Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 131 Torture
With her gentle and elegant demeanor, Zhuoying is widely recognized as a good-tempered person.

Previously, her nominal fiancé, Shang Rang, made a serious mistake, but Zhuo Ying did not reprimand him. Instead, Zhu Wen stepped in and slapped Shang Rang across the face.

But that doesn't mean she won't get angry.

As the leader of the Mount Tai Sect, Zhuoying would naturally kill people.

Zhu Wen was interested in how Zhuo Ying dealt with his opponents, so he followed him to the underground torture chamber of Baiyun Temple.

He witnessed several middle-aged beauties being ordered by the shadowy figure to strip naked, whipped until they bled profusely, and then thrown into an iron cage to be fed to a pack of starving, vicious dogs.

“When Master was in power, he would feed these vicious dogs aphrodisiacs before executing traitors,” Zhuoying said to Zhu Wen. “But Zhuoying is also a woman, and I don’t want to make things too difficult for women.”

The group of elite disciples of the Taishan Sect who were watching were either sweating profusely or unable to bear watching the vicious dogs barking and the woman screaming in agony.

Zhu Wen agreed with Zhuoying's point of view that the union of humans and beasts was more terrifying than death. Zhuoying's exemption from this procedure did indeed reduce the difficulty for the enemy.

Zhuoying did nothing wrong. Those people planned to send Zhuoying to the government after they won, to be a camp prostitute to entertain the troops.

Several male disciples and more than a dozen female disciples were brought up in a state of trepidation.

The male disciple was personally beheaded by Chuoying with his sword, and blood flowed all over the ground.

The female disciple in the lead pleaded in fear, "Senior Sister Zhuoying, I was forced! I did not participate in their conspiracy, and the arrest of Lady Lansuting has nothing to do with me!"

"Yi Yun, you're lying." Zhuo Ying's gaze swept over the female disciple named Yi Yun.

“When Shi Pu came last time, my master asked you and two other female disciples to secretly serve him in bed. But Shi Pu was not energetic enough, and he only took your virginity before going to bed.”

Yi Yun revealed a sorrowful expression: "Yes, Senior Sister, look, I am just such a pitiful woman..."

"Serving the top general of the military governor of Ganhua Army, the future military governor, is probably not something to be ashamed of for you," Zhuoying said indifferently. "Although Zhuoying looks down on this person."

"After Shi Pu woke up, he left you a jade ring and made a vow of eternal love, promising to take you as his concubine, right? This also gave you unwarranted ambitions."

After saying that, Chuoying took out ten sharp bamboo sticks from the torture instrument box and walked gracefully to Yiyun.

She gripped Yi Yun's hand tightly, rendering Yi Yun unable to move. As for Yi Yun's legs and body, they were already bound tightly to the wooden frame with ropes.

Yi Yun's pupils contracted, revealing an expression of extreme fear, followed by a series of screams.

But the excruciating pain also allowed her to let go of her greatest fear.

The fact that Chuo Ying personally tortured her meant that he wouldn't kill her, and her life was spared.

After a while, Zhuoying personally pulled ten bamboo skewers from under Yiyun's fingernails. To prevent Yiyun's hand from becoming crippled, Zhuoying gently applied medicine herself, but the ointment was mixed with ginger juice.

Yi Yun screamed in pain again.

In the end, more than a dozen female disciples who participated in the conspiracy were all killed by Zhuoying in the same way. Blood dripped all over the ground, but Zhuoying remained dressed in white, untouched by blood.

Seeing the ruthless methods employed by the shadowy figure, the elite members of the Mount Tai Sect were so frightened that they dared not utter a sound. The entire scene was completely silent, and they were indeed utterly shocked.

As they came out, Zhuoying said to Zhu Wen, "Don't let Zhizhen know about these things..."

“Of course,” Zhu Wen said. “I think Lady Zhuoying is a bit too soft-hearted. You should either trust your people completely or go all the way. After torturing those people, you shouldn’t have kept them alive.”

Chuo Ying sighed softly.

“I understand the reasoning that Liang Yulangjun said. But our Taishan sect is a small sect with the Five Peaks Incense Gathering approaching. Just as Elder Xie, who was killed, said, we cannot afford too much internal strife.”

The success of the Five Peaks Incense Gathering was also crucial for the rebel army. Huang Chao's army, riding the wave of victory, needed to obtain as much funding as possible through trade to maintain discipline and minimize disruption to the populace. The Taishan faction's victory at the Five Peaks Incense Gathering was key to this. Otherwise, why would Zhu Wen have placed such importance on attending the gathering?

