Chapter 364
“They’re just some harmless little bugs. It’s easy to take care of them.” Xu Ke said, gently tapping Lin Mengyao’s cute little nose.
“When this manor was bought, the original owner had already set up many traps inside. After our family purchased it, we added quite a few more. Now, the manor looks no different from a regular house, but you could say there’s a trap every ten steps. It’s the safest place in the entire estate.” Xu Ke whispered into Lin Mengyao’s ear as he noticed her curious eyes.
Lin Mengyao’s eyes suddenly showed extreme astonishment. Her mouth slightly open, her eyes widened, staring blankly like a cat.
“I thought these things only existed in novels and movies. I never expected to encounter them in real life. Ever since I met you, I’ve really seen so much that I hadn’t before.” Lin Mengyao said in a daze.
Xu Ke easily picked Lin Mengyao up from the sofa, placing her on his lap, holding her entirely in his arms as if cradling a child.
He gently kissed the top of Lin Mengyao’s head and softly asked, “Are you scared?”
Lin Mengyao shook her head, hiding her whole self in Xu Ke’s arms, whispering, “No, I’m not scared as long as I chose you.”
After talking intimately for a while, Xu Ke coaxed Lin Mengyao to go to the bedroom.
There were some things Xu Ke didn’t want Lin Mengyao to see, and so she didn’t ask, but as Xu Ke was leaving, she hooked her little finger around his and softly instructed, “Come back soon.”
“I got it, you go ahead and sleep. I’ll be back shortly.” Xu Ke, following Lin Mengyao’s gesture, bowed his head and left a gentle kiss on her cheek.
When he turned around, the tenderness in Xu Ke’s eyes had turned to ice.
When Xu Ke entered the secret room, the weapons on about a dozen people had already been stripped off by Housekeeper Zhao, leaving them with nothing but their underwear.
The dense walls were covered with all sorts of torture instruments, making it feel like stepping back into some ancient torture chamber. The variety of implements made one’s scalp tingle.
“I don’t need your help here anymore, you can leave now.” Xu Ke took off the glasses perched on his nose, tucked them into his breast pocket, looking every bit the scholar, like a well-learned professor from college, yet inexplicably making the prisoners in the dense room shiver, though they attributed it to the cold of the chamber.
Housekeeper Zhao cast a sympathetic glance at the people in the chamber, but it disappeared in an instant. He bowed his head respectfully, responding, “Yes, please remember to take care of yourself and keep track of the time.”
With that, Housekeeper Zhao, wearing his usual smile, left the chamber step by step, leaving everything to Xu Ke.
Upon hearing the chamber door close, a cruel smile formed on Xu Ke’s lips, and he slowly rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows.
“I know who sent you. So, what did she send you to do with my wife? I’m in a good mood today; whoever tells me first will receive my kindness.” Xu Ke’s long fingers glided over each torture device that seemed to have some years on them.
“Bah! You think setting up a place like this to scare me will make me confess? Ha, you think I’m as cowardly as you, pretty boy? If I yield to you today, then you’re my dad!” sneered the leader, Big Beard.
His eyes, round like a tiger’s, fell on Xu Ke with a defiant challenge, as if convinced Xu Ke wouldn’t dare do anything to him, only scaring people with these low-class items.
Xu Ke wasn’t upset by the man’s words; he just laughed softly, “I don’t care what you think of me, but I’ll only give you one chance. If no one speaks in three minutes, then even if you beg for mercy later, I won’t stop.” Xu Ke said leisurely, totally dismissing the man’s provocation.
“Not only do you look like a woman, but you also act like one, stop talking nonsense, come at me if you have the guts.” Even while hanging in mid-air, Big Beard did not forget to stretch his neck in defiance at Xu Ke.
“Maybe you’re just all talk and can’t actually do it, you coward. Looks like you’re just destined to be a pretty boy. If you let grandpa go, begrudging how handsome you are, I won’t mind taking care of you.” As Big Beard finished, he laughed arrogantly and so did others who heard him. For a moment, the chamber echoed with the men’s wild laughter.
The cold curve of Xu Ke’s lips only widened.
“It seems none of you are soft-skinned and need me not to be gentle.” Xu Ke’s chilling tone was like a basin of cold water, easily dousing each person’s arrogant flame.
“In our country, we have a punishment called the ’comb punishment.’ Have you heard of it?” Xu Ke stood up from his seat, walked toward the eastern wall, and extended a slender finger to retrieve an iron comb hanging there in the shape of a woman’s hairbrush.
The previously brash Big Beard felt a sudden unease rise within him, his body hair stood on end, and even goosebumps appeared on his skin.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Xu Ke chuckled softly.
“Even if you don’t know, that’s fine. From today onwards, I believe you’ll always remember it.” A faint smile appeared on Xu Ke’s face, looking deceptively gentle; the iron comb in his beautiful hands reflected a cold light that seemed to pierce one’s skin and touch their very soul, instilling fear.
In an inconspicuous corner, there was a sink and a kettle.
Meanwhile, Xu Ke turned on the tap, filled the kettle with water, and switched on the heater. His well-shaped eyes fixed on the kettle as if it were some priceless treasure.
Xu Ke’s gaze made the already silent chamber even more silent. Everyone’s eyes unwittingly followed his gaze to the kettle quietly heating up.
Before long, white steam started rising from the kettle, the light in Xu Ke’s eyes shone even brighter, and after a few more minutes, the heater stopped working—the water had boiled!
Xu Ke, with a smile, turned his hungry-wolf gaze towards Big Beard.