Lu Qingming knitted his brows, and said after some hesitation. âIâm afraid that wouldnât be right.â
âWhat isnât right?â Li Muyang asked loudly. He felt somewhat unhappy, I had just saved your lives and now you refuse to let me travel with you to Tiandu. Are you worried that Iâll eat all your food and drink your wine?
Lu Qingming, seeing the expression on Li Muyang face, instantly understood what he was thinking. He explained with a smile, âGongzi Xiangma, donât misunderstand. I naturally welcome Gongzi Xiangma to travel with us back to Tiandu. But you saw just now. My whereabouts have been exposed, a Strange Taoist and a Unpredictable just appeared out of nowhere and almost wiped out our army. Who knows if thereâs an ambush ahead? My life is worthless, but if I bring trouble to Gongzi Xiangma, thenâââ
Li Muyang blushed with shame, he formed a judgement of a great man with his own small-minded thinking.
âYan Xiangma really is a small-minded person.â
Li Muyang bowed his head low in apology and with a sincere look on his face. âI misunderstood Uncle Lu. Uncle Lu, then I must go with you more. As the saying goes âhelp people to the end, send Buddha to the westâ. Since I have rescued Uncle Lu and the loyal and courageous brothers, I do not want to see you get attacked by the bad people. I, Yan Xiangma, have little talent and my ability is inferior but I have hot-bloodedness and some strength. If we encounter enemies again, Xiangma will fight with my life and definitely protect Uncle Lu.â
âButâââ
âThereâs no but.â
âWell then, Uncle Lu wonât be unreasonable. You saved my life, I will listen to you.â Lu Qingming exclaimed in delight. âWith Gongzi Xiangma traveling with us, the journey will not be lonely.â
âI can drink with Uncle Lu.â Li Muyang said with a smile.
While the two were happily chatting, the black-clad soldiers were surrounding Unpredictable immortal who was lying on the ground.
Except for the first snap, the fracturing of bones was not heard at all.
It did not mean that those black-clad soldiers had mercy on Unpredictable immortal, nor Unpredictable immortal had confessed.
But because the black-clad soldiers did not want Li Muyang and General to hear movement, so they switched to another method of torture
They did not use force, instead they used qi.
One slam down at Unpredictable immortal caused bones to instantly shatter into powder.
Without the slightest of sound.
Like smashing a tofu with the hand, the soft tofu would break into pieces without any noise.
This method of extortion was more painful, also more difficult to bear.
Most importantly, the strength that crushed the bones would remain inside of Unpredictable immortal. When the other parts of his body endure another slam, the residual essential qi within his body would also be affected, leaping up again, and stretching the soft skin and flesh.
As he suffered more palm strikes, more and more qi would accumulate within his body.
When the final palm slams down at him, the outer surface layer would bulge up, like the warts of a toad bursting and oozing out pus.
It must be said that, these people were really experts in extortion. Even Unpredictable immortal, a top assassin of all time, found it unbearable, screaming cries of agony at the beginning, and then later the sound of pain was not heard at all.
He lay there like a puddle of mud, letting a group of great masters touch him.
âSpeak, who ordered you to kill our Generalââââ
âToday you will pay blood for blood, pay for our brotherâs lifeâââ
âI would like to see if your mouth is harder or my hand is more powerfulâââ
Unpredictable immortal gushed out a purple-red blood and clot, which flowed along the corners of his mouth down to his neck. At this moment, his handsome face looked sinister and hideous.
Unpredictable immortal tried hard to force his eyes open, looking at the black-clad soldiers surrounding him, uttered in an incomparably week but firm voice, âYouââdonât bother. I know, since Iâve fall in your hands, only death awaits me. If I would tell you then I would have told you already. Since I did not at the beginning, how would I confess at this time? If I say it now, then the sins I just sufferedâââ
Before he finished his words, Unpredictable immortal violently coughed up blood once more.
Because the cough was too severe, large jets of blood were sprayed into the air and dotted on his face. As a result, Unpredictable immortalâs pale face was covered with red specks.
âââIf I confessed, then my broken bonesââwouldnât mean anything? Assassins now how settle accountsââthis transaction is not worth it.â
The black-clad soldiers were infuriated.
âWe know youâre not afraid to die, we purposely wonât kill you, break all your bones and then drag you to Tiandu and leave you on the streetsâââ
âCut his tongue and see whether he can still say toughâââ
âYou know how to settle accounts, right? You killed so many of our brothers. How do we settle this?â
Black-clad soldiers were still hesitating how to torture this pain in the neck that was unafraid of death, when they found that Unpredictable immortal had his eyes closed and showed no any other movement.
