Chapter Eighty-Six: A True Demon

A terrified voice rang out from the inner room.

Before the cry had even faded, Zhou Zhi had already strode inside, with Zhang Dong and the other two close behind him.

A man about thirty, wearing nothing but a single undergarment, was scrambling to get down from the heated bed. At the head of the bed sat a disheveled woman, clutching a blanket around herself and staring at Zhou Zhi and the others with wide, frightened eyes.

Seeing them enter, the man blurted, “Who are you? What do you want?”

As he spoke, he eyed Zhou Zhi warily and reached with his left hand toward the pillow.

Zhang Dong had followed Liu Hui for many years and knew the ropes well. “Careful! He’s reaching for a weapon.”

No sooner had he spoken than Zhang Dong raised the cleaver in his hand and pressed it to the man’s throat.

“Don’t move,” Zhang Dong hissed. “Move, and I’ll take your head off.”

The man’s outstretched hand snapped back. His face went pale in an instant, and he stammered, “Lords, let’s talk this out. I don’t know where I’ve offended you. You mustn’t hurt innocent people at random. I, Geng Zhong, am an honest man of Xin Village.”

Zhou Zhi had worried that this might not be Geng Zhong after all, that they had seized the wrong man. Now that the fellow had named himself, much trouble was spared, and Zhou Zhi’s mind settled at once.

Every person in his home was his reverse scale. At that moment he thought again of his father, Zhou Tie, having been lured into a trap by this very man, then falsely accused on top of it, and made to suffer who knew how much these past few days.

At the thought of it, Zhou Zhi’s heart seemed to bleed. Fury surged through him.

His cold eyes flashed, and he seized Geng Zhong by the hair. Zhang Dong’s cleaver had been pressed against Geng Zhong’s throat, and with Zhou Zhi’s forceful yank, Geng Zhong’s body lurched violently. Fortunately Zhang Dong reacted quickly and hastily pulled the blade aside, but even so, a deep cut still opened on Geng Zhong’s neck, and blood began to stream down at once.

Under the bed stood a brazier, and the fire within it was burning fiercely. Zhou Zhi glanced at it once, then with a hard pull dragged Geng Zhong down from the bed. Geng Zhong, his hair yanked and his movements hindered, was already off balance, and with Zhou Zhi’s excessive force he toppled headfirst from the bed. Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhou Zhi slammed his head straight into the red-hot brazier.

A shriek burst forth.

At once the brazier gave off a sickening hissing sound, and the stench of scorched hair and flesh spread through the room.

Fortunately Zhou Zhi had not held him there long. Geng Zhong struggled and managed to wrench himself free of the brazier. Looking at him now, the flesh on his face was blackened, with many places burned raw and blistered. He rolled on the ground, howling like a ghost.

The cries were miserable, heart-rending.

Zhang Dong had long since seen how ruthless Zhou Zhi could be, so he took no particular notice of the way Zhou Zhi dealt with Geng Zhong. But the two ruffians who had come with Zhang Dong, upon seeing this scene, could not help but turn pale and exchange glances, thinking inwardly that Young Master Zhou was indeed fierce, and the title of Cold-Faced Butcher was well deserved.

In an instant, the two men felt deep awe toward Zhou Zhi, and the way they looked at him changed greatly.

The woman on the bed stared at the scene before her, her eyes wide with terror, her body trembling nonstop, her lips quivering so hard she could not speak.

She had seen harshness before, but never anything this cruel. To roast a living man over a blazing fire like this—yet more frightening still was the boy’s utter coldness. When he pressed Geng Zhong into the brazier, he did not even furrow his brow. This cold-faced youth was simply a demon.

Zhou Zhi had no time to concern himself with the woman. He planted his foot on Geng Zhong and said coldly, “Geng Zhong, where is my father, Zhou Tie?”

Geng Zhong had been so thoroughly tortured that his mind was already somewhat muddled, but at Zhou Zhi’s sharp shout he trembled again in fear and at once understood why these people had come. At such a moment, how could he dare lie? He hurriedly stammered, “Master Zhou is in the west room. These past two days I have not treated him unfairly at all.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhi immediately released him and turned to rush toward the west room.

