“Just bring me something simple to eat—three dishes and one soup, and a pot of wine,” Teng Qingshan instructed. The head waiter immediately ordered the chef to prepare exquisite, top-grade fare.

"Clang!" "Clang!" Resounding strokes, like the beating of gongs and drums, echoed.

The sound traveled from the street outside the tavern. Teng Qingshan turned his head to look. On the wide avenue, broad enough for ten camel beasts to walk abreast, all pedestrians hastily scrambled to the sides.

“Make way! Make way!”

“Hurry and clear the road!”

Shouts of command carried from far off. The dense sound of hooves vibrated the very ground. Soon, six fully armored riders advanced abreast on their camel beasts, row upon row of knights stretching into the distance. Behind them followed more riders, holding high standards. On the banners unfurled by the wind was a large character: ‘Dong.’ After more than two hundred knights had passed,

came a lavish carriage, boasting six wheels and pulled by four War Hounds!

The carriage wood was a deep crimson, edged with gold inlay, presenting an image of extreme luxury.

“Is this the Dong family convoy?” Teng Qingshan lifted his wine cup, inwardly admiring, “Quite extravagant.”

“Tsk tsk, this is Queen Dong’s hunting party. I heard that carriage alone is worth hundreds of thousands of silver taels.”

“What do you know? That carriage is crafted from ‘Dark Fragrance Wood,’ found only in the Flame Territory. That much Dark Fragrance Wood, even without considering the craftsmanship, would cost over ten thousand taels of gold—that’s more than a million silver taels. Those four War Hounds in front are all ‘Snow God War Hounds,’ the white-furred kind; one is worth at least ten thousand silver taels.”

“Who’s inside that carriage? Queen Dong herself?”

“Not necessarily. Maybe it’s the Young Queen.”

...

The tavern buzzed with discussion, everyone expressing amazement, allowing Teng Qingshan to glean considerable information.

“Putting on airs, pure extravagance!” This was Teng Qingshan’s first impression of Dong Zizhi.

“Damn, what rotten luck.”

A thin old man, covered in dust, with trousers seemingly ripped at the knee, muttered crossly as he entered the Rising Sun Tavern. A serving girl immediately rushed over, smiling brightly, “Honored guest, our first, second, and third floors are fully occupied. Sir, would you mind waiting a moment?”

“When a man is unlucky, he can’t even find a place to eat!”

This lean old man was clearly displeased, his heart full of irritation.

“My friend, if you don’t mind, come sit here.” Just then, Teng Qingshan, seated by the window, called out with a smile.

The lean old man turned his head in surprise. Teng Qingshan raised his cup with a similar smile.

“Haha, it seems my luck today isn't entirely dismal after all.” The old man grinned and walked over to Teng Qingshan’s table, sitting opposite him. Teng Qingshan called out, “Bring an extra pair of chopsticks and a cup.”

“Yes, sir.”

The serving girl, having received specific instructions from the head waiter about Teng Qingshan’s unusual status, quickly brought another set of tableware.

“Young sir, my surname is Wang. Thank you kindly!” After sitting down, the lean old man took the chopsticks offered by the girl, ate a couple of bites of food, then poured himself some wine. “Ah, this food and wine are truly excellent. I’ve been here many times, but I’ve never tasted such fine liquor!”

Teng Qingshan smiled, “Brother Wang, those who just passed—was that the Dong family convoy?”

Teng Qingshan knew perfectly well...

If Dong Zizhi were captured alive and handed over to the Jiang family, her fate would be tragic. Therefore, Teng Qingshan needed to gauge what kind of person Dong Zizhi truly was beforehand.

“That was the Dong family’s hunting team,” the lean old man rubbed his nose and cursed softly. “Those arrogant bastards. I was standing right by the edge of the street, and one of those camel beasts bumped me, nearly sending my old bones sprawling! Terrible luck.”

The lean old man looked at Teng Qingshan curiously. “Young sir, you’re… from out of town?”

“Yes, an outsider. Just arrived in Twin Mountain City,” Teng Qingshan nodded.

“That explains it. We locals all know who the Dong Queen is. Tsk tsk…” The old man sighed, then caught himself. “The Dong Queen, she’s the head of the Dong family.”

“Is the Dong family head in that carriage?” Teng Qingshan asked.

“Who knows?” The old man shook his head. “The Dong Queen’s daughter takes after her mother. The Queen loves hunting, and her daughter is the same. It could be the Queen in the carriage, or her daughter… Never mind, let’s not talk about the Dong Queen. Talking too much might bring trouble. That Queen is quite formidable.”

The old man lowered his voice significantly.

“Brother, this is my first time in Twin Mountain City. Tell me, is the Dong family head truly so terrifying that everyone calls her ‘Dong Queen’?” Teng Qingshan pressed.

“Tsk tsk, Young Sir.” The old man set down his cup, leaned in, and whispered, “That Dong Queen is no ordinary person; her methods are viciously ruthless! Everyone under her command, every citizen in her territory, knows how fearsome the Dong Queen is. The flowers and trees in the Dong manor’s backyard—they’re all fertilized with human remains!”

“Human remains fertilizer?” Teng Qingshan paused, startled.

“Of course,” the old man affirmed. “That Dong Queen loves to torture people. I heard that even one of her top generals, for inadvertently offending her, was whipped alive by her! That was considered a lucky fate. Those with truly miserable ends… they end up in the Dong Queen’s secret dungeons!”

