Chapter 49: Try To Figure It Out
"You talk a lot, but those in chains should know when to remain quiet. Though that's not what I want from you right now."
The prisoner clenched his teeth. The pain from his crushed foot made him feel like he would pass out. But at the same time, the pain was what kept him awake. A horrible situation to be in.
"What... What do you want?"
"Mmmm... Let's see..." The Young Master spun his index finger in the air, undecided. "How about the Immortal Realm... And the Heavens."
"Ha?" The prisoner held his breath.
"Tell me about them."
By the prisoner's facial expression, Lei could tell how strange asking such a thing was.
'I suppose it would be similar to asking someone from Earth to tell you about continents or countries... Being asked about that after getting your foot crushed would confuse anyone.'
The Young Master's grip over the Earth-Qi Hammer tightened and,
"The... The... The Immortal Realm is where those who break through are invited. Only the strongest... Those who beat their own Mortality. The Heavens is where the Gods reside... It's... What do you want me to-"
"Where is it? The Immortal Realm."
"Beyond the clouds. At the top of Mount-"
"That mountain? So the Jade City is at the foot of the mountain, while the Immortal Realm is at its peak..."
The prisoner clenched his teeth through the pain and,
"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! DID YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE ENOUGH TO MAKE ME YOUR BITCH? YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WHAT I'VE DONE! WHAT I MADE THEM FEEL! HOW I MADE THEM SUFFER-"
"I don't want to hear that, little guy." The Young Master stepped closer and reached forward with his hand. "I want to feel bad for you. If I don't, or if it's too easy... I might get fewer points. Though I'm not sure how it works exactly."
"Fewer Points?" The prisoner asked while keeping his eyes half shut. He contracted his muscles, but couldn't move an inch. The Young Master's fingers remained hanging in the air, mere centimeters away from the prisoner's eyes. "What the hell are you talking about."
"The goal is to figure that out." The Young Master said as his index finger moved forward.
"ST... RGHHH... I... URGHH...!"
"Ha!" The Young Master chuckled. "Not even screaming. Impressive." He pulled his hand back, and drops of blood flowed down his finger before hitting the ground. "I need to get used to these kinds of things." He noted to himself, a hand on his chin. "I also want to figure out how to maximize the yield..."
"The yield? What the fuck are you-"
The prisoner's words were interrupted as his throat was suddenly grabbed.
"How about this..." The Young Master smiled. "If you can get through this without screaming, I'll let you go."
"You... You think I'll believe that?"
"I don't really care. Do you want to know why?" The Young Master moved his gaze away, directing the prisoner's attention towards the Earth-Qi Hammer. The prisoner's eyes widened. "I can use magic, see?"
The weapon disappeared and reappeared repeatedly. It disappeared, and a Sabre took its place. Then a piece of cloth, then...
"What is... What kind of..."
"That's right. There's no Technique that can do this, is there? Qi can't do this, can it?"
The prisoner's bewilderment almost made it forget about the pain.
"Answer me." But the Young Master reminded him of that pain, by stepping on the already crushed foot.
"NO! NO, THERE ISN'T!!"
"Good, good." The Young Master's hand moved away from the prisoner's throat and lay on his head. The latter shut his eyes in fear. "Do you know what it is? Do you know why I can make them appear and disappear?"
"Wh-Why... How...?"
"I can't." The Young Master smiled. "I think you've stayed here for too long."
"Huh?"
The Young Master pushed the prisoner's jaws apart, and lay a thick piece of cloth deep into his mouth.
The unending gagging and the fear made his heart rate explode!
"I think..." The Young Master clapped once. "You might be going mad."
The prisoner lost consciousness.
"Ha? Already?"
----------
Outside that cell, there was only shuddering.
The prisoner's screams of pain had reached every single one of the captives.
----------
Slap- Slap-
"That's it..."
The prisoner opened his eyes, and was welcomed by a warm smile.
"How was your nap?"
He tried screaming, but the piece of cloth... Breathing wasn't...
It was pulled out.
"WHAT... WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
"Me?" The Young Master asked.
He waited for an answer.
The prisoner was about to pass out again, but the Young Master lay his palms on the prisoner's cheeks.
"Let's play a game, okay?"
"No... I-"
"If you don't scream, I'll let you go. I'll let you out of here."
"No, please...!"
"Begging won't help you." The Young Master stepped back. "You talked a big game. Show me how tough you are."
"I..."
Lei didn't listen to the pleads and protests. He thought silently for a bit.
'I crushed his foot... That's sort of all I did. Well, his eye too. The rest is... Mm. It comes easier to me, I suppose. Villain Points... Will I even get any for making this piece of shit suffer? Probably, because I don't even know if he's a piece of shit. He appears to be one, but in truth, I have no idea. His words aren't proof enough. For all I know, he might have been mistakingly put here.'
The Young Master tapped his cheek repeatedly.
'Are the Points calculated by some kind of divine moral compass, or mine? That'll have a big impact on how I should proceed.'
He shrugged.
'Still, it is pretty evil, pretty villainous. I'm doing this for Points. Points that allow me to buy things. In other words, I'm doing this for currency, for my own gain.'
Please, please, let me-
"A Hero, rival Young Masters, assassins..." The Young Master stepped closer. "You understand, right?"
"No, no, I don't! Why... Why are you doing this?"
"Well, I don't want to pull the -Why have you done the things you've done to the people you've done them to- card so..." Lei shrugged. "Cause I want to?"
"You... Want to...?"
"Mm. If you want something else, it's because your life has less value than mine. So you're being sacrificed."
"Sacri... But how... How does this help you?!"
The Young Master smiled widely. He approached the wincing prisoner and whispered in his ear.
"Try to figure it out, okay?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone