***Dida... Dida... Dida…***

How long has this dripping movement lasted, from the initial crisp-like pearls falling on a jade plate to the now soft-like water and milk blending together?

Two hours? Or three hours?

Although every fifteen minutes, someone would come down with a lantern to inspect, Landlord Wu couldn't remember how many times that person had already come down.

Because as soon as he recalled these details, he felt like his head had been hit by a stick, numb, sore, and with a hint of bone-etched itching, making him want to scream and chop open his skull, so he could scratch it with his hands!

However, he couldn't do anything.

Not to mention the tightly bound limbs, even the tongue in the mouth was pressed tightly against the chin by a flat copper tube that resembled a spoon.

As soon as he thought of this copper tube, Landlord Wu's chest, which was short of breath and stuffy, began to churn again.

At this moment, he could no longer afford to think recklessly and was busy concentrating to suppress the nausea of flipping the river and the sea, because his previous experience had already proven that the result of vomiting would only be self-inflicted!

After finally suppressing the feeling of vomiting, Landlord Wu regained his leisure and pondered his current situation.

*I'm probably going to die soon, right?*

Numbness in limbs, chest tightness and shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, splitting headaches, and even the only ear that could function normally was crazily chirping.

All of this made Landlord Wu extremely convinced that his death was approaching, and the sound of blood dripping behind him was the death knell that urged him to step towards hell.

***Click... click…***

At this moment, a faint sound seemed to come from a very far place. Immediately afterward, a dim and bright color caught the eye of Landlord Wu.

Was it time to visit again?

How many times was this?

Was it the eighth, ninth, or tenth time?

Mr. Wu couldn’t remember clearly, but he had a feeling in his heart that this might be the last time he would see light in his life!

Therefore, no matter how dizzy he was, he still desperately opened his eyes and greedily stared at the dim yellow light.

"If you want to live, just speak up."

It wasn't until a man's voice came from within reach that Landlord Wu suddenly realized that the person had already arrived in front of him.

*‘If you want to live, just speak up!’*

*‘If you want to live, just speak…’*

*‘If you want to live…’*

*‘If…’*

That person probably only said one thing, but in the mind of Landlord Wu, it was full of *'echoes!'*

Subsequently, there was a fierce conflict between the desire for survival and the will to believe.

This kind of conflict was not the first time, and Landlord Wu had already found a way to resist. He desperately recalled the scene of his parents and relatives being slaughtered by the official army, the grace of the Holy Sect's life, and…

However, this time the desire for survival was much stronger than the one exchanged between them!

In addition, waves of excruciating pain hit his head, tearing apart those distant memories, to the point where he could hardly bear it and wanted to comply with the fear in his heart, begging for mercy like a wild dog.

Being helpless, Landlord Wu had no choice but to offer a trump card in his heart.

His wife didn't even give in to these lackeys. As a dignified man, could he not compare to a weak woman?!

No!

Never!

He was a man

"He... He..."

Just as Landlord Wu was desperately suppressing his desire for survival, a vague moan suddenly came into his ear.

Next came a surprised voice, "What, you want to confess?"

Did he accidentally let out a moan?!

This was the first thought that came to Landlord Wu, in a daze. However, he soon realized that it was not so, because, in addition to the faint sound, there was also a rustling sound of iron chains shaking in his ears.

This kind of movement, when initially trying to break free, Landlord Wu didn't know how many times he had heard it, but the problem was that he wasn't struggling at all right now!

Was it Xu Juan?!

Did she actually... actually want to betray the brothers and sisters of the Holy Sect?!

"Okay, okay, I'll take you out to stop the bleeding now."

The surprised voice rang out again, instantly confirming Landlord Wu's guess, and then a raging anger rose from his chest.

He didn't even know why he was angry, and all he could think of was a question, *‘How dare you betray the Holy Sect?!’*

So he no longer had any scruples, but also sobbed and struggled excitedly. He wished he could bite the copper-chewing head in his mouth and swallow it, fearing that it would cause his intestines to rot. As long as he could question Xu in person, he could be considered dead with no regrets!

Unexpectedly, the movement behind him suddenly became intense, as if Xu was afraid that his struggling movements would cover up her plea for mercy.

*This bitch, this damn bitch!*

Landlord Wu roared in his heart, and suddenly a blow fell on the back of his head. His already vague consciousness suddenly came to an end…

In a daze, he didn’t know how long it had been.

