Chapter 213 - 212: A Benefit Delivered to the Door

"You damn official, are you deaf?! Let us go, now!" Yin Tao glared venomously at Su Yu, looking like she wanted to kill him.

Su Yu just smiled faintly. Without any warning, his right hand shot out and clamped around Yin Tao’s slender, pale neck like an iron pincer, lifting her into the air as if she were a little chick.

"Ugh... cough, cough! You bastard... let me go... When I get out of here, I’ll flay you alive..."

Yin Tao’s feet kicked wildly in the air, her once-arrogant curses instantly turning into choked gags and pained groans.

The other two women were horrified. Before they could rush forward, the old jailer slapped each of them once, kicking them over into a pile of moldy straw.

"It seems you still haven’t figured out your current situation."

Su Yu looked indifferently at the struggling Yin Tao and shook his head slightly. He casually balled his left hand into a fist and, relying on pure muscle power, delivered a heavy blow to the woman’s abdomen.

"OOF... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!"

A violent, churning spasm instantly shot through Yin Tao’s abdomen. The whites of her eyes showed as her mouth hung open, drool spilling out. She nearly fainted on the spot.

"Now, do you recognize the situation?"

Su Yu’s five fingers around her throat loosened just enough to allow her to greedily suck in a breath of air.

"You... you beast..." Tears streamed down Yin Tao’s face from the pain, but she was still putting up a brave front. "Let me go! Otherwise, our Hall Master Yu... will definitely tear you to pieces!"

Su Yu’s expression turned cold. ’I can’t believe how astonishingly stupid this woman is.’

’Waiting for Hall Master Yu to save her is simply ridiculous.’

’Let’s not even talk about whether Hall Master Yu can save her or not.’

’Right now, she’s already in a prison cell. Isn’t she completely at my mercy?’

"My lord."

The old jailer from before sidled up, his face wreathed in a sycophantic smile, and said in a low voice, "My lord, this stupid little wench just hasn’t wrapped her head around things yet. Your status is noble; you shouldn’t dirty your hands. Why don’t you go to the duty office outside for a cup of hot tea and let this subordinate try his hand at the interrogation?"

Su Yu glanced at the old jailer. He knew that leaving this kind of professional work to them would make things much easier.

He casually tossed Yin Tao to the ground, gave a slight nod, and turned to walk out of the cell.

The moment Su Yu left, the heavy iron door slammed shut with a BOOM.

Inside the cell, the atmosphere changed in an instant.

The old jailer wasted no time with the gagging Yin Tao. He strode forward, grabbed a handful of her hair, and swung a powerful backhand slap across her face.

"You dare hit me? You old bastard, you’re courting death!" Yin Tao’s eyes were wide with fury.

"SLAP!"

"Ah! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill your whole family!"

"SLAP! SLAP!"

"You..."

"SLAPSLAPSLAPSLAPSLAP!"

The crisp sound of slaps echoed through the cell, as relentless as rain on banana leaves.

Yin Tao screamed madly and tried to fight back, but her Qi and Blood had been completely sealed. Now just an ordinary person, how could she possibly be a match for the old jailer?

Her struggles and curses only earned her an even more vicious beating.

As for the other two female disciples, they were already pale with fright, huddled together in a corner, trembling so hard they didn’t dare to even peek.

...

「One hour later.」

"Sob... sob... stop hitting me, I’m begging you, please stop..."

Yin Tao had finally broken down completely. She curled up on the floor, covering her face, tears and snot streaming down. She had finally come to the brutal realization.

This wasn’t Yun Jin City; no one here would flatter her. She was now a lamb for the slaughter, and this jailer would actually dare to beat her to death in this dark corner!

The old jailer let out a sinister chuckle. "The Lord is a man of noble status; he couldn’t be bothered to stoop to your level. But I’m different. This kind of filthy, torturous work is my specialty! For tender-skinned little things like you, there are plenty of methods we can use in this prison!"

"You’re going to enjoy them... slowly!"

As he spoke, his rough, calloused hand shot out and grabbed Yin Tao’s collar.