“Secret dungeons?” Teng Qingshan was astonished. “Every major family has prisons, but is the Dong Queen’s secret dungeon that terrifying?”

“It’s the absolute truth.”

The old man lowered his voice again. “The Dong Queen’s methods of torture are dreadfully cruel. Rumors coming from her manor include ‘Riding the Blood Camel’ and ‘Wearing the Armor’.”

“What is ‘Riding the Blood Camel’?” Teng Qingshan inquired.

The old man smiled smugly and whispered, “It’s not about riding a red camel beast. It means—the prisoner has his trousers and undergarments removed, his hands bound, and then he is made to sit, with his legs spread wide, upon an iron-cast ‘wedge.’ You know what a wooden wedge is, right?”

Teng Qingshan nodded; a wooden wedge has a triangular cross-section.

“This iron wedge—he sits on it with his legs wide apart. The pain is unimaginable! Blood flows freely, soaking the iron wedge. That’s why it’s called ‘Riding the Blood Camel’.”

“There’s also ‘Wearing the Armor,’ ‘Iron Comb,’ and other tortures… Forget it, let’s not discuss such disgusting things while we eat.” The old man shook his head. “In short, this Dong Queen is truly ruthless. In the Dong manor, which maid or servant doesn’t tremble in fear before her?”

“They say sometimes when she invents a new torture, she can’t wait for a real criminal and will grab some disfavored servant to test it on.”

Teng Qingshan frowned as he listened.

“Brother, please continue eating. I need to step out for a moment.” Teng Qingshan, the holster of his Reincarnation Spear slung across his back, started toward the exit.

“Young sir, don’t play tricks on me! You haven't paid, have you?” The old man jumped up, alarmed. As soon as he tasted the dishes, he knew they must be expensive.

“Honored guest, please don't worry, that gentleman has already settled the bill,” a serving girl quickly interjected.

Upon hearing this, the old man’s face flushed scarlet.

...

With his spear holster on his back, Teng Qingshan walked alone on the street.

“No wonder the Sixth Elder said the captured Jiang family members endured torment. They must hate Dong Zizhi to the bone!” Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. “No wonder they hired me to act. Regardless… a heart this venomous deserves death.” Teng Qingshan had already made his decision—

Capture Dong Zizhi alive!

Using the city map provided by the head waiter, amidst the bustling crowds, it wasn’t long before Teng Qingshan reached the location of the Dong Manor.

The Dong Manor was a palatial residence, sprawling over an immense area, its main gate alone being over ten zhang wide.

Dozens of soldiers guarded the main entrance.

“Halt! This is the Dong Manor. Idle people must not enter.” Immediately, a soldier holding a long spear shouted at Teng Qingshan, who was strolling closer.

Teng Qingshan grinned and kept walking toward them.

“Hmm?” The expressions of the soldiers instantly turned serious.

“Kid, are you looking to die?” About ten soldiers surrounded him.

Teng Qingshan chuckled, shook his head, and with a soft whoosh, left behind a blurred afterimage, passing through a gap in the crowd.

“Ah.” The soldiers stared in shock as the afterimage dissipated. When they looked again, Teng Qingshan had already entered the compound. Strangely—while appearing to stroll casually, every step he took covered seven or eight zhang, and his form blurred only a few times before vanishing completely from their sight.

The soldiers exchanged glances, their eyes wide with terror.

“Assassin!”

“Assassin!”

The soldiers immediately began shouting at the top of their lungs.

“Assassin!” The cries echoed throughout the Dong Manor, even causing a commotion among the pedestrians on the street outside.

“Assassin!” “Assassin!”

The Dong Manor was teeming with patrolling soldiers and many formidable retainers. As the sharp, high-pitched cry of “Assassin!” rang out, the entire manor erupted into chaos.

“Stop!”

Teng Qingshan heard the shouts but smiled slightly, continuing his leisurely pace. At this moment, he was employing a lightness skill that he had developed based on the Way of Earth Movement. Of course, this nascent technique had not yet reached the speed he envisioned.

But even so, it surpassed the speed of most innate Golden Core level lightness skills.

“The assassin is this way!”

“Over here!”

The shouts drew a large number of soldiers toward the source of the sound, but many could only watch helplessly as Teng Qingshan’s figure blurred several times before disappearing from their line of sight.

Too fast!

His movement technique was too strange!

“Hahaha, Dong Zizhi, you bitch! Did you hear that? Someone’s here to assassinate you, hahaha… I told you last time, Heaven itself will come to collect scumbags like you! Now someone is here to kill you, hahaha…” The laughter was somewhat eerie, sounding as if the speaker had a hole in their mouth.

Teng Qingshan immediately followed the sound, ‘strolling’ forward.

“Seize him!”

“Kill him!”

Amidst the pursuit and encirclement, Teng Qingshan effortlessly arrived in a garden.

“Tie Laosan, you have some spine, demanding nine teeth pulled and still cursing. Fine, pull out another nine teeth for him. Do it slowly. We still have three hours until dusk. Nine teeth in three hours—don't go too fast, and don't go too slow.” A voice, seemingly holding supreme authority, rang out.

“You bitch, if men won't take you, Heaven will. Don't you—Wuwu… Owwoh!” Sounds of intense agony followed.

This beautiful garden held quite a few experts, yet none could stop Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan looked toward a plump, voluptuous woman in red, appearing to be in her mid to late thirties. She sat high upon a chair, a line of experts standing behind her. At this moment, her foxy eyes swept over him.

“Are you… Dong Zizhi?” Teng Qingshan asked apathetically.