Landlord Wu felt some warm liquid sliding down his tongue and soaking his dry throat.

He instinctively swallowed two bites, but his teeth bit on something hard.

This should be the chewy head worn by those dog thieves of the Dragon Guard.

However, the copper tube pressing against the tongue has already been pulled away.

*Wait!*

It seemed that Xu Juan had already…

Landlord Wu suddenly opened his eyes, and the first thing that caught his eye was a dazzling light.

He instinctively squinted his eyes and saw the person holding the lamp hastily take a half step back. Although it was not very clear, the white and symmetrical body was wrapped in a qilin delivery bag, which made Landlord Wu instantly confirm her identity.

"Juan'er..."

Landlord Wu was dry and vague. When he uttered these two words, he saw that Xu seemed to be frightened and turned her head to run towards the door.

"Juan'er!"

Landlord Wu exerted all his strength and shouted again. Xu finally stopped but did not turn back. Instead, she turned her back on her husband and murmured three words, "Yes... I'm sorry."

Before the words could be finished, the person had already escaped.

***Sigh***

Landlord Wu, who had fallen back into the darkness, couldn't help but let out a long sigh as he looked up at the sky. However, he no longer had the initial anger, leaving only a sense of despair and relief. He was in such a situation and almost couldn't bear it. He wanted to confess, let alone his wife, a weak and inexperienced woman.

It was okay!

If it were not a big deal, he would sacrifice himself and repay her some karma.

As he thought about it, he saw the curtain of the door lift and someone walked in with a lantern. The leader was a towering iron tower, and he was undoubtedly the famous *’Divine Judgement’* in the Capital.

After Sun Shaozong entered the door, he hooked a stool with his toes and sat down in front of the bed, smiling and asking, "Landlord Wu, your esteemed wife has chosen to turn her back on the dark, but I don't know what you're thinking now."

***Spit!***

His wife has already betrayed the Holy Sect, and no matter how much they kept their mouths shut, it would be of no use. Landlord Wu no longer has any worries in his heart and immediately cursed loudly, "Don't be proud, you bandit. Even if I die without a burial ground, I won't recognize a thief as my father!"

"Now that this puppet court is facing internal and external troubles, one day you will become a prisoner of our Holy Sect. At that time, I will be in the underworld, waiting to see how you cannot survive or die!"

Upon hearing that he was still so stubborn at such a time, the two Dragon Guards who followed in couldn't help but look angry.

Sun Shaozong, however, remained unchanged in his smile and shook his head slightly, saying, "Landlord Wu, since your esteemed wife has already agreed to confess, what is the point of refusing someone a thousand miles away like this?"

***Hmph!***

Landlord Wu sneered and said, "Since that's the case, why do you need to ask me again?"

He blurted out these words, and immediately his messy mind flashed with some doubts. Since Xu Juan had already agreed to confess, why was Sun Shaozong still interrogating him?

Sun Shaozong said, "Of course, it's to investigate and fill in the gaps, and confirm the authenticity of the confession. Although your wife may not dare to fabricate things, the greater the grasp, the better. Otherwise, if we startle the snake with grass, wouldn't our previous efforts be in vain?"

This explanation was quite reasonable.

Landlord Wu grinned and revealed the bronze-mouthed ball covered in saliva. With a grim expression on his face, he asked in response, "Do you think I will be obedient and at your mercy?"

***Tch!***

Sun Shaozong smacked his lips, changed his lazy sitting posture, shook his head, and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to make a decision. At least, you should consider your current situation first."

Situation?

What situation did he still have at the moment?

Landlord Wu sneered inwardly and tried to tilt his head to the inside to show that he didn't want to hear Sun Shaozong's next nonsense, while also studying the possibility of committing suicide by hitting a wall.

"Firstly,..."

Regardless of whether he cooperated or not, Sun Shaozong's calm voice was still clear in his ears, "Whether you ultimately choose to be frank and lenient, or resist and be strict, the White Lotus Sect will receive news that you have betrayed. Even if they don't believe it at first, as long as your wife participates in a few actions of our North Town Governor, this matter will likely come to fruition."

"Shameless! You damn thing..."

Landlord Wu suddenly turned around and was about to curse when a copper tube was forcefully inserted into his mouth, firmly securing his tongue to his chin.

"Anyway."

