62: Chapter Fifty-Nine: Hundred Punishments of the Black Scales 62: Chapter Fifty-Nine: Hundred Punishments of the Black Scales Hearing Manager Li’s quite confident words, Xu Yuan felt a headache coming on.
Wait for the protagonist to come out of the Changhong Valley instance and kill you all?
Xu Yuan felt somewhat helpless.
To say that these subordinates were brainlessly foolish would not be entirely fair, after all, they did not have the God’s-eye view that he once had.
Lack of information, rules, and some conventional wisdom made their current judgment seem normal.
Xu Yuan did not yet know how big the gap was between Eighth Grade and Seventh Grade, but he had a rough idea of the gap between Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade.
Not considering physical improvement, the storage of Origin Qi at Ninth Grade was only one third of that at Eighth Grade, and the speed of cultivation technique operation was half as slow.
With such a disparity, two Seventh Grade leaders and a group of Eighth Grade followers being wiped out could only mean that Qin Mo truly deserved to be the protagonist.
However, Qin Mo’s visit to Changhong Valley did let him confirm which path the other was taking.
The Grandfather Route.
Murphy’s Law did not deceive me.
The reason for the protagonist’s trip to Changhong Valley this time was simple,
Guidance from the grandfather.
Within Changhong Valley, there was a secret realm, and inside that realm, there was a spiritual medicine that could help the grandfather recover his Soul Power.
Besides helping the grandfather with him, following the protagonist’s principle of never leaving a dungeon empty-handed, Qin Mo would also greatly enhance his own strength after fighting monsters, consuming medicines, and leveling up inside that secret realm.
According to the Cang Yuan plot, this power was just enough to confront those Xu Residence guards blocking the door.
Fighting all the way through, using all sorts of methods, ultimately leading to a confrontation with the original self waiting at the entrance of the valley.
Yes, Changhong Valley was one of the places where the original self’s bones were buried.
In the Cang Yuan storyline of the Grandfather Route, the original self took Su Jinxuan and his followers to wait for the protagonist at the entrance of Changhong Valley.
The plan was to kill Qin Mo in front of Su Jinxuan so she would give up on him.
Then he ended up getting killed instead.
As the thoughts flashed through his mind, Xu Yuan promptly gave an order:
“Have those guards return.”
“Ah?” Manager Li was somewhat stunned.
Xu Yuan stared at him for two seconds and repeated:
“I said, have them come back.”
Manager Li did not understand but quickly bowed and responded:
“Yes, Third Young Master.”
Xu Yuan snorted coldly and pointed towards the gate in front.
Seeing this, Manager Li knew this was the Third Young Master instructing him to carry out the order, and with a bow, he said:
“Third Young Master, this old servant will take care of it right away, and I shall take my leave for now.”
After speaking, Manager Li bowed again and quickly left.
Watching the other vanish around the corner, Xu Yuan walked forward with his eyes downcast.
He felt somewhat nauseous.
The Qin Mo of the Grandfather Route was like a hedgehog, and now, there was also the unknown Qin Weijiu lurking in the dark.
Even with Ying’er and three other Great Grandmasters following him, trying to block the door and forcibly kill the other was not very realistic, and there was even a chance he would get counter-killed.
An image of a large black ice lump unconsciously surfaced in Xu Yuan’s mind.
Unless Ran Qingmo came to find him at this point in time.
After all, he had said when they parted that if she found no other way to save the Sword Sect, she could come find him in Jingjiang Prefecture.
Using a favor to get her help, he estimated that they could then directly head to Changhong Valley to block the door.
Of course, that was just a thought.
Expecting Ran Qingmo to come to him, Xu Yuan might as well hope that the old man in the Imperial Capital would be more appreciative of Qin Mo.
That “grandfather” was a revered Saint in his lifetime.
One must transcend beyond the supreme to become a Saint.
He proceeded in silence from the northwestern courtyard to the lakeside wetlands.
The cold winter breeze from the lake brushed against his face,
As Xu Yuan walked ahead, looking at the secret reports, with Ying’er following behind.
A light smile appeared on the corner of Xu Yuan’s lips.
After reading the secret report, his mood suddenly improved a great deal.
The situation on Su Jinxuan’s end was almost exactly as he had guessed.
Moreover, he discovered the species known as ‘useless teammates’ was not unique to his side.
There were quite a few greedy fools among Mr.
Qin’s subordinates as well.
With a thought, he stored the secret report in the Sumeru Ring and Xu Yuan asked aloud,
“Ying’er, did you go see that seductress just now?”
Ying’er replied softly, “I haven’t seen her yet, but I have asked the maidservant who looks after her.”
“How is the situation?”
“It seems like there are some mental issues, even if you remove the restraints, she just shrinks in the corner of the bed without speaking.”
Hearing this, Xu Yuan wasn’t too surprised.
It could only be said to be as expected.
In his previous life, someone confined in an active punishment cell for three days could be driven mad, let alone being unable to move while deeply sunk into a soft bed.
The deathly silence of such seemingly endless solitude driving one mad was not strange at all.
After a pause, Xu Yuan said quietly,
“The duration of this torture shouldn’t be too long; it can drive people insane.”
Ying’er nodded slightly, her voice fluctuating a bit,
“Mmm, I just asked the maidservant who feeds her the Spiritual Spring water.
She said the one with the Enchantress Divine Physique has been in extreme pain this past ten days, constantly twisting and struggling on the bed until exhaustion provides her brief respite.”
Ying’er looked into Xu Yuan’s eyes, very seriously,
“This punishment is devious; it could be placed among the Black Scale Hundred Punishments.”
Without waiting for a response, Ying’er continued,
“I have reported this method of punishment to Lady Lou Ji.
According to the rules, a reward will be issued to the Third Young Master.”
Xu Yuan’s eyelids twitched.
Lou Ji, one of his father’s fiercely loyal subordinates, was in charge of the Black Scale Guards.
A figure depicted as scantily clad, but with a seductively enchanting appearance.
He remembered seeing her in the Imperial Capital at the Prime Minister’s Mansion; indeed, she was enchanting and indeed, scantily clad.
However, what Xu Yuan didn’t expect was for a torture method to be rewarded within the Black Scale Guards.
Exhaling softly, Xu Yuan asked quietly,
“Lady Lou Ji said once the Young Master returns to the Imperial Capital, she will personally give it to you.”
Upon hearing this, some unpleasant memories surged in his mind, and Xu Yuan smirked with amusement,
Tell that old aunt Lou Ji that this young master isn’t interested in her reward.”
Ying’er was briefly silent but nodded nonetheless,
“I will convey it to Lady Lou Ji.”
Xu Yuan waved his hand dismissively,
“Alright, let’s not talk about this.
Where is that seductress now?”
“In the northern garden over there.”
“Take me to see her, I have something to ask of her.”
Silence heralded their way.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the northern garden’s secret chamber.
Only by infusing Origin Qi into his eyes could Xu Yuan barely make out the pitch-black stairway.
Ying’er did not follow him down.
The narrow stairway ended at a small cubic chamber where, with the aid of Origin Qi, Xu Yuan could vaguely see a large bed in the center of the room.
The sound of footsteps seemed to bring hope to the person on the bed.
A faint rustling sound gradually emerged from the bed.
Eventually, Xu Yuan stopped at the edge of the plush bed.
Standing quietly for a long while, Xu Yuan let out a slight breath and gently caressed the woman’s tear-streaked cheek with the back of his hand.
Instead, like a person drowning in the sea who grasps a plank of wood, she rubbed her cheek against the only tangible sensation she could touch….