Hearing Mo Han’s instruction, Nangong Haitang quickly nodded in agreement and spoke, "Your Highness the Prince, please rest assured, Nangong Haitang will personally stand guard at the entrance and absolutely will not let anyone enter the great hall."

After saying this, Nangong Haitang had intended to caution Mo Han, but recalling that Mo Han’s strength had already reached the level of a Sword Saint, there were likely very few people on this continent who could harm him. Moreover, this man in black was captured by Mo Han himself, making it even less likely he could be injured. Thus, she took Kate and several guards and left the council hall, personally going to the entrance to stand guard for Mo Han.

For a moment, the vast council hall was left with only Mo Han and the leader of the men in black. Mo Han then spoke to the other party with a smile, "What, you still don't intend to reveal what connection you have with the Dark Church? I'll give you one last chance. Answer me honestly: who is the mastermind behind you, and what is your connection to the Dark Church? If you do, perhaps I will allow you a slightly more comfortable death. Otherwise... you should know the consequences."

The leader of the men in black scoffed upon hearing Mo Han’s words.

He spoke, "Boy, no matter how strong you are, as long as I keep my mouth shut, you won't get the information you want. Trying to pry intelligence from my lips is simply wishful thinking. If you have the guts, just kill me with one stroke; why waste so much breath."

Hearing the man in black's retort, Mo Han did not get angry in the slightest.

Instead, he burst into laughter, which mystified the leader of the men in black. Did this Mo Han go mad from anger? But the leader knew for certain that Mo Han would never reach such a state. Then what was Mo Han laughing at? A strange sense of dread washed over the leader, as people are always fearful of the unknown.

After a while, Mo Han stopped smiling.

He spoke in a low voice, "Do you wish to die? It won't be that easy. Do you think I'll be like those others, just beating you up before killing you off for a relatively swift death?" Hearing Mo Han’s words, despite their placid tone, the leader of the men in black felt a chill originating deep within his heart, a feeling he couldn't explain even to himself.

This Mo Han always gave off an inscrutable aura, making him seem profound and unfathomable. With this thought in mind,

The leader of the men in black mustered his courage and spoke, "Spare the nonsense. Show me whatever skills you possess; stop trying to scare people here."

Hearing the man in black's response, a faint smile touched Mo Han's lips. He knew the man was likely already scared but was merely putting up a brave front. In this way, his plan had succeeded by one step.

Mo Han continued to stare at the man with a smile,

And spoke slowly, "Is that so? I suspect Your Excellency hasn't heard of the Ten Great Tortures, have you? These are not as simple as the current methods of corporal punishment on this continent."

"What nonsense is that? Stop playing mysterious games; do you think I'm afraid?" the leader of the men in black responded, forcing a calm demeanor.

Mo Han suddenly shifted his tone upon hearing this, speaking coldly, "For a defeated general like you, do I really need to resort to threats? You overestimate yourself greatly. However, since you are so eager to play the hero, I suppose I should briefly explain these tortures to you."

Mo Han began to calmly and methodically explain what the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty were—skinning alive, death by a thousand cuts (Lingchi), being torn apart by five horses (Wuma Fen Shi), and so on. Mo Han seemed to relish the explanation, but the leader of the men in black felt cold sweat break out. Just listening to Mo Han describe these punishments sent a shiver down his spine, making him unable to even imagine the consequences if such tortures were actually inflicted upon him. He couldn't fathom where Mo Han had learned about such methods.

Seeing the other man’s frightened state, Mo Han was inwardly ecstatic, yet his expression remained one of eager anticipation as he spoke, "To be honest, I've never had the chance to personally test these tortures. If Your Excellency is truly willing to play the hero and allow me this experience, I would be more than delighted."

Hearing this, the man in black’s face paled dramatically, but Mo Han seemed not to notice, continuing, "Which punishment shall we start with? I think death by a thousand cuts (Lingchi) would be best. I particularly admire that method. I wonder what it would feel like to have one's flesh sliced away, sliver by sliver."

With those words, Mo Han mysteriously produced a small knife from somewhere and stared coldly at the captive, saying, "Don't worry, I won't let you die quickly. I mentioned earlier that one needs a thousand cuts to expire, but I won't grant you that swift end. With my strength as a Sword Saint, it would take at least three or four thousand cuts to finish the job; otherwise, how would that display my skill? Where should I start carving first, do you think?"

Mo Han proceeded to trace lines over the body of the leader of the men in black with the small knife. The captive was now drenched in cold sweat and trembling. He tried to speak several times, but the severe consequences threatened by his organization kept him silent. He could only stare intently at Mo Han.

Mo Han observed all this, realizing that the man's psychological defenses had been shaken. With just a little more effort, the man in black would surely collapse.

With this thought, Mo Han suddenly seemed to recall something and addressed the captive, "Look at me, I forgot to tell you—I'm also a high-ranking Priest. Ah, as one gets older, one’s memory gets worse. Fortunately, I remember now. That means I can carve a few hundred cuts into you, and then use the High-Level Healing spell to mend you. That way, you won't have to die. Isn't that wonderful?"

