Three days later:
Ding Rui stood at the entrance of a hall, looking coldly at the boundless fog and clouds around the floating island.
“After increasing the reward tenfold, only three of the six hundred Go puzzles were solved?” Ding Rui turned to Ding Dong, who stood at the side.
Ding Dong shrugged, showing a wronged expression. He said, “Gu Hai and the Life Slaughterer Go Master did not continue solving Go puzzles. The rest only managed to solve three. I…I…”
“Why did they not solve Go puzzles?” Ding Rui looked at Ding Dong coldly.
“I…I don’t know, either. They just said that they were tired,” Ding Dong said bitterly.
“Tired? Excuses! That’s just an excuse. If not for me specializing in music, I would have solved them long ago. Ding Dong, go urge them on. Urge them to solve the Go puzzles quickly!” Ding Rui ordered coldly.
“But urging them is useless. I have already visited them and done that!” Ding Dong protested bitterly.
“Go again!” Ding Rui said coldly.
“Alright!” Ding Dong agreed bitterly.
“Humph!” Ding Rui snorted. Then, she turned away and entered the hall.
Ding Dong left helplessly, going to Leisure Valley once again.
The surrounding cultivators were extremely excited, continuously studying the Go puzzles. However, solving the Go puzzles was not easy. If Ding Dong had to wait for these cultivators to solve the Go puzzles, who knew how long they would have to wait?
Ding Dong could only place his hopes on the Life Slaughterer Go Master and Gu Hai.
Ding Dong looked at two particular courtyards. After some silence, he chose to walk over to Gu Hai’s courtyard.
“Sect Master!” The Dragon Pinning Sect disciples standing outside the courtyard, who were responsible for serving and monitoring Gu Hai, immediately greeted Ding Dong.
“How is it going?”
“Mister Gu remained in the courtyard all this while, not coming out. He has only been brewing tea and reading books over the past two days,” that disciple said.
Ding Dong’s eyelids twitched.
“Mister Gu!” Ding Dong called out to the courtyard.
“The doors are not locked. Just come in!” Gu Hai’s leisurely voice came from the courtyard.
Ding Dong walked into the courtyard.
After looking around the small courtyard, he soon found Gu Hai in the main hall.
Gu Hai had a small stove before him, boiling water for tea. Then, he poured out a cup of tea while holding a scroll. He appeared to be studying the scroll.
“Mister Gu!” Ding Dong greeted as he stepped into the hall.
“Oh? Sect Master Ding!” Gu Hai smiled faintly while he put down the scroll.
“Mister Gu, how has your rest been?”
“It’s pretty good. The scenery here is delightful, and the air is fresh. It is a good place to retire in!” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Ding Dong: “…”
Seeing Gu Hai speaking random nonsense, Ding Dong could no longer maintain the pleasantries. He went straight to the point, saying, “Mister Gu, it has been three days. Could Mister Gu start solving the Go puzzles again? Now, the reward has been increased by another tenfold; every solved Go puzzle rewards one hundred superior-grade spirit stones!”
Gu Hai held up his teacup and gently blew on it. Then, he leisurely took a sip.
“Mister Gu?” Ding Dong prompted anxiously.
“Sect Master Ding, have you still not figured it out from my stay here?” Gu Hai smiled faintly.
“Oh?” Ding Dong felt startled.
“The Dragon Pinning Sect is pretty large. I wonder what it would look like leveled?” Gu Hai said with a trace of a smile.
“Leveled? Mister Gu, what do you mean by this?” Ding Dong asked, wide-eyed.
“What do I mean? Sect Master Ding, you did the deed. Can you not guess the consequences?” Gu Hai smiled faintly.
Ding Dong found Gu Hai’s calm and mysterious expression increasingly unfathomable.
“Mister Gu, please be clear. I do not understand what you are saying!” Ding Dong said while shaking his head.
“You don’t understand? Not understanding might be good. Perhaps it might just be some physical pain when the time comes!” Gu Hai said while shaking his head.
