The cold metal of the manacles bites into my wrists as Gong Yuanzheng circles me like a predator assessing his prey. The dungeon air carries the faint scent of medicinal herbs masking something far more toxic - his specialty. My shoulders ache from being strung up for hours, but I refuse to show weakness, meeting his gaze with defiance.

"Still refusing to speak?" His voice is deceptively soft, like the rustle of silk before a strike. He stops directly in front of me, close enough that I can feel the warmth of his body despite the distance between us. His fingers brush a strand of hair from my face with unexpected tenderness, then trails down my neck to trace the scar from an old whip strike.

I flinch instinctively, and he smiles - not kindly. "You've been trained well, I'll give Hanya Shi that. But even the best-trained dog eventually learns its master." His thumb presses against my bottom lip, forcing it open slightly. "One drop of my latest creation, and you'll tell me everything about Wufeng's plans. Or I could force it on you... slowly." His eyes darken with unmistakable desire. "But where's the fun in that when you look so beautiful struggling?"

A guard enters with a tray holding various vials of colored liquids. The subtle shift in the air tells me one contains a truth serum, another a paralytic, and the third... something far more interesting. Yuanzheng picks up the third vial, swirling its crimson contents.

"What will it be, Sheng Sheng? Talk, or let me demonstrate how persuasive I can be?" His free hand rests on the hilt of his dagger, not threatening violence, but promising something equally dangerous.