Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

The soldiers glared with rage at the Hun, his face covered with a black cloth and bound with shackles. Days of suppressed tension suddenly erupted like a volcano. They rushed forward, brandishing their fists and mercilessly hammering at the Hun's body. They raised their legs and feet, kicking him hard, as if to vent all the fear and anger they had endured for days. For a moment, shouts, curses, and the dull thud of fists and feet mingled incessantly.

One of the soldiers roared with gritted teeth: "It's all because of you bastards! You make me live in fear all day long!" Another soldier beat and cursed: "Let you be so arrogant! If you fall into our hands today, you will be forced to suffer a miserable death!" The Hun curled up on the ground, groaning in pain, but this did not arouse the soldiers' sympathy at all.

The fight intensified, fists raining down like raindrops, each one brimming with resentment, each kick brimming with rage. At this point, the leader couldn't stand it anymore. He lunged forward and shouted, "Stop! Stop it! Stop it! If you keep going like this, someone's going to die!"

Hearing the leader's rebuke, the soldiers finally woke up and stopped. The Hun was already battered and bruised, barely breathing. The leader frowned, looked at the captive on the ground, glanced at the surrounding soldiers, and said sternly, "Alright, everyone, calm down. Let's get this man to the authorities immediately, and we'll have accomplished our mission. As for the interrogation, the authorities will handle it. We just need to focus on arresting him."

After saying this, the leader pointed to four soldiers and ordered, "You four, escort this guy to the government office. Be careful on the way and don't let him escape. The rest of you, follow me and continue patrolling to see if there are any other escaped fish or lurking spies."

After receiving the order, the four soldiers responded and dragged the wounded Xiongnu towards the government office. The remaining soldiers sorted their equipment and returned to their intense patrol work...

Old Cui stared at the nearly dying Xiongnu man tied to a pillar with a furrowed brow, his mood growing increasingly restless. Zhao Si had been his good friend for over a decade! Upon learning that Zhao Si had been stabbed in the street, he was distraught and quickly sent someone to investigate. However, the news that eventually arrived was a bolt from the blue—Zhao Si had already died.

Lao Cui was devastated upon hearing the tragic news. Although he and Zhao Si weren't close friends, their tacit cooperation over the past decade had made them indispensable partners. This sudden change felt like the loss of a right-hand man, leaving Lao Cui feeling suffocated and uncomfortable.

He gushed down a mouthful of water, as if trying to quench the rage within him. Then, with heavy steps, Lao Cui slowly approached the black-clad Hun. He bent down, scooped up a bucket of cold water, and violently poured it down on the unconscious Hun, forcibly waking him up.

The man in black slowly regained consciousness and glanced around in confusion. Then, once he had a clear view of his surroundings, he suddenly understood. He raised his head, glared at Lao Cui fiercely, and roared fearlessly, "Kill me or chop me up, as you please. I'm not afraid of you! Eighteen years later, I'll still be a brave man!"

Old Cui coldly watched the arrogant Hun in front of him, dressed in black. He sneered in his heart: Humph! You've already fallen into such a state, and you're still showing off your power? You really don't know whether to live or die! Old Cui's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a smile full of pity. Then he spoke slowly: "Now that you're here, I have the final say! Even if you shout at the top of your lungs, it's futile. No matter how much you cry, it's all in vain. Whatever I ask of you, you'd better tell me honestly and clearly, word for word.

This way, perhaps you'll die more quickly. If you dare to provoke me, hehe..." Lao Cui paused deliberately, his eyes glancing coldly over the face of the man in black. Then, in a chilling tone, he continued, "I will definitely let you taste every weapon in this dungeon. I guarantee that you will be left wishing for life but not death, and will deeply experience what it means to be worse off than death!"

However, facing Lao Cui's naked threat, the man in black acted nonchalant, even scoffing in response: "Stop trying to scare me! If you have the guts, just come at me and use all your tricks. If I frown, I won't be considered a hero! What can you, a bunch of weaklings, do to me?"