The more Gu Hai refused to explain, the more anxious Ding Dong felt.
“Mister Gu, what do you mean? What physical pain? Please explain!” Ding Dong yelled while glaring.
“I recall there is a torture method. What was it called again? Oh, I remember now. It’s called flaying. Have you heard of it before?” Gu Hai said with a smile.
“Torture? Flaying?” Ding Dong looked at Gu Hai.
“That’s the one. Right, let’s take you as an example. We will seal your cultivation first, making you like an ordinary person. Then, you will be buried vertically in the ground, leaving only your head exposed, preventing you from moving. Then, a hole is made on the top of your head, not deep, just removing your scalp. You won’t die from that. Don’t worry!” Gu Hai smiled as he looked at Ding Dong.
However, Ding Dong’s eyelids twitched wildly.
“After that, we pour mercury into that hole. Have you heard of mercury? You have? That’s good. After that thing is poured in, it will stick to the inside of your skin as it flows down. Oh, the itch, the itch. You will feel an itch. You want to scratch it, but you cannot. Oh, it is really itchy, very, very itchy. Who can endure such an itch? What would you do?” Gu Hai’s voice now dropped to a whisper.
Suddenly, Ding Dong felt his entire body itch as he looked at Gu Hai.
“Hey, there happens to be a hole on the top of the head. If you climb out, you will no longer itch. You jump out, even abandoning your skin. Once you get out, you feel much more comfortable!” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Even abandoning the skin?
Ding Dong suddenly shivered, horror showing on his face.
“Gu Hai, what do you want?!” Ding Dong shouted coldly while glowering at Gu Hai.
Clatter!
Gu Hai tossed his teacup onto the table, startling Ding Dong.
“Ding Dong, it’s fine if you want to remain stubborn. Just pretend I said nothing. You can go. I’ll continue solving the Go puzzles tomorrow!” Gu Hai said coldly.
Ding Dong’s expression kept changing as cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Gu Hai did not make any ridiculous requests. However, his earlier words caused Ding Dong’s entire body to tremble. After all, Ding Dong had been feeling apprehensive over the past few days.
“Mister Gu, I still think you had better explain!” Ding Dong said, cold sweat covering his forehead.
“Whether it was clear or not, you should know in your heart. Where do you think the torture method that I mentioned comes from?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Your Elite Hall’s torture method?”
“Hahahaha! When have you ever heard that my Elite Hall has such a torture method?” Gu Hai sneered.
“Huh?”
“This is no longer just Elite Hall’s matter. Ding Dong, you should understand that some people should not be touched. Just take the hall master’s mother, for example. She died. However, do you think it ended there? No, it did not end there. Since twenty years ago, there would be a hundred executions every day because of the death of the hall master’s mother. Do you hear that? Every day!” Gu Hai smiled.
“Every day? I… How come I am unaware of this?”
“Of course, you wouldn’t know about it. How are you qualified to know such a secret? You don’t know because the perpetrator is still being hunted. The search never stopped, never. However, it will end. The investigation already reached Nine-Five Island. This is the source of the problem. Since some people are seeking death, delivering their heads to us on a platter, we can’t do anything about it. Am I right, Sect Master Ding?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Gu Hai, you…you can’t scare me!” Ding Dong shouted, scowling.
Although Ding Dong appeared angry, Gu Hai could see cold sweat beading his forehead.
“If you think that I’m just scaring you, then just pretend I said nothing. Sect Master Ding, you can leave now,” Gu Hai said indifferently.
“Who…who sent you here? If you don’t speak, I’ll kill you!” Ding Dong said as he drew his sword and glared at Gu Hai.
“Do you think that I fear you when I dare to come to the Dragon Pinning Sect? Do you think that I fear Ding Rui and am hiding from her?” Gu Hai said coldly.
“How did you know?” Ding Dong goggled, exuding a murderous air.
“How did I do? Do you think that only I know?” Gu Hai sneered.
“Who else is there? Who else? What do you all know? What is your purpose here?” Ding Dong asked anxiously.
