Chapter 310

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“Looks like someone got a bit of a gag.”

“What’s with this blasphemous guy trying to bite his tongue?”

“Hmm. Losing a tongue won’t kill you.”

“Miss, these types make a show of biting their tongues to say they won’t say a word.”

“Wow. A man of principle you are. If the tongue gets cut, you can’t talk, right? Courage is commendable, but you sure do have guts. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to watch that nonsense with my eyes open. I’d keep him alive, regretting it forever, so he could never die.”

“Oho! Indeed! That would make a fine example if displayed somewhere!”

“Heh. Did you hear that? If you weakly bite your tongue, I’ll chop off your arms and legs and make you live like a beast. I really can’t tell if you’re doing good deeds by keeping your principles.”

Saying that, Qing released the gag.

“Ptooey!”

As soon as it was taken off, the assassin attempted an attack.

Unfortunately, Qing lightly blocked it with the gag in his hand.

“How dare you!”

The postmaster uncle was furious.

I wasn’t sure if it was worth getting that worked up, but he did manage to block it, didn’t he?

“Ooh. What a terrifying attack! If it hit, would flesh and bone melt away, and would the smell drive a nose away? Is that a poison needle?”

“Kill me. I have nothing to say.”

“Why? Before you die, why not do something good? Just a teeny bit of help cleaning up all that harmful trash, right?”

“……”

“You’re going to shut your mouth? Oh, this is getting fiery. How can I make this trash open its mouth? Oh.”

As Qing was talking to herself, she suddenly realized.

I’ve been fumbling around while knowing the answer.

“Postmaster uncle, can I light a fire here?”

Suddenly, the postmaster uncle dropped to his knees.

“I’m sorry! The ventilation isn’t good, so I can only make a charcoal fire. I dared not understand your esteemed wishes, and I humbly brought you to this shabby place. I’m sorry! This sacrilege! I’ll apologize with my arm!”

Then he pulled out a dagger from his robe, looking like he was really going to chop off his arm.

Of course, Qing thought he would be stopped, knowing that was just a kind of show, but this uncle had a remarkable way of making people feel sorry.

“No, what’s with all this sorry business? And I’m the one borrowing this place, so why are you going through all this trouble?”

“Guh! How merciful……”

However, the postmaster uncle looked as if his heart was sinking.

The symbol of the Heavenly Demon Sect is the sacred fire, the holy flames.

The holy flames of the Divine Sect burn brightly, yet beneath the sacred fire lies a pitch-black darkness, a darkness that no one can pierce.

This represents the very nature of the Supreme Heavenly Demon, who oversees both good and evil, light and darkness.

Thus, it is only natural for the wise one on this Earth to punish the sinner; using the sacred fire is just a matter of course.

Feeling so ashamed that I didn’t even grasp such an obvious, natural truth, like the sun rising and setting and the moon waxing and waning, was mortifying.

And so, as my eyes dimmed, not understanding the brilliant light, I said to my all-powerful master, “This humble servant wishes to atone with my arm, which is made of bone, flesh, and blood, weighing seven coins.” To which the esteemed Supreme Heavenly Demon smiled and said, “When you arrive on this earth, know that everything is borrowed from you, so you should not be troubled by your foolishness; I have already found contentment…”

The postmaster uncle, a high-ranking doctrinal warrior belonging to the holy fire temple of the Great Heavenly Demon Sect, wrote down the sutra he would leave for future generations with immense joy in his heart.

“Madmen……”

Watching this ridiculousness, the assassin was left speechless.

This fellow wasn’t backing down.

Wow. This guy is not to be underestimated.

Qing swallowed hard, feeling the tension of finally meeting her match.

“Alright. From now on, I’ll slowly roast you from the tips of your arms and legs until you’re crispy and burnt. Hmm. If you spill all your secrets along the way, you can die peacefully.”

“You crazy girl. Who’s gonna spill information after hearing that?”

“Instead, if you can hold out until the shoulders and here, the tips of your legs are fully charred, consider it a win for you, and I’ll spare your life. I’ll let you live until you’re old, just surviving on pig feed. Since it would be boring to just eat and sleep, I’ll even let you share a pen with the pigs. At that point, even if you beg me to kill you, I won’t.”

That was a chilling statement.

Was this how the wicked Empress Dowager spoke, who erased a single character from the world for her savagery?

In ancient times, the most commonly used character for pig was the character 彘.

But since Princess Liu led terrible punishments like hovering human pigs, people found it so horrifying they stopped using the character for pig altogether.

But the Empress Dowager might have a grievance.

Since she had catered to the monster known as Liu Bang, putting in all the effort, bearing years of prison time to ‘pay the price’ instead of her husband, that was horrific enough.

Back then, prison meant something akin to a dreadful toy for the guards to pass the time, yet she submissively paid for her husband’s sins.

Despite maintaining her integrity, she followed Liu Bang with a pure heart, yet once he became emperor, he disregarded her as a dirty and wicked woman—of course, one would eventually snap.

From the start, that Liu Bang was betrayal incarnate.

