19. The Harsh Interrogation

Inside the Che family guest room.

Cang Qian was sound asleep on the guest bed.

When Chen Yu was resting in Che Baiyuan’s room and Naiwa had gone to the village pond to catch fish, Chen Yu secretly slipped into the guest room.

At that moment, he stood by Cang Qian’s bedside.

Suddenly, he pulled out a dagger from his chest pocket, and the previously expressionless face instantly twisted into a fierce glare.

Without hesitation, Chen Yu gripped the dagger tightly, preparing to stab the sleeping Cang Qian!

Just as he moved to strike, the guest room door was forcefully kicked open from outside. Naiwa, Quangang, and Che Baiyuan’s younger brother, Che Tai, entered.

The three blocked the doorway calmly, watching Chen Yu poised to commit the crime with the dagger.

Chen Yu’s mind raced swiftly.

He immediately turned to grab Cang Qian lying on the bed, intending to use her as a hostage to threaten the three at the door.

Just as his hand caught her wrist, Cang Qian suddenly opened her eyes and delivered a swift kick to Chen Yu’s groin.

Cang Qian had never been truly asleep.

She was indeed tired, but going to the guest room to rest, Che Baiyuan retreating to his room, and Naiwa going out to fish—all of it was a ruse.

Their goal was to create an opportunity to strike at Chen Yu!

Quangang and Che Tai’s hunting trip was also fake; they had already asked the clan leader for leave and only pretended to accompany Banai and the others out.

In truth, they had just circled outside the village and returned, keeping watch nearby.

Yesterday, Cang Qian had anticipated that Sang Yingying would make a move against her within the ten-day deadline.

In Sang Yingying’s mind, only Cang Qian’s death would erase any evidence of what happened yesterday.

So Cang Qian had deliberately suggested letting Chen Yu watch over her, baiting the fox out of its den!

At that moment, Chen Yu never expected Cang Qian to be feigning sleep, so he had no time to dodge the kick.

“Ah...”

A scream escaped as pain made him stagger, and he collapsed to his knees.

Fearing he might use his spiritual power to attack Cang Qian, Quangang and Che Tai quickly seized him while he was doubled over in pain.

Naiwa produced a bundle of coarse hemp rope from behind and unhesitatingly bound him.

Chen Yu writhed in agony, shouting, “Let go of me! On what grounds do you detain me? I will tell the clan leader you tied me up to help Cang Qian escape—let me go…”

At that moment, Che Baiyuan appeared at the door and said, “Who said we bound you to help Cang Qian flee? Our little Qian hasn’t done anything, so why would she run?”

With that, she gave Naiwa, Quangang, and Che Tai a subtle look.

The three understood immediately, hauled Chen Yu to his feet, and dragged him out to the living room.

Cang Qian and Che Baiyuan followed, both sitting down on long wooden chairs.

Quangang and Che Tai held Chen Yu down in front of the chairs, preventing him from fleeing or harming the two young females.

Naiwa stepped forward, lifting Chen Yu’s shirt to check for a beast brand on his chest.

They planned to force a confession through harsh interrogation, and if Chen Yu had a brand pact with Sang Yingying, she would be alerted, ruining their plan.

Finding nothing, Che Baiyuan said, “So, it seems once you kill little Qian, Sang Yingying will agree to brand you, is that right?”

Chen Yu knelt, pressed down, staring silently at Cang Qian and Che Baiyuan without a word.

Che Baiyuan smiled, “Not speaking? That’s fine. Soon, you’ll be talking.”

As she finished, Naiwa took out a small packet of powder from his pocket and approached Chen Yu, pinching his nose to force him to open his mouth.

Seizing the moment, he quickly poured the entire packet into Chen Yu’s mouth.

In less than a minute, Chen Yu began to writhe in discomfort, his eyes turning a deep blood-red.

Bound tightly and unable to move, he could only writhe painfully on the floor.

His gaze remained fixed on the two young females before him, but the longer he looked, the more unbearable his torment became.

Watching this, Cang Qian curiously asked, “Sister, what is that powder?”

Che Baiyuan explained, “It’s ground from the roots of a certain plant, called hallucinogenic powder. It induces an excited state in male beastmen and grows only in the forest.”

“The fruit of the plant is beautiful but poisonous, while the roots are not toxic yet cause hallucinations.”

“Remarkable!”

Cang Qian studied Chen Yu’s expression and asked again, “He’s staring at us like that because of hallucinations—so he’s imagining things?”

Che Baiyuan nodded, “After a while, when his hallucinations fail to resolve, he’ll feel like thousands of ants are biting his entire body.”

“This hallucinogen has no effect on us female beastmen, but it’s quite cruel to males. It’s often used in the Beast Palace to punish errant male beastmen.”

Cang Qian chuckled, “I didn’t expect beastly instincts to be passed only to males, not females!”

“How do they relieve that agony of being eaten alive by ants?”

Naiwa answered, “Simple—you just dunk him in ice water for an hour, and it naturally subsides.”

Cang Qian understood.

Chen Yu, still writhing on the floor, finally stopped, but then began a new, more intense struggle.

Che Baiyuan said, “See? The first stage of hallucination is over. Now he’s entered the second stage, feeling like ants are eating him alive. It’s about time to start questioning.”

Naiwa turned and went into the kitchen.

Soon, he returned carrying a small bucket filled with ice water. Using a wooden spoon, he scooped some water and poured it over Chen Yu.

The brief cold eased Chen Yu’s suffering momentarily, but after about five minutes, the unbearable sensation returned, and he struggled again.

If they submerged him fully in ice water for an hour, the pain would be completely relieved.

But just splashing him with ice water intermittently made the ant-bite sensation intensify with each wave, amplifying his torment.

After several cycles, Chen Yu finally broke, begging, “I really can’t take it anymore. Please, spare me…”

Che Baiyuan said, “We can spare you, but you answer every question we ask from now on.”

Chen Yu nodded painfully.

Che Baiyuan looked to Cang Qian, signaling her to begin questioning.

Cang Qian fixed her gaze on Chen Yu. “Are you working with Sang Yingying?”

“Yes,” Chen Yu admitted, struggling in pain. “Yesterday she wanted to kill the cub and frame you. She told me to stir the clan against you as usual.”

“When I saw her stabbed and falling inside the house, I was stunned. Only when someone shouted that you killed Yingying did I snap out of it.”

“Later, when Banai said she wasn’t dead, just fainted, I guessed that because of your interference, she failed. So she stabbed herself and I continued to help her incite the clan against you.”

Cang Qian took a deep breath and asked, “Is Sang Yingying responsible for Banai’s broken leg?”

…

…