Chapter 47: The Hall Master of Angry Blade Hall

Zhu Gaoxu was clearly in no rush; he flicked the thug's chin and asked indifferently, "What is your name?"

The fierce man tilted his head, lips pressed tightly shut, refusing to speak.

"Still unconvinced? Good, I like tough guys."

Zhu Gaoxu gave a faint smile; Wanhua Pavilion had long since been cleared out, and his affairs had basically been seen to, so he had plenty of time to wear the man down.

Using his index finger to hook the thug's chin, he continued to apply upward pressure.

The thug's head was forced upward uncontrollably, and when it reached the limit, Zhu Gaoxu did not ease off, continuing to push upward.

Do not forget, the thug was bound hand and foot, and before long, he could no longer endure it and began to howl.

"Stop, quickly! My name is Dong Li."

Seeing that the other party had spoken, Zhu Gaoxu finally stopped.

"I thought you were a tough guy; I didn't expect you wouldn't even last half a cup of tea's time."

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu's mockery, Dong Li lowered his head, gasping for air without a word.

Seeing that Dong Li had clearly quieted down, Zhu Gaoxu nodded with satisfaction and continued to ask, "Do you know who I am?"

Hearing this from Zhu Gaoxu, Dong Li actually raised his head to carefully size him up.

Hearing Zhu Gaoxu say this, it seemed they had a prior grievance, and he also wanted to know when he had offended such a ruthless character.

But looking from head to toe, scanning him back and forth several times, Dong Li still could not recall when he had met Zhu Gaoxu.

"My eyes are dull, and I do not know when I offended your highness. Please point out the way; whether you want money or my life, at least let me be a ghost who knows why."

Dong Li naturally had his own way of surviving; at this moment, he was clearly convinced. Just by Zhu Gaoxu using a single finger to make his life worse than death, he knew Zhu Gaoxu was a man of ability.

Watching Dong Li be so sensible, Zhu Gaoxu reminded him, "Think carefully again. There aren't many children of my age you could have offended, and one who could capture you is likely one in ten thousand, isn't he?"

Hearing this from Zhu Gaoxu, Dong Li clearly thought of something; his pupils constricted, and a trace of panic appeared on his face. Although he covered it up quickly, this scene was still captured by Zhu Gaoxu.

Seeing this, Zhu Gaoxu understood in his heart that he had found the right person.

"Everyone out; I will talk to him alone."

Zhu Gaoxu did not immediately press Dong Li for answers; instead, he first chased all the Embroidered Uniform Guards out.

Although they were somewhat hesitant, the group of Embroidered Uniform Guards still obeyed Zhu Gaoxu's words, opened the door to the Private Room, and walked out in an orderly fashion.

When only Zhu Gaoxu and Dong Li remained in the Private Room, Zhu Gaoxu finally continued to speak.

"I know what you are worried about, but rest assured, as long as you answer what I ask and play fewer little tricks that could cost you your life, I promise to spare your life. It is not impossible for me to even give you money so you can live a wealthy second half of your life. You should know my status now, and you should understand that I have the ability to fulfill these conditions."

Hearing this from Zhu Gaoxu, Dong Li clearly began to hesitate.

Yet Zhu Gaoxu was not in a hurry; he sat to the side, quietly waiting for Dong Li's reply.

He was only one step away from what he wanted to know, and he knew that the closer it got, the less he could afford to be impatient.

Even if Dong Li did not speak now, he had plenty of ways to make the other party spill, though it would just take a bit more effort.

As for the conditions promised to the other party, to say nothing else, he certainly could not provide wealth and status.

Given his own condition where he had to find people to borrow money from just to eat a meal, he was clearly painting a big picture for Dong Li.

As for Dong Li's final outcome, it would depend on whether the reply the other party gave him satisfied him.

After a long while, as if Dong Li had made some kind of decision, he slumped to the ground and then gave a miserable laugh: "My end will likely not be very good; I only ask that you give me a quick death in the end."

After speaking, Dong Li said as if resigning himself to fate: "Ask away."

Facing Dong Li's current state, Zhu Gaoxu did not offer comfort or say anything useless, but instead said directly: "I have already said that your life is now in my hands. I believe that if you can live, you certainly do not want to die. I will not ask about your affairs one by one; introduce the ins and outs properly, and I hope you can satisfy me."

Watching Zhu Gaoxu's indifferent expression, Dong Li struggled to sit up from his slumped position.

After a slight pause, likely thinking about where to start, about a minute later, Dong Li finally spoke.

"I am a local of Kyoto. When I was young, during the chaos of war, a man who was severely wounded came to our village. At that time, our family was relatively well-off, at least enough to have enough to eat and wear. Seeing someone injured, we couldn't just stand by and watch him die, so my father carried this man back home and fed him some rice porridge."

"It was also this man's good fortune; after a few days of care, his injuries actually began to improve. That man lived in our house for half a month. After his injuries had mostly recovered, to repay the kindness, he taught me a set of blade techniques. He said I had good talent, and after teaching me for about ten days, he disappeared."

"Practicing martial arts is too tiring. I was too young at the time and didn't want to practice, but my father had some insight and said that having an extra skill provides an extra path, and in this world, knowing a bit of martial arts might save one's life. So, he urged me to practice every day."

"This practice lasted for ten years. Ten years later, my martial arts had achieved a small measure of success, and from then on, I began to wander the world of martial arts, and I managed to make a small name for myself here in the Kyoto area."

"As my fame grew day by day, my ambition also emerged, so I founded a martial arts sect called the Angry Blade Hall."