He Who Understands the Times is Outstanding

"There's an old saying in Shenzhou: 'He who understands the times is outstanding.'"

Jiang Li pulled five Water Spirit Talismans from his sleeve and said unhurriedly, "Senior Brother, I really don't want to use certain inhumane methods on you. But if you remain obstinate, then don't blame this Junior Brother for being discourteous. Have you heard of waterboarding?"

"All you need is a slope, a jug of water, and a few sheets of paper to provide you with the most painful experience. The most wonderful part is, with Water Spirit Talismans, there's no need to specifically find a slope or water."

Jiang Li sealed Yang Chong's acupoints and, using Yang Chong's blood, stuck the Water Spirit Talismans to his face one by one.

He could actually try the Flower Plucking Hand; after all, some of its acupoint striking techniques could be used on men. But the thought of using his first 'loving massage' experience on a man...

Jiang Li was trying to interrogate someone, not torture himself.

"At first, water will enter your stomach and lungs through your mouth and nose. You'll instinctively vomit, cough, and gasp frantically for air. But because your mouth and nose are covered, struggling like this will only make you swallow more water."

"Then, your hands will flail, your feet will kick wildly, you might even lose control of your bowels, sinking continuously into an abyss of pain."

Jiang Li wore a gentle smile, explaining things very enthusiastically to Yang Chong.

It's just that the explanation wasn't having the intended effect; Yang Chong was already starting to panic.

The Dinghu Sect was situated amidst a large lake. While not everyone in the sect was an expert swimmer, they at least understood basic water skills. Many disciples learned to swim to avoid drowning someday.

And speaking of swimming naturally brought experiences like choking on water. The disciples of the Dinghu Sect knew how painful drowning was.

See? Before Jiang Li could even finish speaking, Yang Chong couldn't help but cry out, "I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"

"Very good."

Jiang Li stopped his actions.

By now, Yang Chong's face was almost completely covered by talisman paper, leaving only the area around his mouth and nose empty. Just one more piece, and Yang Chong would experience the ancient and terrifying torture of waterboarding.

"Name?" Jiang Li asked.

"Yang Chong," Yang Chong replied hastily.

"Who sent you to follow me? What was the purpose?"

"It was Inner Sect Senior Brother Luo Yi. He said you extorted fifteen hundred merit points from him and wanted revenge... Mmph glug glug..."

Before Yang Chong could finish this sentence, Jiang Li slapped the last Water Spirit Talisman onto his face. The talisman activated, drawing moisture from the air and causing large amounts of water to pour into Yang Chong's mouth and nose.

"Resisting stubbornly," Jiang Li's voice turned cold. "Still clinging to侥幸心理 [a侥幸心理 (jiǎoxìng xīnlǐ) is a mindset of hoping for luck or侥幸 (jiǎoxìng), trusting to chance rather than preparation or facing reality] even now."

The moment Yang Chong blocked his quicklime attack, Jiang Li had completely ruled out the possibility of Luo Yi simply being narrow-minded.

At that time, Yang Chong was facing an unfair sneak attack under the cover of shadows. The chances of him blocking the quicklime were minuscule. Yet, he drew his sword as if predicting it, easily thwarting the trick.

This could only mean one thing: Yang Chong knew beforehand that Jiang Li liked using quicklime.

But this was something Jiang Li had never let anyone else know; everyone who had seen him use quicklime was dead. Furthermore, the heads used to claim rewards were all preserved with quicklime. To deduce Jiang Li's preference for quicklime from them would require dissection.

'And one head alone might not be enough to confirm my preference for quicklime,' Jiang Li narrowed his eyes.

Luo Yi must have noticed the key detail from the heads Jiang Li submitted previously, even before this pursuit mission, realizing Jiang Li liked using quicklime. It was even possible that Zhou Mingyun's Long Snake Dao Fruit was related to Luo Yi.

Snakes aren't afraid of losing their sight, making them the perfect counter for quicklime.

Knowing Jiang Li liked using quicklime, combined with Jiang Li's usual habit of picking easy targets, made creating suitable bait not difficult.

"Glug glug..."

Yang Chong had already started struggling frantically, but because his acupoints were sealed, he couldn't even flail his limbs.

When Jiang Li tore off the Water Spirit Talisman, saliva, mucus, and water spurted, vomited, and coughed out from Yang Chong's mouth and nose all at once.

"Guh, just kill me," he gagged while vomiting, speaking weakly.

"Senior Brother must be joking. I don't do things that violate sect rules. I, Jiang Li, have always been law-abiding and never crossed the line," Jiang Li said calmly. "I will only administer a tiny bit of retaliation for Senior Brother's improper actions."

He pulled out several more Water Spirit Talismans from his sleeve. "Next time, it will be two hundred breaths, and I will add an extra layer of talisman paper."

The thicker the paper covering the mouth and nose, the harder it is to breathe, and the pain increases exponentially. Two hundred breaths—even a cultivator who had accommodated the Heavenly Soldier Dao Fruit would likely find it difficult to endure.

Seeing those thin yellow talismans approaching again, Yang Chong's eyes bulged wide, as if seeing a vicious ghost.

"I'll talk, I'll tell you everything! Take it away! Take it away!" Yang Chong screamed frantically.

Experiencing waterboarding just once was enough to break him; he couldn't bear that kind of pain. It seemed this Senior Brother Yang's willpower didn't quite match the stubbornness of his mouth. Of course, it was also possible that Jiang Li, considering the physical resilience of cultivators, had started with a slightly higher difficulty level.

"Speak," Jiang Li stopped his hand and reminded him quite amiably, "Let me state this beforehand: if Senior Brother lies again... then don't blame this Junior Brother for being impolite."

He didn't reveal how much he knew, which made Yang Chong even more terrified.

Yang Chong was terribly afraid of misspeaking in his haste and suffering that agony again.

And this moment of hesitation prompted Jiang Li to nudge the talisman paper forward again.

"The Jiang family!"

Yang Chong shrieked, "We are all members of the Jiang family! My real name is Jiang Chong! Junior Brother, no, Clan Brother, we are brothers from the same root! Please don't do it!"

This answer truly surprised Jiang Li. He had assumed the ones targeting him were political enemies or rivals of the Jiang family. He hadn't expected the enemy to be the Jiang family itself.

Attacking their own people, and they still had the audacity to talk about being from the same root?

"The main family members have already moved overseas. Which branch family has the authority to command you?" Jiang Li asked.

As he spoke, he gestured as if preparing to give Yang Chong another round.

"The Third Young Master! The main family's Third Young Master didn't leave! He changed his name and joined the Dinghu Sect," Yang Chong blurted out quickly, terrified. "He's right here. The Dinghu Sect's lineage comes from the Human Emperor Xuanyuan Shi, and our Jiang family are descendants of Shennong Shi. The two sides have always had dealings and a deep friendship. Although the main family was forced to leave, the Third Young Master secretly stayed behind and entered the Dinghu Sect."

"Who is he?"

"I don't know! I really don't know!"

Yang Chong's courage had completely shattered. He told everything he knew without reservation. But if he didn't know something, he simply didn't know. Even torturing him with waterboarding wouldn't make him say otherwise.

As for fabricating lies, Yang Chong truly didn't dare.