Chapter 996

Fifth Lord is a typical tough guy; regardless of whether he has any real substance, Chen Wushuang, this interrogation newbie, is clearly being played.

The embarrassing part is that Chen Wuji has no one under him specialized in this area; facing such a tough nut, harder than a stone in a latrine, he can only feel his way across the river by touching stones.

This situation is roughly equivalent to a sect leader's disciple going down the mountain for training and immediately encountering the great elder of the demon sect; whether the experience can be made up is debatable, but the challenge is definitely top‑notch.

"You want to eat Fatty Madame's roasted rabbit, right?" Chen Wuji asked through the bars.

Fifth Lord sucked on a big yellow tooth and gave a disdainful smile, "Yes, I'm just craving that bite of roasted rabbit. Get it for me, let the Laborers enjoy a good meal, then we can talk about anything. As a Prisoner of the Steps, I still have some sense; the Marquis wants to know, I'll not only tell you but also strive to achieve great merit to save my life."

"But, as a Marquis, if you can't even satisfy this small request of mine, then you can't blame this petty man for preferring death to submission, right? I truly crave that bite, I'm really hungry. I don't know what's wrong with this godforsaken place; my mouth is completely uncontrollable, the craving scratches my heart and lungs."

Chen Wuji gave a light chuckle, "What you say makes sense, but Fatty Madame has moved away, so you're definitely not getting that bite."

"I'll give you two choices: eat something else to satisfy your craving and fill your five viscera temples, or if you insist, I can only send you to death."

"I am a mounted general; the secret you speak of is merely an adjunct to me. If I can get it, great; if not, it doesn't affect my warfare. You're a smart person; you should understand what I'm saying."

Fifth Lord stared at Chen Wuji with an uncertain gaze for a moment, then suddenly shouted in frustration, "How many years has Fatty Madame's family lived in this Liu Min Ji? How could they possibly just pick up and leave?"

"Marquis, it's just a bite of food; you don't need to treat this petty man so contemptuously. I'm truly hungry, not trying to oppose you. Don't believe me? Ask that wooden block beside you—he's been tortured for three days, and I've told him everything I should."

"Huo Wudi indeed has my gratitude for saving my life and for his patronage, but I endured three days of severe torture without uttering a word, which is already very gracious toward him. I cannot possibly let myself die under torture just to keep his secrets."

Chen Wushuang's eyes turned icy, "Who are you calling a wooden block?"

"You! Who else could I be talking about? You might be good at other things, but when it comes to playing with people's hearts, you're a complete wooden block, not the slightest bit!" Fifth Lord held nothing back, baring his big yellow tooth as spit flew, giving Chen Wushuang a thorough critique.

Chen Wuji raised his hand to stop the furious Chen Wushuang, "A prisoner critiquing the judge—this is also a rare sight, but I think what he said makes sense."

Chen Wuji raised his hand to stop the furious Chen Wushuang, "A prisoner judging the chief referee—this is also a rare sight, but I think what he said makes sense."

Chen Wushuang gave Fifth Lord a vicious look, then straightened his waist with force, turning himself into a spear once again.

"Fatty Madame is indeed not in the city anymore; not just her family, over half the townspeople have left, and I arranged it!" Chen Wuji said.

Fifth Lord suddenly burst into wailing, beating his chest and stamping his feet, practically beating himself until he vomited blood wildly.

This guy, after three days of severe torture, was already covered head to toe in wounds; he's also truly ruthless, sparing no mercy on himself as his fists pounded his chest boom boom, like tamping earth with a horse.

After all that tossing about, exhausted, Fifth Lord collapsed weakly onto the ground, his eyes vacant as he stared at the ceiling, "My big madam… you… you just left like that? You said you'd bear me a child! How could you fall asleep and then slip away without a word… I only slept once, and even a night's sleep doesn't guarantee a child, damn it!"

