Chapter 590: Threat

"Bold!" Pan Yun praised, her gaze sharpening further: "But I have more questions—where are the Japanese pirates you brought up, how do you contact them, and how strong is their force?"

Cen Dachuan stared at her in surprise.

Pan Yun met his gaze directly: "To seek revenge, you must find the masterminds."

Cen Dachuan fell silent.

Pan Yun sneered: "I didn't expect Cen Second Boss to have such loyalty to a band of Japanese pirates, yet show not an ounce of pity for the villagers of Shuangyang and Huaihua Villages? Come to think of it, they were once just like you—fishermen relocated inland during the maritime ban, who spent sixty or seventy years just to take root on that land, only to have their parents, able-bodied men, wives, and children all slaughtered senselessly because of your greed."

Cen Dachuan's face turned pale.

Cen Yuan hurriedly said: "Big Brother Dachuan, just tell her! Those Japanese pirates are ruthless and wicked—they don't deserve your loyalty."

Cen Dachuan let out a heavy sigh: "It's not that I won't tell you—I simply don't know."

He said: "The Boss planned this without my consent. He found them himself. I know little."

Pan Yun: "Tell me whatever you do know."

Cen Dachuan paused a moment before saying: "The leader is a woman named Naito Suzuko—she's some kind of witch?"

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Witch?"

"Yes, I'm sure she's a witch—like the village shamans who dance and chant, all mysterious and secretive, always wrapped in a black cloak, never showing her face," Cen Dachuan said. "The one who dealt with us was Naito Hiromi—he was the one who contacted our Boss."

"They slaughtered the villages—it surprised even us, even our Boss," Cen Dachuan said, his face turning ashen as he recalled the past. "They came saying they only needed to come ashore to find something—but we didn't know what. They just asked us to guide them."

Cen Dachuan paused, then added: "Because I disagreed, the Boss stopped letting me handle this. He only picked a few men from our crew to lead them in, just enough to get them inside."

Pan Yun's mind clicked: "No wonder the coastal navy was unprepared—we couldn't figure out how they slipped past checkpoints and cities. It was you."

"Checkpoints were one thing—disguised as civilians, you could get through with your guidance. But entering and exiting the counties under Quanzhou required travel permits. How did you get them through?"

Cen Dachuan lowered his eyes: "I didn't participate. I don't know."

Pan Yun snorted: "Fine. If you won't talk, I'll just go back to Da Cen Village and capture another sea bandit. One won't speak? I'll capture another…"

She leaned forward, smiling faintly at Cen Dachuan's ashen face: "You've seen my skills—you know I can capture anyone without effort."

Cen Dachuan wasn't foolish—he shook his head slightly: "You won't act inside the village. Da Cen and the neighboring villages are linked. If you cause a disturbance here, all nearby villagers will come running—it could spark a rebellion. Besides, your plans would be exposed. Once the people at sea find out, your scheme collapses. That's why you went to such lengths to lure me out, isn't it?"

"Clever," Pan Yun smiled lightly. "So if I can trick you, can't I trick them too?"

Cen Dachuan frowned.

Pan Yun: "Have you heard the story of the Seven Gourd Children saving their grandfather?"

Cen Dachuan blinked: "What?"

"Legend says in ancient times, a divine vine bore seven magical gourd children, raised by their grandfather. A snake spirit captured the grandfather. The eldest gourd child went first to rescue him—and was captured. Then the second went—and was captured too. One after another, all seven were taken."

Pan Yun smiled faintly at him and whispered: "Cen Second Boss, if you don't return to the village the day after tomorrow, can this snake spirit lure out the remaining ten sea bandits one by one?"

Cen Dachuan's face changed drastically, his breathing ragged.

Moments later, he suddenly realized: "Wait—we have thirteen men. Why did you say ten remaining…?" Then he remembered what Cen Yuan had said that morning—his pupils shrank sharply: "Cen Ermu!"

Pan Yun's lips curled: "Yes. I captured him."

Cen Dachuan's face turned livid, his breath coming fast: "What have you done to him?"

"Relax—he's still alive. But in a few days, who knows?" Pan Yun said. "Actually, I should thank him for his greed. If he hadn't tried to steal my money and come sneaking around at night, this wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Cen Dachuan: …

He instantly understood—and hated Cen Ermu for his greed, yet couldn't abandon him to his fate.

Nor could he let the other brothers fall into Pan Yun's hands.

So he gritted his teeth and looked away: "Money can move even ghosts. With enough money, we have ways in and out."

Pan Yun nodded toward Qu Le and said to Cen Dachuan: "Who is the contact? Give me his name clearly!"

Qu Le immediately pulled out ink and brush to record.

!

Jianghu heroes and Daoist Priests from the Heavenly Master's Mansion will soon arrive in Quanzhou and Fuzhou. To prevent leaks, we must remove these spies in advance.

Betraying allies is a breach of trust—they're not Japanese pirates. Cen Dachuan refused to do it, and fell silent.

Pan Yun: "You won't talk? Then I'll interrogate the other one."

Pan Yun yanked Cen Yuan from behind him, gripped his arm, and slowly squeezed it down—there came a series of cracking sounds. Cen Yuan screamed, clawing desperately at her hand, but couldn't budge it an inch.

Cen Yuan writhed in agony, clutching his other arm as he howled.

Cen Dachuan shot to his feet, glaring furiously at Pan Yun: "If you want to torture someone, torture me—let him go!"

Pan Yun sneered, stood up, and planted her foot squarely on Cen Yuan's knee: "Now you're the meat, I'm the knife. Why should I listen to you?"

"You! Torturing people like this isn't the way of a hero!"

Pan Yun: "Slaughtering entire villages, erasing bloodlines—is that the way of a hero?"

"I…"

Pan Yun pressed harder. Cen Yuan felt nothing in his left arm—terrified she'd cripple his leg too, he screamed: "Big Brother Dachuan, save me—save me!"

"I've already told you everything I know about the Japanese pirates…"

"Not enough!" Pan Yun cut him off, her eyes blazing with fury: "I won't spare a single one of you who guided the Japanese pirates, or the corrupt officials who opened the gates for them!"

Cen Dachuan's face turned black as soot: "You mean to kill so many? By law, they don't deserve death!"

"What crimes they committed? That's for me to judge once I catch them," Pan Yun pressed harder. "Cen Dachuan, you're not the only one who moves in and out of these counties. If I capture enough people, I'll get the information. Do you want them to suffer first—or will you speak now?"

Cen Dachuan said nothing. (End of chapter)