Chapter 83.2 - Brother and Sister (Part II) (1/2)
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty, gory descriptions of violence (torture) and cruel handling of livestock.
In comparison to the people that Zhao Yuan Feng had brought, the Guan family’s troops were greater in number and with their might, subduing these few archers was even more of a cinch. With Guan Liang Han’s help, the archers were quickly brought in check. As the remaining fighters were also pressed under the blows of Zhao Yuan Feng and Xiao Shao’s swords, several of the enemy fighters were all turning pale with fright. The situation in which they were confident of its success had suddenly turned on its head; who knew why, that at this moment, against all reason, how such a slip-up had occurred.
Guan Liang Han stepped forward and kicked one of the fighters, who had been in the forefront of the attack, in the jaw, “Hey, tell me clearly, who sent you here?”
The fighter stared at them and jerked his throat. Seeing this, Jiang Ruan immediately called out, “It’s no good, they are about to kill themselves.” To her surprise, these people were actually suicide soldiers. Once their mission had failed and they were unable to return with their mission completed, once they fell into the hands of their enemies, they would naturally ingest poison and commit suicide. However, what sort of person was Xiao Shao – ever since he had joined the Jin Yi Guards at the age of ten, he was deeply knowledgeable of these sort of tricks. Such a move displayed right before his eyes was like one trying to display their slight skill before an expert, thus, in a blink of an eye, he had dislocated several of their jaws. This made it impossible to swallow the poison that was hidden under their tongues and in pain, a few of the fighters began rolling on the ground.
With Xiao Shao’s sudden slight of hand, it had saved them much effort on many affairs. Everyone present heaved a sigh of relief. Jiang Xin Zhi who had just escaped from a calamity, cupped his hands in salute, “This day, it is many thanks to the gentlemen present (that I was saved). However, I* (T/N: he is currently humbling himself in gratitude) have a question that I would like to seek for your wise guidance… …” His question had yet to reach its end when he heard a gentle voice, “Dage.”
Jiang Xin Zhi was startled- Jiang Ruan had already begun to lift up the douli on her head and then threw it aside. As she revealed the face underneath the hat, seeing Jiang Xin Zhi’s blank and distracted look, she then lightly laughed, and again uttered, “Dage.” In the depths of her eyes, there was a concealed, minute trace of watery glimmer.
Jiang Xin Zhi motionlessly stared at the young girl before his eyes. Ever since he had left the capital five years ago, he had never heard any news of Jiang Ruan ever again. The young girl before him was extremely foreign, yet in that appearance of hers, there was still a familiar feeling. Who was this, in the depths of his memories, the soft, immature and adorable little girl that would tug on his clothes and shyly call him ‘Dage’ had already disappeared. The young lady before him still had the facial features of that young girl in the past. Shedding off her former childish nature, it was as if a flower was currently in bloom and already had traces of a youthful and inexperienced bearing of gracefulness.
His meimei, ah, she had already grown up. As the hoods of his eyes welled up in warmth, Jiang Xin Zhi called out, “Ah Ruan!”
Whilst Jiang Xin Zhi had been sizing Jiang Ruan up, she too had quietly taken a measure of him. The Jiang family had always preferred the pen to the sword, thus, the sons and grandsons of the Jiang family were not allowed to enter the military ranks and could only enter through the official ranks. Jiang Xin Zhi had always given the bearing of a cultured and refined young master; however, whilst his facial features remained handsome, he had lost his natural charm as a refined youth. His skin was now somewhat more tanned than before and he had gained the hardened grit that one had after experiencing a baptism of war and blood. It was a stalwartness that was characteristic to a soldier. This man and the Jiang Xin Zhi that was in her memories were entirely different. Moreover, meeting him thus once more, it had already been a separation of a whole lifetime.
As she slowly walked forward, Jiang Xin Zhi lowered his head to gaze at her. Gently widening her arms without a care about the looks of everyone present, Jiang Ruan hugged Jiang Xin Zhi. She greeted, “Welcome back, Dage.”
As the two brother and sister finally met, Zhao Yuan Feng rubbed away the stinging tears that began to develop in his eyes. He then asked Xiao Shao and Guan Liang Han, who were standing to the side, “Xiao Wangye, General Guan, why are the both of you at this place?”
Xiao Shao had yet to answer when Guan Liang Han responded, “Someone was putting their hands on my Deputy General, how could I still watch with folded arms? Rather, I would like to see, who would have such great courage to conspire to murder me?”
Also, Guan Liang Han and Xiao Shao had suddenly turned up and lent a hand, and with that, Zhao Yuan Feng frowned whilst Zhao Yi was somewhat at a loss. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, “Then, many thanks to Wangye and General. With those people preparing this many archers, one could suppose that this is unlikely to be the work of any normal person. Perhaps, they might even be spies of another country or perhaps, they might have been rebelling troops; one might find it hard to ascertain. This situation is no small matter and could even concern the safety of the current political climate in the Great Jin Dynasty. Would you two daren please investigate until you reach the bottom of this matter?”
With just a comment of hers, she had redirected the current situation towards the possibility of it being a rebel’s conspiracy. Whilst she had spoken rather exaggeratedly, the people on the ground had all, without exception, looked upon Jiang Ruan with a sharp glower. Whilst both Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Yi were choked between laughter and tears, Xiao Shao looked at her profoundly and Guan Liang Han furrowed his brows. Jiang Xin Zhi patted Jiang Ruan’s head, “Ah Ruan, what you said, what did you mean?”
Jiang Ruan smiled at him, “I was thinking that Dage was merely making his first ever return to the capital. How could Dage have suddenly provoked someone to create an ambush to murder you or perhaps, amidst this chaos, it is not clear if that person might even have other plots behind this affair?”
“These people are all suicides soldiers, their mouths are sealed tight, how can it be so easy for them to confess.” Guan Liang Han sneered.
**** Scenes of of graphic torture/animal violence ahead. Skip until ****
“Naturally, the normal criminal sentences that one would usually utilize are useless in this situation . One, they are unafraid of pain; two, they are unafraid of death so to pry open their mouths would be even harder than reaching the sky.” Jiang Ruan faintly continued, “However, I once heard of a method of slowly cutting one’s skull open, then scalding hot oil would be poured inside. The person would not be dead therefore they would be able to feel the sensation of their brains being slowly burned. Even if this person was the most unyielding type, they would be unable to bear being subjected to this.”
In a daze, everyone stared at her in shock and fear. As they all listened to the method that Jiang Ruan described, they all felt terrified. When the fighters on the ground heard this, their bodies trembled slightly and Zhao Yi gulped, “Biaomei, wherever did you hear this method from?”
Jiang Ruan smiled lightly, “I heard this from a person who had travelled widely. This sort of method was not used to deal with people, it was used to deal with monkeys.” In their region, the locals are fond of eating one delicacy and that was eating uncooked monkey brains. Once the monkey had been set on the table and had their cranium sliced open, hot oil would be poured inside and while it was piping hot, one would eat. Eating in this manner would be extremely fresh. Ruan niang had thought this act was too excessively cruel as those monkeys would be chattering incessantly; until the brain had been completely partaken.” Seeing those people on the ground, her tone was as gentle as always, “I am unsure how these people would think of the taste of eating their own brains, thinking about it; this truly is cruel.”