Touch a hair on your head

Yang An said coldly, "Sir, leave some room for courtesy—spare others and spare yourself. Do not push me too far."

"Leave some room for courtesy?"

"Do not push you too far?"

"Are you trying to make me die laughing?! A lowly peasant like you, someone I could crush under my foot—what right do you have to speak of 'later'? Do you even think you’ll have a 'later'?"

Sun Ming sneered with disdain, "Not only will I leave no room for you, but I won’t spare your sister and brother-in-law either."

"Ah, your sister is Yang Ning, right?"

"Fair skin, tall and slender, with long, straight legs—such a fine woman. I wonder how she’d feel being played with?"

Yang An had grown up relying on his sister.

She had scrimped and saved to raise him, making Yang Ning his greatest taboo. "Do not insult my sister," he growled.

Sun Ming clapped his hands and laughed. "And what if I do? Let me tell you, your sister won’t escape either. Once I’ve had my fill of her, I’ll send her to the brothel, make her the lowest of whores."

"I said, do not insult my sister."

The iron chains binding Yang An rattled as his eyes turned icy, glaring at Sun Ming with murderous intent, as if he wanted to tear him apart.

But the angrier Yang An became,

the more Sun Ming delighted in it. "Oh, getting angry now?" He turned to Liu Mang beside him. "See that? Such spirit! Still so bold even in the Yunzhou prison, hahaha!"

Liu Mang scoffed. "Spirit? More like a dog begging for a beating."

"A dog begging for a beating? Exactly." Sun Ming grinned, meeting Yang An’s gaze. "You’re just a dog—one I can kick to death whenever I please."

"Judging by your eyes, you really want to kill me, don’t you?"

"But do you have the ability? Can you even lay a finger on me, you filthy peasant?"

Yang An fell silent.

After a moment, the fury on his face gradually faded.

Sun Ming smirked. "What, has your 'spirit' vanished already? Gone before I even laid a hand on you?"

"You’re right, sir. I am just a lowly peasant." Suddenly, Yang An raised his head with a smile. "I’m willing to trade a secret for my life. Do you know how a weak scholar like me killed Wang Gou'er and Zheng Huaiyi, two Ninth-Rank martial artists?"

Sun Ming had always been curious about this secret.

He had planned to torture it out of Yang An later,

but now that Yang An mentioned it himself, he pretended indifference. "Oh? How did you kill them?"

"To be honest, sir, I got lost in Yunling Mountain and stumbled upon an orchard. The trees were heavy with fruit. After eating a few, my strength increased tremendously, allowing me to kill those two by luck." The moment Yang An finished speaking, a glint of greed flashed in Sun Ming’s eyes!

Wang Gou'er’s widow had also mentioned

that Yang An might have gained some opportunity in Yunling Mountain, which explained how he killed Wang Gou'er.

So it was those red fruits!

Sun Ming’s heart raced.

Just a few fruits could give an ordinary man the strength to kill two Ninth-Rank martial artists in a single day!

This was no ordinary treasure—

it had to be some rare spiritual herb!

And an entire orchard of them! If he consumed them, his Eighth-Rank strength might advance further, and with it, his official rank!

That damned peasant!

He’d stolen precious herbs that should have been mine!

Sun Ming glared at Yang An in disgust and barked, "Where is that orchard?! Speak clearly!"

Yang An replied, "First, promise me that if I reveal this opportunity, you’ll spare my sister and brother-in-law."

Sun Ming roared, "You think you have the right to bargain?! If you don’t talk, I’ll have them arrested right now!"

"No, no, please, sir!" Yang An pleaded. "I’ll tell you! The orchard is at..."

"Where?!"

The last few words were too soft for Sun Ming to hear. He stepped closer.

Yang An whispered, barely audible, "It’s at..."

"At what?!" Sun Ming leaned in, pressing his ear closer.

In that instant,

Yang An’s eyes filled with murderous rage as he viciously clamped his teeth onto Sun Ming’s ear.

Even an Eighth-Rank martial artist—

his ears were still vulnerable!

With a brutal yank, he tore the entire ear off and spat it, blood and all, into the brazier!

Yang An laughed maniacally, blood dripping from his lips,

shaking the chains binding him. "You stupid bastard! I just laid a finger on you! Hahaha!"

"I did it! What now?!"

"Hahahaha!"

Sun Ming’s severed ear sizzled in the flames,

emitting a foul black smoke as it charred.

Clutching his bleeding ear stump, Sun Ming howled, "Ah! You damned peasant! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!"

Liu Mang, horrified, bellowed, "You rebel! How dare you harm Lord Sun! You’re dead!" He yanked a red-hot iron rod from the brazier.

Before he could strike,

Sun Ming, his face half-covered in blood, snatched the rod and kicked Liu Mang aside!

Still clutching his ear,

he glared at Yang An, his eyes nearly splitting from fury. "You wretched, lowborn scum! Fine! You’ve truly enraged me! Now you’ll learn what regret is! Liu Mang, pry his mouth open!"

Sun Ming gripped the scorching iron rod

and thrust it toward Yang An’s face.

He cackled, "Let’s see how 'pleasant' this feels!"

But Yang An showed no fear.

Under the enhancement of [Demon Lord Tai Sui],

his attributes had multiplied tenfold. Earlier, he’d already heard hurried footsteps outside.

In his mind, he counted down:

Three.

Two.

One.

Right as Liu Mang scrambled up—

BANG!

The prison door was kicked open with a deafening crash!

The flying door slammed into Sun Ming, knocking him off balance. The red-hot rod veered off course—

and plunged straight into Liu Mang’s nose!

Sizzle!

Liu Mang’s nose instantly collapsed,

burning and blackening as flesh seared away.

"AAAAAH!!!" He shrieked like a slaughtered pig, clutching his ruined face.

Sun Ming whipped around, bellowing at the intruders, "Who the hell dares enter without my orders?! Which blind dog ruined my—?!"

"Lord Sun, such impressive authority. Am I not allowed to visit?" A calm, aged voice cut in.

Sun Ming froze—the voice was familiar.

His anger cooled slightly as he turned to look.

Outside stood a group of silver-armored soldiers.

Among them,

on the left was a tall, dark-faced man—

Li Yan.

In the center stood a young girl of unknown status, no more than ten years old.

But when Sun Ming’s gaze landed on the elderly man on the right—

his blood ran cold.

The man was Wu Zhe.

Deputy Governor of Yunzhou.

A fourth-rank official, second only to the Governor himself...

Sun Ming was stunned.

Why would a figure of such stature come to Yunzhou Prison?

And why was he with Li Yan?

Something was very wrong.

Without delay,

Sun Ming dropped the red-hot rod and clasped his fists in salute. "This humble official greets Deputy Governor Wu! I was unaware of your arrival and failed to welcome you properly!"

Li Yan, seeing Yang An bound to the iron frame,

rushed forward to free him.

These two troublemakers! Sun Ming was about to shout angrily.

But the words stuck in his throat as cold sweat dripped from his forehead. What happened next left him even more bewildered—Wu Zhe, the Deputy Governor of Yunzhou, actually rushed toward Yang An, moving even faster than Li Yan and the other man!

A high-ranking Deputy Governor of Yunzhou, a fourth-grade official no less.

Wu Zhe reached Yang An’s side and personally freed him from the iron restraints.

Seeing that Yang An didn’t have a single wound on his body, Wu Zhe finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Good, good.

The young master is unharmed—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to explain this to Her Highness the Princess."

……

……

……

Bonus chapter!

Dear brothers and sisters!

Have mercy on this poor soul!

Give me some power!

(˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅)