Chapter 160

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Shunzhen could not know where he was, only barely discerning that this was a dark chamber.

He lay prone on the ground breathing heavily, refusing to speak; the girl treading on his wounded rear shoulder seized his topknot with her left hand, held a short knife in her right, pressed it against his forcibly tilted neck — the blade was exceedingly sharp, she exceedingly ferocious — and asked him again: "I'm asking you, where did you hide the person?"

"What person..." Shunzhen's breathing was uneven, the skin of his neck sliced open, a thin snake-like line of blood spreading.

The knife-holder enunciated each word: "Don't play dumb with me, you know who I'm talking about... the person you took from Taoxi Township!"

"Taoxi Township..." Shunzhen strained to turn his head to look at her face, said in a low voice: "What was taken wasn't a person, it was a corpse."

The girl's eyelashes trembled imperceptibly, shadow covering her eyelids, voice even colder: "Fine, a corpse, then tell me, where is the corpse hidden?"

Shunzhen's voice low and trembling: "I don't know... I don't know anything."

Before the words had fully dissipated, he was seized by the nape and hauled up, the foot on his rear shoulder withdrawn, the next instant stomping viciously on his chest just as he was jerked upright — this kick powerful, he was sent staggering, rolling, crashing into the chamber wall, vomiting a great mouthful of fresh blood.

He barely propped himself into a sit, leaning against that slightly damp wall, looked up — the girl in pitch-black, knife in hand, walked over, expression concealed in the gloom, whole body radiating oppressive aggression.

In the cramped dark chamber, facing such inhuman killing intent, Shunzhen felt fear like never before, yet besides fear, his eyes also held hatred.

This hatred forced him to try to stand by the wall, but he had only shifted from sitting to kneeling when the girl was already before him, suddenly raising her right foot, stomping heavily on one side of his collarbone, pinning him firmly against the wall with just one leg.

She ground down with her foot, Shunzhen could feel his collarbone shattering, pain bringing sweat rolling out, his whole body like prey struggling and writhing under a tiger's claws.

Shaowei bent her leg, leaned in and clamped his neck, did not speak again, interrogating with her eyes.

Four eyes met, clear killing intent and nameless hatred colliding, Shunzhen forced out provoking words: "I said I don't know... you might as well kill me, see if you can carve the answer you want from my belly."

The strength in Shaowei's hand gripping that neck increased, the house slave approached silently, lightly pressing one hand on her shoulder trembling slightly from over-tension.

Shaowei endured and released her grip, gritted her teeth: "Hardly waited for the chance to capture you, captured you with such trouble, and you still dare dream of dying easily."

She withdrew her foot, treading on Shunzhen's robe, vigorously scrubbing the bloodstains from her sole, eyes fixed on Shunzhen, said: "Hang him up, interrogate slowly."

"Good, leave it to me."

The house slave brought forward two bare-chested men, their rough bodies dotted with burn marks, left by forging iron, the two were twin brothers, the house slave's first recruited reliable hands.

Shaowei walked out of this ground chamber, only to see outside the sky already fully bright.

This was a small courtyard in the Chengnan Dead Pile, the entrance to this ground chamber at the ox shed where Qingniu temporarily stayed, Shaowei sat in the already empty ox shed, tilted her head to look at the morning sun emitting vicious sunlight, hugged her somewhat trembling arms.

Since escaping the tomb chamber, her cold ailment had not flared up badly again, only seizing the chance to show itself when her emotions fluctuated severely, but at least it could not be called pain to the bone, merely feeling cold all over.

After a few breaths, Shaowei stood, stared at that morning sun for a long time.

Today Shaowei was on rest, near dark she returned to Jiang Zhai, received a letter forwarded by Dou Shiyi.

The letter was written by Liu Qi, he knew she had gone to Rui Fu, asked if she encountered trouble, told her to send word promptly to discuss; also mentioned Immortal Master Chiyang going to Lingxing Si to pray for rain, he had already arranged people to watch Lingxing Si closely, any movement would be reported to her promptly.

Both proactive inquiry and proactive assistance, he was busy with disaster relief yet still kept attention on matters related to her, Shaowei finished reading the letter, finally also had Xiao Yu grind ink, for the first time personally wrote a reply letter to Liu Qi.

In the letter she did not detail her humiliating encounter at Rui Fu, only said she had dealt with it, gained the other party's trust, details to be discussed when they meet. But there was one matter she wanted to discuss with him.

Dou Shiyi delivered the reply letter to outside the city overnight, outside the city also much news sent into the city, including Chiyang's disciples encountering disaster victims blocking the road on Lingxing Shan, horses startled and carelessly falling off the cliff.

The cliff terrain complex, corpses difficult to find, those disaster victims also long scattered everywhere, impossible to trace.

All who heard the news only felt public anger even greater, only hoping for rain to come quickly, Immortal Master Chiyang's life-and-death pledge to pray for heavy rain within half a month had become the most watched matter in the entire capital.

