Inside the office of the Xuan Ge Si supervisor, the smell of old wood and ink sticks suddenly mingled with a domineering stench of blood, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.

Li E roughly slammed the limp Cao Cheng'an against the wall.

The latter's tendons and ligaments were all severed, and he could only slide down the wall and sit on the ground, like a pile of rotten flesh without bones.

Li E crouched down, bringing his eyes level with Cao Cheng'an's.

The short knife in his hand, about a foot long, gleamed coldly, its tip gently pressed against Cao Cheng'an's blood-stained crimson official robe.

The sharp touch penetrated the thin fabric, causing Cao Cheng'an's battered body to tremble slightly.

“General Cao,” Li E’s voice was low and hoarse, like the grinding of sand, “I don’t have time to reminisce with you or beat around the bush.”

His gaze was piercing, fixed on Cao Cheng'an's cloudy eyes, each word like a cold iron nail piercing the other's eardrum:

In the autumn of the sixth year of the Taiwei era, General Zhao Polu was ordered to lead his 1,200 elite cavalrymen on a routine border patrol mission.

In the vicinity of Black Wind Gorge, they were suddenly ambushed by three thousand elite light cavalry of the Shuofeng Dynasty.

He spoke slowly, but every word carried immense weight, crashing into the deathly silence.

"After an hour of fierce fighting, reinforcements were still nowhere to be seen."

Our army... was completely annihilated; not a single soldier survived.

He paused, then applied slight force with the tip of the knife, piercing the official robe and touching the skin, from which a trickle of blood slowly seeped out.

Leaning forward, creating a strong sense of oppression.

"General Cao, please explain this to me."

At that time, the two countries had already concluded a peace treaty, and the border was temporarily at peace.

Did those three thousand light cavalrymen of the north wind grow wings and fly over my great border outposts, or did they dig three feet into the ground and crawl out of the ground?

How could they have so precisely laid an ambush in Black Wind Gorge, using overwhelming force to annihilate one of my detachments on a routine patrol?

Blood kept spilling from the corner of Cao Cheng'an's mouth, mixed with his heavy breathing.

From the moment he recognized Li E, he knew that the other party had risked his life to break into Xuange Division in order to settle this old score.

Upon hearing Zhao Polu's name, he chuckled softly.

The laughter was broken and hoarse, and there was a strange, almost mocking pity in his eyes.

“Ha…ha…Zhao Polu…as expected…”

"Sizzle!"

Before the laughter subsided, Li E's wrist suddenly sank.

Without hesitation, the dagger pierced Cao Cheng'an's right chest.

It deliberately avoided the vital points, yet it was deep enough and painful enough!

"Cough! Cough cough cough..."

Cao Cheng'an's body convulsed violently, his eyes bulged out, and he burst into a heart-wrenching cough.

Large spurts of blood gushed from his mouth, staining his chin and front of his shirt red.

Li E watched him struggle in pain with a blank expression, then slowly pulled out the blade, drawing out a stream of warm blood.

We can't let him die so easily; we haven't heard the answer yet, and the truth hasn't come out.

"I don't have time to waste with you, Cao Cheng'an." Li E's voice was icy cold.

“You framed and killed my most respected elder brother, and caused the deaths of more than 1,200 of my brothers who shared life and death with me.”

This means that today I can use any means necessary, do you understand?

Cao Cheng'an was in so much pain that he was drenched in cold sweat. After his breathing calmed down a little, he hissed, "What...what do you want?!"

"What do you want?" Li E sneered.

With his other free hand, he pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and slapped it onto the pool of blood in front of Cao Cheng'an.

It was covered with writing.

"General Cao's residence is the third house at the east end of Huai Shu Lane in Yongxingfang, Fengjing. It is a five-courtyard house. As for the defense... it looks rather ordinary."

Li E began to read, his tone as calm as if he were stating a fact.

"The eldest son, Cao Rui, is currently a captain in the Northern Xuanwu Army's Valiant Cavalry Battalion, stationed in Shattered Snow City."

"The second son, Cao Ming, was sent to the Southern Frontier Pacification Office as a military advisor, while his family remained in the capital."

"Cao Bin, the eldest grandson, has just turned sixteen this year. He is studying at the Imperial Academy, but his studies seem to be quite average, often causing headaches for the professors."

"The second grandson, Cao Sheng, is fourteen years old. He is weak and rarely goes out, spending most of his time recuperating at home."

"The eldest granddaughter, Cao Ying, is already married. Her husband's family is... oh, the son of a manager in the Wanmin Division."

"My second granddaughter, Cao Shan, is twelve years old and still a young girl. I've heard she's very clever and adorable."

"My youngest granddaughter, Cao Ye, is still an infant."

With each line he read, Cao Cheng'an's face grew paler, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

That wasn't pain, but fear that came from the depths of my soul.

"You...how could you..." His voice trembled, and he could barely speak.

How could I know so much?

Li E finished speaking for him, then leaned down, almost touching Cao Cheng'an's ear, his voice low and menacing like a devil's whisper.

"You killed all my family members, Cao Cheng'an. What are you still hoping for? Do you think death will end everything?"

He paused, allowing the fear to fully spread and ferment in the other person's heart, before continuing slowly, each word imbued with chilling killing intent:

"This is my final choice for you."

"If you tell the truth, the truth will come out, and death will end with you."

Although I, Li E, hate you to the core, I will not let your family be implicated; I still have that bottom line.

“If you don’t speak, or dare to utter even the slightest lie…” A terrifyingly fierce light suddenly flashed in Li E’s eyes:

"I promise!

From sons to grandsons, from married daughters to infants, everyone in the Cao family who carries your bloodline, Cao Cheng'an, will soon be going down to join you.

I will ensure that the Cao family line ends and its ancestral worship is cut off!

As soon as he finished speaking, the cold, sticky blade of the dagger pressed heavily against Cao Cheng'an's chest once again.

This time, he aimed for the vital point.

"This is your last chance." Li E's voice was firm and unwavering, brooking no argument. "Speak!"

The shadow of death and the immense fear of his family line ending were like two invisible hands, gripping Cao Cheng'an's throat tightly.

All the bravado and all the wishful thinking were utterly crushed at this moment.

He slumped against the wall, his eyes unfocused, as if all his energy had been drained away in an instant.

He stared intently at Li E, as if trying to etch him into his very soul.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a faint, almost inaudible breath from deep in his throat: "You... promise?"

Li E spoke without hesitation, his voice firm and resolute.

"I swear on the spirit of General Zhao Polu in heaven!"

"If you tell the truth, and I, Li E, harm even one member of your Cao family, I will be punished by Heaven and never be reincarnated!"

Upon hearing this vow, Cao Cheng'an felt as if his last bit of strength had been drained away.

He coughed up blood, and then he chuckled softly.

The laughter was more unpleasant than crying, filled with endless mockery and sorrow.