Chapter 108: Use Their Own Way Against Them

“Who are you?”

“The one who will kill you.”

“You’re asking for death!”

Inside the vast cavern, over a dozen hidden thugs and guards surged forward.

Where the blades cut, limbs flew and blood sprayed.

“You—you’re what kind of person? No martial vein, yet such high martial skill—could you be a Hidden Vein?”

“Uncle, what’s a Hidden Vein?”

“Young master, run quickly—I’ll hold him off.”

The young master was about fifteen, fair-skinned and clean-faced, with gentle eyes and a smiling expression. Walk down any street, and he looked nothing like a human trafficker—more like a wealthy young lord.

Yet this boy led a gang of thugs, committing unspeakable, inhuman crimes in the capital.

The young master must be captured—he cannot be allowed to escape.

The man called “Uncle” was a martial cultivator, a third-rank intermediate martialist.

At this moment, Chen Guanlou’s heart was utterly still. He had long awaited a battle against a third-rank martialist. Yet now that it had come, he felt no ripple.

I can win.

Kill.

In the dark cavern, the blade sliced through, a cold gleam cleaving the shadows, leaving a mark on the stone wall. Shadows swayed with the candlelight; the sharp clang of weapons, muffled groans of men, falling stone dust, the slick, blood-slicked ground…

Seven moves!

One slash—dead!

The man called “Uncle” clutched his severed left arm, pupils dilated, disbelief etched on his face as he slowly collapsed. Blood gushed like a mountain flood.

“Hidden Vein… Hidden Vein…” He stared fixedly at Chen Guanlou, determined to memorize his face before death. A third-rank martialist slain by a Hidden Vein—no disgrace, no disgrace!

Crash!

Fell down!

Dead!

The young master stepped backward, retreating deeper into the cavern—but behind him lay no escape.

He waved his hands frantically. “Don’t come closer! Don’t kill me!”

“Where are the children?” Chen Guanlou advanced slowly, dragging his great blade. Blood dripped steadily from the edge, forming a cruel crimson trail on the ground.

“What person? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Where did you hide the children you kidnapped? Speak!”

“Not here! Truly not here! I’m telling the truth! Don’t kill me—I’ll tell you everything. On the boat—all of them are locked on the boat.”

“What boat?”

“A pavilion boat. On the lake—the pavilion boat. Don’t kill me—I’ll take you to it. Truly, only I can get you aboard. Without me, you won’t find the boat in an hour. After an hour, the boat will sail down the river out of the city. Those children will be gone forever.”

The young master pissed himself—actually did. A stench of urine rose from him.

“If all the children are on the boat, what do you mean by ‘arranging a sale’?”

“It’s—it’s…” The young master hesitated, as if he’d lost his voice.

“Speak!” Chen Guanlou snapped. Had this man not been useful, he’d have already cut him in half.

“It’s like this—the goods this time… no, the children—they vary in quality. The weaker ones must be sold quickly. Keeping them is just wasting food.”

Chen Guanlou’s heart nearly exploded. Every child was born of parents, every child was a parent’s treasure. Yet to these people, children were not human—they were goods, like cattle, horses, pigs, dogs.

Deserve to die!

All of them deserve to die!

“Is the boat yours?”

“No no no—the boat belongs to Brother Qi. We came to the capital to help Brother Qi find goods.”

“Who is Brother Qi?”

“Brother Qi is Brother Qi.”

Thud!

Chen Guanlou was now seething with rage.

The young master cried out in terror: “I really don’t know! I only know he’s Brother Qi—only my father knows his origins!”

“Where is your father?”

“Not in the capital—in our hometown. I swear I’m not lying! If I lie, may I die a terrible death! Don’t kill me—I’m still useful! Brother Qi is extremely powerful, with a whole guard detail. He’s suspicious—he won’t board the boat unless he sees me with his own eyes. You’re strong, but Brother Qi is stronger. I’m telling the truth! Ah… my hand, my hand…”

Chen Guanlou snapped both of the young master’s arms. “Tell me your name and your family’s exact address.”

The young master clearly sensed danger, but clenched his lips, sweating coldly, trembling with fear yet refusing to speak.

Chen Guanlou chuckled, then brought down his blade.

“Aaah! My leg, my leg…”

“Don’t worry—I won’t let you die. I’ve consulted a master of the interrogation chamber on how to make a man endure one hundred and eight tortures without dying.”

He pulled out a dagger, gesturing as if pondering where to cut for the most tender flesh.

The young master stared at him as if facing a demon, dragging his severed leg backward step by step, desperate to flee.

“I’ve heard your traffickers use a method called ‘Cai Sheng’ to profit. Since we have time, why not start with you today? Should I gouge out your eyes first or cut off your ears? Oh—your limbs must be severed. The more gruesome, the more profit, right?”

“No, no… please spare me! I have money—my family has so much! You can’t kill me! If you do, my father, my uncle, my grandfather—they’ll avenge me! They’ll kill you! Kill your whole family! Grind your children into meat paste and feed it to dogs! Ah… my ear—you cut off my ear! You’re dead! You’re dead! Stop! Ah… my foot, my foot’s gone… don’t kill me! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything! I’ll speak…”

Chen Guanlou carried the blood-soaked young master through the night.

The young master’s surname was Hu.

As the old steward had said, the entire family, the entire village, generations upon generations had made their living trafficking people. For decades, even centuries, they had ruined countless children and women, shattered innumerable families. Thanks to this trade, the whole clan lived like wealthy landlords. Every copper coin they spent, every drop they drank, dripped with the tears and blood of countless children and women.

A family of monstrous evil. A village of monstrous evil. Hidden deep in a great mountain, a thousand li from the capital.

Arriving at Zhuque Lake, the water was at its busiest, most dazzling, most alluring hour. The capital’s finest courtesans were all on this lake. The pavilion boats rang with song and laughter; from shore, one could hear their seductive giggles, smell the scent of gold thrown recklessly by wealthy patrons.

“Which boat is Brother Qi’s?”

The blood-drenched Hu family heir, weakly whispered: “Let me go, and I’ll tell you.”

“You still don’t understand the situation. Do you want me to chop off your other foot right now?” Chen Guanlou’s voice was cold. At this moment, he was both ruthless and sinister, radiating a chilling aura of death. Especially his eyes—cold, empty. The Hu family heir saw in them the same emotion as his own torturer: no feeling, only cold-blooded slaughter. Any uncooperative merchandise was brutally tortured, humiliated, until it became a mindless slave—or meat paste.

He was terrified.

“Torch—three times left, three times right, three times up and down.”