dognovel Chapter 2158 Face-Stripping Intimidation
Chapter 2158 Face-Stripping Intimidation
The moment Young Master Ding uttered the words "Dragon Roar Island," Yan Ruyu's eyes narrowed slightly.
This place was hardly unfamiliar to her and Huo Changhe.
That isolated island on the water was once Liu Jiulang's den of monsters.
Dragon Roar Island was a place familiar to both Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe. It was where Liu Jiulang raised his "divine beasts" and fed them women. They had just reclaimed it a few days ago, and soldiers were guarding it. It would be completely cleaned up in a while.
Prefect Ding struggled, his neck stiffening, and shouted angrily, "You bastard! Everyone in Rongzhou knows that place! You actually tried to frame your father by saying I was connected to it! You're trying to kill me!"
There was still blood on the corner of his mouth, and his voice was hoarse from the beating he had received earlier, but it still carried a hint of hysterical sophistry, as if he had truly suffered a great injustice.
With a crisp "smack," Yin Ding raised his hand and slapped him across the face. The force was not light, and it made Governor Ding turn his face to the side, with a red mark instantly appearing on half of his cheek.
"Shut up!" Yin Ding's voice was cold and hard, and he pressed down on Governor Ding's shoulder even harder.
Yan Ruyu's gaze returned to Young Master Ding, her tone calm and devoid of much emotion: "Besides that, is there anything else?"
Young Master Ding leaned against the stretcher, his breathing still somewhat labored. He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly, as if trying to recall a distant memory: "They also mentioned the horse farm, but I didn't hear it clearly."
He was speaking in a low voice to the man in black, and I only caught a few words from him. I have no idea what happened in detail.
Upon hearing the words "horse farm," Prefect Ding, who had been shouting just moments before, suddenly fell silent as if someone had grabbed his throat, and his arrogance dissipated considerably.
Su Zhenhai kicked the bluestone slab next to Prefect Ding's feet, making a dull thud: "Why did you stop shouting?"
Huo Changhe took half a step forward, his aura growing even colder. He spoke in a cold voice, each word carrying a sense of oppression: "The horse farm is a secret that was only recently exposed. If we hadn't captured you ourselves, we wouldn't have known that such a place existed in Rongzhou."
He paused, his gaze piercing like a sword as he stared at Prefect Ding: "Young Master Ding has been imprisoned for a long time, and most of the time he is not even lucid. He can't even tell where he is being held. If you hadn't revealed it yourself, how would he have known about the existence of the horse farm?"
His words were clear and logical, leaving Governor Ding speechless.
Yan Ruyu said calmly, "As for your face, it's actually easy to explain."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was drawn, and they all pricked up their ears.
Governor Ding stopped his futile struggles, looked up at Yan Ruyu, and his eyes were filled with surprise and unease.
Yan Ruyu's expression remained unchanged, and her tone remained calm: "I am a doctor. Over the years, I have traveled all over the country and have seen many strange doctors. Face-changing is not a rare thing."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Governor Ding's instantly frozen face, and added, "For example, skinning people to make masks—I know someone who knows how to do that."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Ruyu raised her hand and clapped twice.
Not long after, footsteps came from the courtyard gate, and Beibei walked in briskly from outside, carrying a small box on her back.
The box didn't look very big, but he carried it steadily. When he reached Yan Ruyu's side, he bowed.
Yan Ruyu nodded slightly to him, indicating, "Let Governor Ding experience it."
Beibei's eyes lit up, and a smiling expression immediately spread across her face. She stopped in front of Governor Ding with the suitcase, squatted down, and opened the suitcase with a "snap".
The box was lined with a layer of black velvet, on which were neatly arranged all sorts of small tools: small hooks, tweezers, scissors, and several oddly shaped knives. The blades gleamed coldly in the torchlight, sending chills down one's spine.
Beibei reached out and picked up a narrow knife, gently rubbed the tip with her thumb, then held the handle and lightly traced the tip against Governor Ding's cheek.
He spoke lightly, as if he were talking about something funny: "Don't move. Let me find a spot to cut. Don't worry, my knife is sharp and my hand is steady. It won't hurt too much."
His voice was clear and melodious, but his words made everyone's hearts pound with fear.
Even the constables standing nearby subconsciously took a half step back, their eyes filled with fear.
Governor Ding's face turned deathly pale instantly, his lips trembled, and his voice shook: "What...what are you going to do?"
Beibei tilted her head, still smiling, but her tone was somewhat matter-of-fact: "Didn't you understand? Of course, it's about peeling off your face."
"No! You can't do this!" Governor Ding panicked completely and desperately twisted his body to try to break free.
But the silver ingot pressed down on him with even more force, and he could only struggle in vain. His shoulders ached from being pressed down, but he couldn't even turn his head completely. "I am an official of the imperial court! You can't do this to me! I'd rather be beheaded!"
"An official appointed by the imperial court?" Madam Ding sneered as she listened from the side. She clenched her fists, her knuckles slightly protruding, and glared at Governor Ding, her words ringing out, "Strip! Today we should strip off his mask and expose his true face, so that the world can see what kind of person he has been entrenched in Rongzhou for the past few years!"
Upon hearing this, Bei Bei laughed even more heartily. He brought the tip of the knife closer, almost touching Governor Ding's skin: "Look, the lady has agreed, so you'd better cooperate obediently to avoid suffering."
Governor Ding's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body trembled. His previous ruthlessness and sophistry vanished, leaving only pure fear. He couldn't even utter a complete plea for mercy.
Su Zhenhai, watching from the side, felt a surge of satisfaction and couldn't help but spit out, "If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place!"
Huo Changhe stood to the side the whole time, staring coldly at Governor Ding, without the slightest emotion.
Yan Ruyu walked to the stretcher of Young Master Ding, reached out and checked his pulse again. Seeing that the pulse was much more stable than before, she was relieved, lest his condition relapse later due to emotional agitation.
Young Master Ding leaned against the stretcher, looking at the scene before him with no pity in his eyes. He coughed lightly twice and said to Yan Ruyu, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, my mother and I wouldn't have had the chance to expose this villain's true colors today."
Yan Ruyu shook her head, and was about to respond when Governor Ding suddenly burst into an even more violent struggle, shouting incoherently, "Don't peel my face off! I'll talk!"
Beibei stopped moving, the tip of the knife still hovering beside Governor Ding's face.
He chuckled inwardly—this trick always worked.
Yan Ruyu nodded slightly, her tone still calm: "Since you want to confess, then tell us. If there's even a hint of falsehood, you'll have to be exposed."