He flattered Xiang Yu, declaring him the older brother while handing over everything, only to betray him afterwards, showing his despicable nature even to his wife.

With that character trait running through the bloodline, it’s no surprise the nation fell, leading to the first peasant rebellion and the rise of the Yellow Turban and the likes of Dong Zhuo and the Zhao clan.

Even a beggar selling mats was not in the realm of discussing the world.

Interestingly, there’s a similar tale in the West, where even a beggar polishing shoes could talk about stocks, leading to a festival of mutual suicides known as the Great Depression.

In the East, even a beggar peddling mats could discuss the world, so naturally, a horrific era commenced with countless deaths.

Fortunately, the filthy lineage of the Liu family was severed by the execution of the Sima family.

Afterwards, even having gained the world, their descendant divided it at sixteen, showing why the Sima family is considered the greatest chivalrous family in Central Plains history.

“You horrible woman! Is that something a person would say? Just kill me already!”

“Doesn’t seem appropriate for someone who lives by killing.”

“Did you ever think one day you’d face such a miserable end? Or perhaps you thought you’d live long and happily, receiving some respect? If you’ve lived as trash, shouldn’t you die as trash? Isn’t this the right way for the world to be?”

The master of the world said: “At the end of wickedness, there should only be a miserable end; this should be the world you need to cultivate……”

The respected doctrinal warrior, the postmaster uncle, shone with determination in his eyes.

“Cough, yeah. Can’t deny I’ve lived like trash. But then, what gives you the right to say this?”

“Eh? People? The only people here are me and, hmm. I guess the postmaster uncle needs to do a bit more good.” Heh, a little risky here.

“I’ll work hard!”

Qing gave a composed expression while looking at the assassin.

“I’m not suggesting we chat. The only things I want to hear from you are who the clients are from the Zhangxing Company and where we can find them. You know you want to say that, too.”

“You crazy girl. You’ve really lost it.”

“Isn’t it better to be a crazy girl than a miserable person? So, let’s be careful not to bite your tongue. If you end up mute, I’ll have no choice but to roast all four limbs, treating you like a pig in a pen.”

—

“What’s with all this? I don’t get it.”

“What are you talking about?”

The postmaster uncle, also known as the Great Master, eagerly responded to her mumbles.

“If you’re gonna talk, wouldn’t it be better to do it nicely? Why dump all the chores on others and then whine about it?”

The assassin resigned himself to the idea of death.

Having been raised as a genuine killer by the subordinates of the slaughterhouse, he had vowed to repay that grace with his life.

But once they started grilling from the fingertips, he quickly realized.

Wow. This is much worse than I imagined, truly, unbearably painful. No way. How can a person endure this? Not even a Buddha could withstand this. Seriously, this challenges the limits of my killer’s nature.

The assassin experienced an epiphany.

And so, he wept.

He cried from the pain, he cried for himself for enduring this, and he cried for betraying the slaughterhouse he wanted to protect with his life.

Yet Qing was no fool when it came to torturing others.

She knew that information obtained through torture was often unreliable, so she made sure to verify if the information was truly trustworthy through thorough checks.

That’s because once people suffer, they will say anything just to escape, and they will readily fill their cries with lies against their torturer.

So, she had no choice but to roast him more.

Roasting and asking, roasting and asking, roasting and asking, and roasting and asking again.

Since the guest had been quite obstinate beforehand, multiple checks had to be done.

This is why one must always be careful with their words.

If they had just adopted a polite and humble attitude from the start, showing some respect, they wouldn’t have to face this torture at all.

Alas, despite all the effort, the results weren’t that significant.

“If you don’t know, just say you don’t. Acting all cool while pretending to know everything, only to end up saying we need to follow the leads of VIP clients to get the details?”

“Miss, may I have your permission from this point on?”

Qing hadn’t gained much, but the postmaster uncle had accumulated a wealth of information.

Halfway through, he had internal knowledge of the slaughterhouse—the structure of some parts, lower-level codes, symbols, communication means, and moreover, the personal details of the mid-level managers and their contact methods…….

“Eh? From the Yuelun Postal Company? Why?”

“Uh, um. Well, um, you see, because if we shake them down, we’ll surely get a good deal of treasure from those little assassin scumbags. The postal business requires a lot of funds. Besides, I was deeply moved by your esteemed desire to purge these trashy assassins, Miss. If what he said is true, we also have ways to find out on our end.”

“Um. No matter how enticing the treasure, isn’t this too risky? Everyone here thinks they’re hot stuff, pulling out knives and charging.”

“Old Master Choi will help us, so it shouldn’t be that dangerous. Thank you for your concern; your compassion is truly boundless.”

“Well, if it’s Grandpa, then…”

The master of transformation, Grandpa, and the presumed defectors from the Heavenly Demon Sect among the workers of the Seolga Merchant Association were all formidable martial artists. That should be alright.

“Then, please take care of it. Just know that if it seems dangerous, pull out immediately, got it?”

“Cough, yes! Understood! I’ll protect my life with my very life!”

To which Qing tilted her head.

“……? Did you really understand?”