The west room was separated from this chamber only by the kitchen. Calling out “Father! Father!” as he went, Zhou Zhi hurried inside.

The layout of the west room was similar to Geng Zhong’s bedroom, with another large heated bed. Zhou Zhi first looked toward the bed. By the moonlight from outside the window, he could see clearly that it was empty. There was no sign of his father, Zhou Tie.

Damn it. Was Geng Zhong lying to me?

Just as he stood there stunned, a faint voice came from beneath the bed. “Is that Xiaozhi? Father is here.”

Only then did Zhou Zhi lower his head and look. In a dark corner by the wall, a figure was curled up, evidently unable to move.

He hurried closer before he could make it out clearly: it was indeed his father, Zhou Tie.

Zhou Tie’s hands and feet were bound with rope, and rope was wound around his body several times besides. At that moment his old eyes were filled with tears, gazing at Zhou Zhi in astonished joy.

“Father!” At the cry, Zhou Zhi’s tears burst forth at once.

His father had truly suffered. Had they tormented him like this? Bound like a pig, perhaps even denied a single bite to eat these past two days.

Zhou Zhi quickly untied the ropes. Zhou Tie choked up and said, “Xiaozhi, Father thought he would never see you again. That Geng Zhong is no human being! He tricked your father!”

Hearing his father speak like that only made Zhou Zhi’s heart twist like a knife.

He tried to help his father to his feet, but Zhou Tie’s body was stiff; even the slightest touch made him cry out in pain. Looking more closely, Zhou Zhi saw that where the clothing was torn there were many whip marks on his father’s body.

Damn it. Fine. Geng Zhong, this isn’t over.

“Father, try moving a little first, slowly,” Zhou Zhi said softly.

Zhou Tie obeyed, gritting his teeth as he slowly lifted his arms and stretched out his legs. After a long while, with Zhou Zhi’s support, he finally managed to stand.

By then Zhang Dong remained in Geng Zhong’s bedroom, while the two ruffians came into the west room and, together with Zhou Zhi, carefully helped Zhou Tie out of the house.

In the yard, Liu Hui had already instructed several men to come and receive them, and Zhou Zhi told them that his father was injured and must be supported with the utmost care.

The ruffians naturally complied and carefully helped Zhou Tie out of the yard.

Geng Zhong had tortured his father like this, and there was no way Zhou Zhi would let him off lightly. Turning on his heel, he went straight back into the inner room.

Zhang Dong was still standing guard over Geng Zhong and the woman, cleaver in hand. Zhou Zhi glanced at Geng Zhong, who was curled up on the floor with terrified, uncomprehending eyes, and said coldly, “Geng Zhong, did my father really steal silver from your house?”

The burned places on Geng Zhong’s face were aching terribly, and by this point he had been so frightened that he was already half out of his mind. He hurriedly said, “Of course not. I was only too eager to harm Brother Zhou, and in a moment of devilish confusion I falsely accused him.

Young master, I know I was wrong. Please spare me!”

“Hmph. You are truly detestable. Falsely accusing my father was one thing, but you also tortured him. How could I possibly let you go so easily?” Zhou Zhi said coldly. He snatched the cleaver from Zhang Dong’s hand, raised it high, and made as if he were about to bring it down hard.

Though his father had been framed and suffered much torment, he was in no real danger; they were only flesh wounds. So Zhou Zhi’s mind was very clear at that moment, and he would not truly strike. He only meant to frighten Geng Zhong, teach him a lesson, and make him remember today’s scene forever, so that he would not dare to report it to the authorities later. That was all Zhou Zhi intended to do.

But Geng Zhong thought the blade was really about to fall, and in terror he voided both bowels and bladder, hastily crying, “Young master, actually... actually ruining Brother Zhou was not my idea, I was also ordered by someone—”

Before he could finish, the woman curled up on the bed suddenly gave a sharp, piercing whistle.

Zhou Zhi froze, then looked toward the head of the bed.

There the woman suddenly sprang upright. Though she wore only a plain undergarment, she lifted one leg, kicked open the window, and was about to leap out and flee.