"RRRIP—"

The shrill sound of tearing cloth rang out. A large piece was brutally ripped from Yin Tao’s already damaged green top, instantly revealing a large portion of her dazzlingly white shoulders and the swell of her chest.

"AH—"

Yin Tao let out a blood-curdling scream, scrambling backward and desperately trying to cover her exposed chest with her hands, her eyes filled with terror.

"What’s there to cover? Did you think you could keep your chastity after entering this prison? Last month, a rich young miss came in, just as high and mighty as you. She ended up thrown into a crowded common cell. It took less than half a day for her to be broken."

"You three are lucky. Since there are a few of you, you got a cell to yourselves. If you still don’t know what’s good for you, I’ll throw you into one of the other cells in a bit."

The old jailer crouched down, his rough fingers rubbing lightly against Yin Tao’s cheek.

"Tsk tsk, so delicate and tender. A pampered little thing, I can tell. A shame you got thrown in here... Maybe someone is thinking about rescuing you, but it’s too late. You’ll be broken in here first. By the time you get out, you’ll either be an idiot or a corpse."

The old jailer’s words made her face turn deathly pale. She trembled like a leaf in the wind, her mind filled with images of a hell where she could neither live nor die.

"The one who decides whether you live or die right now is Lord Su! He gave you a chance to talk, and you had the gall to insult him? Tsk tsk, you’re truly beyond saving." The old jailer stood up and coldly dusted off his hands.

"I recognize the situation now, I really do! Please spare me, please let Lord Su come in!"

Seeing the woman become so compliant so quickly, the old jailer grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Do you have any secrets to tell the Lord?"

Yin Tao’s eyes darted around frantically. She seemed to think of something, but a flash of conflict crossed her face. In the end, she bit her lip hard and shook her head.

"I... I’m willing to apologize to the Lord! Our Linglong Tower is willing to pay any price to ransom us, we just beg him to let us go!"

"Hmph, too late." The old jailer sneered. "The Lord is busy with official matters; he went back to his residence long ago. You can just stay here and burn some incense, pray that the Lord is in a good mood in a couple of days and decides to come see you again."

...

「Outside the cell, in the duty office.」

"My lord, I’ve interrogated that woman for a while. She’s much more cooperative now. However, it seems she knows a big secret but refuses to say what it is. If you wish to know, perhaps you could give this subordinate two more days. By the time you come back, I guarantee she’ll be completely obedient to you."

Su Yu nodded in agreement, but as he was leaving, he added a word of caution: "Be careful with your methods during the interrogation."

The old jailer chuckled. "My lord, rest assured. These three women are your prisoners; this subordinate knows his limits. We’re just roughing them up a bit, mostly to scare them. This kind of woman is easy to break. Just come back in three days and see for yourself."

...

「The next morning.」

Su Yu was sitting in the main hall of his rear courtyard, having just devoured an entire Red-Gold Dragon Carp Treasure Fish.

He wiped his mouth and called up the Skill Level panel.

[Breakthrough Point]: 1 (Progress 28%)

’The treasure fish and precious herbs from yesterday added 10% progress in total. Today’s Red-Gold Dragon Carp was a bit stronger than a normal treasure fish and added 8%. A pleasant surprise.’

As the vast medicinal power of the treasure fish was rapidly digested, scalding Qi and Blood began to surge through his limbs and bones.

Without a moment’s rest, Su Yu went straight to the Martial Arts Arena, took a stance, and began practicing the Black Stone Body Forging Skill.

[Black Stone Body Forging Skill Level +40]

[Black Stone Body Forging Skill Level +40]

...

As this Xuan-tier Technique approached the Great Success Realm, Su Yu could clearly feel a subtle change in the circulation of his Qi and Blood.

Previously, after he had broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm, the Qi and Blood boost from his Minor Achievement Black Stone Body Forging Skill had shrunk significantly, down to just over ten percent.

But now, as his Skill Level neared Great Success, the terrifying potential of this Xuan-tier Technique was revealing itself once more. The Qi and Blood amplification effect had steadily climbed to nearly twenty percent!

