"You, you!"
The man looked at Han Mo with grief-stricken eyes, full of despair.
He was considered someone of note in the Jianghu of Hebei Road.
Especially in the vicinity of Daming Prefecture, his name, Liu Yidao, was enough to make infants cry themselves to sleep.
He had seen many ruthless villains, but a ruthless person like Jiang Yan was truly his first.
Damn it, when interrogating someone, shouldn't they at least ask a question first, and then use torture if they don't confess?
But this kid didn't play by the rules at all. He knocked the man unconscious, dragged him here, and without asking anything, poured a pot of scalding hot tea directly on him.
Was this the kind of thing a government official would do?
The young official in front of him was even worse. He just watched from the side, showing no intention of stopping it.
If he weren't already facing charges for a murder case, he would have truly wanted to accuse these two scoundrels of using torture.
"So stubborn? Continue then. I have other matters to attend to. I'll come back tomorrow morning!"
Han Mo yawned as he spoke, actually heading for the door.
"By the way, sir, could you have them prepare a few more pots of hot water for me?"
Jiang Yan, being exceptionally clever, immediately guessed Han Mo's intentions.
After hearing Han Mo's words, he looked at Liu Yidao, who was already disfigured by the burns on the ground, and said with a sinister grin.
"Do as you please. He's not a good person anyway. If he dies, chop off his head and report it directly to the Judicial Bureau, saying he was a captured Liao spy. Also, find out where his family is and arrest them all!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Han Mo's words, Jiang Yan immediately began rubbing his hands together.
Liu Yidao almost wet himself. At this moment, he truly suspected he hadn't checked the almanac before going out.
How could he have encountered two such ruthless individuals at once? Their methods were too brutal!
The best part about the laws of the Great Song Dynasty was that unless it was a capital offense, the family would generally not be implicated.
Although he was a bloodthirsty bandit, his group had done many dirty deeds for Wang Ge, which earned them Wang Ge's protection.
Even though everyone knew he was wicked, the local authorities could do nothing to him, let alone his family.
But he never expected that after just coming out this time to scout the situation, he would be brought here.
Without any preamble, they intended to frame him as a Liao spy.
Everyone knew that war was imminent between the two countries.
If he were branded with such a label, could he possibly fare well?
At this moment, who would have the patience for a slow interrogation?
If he bore this label, his family would most likely be taken to the yamen and directly handed over to the military commanders.
Those people were not like the local authorities who cared about evidence. A round of military beatings might result in his entire family's demise!
"Wait! Wait!"
Thinking of this, Liu Yidao dared not utter another word.
Without a second thought, he quickly called out to Han Mo.
"Sir, please attend to your business. When I'm done playing, I'll make sure everything here is cleaned up!"
Seeing that the man was about to change his tune so quickly, Jiang Yan grinned and interjected again.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'm not a Liao spy!"
Liu Yidao was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; he almost jumped up from the ground.
But as soon as he exerted force with his waist, Jiang Yan directly stomped on him and pushed him to the ground.
"Sir, I'm not a spy, I'm not a spy! I have information to report! Someone intends to harm you!"
Liu Yidao immediately let out a pig-like scream.
"Sir, I've seen many of these wicked villains. To save their lives, they will often spread rumors. Please do not fall for his wicked ploy!"
Jiang Yan pressed down with his foot and added another sentence.
"I'm not spreading rumors, I'm not spreading rumors!"
Looking at Jiang Yan's grinning expression, Liu Yidao wailed continuously.
"Alright, I shall reluctantly give you an opportunity. You have only a quarter of an hour. If what you say does not interest me, then you can continue to play with him."
As Han Mo spoke, he sat down on a nearby chair again and casually glanced at Liu Yidao.
"Sir, we, a group of over forty people, were ordered to assassinate you! I am merely a scout sent ahead to reconnoiter the city!"
With things having reached this point, Liu Yidao spilled everything in one go.
"Assassinate me? Do you know who I am?"
Han Mo asked with a cold smile.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are Lord Han, the county magistrate of Neihuang County!"
Liu Yidao replied directly.
"Very good. You have some perception. But I wonder, who wants my life, Han Mo?"
Han Mo's expression turned serious.
Seeing Han Mo's sharp gaze, Liu Yidao couldn't help but shiver.
"Sir, I am just a pawn following orders. How could I know such details..."
Liu Yidao couldn't help but give a wry smile.
"Alright, then I will ask you again, how do you plan to act? When will you act? Where are the remaining people now? Where is the leader? How do you communicate?"
Han Mo had long anticipated that he wouldn't know who was behind it.
After all, Tang Ke would surely pass down such orders through his confidantes to avoid implicating himself if something went wrong.
Although he couldn't do anything to Tang Ke and his ilk for now, Han Mo had no intention of letting those hidden rats off the hook.
The knives hidden in the dark were the most dangerous. If these people were hiding in the shadows now, it wasn't like they would keep a knife under their pillow while sleeping.
"We are acting separately. I only know that the original planned time of action was tomorrow night..."
At this point, Liu Yidao had no more secrets to hide.
After years of living on the edge, he had long understood the simplest truth: life was meaningful.
What was Jianghu chivalry, what was brotherhood, it was all fake.
As long as one was alive, one could enjoy everything. The dead were just stinking meat.
"Better my fellow daoist dies than I." He didn't need anyone to teach him this; he immediately revealed everything he knew.
"How do you contact the people who came with you?"