The next morning, Luo He walked toward the holding cells where the prisoners were kept. The air around the dungeon was damp and cold, carrying the faint smell of iron and decay.
Guards stood silently at attention as he approached. Behind him, soft but steady footsteps followed. Jin Mulan as if it's her instinct now followed wherever he goes.
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to come with me honey?" he asked calmly. She met his gaze without hesitation. Luo He's expression remained unreadable, but his voice lowered slightly.
"I am very thorough when it comes to interrogation," he said coldly. "I do not stop easily, and will do whatever is necessary to get the truth out of them." Luo He said.
"This includes, but not limited to even tortured little children In front of their parents, until they speak what I want to hear." Mulan's brows tightened slightly, but she said nothing.
"This is my task today," he continued. "And I will not be pleasant about it. You might see and hear things that cannot be taken back." Luo He said his voice becoming dangerous.
He turned fully toward Jin Mulan, his eyes sharp. "It will change how you see me for ever." He said with a mocking tone. For a moment, silence lingered between them.
"I don't care," Jin Mulan said firmly. Her voice didn't waver. "I am your wife." She said with absolute confidence.
"Whatever you are, whether it is good or bad, I will not turn away from it." She stepped closer to Luo He. "I won't pretend it is not affecting me," she admitted honestly.
"I may not see you the same way after this." Her gaze softened slightly, though her resolve remained. "But it won't erase what is good about you.
It will only show me the parts I haven't seen yet." Her words had a philosophical ring to it, making Luo He's affection towards her increase drastically.
Luo He studied her for a long moment. There was no fear in her eyes. Only determination. "Very well," he said at last. He turned and continued walking.
The heavy wooden doors of the dungeon creaked open. Darkness waited inside. And whatever lay beyond it would not leave either of them unchanged.
The prisoner was dragged forward and forced to hang from his wrists bound together. He was no ordinary man. Even bound, even beaten from the earlier battle, he carried himself with the posture of a veteran.
Broad shoulders, hardened eyes, and the quiet defiance of someone who had seen war too many times. A general. Or at least someone close to one. Ladies first Luo He stepped aside.
Jin Mulan stepped forward first. Her expression was cold but beneath it, something burned. Luo He remained behind her watching silently.
Mulan didn't ask questions. Not at first. Her fist struck without warning. A sharp crack echoed through the dungeon as the man's head snapped to the side.
He spat blood onto the stone floor but said nothing. Another strike. Then another. Each blow carried more than force, it carried grief, anger, frustration.
Everything she hadn't released. "Speak!" she demanded, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. The man coughed, blood staining his lips, but a faint smile appeared.
"You think this is enough?" he muttered hoarsely. Mulan's eyes flashed. She struck again. The guards shifted uneasily as the sound of impact filled the chamber.
Ribs cracked under the force. The man's breathing grew uneven, but still He did not break. From the shadows, Luo He watched. Too much emotion, he thought.
"He can endure this." Luo He thought for him self. Mulan finally stopped. Her chest rose and fell heavily, her knuckles stained, her anger only partially spent.
She stared at the man for a moment longer, then turned away. "I'm done," she said coldly. Without waiting for a response, she walked out.
The heavy door slammed shut behind her. Silence followed. Only the sound of the prisoner's strained breathing remained.
Then, Footsteps. Slow. Measured. Luo He stepped forward into the torchlight. He crouched down in front of the man, studying him quietly.
"Impressive," Luo He said calmly. "You held out." The man let out a weak, dry laugh. "If that was your best you have already lost." The man said.
Luo He shook his head slightly. "No," Luo He said. "That was not my method." Luo He said, then commanded the guard to move out immediately.
"That was my wife," he said casually glancing toward the door. "Isn't she hot, being all fired up." Luo He said appreciatively. The prisoner said nothing, blood still at the corner of his mouth.
Luo He tilted his head slightly. "She is quite something, isn't she?" He continued. Luo He said, his tone light, almost conversational.
"Sorry to have put you through that." He added, though there was no real apology in his voice. "But I must admit," a faint smile appeared on his face. "I really enjoyed the show." Luo He said happily.
The prisoner let out a weak breath, half laugh, half cough. "You're insane." He said coldly. "Perhaps," Luo He replied calmly. "But every man here fears her. I was frowning why? Now I understand why." He studied the prisoner's reaction closely.
"She's been troublesome lately," Luo He went on. "Unstable emotions. Hard to manage for a husband." He said with a sigh. A brief pause followed. "But I think this helped." He said confidently.
His eyes flicked briefly toward the door.
"She needed that." He said solemnly. "I really need that as well." Luo He said with a tiered voice. The prisoner shifted slightly, wincing from the pain in his chest.
Luo He noticed immediately. "She hasn't even hit me once," he said with a faint chuckle. "Can you believe that? I am like one of the most annoying people I know of." He said with supreme levels of confidence.
The prisoner frowned slightly confused. "She has this little rule," Luo He continued. "Jin family women don't strike their husbands." He repeated her words.
He sighed softly, as if mildly disappointed. "I tried provoking her once or twice but she wouldn't budge." He said solemnly.
A brief pause.
Then his voice lowered slightly. "You, however were not so unfortunate." He said excitedly. The prisoner swallowed, his confidence shaken but not gone.
Luo He leaned in just a little. "I wonder," he said thoughtfully. "Did you enjoy it?" He asked in a supper curious and very interested tone.
The man's eyes snapped to his. Luo He's expression didn't change. "This is probably the only prison," he continued.
"Where a perverted old man like you gets beaten up by someone like her. Young and powerful." His tone remained calm but there was a sharp edge beneath it now.
"Strong… beautiful… furious…" He let the words linger. "Strange, isn't it?" Luo He said softly. "To be so close to death and yet be struck down by someone you can't even bring yourself to hate." He had a weird ring to how he said it.
The prisoner's breathing grew uneven again. Not from pain this time But from something deeper. Disorientation. Luo He watched him carefully. Then straightened.
"In any case," he said. His tone returning to neutral, "that part is over." He reassured the man. A pause. "Now we can talk properly." He said coldly.
The prisoner looked at him, really looked at him this time. And for the first time. There was uncertainty. Not about pain.
But about the man standing in front of him. Luo He gave a faint, almost polite smile. "Shall we continue?" He asked politely.
He reached out and adjusted the man's posture slightly, almost carefully. "Your ribs are broken," Luo He observed.
"Breathing must be really difficult from all the bones pressing against your lungs." He said as if truly concerned. The man frowned slightly, confused.
Luo He continued, his tone almost conversational. "She wanted revenge," he said. "You gave her something to hit. So now she is satisfied."
A pause.
"But I want answers." He said. The difference was clear. The prisoner tried to steady himself. "Then try harder." He said coldly. Luo He looked at him for a moment.
Then he spoke quietly "You're not afraid of pain." Luo He said. The man didn't respond. "But you are afraid of failure," Luo He continued.
That made the man's eyes shift. Just slightly. Luo He noticed. "You're experienced," He said. "Disciplined. Which means you were trusted with this mission." He said confidently.