"Haha, how interesting." Li Wutong said with a humorless smile. "Death is often the best escape. Even if I wanted to kill you, someone else would be reluctant to let you go!"

Just then, the yellow-robed middle-aged man walked in from outside. His eyes were fixed on the woman who had caused him such great humiliation. "My three disciples," he said coldly, "did you kill them?"

Fengling shot Yu Guang a contemptuous look. "You already know the answer, so why ask? If they hadn’t tried to kill me, why would I have killed them?"

"Utter nonsense!" Yu Guang let out a cold laugh, then sneered, "Let me ask you, does that Ling Xiao possess a high-level Alchemy Secret Manual?"

Fengling sneered. "I don’t know!"

"You don’t know?" In a flash, Yu Guang appeared before Fengling and slapped her viciously across the face, knocking her to the ground. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Lying on the floor, Fengling still glared at Yu Guang with fierce defiance. "Why don’t you just kill me with a single palm strike? A mighty Sword Sect expert like you... My father should have killed you back then!"

Yu Guang’s pupils contracted. "You know who I am?" he said grimly.

Fengling gave a scornful laugh. "Yu Guang of the Sword Sect. That yellow robe of yours is practically your trademark. Is it really so strange that I recognize you?"

"Hahaha, so you do know me. Even better! I’ll make sure Feng Yuan learns the price for offending me, Yu Guang!" As he spoke, Yu Guang pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes and sneered at Fengling. "If... you’re willing to tell me some of Ling Xiao’s secrets, perhaps, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll grant you a death without torture! You’re a young woman. You should know that for a woman, death is often a release!"

"Shameless!"

Fengling spat a mouthful of bloody saliva at Yu Guang. He dodged it in a flash and sneered, "Since you insist on being stubborn, I’ll give you a real taste of what that gets you!"

Li Wutong waved his hand, and several soldiers immediately came forward to drag Fengling away. In the grim dungeon, Fengling was strung up, her body covered in blood. She had been beaten viciously many times. Whenever she fainted, they would douse her with cold water to wake her, repeating the process over and over. Her clothes, caked with blood, clung to her body, practically fused with her skin. The slightest touch sent waves of excruciating pain through her, yet her eyes still shone with a defiant light. She would rather die than say a single word.

Yu Guang hadn’t believed that such a delicate, soft-skinned young woman could endure such brutal torture. From the moment Fengling fell into his hands, he had never intended to let her leave the Southern King’s base alive.

This time, Yu Guang’s master had come out of seclusion specifically for the Alchemy Secret Manual in Ling Xiao’s possession! Yu Guang and Elder Peng were old friends, and when Elder Peng invited him, they had hit it off immediately.

’Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.’ That was why extracting intelligence from this girl from Lingxiao Mansion would be immensely useful in their efforts to capture Ling Xiao.

Just then, Elder Peng walked in from outside. He glanced at Fengling, who was hanging there on the verge of passing out, a look of disapproval on his face. ’This old friend of mine is far too narrow-minded,’ he thought, ’and so arrogant. She’s just a powerless young girl. What’s the point of torturing her like this? Yet he seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself.’

"Brother Yu, let it go. Don’t waste any more time," Elder Peng said. "The Second Prince just informed Master Yu that we are to attack the Viscount’s Mansion tomorrow night! With Master Yu present, their Sword Emperor-level helper is nothing to worry about! In fact, aside from that Sword Emperor, Ling Xiao has no other decent experts by his side. When the time comes, we’ll join forces. Do you really think we won’t be able to capture him?"

Neither of them noticed the girl hanging from the rack. Upon hearing Elder Peng’s words, Fengling’s body trembled slightly. Her eyes slowly opened, and she watched the two men from between the strands of her disheveled hair, her body remaining perfectly still.

"Hehe, Brother Peng, it’s not like you don’t know my greatest hobby is torturing people—especially women," Yu Guang chuckled. "I love to watch them wail, to see them die, bit by bit, in despair. That kind of pleasure... it’s simply exhilarating!"

As Yu Guang chuckled, he glanced at the hanging Fengling out of the corner of his eye, his face filled with an expression of pure bliss.

Elder Peng then lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Yu, I have a question."

Yu Guang replied, "We’ve known each other since we were children, Brother Peng. There’s nothing you can’t ask me."

Elder Peng chuckled. "Master Yu... what level is his cultivation at now? I can’t seem to sense it at all."

Yu Guang smiled proudly. "Ten years ago, my master went to the Zichuan Empire to be tested at the Sword Guild headquarters. His power had already surpassed that of a Tier Two Sword Emperor! As for now... I’m not entirely sure myself. The old man himself has probably lost track, don’t you think? Tier Three? Tier Four?"

Although he suspected Yu Guang was exaggerating a bit, Elder Peng was still stunned. He sighed, "Master Yu is truly a peerless genius! Alas, it’s a shame. My father’s cultivation was once comparable to Master Yu’s. If it weren’t for... sigh."

Yu Guang’s smile vanished. He clapped Elder Peng on the shoulder and said, "That was so many years ago. What’s the point in dwelling on it? Besides, didn’t that woman’s family end up ruined and dead? So, don’t think about it anymore."

Elder Peng said, "You’re right. Let’s go have a few drinks and a proper chat!"

Yu Guang glanced at Fengling and let out a sinister laugh. "Little girl, you just wait. When I get back, I’ll have something new in store for you!" With that, he walked out, laughing boisterously.

The dungeon fell silent, with only a single, dim oil lamp left flickering. Fengling slowly opened her eyes. Her head had been split open in several places, and the trickling blood blurred her vision. Her body began to move slowly. ’I hope this "unorthodox" Bone Shrinking Technique Ling Xiao taught me actually works,’ she thought.