In fact, Zhu Wen understood why Zhuoying didn't kill the woman named Yiyun.

“Even if she is a talented person, after the Five Peaks Incense Gathering, immediately expel her from the sect and send her to Shi Pu. Add more gold and silk as dowry, and Shi Pu will accept it.” Zhu Wen said solemnly, “If you keep her by your side, you will eventually raise a tiger to cause trouble.”

Xuzhou is too close to Mount Tai. Even though Zhuoying dislikes Shi Pu, she doesn't want to become sworn enemies with him. Although the Mount Tai faction is loyal to the Zhenyi Alliance, it still has to survive in the cracks.

Chuo Ying showed a grateful expression, then suddenly bowed deeply, saying, "This humble servant thanks you for your guidance, Liang Yu Langjun."

Zhu Wen felt a little uncomfortable that the revered Fairy of Shadows was suddenly being so respectful to him.

He pondered for a moment, wondering what his relationship with Zhuoying was. Brother-in-law? But in his relationship with Lan Suting, although Zhuoying had always taken the initiative, she clearly wanted Lan Suting to play the role of a man.

Although my suggestion was simple, it might save Zhuoying from a great disaster in the future. So, I'll accept it with a clear conscience.

Since men and women should not touch each other, Zhu Wen could not help Zhuo Ying up and could only wait for her to get up on her own.

Lan Suting had already gone to rest, while Tian Jun waited for Zhu Wen and Zhuo Ying to return. Upon seeing Zhu Wen, she was bored from waiting, so she started chugging wine and cracking open sugar-coated watermelon seeds, spitting out shells all around her.

"Don't you act like a girl at all!" Zhu Wen complained. "You just spit sunflower seed shells on the ground like that, without even using a spittoon to catch them. This is a Taoist sanctuary."

"It's alright." Zhuoying smiled gracefully. "I'll have my maid clean it up."

She knew about Zhu Wen's current relationship with Tian Jun when she met with Zhu Wen and the White Wolf King "Little White," so she wasn't surprised. It's easy for a woman to pursue a man, and a simpleton like Tian Jun often takes the initiative.

"Sister Zhuoying, Zhu Lang is bullying me!" Tian Jun, half-drunk, brazenly hugged Zhuoying, her words sounding coquettish but lacking any tenderness.

Zhuoying let Tian Jun spray her face with the smell of alcohol, gently embraced Tian Jun, and stroked Tian Jun's hair with her slender fingers. Both women were tall and slender with full breasts, and together they created a unique and beautiful sight.

Chuo Ying asked, "Would Liang Yu Langjun wish to share a room with Tian Niangzi?"

"No need," Zhu Wen shook his head.

Just as Tian Jun was about to express her dissatisfaction, she heard Zhu Wen say again, "I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself if I hold a beauty like Jun in my arms tonight."

Chuo Ying covered her mouth and chuckled: "Young Master Liang Yu is usually unrestrained and unconventional, but when it comes to matters of men and women, he is truly an upright gentleman."

Upon hearing this, Tian Jun's anger turned to joy, and she kissed Zhu Wen on the cheek in front of everyone, the strong smell of alcohol blowing into Zhu Wen's nostrils.

"You can't drink anymore." Zhu Wen snatched her wine gourd away. "Otherwise, you might cause a drunken scene."

Tian Jun was very annoyed and reached out to grab it, but she couldn't catch it.

……

The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, falls on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month and holds an important place in Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. On this day, people offer sacrifices to their ancestors, express gratitude, and pray for the souls of the deceased.

The Five Peaks Incense Festival, held every five years, is also held on this day to allow wandering souls to be delighted by the wonderful fragrance and exquisite music and dance, thus achieving great liberation.

During the Five Peaks Incense Festival, a huge number of wealthy guests flock to the venue to watch the beautiful women's dazzling performances. The members of the five sects attending the festival are strictly forbidden from receiving guests in person, otherwise it would be considered an offense to the spirits.

The Five Peaks Incense Gathering aims to be alluring yet not lewd, elegant yet refined. If a courtesan and a young gentleman are mutually attracted, they can only exchange tokens and pledge their love before consummating their relationship after the gathering concludes.

However, the ladies of the five most prestigious brothels are far from ordinary courtesans. It is common for them to be pursued for months or even half a year before they can be won over. Therefore, at each annual brothel gathering, wealthy men from all over still flock there, hoping to find a suitable beauty and win her favor, so that their lives will not have been in vain.

(End of this chapter)