Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Huo Family Castle

Huo Family Castle.

Under the shroud of night, the Wharf Castle was brightly lit, bustling as if it were daytime.

In the Fierce Tiger Hall, the glow from large tallow candles illuminated the room in vivid detail.

On the granite-paved floor lay a muscular man, gritting his teeth with a grimace on his face.

His lower legs were gone, severed and bound with straps, and his bare upper body was scarred all over, with ten fingers dripping blood.

Furthermore, his left eye was a bloody hole, both ears were gone, and most of his teeth were pulled out, looking utterly miserable.

"Speak!"

Huo Zhennan crouched in front of him, asking in a deep voice, "Where did you hide the Jade Lion?"

The Military Guard Leader of Huo Family Castle was seething with anger, wishing he could tear the man in front of him to pieces.

This thief had the audacity to secretly infiltrate the heavily guarded vault tonight and steal a batch of treasures from the Huo Family.

The most valuable among them was the Jade Lion!

If it weren’t for a maid inadvertently discovering him, this cunning thief would have slipped away without a trace.

Letting him bear the greatest culpability!

Huo Zhennan chased him down for a long way and ultimately prevented him from escaping entirely.

But among the retrieved items, everything else was there except for the Jade Lion!

How could Huo Zhennan tolerate this?

Yet this thief was remarkably stubborn, saying nothing about the Jade Lion’s whereabouts even under severe torture.

Huo Zhennan’s patience was teetering on the edge!

Crack!

He forcibly snapped the thief’s left thumb.

"Ah!"

The thief screamed, eyes suddenly wide open, and spat a mouthful of bloody spit towards Huo Zhennan’s face.

But Huo Zhennan was prepared, turning his head to avoid it.

He slapped the thief hard on the face, knocking out all of his remaining teeth.

But this was clearly not enough to satisfy Huo Zhennan’s anger.

His gaze shifted to the thief’s lower body, and he said sinisterly, "Come, feed this guy’s root to the dogs so he can only be a eunuch in his next life!"

"Yes!"

One samurai immediately held down the thief, while another pulled down his pants.

A dagger with a glittering cold gleam was drawn, pressing down on the thief’s root.

The icy blade became the final straw that broke the thief’s psychological defenses.

According to folklore, if a man had his root severed before death, he would not be complete in his next life.

"Wait, wait!"

The thief struggled with the last bit of strength, muttering, "Give, give me, a quick death, and I, I’ll tell you, where, where the Jade Lion is!"

"No problem!"

Huo Zhennan signaled to the nearby samurai, who understood and sheathed the dagger.

The thief forced a tragic smile, saying, "The, the Jade Lion is in the package, I, I threw it to those two people, they, I don’t know them, just, just wanted to..."

Before he could finish, the thief’s head slumped to the side, void of any breath.

He was already on the brink of death and didn’t need a quick end offered by Huo Zhennan, as he couldn’t hold on any longer.

But upon receiving the answer, Huo Zhennan showed no sign of joy.

Instead, he grew even more somber and restless.

"Zhennan, did you get any information?"

At this moment, an imposing elder in a crimson robe strode into the Fierce Tiger Hall, flanked by a group of samurai.

He asked Huo Zhennan in a deep voice, "Where is the Jade Lion?"

"Fortress Master."

Huo Zhennan stood up and saluted him. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

He hesitated for a moment before detailing everything that had occurred.

He particularly emphasized Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an, especially the extraordinary nature of Mo Huai’an.

Huo Zhennan concluded, "The origin of the counterparts is unclear, so I dared not act rashly, and thus brought them back for interrogation. This is the outcome of the questioning."

This imposing elder was none other than Huo Donghua, the Fortress Master of Huo Family Castle, a dominant figure within a hundred miles radius.

Also a Tier Five powerhouse!

Though Huo Zhennan was of Huo Donghua’s generational family, he never presumed upon this status in front of the Fortress Master.

Because Huo Donghua was notorious for being merciless and ruthless.

Not to mention collateral family, even his own son would face family law punishment for misdeeds!

Tonight’s incident in the Wharf Castle secret vault was Huo Zhennan’s responsibility, and if he couldn’t redeem himself, he truly dared not imagine the consequences he’d face.

"So it seems that the Jade Lion was picked up by those two individuals most likely."

Huo Donghua said expressionlessly, "Your caution was correct, but the Jade Lion is an heirloom of the Huo family and must not fall into outsider hands, do you understand?"

"I understand!"

Despite the mild tone, Huo Zhennan was drenched in sweat, promptly saying, "I will do my utmost to retrieve the treasure, but the Daoist is unfathomable, I worry..."

He gritted his teeth, voicing his thoughts, "Could we request aid from the Hidden Guard?"

As the Military Guard Leader of Huo Family Castle, Huo Zhennan commanded a unit of over a hundred martial warriors, responsible for internal and external security, while also serving as a deterrent against enemies.

But that was merely the visible main force of Huo Family Castle; Huo Donghua secretly commanded an elite Hidden Guard.

The Hidden Guard was the blade against enemies!

Huo Zhennan worried that leading the Military Guard to encircle and kill Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an might result in their escape, which would be disastrous.

After all, the methods of Daoist Cultivators were beyond common comprehension, and none who ventured in the martial world were easy targets!

But with the addition of the Huo family’s Hidden Guard, Huo Zhennan would be confident in dealing with his opponents.

And reclaiming the Jade Lion!

At this moment, he was convinced that the Huo family’s heirloom treasure had fallen into the hands of Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an.

Huo Donghua pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Huo Zhennan felt as though he had received a royal pardon, quickly saying, "Then I will immediately go apprehend those two!"

He wasn’t qualified to command the Hidden Guard, but since Huo Donghua granted permission, proper arrangements would surely be made.

No need for him to worry about it.

Huo Donghua coldly said, "You’ve been given what you asked for, but if you botch this again, come report with your head!"

"Yes!"

Huo Zhennan involuntarily shivered, feeling his heart sink heavily.

He worried that Zhang Yuan and Mo Huai’an would escape with the treasure, so he urgently gathered an elite team and galloped out of the Wharf Castle.

Swords clanged, hooves thundered, charging southwest!