After all that tossing about, exhausted, the Fifth Lord finally slumped powerlessly onto the floor, his eyes vacant as he stared at the ceiling, "My dear aunt, you… you just left like that? You said you'd bear me a child! How could you fall asleep and then slip away without a word… I only slept once, and even a nap doesn't guarantee you'll give me a child!"

Chen Wushuang et al.: ……

Everyone's expression at this moment was wonderfully vivid.

Including Chen Wuji, everyone actually just believed Fifth Lord truly craved Fatty Madame's roasted rabbit—meaning, what he craved wasn't the rabbit to eat, but to suck.

Including Chen Wuji, everyone had just truly believed the Fifth Lord was genuinely craving the plump aunt's roasted rabbit—actually, the rabbit he craved wasn't for eating, but for sucking.

"Want to see Fatty Madame?" Chen Wuji suddenly asked.

Fifth Lord jerked upright as if revived, "Marquis, can you help me?"

"What grounds do I have to help you?"

"Right, right, right—what grounds? Because I truly have a lot of intel on that bastard Huo Wudi, Marquis. How about this deal? You release me, let me reunite with my madam—if not reunite, at least let her leave me an heir! Then I'll tell you everything about Huo Wudi."

"Exactly, exactly, what right do you have—based on my truly having lots of intel on that bastard Huo Wudi, Marquis, how about this condition? Release me, let me reunite with the aunt; even if we don't reunite, have her leave me an heir! Then I'll tell you everything I know about Huo Wudi!"

"Marquis, it's not bargaining; I'm scared. My life is literally in your hands—if I tell you everything and you then turn around and take my life, wouldn't this poor man die unjustly?"

"Either you talk, or you die. If what you say is valuable enough, I can arrange for someone to let you meet Fatty Madame."

Chen Wuji never expected that this tough guy would actually be a lovesick fool.

Fifth Lord looked at Chen Wuji hesitantly, "Marquis, I have no choice?"

"You never had a choice to begin with—hurry up, I don't have time to waste here chatting nonsense."

Fifth Lord, eyes red, nodded firmly, "Fine, I'll go all in—wooden block, shout for someone to take notes!"

"You son of a bitch, what are you saying?" Chen Wushuang exploded in anger.

"General Chen, please have someone take notes—I really know a lot." Fifth Lord wiped the blood from his mouth corner and said with a grin.

Chen Wushuang's face flushed green then purple from anger, but with Chen Wuji present he couldn't lash out; he sternly ordered someone to prepare the record.

Fifth Lord grinned, hehe-ing twice, full of self‑satisfaction.

Even in Chen Wuji's presence, this guy had no concealment whatsoever.

Soon, everything was ready.

Fifth Lord sat cross‑legged in the cell, glanced at the two military officers holding brushes, and said, "Marquis, I'll speak about the key points—should be fine, right? The less important stuff, the wooden block already knows."

The Fifth Lord sat cross-legged in the prison cell, glanced at the two military officers holding brushes, and said, "Marquis, I'll speak only of the crucial points—should be fine, right? The non‑essential stuff, the blockhead already knows."

Chen Wushuang seemed to have turned his thoughts as well; shouting "wooden block" at Fifth Lord elicited no reaction—he didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"The Snake Staff Old Man, this bastard's fake name is Huo Wudi—a name many know, but it's definitely false, and he's probably from the Jingji region." Fifth Lord began to speak.

"When I first met him, his accent was thick, but now you can't hear it at all. Our relationship is decent; I'd say it's the level of old friends—we occasionally drink and chat, but we don't confide in each other, and he trusts me quite a bit."

"He once let slip that his backer is a big figure in the Jingji region, one with the potential of a dragon—basically, he's been giving me love potions. Still, I've always liked drinking that brew; we're not exactly law‑abiding types, so of course we also want to gain merit by following the dragon."

「He once inadvertently revealed that his backer masterZi was a big shot in the Jingji region, possessing the aura of a potential dragon; bluntly put, he was just giving me a love potion. However, I've always quite enjoyed drinking this soup, and we were never the law-abiding type, so of course I also wanted to gain merit by following the dragon. 」