A short while later, Yun Zhonghe was tied to a pillar.
He was surrounded by five people, four of whom were wearing black clothes and black masks.
Their leader was a woman who had her back turned to Yun Zhonghe.
Her figure was distorted in the glow of the fire, but it still took Yun Zhonghe by surprise.
She had such a curvy figure? It was enough to make a man's mouth water.
This scumbag had been with countless women, and he knew everything about women's figures. Some women were very naughty, and they would wear a corset when they went out to make their bodies look more attractive, but when they took off their clothes...
"Clothing can be very tricky, and innocent boys like us must protect ourselves carefully to keep from being deceived!" he thought.
However, the body of the woman in front of him could not be more real.
She had a full figure that was one in a million.
She must be the Lady of the Well who said that she had been waiting for him for a long time.
A heavy silence filled the basement, and the only sounds came from the crackling of the fire and the snapping wood. The fire was heating a branding iron.
A minute went by.
Two minutes went by.
Yun Zhonghe couldn't bear it anymore, and he broke the awkward silence and said, "Miss, your branding iron has turned red."
The extremely curvy woman was taken aback. Yun Zhonghe was so impatient? So unyielding? He'd actually chastise his torturer?
One of the guards immediately took the red branding iron and walked toward Yun Zhonghe, lifting the iron toward his face.
If the red hot iron was pressed against his face, half of his face would be charred to an unrecognizable mess.
The woman said in a level voice, "We are from the Black Blood Hall of the City of Torn Gust."
The Black Blood Hall was the City of Torn Gust's counterintelligence agency.
It was founded by the last castellan, Jing E. It consisted of the most loyal elite knights of the Jing Clan. They had only one mission, which was to find the spies from other nations in the City of Torn Gust and destroy every single one of them.
Normally, a baron as powerful as the one in the Valley of Torn Gust wouldn't need an outstanding intelligence agency, but since the City of Torn Gust was right in the center of the storm, spies from countless nations and forces were undercover in the city.
After years of counterintelligence work, the members of the Black Blood Hall were very good at their jobs, and they had many ruthless tricks.
Once the spies from the other nations were captured by the Black Blood Hall, death was considered the best way out.
"You must have heard about our style and techniques. All of our prisoners beg for death so that they won't have to go through the endless cycle of torture," the woman said, her voice hoarse. "I have dealt with spies from all three kingdoms in the Southern Zone, and the agents from the Order of the Black Dragon were the most unyielding. Plenty of spies from the Order of the Black Dragon have died by my hands, and none of them betrayed the order and confessed."
The red hot iron gradually approached Yun Zhonghe.
The female leader said in a gravelly voice, "Personally, I respect you because you are an honorable man, but if you don't confess today, forget leaving this place alive. No part of your body will be left intact, and you will eventually be fed to the wolfdogs."
She made a gesture with her hand, drawing his attention to ten pairs of green eyes that lurked in the dark. They were dogs, but they moved like wolves. The smell of blood filled the whole basement.
Once they were given the command, the ten wolfdogs would pounce on Yun Zhonghe and tear him into pieces.
"I know that agents from the Order of the Black Dragon look upon death as going home. I have never gotten anything out of them before, but I will give it another try today. I have prepared almost a hundred instruments of torture. I can spend days in here, and I have a hundred interrogation methods at hand!" The female leader turned and ordered, "Hound, let's get started…"
Another guard took out a barbed whip and was about to swing it at Yun Zhonghe.
"Stop!" Yun Zhonghe yelled. "I'll confess, I'll confess…"
"My name is Yun Zhonghe. I am a secret agent from the Order of the Black Dragon of the Great Ying Empire."
"I came to Anting Tavern to get in touch with my handler, Xu Anting. He is also a secret agent from the Order of the Black Dragon."
"My superior is Feng Xingmie. He is the chief officer of the City of Torn Gust mission."
"My task is to come to the City of Torn Gust to seduce the baroness, Jing Zhongyue, to make her the representative of the Great Ying Empire in the Land of No King."
"I came here with another guy. He is mute, and he is right outside. He is also an agent of the Order of the Black Dragon. You should go and capture him now, don't let him get away…"
Everyone was dumbfounded at that moment.