Sun Shaozong's voice was still impeccable, just like the copper tube he had personally inserted, "You have memorized the name of this apostasy. Every member of the White Lotus Sect who learns of this will despise you greatly; every person associated with you will be retaliated against by the White Lotus Sect."

"Of course."

A hint of a smile appeared on Sun Shaozong's face. "If you are willing to turn your back on the dark and make enough contributions, our North Town Governor is not unable to come forward and help protect your relatives and friends."

Before he could finish speaking, he heard the wooden bed creaking and shaking, the iron chains clattering, and even the mouthpiece being bitten by Landlord Wu with a gurgling sound.

Sun Shaozong gave a glance, and the Dragon Guard beside him immediately stepped forward and pulled the copper tube out of the mouthpiece.

***Spit!***

Just as Landlord Wu spat fiercely and roared angrily, "My family was all killed by you eagle dog bastards as early as seventeen years ago..."

The copper tube returned to its original position, and the roar came to an abrupt end.

***Cough!***

Even with Sun Shaozong's temperament, he couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed after causing such an uproar. After clearing his throat, he continued, "The more it is like this, the more you should cherish the only remaining family around him."

"Besides, even if your parents are in the underworld, they may not necessarily hope that you will die in vain and carry a lot of curses on your shoulders."

Upon hearing the words, Landlord Wu struggled fiercely again. However, Sun Shaozong did not give him the opportunity to speak up this time and continued, "In fact, if you think about it differently, if you abandon the dark and make contributions to the public, and in the future, you will receive a reward from the court, and you couple will return home in glory, it is a consolation for the ancestors of the Wu family."

This kind of rhetoric, even Sun Shaozong himself felt a bit far-fetched, but there was no way. Who would have thought that Landlord Wu was a victim?

He needed to find some words first to round this matter up.

The following were what Sun Shaozong originally intended to say to him.

"I know, maybe you're thinking of dying a hundred times, but can this death give you relief?"

"Let's not talk about others, let's talk about your wife first."

"The Hundred Household Inspector Yang once said that even in the face of the threat of insulting your wife, you would grit your teeth and refuse to say a word. But what if your wife voluntarily sacrifices herself, or accepts it naturally?"

Landlord Wu's struggle became so intense again that Sun Shaozong had to order someone to suppress him before continuing, "You're probably trying to refute me, thinking that your wife would never be so shameless, right?"

"But don't forget, now she is different from before. To survive, she is willing to betray her comrades, betray your Sect..."

Sun Shaozong leaned forward slightly and looked straight at the bloodshot eyes of the Landlord Wu, saying, "Even willing to betray you!"

After a moment of pause, Sun Shaozong saw a hint of panic and unease in the angry expression of Landlord Wu. He then sat back comfortably and continued to speak in a plain and ordinary tone, "After experiencing these things, how can you guarantee that she won't betray her body to continue living?"

"A woman from the White Lotus Sect, without the protection of a man, still has some beauty..."

"You should also know that not all the people in the Northern Detective Department are pure-minded gentlemen. For them, it may be to vent their frustrations, to meditate, or to seek revenge."

"The purpose is not important; what is important is that due to your wife’s background and weakness, they will not have much scruples to speak of."

"Faced with the successive pressures, your wife would either rather die than comply, or compromise like today and sell her body halfway."

"Considering her choice today, I think the latter is more likely. Do you think so?"

"Of course, she will definitely regret it, cry, and even silently recite your name under different men."

"As time goes by, she may become accustomed to actively exchanging her body for something, or she may just keep pushing and pushing."

"Until one day, she will come to your grave with a big belly, light incense candles, and pray, saying that after the child is born, she will let him follow your surname, Wu."

"How is it? Do you feel very touched? Do you feel that deep down in her heart, she still remembers you?"

"Haha, but the reason that the child chose the surname *'Wu'* is likely just because even your wife herself can’t figure out whose offspring the child is!"

At this point, Sun Shaozong finally stopped and then gave a glance to the Dragon Guard Colonel beside him.

"You beast, donkey dog..."

At the moment the copper tube was pulled out, countless dirty words gushed out of Landlord Wu's mouth, and even the spitting stars were mixed with crimson blood.

Sun Shaozong remained indifferent until Landlord Wu couldn't catch his breath. He then replied with a smile, "Continue cursing until you feel the pleasure. Then, think carefully about whether you want to return home with your esteemed wife in luxury, or die meaningless without closing your eyes."

After speaking, he stopped looking at Landlord Wu, got up, and walked straight to the door.