Chapter 152: The Wedding Date Has Been Set
Su Wen looked at Meng Wei in front him.
He knew that the grudge between him and this person had been formed.
The grudge of killing his father.
No matter what Su Wen said, Meng Wei would not easily reveal Yao Gu"s whereabouts!
"Men! Bring it out!"
Under Meng Wei"s horrified gaze, Su Wen got someone to pull up a huge hammer. At the end of the hammer, a rope was tied to it, suspending it above while a brazier was placed down and the rope roasted on it!
On the other side, Meng Wei was held in place with his legs apart.
His gonads were placed on the cold stone bench under the huge hammer!
"When this hammer falls, you"ll have to taste the bitterness of having a broken egg1!" Su Wen teased.
Meng Wei could not help but involuntarily gulp.
Su Wen had chosen a good angle. Meng Wei could clearly see the rope holding the hammer slowly being burnt and also the sledgehammer aiming at his b.a.l.l.s.
As he felt the coldness of the stone bench, fear arose in Meng Wei"s heart. No matter which man it was, they would be terrified when they saw this situation.
But he gritted his teeth and suppressed the fear in his heart.
He still chose not to say a single word.
Su Wen laid on the chair and took out a nail file from somewhere to trim his nails.
"This thing about humans is really strange. If your nails are broken, they can be regrown. If your hair is snappedoken, you can also grow it again. I wonder if the testes can still regenerate if it"s broken?"
Su Wen looked at Meng Wei and said in a deep voice, "Say, where is Yao Gu? Tell me and I will pretend that this never happened!"
"I… I don"t know!" Meng Wei was a little stubborn.
Su Wen walked in front of him and slowly squatted down. He pointed at the rope. At this moment, half of the rope was burnt off. As it was thick enough, it was still able to support the sledgehammer.
"You won"t be able to hold on for much longer. Think about it carefully. If your b.a.l.l.s are crushed, your Meng family will be devoid of descendants."
Meng Wei seemed to have made up his mind! He gritted his teeth and said, "I… don"t know!"
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. This guy seemed to have some backbone.
Whoos.h.!.+
At this moment, the rope broke! The hammer fell!
Meng Wei"s muscles tensed up as he closed his eyes and waited in despair for the pain!
A moment later, he opened his eyes, drenched in sweat.
He saw that Su Wen had caught the hammer in his hands, not letting it fall.
Su Wen squatted beside him, all smiles instead of being angry, "Fine, you have some backbone. You"re a tough guy. I"ll believe that it"s not you for now! If it"s not you… then it"s your mother… There aren"t many people in your family who would dare to do such a thing."
Meng Wei"s eyes widened at his accusation!
Su Wen shouted, "Bring his mother in! Let her have a taste of our brothers" methods!"
"You dare?!" Meng Wei shouted.
Su Wen snapped, "I don"t dare? Why wouldn"t I dare? That b*stard even dares to kill me. If I don"t find him, would I be able to sleep? Think about it carefully. If it were you, would you be able to tolerate an 8th Grade Earth Rank expert hiding in the dark and planning to a.s.sa.s.sinate you?"
Su Wen looked at Meng Wei and said in a deep voice, "I know, you must know where Yao Gu is. Your mother is probably innocent, but since you"re so stubborn, I won"t touch you. I want to see if your mother is as stubborn as you… Think about it, your father is already dead after all, and furthermore in an open duel! That Yao Gu isn"t your father! You still have a family. Tell me his whereabout and I"ll spare your life. I won"t touch your family at all!"
"This matter of revenge is something Yao Gu wants to do. It has nothing to do with you, so why do you have to involve your entire family? Do you want to see your mother get played by these brothers? If you want, I can satisfy you."
Meng Wei looked at Su Wen and felt regret for the first time!
He regretted not stopping Yao Gu from trying to avenge Meng Zhiping.
This man was too scary.
He could indeed ignore his own life and choose to fight head-on, but could he watch as his mother was humiliated and tortured?
At that moment, Meng Wei"s mother was brought in!
Upon seeing Meng Wei"s pathetic state in the room, she immediately screamed. "What are you doing! Quickly release my son! He didn"t do anything!"
Pa!
A Secret Shadow Guard directly replied her with a tight slap!
"Shut up! Keep your voice down when talking to the Commander."
Meng Wei"s eyes widened as he roared, "Don"t touch my mother!"
Su Wen narrowed his eyes and looked at the Secret Shadow Guard. "Who allowed you to hit him?"
That person smiled apologetically. "I learnt this from your guard, sir!"
