Chapter 016: The Cell

On the walls of the cell hung various torture devices—some Du Fan had seen before and some not. Yet every single one of them was covered in rust, suggesting they had been in use for many years. In the center of the cell was an open space, with a woman tied to a pillar there. With just one glance, Du Fan recognized her as Selina from before.
Gabriel stood in front of her. Though still dressed in his spotless evening gown, he held a whip in his hand. Clearly custom-made, the whip was covered with fine spikes and barbs, looking deadly. It seemed likely that most of Selina’s wounds were caused by this whip.
Seizing that the two of them had entered, Gabriel casually threw the whip on the ground, turned slowly, and smiled. “Please, sit down, both of you.”
Du Fan looked around. Aside from the bloodstained sofa, where else could they sit? But the idea of sitting on that sofa was unthinkable. He shook his head slightly and said, “Lord Gabriel, you’re too kind. Since we’re already in this dungeon, there’s no need for seating. I heard that someone foolishly tried to assassinate you. I’m curious to see who it is.”
Saying this, Du Fan pretended to walk a few steps closer and muttered, “Ah! It’s a woman… and she even looks beautiful…” His hand reached out and touched Selina, then he secretly used his mental power to check her injuries. Finding that they were mostly superficial, he lifted her chin and exclaimed in surprise, “This… isn’t the girl who was in my bed? I hadn’t even had a chance to touch her… How did she end up here trying to assassinate Lord Gabriel? This… is really… really…”
At that point, Du Fan stepped back a few steps, patted his chest, and acted as if he had narrowly escaped death. “Thankfully, I didn’t touch her. Otherwise, I might already be dead. Woman… is your name Trouble?”
Gabriel seemed to sneer. Everyone present knew exactly what was going on, but since no one spoke up and Du Fan was acting like this, they naturally didn’t reveal anything.

Gabriel laughed and said, “I thought something had happened to Lord Du Fan. I was just asking this woman how she managed to escape before. But she’s really tight-lipped—no matter how hard I hit her, she wouldn’t speak. I’ve beaten her until she fainted, and then beaten her again when she woke up. I don’t know how many times already. Lord Du Fan, would you like to give it a try? You may have dealt with many women before, but you’ve probably never beaten one before, right? Listening to a beautiful woman groan is also a nice feeling, isn’t it?”

Even for someone like Du Fan, hearing such words made him feel disgusted inwardly. Yet he knew he couldn’t refuse Gabriel’s face at this moment. With a low sigh, he said, “Lord Gabriel… Let’s do this. It seems you’re not hurt… As for this woman… since she’s been given to me, she can be considered mine now… No matter what I do to her, it should be my business… Please give me some face, Lord Gabriel. Let me handle her myself, shall we?”

Gabriel laughed heartily and said, “What’s the problem? Since I’ve already given her to Lord Du Fan, he can naturally take her back. But this time, I ask Young Master Du Fan to keep a close eye on her. If she tries to assassinate me again and my men accidentally miscalculate and ruin such a delicate beauty, wouldn’t that be a shame? By the way, Young Master Du Fan, I have an idea. I heard there’s a magic within the Holy Church that can strip away a person’s combat energy and magic. It’s the perfect way to deal with rebels. Lord Du Fan, why not use it on her too? I guarantee she’ll obey instantly, with no strength left to resist you, let alone assassinate me.”

Du Fan smiled faintly and said, “Lord Gabriel, you’ve gone to the trouble. But I’m more interested in stubborn women like her. If she loses her combat energy, what’s the difference between her and an ordinary woman? Taming a woman is like taming a horse—the more fierce the horse, the greater the sense of achievement when it’s tamed. If it’s just for that reason, why would I look for such a woman? I can get what I need from any two maids at home.”

Gabriel said, “Lord Du Fan truly has refined tastes. But since you say so, I have nothing more to add. You may take her away, Lord Du Fan. As for now, this isn’t the right place to talk. Shall we go to the elegant room upstairs?”

