“Are you saying you still haven’t made him confess!”
Fouching’tian had declared a recess solely to buy more time—there was no other reason.
The moment the heated trial took a brief pause, Fouching’tian immediately moved his location.
He was heading to Xichang, where he had left the assassin who had previously attacked him.
Creeeeak-!
“Urghhhhh…!”
A man with a gag in his mouth, completely tied to a chair, allows the intrusion of a piece of heated iron. The searing hot metal presses against the man’s skin.
Despite expressing immense pain by rolling his eyes back, the man refuses to raise his hands in surrender.
“The suspect was told that if he had an intention to confess, he should tap the chair with his fingers… but despite the torture, he remains obstinate.”
“Tch, so this is what they mean by an assassin being an assassin. What kind of endurance training are you giving them?”
“Just an ordinary assassin, no… a high-level assassin. If we continue torturing him without end, he will likely confess eventually, but it will take too much time.”
Fouching’tian’s right-hand man, Zeonjo, spoke in a grave voice. Fouching’tian’s darkened forehead showed prominent red veins as he became visibly frustrated.
“The trial ends today! What do you expect me to do now!”
“I apologize… but this is no ordinary culprit. Our Xichang’s torturing techniques, which are considered the best under heaven alongside Dongchang’s, employ every possible method, yet this individual has shown no signs of talking.”
The man holding the iron rod, clearly exhausted and drenched in sweat, explained.
The Dongchang and Xichang are eunuch collectives that must not be underestimated as merely eunuchs. Alongside the Jinyiwei, they wield unrivaled power in the hidden realms of the world. They terrify not only the common folk but also the officials.
Despite the longstanding animosity between Dongchang and Xichang, Fouching’tian had approached Xichang to counter the Dongchang faction he opposed. There was no real superiority in technique or power between the two.
Even so, Fouching’tian hadn’t foreseen that Xichang would struggle this much with the interrogation.
“Hmph… what am I supposed to do…”
As Fouching’tian sighed, Xichang’s commander timidly inquired.
“Uh… is this man so important?”
“Very important. There’s even a case of perjury, which implies there must be someone pulling the strings. This assassin is the key to finding that person. If we figure out who’s behind it, we can investigate further the connections with the respected Judge. Although it’s possible that the Judge commissioned this himself, there’s no reason for him to specifically aim to ruin the Sword Sage.”
“Hmm, I see. Generally understood. We’ll have to procure some kind of marriage drug, make him delirious, then torture him again.”
“Urggggh…! Eeehhh…!”
The assassin, who had remained limp but flinched whenever being tortured, suddenly twitched and convulsed while staring at something. His restrained chair creaked violently as if it were about to break.
“Hmm? Why is this assassin reacting this way?”
As Fouching’tian grew puzzled by the assassin’s strange behavior, Zeon quickly drew his sword and turned back. The highly skilled Xichang commander, who also held a staff, directed his attention to the same direction.
“Hey you guys, what are you doing with my guy?”
As Fouching’tian turned to follow the direction, a lively, girlish voice rang out.
A girl with pink hair wearing a bamboo hat was hanging upside down from the ceiling, staring directly at them. She resembled a bat living deep inside a cavern.
Surprisingly, her face was not flushed at all. Her hair didn’t fall down, and the bamboo hat remained firmly on her forehead as if she defied gravity.
“Hey, what are you doing with him, I asked first.”
The woman seemed to believe her question was more important. Despite her complete lack of manners, everyone in the room instinctively nodded as if her treatment was justified.
They had succumbed to the aura of dominance.
“We… we were torturing him.”
“Why?”
“Huh? It’s because… this man plotted an assassination against Master Po… we’re trying to uncover the instigator…”
“That’s unacceptable. Confidentiality with clients is fundamental in our organization.”
Whirl— Thud.
The woman, who stood upright on the ground suddenly, scanned them with a cold gaze. No one could tell when she had moved behind them, and the chill caused the three men’s spines to freeze.
“Huh? Did you say you’re from the same organization as well?”
“That’s right… Is there a problem?”
Zeon’s trembling voice inquired. Ryun Honglian, the Pavilion Master of assassins, had come to demand a verdict favorable to Byul Rak after witnessing the biased proceedings.
She hadn’t expected, however, to see one of her underlings being subjected to horrific torture.
“…So that’s why you were called ‘the shadow of the martial world’ during the trial earlier.”
Fouching’tian’s sharp eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“Fine. Release him. As the supreme master of the assassins’ guild, I cannot allow my people to be tortured.”
“That is unacceptable. This man targeted the office. Officials must be held accountable for interfering with their duty.”
“Ho, do you actually think you can underestimate me because of what happened earlier in the courtroom?”
With a smirk, Honglian released a previously hidden energy presence.
Gugugug-
“!”
A massive aura descended upon the trio, overpowering them completely in an overwhelming pressure.
As Fouching’tian, under the imminent threat of the ‘Seven Openings Bursting with Blood,’ desperately shouted, he quickly devised a strategy to persuade Honglian.
“Ah… during the trial earlier, it seemed you were on the Sword Sage’s side… In that case, it’s better to assist us!”
“Huh? What are you saying?”
As expected, Honglian reacted, and Fouching’tian pounced on the opportunity.
“That man is the key to overturning this trial! We can tear down the false prosecution and put the true culprits on the stand!”
“…Very well, let me hear your story once.”