"What"s your name?"
"Tian Zhuo!"
Su Wen no longer bothered about him and said in a gentle tone towards Meng Wei, "Compared to your entire family being annihilated, it"s better for you to tell me the truth. It"s up to you to decide, and I"ll count to ten. If you don"t tell me, I"ll remove ten of your mother"s fingernails as an appetizer!"
"Ten!"
"Nine!"
"Eight!"
"Seven!"
Looking at his mother who had raised him since he was young, Meng Wei finally could not hold it in anymore.
"I"ll speak! I know where Yao Gu is! Put my mother back!"
Su Wen waved his hand, and the lady was taken back to the holding cell.
"You should have done this earlier. Why did you have to go through all this trouble?" Su Wen laughed.
In the Meng family"s chamber, Yao Gu was eating rations and drinking two mouthfuls of clean water. Meng Wei had also brought quite a bit of meat for him. A warrior"s appet.i.te was huge, and he was seriously injured, thus he had to eat more. Furthermore, the chamber was cold, so he was not worried that it would spoil.
"D*mn… that hateful Su Wen… I should have killed him yesterday!"
Yao Gu secretly regretted it!
"But when I recover and get out of here, hehe…"
Suddenly, the exit of the secret chamber opened and air entered!
Yao Gu instantly felt that something was wrong!
There were too many footsteps!
He forced himself to his feet as a man with triangular eyes entered the room.
It was Wei Guo"an.
He looked at the miserable Yao Gu and said, "Yao Gu, do you still want to resist when I"m here? In your current state, you won"t be able to last more than three moves against me!"
Yao Gu shook his head helplessly. He knew that Wei Guo"an was telling the truth.
"I never had the habit of surrendering!" Yao Gu touched the long spear beside him.
Bam!
Wei Guo"an directly crashed into Yao Gu as a reply.
Yao Gu, who had displayed his prowess the previous day, was now like a sandbag that had been ruthlessly smashed into the wall of the secret chamber!
"Pss.h.!.+"
As he spat out a mouthful of blood, Wei Guo"an stepped forward and sealed his cultivation with his fingers before lifting him up and bringing him out.
In a bit, Yao Gu was thrown in front of Su Wen.
Su Wen squatted down and slapped his face.
"B*stard, what happened to the awesomeness you showed last night?"
Su Wen gritted his teeth and said, "I"ll let you have more fun now. I"ll cripple you first before anything else!"
As he spoke, Su Wen placed his hand on Yao Gu"s dantian.
"You dare?!" Yao Gu"s eyes were filled with fear. One had to know that this cultivation was his greatest reliance!
"Pss.h.!.+"
How would Su Wen not dare?
Yao Gu"s dantian was instantly destroyed by Su Wen"s violent palm strike!
Yao Gu spat out another mouthful of blood.
He looked at Su Wen pitifully. He knew that he was finished!
There was no chance of a comeback!
Wei Guo"an roared from the side, "Sir is mighty. This Yao Gu resisted the law with brute force, so Sir took the lead and destroyed this person"s cultivation in battle. You"re truly impressive!"
Su Wen glanced at him. This old man was really sly. He didn"t want to take responsibility but also didn"t want to offend anyone.
However, Su Wen knew that his actions were indeed taboo.
According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, generally speaking, one could not cripple the cultivation of a criminal before the trial.
The guards were all clear-headed and immediately shouted as well, "Sir is mighty!"
Su Wen burst into laughter.
"Humans are essentially double standard dogs! Even if they want others to abide by the law, when it comes to themselves, they can"t help but do the opposite… Indeed, I"m a hypocrite!"
However, he did not feel any guilt.
Since he wanted to do it, then he act upon his wishes. He would girst nip all possibilities in the bud!
"HAHA, my martial skill is unparalleled, Yao Gu is nothing. Take him away!"
Su Wen acknowledged it!
Yao Gu"s capture could be said to allowed Su Wen"s to put down the weight in his heart.
In addition, there was also an unexpected gain. It was the gold and silver jewelry that the Meng family had hidden.
He had to find out where these things came from, but that was another matter.
Although the Secret Shadow Guards had the authority to supervise, arrest, and interrogate, they did not have the authority to put others on trial. When all the evidence was gathered, they still had to report it to the three judges of the Ministry of Justice. If they felt that the results were unfair, then they could report it to Emperor Zhou and let him decide!
This required time. In the following period of time, Su Wen got also got busy.
In addition, there was also the name list Su Changqing gave Si Tu. There were many things within that required the Secret Shadow Guard to check.