Du Fan nodded slightly, and Oscar said softly, “Then please lead the way, Lord Gabriel.”

Gabriel nodded and left the cell. Oscar glanced at Du Fan before also stepping out. Although Gabriel had returned Du Fan to him, he didn’t do much, clearly intent on seeing Du Fan embarrass himself.
Du Fan sighed softly, went over to Selina, helped untie the ropes around her, and circulated some light combat energy around her to roughly treat her wounds. Moments later, Selina slowly woke up. She was surprised to see Du Fan but said nothing.
This adventurer was still somewhat useful—far better than those little girls who cried over every little thing.
Selina’s legs felt weak; she was clearly too exhausted from the pain, but she didn’t make a sound, merely staring coldly at Du Fan.
Du Fan smiled faintly and asked, “Well… can you still walk?”
Selina nodded.
Du Fan said, “If you can walk, then let’s go. If not, stay. But other than this time, you won’t have another chance to leave. If you can make it out, wait for me at the entrance of this bell tower. As long as I’m still alive, they probably won’t dare do anything to you…”
At that point, Du Fan gave Selina a deep look and said solemnly, “Think carefully about what you should and shouldn’t do. One must know their own limits…”
With that, he casually took out a potion and threw it at Selina, saying, “Treat your wounds by yourself. I have other things to do, so I won’t wait…”
After saying that, he didn’t look at Selina again and turned to leave.
As soon as he left, Selina began to tremble violently. Though she kept shaking, she made no sound. Only after a while did she slowly stand up…
…
Compared to the dungeon at the bottom of the bell tower, this elegant room at the top wasn’t luxurious, but it had a more rustic and solemn atmosphere.
From here, one could see the outside scenery in all four directions. The night wind blew outside, but it couldn’t enter this place—obviously, a defensive magic array had been set up around it.
In the center of the room was a long dining table filled with various foods, but no one sitting there touched them.
At the head of the table, Gabriel sat with his hands clasped together, his posture extremely solemn. His eyes were narrowed, his mustache twitching, and his extremely pale complexion now carried a faint sense of dignity.

Originally, based on their titles, not to mention Du Fan, even Viscount Evan present had a higher status than him, so he certainly didn’t deserve to sit in that seat. Yet everyone there ignored this, as if they knew nothing about it. Du Fan sat on the other side of the dining table, directly across from Gabriel, while Oscar and Evan sat on either side of the table. No one present said a word, and the atmosphere of this rare banquet became somewhat awkward. Finally, Gabriel seemed to remember something. He glanced out the window and suddenly said in a low voice, “Gentlemen… do you know why I’m holding such a small banquet here at this time?” Viscount Evan snorted and said, “Because you’re bored! You’ve still not had enough fun with my desert princess, and you already call me over. Let me tell you, if nothing satisfies me later, I definitely won’t just let it go.” Gabriel smiled faintly and said, “Viscount Evan, you’re getting impatient again… You should know that impatience has always been your flaw. As for that desert princess… since she’s already been given to you, Viscount Evan, just enjoy her. When you’re done, send her back—what’s the big deal? Why worry about such trivial matters?” “Enough…” Gabriel didn’t give Evan a chance to speak. Instead, he glanced at Oscar and said, “Lord Oscar, tell me, what’s the point of holding this banquet at this time?” At that moment, Oscar truly showed his qualities as a bard. He sighed slightly and said, “It’s a dark and windy night—perfect for killing and burning… It seems Lord Gabriel has quite interesting tastes…” Gabriel was taken aback, almost choking on his beard. He coughed a few times, pretending not to hear anything, but he gave Du Fan a faint glance. Du Fan knew exactly what he intended to do, but he smiled slightly and said, “Lord Gabriel… your thoughts are as deep as an abyss; how could we possibly guess them? Stop teasing us and just say it directly…”