’No wonder everyone scrambles for Xuan-tier Techniques. This is just Minor Achievement. If I reach Great Success or even Perfection, my foundation will probably skyrocket!’

’And this Profound Silver Flow Armor... its effect is getting stronger too.’

Su Yu looked at the faint membrane on his fist. It looked like flowing mercury, shimmering with a silver light under the sun.

Although the defensive effect of the Profound Silver Flow Armor was far stronger than the membrane from the Skin Tempering Realm, it still seemed a bit insufficient against the powerful Ming Jin of the Flesh Refining Realm.

’I wonder if there will be new changes after reaching Great Success and Perfection.’

"My lord, Xu Pingyang of the Xu family is here to see you," Li Da reported respectfully from the doorway.

"Take him to the front hall and serve him tea."

Su Yu ordered, looking as if he had expected this.

"Yes, my lord."

A moment later, Su Yu changed into casual clothes and slowly walked into the front hall.

When Xu Pingyang saw Su Yu enter, he quickly rose to his feet and said with a smile, "I have long heard of Lord Su’s exceptional talent. Just now, I saw you diligently practicing your Martial Arts so early in the morning, drenched in sweat. Such perseverance truly makes me admire you with utmost respect! Unlike myself, with my mediocre talent and lazy nature. I am truly ashamed, truly ashamed!"

"You flatter me, Young Master Xu. Please, have a seat." Su Yu calmly returned the gesture and sat in the host’s seat.

After the two were seated, Xu Pingyang very smoothly made small talk with Su Yu about the city’s customs and local life, occasionally sighing about the difficult times and the rampant Black Lotus Sect, all while maintaining an extremely humble attitude.

Seeing that more than half the tea had been drunk, Xu Pingyang finally changed the subject. He stood and bowed, "Lord Su, yesterday on Jade Street, my Uncle Liu was overeager in his duty to protect me and foolishly broke the rules of the Public Security Bureau. I hope that you can be magnanimous and show him leniency."

With that, he gestured to a family servant behind him.

The servant immediately came forward, holding an extremely exquisite red sandalwood box with both hands. He carefully placed it on the tea table next to Su Yu and gently opened it.

The moment the lid was opened, an incredibly rich and soul-refreshing medicinal aroma instantly filled the entire hall.

Su Yu lowered his gaze and saw a strangely shaped treasure herb lying quietly on the yellow silk lining of the box.

The herb resembled a ginseng with extremely long roots, but its entire body was a translucent, crystalline blood-red color, like a piece of the finest blood jade carved into the shape of a ginseng. Inside, viscous blood seemed to be slowly flowing.

"Lord Su, this is a fifty-year-old Blood Jade Spirit Ginseng." Xu Pingyang’s introduction was extremely practiced. "This item is excellent for nourishing the Qi and Blood meridians. In Black Stone City, where such things are priceless and without a market, a specimen of this quality is worth at least a thousand taels of Snowflake Silver. Please accept this humble gift as my apology on behalf of Uncle Liu!"

Su Yu nodded slightly.

’This Xu Pingyang is like a completely different person from yesterday. Right now, he’s the perfect image of an outstanding scion raised by a century-old prestigious family.’

’Not only did he not try to use the Xu family’s influence to strong-arm me, but he also presented a generous gift. He’s clearly a smart man who wants to turn a big issue into a small one, and a small one into nothing.’

Since the other party was being so sensible, Su Yu naturally wouldn’t press the issue and make an enemy for no reason. He went with the flow and closed the lid of the box.

"You’re too kind, Young Master Xu. I accept the sincerity of the Xu family."

Seeing Su Yu accept the valuable gift, a hint of a relaxed smile flashed in Xu Pingyang’s eyes. He was very tactful; having achieved his goal, he didn’t linger. He immediately rose to take his leave.

Not long after seeing Xu Pingyang off, Li Da rushed in again.

"My lord, there’s another person outside asking to see you. It’s a woman wearing a veil, who claims to be from Linglong Tower."

"Show her in."

Su Yu put away the Blood Jade Spirit Ginseng, his mood improving.

’The benefits that come with power can truly be intoxicating sometimes. I just sit at home, and people line up to bring me gifts.’