And Su Wen was no exception in such matters.
In particular, one of them attracted Su Wen"s interest.
Zhang Zhi!
The Minister of Rites!
This fellow was also on Su Changqing"s list.
It could even be said that there was sufficient evidence. Soon, Zhang Zhi was too thrown into jail.
Profound Language Pavilion Elder Fei Chi was then appointed as the Minister of Rites.
The situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty had suddenly changed. Everyone"s expressions changed when they talked about the Secret Shadow Guards.
And Su Wen"s reputation also spread throughout the martial world.
Of course, this reputation was an infamous one!
He allowed his family"s guard to kill Meng Zhiping and brought people to put Yao Gu in jail. He didn"t even spare their families!
One had to know that Meng Zhiping and Yao Gu had a certain reputation in the martial world.
In an instant, Su Wen"s bad reputation spread throughout the martial artists.
He even surpa.s.sed his father"s rumors of being a corrupt official, becoming the target of hatred for the people in the martial arts world.
However, most of these people only hated him on the surface. After all, Su Wen did not get much Emotional Value out of them.
As for Emperor Zhou, he also made a decision!
He would allow Su Wen and Yan Luoying to get married!
In the main hall, Emperor Zhou rubbed his eyebrows and said, "I just can"t figure out what"s wrong with the children of the capital. Didn"t Yan Luoying just kill some soldiers and civilians of the enemy country? Why is everyone staying away from her?"
The old eunuch was at a loss as to how he should respond to this question.
"Forget it, forget it. Let Su Wen and Yan Luoying get married. Even if Su Wen"s life is a little short, giving birth to a child can also be a form of binding her. It"s not a long-term solution to keep pestering her like this."
The old eunuch asked, "What about Princess Wanrou?"
Emperor Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "Wanrou and Su Wen had feelings for each other, but they didn"t overstep the boundaries. Let"s just forget about it. I"ve bestowed the marriage to Yan Luoying. If I let Wanrou take over the position of the main wife, how would Yan Luoying be willing? But if my daughter marries that brat as an unofficial wife, where would my face be? Let"s just forget about it!"
Emperor Zhou had decided on their marriage date.
When the royal edict was issued, the news spread. Some were happy while others were sad.
Yan Luoying was naturally happy.
When Zhao Wanrou found out about this matter, she couldn"t help but secretly cry.
Her mother had also come to visit her. After all, the only person Zhao Wanrou could confide in was her mother.
Therefore, her mother knew what she was thinking. After hearing this news, she guessed that her daughter"s mood would fluctuate.
When the two of them met, Wanrou"s mother persuaded, "Daughter, don"t be sad. Our women"s marriage has never been decided by ourselves."
Zhao Wanrou bit her lips and said softly, "But Lady Mother, it was Royal Father who hinted for me to get closer to Su Wen. It was also him who created an opportunity for us to be alone. Now, he wants Yan Luoying and Su Wen to get married instead. How can this be?"
From Zhao Wanrou"s perspective, it was normal for her to complain about Emperor Zhou.
Her mother hugged her gently and comforted her. "It"s hard to guess what"s on the emperor"s mind. Now that the royal edict has been issued, Yan Luoying and Su Wen are going to get married in a month. No one can resist this."
Zhao Wanrou bit her lower lip as tears streamed down her face. Seeing this, her mother"s heart ached for her.
In the general"s residence, Wu Muyu had not seen Su Wen much recently. She had no choice as she was under Wu Kunhu"s strict watch and did not allow her to leave.
However, when the news reached the prefecture, the little girl could not help but secretly hide and cry.
"Stupid brother! Annoying Majesty! Bad daddy! They"re all bad people… Only Brother Su is good… and he"s to marry someone else… Wuwuwu…"
When Su Wen heard this news, his first reaction was to enter the palace to argue.
But before he could leave, Su Changqing arrived.
Seeing Su Wen"s angry expression, Su Changchun gave him a look, "Where are you going?"
"Find His Majesty and cancel the engagement!"
Su Wen said in a solemn tone!
"Follow me in!" Su Changqing"s tone was extremely stern.
Su Wen followed him into the room. Su Changqing sighed and said, "You have always been domineering outside and His Majesty has always protected you. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, he has to give me face. Secondly, you know your limits and have never crossed His Majesty"s bottom line! If you go and look for His Majesty today, you will be seeking death!"
Su Wen frowned and said, "Surely not, right? Isn"t it just an annulment?"
Su Changqing sneered. "No, you don"t. Do you know what His Majesty hopes for you and Yan Luoying?"
