Chapter 751: Chapter 751: The Devil
"You’re wrong about that. Your value to me is quite significant. Actually, it doesn’t matter if you don’t talk, because there are so many people alive here. Not everyone can be tough, there will be one or two who are soft and will tell me what I want to know. And you are the most crucial stepping stone for that." Xu Ke said with a smile as he looked at him.
The man, whose head was originally lowered, suddenly lifted his head because of Xu Ke’s words. He saw Xu Ke standing in front of him, completely at ease, even carrying a message of ’how foolish you are’ in his eyes. The man’s mind went blank instantly, and all his senses seemed to be sealed off, leaving only the heartbeat pounding in his chest.
Xu Ke gave the man a faint smile and softly said, "Considering you’re the first to be executed, I’ll give you a privilege. I’ll let you choose a punishment. You’ve endured whips and sticks before; they’re not interesting anymore. Let’s try something more entertaining."
Although Xu Ke’s voice wasn’t loud, the room was empty, and he was the only one speaking, so his words could be heard clearly.
With just a few words, Xu Ke easily captured everyone’s attention.
With his back to everyone, Xu Ke felt the scrutinizing gazes from them on himself.
"Let’s start with something to whet our appetite. In ancient China, there’s a punishment called the iron comb. I think you might not know what the iron comb is used for, but don’t worry, I’ll explain it to you."
As Xu Ke spoke, he began to search around the room as if he was imitating someone else. "The iron comb involves preparing a comb made of iron before punishing a prisoner, then pouring boiling water on the prisoner’s feet and legs. After which, the iron comb is used to scrape the cooked flesh off the legs and feet, layer by layer, pouring more boiling water each time, repeating until all the flesh on the legs and feet are scraped away. This punishment is called the iron comb."
Xu Ke paused to look up at the man, then casually glanced over the faces of everyone in the room, watching their expressions.
"But that’s just the first type. There’s a second punishment called ’Lotus Steps.’ It’s very simple as well; it involves cutting the prisoner’s foot halfway, then forcing them to walk on a red-hot iron plate, imitating the walking of Palace Attendants with bound feet. Because of this punishment, the prisoner’s steps become peculiarly enchanting and alluring. That’s why it’s called ’Lotus Steps.’ How about it? Isn’t the name beautiful?"
Xu Ke’s gaze landed on the man’s feet. Though he was clearly a strong man, about 1.9 meters tall, and out of strength, he still desperately tried to pull his feet back. Xu Ke’s smile grew more genuine.
"If you don’t like that, there’s also another punishment called riding the wooden donkey. Although it was only ever used on women in the past, I think it’d be interesting to try it on a man like you. Unfortunately, we don’t have a wooden donkey here in this chamber, so you might narrowly escape this one. But it’s okay, I have another punishment called stick punishment, which is similar, so I’m sure you won’t mind, right?" Xu Ke asked, looking at him.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Xu Ke pretended to have an epiphany and said, "I forgot, you might not know what stick punishment is. It’s very simple: you take a stick and thrust it through your mouth, like roasting a pig, skewering you whole from head to toe. Very simple, right? So, which of the three punishments would you like to try first?"
"You’re a devil. Don’t come near me." The man looked at Xu Ke with fear.
"I’m afraid I can’t promise you that, after all, your companions are watching. What if I don’t get the result I want from you? It might affect my subsequent interrogations. If you still don’t choose, I’ll choose for you." Xu Ke stopped looking at the man and instead looked at the various tools hanging on the wall, nodding with satisfaction, causing chills in people’s hearts.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned to the people locked in the cage and said with a smile, "What I just said, you don’t have to take it to heart, as those punishments were meant for him. Yours will be different. But rest assured, the degree of punishment will be the same. I won’t play favorites."
The people in the cage shook their cuffed wrists. At that moment, Xu Ke was no longer seen as just a man in their eyes, but a devil, a devil crawling out of Hell.
With just a few words, Xu Ke instilled fear and terror into everyone in the chamber, making them desperate to escape from him.
"Hurry up and choose. If you don’t make a choice, I’ll have to choose for you. To be honest, personally, I prefer the first punishment because it’s the least labor-intensive, and I don’t want to waste too much effort on someone destined to die. After all, there are so many more people waiting for me, and I can’t be partial."
Xu Ke turned and gave the man a sidelong glance with his eyes, then shifted his gaze to the people in the cage, filled with anticipation. It seemed as if he couldn’t wait to kill the man and capture someone new from the cage to take his place.
The man opened his mouth, but within the time Xu Ke allotted, he couldn’t make a choice. All three punishments were terrifying to him, and he couldn’t make such a decision about his fate in such a short time, so he chose to remain silent.
Seeing the man express his protest with silence, Xu Ke showed no dissatisfaction or displeasure. He didn’t pick up any tools from the wall but instead gave the man a long, deep look before walking out of the chamber.
The man hanging against the wall took a deep breath, feeling he was being toyed with by Xu Ke. He believed Xu Ke didn’t have the guts to go through with such actions.
But the man was destined to be disappointed. Xu Ke soon re-entered the chamber, this time with a hot water kettle that could heat up and a shiny silver fork in his hand.
Seeing the man’s gaze fall on his hands, Xu Ke explained cheerfully, "Originally, I wanted to find an iron comb, but unfortunately, the manor didn’t have one. So I have no choice but to use a silver fork as a substitute. The effect should be the same, although it may take a little longer. I hope you don’t mind; I took the liberty of bringing it over."
He spoke as he handed the fork to the man, inviting him to inspect it.
"You’re not actually going to use that to scrape the flesh off my legs, are you?" The man asked incredulously, even his voice raised a bit.