Linglong said, "No, there are six of us in total, so we have exactly six horses. If you tag along, there won't be any room."

Ma Xiaoda replied, "I can ride with Zhao Qian, just like we did coming to Feiyu County. What's the harm in that?"

Linglong stated firmly, "I'm the guide. If I say no, it means no. Otherwise, I won't lead the way, and none of you will get into Hulu Village."

Ma Xiaoda turned to Cheng Susu, puzzled. "Big Sister, does that little brat have that much influence? Can't we just go into the mountains ourselves?"

Cheng Susu shook her head. "I heard the path into the mountains is dangerous, full of swamps and vicious beasts. Without a guide, it's impossible to get in safely."

I had no part in their argument, so Ma Xiaoda went back to negotiate with Linglong. Standing in the courtyard, I noticed someone peeking outside the gate; one of them was actually Old Sixth from the Feiyu Gang. I quietly slipped out of the yard and went to the corner of the wall.

Scholar Old Sixth approached me and bowed. "Mr. Zhao, the Boss sent me to inform you. Our Feiyu Gang just captured two bandit spies. The Boss wants to know how you wish to handle them."

"You captured two spies?" I was momentarily surprised. Why hadn't these bandits given up? Did they have another motive for sending spies into the city?

I said, "Hurry and take me to see them. Maybe we can pry some useful intelligence out of their mouths."

Old Sixth led the way, recounting the incident as we walked. Apparently, as soon as the rain stopped that day, they went out to rob—simple highway robbery. Who knew they would stop two guys who, before the robbers had even finished shouting their rallying cry, drew their blades. They used small sabers, the kind only bandits carry, and since the two didn't look like locals, they were quickly identified as brigands.

These bandits were fierce when mounted, but once dismounted, despite having blades, they were quickly blinded by handfuls of sticky mud thrown by the Feiyu Gang members. They were captured alive and brought to the Feiyu Gang headquarters. Sun Dasheng, knowing I was a hero against the bandits, immediately sent Old Sixth to explain the situation to me.

Old Sixth made no secret of the location of the Feiyu Gang headquarters, leading me through several alleys until we arrived at a large compound within the city—a city within a city. The courtyard was muddy because it had just rained and the ground wasn't paved. Inside the house, Sun Dasheng rushed up to meet me. "Brother Zhao, come in quickly! Those two bandit spies are tied up in the side room. What do you say we do? Should we chop off their heads and hang them on the city wall?"

I replied, "No need to rush the executions. Normally, a matter like this should be turned over to the authorities. However, since we've already acted righteously, we might as well conduct the interrogation for the officials. After all, I'm practically the county magistrate's son-in-law, so this isn't too much. We're family, what's there to stand on ceremony about?"

Sun Dasheng chuckled heartily. "Brother Zhao, the son-in-law you've become makes Big Brother envious! Your wife is truly indescribably beautiful. Come on, let's go interrogate those bandits."

In the side room, two tall men were bound on the floor. Neither looked older than thirty. One appeared very sharp, his eyes constantly darting around, seemingly assessing the situation to look for an escape opportunity, while the other was more simple-minded, staring wide-eyed with his neck stiff, not moving at all.

I instructed Sun Dasheng, "Brother Sun, let's question them separately. Then we'll compare their testimonies. If either one lies, execute him immediately and display the head at the city gate."

Sun Dasheng grinned. "That's a great idea. Otherwise, these sons of bitches might talk nonsense and fool us."

Soon, the stubborn one was led away. I addressed the sharp-looking one on the floor. "What's your name, and where are you from?"

The man on the ground completely ignored me, as if I weren't speaking to him. Sun Dasheng stepped forward and kicked him hard. "Damn it, my brother is asking you a question! Believe it or not, I'll pull your guts out!"

I interjected, "Brother Sun, it seems this fellow doesn't understand our Shuangcheng dialect."

Sun Dasheng paused.

"That's right! They must speak the Horse Language. I forgot about that."

"Horse Language? Is that animal speech?"

Sun Dasheng laughed. "It's the language of the Ten Thousand Horse Kingdom. But it's practically the language of beasts. Aren't these bandits just like animals? Haha."

I laughed too. The term 'language' for the Horse Language was quite symbolic. After his laugh subsided, Sun Dasheng said, "Fortunately, one of my brothers had some dealings with a young lady from the Ten Thousand Horse Kingdom years ago, and he can understand some of the Horse Language. I'll call him in to translate for us while we interrogate this bandit. Old Sixth! Old Sixth! Go call in the Shorty!"

A short man, running like a spinning top, hurried in.

"Big Brother, you called for me?"

Sun Dasheng said, "This is my brother, Zhao Qian. You need to translate for him while he questions this bandit."

The short man bowed. "Greetings, Brother Zhao. Your reputation precedes you; truly, there is no one in Feiyu County who doesn't know you now."

I might not even be older than the Shorty, so I quickly returned the bow. "Brother Shorty, I'm young. Please just call me Zhao Qian."

The Shorty dared not be so direct. He insisted, "I will still call you Divine Doctor Zhao. Tell me what you wish to ask, and I will convey it for you."

I said, "Ask this fellow why he came to Feiyu County."