As he spoke, he sighed. "The things you see are still too little. Let me ask you, do you know what is the most important thing in this world?"
Su Wen pondered for a moment before asking, "State power?"
"It"s too vague. Speak in detail!"
"Military power?" Su Wen finally gave this answer. After all, power came from the barrel of a gun!
Su Changqing nodded. "You can say that it is, but you can also say that it isn"t. The most important thing in the world is the number and quality of Heaven Ranked experts!"
Su Wen frowned. "Is a Heaven Rank expert that strong?"
Su Changqing laughed coldly. "What do you think? You"re nothing but an ant before reaching the Heaven Rank realm. A Heaven Ranked expert can fight an entire army by himself! Destroying cities and villages, destroying the heavens and destroying the earth with unparalleled might! Heaven Rank experts aren"t even human anymore."
Su Wen laughed loudly. "Then what"s the point of having an army? Just let a Heaven Rank expert do it!"
Su Changqing shook his head. "It"s not as easy as you think. First of all, Heaven Ranked experts are too powerful. If a fight breaks out, the commoners and soldiers will be wiped out. That"s why the various nations have come up with a unified agreement. Heaven Ranks are forbidden from attacking anyone under their own realm."
"Secondly, Heaven Rank experts are too destructive. If such an expert attacks, even if the enemy is destroyed, all that remains will be rubble. What"s the point?"
"That"s why only those below Heaven Rank are responsible for the fighting in wars between countries."
Su Changqing said in a low voice, "But this are just small skirmishes! Once a country is forced into a corner, it will definitely escalate it into a war between Heaven Ranks! Only then will it be a true war."
"However, whoever mobilizes a Heaven Ranked expert first will become the target of all nations!"
"That"s why His Majesty doesn"t want us to use this force first. He needs those outstanding generals and commanders!"
At this point, Su Changqing sighed and said, "But the hearts of people are hard to predict. Many generals are unruly and difficult to control. Among them is Yan Luoying"s father, Yan Ze! His Majesty doesn"t know anything about Yan Luoying, and it"s even harder for him to be at ease, hence she was summoned to the capital."
Su Wen stroked his chin in confusion. "I already knew about this, but what does it have to do with me breaking off the engagement? He can just find another person."
Su Changqing glanced at him. "His Majesty wants you to become a Heaven Ranked expert! Don"y you think he treats you better than his own son? He gave you a Heaven Rank secret manual, pills, and even allowed you to get close to Princess Wanrou!"
"Because His Majesty didn"t intend to let you marry Yan Luoying then!"
Su Changqing said, "But Yan Luoying"s persistence made His Majesty compromise because he wasn"t sure if you could enter the Heaven Rank realm! On the other hand, Yan Luoying has already proven her military talent!"
"Now that His Majesty has issued a decree, he intends to settle this matter completely! If you go to His Majesty, unless you defy the decree, it will be a waste of breath."
Su Wen: "…."
Su Changqing continued, "And if I am not wrong, the Golden Gu in your body will be a huge calamity!"
Hearing his words, the Golden Gu suddenly woke up and knocked against Su Wen"s body as if expressing its dissatisfaction.
Su Wen smiled. "I think it"s pretty good actually!"
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen for a long time before finally saying in a deep voice, "Do you know what His Majesty"s bottom line is to me?"
"?" Su Wen was at a loss.
Su Changqing said, "His Majesty doesn"t mind that I"m in power, and he doesn"t even mind that I interfere with military affairs. He can trust me with all the authority of the royal court because I don"t have any cultivation in martial arts, and I don"t have any Heaven-ranked experts by my side! If I show any disloyalty, he can wipe me out with a flick of his finger!"
At this point, Su Wen was puzzled. "That"s not right. Then why did he train me?"
"That"s the problem!"
"Why would His Majesty train you to ascend to the Heaven Rank?
"The Sorcerer G.o.d"s Golden Gu?" Su Wen was uncertain. "But even so, won"t I still touch His Majesty"s bottom line after reaching the Heaven Rank?"
Su Changqing smiled and said, "This is the reason. Because of the Sorcerer G.o.d"s Golden Gu, as long as a martial artist doesn"t have the Divine Sorcerer Art, the True Qi in one"s body will exceed the upper limits of their meridians, causing them to implode and die."
"But Feng Baichuan gave me a body tempering technique!"
Su Changqing looked at him and sneered, "Are you sure that the technique can perfectly solve the problem of the Sorcerer Golden Gu? What if it cannot be solved? What if it only delays the outbreak?"
