n

n

n

nZhao Ning’s gaze followed the branding iron’s entire process as he tried his best to shrink back. Behind him was an iron rack and he was still firmly bound by chains.

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nEven if he wanted to dodge it, there was nowhere for him to move.

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n“No! I beg you, let me go!” Zhao Ning was thoroughly frightened now and begged for mercy.

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nPow! Pow!

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nLittle Zhou boxed him in the ear twice brutally and said disdainfully, “Now you are afraid? Weren’t you quite arrogant just now?”

n

n“I ask and you answer. If there’s any statement that I’m not satisfied with, the branding iron will leave a mark on you.”

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nHe gave him a glance, then sized him up from head to toe.

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nHe then said teasingly, “You are such a big size, so your body should be quite big. I think I should be able to leave a dozen burn marks or so, right?”

n

n“Don’t do it! I’ll tell you the truth,” Zhao Ning yelled.

n

n“The resources for training and developing skills of the Divine Sword Guards, the cases, and the account ledgers. Is your brother-in-law the mastermind?” Little Zhou deployed his ultimate move.

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n“N… no!”

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nGasp!

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nThe branding iron fell on him. Green smoke rose and burned through his clothes. His flesh was badly burned into a bloody pulp and smelled like roast meat.

n

n“Ah…” Zhao Ning screamed in anguish.

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nThe intense pain infiltrated his soul, causing him to foam at the mouth and roll his eyes until they turned white. He lasted a few seconds before fainting.

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n“That’s it?” Little Zhou pursed his lips.

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nHe placed the branding iron back in the fire to heat up again, keeping it at the highest temperature.

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nOne of his men came up with a bucket and threw cold water in his face.

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nStung by the chilly temperature, Zhao Ning shivered and woke up again.

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nA searing pain shot through his heart, making him scream uncontrollably.

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n“I’ve already told you not to lie. Why didn’t you listen?” Little Zhou sighed.

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nHe brought the branding iron over and dangled it in front of his eyes.

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n“You’re a good man. If your brother-in-law knows that he has a brother-in-law like you, he can laugh through his dreams until he wakes up.”

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n“No! I beg you, don’t do it again.” Zhao Ning shook his head in fear.

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n“Don’t be afraid! It’ll only hurt for a while. Just bear with it and you’ll be fine.”

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nThen he paused dramatically.

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nLittle Zhou looked at a subordinate and asked, “Is there a doctor here?”

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n“Lord Zhou, don’t worry. We have special doctors here. Their medical skills are not inferior to those famous doctors outside. As long as it’s not a fatal injury, they can treat it.”

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n“Then I’m relieved.” Little Zhou nodded in satisfaction.

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n“If you can’t take it anymore, just speak.”

n

nThe branding iron was pushed onto his body once more. His clothes were torn and thick smoke rose from the spot. Zhao Ning gritted his teeth in despair and screamed in horror.

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nXiao Ran crossed his arms and watched the whole scene calmly .

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nAlthough Zhao Ning was afraid of death, his sheer tenacity was quite unexpected.

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nHe passed out 12 times without revealing anything.

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nLittle Zhou had no choice but to stop. If he continued to interrogate him, he would be roasted to death.

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n“He is pretty tight-lipped. You can rest easy with people like him as friends.”

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n“Leave, all of you,” Xiao Ran rolled his eyes at Little Zhou.

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nAfter the door closed, only Xiao Ran and Zhao Ning were left in the rest chamber.

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nHe woke Zhao Ning up.

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nZhao Ning’s hair was disheveled and he looked very miserable. He had bitten his lips so hard that a piece of flesh fell down. He begged piteously, “This really has nothing to do with him. It is all my own doing.”

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n“Is that so?” Xiao Ran asked.

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nHe activated the Spirit Shifting Soul Control technique. At the Perfection level, it was very powerful.

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nHis eyes became illuminated with golden light, and two mini vortexes appeared, shooting straight into his soul and controlling him instantly.

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n“Is he the mastermind?” Xiao Ran asked.

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n“Yes…” Zhao Ning uttered just one word.

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nThen the Forbidden Spirit Technique activated in his head and exploded.

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nBang!

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nThe head shattered and he became a headless corpse. The golden light blocked the splattering flesh from touching Xiao Ran.

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nXiao Ran’s face turned dark as he looked in the direction of the Prefectural Governor’s residence with a steely glint in his eyes.

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nFrom what he heard just now, the Prefectural Governor should be involved in this matter.

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nBesides,

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nthis Forbidden Spirit Technique was extraordinary. Ordinary Spiritual Masters would not be able to deploy it at all. At the very least, one had to be a Spirit Master at the Spirit Realm level in order to utilize this skill.

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nThe door swung open.

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nWhen Little Zhou and the others heard the explosion, they quickly rushed over.

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nLooking at Zhao Ning’s mangled, bloody and pitiful appearance, he swallowed nervously. “Brother Xiao, did you do it?”

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n“No.” Xiao Ran shook his head.

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n“There was a spell cast in his head with the Forbidden Spirit Technique. He blew himself up.”

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n“Forbidden Spirit Technique?” Little Zhou’s eyes lit up.

n

n“Does that mean that they’re behind this?”

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n“There’s at least a 50% chance,” Xiao Ran said.

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nHe looked at the others with a stern gaze. “Not a word of what happened here is to be leaked out. Violators will be dealt with according to the station’s law.”

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n“I didn’t see anything.” The few men lowered their heads.

n

nBack in the room,

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nLittle Zhou handed over a cup of tea. “If we don’t kill the snake, we’ll get bitten by it instead. Those who strike first will get the upper hand, otherwise they will suffer. Brother Xiao, let’s go to his residence tonight to check?”

n

n“There’s no hurry.” Xiao Ran was confident of victory.

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n“If he hadn’t come today, I really wouldn’t have been so sure. But he came today, and although he hid it well, his demeanor gave it away. He didn’t hesitate to threaten me to let him go. Do you believe there’s nothing fishy about that?”

n

nLittle Zhou scratched the back of his head. After listening to Xiao Ran’s hints, he had also figured it out.

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n“Brother Xiao, you’re right. This old man has been lying to us the whole time.”

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nClenching his fingers into a fist, he said fiercely, “In that case, we don’t need to do anything. Just set up an inescapable net and wait here for him to fall into our trap.”

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n“Now that you know, hurry up and arrange it.” Xiao Ran gave him a kick.

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nLittle Zhou chuckled wickedly and left.

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nAt the Prefectural Governor’s Office,

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nin the study,

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nthe Prefectural Governor paced the hall back and forth with his hands behind his back, his scowling face as black as ink.

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nA confidante stood in front of him.

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nAfter a long while,

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nhe stopped in his tracks, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness and madness. “No! This must not be exposed. If Zhao Ning talks, not only will we be finished, our families will also suffer.”

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