"Pah! You won't get a single useful word out of me! You killed so many of my brothers, but I still have my pride!"
Xu Jinhuan pushed open the door and walked in, mocking, "Oh, so you still have some backbone. I remember your brothers didn't really listen to you, they even burned paper money for you during Qingming Festival."
When the bandit leader saw Xu Jinhuan, his arrogance vanished instantly. He stubbornly said, "They had no choice. They were forced into this by people like you."
Xu Jinhuan chuckled upon hearing this. "Look at the way you're talking, as if we're the bad guys and you're the good guys who were forced into it. Don't you feel ashamed after saying that?"
The bandit leader snorted coldly, his words sounding all bark and no bite: "We're on different sides, so let's not say anything bad about each other!"
Xu Jinhuan shook his head speechlessly, "I'm not going to argue with you anymore, I'll give you something real."
After saying that, he reached into his sleeve and actually took out a piece of mulberry paper the size of a human face from his spatial storage.
When the bandit leader saw the piece of paper, he curled his lip in disdain. "You underestimate me too much. What haven't I seen? Why would I be afraid of a little piece of paper?"
Xu Jinhuan didn't argue with him anymore, but just smiled and said, "I hope you can still speak in a little while."
After saying that, Xu Jinhuan put the piece of mulberry paper into the basin of water, and after it was soaked, he took it out of the basin.
Then she handed it directly to a constable next to her and instructed, "Put this paper on the bandit's face, the tighter the better."
The constable respectfully accepted the mulberry paper and, as instructed by Xu Jinhuan, carefully applied it to the bandit's face. He seemed afraid it wouldn't adhere properly, so he gently smoothed it with his hand.
At first, the bandit leader didn't take the paper on his face seriously, but as time went on, it seemed like the paper was stuck to his face, and he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.
"Ugh, help...help me!"
The bandit leader instinctively reached out his hand, wanting to ask those around him for help.
Xie Datou and the constables watched this scene in astonishment, never expecting that such a thin piece of paper could have such power.
Xu Jinhuan slowly walked to the bandit leader's side and asked softly, "Will you confess?"
The bandit leader nodded hastily, "Confess, hand over this..."
He was out of breath again after saying just a few words, but his frantic hands and kicking legs showed his urgency.
"Take it off for him," Xu Jinhuan said, seemingly out of great compassion.
The bailiff obediently peeled off the piece of mulberry paper. As soon as the paper left the bandit leader's face, he could be heard panting heavily.
"Huff, huff..."
The bandit leader panted for a while before giving Xu Jinhuan a deep look with his bloodshot eyes.
"As expected of the woman I set my sights on, she's ruthless!"
After the bandit leader finished speaking, he saw Xu Jinhuan's hand reach for the mulberry paper again, so he immediately waved his hand and said in a panic.
"I'm not saying anything more, I'm never saying anything more, please stop sticking this piece of paper on my face!"
Xu Jinhuan glanced at him and sat down on the chair next to Xie Datou.
"Stop beating around the bush, confess now, or else..."
After Xu Jinhuan finished speaking, her gaze lingered on the piece of mulberry paper for a while longer.
Her action instantly startled the bandit leader, who sat up straight on the stool and began to give his account.
"My name is Ma Wencai, and I am..."
"cough"
Before the bandit leader could finish speaking, Xu Jinhuan, who was drinking water, choked. Sorry, she was amazed by Chen Guanlin's portrayal of Ma Wencai when she was a child.
Hearing the bandit leader call me by that name now is quite a shock.
Xu Jinhuan waved his hand, "Cough, it's nothing, please continue."
The bandit leader's heart finally settled down. He was genuinely afraid that if Xu Jinhuan was dissatisfied, he would make him experience the torture of mulberry paper again.
“My name is Ma Wencai. I have been a bandit in the capital and Jizhou. This time, I received a job from Tianji Pavilion. The job is to rob young girls in the exile team and kill some of the people in the exile team.”
Xie Datou asked in confusion, "Why are they robbing young girls? What are they trying to do?"
Ma Wencai scoffed upon hearing this, "It seems the constable is still a greenhorn. What else can he do with a kidnapped girl but send her to a brothel in Jiangnan, of course?"
Seeing that Xie Datou hadn't reacted yet, Ma Wencai kindly offered an explanation.
"Most of the families exiled this time held official positions, and their daughters were all true ladies from prominent families."
The talented men of Jiangnan most desired female confidantes who were both knowledgeable and beautiful.
After saying that, Ma Wencai sighed again, "This client is a good businessman. Apart from hiring people, everything else is a business with no capital."
Xu Jinhuan waited until Ma Wencai had finished speaking before smiling and looking him over, then asked, "You probably didn't finish what you were saying, did you?"
Ma Wencai was taken aback, then laughed and said, "I told you, I really told you everything. Your paper torture is so terrible, how could I dare to hide it?"
Xu Jinhuan slowly blew on the hot tea in his cup, watching the rising steam, but did not respond to Ma Wencai's words.
For a moment, the room was as quiet as a tomb, gloomy and oppressive.
Ma Wencai subconsciously swallowed, and his fingers twitched as he gripped his outer garment.
Xu Jinhuan noticed his little gestures but remained silent, only gently gesturing with her hand.
The bailiff standing next to Ma Wencai quickly understood her meaning, picked up the mulberry paper next to him, and put it back into the water basin.
Seeing the bailiff's actions, Ma Wencai's glimmer of hope vanished instantly, and he asked with a mournful face.
"If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety?"
Xu Jinhuan smiled and said, "You seem to have misunderstood. You are not qualified to negotiate with me."
Now Ma Wencai faces two paths: one is to die early, and the other is to die late.
Ma Wencai gritted his teeth and chose to delay his death.
"I'll tell you everything this time!"
After saying that, Ma Wencai took a deep breath before continuing.
"Before I became a bandit, I was a soldier in the army. One day, the army suddenly issued an order for us to leave the camp and go to various places to become bandits."
I was initially unwilling, but that man held absolute power in the army, and those who were unwilling gradually died. I became afraid and left with a group of men.
Later, I discovered that being a bandit was quite nice; there were no restrictions whatsoever. Aside from the occasional mission from above, I could do whatever I wanted.
After listening to Ma Wencai's words, Xie Datou seemed to remember something. He suddenly slammed his hand on the table and said, "So it turns out that the murders of exiles in recent years have all been your doing!"
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