Watching Wan Fugui struggle and wail in pain, Haitang spat out a mouthful of saliva, feeling a sense of relief. The obsession that had sustained her for the past few days was fading, and Haitang's body was swaying precariously.
Suddenly, Haitang's expression hardened, and she leaned close to Song Tangxue's ear: "Miss, I found saltpeter powder at Wan Fugui's house!"
Song Tangxue was shocked. Just then, Wan Fugui, who had been beaten to the point of exhaustion, seized the opportunity to shout, "My brother works for a powerful person! You will be punished for treating me like this!"
"My brother won't let you get away with this."
"Crack." The executioner continued to whip Wan Fugui expressionlessly. Wan Fugui struggled violently on the ground, crawling and thrashing about, blood flowing everywhere.
The dark color stained the surrounding land red.
"Dark Sixteen." Song Tangxue called out in a low voice, her face serious. Dark Sixteen sensed something was wrong and leaned closer: "Go to Wan Fugui's house right now and search it, focusing on saltpeter powder."
With a solemn expression, An Shiliu accepted the order and disappeared into the crowd. While the villagers were all watching at the village entrance, he sneaked into Wan Fugui's house.
"Stop, take him back." Song Tangxue hadn't expected this to be such a pleasant surprise. If she wanted to find out the whereabouts of the saltpeter, then she couldn't let Wan Fugui die.
There are too many people around here, it's not a good time to discuss this. We should close the door and ask them about it properly.
Carefully helping Haitang walk over, Haitang stood outside the dilapidated courtyard, very resistant to going in. Her legs seemed to be glued to the ground and she couldn't move, her body trembling.
Song Tangxue felt sorry for her, and Haitang also knew that her young lady had something to do: "Miss, you go in first, I'll stay outside by myself."
Song Tangxue left two people with her and entered the small courtyard. The furnishings inside were dilapidated. Song Tangxue clenched her fist tightly. This was the room where Haitang had been locked up for four days.
Dark and damp.
There's also a disgusting person.
Wan Fugui thought his words had worked. He was dragged in and thrown to the ground like a dead dog, panting heavily. Wan Fugui endured the pain and spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked at Song Tangxue with cold eyes: "Are you scared?"
"Why should I be afraid of you?" Song Tangxue sat on the chair brought by the guards, looking down at him, and kicked his wound hard with her toes.
Blood stained the tips of her shoes, but Song Tangxue remained unfazed.
"Ah!" Wan Fugui struggled in pain, but two guards held him down, forcing him to bow down and submit at Song Tangxue's feet.
"Didn't you say that women are incompetent and can be trampled on by others? Well, now you're being trampled on by a woman."
Wan Fugui fainted from the pain. Song Tangxue smiled and said, "Wake him up with salt water!"
When Wan Fugui woke up, he was in so much pain that he grimaced. Perhaps he realized that his brother was no longer able to help him. He knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
"I'll ask you questions, and you'll answer them. If you dare to lie, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell!" Song Tangxue took the whip from the guard and lashed it hard next to Wan Fugui.
Wan Fugui dared not move.
Who is your brother?
Wan Fugui cautiously looked up at Song Tangxue, then a whip struck his ear, making his eardrums vibrate slightly: "Wan Ronghua, my brother's name is Wan Ronghua!"
Wan Ronghua—the name crossed Song Tangxue's lips, and her expression changed drastically. Wasn't that the name of that rogue soldier?
All the previous clues pointed to that thug, but he escaped from her sight time and time again, even setting a trap for himself.
I've actually found his hideout here today.
"Who is your brother working for?"
Wan Fugui froze: "I don't know, I really don't know. My brother just told me that when he gets this done, he'll be rich and powerful. I really don't know who he's working for!"
Seeing how terrified he was, crying and begging for his parents, Song Tangxue guessed that he wouldn't dare to hide anything. The matter of saltpeter powder was quite complicated, and Wan Ronghua was probably afraid of implicating his younger brother.
So I didn't tell him anything.
An Shiliu came out of the room, nodded to her expressionlessly, and held saltpeter powder in his hand.
The village head was pushed out by the villagers to check the situation. Song Tangxue thought that this man had a high reputation in the village and might know something, so she had the guards let him in.
Upon seeing Wan Fugui's appearance, she bit her lip and was about to plead for mercy.
Song Tangxue said lazily, "Do you know that Wan Ronghua offended the Emperor? Do you know what the consequences are for the crime of deceiving the Emperor?"
Muramasa was so frightened that his legs buckled and he knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face.
It was early March, and the sun should have been warm, but the two of them felt no warmth at all.
The guards surrounded them completely.
"That's a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. The Emperor is currently searching for his nine generations of relatives, and you've come here to claim kinship. If I hand you over to the Emperor, you'll have performed a great service."
Song Tangxue remained indifferent, watching the cold sweat dripping from Wan Fugui's forehead, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm a very kind person. Wan Ronghua hasn't been found yet, so if you provide evidence, you'll be redeeming yourself."
"I will put in a good word for you before the Emperor."
After this combination of intimidation and coaxing, Wan Fugui had already wet his pants a second time and dared not question the veracity of the news: "I have a token left by my brother."
Wan Fugui hurriedly pulled a token from his coat and handed it to Song Tangxue with trembling hands. Song Tangxue gestured to the guard next to her to take it, wipe it clean, and then give it to her.
Muramasa rolled his eyes and looked at the whip in Song Tangxue's hand, which was still covered with Wan Fugui's flesh and blood.
The pungent smell of rust hit me right in the head.
“I have…I have a letter left by Wan Ronghua.” Muramasa nervously pulled a letter out of his pocket.
Song Tangxue hadn't expected that Muramasa would get involved in this matter. She took the letter, examined it for a moment, and then looked up at Muramasa: "Did Wan Ronghua say anything when he left this letter?"
Muramasa felt immense pressure under her gaze, his head drenched in sweat. Every time she moved, the whip in his hand would twitch.
Muramasa's heart skipped a beat, and he desperately tried to recall: "When Wan Ronghua gave this to me, he said that if he died, he should hand it over!"
Song Tangxue lowered his eyes. He knew that the saltpeter powder incident could cost him his head, but he still got involved. Either it was for money and power, or he had a reason that he had to get involved.
Regardless, Wan Ronghua's line is the longest and deepest one found so far.
He said that if he handed it over, then he must be able to contact other people.
If we follow the clues, we might find some leads.
"Alright, you're both reasonable people, so here's the money for you." Song Tangxue took out another money pouch and tossed it to the two of them, intending to use them to cast a long line to catch a bigger fish!
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