In the end, Honglian started to discuss matters with Fouching’tian.
And the result of that discussion is what led to this very moment.
*
“Iwan Bang! Temper yourself!”
Fouching’tian’s thunderous threat resounded throughout the courtroom.
The respected Judge, whose attack had been blocked by Honglian, glanced at Namgung Bin with a look of bewilderment.
For some reason, Namgung Bin wore an incomprehensible, ambiguous expression.
“Damn! Why are the witnesses only speaking up now!”
After observing the Judge grit his teeth and calm down, Fouching’tian addressed the witnesses.
“Certainly, you admitted to perjury.”
“…I apologize. It has become necessary to reveal the truth at this point, so I am prepared to take the punishment for it.”
The middle-aged man standing at the front of the witnesses confirmed.
“You confessed to perjury, thus your punishment will be lessened. Now, why and what motivated you to commit perjury?”
“We were bribed by someone who requested perjury against the Sword Sage.”
“Who is that person?”
“We don’t know. We were only told that we would receive a large sum of money if we committed perjury.”
With the witnesses’ response, the Judge let out a sigh of relief. If they don’t know who commissioned this, cutting this tail will suffice.
Now the trial must inevitably proceed favorably. Even the plan with Namgung Bin would fail. The promise of commerce in Anhui that had just been given seemed far away, but it was the best outcome.
‘Those witnesses… I will definitely punish them. They dared to betray me!’
While the Judge nursed a deep grudge in his heart, people watching the trial were gradually recovering from the shock.
The murmuring of the audience grew. Honglian observed them with a satisfied gaze.
“What? Were all the testimonies lies? Someone requested perjury against the Sword Sage?”
“What is this? What are they saying now? Proving the Sword Sage’s accusations—no, perhaps even ‘false’ charges—that they were attempting to falsify?”
“Really… could the Sword Sage be innocent? No way! The entire world knows he is a villain, how could…”
“Perjury? So where are the real witnesses then! Or were there simply no witnesses at all from the start?”
Amidst the chaos, Fouching’tian was unusually smiling faintly. Considering his typical temperament, he should have flared up in anger when told they didn’t know the instigator.
Just as the Judge began to feel an inexplicable unease,
“Zeon! Bring him here!”
Fouching’tian shouted loudly.
An individual called Zeon appeared dragging a man out from inside the courthouse.
“This person is an assassin from the assassination guild. Three days before this trial, he attempted to kill me after I assumed the post in this trial initially presided over by the respected Judge!”
“Judging by the circumstances, he must be connected to this trial!”
Fouching’tian approached the man dragged to the center and asked.
“Assassin, who commissioned you for the murder of this official?”
The assassin’s pupils shook. For a moment, lost in confusion, he caught sight of Honglian, folding her arms among the crowd.
– Speak the truth. It’s the pavilion master’s command.
Honglian’s mental voice was transmitted clearly to the assassin. After closing his eyes tightly for a moment, the assassin swallowed and moved his lips.
Tapping his fingers.
“That fellow.”
The assassin’s bloodied finger pointed at none other than Namgung Bin.
“Namgung clan head, Namgung Bin. This fellow commissioned the elimination of the iron-faced judge…”
“!”
Everyone’s gaze turned to Namgung Bin. His bulky figure attracted attention even under normal circumstances.
“Uh… damn.”
Namgung Bin’s faint groan told the crowd he was confessing.
‘What, he sent an assassin? And it failed? If such an event had occurred, he should have already spoken up! Cursed fool!’
Seething with dismay inside, the Judge glared at Namgung Bin. His usual ambiguous, expressionless face remained.
With the situation now involving Namgung Bin, the Judge’s head was spinning.
‘With Namgung Bin now a prime suspect, he will undoubtedly be arrested! Given this situation, any connection must be severed! If I claim a complete lack of association, I can get out of this!’
Just then, Namgung Bin’s mental message reached his ear.
– Do not abandon me.
– Since this situation has arisen, I will not directly request help. Just pretend you do not know me for now.
– However, ensure that the death penalty does not occur. Even imprisonment—anything avoiding the death penalty—and I can formulate a plan… please assist from your position of power.
The Judge, who wanted no complications, naturally resisted.
– Why the hell should I, a person of authority, involve myself in such troublesome matters with you!
– …There are ledgers. Ledgers we traded secretly. I will not die alone, so please ensure I at least get a chance. It will be to your benefit.
– …!
With a single phrase from Namgung Bin, all his plans immediately fell apart. The existence of ledgers filled the Judge’s head with despair.
At that moment, a scholar rushed into the courtroom with a document-filled box in hand.
“Master Po! Master Po!”
“Gongsun Chaek, what is the matter?”
Pushing through the guards, the scholar entered, placed the box on the center of the courtroom, and announced loudly for everyone to hear.
“Found at the Judge’s residence!”
“!”
Fouching’tian stood up abruptly. His eyes widened as large as fists.
“Judge and the Namgung family head secretly communicated! They exchanged bribes and money! Even the plan for this trial—everything has been uncovered!”
Instantly, everyone’s gaze first directed at Namgung Bin shifted to the Judge through the scholar, then settled on the Judge.
For those unaware of the situation, their thoughts soon became blanketed with snow.
Through the whole trial, the white-haired man who hadn’t spoken since the beginning smirked alone.
A smile filled with rapture.
