Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 706: One Team, One File
Instead of going to Shuntian Prefecture or the South City Military Command, Ah Liu rode his captives back to the gate of Zhang Garden. The guards who were left behind had already started patrolling with tokens, so the mighty guards under the wall were no longer visible. The two gatekeepers, Yang Hao and Zheng Dang, were guarding the gate very diligently.
When they saw Ah Liu throwing a man off his horse like throwing a sandbag, and then jumping down, but arriving first and hooking the man with his toes before landing, the two young men didn't even bother to envy him, and they only regretted that their martial arts were not good enough.
They hurried forward and took a look at the guy under Liu's feet. Zheng Dang asked cautiously, "Sixth brother, who is this guy?"
"Assassin." Ah Liu blurted out the word. Seeing the two young men jump back in shock, he said calmly, "It's just a half-dead assassin. What are you afraid of? Someone go and tell the young master!"
After saying this, he leaned over and grabbed the man's belt, then dragged him towards the gate. Yang Hao and Zheng Dang, who were following behind, looked at each other, one hurriedly went to hold the horse, and the other hurriedly chased after Ah Liu. Seeing Ah Liu dragging the man into the threshold without a care, and not even looking at the other's head hitting the threshold heavily, they couldn't help but feel for him when they saw it.
Next, would Ah Liu clean up this assassin and hang him up, and then let him experience Ah Liu's version of eighteen kinds of torture? That would definitely be many times more severe than the torture room in the government office that they had heard of. The other party would definitely cry and beg for mercy, be scared to death, and then he would be eager to confess everything he ate for three meals a day...
When Zhang Shou, who was still in the study sorting out the manuscripts for Lu Sanlang, got the news from Yang Hao, he was stunned. And when Yang Hao told him all the ideas that Zheng Dang had, he was even more amused - you two little guys who worship Ah Liu so much, you might as well just follow others and shout 666.
After laughing for a while, he couldn't help but hold his forehead with his hand when he thought about Ah Liu bringing back a captive who was said to be an assassin. This was really going to make big news for him!
Although he didn't even know when Liu went out, he was even more confused about the origin of this assassin. He was not interested in the origin of the so-called assassin, but since Liu had taken the trouble to bring the person back, he couldn't just ignore it. So after thinking it over, he had to put on a cloak and follow Yang Hao out the door.
Because Ah Liu had returned, the front door was locked, and Yang Hao and Zheng Dang had already exchanged shifts with others. When Zhang Shou went out, he saw Zheng Dang running towards him, breathlessly saying, "Master, Master, Brother Liu took the man to Tiangongfang... Is he torturing him so he's afraid someone might hear him?"
The more Zhang Shou listened, the more he felt that this matter made no sense. In his impression, although Ah Liu was ruthless to irrelevant people, and he was a disciple of Hua Qi, it was understandable that he knew the techniques of torture. However, his family's Tiangong Workshop was located underground which had been excavated on a large scale by Prince Lu. It didn't make sense for Ah Liu to torture an assassin and take him there.
Besides, there were a bunch of valuable tech geeks there, wouldn't they be scared to death when they heard the ghosts howling? So, he felt it was extremely strange and said unhappily, "Stop talking nonsense, take me there!"
When Zhang Shou hurried to Tiangongfang, he saw that the underground secret door had been opened. However, Ah Liu was standing outside holding the prisoner and talking to Guan Qiu who had obviously come out from inside.
"Xiao Guan, didn't you say before that you were short of experimental materials? Death row prisoners are hard to come by, but I didn't expect that I would run into an assassin who didn't care about his life today. Anyway, no one cares if this kind of useless person lives or dies, so let's make the best use of him."
Seeing Ah Liu talking so seriously, Zhang Shou couldn't help but be surprised. When did Ah Liu, who always used force to defeat others, know how to use such a trick of fighting with wisdom instead of force? What surprised him even more was that Guan Qiu, who never took credit for himself, nodded and said, "Okay, brother Liu, just keep the person here!"
Ah Liu nodded, but suddenly sighed with regret: "I'm afraid one person like this is not enough to test the medicine. It's a pity that there is only one assassin, it would be better if there were more!"
