"He... he is a Disciple of the Emblem."
The assassin's inner defenses crumbled. He confessed everything without Ning Beichen needing to employ any cruel methods.
"Disciple of the Emblem again. Good, this is truly excellent. You are all seeking death!"
Ning Beichen's voice was icy, filled with killing intent, almost suffocating the already injured assassin to death.
"How did you find the people from the Emblem?"
Ning Beichen asked the assassin, his killing intent surging.
"I... I don't know."
The assassin answered in a panic.
"Then it seems you are no longer useful?"
Ning Beichen picked up a bullet from the ground and placed it over the assassin's heart.
"Wait... wait, I know how to contact them."
The assassin shouted in fear.
"Then speak clearly."
Ning Beichen moved the bullet he held over the assassin's heart, scaring him out of his wits.
They say assassins don't fear death. If a mission fails, they'd rather commit suicide than reveal their employer's information.
But that's in movies. In reality, not everyone is that tough.
Do assassins not fear death?
That's nonsense!
Of course, there are assassins who don't fear death.
Let alone assassins, there are plenty of ordinary people who don't fear death.
However, relatively speaking, assassins are strictly trained to be able to face death, but it doesn't mean they don't fear it.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you, but if you tell me, can you spare my life? I swear, I will never deal with you again, I will leave this place, far away."
The assassin pleaded with Ning Beichen for his life.
"That depends on whether your information is worth your dog life."
Ning Beichen would not readily agree.
"I swear, I swear to you, this information is definitely valuable enough. I know that the Duchess of Malborg, Lady Joanna, she... she is one of the Twelve Disciples of the Emblem, and it was her idea to have me kill you."
To save his life, the assassin revealed such a secret.
"Joanna?"
Ning Beichen was not from here and naturally knew nothing about any duchess.
"Where is Malborg?"
Ning Beichen continued to ask him.
Then the assassin told Ning Beichen the detailed address of Malborg.
At this point, having said everything he shouldn't have, he felt no burden in his heart.
"Very well, you are quite good. In our East, there is a saying: 'May my fellow Taoist die, not me.' It's not impossible for you to want me to spare you, but I need you to take me to Malborg."
Ning Beichen said with satisfaction.
Could this assassin refuse?
He had no right or ability to refuse. He could do nothing but agree to Ning Beichen's request, unless he wanted to die.
It was already deep into the night. Ning Beichen flicked his finger, immobilizing the assassin. Then, he left the assassin alone and returned to the inn to sleep.
As for the assassin, if he had the ability to break free from the restraint, Ning Beichen would let him escape. As for whether he would die from his severe injuries?
Sorry, that was not within Ning Beichen's consideration.
Ning Beichen slept until dawn, then went to the assassin's house from last night. He found the man lying on the ground, trembling. He wasn't dead yet, but he looked no different from being dead.
The assassin, groggy, heard footsteps. He forced his eyes open and seeing Ning Beichen, he was like a fish out of water, desperately trying to return to the water.
He slowly extended his hand towards Ning Beichen, as if reaching for the sun high above.
Seeing this, Ning Beichen flicked his fingers at him from a distance. The assassin then looked like a fish that had caught its breath.
He was terrified, very scared. Last night, this man had done something to him that left him unable to move, unable to speak, like a stiff piece of wood, able to do nothing but breathe.
And this was while he was severely injured, unable to even adjust his numb body.
For someone severely injured, what could be more terrifying torture than this?
He was doing this on purpose, this devil in front of him must be doing this deliberately.
However, even though the assassin knew Ning Beichen was doing this on purpose, he dared not utter a single word of complaint.
Ning Beichen walked to his side, checked his injuries, then pried open his mouth and stuffed a pill the size of a thumb into it, saying:
"You're lucky. If you had died, it would have saved me a precious pill."
The assassin was frightened, not knowing what Ning Beichen had fed him.
"What are you afraid of? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it last night. What I gave you is medicine to treat injuries, and this medicine is very precious. You can't buy it even with money. You should be thanking me."
Ning Beichen said to the assassin.
The assassin's heart at this moment didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But the winner takes all, there was nothing to say about such things. At least Ning Beichen was right, he was still alive.
"You have half an hour. After half an hour, take me to find the countess. Find her and you live, fail and you die."
Ning Beichen had no pleasantries for him. An assassin who tried to kill him, should Ning Beichen treat him like a father and offer him sacrifices?
The assassin nodded. He was as obedient as a puppy now. According to Ning Beichen, as long as Ning Beichen didn't nod, he couldn't even die.
Half an hour later, the assassin had recovered some strength and his spirits were much better.
What shocked him was that the strange thing Ning Beichen fed him had indeed significantly healed his injuries. Bones that were broken now showed faint signs of recovery.
Although not completely healed, it at least stopped him from feeling too much pain. For an assassin, this thing was like a divine medicine.
Especially for assassins like them, having such a divine medicine was equivalent to having an extra life.
He wondered if he could buy some from him.
But soon, the assassin sobered up and quickly suppressed such thoughts.
Whether he could live now depended on whether he could find the countess. If he couldn't find the countess, then he had no future.
The assassin took out his phone and made a call. A maid next to the countess answered.
The assassin told the countess's maid that he had eliminated the target and was now bringing the target's head to the countess, asking her to report to the countess.
After a few minutes, the assassin hung up the phone and respectfully said to Ning Beichen that the countess had agreed to see him and told him to go to Malborg.
He also told Ning Beichen everything he had said to the countess's maid, word for word.
Even though Ning Beichen was right beside him and could hear everything he said, whether Ning Beichen heard it was one thing, and whether he voluntarily confessed was another.
If he wanted to live, he had to show this attitude.