Dujuan pulled out the na list and began the roll call. "Xue Chugui, Zhao MingYang."
When she called these two nas, no one responded. It was unclear if they were present.
"Are these two from Qian State?" Zheng Fan asked.
"Yes."
Zheng Fan nodded.
He didn’t stand beside Dujuan, brandishing a saber and repeatedly interrogating and threatening the scholars and instructors about the whereabouts of the two n, demanding they sensibly hand them over. Because to Zheng Fan, it felt too much like those devils torturing villagers to get information about the Eighth Route Army.Although he himself felt that his previous actions—intimidating this group of scholars on horseback outside the mountain gate while also beheading one of them—were exactly like those of a villain from an old-fashioned martial arts film he’d seen long ago in his past life, he still had his bottom lines.
So, Zheng Fan pointed at a young student in the crowd.
Imdiately, two Barbarian soldiers stepped forward and seized him.
The young student, his face still spotted with acne, was visibly trembling. But when dragged before Zheng Fan, he stuck his neck out and declared in a trembling voice, "I will not betray my classmates!"
Then, while looking at his fellow scholars and instructors being held captive, he secretly glanced at Zheng Fan, his calves trembling uncontrollably.
Zheng Fan took a small iron case from his breast pocket, removed a cigarette, tapped its end on his palm, and then placed it between his lips. He took out a flint lighter, lit it, lazily exhaled a puff of smoke, and then finally said, "Relax, I have no intention of asking you anything."
The student froze for a mont, not imdiately understanding what Zheng Fan ant.
Zheng Fan flicked the ash from his cigarette and gently commanded, "Cut him down."
"THUMP!"
One Barbarian soldier kicked the student in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel, while the other imdiately raised his saber.
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll talk!!!!!!" the student imdiately started screaming.
The two Barbarian soldiers hesitated for a mont.
Zheng Fan, however, silently brought the cigarette back to his lips, took a drag, and slowly released two plus of smoke from his nostrils.
The two Barbarian soldiers exchanged a glance, and the saber in one of their hands still ca down.
"THUD!"
A head, once again, landed on the ground.
Among the detained crowd, many scholars and instructors had lost control of their bowels and bladders. The air quickly filled with a foul stench.
Dujuan stood beside them, watching Zheng Fan’s actions without saying a word.
Zheng Fan took another drag. This version of cigarette was a bit harsh on the throat, and he couldn’t help but let out a dry cough. At the sa ti, he casually pointed to a middle-aged scholar in the crowd.
Imdiately, Barbarian soldiers went over and dragged him out of the crowd.
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I know them! They’re in the crowd, they’re at..."
"I detest people who sell out their friends for personal gain. Such people deserve to die."
The middle-aged scholar was rendered speechless.
Zheng Fan paid him no further attention, instead turning to Liang Cheng and asking, "Will you take care of it?"
To avoid any untoward impressions, Zheng Fan hadn’t directly asked Liang Cheng: Are you hungry?
Liang Cheng looked at Zheng Fan and responded, "Is it appropriate?"
"It is."
"Is it convenient?"
"It is."
"Alright. I’ll drag him into those woods over there and question him."
Liang Cheng approached, hoisted up the middle-aged scholar, and dragged him deep into the woods ahead.
"AAAAAAAH!!!!"
Soon, extrely shrill screams echoed from the woods.
Zheng Fan dropped the cigarette butt to the ground and, quite public-spiritedly, stamped it out with the sole of his boot.
When he raised his head again, his gaze swept over the crowd from the academy. As one, their bodies flinched backward slightly.
"Miss Du, please continue reading," Zheng Fan said to Dujuan.
Dujuan picked up the docunt. "Xue Chugui!"
"WHOOSH!"
The other scholars and instructors around the man all stared at him and spontaneously distanced themselves from him.
A look of despair crossed the man’s face. Barbarian soldiers imdiately moved forward and seized him.
Dujuan continued the roll call. The efficiency was very high.
Zheng Fan took advantage of this ti to walk alone to a relatively secluded pavilion on the west side and began to let his mind wander.
After a short while, Liang Cheng returned and found Zheng Fan in the pavilion.
Zheng Fan pointed to the corner of his own mouth, then took Siniang’s handkerchief from his sleeve and tossed it to Liang Cheng, saying, "Wipe yourself."
Liang Cheng accepted the handkerchief but wiped the corner of his mouth with his own sleeve. He then asked, "Are there more?"
"No more."
"Hmm."
At this mont, footsteps were heard outside, and Dujuan also ca to the pavilion.
Liang Cheng took a step back, yielding the space to Zheng Fan and Dujuan.
"Lord Zheng, the individuals have been apprehended," Dujuan reported.
"Oh? Are they that foolish? Didn’t they know enough to run?"
"They probably didn’t expect us to be able to rush up here and capture them."
"I see."
Dujuan looked at Liang Cheng and curtsied slightly.
Liang Cheng understood and exited the pavilion.
Dujuan turned to Zheng Fan and said, "Lord Zheng, this humble woman is very curious. I imagine Lord Zheng must be aware of how much trouble today’s actions will cause you in the future, no?"
At this very mont, in this place, this scene, this situation, faced with this question, Zheng Fan suddenly felt a strong urge to recite a poem.
But in the end, he just smiled and asked, "Miss Du, why do you ask this question?"
"Why, is this humble woman not allowed to ask?"
"Miss Du, are you asking for yourself, or on behalf of..."
"For whom does Lord Zheng hope this humble woman is asking?"
"Miss Du, you’re putting in a difficult position."
Dujuan took two steps back and bowed to Zheng Fan in salute.
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