Guan Qiu smiled shyly, "Brother Zhang said last time that the cinchona tree can only be planted in extremely hot places like Qiongzhou Prefecture, but this tree is rare, but it can actually be planted anywhere. But after transplanting, whether the juice can have a fatal effect can not only be tested on cats, dogs, chickens and ducks, but also on humans. If Sixth Brother has more people in the future, just send them to me."
"The more the better. After all, we need to test what dose is effective and whether it will cause drug resistance."
The two of them discussed this terrifying topic as if nothing had happened. Not only did Yang Hao and Zheng Dang hide behind Zhang Shou in fear, but even Zhang Shou himself felt a little pain in his teeth after listening to it. Was this a conversation without any lines in advance? Why did it sound so much like it was carefully designed and never put into use?
Just as he saw Ah Liu dragging people up to throw them to Guan Qiu, a voice suddenly rang out: "Sixth Master, Sixth Master, spare me! I am indeed just a pawn under someone's orders, but I know a lot of things. Don't use me to test medicine. I am very useful... Oh, Sixth Master, spare me, you can beat me and scold me as much as you want, but don't use me to test medicine!"
Hearing the man calling him "little by little", he was begging for mercy. The voice was so sad that it made anyone who saw it sad and heard it cry. Zhang Shou finally couldn't help laughing. Ah Liu seemed to have just realized that he was here. He turned his head and let go of his hand. Then he asked awkwardly, "Why is the young master here?"
Guan Qiu was genuinely surprised to find out that Zhang Shou had come in person. He was so happy that he turned around and ran away without saying a word. Not only did he run away, he even closed the secret door of Tiangong Workshop again, proving that he was guilty.
Facing this scene, Ah Liu was immediately furious and cursed: "This Guan Qiu is so useless!"
Zhang Shou, with his understanding of the two boys, saw that they were acting together, but the unfortunate prisoner didn't know. Seeing that the boy who had just teamed up with Ah Liu to test some deadly poison on him had escaped, and seeing that the ruthless Ah Liu had suddenly become honest, and also convinced of Zhang Shou's identity, he immediately tried desperately to grasp this life-saving straw.
"Master Zhang, Master Zhang! What I just said is true! I am Jiang Zhuoer, and I am well-known in the underground circle of Beijing. I was hired by someone with a large sum of money to intercept the Sixth Master and make sure he does not come back tonight! The employer must want to do something bad to your mansion, so he wants to stop the Sixth Master."
"I'm definitely not the only one hired. He told me that there were six more people who would intercept me along the way, so I tried to slip away after my first attack failed. In the end, I still couldn't escape from Master Liu's control! But those people were probably scared after seeing me being captured, so they didn't dare to make a move. But just because they didn't make a move doesn't mean they didn't take the money!"
"Really, I have some fame in the capital. I have been helping some officials and their families to do some dirty work. I know the secrets of many wealthy families! Also, I know this circle of people who take money to do things. Even though Master Zhu has been cleaning up the capital again and again since he took office, these people of mine are hiding in the deepest place, and he doesn't know it!"
"As long as you are generous and let me off, I am willing to come forward and testify!"
Originally, he thought he had caught only small shrimps, but now after hearing these words, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh. Although it was not a big fish, it was at least a fat loach. Although he was not interested in the so-called private affairs of the ministers, he still glanced at Yang Hao and Zheng Dang who followed to watch the fun.
Under his stern gaze, the two young men reluctantly lowered their heads and retreated. At this time, Zhang Shou looked at Ah Liu and said, "I will ask you about the drug test later. Take the person to the secret room!"
After receiving Zhang Shou's order, Ah Liu raised his lips, and then stepped forward to grab Jiang Zhuo'er's hair and dragged her away. Compared with the way he dragged her away just now, this time was even more simple and rough.
Her hair was pulled and her scalp was in great pain. Although she wanted to struggle desperately, the arrowheads had not yet been removed from the three places on her body. If she continued to resist, she might be crippled. The unfortunate Jiang Zhuoer did not dare to struggle, but just begged for mercy desperately: "Sixth Master, spare me! Master Zhang, spare me! I was really just instructed by someone, and I was not completely greedy for money, but someone else threatened my family..."
However, Ah Liu, who hated others talking too much, responded to his chattering with an action. He took out a handkerchief and simply stuffed it into the man's mouth, blocking the man's subsequent words.
