Chapter 434 - 205: 4 Pavilions, 3 Halls, 1 Department
Chapter 434: Chapter 205: 4 Pavilions, 3 Halls, 1 Department
Three of the six experts from Night Rain Tower were dead.
Of the three survivors, besides the two Fang Shuwen had dragged into the main hall by their hair, ’Chen Zhong’ was also still alive.
However, ’Chen Zhong’s injuries were far more severe than the other two’s.
Fang Shuwen’s seemingly casual palm strike was not so easy to withstand.
What’s more, he’d even been struck by his own "Listening Rain Needle."
Miao Feichan dragged him over, placing him with the other two.
Fang Shuwen wasn’t in a hurry to question them. Instead, he first used ’A Line’ to apply some pressure.
He was starting to make a habit of it. Before an interrogation, he wouldn’t ask any questions. Apply pressure first, ask questions later. It saved a lot of breath.
Fang Shuwen had also been considering several future development paths for his ’A Line’ ability.
One path was to produce different effects by targeting different acupoints.
For instance, the Baihui Acupoint. Since it’s on the head, the effect was much more pronounced... but prolonged use could cause brain damage.
What if the victim forgot something, or was driven completely mad?
That would be a disastrous outcome.
So, that aspect needed some refinement.
The Danzhong Acupoint, by comparison, was safer. Its effect was stable, and the agony it caused was evident from the victim’s screams.
Besides that, Fang Shuwen had also considered the Yongquan Acupoint.
The Yongquan is on the sole of the foot. Once activated, it would likely induce both an unbearable itch and excruciating pain.
It was enough to make one wish for death.
But Fang Shuwen was rather hesitant... ’Most of the men knocking about the Jianghu are crude brutes. Pulling off their boots to poke at their stinking feet... I can’t even stand the thought of it.’
Therefore, he wanted to use his North Nether True Qi to see if he could create a purely yang or purely yin Inner Strength, replicating the effects of the "Life and Death Talisman."
But this ’problem’ was a bit too grand, and he didn’t have any immediate leads.
If he could just obtain the Celestial Mountain Six Yang Palm, none of this would be an issue.
But the system-generated rewards were random. Who knew when he would get this Palm Technique, or if he ever would?
Besides torture, Fang Shuwen had also thought about adapting ’A Line’ into a technique he could use in combat.
Of course, this wasn’t particularly useful for Fang Shuwen. His Martial Arts were already profound, and he wasn’t short on techniques. Even if he did manage to adapt it, it would just be icing on the cake.
As his mind wandered through these miscellaneous thoughts, time passed quickly.
Fang Shuwen tapped each of the three men, releasing them from the torment of ’A Line’.
The most severely injured of them, ’Chen Zhong’, couldn’t stop himself from spitting up another mouthful of blood. Yet when he looked at Fang Shuwen, his eyes showed no signs of submission.
Fang Shuwen couldn’t help but chuckle.
"You’re a tough one. This Technique of mine has never failed, yet you still dare to look at me like that?"
"...I’m a dead man walking. What’s there to be afraid of?"
’Chen Zhong’ sneered.
"Besides, how could someone from Night Rain Tower possibly yield to... a bit of mere pain?"
Fang Shuwen nodded and looked at the other two.
"Do you two feel the same way?"
The two men immediately shook their heads like rattle-drums, terrified that a moment’s delay would cause Fang Shuwen to misunderstand.
Fang Shuwen smiled and glanced back at ’Chen Zhong’. He said nothing, but his meaning was perfectly clear.
Seeing this, ’Chen Zhong’ just sighed, not saying anything more.
He had experienced the ’taste’ of ’A Line’, and he knew its agony all too well.
So, it was only natural that these two had submitted.
Fang Shuwen turned his attention from ’Chen Zhong’ and asked:
"This part of your plan has failed. What’s the next step?"
The two men exchanged a look, fear rising in their eyes, before they subconsciously glanced at ’Chen Zhong’.
Finally, one of them spoke.
"We... we don’t know."
"But the Vice Tower Master is sure to know!"
"That’s right! Please stop torturing us, we really don’t know," the other man added hastily.
Fang Shuwen looked at ’Chen Zhong’ in surprise.
"You’re the Vice Tower Master of Night Rain Tower?
"I would never have guessed..."
"What if I am?"
’Chen Zhong’ gritted his teeth.
"If you hadn’t launched a sneak attack... injuring me... wouldn’t have been... so easy..."
He wasn’t wrong.
Although Fang Shuwen had spoken a word before striking, it was effectively a sneak attack.
But when it came to things like this, Fang Shuwen’s moral floor was quite flexible.
There was no need to observe the honorable rules of the Jianghu with people like them.
In truth, the fact that ’Chen Zhong’ had been able to partially evade Fang Shuwen’s palm strike was a testament to the profound skill of his concealed Martial Arts.
The main reason he was later felled by Fang Shuwen’s palm was Fang Shuwen’s superior Martial Arts, but the fact that he was already severely injured also contributed, making him appear so vulnerable.
"Since you’re the Vice Tower Master, I can’t let you die so easily," Fang Shuwen said with a smile.
"I’m going to cripple your Martial Arts.
"Then I’ll heal your injuries... and continue torturing you with the same technique. I just wonder how many rounds you’ll be able to endure."
As of now, Fang Shuwen’s ’A Line’ couldn’t be used for extended periods without causing physical harm to the subject.
Therefore, he had to take it slow.
Upon hearing this, the Vice Tower Master’s face turned utterly grim.
Fang Shuwen gave him no chance to commit suicide or muster a final, desperate burst of power. He flicked out a finger, striking him directly in his Qi Sea Dantian.
A blast of potent energy erupted from the man’s body, sending the two nearby Night Rain Tower experts tumbling head over heels.