Chapter 661: Confession

Pan Yun walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen had been completely transformed; Dainai Kyouken, bound to a rack, hung his head, while a large pot beside him boiled water.

The water was now boiling, bubbling loudly.

Pan Yun glanced at it as she passed and smiled: "Boiling this much water—so you're going to boil him?"

Chen Liutao chuckled: "Boiling would kill him, so I thought to scald him first, then use an iron comb to strip off his skin and flesh—if done well, you can comb a man down to nothing but bones without killing him."

Dainai Kyouken understood Chinese; his face turned pale, his legs weakened, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow: "Then I must see this for myself."

"Too bad, this opportunity must go to the next person," Chen Liutao said, tilting his chin. "He's confessed."

Pan Yun turned to Dainai Kyouken, took the towel Chen Liutao had used to wipe his hands, and wiped the sweat from his forehead, soothing him: "Don't be sad—it's not cowardice. Even if you don't speak, we'll find out. It's only a matter of time."

She whispered: "Think of it this way—they've killed so many. Their ghosts haunt them. By speaking, you soothe their hatred. Isn't that a good thing?"

Dainai Kyouken's eyes flickered with confusion; he murmured: "So… I'm doing good?"

"Yes, you're doing good. You're not just doing this for yourself," Pan Yun gave Qu Zhixing a glance, then patted Dainai Kyouken's shoulder. "You're soothing the ghosts' hatred—you're saving those who committed crimes."

Qu Zhixing stepped forward, untying his ropes as he spoke: "Tell us again—how did they find you?"

Pan Yun and Chen Liutao stepped out of the kitchen.

Chen Liutao asked softly: "Do you think we can dig deeper?"

Pan Yun: "Asking one more time never hurts."

"If this really pulls in Dainai Jiaohong…"

"Kill him. Even if we can't kill him, we must know the truth—know who our enemy is. We'll record it in the annals. If I can't kill him today, can't I kill him tomorrow?" Pan Yun said. "If I can't kill him, can't someone after me?"

Chen Liutao nodded slightly, then quietly reported what they'd extracted.

"The woman in the cloak is Dainai Yazi, Dainai Jiaohong's younger sister. She cultivates the Divine Way," Chen Liutao said. "Although Dainai Kyouken has always been a ronin, wandering freely, he's secretly served the Dainai clan all along—as a hidden operative in their escort fleet. Last year, his superior summoned him and handed him over directly to Dainai Yazi."

"He only follows orders and knows little. Dainai Yazi said the Dainai clan has reached a critical moment—whether they can crush the Shanming, Niiro, and Mao Li clans depends entirely on whether they can borrow fortune."

Pan Yun spun around sharply, her face dark: "Borrow fortune?"

"Yes. They calculated somehow and found three places most favorable for the Dainai clan to borrow fortune—one lies between Shuangyang Village and Huaihua Village in Quanzhou," Chen Liutao said. "Their method of borrowing fortune seems to require blood sacrifice… which is why they massacred the villages."

Pan Yun: "So-called borrowing fortune is actually theft! Stealing someone else's luck for one's own use."

Pan Yun sneered: "They're confident indeed. The borrowing-fortune arrays I know are conducted in secret, terrified of being noticed by the victim. But they? They just kill people outright… Do they think they're borrowing land fortune, not human fortune?"

Pan Yun looked at Chen Liutao.

Chen Liutao spread his hands: "I don't understand."

"I know you don't. What about Seeing Miao Zhen?" Pan Yun looked around for Seeing Miao Zhen.

Seeing Miao Zhen was there too—she might remember.

"Keep going. Where are the other two places?"

Chen Liutao paused, then continued: "He doesn't know."

Pan Yun stopped walking and turned to him.

"He truly doesn't know," Chen Liutao said. "But these two places are likely in Wa Country. It's top secret. If not for his participation in the last tribute trade voyage, and his several landings with pirates, if he didn't speak Chinese and several southeastern coastal dialects, Dainai Yazi wouldn't have chosen him—and he wouldn't have known this."

Pan Yun understood: "His rank is too low."

"Right. Dainai Yazi brought her own people. He was only responsible for their security and followed her orders to prepare supplies. Everything he's told us now is inferred from overhearing Dainai Yazi and her people talk."

"So he doesn't even know if Dainai Jiaohong was involved?"

Chen Liutao nodded: "He doesn't know. But his superior, Tao Honghu, definitely does."

"Whether he knows or not, since fortune is involved—and it's his own sister's doing—it's all on him," Pan Yun declared outright.

Chen Liutao: "Then…"

"Make this public. Next, we move against the Dainai clan—no mercy. Even if we meet Dainai Jiaohong, we take his life."

Chen Liutao agreed, then asked: "What do we do with Dainai Kyouken? Kill him?"

"Not yet. We might need him later. While he's still afraid, ask more about the Dainai clan's military strength."

Chen Liutao nodded: "When do we strike?"

Pan Yun gave him a faint smile: "Can't wait? Don't worry—it'll be soon."

She said soon, and soon it was: the next day they moved, the day after they reached the border between Shanming and Dainai territories.

Of course, they weren't alone—Shanming's samurai were there too.

To show seriousness, Shanming Chifeng sent his son, Shanming Xiuqi, with Yitian Xintai as his aide, specifically assigned to cooperate with friendly guests and heroes from the Celestial Kingdom.

Shanming Xiuqi was a youth of sixteen or seventeen.

Though young, he was already a father of two.

He wore a sword at his waist and, upon meeting Pan Yun, immediately challenged her to a duel.

"I've studied samurai techniques from across Wa Country, but never the martial arts of Great Ming warriors. I beg you, Daoist Pan, to grant me your instruction." He reached for his sword.

Pan Yun disliked his habit of drawing blades so readily, so she asked: "When you fought those samurai, who won?"

Shanming Xiuqi scowled: "Of course I won!"

Pan Yun glanced at his weak stance and thought: Wa samurai must be quite considerate—how could they lose to such a weakling?

She swept her eyes over the watching heroes and Shanming samurai—all eyes fixed on the spectacle.

They'd gotten their show: even she hesitated—how should she fight?

She absolutely couldn't lose, but winning too cleanly might be bad.

Too disrespectful to Shanming Xiuqi.

Seeing Pan Yun distracted as she prepared to fight, Shanming Xiuqi roared in fury, gripped his sword with both hands, and charged at her.

Pan Yun lifted her foot—CRASH—he flew backward and slammed into a tree. (End of chapter)