Su Wen furrowed his brows. "This way, Your Majesty won"t have to worry about you because I might die before you do?"
Su Changqing said, "That"s right! Indeed so!"
"What does that have to do with me breaking off the engagement?" Su Wen still didn"t understand.
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen and sighed. "You are already domineering enough now, but you are still obedient and listen to His Majesty. Therefore, His Majesty doesn"t care about you being a little more domineering. In fact, your annulment of the marriage was also in accordance with His Majesty"s wishes. It"s just that he was worried about Yan Luoying and didn"t agree to it.
However, His Majesty has already issued a decree for this marriage, which means that His Majesty has already made up his mind. If you go and find him to reject the marriage, you will be going against His Majesty! You haven"t even reached Heaven Rank, yet you are already acting like this. If you really step into Heaven Rank, won"t you be riding on His Majesty"s neck and s.h.i.+tting your pants there?"
Su Wen laughed loudly. "Haha, if I were that awesome, do you think I wouldn"t do it?"
Su Changqing rolled his eyes at him. "That"s why if you go to His Majesty, even if he doesn"t say it now, he"ll definitely find a way to cut off your path to Heaven Rank! I"ve already sent people to inquire about the Golden Gu, and but it"s extremely difficult to deal with. You only might have a chance at survival when you reach the Heaven Rank. Otherwise, your body will implode and you"ll die."
Su Wen rubbed his chin. "If I"m still alive after ascending to Heaven Rank, then wouldn"t His Majesty have to find a way to kill me?"
Su Changqing shook his head and said, "If you ascend to Heaven Rank, you can protect the Su Family, and I will have a way out. As long as the problem in your body is resolved, I will completely withdraw from the royal court! I will give up all rights and interests. At that time, you will be loyal and reliable to His Majesty, and His Majesty will no longer have any killing intent!"
After hearing Old Su"s words, Su Wen realized that his thoughts were too simple.
There was no such thing as love without reason in this world.
To think that he even suspected that he was the emperor"s illegitimate son.
In the end, that was not the case at all.
"So in the end… I have to agree to this marriage?" Su Wen was a little displeased.
Su Changqing looked at him and said mockingly, "Why are you looking so aggrieved? I"ve seen Yan Luoying before. Her looks and temperament are top-notch. Why are you feeling like you"ve gotten the short end of the stick?"
Su Wen muttered, "What if that person killed 400,000 people?"
"Haha, the way she did it was open and aboveboard. No matter how many people she kills, her heart may not be as dark as yours. You"re a vicious and ruthless kid. Why do you care about this?"
Su Wen scratched his head. "Lying next to me… will always uncomfortable."
"Alright, I"ve told you what I need to say. Take care of your body as well. Think of a way to solve the problem in your body earlier. If you"ve solved it, tell me. I"m also prepared."
"Oh… then I won"t keep you for dinner… It"s almost mealtime. You"d better hurry home. My mother"s probably waiting."
Su Changqing fumed. "You spent so much of your father"s money, yet you can"t even bear to part with a meal?"
Su Wen smiled and said, "Don"t worry, I"ve also prepared something for you. I was planning to deliver it to you in the next two days!"
As he spoke, Su Wen shouted, "Ning Shuang, bring the bone wine of the Wind-Ripping Hou to my father!"
After shouting, he smiled at Su Changqing and said, "Wu Kunhu sent this to me. This old fellow is guarding against me seducing his daughter. He didn"t allow Muyu make soup for me, so I used the bones that make some wine. I was planning on sending it to you."
Su Changqing was greatly comforted and said with a smile, "At least you thought of me."
Su Wen smiled and said, "Then please help me think of a way to marry Princess Wanrou and Wu Muyu."
Su Changqing"s smile froze.
He was so angry that he was trembling. He raised his fist and punched Su Wen!
"Are you crazy? You"d better stay away from these two! You will soon have an official wife, don"t even think about a woman of such status!"
Su Wen was punched a few times by him, but it did not hurt him at all. He pouted his lips and complained, "You don"t do anything when you"re taking someone"s things. How lousy."
Su Changqing"s defense was completely broken. He turned around and left. "I don"t f*cking want it anymore!"
How could Su Wen allow him to do as he wished? He shouted, "Ning Shuang, quickly put the wine in my father"s carriage. You want to reject me just like that? Where can I put my face? Father, go home and think about it. Let me know if you have any ideas!"
Su Changqing, who was walking in the courtyard, almost fell to the ground. His son was rebelling against him!
The word egg is slang for the t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es.