Someone stretched out his hand to examine his breathing, and exclaimed, âDead.â
âHow did he die?â
âWe had already removed all his qiâââ
âHis tongue is not cut offâââ
Hearing the movements behind, Lu Qingming and Li Muyang hurried over. Lu Qingming reached out his hand to check Unpredictable immortalâs heart and said in a heavy voice: âDead. Abandoned the soul.â
âAbandoned the soul?â Li Muyang asked in a puzzled voice.
âItâs a very difficult way to commit suicide.â Lu Qingming explained. âWhen someoneâs body is bound, and can neither live nor die, they will use the last trace of consciousness to send their soul flying off, thereby ending their life.â
âI see.â Li Muyang took another look at Unpredictable immortal: âIt seems that when interrogating criminals in the future, you will have to lock their consciousness.â
âThis is easier said than done.â Lu Qingming lightly shook his head, looking at Unpredictable immortal on the ground. âIn the end he still did not say who the mastermind is. He is a tough guy. But it doesnât matter whether he says it or not. Some things are meaningless even when said, and instead increase the worries.â â
Li Muyang looked at Lu Qingming, asking in a concerned voice, âDonât Uncle Lu already has a suspect in your mind?â
Lu Qingming, seeing Li Muyangâs reaction, thought that he was worried about his Yan family, smiled and said: âGongzi Xiangma donât need to worry, everything needs evidence. I will not deliberately guess which family did it, also, this matter is not related to Gongzi Xiangmaâââ
âYou should guess.â Li Muyang couldnât help reminding him. âGuess boldly, and prove it carefully. Thatâs what smart people do. So many brothers have died, presumably Uncle Lu must feel very upset, right?â
The safety of his parents and family was determined by the safety of the Lu family, so Li Muyang must ensure that nothing would happen to the Lu family.
ââââ
Li Shinian had not been to school for some time.
One it was because she knew that her mother was very upset and she was worried about her motherâs health, so she stayed at home with her. Secondly, she was also very upset not knowing whether her brother was alive or not. Even if she went to school she wouldnât be able to concentrate. It would be better to take a long vacation, rest quietly at home waiting for her brotherâs news.
Li Shinian sat quietly in the pavilion in the courtyard, gazing at the koi in the pond.
Jiangnan is a water village. When she was young, she often went to the river to catch fish with her brother Li Muyang. Her brother was weak and thin, and his movement was slow. Although he was older than her, he did not catch as much fish as her every time. She often laughed at his stupidity. But every time they returned home, mother Luo Qi would know that theyâve been playing in the water and would hit her with a chicken feather duster. She jumped about like a monkey, but her brother would always shield her with that thin and weak body of his and keep saying that it was him that took his sister to play in the waterââ
In the end mother could not bear hitting Li Muyang, and it was because she did not hit Li Muyang, that Li Shinian also dodged a bullet.
âBig brotherâââ Thinking that she may no longer see Li Muyang, Li Shinian felt a sharp pulling pain in her heart. Her eyes were red, clutching her chest and could hardly breathe.
Pa!
An unknown object hit Li Shinianâs forehead.
She looked up angrily, and saw that the little fat boy Lu Tianyu was sneaking around behind the rockery.
âLu Tianyu. Come out.â Li Shinian yelled.
Lu Tianyu, scared of Li Shinian, hurriedly ran out from behind the rockery and said smilingly: âSister, you found me?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Li Shinian picked up a green date from the ground. âWhat is this?â
âGee, what is this?â Lu Tianyu looked up, asking puzzledly: âDoes the cherry trees in Tiandu produce fruits?â
âLu Tianyuâââ
âFine fine, itâs my fault.â Lu Tianyu immediately apologized. âBig sister, donât be angry. Our family has just been sent a batch of Southern candied dates. Iâve tasted it, itâs really sweet. So I brought some for you.â
As he explained, he placed a small packet in front of Li Shinian.
The silk handkerchief was blown away, revealing the plump, green dates inside.
âIâve washed it.â Lu Tianyu said, chuckling. âQuickly eat it.â
Li Shinian looked at Lu Tianyu suspiciously, âwhy did you give it to me?â
âBecause youâre my big sister.â Lu Tianyu said with a smile.