Chapter 191: Iron-Willed and Resolute

Qufu.

Inside the county jail, the view was dim and gloomy.

The air was permeated with the stench of rotting meat and damp filth.

The prison corridor was incredibly long and narrow, with cells made of wooden bars on both sides. At this moment, the cells were packed with Scholars dressed in green robes, each of them wearing a look of terror, curled up into balls.

They subconsciously shrank into the corners.

Suddenly, the iron gate at the top of the stairs made a "clack-clack" sound.

Everyone was startled awake and cast their gazes toward that iron gate.

They saw a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six, surrounded by a group of Brocade Guards, walking in slowly.

It was none other than Han San, who had rushed over a few days ago.

Originally, he had been living quite well in the capital, drinking a little wine every day and holding beautiful women in his arms.

That life was what one would call comfortable.

It was these fellows causing trouble that forced him to rush to this godforsaken place overnight.

Thinking of this, Han San's expression grew even gloomier.

He suddenly stopped his footsteps, turned to the left, and pointing at a lean Scholar in the cell in front of him, he barked, "Bring him to the interrogation room for me!"

Immediately, several Brocade Guards opened the cell door, grabbed the Scholar, and dragged him out.

"Ah?! It's not me... it's not me, it's not me, it's not me!!!" The Scholar twisted his body frantically, struggling, his face full of panic and helplessness.

Unfortunately, a weak scholar like him was no match for these Brocade Guards. Soon, his body was clamped and he was brought to an interrogation room. In the center of the room, a cross-shaped wooden stake as tall as a person was tied, still stained with traces of crimson blood.

On the wall behind the wooden stake.

Pieces of torture equipment, illuminated by candlelight, emitted a deep, eerie glow.

As soon as he entered the interrogation room, the Scholar's knees went weak, he stumbled, and fell to the ground. His palms groped around blindly until he suddenly touched something sticky that felt somewhat like flesh.

He widened his eyes and took a look.

He was instantly scared out of his wits.

It was actually a piece of bloody skin and flesh.

"Ah?!!"

Accompanied by a scream, a thick, pungent smell of urine drifted through the interrogation room.

Several Brocade Guard Li pinched their noses, faces hanging with smiles; one man with a face full of bumps even deliberately affected a tone and said, "Yo, whose crotch wasn't closed properly? How did you let all the water out?"

"Hahaha," everyone immediately laughed until they were bent double.

The Scholar's cheeks flushed with shame, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Alright, alright, all of you get the hell out of here." Having seen enough of the show, Han San waved his hand with a smile, signaling everyone to leave.

Then, he walked up to the Scholar and asked with a cold face, "Name."

"Zhao, Zhao Wenshan," the Scholar replied with a trembling voice.

"Where are you from?"

"Jinan Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Han San suddenly stiffened his face, pointed at Zhao Wenshan, and cursed, "You have such guts, daring to come and assassinate the Vice Minister. Do you know the crime in this?"

"Ah? Official, I didn't hit the honorable Hai!" Zhao Wenshan felt as if he had been stung by a scorpion; he shuddered and then quickly hugged Han San's thigh, "Great Lord, it has nothing to do with me, it has nothing to do with me."

"So you're saying I've wronged you?" Han San asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Ah no, it is, ah no."

"Is it or is it not?!" "It is not."

"That's right."

Han San patted his cheek, helped him up from the ground, stared into his eyes, and said, "I say you are guilty, then you are guilty; I say you are innocent, then you are innocent."

"Official." Hope shot into Zhao Wenshan's eyes once again.

"No rush, sit down first." Han San waved his hand, stepped back to sit down first, and pointed to a small stool on the side, "Tell me, a Jinan Scholar like you, why aren't you staying properly in Jinan, but running here to do what?"

Zhao Wenshan had been incited by others in the first place, and now, frightened by this environment, his spirit had long since vanished along with his urge to urinate.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva hard and then timidly replied, "Student, this student was also bewitched by villains, which is why I came here to cause trouble. I hope the official, the official will give this one a chance."

"Who bewitched you?" Han San leaned back and asked, pretending to be indifferent.

"I, I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"This one truly doesn't know. I only know that all my classmates and friends in the academy came, and if I didn't come, I would surely be spurned by them." As Zhao Wenshan said this, he buried his head in his chest.

After some probing, Han San had long since seen through that this was a spineless person.

He smiled, already having a plan in mind.

"Do you want to live, and have a good job?"

"I do! I do!"

"Then from now on, go and mingle with that group of Scholars for me." Han San clapped his hands, stood up, and walked to Zhao Wenshan, saying, "You help me see clearly, exactly which little ghosts dare to break ground on the King of Hell's head."

"Understood, understood." Zhao Wenshan nodded and bowed repeatedly.

Then, Han San gave a cold laugh and swung a heavy slap across. Zhao Wenshan was caught off guard, his teeth flew out, and his originally fair face instantly swelled up significantly.

Without waiting for him to beg for mercy, Han San picked up a leather whip and lashed out fiercely at Zhao Wenshan.

"Snap, snap, snap."

"Ah, ah."

After a few whip sounds, Zhao Wenshan's clothes were shredded, and streaks of blood like centipedes spread across his skin.

Looking at the gasping Zhao Wenshan, Han San squatted down, looked at him with a smile, and said, "Only by enduring the bitterest of the bitter can one become a person above others. If I don't beat you, they probably won't believe it."

"Someone, carry this fellow back for me!"

As soon as the words fell.

Several Brocade Guard Li rushed in from outside the gate and carried the scarred Zhao Wenshan back to his original cell.

Upon seeing this miserable sight, the surrounding Scholars covered their mouths and noses one after another, dodging to the side. Several Brocade Guard Li found a corner, loosened their hands, and Zhao Wenshan's body landed on the ground with a "thud."

"Here, this is Golden Sore Medicine; don't you dare die in the cell!" The leading Brocade Guard took out a medicine bottle, threw it on the ground, and then led his men, swaggering out of the cell with a "clack."

The cell door closed once again.

Only after these men had walked far away did the Scholars on both sides of the cell show faces full of anger, filled with righteous indignation, crying out against the injustice done to Zhao Wenshan.

"Cough, cough."

Zhao Wenshan happened to wake up at this moment; he struggled to grab a Scholar who had leaned in close and said with tears and snot, "Those lackeys beat me, but I didn't beg for mercy. I told them to beat me to death, and those lackeys got scared, which is why they sent me back!"

"Well done, well done." That person gripped Zhao Wenshan's arm tightly, also with eyes brimming with hot tears, and said with a choked voice, "Brother Wenshan, you have suffered, you have suffered; it is all because of us that you have ended up like this."

"No, it doesn't matter. The ancients said to sacrifice one's life for righteousness; even if I die today, I will never bow my head to these lackeys." Reaching a point of excitement, Zhao Wenshan let out a loud cry and then fainted away.

The people around were instantly flustered, hurriedly picking up the Golden Sore Medicine and carefully applying it to Zhao Wenshan's wounds.

(End of this chapter)