After saying this, Mo Han deliberately fixed his gaze on the man in black,

And smiled as he asked, "Stop staring at me with such intensity. Well, have you made up your mind?" The leader of the men in black looked at Mo Han in terror and stammered, "You are not human; you are a demon. These are tortures only a demon could conceive. The God of Light would never allow you to do this."

Mo Han gave a cold laugh and replied coldly, "What? Now you remember the God of Light? Where was he when you were acting before? Let me tell you, if you don't honestly tell me what I want to know, I won't mind playing the part of a demon this time."

With that, Mo Han flicked the small knife in his hand. Immediately, a piece of flesh, large as a thumbnail and fully an inch deep, was sliced from the thigh of the man in black. The sudden agony wrung a wretched cry from the captive.

Seeing Mo Han raise the knife again, the man in black realized that enduring thousands or tens of thousands more of these moments of pain would be worse than death. With this realization, the leader of the men in black hurriedly spoke up, "Wait! You demon, what exactly do you want to know?" Hearing the man in black's words, Mo Han's knife stopped precisely above the muscle tissue.

Mo Han put away the small knife and spoke coldly, "Have you come to your senses? You are wise to cooperate. Quickly tell me your connection to the Dark Church. And who exactly ordered you? Don't even think about deceiving me. If I discover even a shred of falsehood, I will cut you ten thousand times and make life unbearable for you. If you don't believe me, feel free to test it."

Just then, Daili and Murong Feixue finished their tasks and arrived at the council hall entrance with Nangong Tian in tow.

As soon as they reached the courtyard outside the hall, they saw Nangong Haitang pacing back and forth by the entrance with several guards. Murong Feixue and the others felt intensely curious. Murong Feixue couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Nangong, what are you doing here? Where is Brother Mo Han?" Nangong Haitang recognized them and quickly replied, "Oh, it’s you. His Highness the Prince is inside personally interrogating the assassin we just captured. It has been quite a while; I wonder how it's going?" Hearing Nangong Haitang’s words, Nangong Tian said excitedly, "So Master is interrogating a prisoner! That’s wonderful, I want to go see too."

Saying this, Nangong Tian started to run toward the council hall, but as soon as he moved, Nangong Haitang grabbed him by the arm and said unhappily, "Tian'er. Don't act rashly. Your Master explicitly instructed that no one should enter to disturb him. That's why your father is standing guard here personally. So, don't run off and mess up your Master's business, understood?" Hearing his father's words, Nangong Tian was slightly reluctant but dared not defy his father's wishes, so he sullenly returned to where Murong Feixue and the others stood. Murong Feixue and Daili exchanged a glance upon hearing Nangong Haitang's words, both feeling puzzled as to why Mo Han would personally interrogate such an assassin. However, since Mo Han had chosen to do so, he must have his reasons. With this in mind, Murong Feixue smiled and said to Nangong Tian, "Be a good boy, Tian'er. Your Master is certainly doing something important right now, so don't go bother him, okay? If you anger your Master, who will teach you martial arts then? We can just wait here."

Hearing Murong Feixue's words, Nangong Tian quickly nodded and said, "I understand. We'll wait here for Master to come out. Cousin Xue'er, you and Sister Daili have been busy all day; you must be tired. I'll go back and ask someone to bring some chairs over for you to sit on."

Saying this, Nangong Tian ran off alone to call for servants.

Seeing this, Murong Feixue almost tried to stop him, but realizing Nangong Tian meant well, she let him go. She exchanged a smile with Daili. Nangong Haitang, standing nearby, teased them, "This child, I've been standing here so long, and he didn't even think to fetch a stool for me. His heart is only filled with his two future Mistresses, hehe, really, once you have a Mistress, you forget your father!"

Hearing Nangong Haitang's words, Murong Feixue's face turned bright red as she retorted, "Uncle, what nonsense are you speaking? I'm ignoring you."

Daili, standing beside her, also flushed slightly but said nothing.

Nangong Haitang laughed and said, "How am I speaking nonsense? You and Miss Daili will marry His Highness the Prince sooner or later, and since Tian'er is His Highness's disciple, you will become his master's wives then. Where am I wrong?"

Although Murong Feixue knew Nangong Haitang was teasing her, she had no way to refute him and could only stomp her foot and say, "I'm done talking to you."

Seeing this scene, even the guards behind Nangong Haitang couldn't help but smile.

Just then, a smiling voice drifted from behind them: "Who are you done talking to, Xue'er?"

Mo Han walked out of the council hall with a smile on his face, approaching the group.

Seeing Mo Han, Murong Feixue, Daili, and Nangong Haitang rushed forward. Nangong Haitang said with a smile, "Judging by Your Highness the Prince's expression, you must have gotten the information you needed, right?" Mo Han smiled in response, "Heh heh, something like that. By the way, I need to trouble Head Nangong to send men in to lock this man in black into the dungeon. As for his final disposal, that can be up to Head Nangong to decide. This person is of no further use to me."

Hearing this, Nangong Haitang assumed Mo Han was implying the assassin was finished. With this thought, Nangong Haitang quickly spoke to Mo Han, "Since Your Highness the Prince has obtained the information you desired, I have nothing more to ask. I will immediately order someone to execute this black-clad assassin on the spot, and then hang his body outside Maze City so his accomplices can see. That way, they will think twice before attempting any action next time."

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