Chapter 8 Torture
Shangguan Jiannan shrugged nonchalantly: "Regarding this question, you'd better ask the person who brought me into the village. They will know better than me."
The old man frowned and fell into deep thought.
Shangguan Jiannan heaved a sigh of relief in his heart: "Fortunately, I learned some nonsense tricks from Lao Zhang from the caravan before, otherwise I would be in big trouble now!"
After a moment of silence, the old man snorted coldly and said, "If that's the case, why did you stay up in the middle of the night and run to the garden under this attic?"
Shangguan Jiannan answered truthfully: "I was just admiring the moon in the middle of the night and taking a casual walk, and I accidentally got lost and came here. Do you think this is considered a serious crime?"
The old man's eyes became sharper, and he continued to ask, "Why did you hide when you saw me enter the garden?"
Shangguan Jiannan replied calmly, "Although I had no intention of coming here, this behavior is obviously unwelcome in your village. Wouldn't it be better if we could avoid unnecessary trouble?"
The old man pondered for a while, then suddenly asked, "How old are you?"
"Ten years old." Shangguan Jiannan replied.
The old man couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Ten years old, ten years old... Judging from your reaction, you are obviously from a well-educated scholarly family. But why are you so miserable? You are like a tramp..."
There was a hint of mixed emotions in his words. He seemed to be thinking about something, or examining Shangguan Jiannan's worth.
After a long while, he raised his head and continued to ask Shangguan Jiannan: "Little kid, where is your home? Do you have any relatives or friends at home?"
Shangguan Jiannan's heart ached and his eyes filled with tears.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Thank you for your concern, Peak Master. My life story is unfortunate, and telling others about it will only make people more sad. I beg you to forgive me and send someone to escort me away from this place."
The old man's expression suddenly became serious, and he slowly said, "If I decide to keep you in the village and live with us day and night, would you be willing?"
Shangguan Jiannan almost didn't hesitate and immediately answered: "No!"
The old man's voice suddenly became loud and clear: "The first rule of this village is: Anyone who enters this village without reason will be killed without mercy. I am thinking of your excellent qualifications, so I will let you go and show you special mercy... You had the opportunity to turn a disaster into a blessing, but you refused it. Now, I have no other choice but to deal with you according to the village rules!"
Shangguan Jiannan's heart tightened when he heard this. He could sense the determination and threat in the old man's words, and knew that his current situation was extremely dangerous. He prayed in secret, hoping that there would be a turn for the better.
After the old man finished speaking, one of the four burly men handed the night pearl to his companion, ready to take action at any time. The light of the night pearl cast a cunning shadow in the night, as if foreshadowing the misfortune that was about to happen.
Shangguan Jiannan's heart sank, and his face turned pale. At this moment, he realized that this Hanying Peak was by no means an ordinary place. As the master of the peak, the old man dared to treat him with such a tough attitude. Unless he surrendered immediately, his fate would be very miserable.
"Should I really give in?" Shangguan Jiannan struggled in his heart.
His courage was aroused at this moment. He was absolutely unwilling to bow his head. Not surrendering was his only choice.
An idea flashed through his mind - if the old man insisted on having his way, he would not hesitate to expose the ugly deeds of the young woman in his arms.
The old man is obviously a stubborn person. Once these scandals are exposed, he will definitely fall into greater trouble.
Even if Shangguan Jiannan himself suffered misfortune because of this, he would be willing to close his eyes and leave.
So, Shangguan Jiannan held his head high, took a firm step forward, and looked at the old man with a challenging look: "Excuse me, Peak Master, since you are the owner of your manor, how can you treat me according to the manor rule of 'trespassing without reason'? I was openly introduced by the manager of your manor, how can this be considered trespassing without reason?"
The old man laughed when he heard this, and replied with a hint of disdain: "Hey, kid, you want to get away with it by quibbling about words? It's just a foolish dream! My words are final, and I have the final say. If you want to get away with this by clever words, you are really dreaming!"
Shangguan Jiannan's heart was already dead, but his eyes became more determined. He took a step forward and smiled coldly: "Peak Master, before I am punished, can you allow me to ask one more question?"
The old man was a little surprised that the young child could show such a fearless attitude. He felt a little pity in his heart, but his expression remained stern.
He nodded slightly: "I have made my decision, and you can't change it no matter what. However, if you have other instructions, you can tell me and I will ask someone to do it for you."
Shangguan Jiannan took a deep breath and continued, "The first rule of your manor is to prevent people from leaving alive after staying in your manor. Are you worried that scandals in your manor will be leaked?"
The old man's face changed, and he shouted angrily: "Hanying Peak is feared by the world, how can there be any shame? If you don't explain clearly, be careful that I will make you suffer a bad end!"
At this moment, the young woman in the old man's arms began to turn pale. The beauty that had originally blossomed on her face was now shrouded in the shadow of fear and tension.
Shangguan Jiannan couldn't help but glance at her sad and helpless look, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.
He thought to himself, "This young woman does look very young and beautiful, and it seems very forced for her to be with this old man. If she is not succumbing to the tyranny of the old man, she must have other reasons."
He was determined not to let this innocent young woman be implicated. Shangguan Jiannan gritted his teeth and decided not to make her ugly deeds public.
If the old man turns his love into jealousy, the young woman's fate will be very tragic. This violent nature is likely to cause her to suffer unbearable torture.
And if the middle-aged man in blue shirt really had no intention of entertaining her, then he and the young woman would seem to be a better match.
The old man's voice was like thunder again: "Speak! Speak quickly! Is there anything else you want to explain? If you don't explain clearly, I will not show mercy!"
Shangguan Jiannan felt an inexplicable courage surge in his heart, and he knew that he had to make a decision now. Although his heart was still filled with fear of death, he could not allow himself to become a tool of malicious violence.
"Okay! I'll tell you..." Shangguan Jiannan's voice was a little excited, and he was ready to reveal the truth. However, when his eyes swept across the young woman's sad face again, some emotions in his heart suddenly changed. He began to realize that exposing her ugly deeds would only push her into a deeper desperate situation.
He couldn't help but pause, a wave of sympathy surged in his heart. The young woman's innocence and the pain behind her made Shangguan Jiannan's determination even stronger. He knew that although he was in an extremely dangerous situation, he could not push innocent people into a deeper hell.