In the study inside the castleâ¦
âAre you not going to go shopping with Anri and the others?â Liu Feng propped his head with one hand, his black eyes fixated on Mina sitting at the corner of the desk. She only occupied half of the desk, with her petite feet dangling.
ââ¦â Mina shook her head, munching on fried fish in her mouth. Her blue eyes met Liu Fengâs gaze, and she soon blushed and looked away in defeat.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door, and Niu Benâs voice ran out. âYoung Master, Iâve brought the person here.â
âDamn peasants, how dare you treat a noble like this?â Niu Benâs voice was soon followed by a disgusting one, which made both Liu Feng and Mina frown.
âCome in!â Liu Feng raised an eyebrow, rested his elbow on the table, and clasped his hands together as he watched the two enter the room.
Niu Ben carried Omar into the study by his collar and pushed him down onto a chair in front of the desk. Omarâs were tied to the armrests.
âWho are you people? Donât you know that arresting a baron is a capital offense? Youâre going to be hanged!â Baron Omarâs eyes were bloodshot, his anger burning.
ââ¦â Liu Feng looked at Omarâs face, which was swollen on one side, and felt annoyed. He said calmly, âMake him understand the situation heâs in!â
âYes, sir!â Niu Ben nodded slightly. He had been with Liu Feng for a while, and he knew some of Liu Fengâs bad habits noble manners- things must be orderly and symmetrical.
Slap!
Omar was confused. His intact cheek was slapped, and he felt a bit dizzy. In the dungeon, I was slapped as soon as I started cursing. How come I got awarded with a slap just for shouting a few words?
âMhmm, much better,â Liu Feng said, looking at Omarâs symmetrically swollen face, relaxing his furrowed brows.
âWho are you? Where am I?â Omar obediently sat on the chair, staring at Liu Feng. In a stern voice, he asked, âDo you know who I am?â
âBaron Omar, planner and greatest beneficiary of the horse thievesâ attack on North Wind City. Is that right?â Liu Feng said calmly.
âI⦠I donât know what youâre talking about,â Omarâs expression changed slightly. He said angrily, âYouâre slandering me! Slandering a nobleman like me, I want to duâ¦â
âYou want to what?â Mina toyed with the military knife in her hand, her blue eyes narrowing slightly.
âI⦠nothing!â Omar shrunk his neck. Scared, he said, âI am a noble with morals. How could I plan an attack on North Wind City with horse thieves?â Whether or not theyâve actually found out, I just have to keep denying it. Since theyâve locked me up and kept me alive for 2 days, they must have something they want.
âOh?â Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. Denying it? He took out a sheepskin scroll from a drawer and held it up in front of Omar. âSo, is this sheepskin scroll with your signature also fake?â
âThisâ¦â Omarâs pupils contracted, his heart tightening. How could it be fake? He had signed the scroll himself. How did it end up here? Whereâs Carter? Did he betray me?
âYes, itâs fake, itâs definitely fake. The horse thieves must have forged it,â Omar insisted, refusing to admit it. If he did, he would basically be sending himself to his death.
âI see, so this is fake.â Liu Feng smirked. He said slowly, âBut this sheepskin scroll was handed to me by the envoy of Blazing Horse City. Was he a fake? Or perhaps, you are not Baron Omar?â
âWhat?â Omar stared at Liu Feng, his gums almost bleeding from clenching his teeth too hard. I canât believe itâs because of that Lyan. And to think that I trusted his character!
âSure enough, Iâd rather trust envoy Lyan,â Liu Fengâs eyes flashed with a hint of amusement. He said in a deep voice, âTake this fake Baron Omar to be hanged publicly.â
âYes!â Niu Ben moved to grab Omar.
âNo, no⦠that, that scroll was signed by me, it was me! I am Baron Omar!â Omar yelled desperately upon hearing that he was going to be hanged.
âOh?â Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. In a low voice, he said, âSo, you admit that you planned and organized the horse thievesâ attack on North Wind City?â
âWhat if I did?â Omar straightened his back. If he couldnât fool them, he might as well admit it. He didnât believe that Liu Feng would dare to kill him.
âInteresting, a noble turned out to be the biggest bandit,â Liu Feng said, his hands resting on the table, his black eyes sharp. âI think that killing you now wonât cause any trouble, even if you are a noble.â
âNo! Who the hell are you? Privately prosecuting a noble is a crime! You will be sent to be hanged by the king!â Omar yelled anxiously.
âIt doesnât matter who I am, what matters is that you will die.â Liu Feng said calmly.
âNo, you canât kill me. My father is a count, Count Pulley. If you kill me, my lord father wonât let you off,â Omar panicked, trying to intimidate Liu Feng with his father.
âOh? Count Pulley?â Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. Thatâs the first piece of information.
âYes!â Omar saw Liu Fengâs hesitation and hurriedly shouted, âCount Pulley has 200 knights. They are in another league compared to the horse thieves under me.
âSo what? If I secretly kill you, Count Pulley wonât know.â Liu Feng narrowed his eyes. Second piece of information, get! 200 knights, quite a strong force. If he forcibly conscripts civilians, heâll be able to make a force of a thousand people.
âNo! I can have my father send ransom!â Omar hastily shouted. In this world, there were 3 ways to deal with a captive noble: kill them, enslave them, or return them after the other party paid ransom. In most cases, noble captives were dealt with by ransom, as that was the most beneficial.
âOh? How much ransom do you think Count Pulley would offer?â Liu Feng asked curiously.
â50 gold coins.â Omar blurted out. Seeing no change in Liu Fengâs expression, he quickly said, âNo, 100 gold coins.â
âA hundred gold coins?â Liu Fengâs lips curved up, his voice calm. â100 gold coins are hardly tempting.â
âYou?â Omar widened his eyes. 100 gold coins was the ransom for a viscount.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âTake him to the black ore mine,â Liu Feng said, waving his hand. âYou mine for me for 100 years. If you are still alive by then, Iâll let you go.â
âUnderstood!â Niu Ben nodded.
âWhat? 100 years? Mining? In the black ore mine?â Omarâs eyes bulged, and he desperately shouted, âNo, no, please, just kill meâ¦â
âShut up!â
Slap!