The chief bandit felt as if his internal organs had been displaced after being hit by Jing Xunche with a stick. However, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
"It seems you're really a tough nut to crack. I like men like you. You're so good at taking a beating," Jing Xunche said with a smile. Then he turned around and struck the chief bandit's leg with the stick. The people nearby clearly heard a snap as the chief bandit's leg bone broke.
Moreover, Jing Xunche didn't hit the joint but the front of the bone. A perfectly intact leg bone was brutally broken by Jing Xunche. Finally, the chief bandit couldn't hold back and let out a shrill scream.
Jing Xunche rubbed his ears and said calmly, "Gag his mouth for me. If he disturbs my wife, I won't spare any of you."
After witnessing Jing Xunche's methods, no one dared to delay. They quickly found a piece of cloth and stuffed it into the chief bandit's mouth.
The little minions watching from the side couldn't help shivering when they saw how miserable their chief was. This was what they called killing the spirit before torturing the body. First, destroy their spirits, then slowly torment their bodies.
"I've got all the patience in the world to play with you. I'm not in a hurry. If this one dies, I'll just move on to the next," Jing Xunche said as he glanced at the others hiding in the corner.
The chief bandit glared at Jing Xunche with venomous eyes, wishing he could skin him alive and grind his bones to ashes.
"Don't look at me like that, or I might not be able to resist hitting you again," Jing Xunche said as he struck the chief bandit's other leg with the stick. Now both of his legs were completely useless, beyond repair.
Jing Xunche looked at the unconscious chief bandit and tossed the stick aside in boredom. Then he turned to the little minions.
"Who wants to give it a try first?"
This single sentence completely broke these fearless men. They weren't afraid of torture, but they really didn't want to go through this psychological torment anymore.
Soon, someone pleaded for mercy. "I'll confess. I'll tell you everything. Just ask me whatever you want to know."
"Second-in-command!" The people around him glared at the man who had just spoken. How spineless! He was such a disgrace to them!
"Really? It seems there's a smart one among you. Bring him some water and then make a good confession," Jing Xunche said with a satisfied smile as he looked at the second-in-command. It seemed he didn't need to use force anymore.
After drinking the water, the second-in-command felt much better. He even politely said thank you.
"What do you want to know?" the second-in-command asked, swallowing hard.
"Where's your lair?" Jing Xunche asked lazily as he sat on a chair.
"It's on the mountain next to where we fought. But there are a lot of traps we've set up on the mountain. If no one leads you there, you might suffer heavy losses."
He was telling the truth. There were all sorts of things on that mountain: mouse traps, pits, bamboo rafts, and nets for catching people. There were so many that it was impossible to list them all. Even those with good lightness skills couldn't avoid getting injured.
"Really? Then draw out all the traps you've set up carefully. If you miss even one, I'll give you a good time, guaranteed to make you feel like you're in heaven and hell," Jing Xunche said as he had someone bring paper and a pen and placed them in front of the second-in-command.
The second-in-command shivered and picked up the pen on the table with a trembling hand. He tried his best to draw out all the traps he knew.
"This is all I can remember. I really can't think of anything else," the second-in-command said as he glanced at Jing Xunche's expression. When he saw Jing Xunche's gloomy face, he quickly added, "Although I can't remember, the third-in-command must know. He has the best memory among us on weekdays."
The second-in-command looked at the third-in-command apologetically. Sorry, brother. I'm really forced into this!
Jing Xunche nodded and motioned for the third-in-command to be brought over. Jing Xunche looked at the thin and frail man in front of him. He looked fair and handsome, not like a bandit at all but more like a scholar.
However, Jing Xunche didn't care about that. Since he was the third-in-command of the bandit nest, he must have some special abilities.
"Start," Jing Xunche said as he glanced at the third-in-command indifferently.
The third-in-command didn't say a word and there was no change in his expression. He just picked up the pen expressionlessly, looked at what the second-in-command had drawn, and then casually added a few more strokes.
Jing Xunche took the drawn map, looked at it, and then handed it to the person beside him. He continued to interrogate the second-in-command.
"Tell me who you've robbed."
"This..." The second-in-command hesitated. How could he remember so many people?
"What? Can't remember? Do you need my help?" Jing Xunche squinted his eyes and casually picked up the stick beside him.
"No, no. We have a rule that we record every person we rob. But the notebook is in the stockade. We need someone to go and get it," the second-in-command stammered.
"Okay, we don't have to worry about this for now." Jing Xunche was about to ask something else when a secret guard walked in, whispered a few words in his ear, and then left.
Jing Xunche patted the non-existent dust on his body, ordered the people to guard them well, and then left. The people in the dungeon clearly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he was gone.
After taking a quick shower, Jing Xunche rushed to Mu Fengqie's room. The secret guard had just said that Qie'er had woken up. Jing Xunche was worried that Qie'er would be anxious if she couldn't find him, so he hurried over.
"Why did you wake up so early, Qie'er? Do you want to sleep a little longer?" Jing Xunche sat on the edge of the bed and massaged Mu Fengqie's shoulders.
"No, I'm not sleepy now." As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Fengqie smelled a particularly disgusting odor. She couldn't hold back and vomited, throwing up all the food she had eaten before going to bed.
"What's wrong with you, Qie'er?" Jing Xunche asked as he watched Mu Fengqie vomiting violently. "Call the doctor! Hurry up and call the doctor!"
"I'm fine... It's just morning sickness," Mu Fengqie said. She had seen Aru pregnant before. There was no need to make such a fuss, right?
"How are you feeling now?" Jing Xunche kept rubbing Mu Fengqie's back, hoping she would feel better.
"I... Ugh..." As soon as Mu Fengqie looked up, she smelled that disgusting odor again.
"Stay away from me!" Now Mu Fengqie was sure that the odor was coming from Jing Xunche. "What's that smell on you?" Mu Fengqie frowned and asked.
Jing Xunche froze for a moment. Was Qie'er's sense of smell so sharp now? He had clearly taken a shower before coming. Could it be that he hadn't washed clean and there was still an odor?