DLERB -Chapter 36 Qinglong: This Stuff Is More Vicious Than My Blade!

“Hah… hah…”

For the first time ever, cracks appeared on Qinglong’s face, as cold and expressionless as eternal ice.

No—

It had completely shattered.

One hand braced against his knee, his entire body bent over like a shrimp. Veins bulged across his forehead like writhing worms.

Beads of cold sweat rolled down from his temples.

His other hand clutched tightly at his throat, as if a raging fire were burning inside it.

Li Si and Assistant Minister Li Ji were terrified out of their minds.

“Young Master! Th-This… this… this is deadly poison!”

Li Si’s voice shook uncontrollably as he pointed at Qinglong before turning toward Ying Ziye.

“Quick! Summon the imperial physicians! Lord Qinglong, he…”

Li Ji’s legs weakened so badly he nearly collapsed to his knees again.

That was the Commander of the Jinyiwei! The Emperor’s trusted confidant! A man second only to one and above ten thousand!

Had the Young Master… poisoned him to death just like that?

Yet when Ying Ziye saw Qinglong’s agony, not only was he not nervous—

He happily clapped his little hands instead.

“Hehehe!”

The clear laughter sounded especially eerie within the oppressive experimental field.

“Uncle Qinglong, isn’t it refreshing? Isn’t it exciting?”

Swinging his short little legs, he ran up beside Qinglong and tilted up his delicate jade-like face.

“Look at you, your face is all red now, just like a big apple.”

From a nearby table, he picked up a bowl of water and thoughtfully handed it over.

“Here, drink some water and it won’t be spicy anymore.”

At this moment, Qinglong could no longer think straight.

Grabbing the bowl like a drowning man clutching a lifeline, he tilted his head back and gulped it down.

Gulp! Gulp!

The entire bowl was emptied instantly.

However—

In the very next moment, Qinglong’s eyes suddenly widened, blood vessels bursting across them.

“HAAAH—!”

He abruptly opened his mouth, feeling as though a stream of fire shot from his throat straight into his skull.

Not only did the burning sensation fail to diminish—

The water was like pouring oil onto flames, causing the fire to explode wildly throughout his mouth and throat!

Dropping the bowl, he bent over in agony and began coughing violently.

Tears and mucus streamed uncontrollably from his face.

The terrifying god of slaughter—the coldest killing machine in Great Qin—now looked as pitiful as a child who had just been severely beaten.

Li Si and Li Ji were completely dumbfounded.

Ying Ziye shook his head and sighed like a little adult.

“Aiya, water can’t fix it.”

Only then did he leisurely explain:

“This isn’t poison. It’s just a flavor.”

He pointed toward Qinglong.

“A flavor that makes people cry, runny-nosed, unable to breathe, and want to roll around on the ground.”

Listening to this casual explanation while staring at Qinglong’s miserable state, a chill shot from the soles of Li Si’s feet straight to the top of his head.

What kind of monstrous thing was this?!

Ying Ziye walked over to the still-gasping Qinglong.

“Uncle Qinglong, tell me something.”

“What if this thing were dried, ground into powder, and packed into a small cloth pouch?”

He mimed a throwing motion.

“If, during a fight, you tossed it right into an enemy’s face, what would happen?”

Qinglong’s body suddenly froze.

He lifted his tear- and mucus-covered face toward Ying Ziye.

But Ying Ziye continued.

“Or what if it were soaked in water and stored inside a leather water pouch?”

“And then sprayed directly into someone’s eyes like this?”

He mimed another spraying motion.

“What do you think would happen then?”

Inside Qinglong’s still-burning brain, it felt as though two bolts of lightning had exploded simultaneously!

As Great Qin’s master of spies and the forefather of interrogation and torture—

He instantly understood!

Street warfare!

Interrogations!

Ambushes!

This thing… this thing…

It was more useful than any poison or torture method imaginable!

It wasn’t lethal!

But in a single instant, it could turn even the bravest warrior into useless trash rolling on the ground while clutching his eyes!

Ignoring the searing pain in his mouth, terrifying light erupted from Qinglong’s bloodshot eyes.

Looking at Ying Ziye, it was as if he were staring at a god—

Or a demon.

Ying Ziye looked very satisfied with his reaction.

“Someone!”

He clapped his hands crisply.

“Bring a mortar! Grind the rest into powder for this Young Master!”

“Also bring a few cloth pouches and some small leather water bags!”

