Screams of agony pierced through the eardrums. Ji Jinmo, seated on the chair moved by Xuan Wu, his sharp phoenix eyes half-closed, the arc of his delicate eyelids framed by thick lashes, possessed a beauty that hinted at abstinence.
Leaning against the backrest, his hair cascaded down. In this dim, bloody dungeon, he was like a high-and-mighty deity in charge of life. The Jiuzhou Continent and its billions of people were merely ants crawling at his feet, begging for mercy.
Nan Shiying squatted beside the man, feeling a radiance beside her that was more blinding than the midday sun. She turned her head slightly, her peripheral vision sweeping over Ji Jinmo.
Even though she was accustomed to Ji Jinmo's face, which surpassed all beauty, in this rotten, filthy dungeon, the magnificent yet tattered red brought out a seductive ferocity in him.
Alas, what a waste not to be a male courtesan.
Nan Shiying shook her head with regret.
"Speak, who are you? Who sent you to poison the envoy of Dali? Whose subordinate are you? Speak!" Jia Huan, standing beside his master, was even more ferocious than before. He had used all his methods on the man.
The man's eyes were filled with the deadness of despair. If his tongue hadn't been bound, he would have bitten it off and committed suicide long ago.
Nan Shiying sighed leisurely, stood up, and patted Jia Huan's arm, "How about I give it a try?"
Jia Huan turned and glanced at his master.
Seeing that his master did not speak, Jia Huan stepped back, "Alright, then I'll trouble the Princess Consort."
It was merely a try. Even if the person died, his master probably wouldn't care. Jia Huan didn't think the Princess Consort would be able to extract any information. This man was clearly a trained assassin, one who had undergone prolonged psychological conditioning and possessed absolute willpower.
Let alone the Princess Consort, even if the King of Heaven himself came today, he wouldn't be able to pry open his mouth.
Nan Shiying replaced Jia Huan, standing in front of the man.
She picked up the longest silver needle. The needle, under the dim lamplight, emitted a cold gleam. Her fingers twirled the needle as Nan Shiying's lips curved into a faint arc. Her voice was like the seductive call of a demon from hell, sharp with an indescribable timbre. Jia Huan shivered suddenly and subconsciously distanced himself from her.
What? Why was he breaking out in a cold sweat?
"Actually, this torture shouldn't be done with silver needles. Steel needles as thick as a child's little finger should be used. But the conditions here are limited, so I hope you won't mind."
The voice, laced with a smile, conjured the deepest fear in people's hearts.
Nan Shiying now resembled a pervert who delighted in torturing life. It seemed the execution was no longer a means of interrogation but a way to satisfy her amusement.
Jia Huan turned his head and glanced at his master.
Master, do you know the Princess Consort is like this? Or perhaps, it's precisely because the Princess Consort is like this that you fancy her?
Ji Jinmo paused his hand that was toying with prayer beads. His phoenix eyes slowly lifted from below. The spreading ferocity gave Jia Huan a suffocating sense of dread, as if he were instantly enveloped in blood. He immediately lowered his head, his knees trembling.
Serves him right!
Xuan Thirteen gloated without any camaraderie.
Seeing the now obedient Jia Huan, Ji Jinmo shifted his gaze to Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying paid no attention to the reactions of those behind her. She took out a small porcelain bottle, opened the lid, placed the silver needle into the bottle, and continued smiling, "This torture is called 'Steel Needle Acupoint Stimulation.' See this bottle of medicine? It amplifies a person's nerve sensitivity infinitely. The needle is dipped in the medicine and then inserted into several major acupoints in the body. With each insertion, the victim feels like they have died once... Oh, my apologies, I was so engrossed in talking that I forgot to let you experience it."
As Nan Shiying spoke, she slowly inserted the needle into the man's Dazhui acupoint.
As the needle penetrated the acupoint, the man's pupils instantly widened. In the following second, his eyes began to shake violently, and then, a scream far more piercing than a cuckoo's cry of blood erupted from his throat.
It was a scream that made even Jia Huan tremble.
This sound continued until Nan Shiying had fully inserted the needle into the man's body.
Afterward, there was a prolonged silence.
Nan Shiying lifted the man's chin. As her movement tugged at the muscles, it once again touched the deeply embedded silver needle. The pain surged anew.
Amidst the man's screams, Nan Shiying spoke again, "How is it? Do you feel death? But don't be afraid, with me here, you absolutely won't be in any danger of losing your life."
"So, are you willing to speak now, or would you like to try again?"
A monosyllabic sound escaped the man's throat, but Nan Shiying didn't give him time to speak. She picked up another needle dipped in medicine and this time inserted it into the man's Baihui acupoint.
The Baihui acupoint is located on the top of the head. The moment the needle pierced it, the man's body convulsed violently, even frothing at the mouth.
"I'll talk, I'll talk!!!"
This torture, the agony of life worse than death, yet unable to find true release, was more unbearable than mere physical torment.
Nan Shiying sighed with a hint of complaint, "You should have said so earlier. If you had been this cooperative just now, you wouldn't have had to endure this needle, would you?"
She pulled out the needle and asked with concern, "How are you? Are you alright?"
Seeing her smiling, even her tone filled with concern, everyone present, except for Ji Jinmo, felt a chill run through their bodies. Even Xuan Wu, whom everyone jokingly called a human ice cube, felt a shudder of dread from the depths of his soul.
At the same time, a thought arose: Fortunately, the Princess Consort is not an enemy.
The man finally revealed everything.
While Jia Huan was in awe, he also felt a sense of awe bordering on reverence towards Nan Shiying, almost as if he wanted to kneel and beg to be her disciple.
This stubborn individual, whom he believed even the King of Heaven couldn't break, had caved after just two probes.
This interrogation method, which shed no blood and left no visible wounds, had completely expanded Jia Huan's horizons.
"Princess Consort, this..."
Jia Huan rubbed his hands, smiling ingratiatingly. Nan Shiying, understanding, threw the porcelain bottle to Jia Huan, "This method is very simple; you just need to find the acupoints correctly."
"Here's the medicine for you. Let Bai Zhi know when you've used it up."
"Your subordinate thanks the Princess Consort for the medicine." Jia Huan knelt and thanked her excitedly. Nan Shiying waved her hand at him, "Rise!"
Jia Huan thanked her and stood up.
Nan Shiying, with a hint of distaste, handed the silver needles along with the cloth roll containing them to Jia Huan. Then, she looked expectantly at Ji Jinmo. Ji Jinmo blinked for a second, and a laugh that he could barely suppress erupted from his throat, "Understood, I'll get you a new set."
Only then did Nan Shiying nod with satisfaction.