After bringing Jiang Zhuoer to the completely independent and isolated secret room under Zhang Shou's study, Liu lit the oil lamp. He saw Jiang Zhuoer looking around and trembling like a sieve, and he started laughing.
And his smile under the dim light was scarier than a ghost. In addition, Jiang Zhuoer saw clearly that the walls of the secret room were nailed with chains and shackles, and the color of the walls seemed a little dark, as if soaked in blood. Although didn't see the eighteen kinds of torture instruments, she knew with her toes that the Good House would set up such a torture room in the basement.
People in the capital said that this young scholar Zhang was gentle and elegant, and looked like a banished immortal. But if they saw this scene, they would surely realize that it was all an illusion, right? This was not a banished immortal, but a human demon who had returned from the underworld!
Even though he thought so, Jiang Zhuoer , who looked , did not dare to show the slightest anger. Seeing that Ah Liu effortlessly fastened his wrists and feet in the shackles on the wall, he could not resist and could only hum desperately trying to speak.
Fortunately, this time, he heard a voice like heavenly music: "A Liu, take off the gag, or he might get a stuffy nose and suffocate to death. "
Ah Liu glanced at Jiang Zhuo'er, who was chained to the wall and pleading, and then he took out the gag handkerchief and threw it on the ground. Seeing the man taking a deep breath, he turned to look at Zhang Shou, as if asking if he wanted to continue to scare this man.
Zhang Shou shook his head and said calmly, "What did you just say? Many officials and their families hire thugs to do all kinds of dirty things in your underground circle?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Jiang Zhuo'er nodded like a chick pecking at rice, wishing she could use the most sincere words to dispel the other party's idea of torture. She swore and said, "If I dare to say a lie, I will be struck by lightning! I can tell you right now, Master Zhang, that Master Kong Jiu from Master Kong's family once..."
Before anyone could reveal the specific secrets of the Kong family, Zhang Shou interrupted without much haste, saying, "I am not interested in what Master Kong Jiu has done. What I am interested in is, since you can swear that Master Kong Jiu has approached you, then who is the person who hired you today to intercept Ah Liu?"
"Or you don't have to tell me who it is, just tell me which side the person is from! Don't fool me with empty words, I want clues and evidence. If it is proven that one of your words is a lie, then you don't need to live!"
Wang Zhuoer had finally sorted out the information that could be used for bargaining, but Zhang Shou's additional conditions suddenly hit him hard, and he immediately groaned inwardly.
Those who have been looking for someone to do dirty work in the black market have always wanted to add layers of disguises to themselves so that no one can see through them. But even so, those who work in private can still find clues through the people who do the work and the people who benefit. And he is even more meticulous. Every time he takes such a job, he will even secretly follow the contactor.
Even though those people were usually very cautious and were just characters promoted by big shots, he could still find clues eight or nine times out of ten. As for the one or two times he failed, it was because the people who had negotiated business with him died within a few days.
Of course, he wrote down these information in the booklet with the intention of blackmailing those big shots when he was old and disabled and could no longer do this job, and then disappear without a trace after taking the money. However, he did not expect that it would be used to buy his life today.
This time, he took on the task of intercepting Ah Liu. He originally felt that the risk was quite high. After the deal was concluded, he followed the same method to track and pursue him. As expected, he discovered that the man had contacted several famous dirty workers in the black market after him.
However, when he wrote down those colleagues one by one, and then followed the clues, intending to follow the man to his lair and observe who contacted this person, he ended up capsizing in the gutter! You must know that he has always been gifted, with a nose sharper than a dog, so when he contacted him, he secretly sprinkled a special powder on the other party, but who knew that the smell actually disappeared outside a famous bathhouse in Beijing!
He had originally planned to make up a mastermind to fool him, but Zhang Shou clearly wanted clues and evidence, and Jiang Zhuoer felt that he was pushed to the edge of a cliff. He was speechless, but when he saw the eerie smile of the young man who he had ambushed in vain, he couldn't help but shout loudly: "I don't know who is the mastermind behind the scenes, but I know who the other people who took the task are!"
"Also...if Master Zhang is not interested in those secrets, I...I am willing to hold the reins for you and serve you like a dog or a horse!"
