There was no denying it — Xue Tong was incredibly tough. No matter what methods Lü Wuji used to break him, he never made a sound, not even a whimper. It was as if Lü Wuji's tortures weren't being inflicted on him at all.
It left Lü Wuji drenched in sweat, never once hearing a single word of submission from Xue Tong.
"Kid, you think staying quiet means I can't do anything to you? You're nothing but Jiang Chen's dog. As long as you cooperate, I might consider letting you live."
Xue Tong burst into laughter. "Lü Wuji, you coward — is this all you've got? The Dragon Tooth Guard supposedly has countless ways to make people talk, doesn't it? Come on then! You think I'm scared of a coward like you?"
"Lü Wuji, you think capturing me can hurt my young master in the slightest? You think that by catching me, you're no longer a coward? You're wrong. If you weren't a coward, you'd face my young master in a real fight — blade to blade, fist to fist — instead of pulling these petty tricks behind the scenes. A member of the Dragon Tooth Guard, opening doors for an assassin organization. Lü Wuji, you're really doing the Dragon Tooth Guard proud!"
Xue Tong showed not an ounce of fear, unleashing a torrent of curses at Lü Wuji.
Lü Wuji flew into a rage and kicked Xue Tong square in the chest, then planted a foot on his neck. "Kid, you've got a death wish?"
Though pinned down, Xue Tong's face was full of contempt. "If you want to kill me, go ahead. My young master will make every last one of you lose your heads — it's only a matter of time."
Lü Wuji realized just how pathetic his situation was. All the techniques he'd learned in the Dragon Tooth Guard seemed completely useless against this Xue Tong.
"Xue Tong, what did that Jiang Chen give you, exactly? You're just one of his personal guards. Even if he treats you well, you're still just a guard. If you cooperate, there will be limitless wealth and glory waiting for you!"
"Oh?" Xue Tong let out a cold laugh, curious to see what other tricks Lü Wuji had up his sleeve.
Seeing Xue Tong's attitude seem to soften, Lü Wuji forced a smile and pulled over a chair, pressing on with his persuasion. "All you have to do is tell the truth about the Labyrinth Autumn Hunt — reveal the real cause of First Prince Ye Dai's death, and testify against Jiang Chen and Ye Rong. I guarantee you'll have more wealth and honor than you can imagine."
"Wealth and glory? How much are we talking about?" Xue Tong blinked and asked.
"If you render such a great service, you should at least be able to claim a Second-Rank Noble seat — the kind Jiang Chen holds."
Xue Tong let out a hearty laugh. "Deputy Commander Lü, I'm curious — what rank noble are you yourself right now?"
Lü Wuji declared proudly, "Before I turned thirty, I earned my Third-Rank Noble status through my own strength. How could someone like Jiang Chen, a mere nouveau riche, possibly compare?"
"Tsk, tsk. You're only a Third-Rank Noble, yet you're promising me a Second-Rank Noble seat? Lü Wuji — are you brain-damaged, or do you just think I'm as brain-damaged as you?"
Lü Wuji's expression froze. He could see now that Xue Tong's attitude hadn't softened at all — he'd been stringing him along this whole time!
"Kid, looks like you won't give up until you've seen the Yellow River for yourself. Fine, fine! I really won't kill you. I'll just wait until you watch Jiang Chen's corpse lying right in front of you — and then we'll see how tough you still are!"
Lü Wuji stormed out in a huff and said to Xue San, "Xue San, we'll apply pressure from our side to get the city-wide curfew lifted, which will give you your opportunity. How you kill Jiang Chen — do you actually have a plan, or not?"
Xue San replied flatly, "Deputy Commander Lü, you just handle your own business, and we'll naturally handle ours. As for the rest — there are only eight words: men propose, and heaven disposes."
Lü Wuji seriously wanted to punch Xue San right then and there. What was with the attitude? What was so hard about sharing a plan? Did he have to be so cryptic?
But he also knew that with his level of strength, beating Xue San in a fight was nothing but a pipe dream. Not getting beaten half to death himself would already be a blessing.
After leaving, Lü Wuji returned home. After sitting for a while, he decided it would be best to report this matter to his uncle, Yang Zhao.
"Wuji, the rewards from this are great, but so are the risks. Ye Dai is already dead — reopening his case is just a way to pin the blame on Ye Rong and Jiang Chen. Even if this step succeeds, you'll still need to properly back Prince Ye Hao. This Ye Hao is younger, which makes him more malleable. If you can successfully put him on the throne, the position of Grand Steward of the Dragon Tooth Guard will surely fall into your hands."
These words set Lü Wuji's blood boiling, though he still said, "Uncle, that Xue Tong — his lips are sealed tight. No matter how I torture him, he won't budge."
"If one won't talk, there are others. Xue Tong wasn't the only one who went with Ye Rong into the Labyrinth. Besides, even if every person Ye Rong brought in is as stubborn as iron, so what? Once we take down Jiang Chen and eliminate Ye Rong's most capable aide, Ye Rong's lack of a deep power base will be exposed. At that point, the other factions will naturally make their moves. When the time comes, finding a few people to serve as witnesses won't be difficult at all. Wuji, you must remember — in the struggle for power, it's all about momentum. Whoever has the stronger momentum can turn black into white; whoever loses that momentum will see their white turned to black. There's no such thing as absolute innocence or guilt — the key is whether you can strip your opponent of their power!"
Yang Zhao spoke with deep earnestness, trying to open Lü Wuji's eyes.
Lü Wuji nodded repeatedly. "Uncle, your words have truly cleared my mind. Don't worry — the assassins sent by the Life-Tracking Dark Gate this time are all at the Spirit Realm level. They are dead set on killing Jiang Chen, no matter what. With our cover, the chances of taking him down are very high."
Yang Zhao sighed. "This Jiang Chen should have been crushed by force long ago. Waiting until now to act is already a bit late. I just hope nothing goes wrong this time."
Truthfully, while Jiang Chen had been stirring up storms in the Royal Capital, Yang Zhao had taken a close look at the situation. After all, Jiang Chen was different from the established noble families.
He had no real foundation in the Royal Capital. His personal guards didn't include any truly powerful experts, and in terms of numbers, he was completely unlike the other major noble houses.
Every noble family in the capital had personal guards numbering in the hundreds or even thousands.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, had a meager handful of people at most — and he hadn't taken on a single idle hanger-on.
So Yang Zhao believed that while Jiang Chen had many tricks, he was still sorely lacking in absolute strength.
Which was why he also believed the Life-Tracking Dark Gate's people had a very real chance of success.