Chapter 232: Could it really be a coincidence?

Lin Zhangqing held Chen Zi Ya's hand, and the two of them deliberately strolled along at a slow pace, wanting to see if anyone was still following them.

Fortunately, they discovered nothing this time. Afterward, the two returned to the Ping'an Inn, and Lin Zhangqing activated the restriction on the door.

Chen Zi Ya had already begun to busy herself in the living room; she was setting up an array that could block sound and spiritual energy.

She knew that Lin Zhangqing would definitely use the Purple Crystal Scorpions to interrogate those captives, and she estimated that the noise would likely be very loud in a while, so she chose an array specifically for sound and spiritual energy isolation.

Seeing Chen Zi Ya setting up the array, Lin Zhangqing couldn't help but smile knowingly. The two were becoming more and more in sync; having spent more time together, Chen Zi Ya also understood what Lin Zhangqing needed.

In just a moment, the array was set up. Chen Zi Ya pulled Lin Zhangqing to the center of the array, and then activated it with a spell.

She said to Lin Zhangqing, "Senior Brother, this is the Spirit-Concealing Breath-Absorption Array. Its function is to block spiritual energy fluctuations and sound transmission. I think this should meet your needs, Senior Brother."

Lin Zhangqing laughed and couldn't help but praise her, "Junior Sister is truly intelligent and quick-witted. You understood what I needed right away. You must be the greatest gift Heaven has sent me!"

Chen Zi Ya rolled her eyes at him, knowing that Lin Zhangqing was saying such things specifically to coax her because she had been angry just a moment ago.

"Senior Brother, I'm not angry anymore; you don't need to say nice things to coax me."

"Let's hurry and release one of them first to ask what exactly is going on!"

Having been seen through, Lin Zhangqing didn't feel embarrassed and covered it up with a dry laugh.

After considering it, he first released twenty-four Purple Crystal Scorpions to hide in the surroundings; this was a precaution, and he would also need them during the interrogation later.

Next, he released one of the cultivators who had been following them that morning. There were a total of two people who had been following them.

When these two were captured, Lin Zhangqing had given them special attention and specifically noted their appearances, so he was certain he wouldn't misidentify them.

Suddenly changing environments, the man was a bit dazed when he came out, but he quickly adapted.

Moreover, the injury from being stung by the Purple Crystal Scorpion seemed to have eased.

Lin Zhangqing would not be polite to these people who had designs on him.

He spoke directly with a blank expression, "Prick up your ears and listen well. I will only say this once. Answer honestly whatever I ask later."

"If you don't want to talk, or if you answer incorrectly, then I can only invite you to taste that extreme pain you just experienced once more."

"An ordinary Qi Refining cultivator or a first-tier spirit beast can only withstand such injury three times. You have two times left; consider carefully whether you want to taste it again."

The middle-aged robber, just after coming out, heard such words, and recalling that painful sensation, his body couldn't help but tremble.

That kind of pain was something even an old hand like him, who had been struggling in the cultivation world for decades, didn't want to experience again!

He hurriedly said, "Ask away! I will say everything I know."

"I know that being captured as a robber means I definitely won't survive, but before I die, I don't want to taste that pain again."

Lin Zhangqing nodded, "It's best that you have this realization; it saves everyone trouble."

"What is your name, who are you people, and who sent you to follow us?"

The man didn't hesitate and said directly, "My name is Guo Dagui. The five of us formed a demon-hunting squad."

"It's the kind of demon-hunting squad that usually goes into the mountains for spirit beasts, but if we're short on funds, we occasionally find a place to pull a job."

"As for following you, it's because we saw you just come out of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, and you looked young but had an extraordinary aura."

"So we judged that your storage bags must contain quite a few spirit stones or high-value spirit objects."

"So we chose you as the target for this job; no one sent us." Lin Zhangqing heard this and couldn't help but sneer, saying coldly to him, "Are you sure that's how it is?"

Guo Dagui hurriedly nodded and said, "Yes, that's how it is. Everything I said is the truth."

Lin Zhangqing couldn't be bothered to listen to his nonsense anymore. With a thought, a Purple Crystal Scorpion appeared and crawled rapidly toward the base of Guo Dagui's thigh.

Guo Dagui saw the Purple Crystal Scorpion and knew it was bad, hurriedly shouting loudly, "Everything I said is the truth, why are you still torturing me?"

Lin Zhangqing didn't waste words with him, just sneered a few times, and the long Great Sun Purple Crystal needle at the end of the little fellow's tail stung into the base of Guo Dagui's thigh.

Guo Dagui let out a scream so sharp it reached the extreme; if others hadn't been prepared and the distance hadn't been so close, their eardrums might have been pierced.

After the scream, Guo Dagui's whole body arched like a large shrimp, bouncing on the ground a few times, his entire body drenched in sweat, and then he opened his mouth wide, breathing desperately.

Fortunately, Lin Zhangqing and Chen Zi Ya were both experienced; as soon as the Purple Crystal Scorpion prepared to sting him, both of them covered their ears.

After waiting for a long while, Guo Dagui finally recovered, staring fiercely at them, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why? I already told the truth, why still torture me!"

Lin Zhangqing looked at him coldly and finally spoke, "You are so familiar with the market's terrain; you must have scouted it out in advance."

"After being discovered by us, you immediately set up an array in ambush on our only path; it's obvious you were targeting us."

"Now you tell me you saw us come out of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and thought we looked like fat sheep! Do you take us for fools?"

Guo Dagui only then realized where the problem lay and explained with a bitter smile, "So it was because of this; it really is a misunderstanding!"

"We have lived in this market for over ten years, so it's normal to be familiar with the terrain, and we often look for targets in the market, so we must be familiar with the terrain! As for leaving the market to set up the array, it's because my big brother said that since we were discovered today, it's not suitable to stay in the market for a while."

"That's why we left the market, preparing to set up an array to ambush passing cultivators. After finishing this job, we would find a place to hide and cultivate for a while before coming out."

"We really didn't intend to ambush you. Besides, since we were discovered following you, you would definitely be highly vigilant during this time; the probability of us successfully ambushing you isn't high anyway!"

Lin Zhangqing and Chen Zi Ya looked at each other after hearing Guo Dagui's explanation.

Could all of this really be a coincidence? The luck of those two was just too bad; they hadn't revealed any wealth this time, and they still ran into them!

He thought for a moment and said to Guo Dagui, "It's best if everything you said is true. There are five of you."

"If someone says something different from you, then before I send you on your way, I will let my spirit scorpions play with you properly."

Guo Dagui nodded half-dead, "Since I'm going to die anyway, who would want to suffer such great pain? I never intended to lie to you in the first place!"

Lin Zhangqing had actually asked enough, but adhering to his consistent philosophy and the principle of squeezing value out of waste.

He began to bluff, "In view of your cooperation, as long as you take out twenty thousand spirit stones, you can redeem your own life here."

"Of course, if you don't have spirit stones, you can also use cultivation techniques, secret arts, secrets, or valuable information; I will estimate their value fairly for you."

"However, don't mention what's in your storage bag; that is my spoils of war and belongs entirely to me."

"Also, this is only to redeem your life; I must abolish your cultivation. I cannot leave myself any future trouble; I'll make this clear to you first."

Guo Dagui heard that he could redeem his life and thought there was a glimmer of hope.

But then hearing that he needed twenty thousand spirit stones, or cultivation techniques or information worth twenty thousand spirit stones, he fell into despair again, because he simply didn't have them.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 233 =====