The order was given, and the Jinyiwei moved like lightning.

Soon, dozens of bright red chili peppers were thrown into a stone mortar and ground into pungent crimson powder.

The spicy smell alone spreading through the air made Li Si and Li Ji beside them sneeze repeatedly.

“Uncle Qinglong.”

Ying Ziye pointed at the row of Jinyiwei standing rigidly nearby.

“Pick a few who are the best fighters and least afraid of pain.”

Suppressing his discomfort, Qinglong hoarsely called out three names.

“Wu Yi, Zhao Er, Sun San—step forward!”

Three burly Jinyiwei with scars across their faces strode out fearlessly.

Dropping to one knee, they answered in voices like clashing steel.

“This subordinate obeys!”

Wu Yi raised his head proudly, absolute confidence written across his face.

“Please give your orders, Young Master! Whether mountains of blades or seas of fire, this subordinate will not even furrow his brow!”

Zhao Er and Sun San wore equally determined expressions.

They were Jinyiwei death soldiers, men who had undergone the cruelest torture training imaginable. Pain meant almost nothing to them anymore.

Ying Ziye grinned at them.

“Very good.”

“You three—fight each other.”

The three men froze.

Ying Ziye added:

“With your full strength. Continue until the other two can no longer stand.”

“Yes!”

Without the slightest hesitation, all three rose and took their stances immediately.

“Wait.”

Ying Ziye stopped them.

He handed a small cloth pouch filled with chili powder to Wu Yi.

“You use this.”

Wu Yi accepted the pouch suspiciously. It felt light in his hand, and he had no idea what it was.

Then Ying Ziye handed a small leather pouch filled with chili water to Zhao Er.

“You use this.”

Finally, he pointed at Sun San, who stood empty-handed.

“You use your fists and blade.”

“Now—begin!”

The order was given!

With a furious roar, Sun San drew his embroidered spring blade and lunged like a tiger descending the mountain, charging straight at the man he considered the greatest threat—Wu Yi!

Seeing his comrade rushing toward him, Wu Yi instinctively followed Ying Ziye’s instructions and hurled the cloth pouch with all his strength!

Bang!

The pouch exploded midair!

A cloud of red powder instantly engulfed Sun San!

“Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Cough! Cough cough cough!”

Sun San’s attack halted instantly.

Dropping his blade, he clawed frantically at his own face as though countless steel needles were stabbing into his eyes and nose.

He coughed violently while tears and mucus poured from his face uncontrollably. In moments, he collapsed to his knees, curling into a ball and rolling on the ground in agony.

From start to finish, only three breaths had passed.

An elite Jinyiwei death soldier had just been rendered useless.

Wu Yi and Zhao Er stared in stunned disbelief.

What kind of demonic sorcery was this?!

At the exact moment Wu Yi lost focus, Zhao Er moved.

He remembered the Young Master’s order—they were supposed to fight each other.

Raising the small leather pouch in his hand, he aimed directly at Wu Yi’s face and squeezed hard!

Psssh—

A stream of yellowish liquid sprayed precisely into Wu Yi’s eyes!

“AAAAHHHH—!!!”

A shriek unlike any human sound echoed throughout the experimental field.

Clutching his eyes, Wu Yi crashed heavily to the ground.

His body convulsed wildly as he smashed his forehead against the hard dirt, as though only that could lessen the soul-burning agony.

The entire situation spiraled completely out of control.

Only Zhao Er remained standing, frozen in place.

He stared at his two comrades rolling on the ground and screaming in misery, then looked back down at the tiny leather pouch in his hand, terror filling his face.

He had won.

But he would rather have taken ten slashes from Sun San’s embroidered spring blade instead!

The entire experimental field fell into deathly silence.

Li Si and Assistant Minister Li Ji had gone pale as paper, their bodies trembling uncontrollably like leaves in a storm.

They looked at the two Jinyiwei death soldiers writhing on the ground in agony, unable even to hold their weapons anymore.

Then they looked toward the nearby eight-year-old child with the innocent face—clapping happily as though he had merely played a tiny game and found the results amusing.

Li Si’s throat bobbed.

With immense difficulty, he turned to look at Ying Ziye.

His lips trembled as he forced out a few words from the deepest part of his throat.

His voice was filled with endless terror born from the depths of his soul.

“Young Master… you…”

“Where exactly did you…”

“Find these… things from hell?”