Han Yun between them.

“Greetings, everyone.”

The young man visibly tensed as soon as he stepped inside.

Lu Zhao introduced him. “This is Old Liu’s apprentice, Zhang Yuan. Old Liu is next door helping Thousand-Household Commander Tan question the dwarf in dog skin.”

As he spoke, Lu Zhao put a piece of meat in his mouth.

“The dwarf woke last night. He’s in poor condition, so we couldn’t risk letting someone with inferior technique accidentally kill him.”

“This lad isn’t bad. He’s inherited Old Liu’s full craft. He’s just a little shy.”

Zhao Li nodded to Zhang Yuan.

He probably encountered more dead people than living ones in his daily work. An expression of naked social panic crossed his face, and he jerked his head away as though shocked.

Zhao Li shrugged helplessly and turned toward the silent Han Yun.

Bruises still mottled the delicate skin of Han Yun’s face. To Zhao Li, her nose looked slightly crooked.

There were no other obvious injuries. She remained unconscious, though whether from terror or some other reason was unclear.

Zhao Li glanced involuntarily at Li Qing.

He was sipping his wine. He looked up and smiled at her, then gave two light coughs.

Splash!

A basin of bone-chilling water was flung over Han Yun, who had been bound to a wooden frame.

When had this pampered young lady ever suffered such hardship? She woke white-faced and shivering like a quail.

“What are you going to do? I did nothing! Father—Father, save me!”

“Calling on the Lord of Heaven himself wouldn’t save you now.” Lu Zhao tossed a peanut into his mouth.

“Your uncle has already confessed.”

“On the fourteenth of last month, at your instruction, he made contact with the White Lotus heretics.”

“That day, you invited Han Yin out to buy rouge and powder, using it as an excuse to make sure she saw the performer with the dog.”

“Han Yin was kindhearted, so she paid silver and bought the animal. Never in her darkest nightmares could she have imagined there was a living man beneath its skin.”

By the time Lu Zhao finished, Han Yun was trembling violently.

But she clearly knew what fate awaited if she spoke.

Lu Zhao sneered and signaled Zhang Yuan.

The young man obeyed and stepped forward.

A glossy black whip soaked in tung oil hissed through the air.

Han Yun screamed as a strip of flesh two fingers wide was peeled from her body.

She was a young lady who had never endured pain. Before the second lash could fall, she cried, “Stop! I’ll talk. I’ll talk!”

She began explaining how she had set her sights on Han Yin’s intended husband and how her desire had turned malicious.

The reason a sheltered young woman had known of such evil arts was simple: Granny Oil, who wandered through streets and alleys.

Lu Zhao listened coldly until Han Yun finished.

Only then did he rise and walk toward a corner concealed by black cloth.

He tore the covering away.

Han Qi sat there gagged and tied tightly to a chair.

When he heard Han Yun being whipped earlier, he had struggled and made muffled noises.

Now he sat hollow-eyed, staring blankly at her.

Han Yun had never expected her father to be behind the curtain. Her trembling worsened.

Zhao Li gave Lu Zhao a thumbs-up. The old hand had broken both their mental defenses in one stroke.

With Han Yun’s confession complete, nothing remained here but tedious regret—and perhaps Han Qi’s belated remorse.

Zhao Li had lost interest. She told Lu Zhao and the others she was leaving, rose, and decided to visit next door.

She walked to the neighboring chamber, let the jailer at the door verify her badge, and pushed the door open.

At once, a harsh, ugly voice reached her.

“All women are the same! They care only about appearances. Every one of them is fickle and promiscuous!”

“One moment she whispers sweet words to me and promises we’ll be together forever.”

“The next, she goes off to marry another man. They deserve it! They deserve it! They deserve it! Every filthy, faithless whore deserves to die!”