A more awkward silence fell upon the room.
"I… I haven't even started the interrogation and torture, and you… you have already told us everything."
"Aren't the agents from the Order of the Black Dragon men of iron?"
"There are more, there are more, but I can't think of them all of a sudden," Yun Zhonghe said. "Maybe you can remind me if I have left anything out? I will become a traitor, and you can tell me if anything is missing. I will fill in the blanks. Whatever needs to be done, we will do perfectly, what do you say? Dear sister…"
The room remained silent.
Yun Zhonghe said, "The Order of the Black Dragon had prepared two plans for me to use in subjugating Jing Zhongyue, but they were with Xu Anting. Have you guys caught him yet? You should torture him, use the cruelest interrogation techniques you have, but I don't believe that he will confess. If he really won't confess, I can help persuade him."
Still no reaction.
Yun Zhonghe continued, "Sister, I may look like a weak old man right now, but I am actually a super handsome man, so handsome that I am one in a million. The Black Blood Hall must need talented people like me the most; I am very skilled at seducing women. It is a very useful counterintelligence technique. Besides, you will be proud to have a handsome man like me by your side when you go out."
"Dear sister, don't kill me and don't hurt my uniquely pretty face. From now on, I will be your pet wolfdog. Awoo…"
"Or maybe you'd prefer a puppy to a wolfdog? No problem. Woof, woof, woof, woof…"
The other five people looked at one another. They didn't know what to say, and they could only exchange surprised looks.
"F… F*ck!"
"He violated the three principles a man should hold on to, and he subverted a man's philosophy of life."
"I have been working as a secret agent for more than a decade, and I have never seen a secret agent who is so timid and shameless."
"How… How did you become a member of the Order of the Black Dragon?"
"Sister, what is your name? A woman with a sexy body like yours must have a name so beautiful that one would lose his soul when he hears it, am I right?" Yun Zhonghe went on, "Please turn around, I really want to know what kind of beautiful face would be a good match for that exquisite body of yours. You're too stunning. I don't think I will be able to fall asleep ever again because once I close my eyes, you will be all I can think of."
She remained silent, her back still turned to Yun Zhonghe, but she started to tremble.
"Dear sister, what is your name? Turn around please!" Yun Zhonghe continued.
All of a sudden, the woman turned around, finally showing her face.
So… scary!
Her face was covered in warping scars like the face of a ferocious ghost.
She had the body of Medusa… and the face of a monster.
Yun Zhonghe's mouth was wide open, and he couldn't close it.
Then, the woman said calmly, "I am Xu Antiing…"
Yun Zhonghe opened his mouth wider instantly, and his eyes were as big as the lanterns. After a good long while, he said in a gruff voice, "The… the name sounds quite familiar. I have heard it somewhere before."
The woman with a monster's face said, "My brother is called Xu Anting. He is the owner of this tavern, and we are all agents from the Order of the Black Dragon.
Uh… uh…
A moment later, a lard bucket walked languidly out of the shadows. His face was fat, and his attire seemed costly. He looked like a rich but cruel man.
"I am Xu Anting, a secret agent from the Order of the Black Dragon and also your handler," Xu Anting said indifferently. "Everything that happened just now was part of a test, Mr. Yun. Your reaction… It took our breath away. I have lived for almost forty years, and I have never seen such an impudent and shameless person in my whole life."
Xu Anting sighed. "It was really mind-boggling! How could such a shameless person survive in this world? I don't have the right to kill you, but I need to teach you a lesson; I will brand you with the iron to leave a permanent mark on you. Then, you will be escorted back to the empire and receive punishment from the order."
The woman who had a sexy body but a monster's face, Xu Antiing, said in a gruff voice, "By the way, the order's punishment for traitors is… death by boiling."
"Let's get to work!" Xu Anting ordered.
The iron held by a knight was about to be pressed against Yun Zhonghe's chest.
Yun Zhonghe suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "Hahahaha, that's interesting, interesting! Xu Anting, from the moment I entered your tavern, I knew that you were testing me. I have passed the test with flying colors, but I am very unsatisfied with your reactions. As agents from the Order of the Black Dragon, you guys are way too unprofessional."