Chapter 692: with translation of chapter title

Wushuang and a few people dragged the Qiang People Elder down, fetched several buckets of water, and directly poured it over his head, simply and roughly giving him a bath.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Wuji also prepared his interrogation methods.

He lit a pile of fire, placed a dagger on the side, and added an iron scratcher he had just brought from the manor; these were all leftover items from the former owner of that manor.

Chen Wuji had originally wanted to find a branding iron, but failing to find one, he could only make do with this scratcher.

After all, in Chen Wuji's view, there really isn't much difference between the two.

Regardless of whether it's a white cat or a black cat, catching the mouse makes it a good cat.

And at this moment, the cleaned Qiang person was brought before Chen Wuji.

Now the smell had finally lessened, and Chen Wuji dared to breathe.

Otherwise, that earlier smell was truly unbearable.

"What is his name?" Chen Wuji glanced at the other party and asked.

"Replying to the Family Head, this person's name is Zhezhi, and he is the great elder of the Zhezhi settlement of Zhong Qiang."

Chen Wuji nodded; the names of the Qiang people are usually simple, mostly based on heaven, earth, mountains, waters, and ancestral faith.

And their naming convention is even simpler.

Most often, they take the ancestor's name as the name of the settlement or clan; later generations use the ancestor's name as a suffix until the family splits, after which they use their own name for the settlement or clan, continually branching downward.

This Qiang elder, who looks about forty years old, is named Zhezhi, and his settlement also bears the name Zhezhi; this can only mean that he has just split off from a larger clan to establish his own small settlement.

"Elder Zhezhi, you have just split your family; surely you don't want all your clansmen to be turned into a victory monument by me, do you?" Chen Wuji asked with a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth, "You should know my title and be aware of my methods; I have no interest in joking with people like you."

Zhezhi's expression was cold and arrogant; he closed his eyes to rest his spirit and said nothing.

Although he is now a Prisoner of the Steps, bound hand and foot and kneeling before Chen Wuji.

Yet he appeared as calm as an old monk entering meditation, as if he completely disregarded Chen Wuji.

"I have seen many Qiang people, but someone like Elder Zhezhi is still the first."

Chen Wuji praised in a sentence, feeling moved as he said, "To be honest, I actually admire you a little. For the sake of everyone, you abandoned your small family; you have real backbone. But I need to tell you that people with such backbone usually don't end well."

"No one will remember what you did for your clan; they only know that you and your settlement have all become a victory monument, a complete and utter failure, a bunch of incompetents!"

Elder Zhezhi's eyelid twitched suddenly; he opened his eyes wide, his eyes blazing with furious anger, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "You're full of shit!"

"Whether I've farted or not, you surely know in your heart." Chen Wuji, with a calm demeanor, picked up the dagger that had just been heated in the fire until it glowed slightly red.

"No one will thank you for your sacrifice, nor will anyone understand the pain you endure; that's human nature."

"If you won't speak, fine; anyway, Langdu can be defeated by me once, and he can be defeated a second time. Even with his mighty aura leading a hundred-thousand-strong army, he returned in defeat; how many troops could he still muster against me? Could Zhong Qiang still scrape together another hundred-thousand-strong army?"

Chen Wuji spoke slowly, like an experienced storyteller, leisurely and casually narrating the tale he wanted to tell, offhandedly, and completely disregarding Zhezhi.

"Say something, give me some convenience, and I can give you some convenience in return. For example, I could spare your clan, allowing you to lead your settlement westward to migrate, away from the ravages of war."

"Even if Zhong Qiang were to establish a state, it could not hide the fact that its fortune is nearing its end. People like you are surely clear-headed; you should know this in your heart, so don't make a pointless struggle. At this point, wouldn't preserving your clan be the wiser choice?"

Elder Zhezhi still remained silent, merely curling the corner of his mouth with a hint of disdain.

After Chen Wuji had spoken for half a day, the only response he got was this.

Thus, he decisively abandoned that option.

Interrogating prisoners, after all, there are many methods.

He rose, walked to Zhezhi's side, and lightly traced the dagger, still bearing a hint of red light, across Zhezhi's face.

Sizzle!

The contact of fire and flesh quickly burst forth with a fierce resonance.

A smell of scorched hair and skin spread out at the same time.

Elder Zhezhi's face showed pain as he clenched his teeth tightly; it felt as if his cheekbones were about to pierce through his skin.

He stared hard at Chen Wuji, eyes wide, seemingly intending to intimidate Chen Wuji in this way.

Chen Wuji clicked his tongue lightly, sneered contemptuously, and said, "If you won't drink the toast, then you'll only be able to eat this thing. Let's change our approach and talk slowly; I have plenty of time now—I'll end this whenever you die."

"However, you needn't worry about dying quickly; this won't take your life that fast, you still have a long time."

Chen Wuji pressed the dagger down harder, and the sizzling sound immediately became clearer.

Instantly, Elder Zhezhi's veins bulged all over his body as his cheeks twitched wildly from the intense pain.

"Think it over—what can you tell me later?" Chen Wuji said leisurely, "You've made my hands dirty, so the conditions aren't as simple as before. You may choose how you die, but one shouldn't be too selfish, right? Shouldn't you protect your clan when it's needed?"

Elder Zhezhi gritted his teeth and endured, giving no response, not even a groan.

This fellow's bones are indeed quite hard.

The sizzling of the dagger against flesh and skin ceased, and the temperature had dropped.

Chen Wuji removed the dagger, placed it back into the fire, and then switched to the iron scratcher.

"Take off his shoes!" Chen Wuji barked.

"Here!"

The Personal Guard stepped forward and roughly stripped off Zhezhi's clothes.

Chen Wuji brought over a stool, sat facing Zhezhi, and placed the red-hot iron scratcher on Zhezhi's sole.

"Ah—"

The tough Elder Zhezhi, this time finally unable to bear it, bellowed out a series of miserable screams.

"Don't be nervous, it won't take your life that quickly." Chen Wuji said with a light smile.

"I intend to use this thing to poke a few holes in your palms and soles; although it does hurt a bit, you really needn't worry about losing your life—it won't happen, and I can guarantee you on this small matter."

"You…… ah—"

Elder Zhezhi shouted in heart-rending agony.

No one knew what he wanted to say; in any case, he only managed to utter a single "you" before being cut off.

"Right, using this to poke holes might take a little time, but don't worry about bleeding—you won't shed a drop." Chen Wuji thoughtfully reminded him, then handed the iron scratcher to Chen Wushuang, "You attend to him; remember to look after our Elder Zhezhi. I'll take a break; I'm a bit bored."

"Yes!"

"This guy's foot odor is rather strong; it made Chen Wuji feel a bit uncomfortable."