Hearing the Xiongnu's arrogant and presumptuous words, Lao Cui's fury instantly ignited, flaring up. With his eyes wide open, he turned to his men and shouted, "Go! Bring up all those torture instruments and use them on him one by one. Let this guy have a taste of them all and see how long he can hold his tongue!" Then, Lao Cui specifically warned his men, "But remember, don't kill this man. Otherwise, we won't be able to report to the higher authorities and get a confession!"

Seeing their boss's solemn instructions, Lao Cui's subordinates hurried forward, nodding and bowing in agreement, saying, "Boss, don't worry! It's such a trivial matter, why do you need so many instructions? We, your subordinates, have always been measured in our actions and will definitely not delay your important matters. Just watch from the side!" With that, the group instantly split into two groups. One group, holding various torture instruments, aggressively surrounded the man who was tied to the ground; while the other group, holding pens, inkstones, and paper, prepared to record his confession one by one.

At this moment, a bailiff in charge of recording the confession shouted, "Tell me! Who ordered you to commit this evil? How many people were involved? What are your hidden motives?" However, the bound man simply kept his lips tightly shut, remaining silent. Seeing this assertiveness, the bailiff wasn't angry. Instead, his lips curled slightly, revealing a chilling sneer. He slowly picked up a sewing needle from his side and slowly and methodically inserted it into the Hun's fingers, one by one. With each insertion, the Hun let out a heartbreaking wail that echoed throughout the room. Even so, the bailiff remained unmoved, his face even revealing an indescribable pleasure, as if he were enjoying a spectacular performance.

As those ten fingers were gradually pierced with long, thin needles, the Hun's screams faded, replaced by endless silence and agony. His once arrogant and domineering demeanor now shrank like a deflated ball, and he collapsed to the ground, seemingly drained of all strength.

Everyone stared coldly at the once-arrogant Hun before them. His face was pale, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his lips trembled in pain. However, even so, he still gritted his teeth and refused to utter a word.

"Tell me! Who are you? Why are you here? Who sent you?" the leader shouted angrily. But the Hun just gasped for air, his eyes revealing a hint of stubbornness and unyielding spirit, and remained silent.

This completely infuriated everyone present. One person couldn't help but say, "Stop nagging this guy. Let's teach him a lesson first!" Before he even finished speaking, the others chimed in. They stopped questioning and instead brought out all sorts of interrogation equipment.

These instruments were varied and varied, ranging from whips, branding irons, to clamps. Anything that could inflict extreme pain without causing immediate death was used. For a moment, the room echoed with the miserable howls of the Huns and the sizzling sound of burning flesh.

Before long, the black-clad Hun was covered in blood, with barely a single piece of intact skin left. If it weren't for his faint breathing, one would have mistaken him for dead.

Lao Cui stared at the tightly bound Hun in front of him with a sharp gaze. He saw that the Hun's eyes flickered, as if he was still thinking about something. Lao Cui thought to himself that something was wrong and quickly ordered his men: "Quick! Get a towel and cover this guy's mouth first. Don't let him bite his tongue and commit suicide!" One of his men quickly took out a thick towel and forcefully stuffed it into the Hun's mouth.

Then, Lao Cui gave another order: "Throw him to the corner over there and let him dry for a while, and then interrogate him after dinner. Everyone is exhausted today, so go back and rest. However, you still have to leave two brothers here to guard him, and don't let anyone take advantage of the opportunity to kidnap him." Everyone nodded in understanding, indicating that they would definitely guard this place strictly.

At this time, someone said to Lao Cui, "Boss, don't worry! You go back first, we brothers are here, and we guarantee that we can tell you everything he knows tomorrow!" Lao Cui nodded slightly and responded, "Okay, I believe you. But you have worked hard all day, and you should have a good rest. Prepare a useful confession as soon as possible so that you can go home. It's very cold today, and it's important to go home early to warm up. It's not suitable to stay here all the time in such a cold day." Everyone responded, "Boss, you are right, we will make sure to complete the task, and we will put the confession properly on your desk tomorrow morning!" Lao Cui then turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the night.