The Shorty turned and muttered something in a low voice. The bandit's eyes darted around, but he still ignored him. The Shorty and his associates came from the underbelly of society; he cared little for niceties or human rights. He stepped forward and kicked the bandit twice. "Fuck your mother! Our Divine Doctor Zhao asks you a question, and you dare not answer? I'll cut off your balls before I say another word!"

Sun Dasheng said, "He won't talk, eh? Guards! Get me a cudgel and beat him soundly. If he doesn't talk, beat him to death!"

I didn't stop them. Interrogation is almost synonymous with torture. If he had confessed everything immediately, I would have been suspicious. Beating him once to establish authority was the right thing to do.

After a flurry of loud smacks, the bandit on the ground managed to endure it. Seeing they were about to continue, I called out, "Stop!"

Sun Dasheng turned to me. "Brother Zhao, you don't need to pity them. I heard they don't treat our people as human beings when they capture them. Some women were beaten to death, and others had their breasts cut off. Frankly, I don't even want him to talk anymore; let's just beat him to death now."

I quickly intervened, "Wait, wait! Killing him like this is too easy for him. I have a better idea—we can torment him slowly. He needs to suffer more before he dies."

Sun Dasheng was momentarily stunned. "I didn't expect you, Brother, to be such a man of strong feeling. I thought you scholarly types would preach about mercy and compassion."

I leaned in and whispered a few words into Sun Dasheng's ear. Sun Dasheng immediately went out to prepare. Soon, he returned carrying several small sticks, each as thick as a thumb, and two lengths of rope. He deftly wove the ropes through a row of the small sticks, then had strong men pin the bandit down and stretch out his hands. He then threaded the rope-strung sticks sequentially between his fingers.

The Shorty addressed the bandit, "Are you going to talk or not? If you don't, you’ll soon taste real pain."

The bandit, not understanding what was happening, kept his eyes moving but refused to open his mouth. The Shorty reported to Sun Dasheng, "Big Brother, he's still being obstinate."

Sun Dasheng smiled. "Have the men pull hard on the ends of the rope and clamp down! Break his fingers, and let's see how long he can hold out."

This was the finger-pressing torture, usually reserved for female convicts. Applying it to a bandit didn't seem excessive. Two burly gang members grabbed the rope ends on either side and began to pull firmly. The bandit finally understood the power of this device and let out a piercing scream.

The Shorty said, "I thought he was mute! Turns out he can yell. Hey, are you going to talk or not?"

The bandit’s face was covered in sweat from the agony, and his body trembled uncontrollably from the intense pain. Yet, he proved to be tough; besides the scream, and his eyes losing some focus, he still didn't utter a word.

I gave Sun Dasheng a couple more instructions. Sun Dasheng immediately sent men out for tools. Shortly, someone returned with over a dozen bamboo slats, and another drew a knife to shave off some bamboo strips. Sun Dasheng declared, "If he doesn't confess, nail these strips into his fingers!"

The Shorty didn't bother questioning the bandit again; he snatched a bamboo strip and violently jammed it into the flesh of the bandit's finger. Although I devised this method of torture, and I have killed tens of thousands, even millions, I still found myself unwilling to watch this kind of act. I turned away, but the bandit's more desperate cries were clearly audible. Being beaten with a club was nothing compared to having bamboo shards pierced into the flesh of one's fingers. Enduring caning did not mean one could endure this piercing agony.

Three bamboo strips were inserted. Seeing the bandit still hesitating, I prepared to explain a few more cruel methods to Sun Dasheng. The bandit, having reached his limit, suddenly cried out, "You... you... stop coming up with bad ideas! I'll talk."

It seemed he truly couldn't take any more. This kind of punishment was likely unprecedented here. For a world accustomed only to beating as torture, this level of pain would probably be unbearable for long.

I told the Shorty, "Ask him what his purpose is in Feiyu County."

The Shorty relayed the question faithfully. The bandit replied, "Our leader sent us in to find a very important person. If the opportunity is right, we were to secretly capture him and take him out of the city."

"What important person? You weren't attacking Feiyu County for plunder?"

The bandit explained, "We used to, but with over a thousand men mobilized this time, why would we be after mere grain and slaves? Our leader received secret intelligence that a significant figure would pass through Feiying Prefecture and take the route to Feiyu County to witness a heavenly object. So, we secretly slipped into the Feiying Prefecture territory to capture that VIP. Who knew that the leader at the time, blinded by greed, decided to rob Feiying Prefecture on the way? The result was unexpected. We lost hundreds of brothers outside Feiying Prefecture and failed to complete the robbery. Not only did the leader lose his life, but that important person was also rescued."

"Later, we received new intelligence that the important person had arrived in Feiyu County. The new leader gathered reinforcements and came to attack Feiyu County. Unexpectedly, we suffered heavy losses again. The brothers who luckily escaped are now under yet another new leader, hiding in the forest less than fifty li from here. We were preparing to wait for a chance to recapture that important person so we could return to our country, claim our reward, and report back. Today, as soon as the rain stopped, the leader sent the two of us in disguise to scout the situation, but before we could accomplish anything, you captured us."

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