"You... you just ask..."
Song Lao Liu's face expressed immense pain. He had wanted to speak when the first finger was crushed, but Chen Yuan didn't give him the chance, instead crushing all five of his fingers at once.
But he just wouldn't ask!
Chen Yuan smiled and said,
"It's not too late to talk now. You still have one palm and both feet left."
Indeed, Chen Yuan wanted to torture Song Lao Liu. Had Chen Yuan not been vigilant and uncovered Song Lao Liu's conspiracy earlier, he might have really fallen into his trap this time.
By then, even if he claimed it was Song Lao Liu's doing, others would consider it slander.
Having learned that his Golden Finger involved killing those with Qi Fortune in the world, Chen Yuan had prepared himself to play the role of a villain.
So, he didn't feel any psychological burden.
The reason he could change his mindset so quickly was that even in his previous life, he was a self-centered person,—not just him, but most people were self-centered.
If man does not do for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him!
As the saying goes, good people don't get rewarded, and bad people wear official hats.
In this extremely dangerous supernatural world, Chen Yuan didn't want to be a saintly figure.
There were too many saints; they wouldn't miss one less.
Tie Qinghua, seeing Chen Yuan's deliberate actions, also felt a sense of relief, already deciding to severely torture Song Lao Liu, this bastard.
Song Lao Liu, gasping for air, said in a low voice,
"It was Huang Xing."
"Who?"
"Huang Xing?"
Chen Yuan and Tie Qinghua asked at the same time.
"Yes, Huang Xing promised me that as long as I helped him kill Tie Xuan, all these properties would belong to me, and the Huang Family would become my backing."
Song Lao Liu did not dare to conceal anything, fearing that Chen Yuan would crush his other hand into mud too.
He would rather die than endure that kind of pain.
"To kill my brother..." Fire flashed in Tie Qinghua's eyes.
She had been raised by Tie Xuan since she was a child. A brother to her like a father, her affection was very deep, so learning that Huang Xing's real target was her brother enraged her instantly.
Tie Qinghua, in her fury, stabbed Song Lao Liu, creating a bloody hole in his body.
"How did my Tie Family wrong you for you to treat us like this... even conspiring with outsiders against my brother?" Tie Qinghua spat out these words through clenched teeth.
Song Lao Liu's face showed some shame; he opened his mouth but did not speak, fearing to further enrage this furious woman.
"Why does Huang Xing want to kill Tie Xuan?" Chen Yuan asked, frowning.
"I don't know..."
Chen Yuan stepped forward and lifted his foot to stomp on the other hand.
"I... I really don't know..." Song Lao Liu said desperately.
"What else do you know?"
"I... I..."
"Since Huang Xing was backing you, why did you need to hire me to do the job? The Huang Family surely doesn't lack experts in Bone Refining, right..."
Chen Yuan continued to inquire.
"You... you were just a disposable pawn."
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, thinking that made sense.
Indeed, as per Song Lao Liu's plans, he was just a disposable pawn, put in place to be blamed for the incident with Tie Xuan.
The Huang Family would not afford to waste an expert in Bone Refining as a pawn.
Moreover, all of the renowned Bone Refining experts in Ping'an County had well-known identities; it wouldn't be hard for Tie Xuan to track them down. And hiring outside experts would be too costly and not worth it.
Chen Yuan was just a perfect scapegoat who had walked right into the trap.
From the beginning when Chen Yuan met Old Six Song, he had probably already been plotting.
Seeing that he couldn't get anything more out of the situation, Chen Yuan suggested taking his leave, as there was nothing of interest left here.
"Lady Tie, I shall take my leave now..."
"Brother Yuan, take care."
"Oh, by the way, I have some grievances with the Huang Family as well. If you wish to seek revenge against the Huang Family, please count me in..."
When it was revealed that Huang Xing was involved behind Old Six Song, Chen Yuan was actually quite pleased, as he had gained an ally.
An expert at the Bone Refining Level, no less.
Chen Yuan was well acquainted with the reputation of Tie Xuan, who could be called the number one expert in the Foundation Establishment Realm of the Ping'an County Government, stronger than Huang Xing by a margin.
His relationship with County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng was very close.
Where there are people, there is Jianghu, and Ping'an County Government was no exception. The two pillars of Ping'an County Government, County Magistrate Li Mingqi and Wu Qingfeng, were like two major mountains.
The arrest officer Huang Xing and Li Mingqi had a very close relationship.
However, this was good news for Chen Yuan.
Alone, Chen Yuan was absolutely no match for the Huang Family, but with the inclusion of the Jail Head Tie Xuan and County Magistrate Wu Qingfeng, the outcome was yet to be known.
This could be the point that breaks the game for Chen Yuan.
Tie Qinghua was momentarily stunned, gazing at Chen Yuan, and said:
"I will tell my brother of Brother Yuan's words."
"That would be best."
Tie Qinghua: "I just don't know how to contact Brother Yuan, must we wait until the Tiger Bone Pill arrives?"
Chen Yuan thought for a moment and spoke softly:
"In front of Song's residence, there are two stone lions. Lady Tie, if you wish to find me, tie a red silk on one of the lions. Once I see it, I will come after midnight."
He could never reveal his own address as that would make it easy for Tie Xuan to guess his identity, which he did not want to expose.
Staying hidden in the shadows was the most ideal way.
Undercurrents flowed in Ping'an County, compounded by the hidden presence of the No-Life Sect's demons. Although it seemed to have calmed on the surface, Chen Yuan was not careless.
After all, Chen Ping'an had died by his hand; there could well be vengeance.
"Okay..."
Seeing that Chen Yuan did not wish to reveal his identity, Tie Qinghua felt somewhat helpless but could not push further and simply nodded in agreement.
The breeze turned colder, and no candle was lit in North City. Chen Yuan returned to the small courtyard where he lived.
Lying on his bed, Chen Yuan recalled the events of the night.
It went well; nothing was beyond his capability, all within his expectations.
Today's actions, to ensure absolute success, Chen Yuan had gone over them multiple times, checking and filling gaps, including his conversation with Tie Qinghua.
Fortunately, Tie Qinghua was no fool.
As for the Poison Pill given to Tie Qinghua, it was just a pill Chen Yuan made casually with herbs, completely non-toxic, let alone traceable.
Chen Yuan was not omniscient and did not know everything.
There was no famous poison in Ping'an County, and even if there were, he couldn't acquire it.
Moreover, with Tie Qinghua's capabilities, an ordinary Poison Pill could be detoxified for a great price, which is why Chen Yuan had tricked her.
This was also to ensure that Tie Qinghua wouldn't do anything that would make both sides unhappy.
Beyond that, today's greatest gain was securing a potential ally, the Jail Head Tie Xuan.
Should they truly join forces, it would make obtaining the Marrow Cleansing Spirit Pearl from the Huang Family much easier. Of course, Chen Yuan was also very cautious about Tie Xuan.
Or rather, not just him; Chen Yuan was deeply cautious of everyone in this world.
This stemmed from Chen Yuan's insecurities.