“We know nothing. Right. I came here only to ensure Long Wanqing’s safety. My mission is complete. The rest has nothing to do with me. Just go about your day!” Gu Hai smiled.
Crash!
Ding Dong immediately fell off his chair.
“You know?! How did you know that Long Wanqing is locked up here? How could you possibly know? Venerable Liu Nian? No, if it were Venerable Liu Nian, he would have been here long ago!” Ding Dong said, feeling very flustered.
“How did I know? Did you think that you could hide things from the hall master’s maternal grandfather, given your and Ding Rui’s capabilities?” Gu Hai sneered.
Ding Dong immediately panicked.
The hall master’s maternal grandfather?
“That’s impossible. He could not have possibly come to Nine-Five Island. If he were here, he would have…he would already have…” Ding Dong stammered in fear.
“It’s good that you locked up the hall master. There’s the hall master and the dragon vein; that’s enough bait. The big fish will be biting soon. The truth behind the death of the hall master’s mother will be revealed soon. At that time, there will be rivers of blood. Hmmm… You did help to uncover the truth, after all. He will probably spare your souls and mete out just some minor punishment!” Gu Hai said indifferently.
“Just some minor punishment? Long Wanqing’s maternal grandfather already laid traps in the surroundings, waiting for a big fish to bite? Minor punishment? What minor punishment?” Ding Dong’s emotions fluctuated intensely.
“That’s right. Have you started feeling itchy yet?” Gu Hai smiled.
As Gu Hai spoke, he stood up to walk out.
“Don’t! Mister Gu! Mister Gu! Don’t go! Don’t go! I was forced into this. I was forced into this. I’m innocent!” Ding Dong immediately ran over to Gu Hai, crying as he knelt and hugged Gu Hai’s leg.
Gu Hai stared coldly at Ding Dong.
“I’m really innocent. If I refused my aunt, she would kill me. The hall master has been living well during this time. I even sent people to serve her. It’s true! It’s true!” Ding Dong begged for mercy as he hugged Gu Hai’s leg.
In a large palace hall of the Dragon Pinning Sect:
Long Wanqing sat before a cloud Go puzzle. This was one of the remaining six hundred Go puzzles around the floating island. Since she felt bored, she had gotten one to try.
As Long Wanqing looked at the Go board, she was in no mood to solve it. At this moment, she felt very frustrated.
“Gu Hai is here? No, I have to inform Gu Hai. He is only an Innate Realm cultivator. No matter how strong he is, he is not a match for Ding Rui and Ding Dong. Furthermore, Ding Rui discovered him a few days ago.
“Could Ding Rui have already done something to him? Based on her previous tone, it seemed like she would relax only after killing Gu Hai.
“This is the Dragon Pinning Sect, Ding Dong’s territory. It would be easy for Ding Dong to kill Gu Hai.
“That’s right. The mass solving of Go puzzles a few days ago should be due to Gu Hai, right? Why has there been no activity over the past few days?
“Is Gu Hai dead?”
Long Wanqing showed an unsightly expression.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the hall.
“Sect Master Ding, the division master is not here. Why are you here?” the guard at the door asked.
“It’s nothing much. You all just keep guarding this hall. Aunt sent me here to ask Long Wanqing something!” Ding Dong said seriously.
“Alright!” The guard nodded.
Ding Dong entered the hall, and a black-clad man followed behind.
Creak!
After entering the hall, Ding Dong instantly closed the door.
“Ding Dong, you’ve already killed Gu Hai? Am I right?” Long Wanqing asked coldly.
Plop! Ding Dong suddenly fell to his knees. “Hall Master, Ding Rui forced this insignificant one. I did not intentionally target Hall Master. Hall Master, please forgive me!”
Long Wanqing: “…”
“Hall Master, many thanks for remembering me. Gu Hai is fine!” the black-clad man at the side laughed.
As the black-clad man spoke, he slowly removed his hood, revealing his true appearance.
“Gu Hai?” Long Wanqing exclaimed.