Only Shaowei knew most clearly, this drought especially severe, within half a month basically impossible to have any heavy rain, Chiyang's move merely a delaying tactic, yet unknown whether behind his unchanging calm lay other calculations?

Chiyang had not even sent people to secretly search for Shunzhen's whereabouts.

And regarding Shunzhen's interrogation, three days on, still no results.

Chiyang always needs people to do things, but Shunzhen, whom he has heavily employed to this day, besides being proficient in mechanism arts, also has a set of hard bones.

Evening, still sitting facing each other on cool mats in the courtyard, the house slave said: "Only speaks mad words, claims to act in accordance with Heaven's Way, dying for this counts as dying in one's proper place. Those who act perversely are evil ghost incarnations, must be exterminated."

"This is scolding me." Shaowei sat cross-legged, knitted brows: "Did you scold him?"

According to the books she had read, reviling is also one interrogation method, purpose to destroy the other's mental defenses.

House slave: "Scolded."

Shaowei asked seriously: "How did you scold?"

"A lackey serving a ghost." Zhao Qie'an said in a hoarse voice: "Evil-doer at death's door."

Shaowei startled, only felt these words like wind brushing past, utterly without attack power, couldn't help questioning: "You jianghu people don't have popular insults?"

House slave answered frankly: "They scold, I usually don't speak, just beat and kill."

An introverted knight-errant should be like this, Shaowei couldn't count on him, thought a bit, then felt even the most biting insults would be useless, thought of the military treatises she had read, immediately had a direction: "In this situation, scolding must attack the heart."

She said: "Wear him down a bit more, don't let him sleep, grind him until his mind is confused, tomorrow night I'll go interrogate."

House slave agreed, only saw Shaowei turn her head to look toward the rear of the hall, pricked up her ears listening, thoughtful: "Since last night, why are there always hoofbeats passing by? Normally never this frequent."

"Should be the Embroidered Uniform Guard." House slave guessed: "Prince Zhao's heir disappeared, should be searching for people."

Shaowei stunned: "Liu Chun?"

"You know him?"

"Met before." Shaowei asked: "When did he disappear?"

These two days and nights busy, she hadn't squeezed out leisure to see those two gossipy Wu Nu, still hadn't heard of this matter.

"Should be five or six days, at first thought child mischief, just searched privately, seeing couldn't find, only then informed the palace, mobilized the Embroidered Uniform Guard." House slave explained his information source: "That Sixth Prince also had people secretly helping search, yesterday saw Dou Shiyi, he entrusted me to pay attention incidentally."

Shaowei knitted brows nodded: "Mm, then have subordinates pay attention."

This matter after all is someone else's business, cannot spare more attention, that night, Shaowei tossed and turned pondering how to interrogate that mad demon ghost.

Next day when she went to the shrine, her eyes slightly showed fatigue, Yu Si Wu saw it, only felt this fox-spirit seemed to have stayed up all night playing cat-and-mouse with a rat, worn out until imposing manner gone.

Because of the drought, recent affairs were truly numerous; Yu Si Wu accompanied Huali in handling matters, and also had someone brew a tonic soup to nourish this fox spirit's energy.

After going off duty, Shaowei went to see that caged rat.

Shunzhen was tied to a wooden stake, his Daoist robe covered in bloodstains, hair disheveled, vision blurred, consciousness scattered yet forcing himself to hold on.

A voice seemed to sound from behind, plucking at his consciousness.

"You style yourselves the Heavenly Way; those people you arbitrarily slaughter — were they born deserving death?"

Shunzhen's ears rang; he could not distinguish whose voice it was, nor turn to look at that person; subconsciously he said: "They were originally ants; to die for the Heavenly Way is their supreme fortune……"

His voice was hoarse and weak, yet still carried an unwarranted arrogance.

Shaowei felt a surge of disgust; she also killed people, but at least she did not style herself as justice; these so-called compassionate Heavenly Way executors, the moment they open their mouths they give off a damnable feeling.

Her tone also became arrogant: "If you are so capable, why can you still not kill me?"

Shunzhen's body stiffened; he tried to turn his torso, but could not shake the wooden stake; that unseen person behind him seemed like a heart demon from his imagination; that heart demon spoke again: "You cannot kill me; you only borrow a righteous pretext to indiscriminately slaughter the weak and vent your anger; you are no different from those who massacred your entire family."

Shunzhen's expression suddenly changed, becoming ferocious; his breathing also grew heavy and trembling.

Ever since suspecting Shunzhen's Mo Family origin, Zhao Qie'an had entrusted people to investigate his background; therefore there was Shaowei's present aptly targeted heart-striking words.

Shaowei also had a heart demon; that heart demon always ran rampant by borrowing her cold ailment; long illness makes a doctor; one deeply tormented by a heart demon is very skilled at probing the way to attack the heart.

"……What do you understand!" Shunzhen, eager to escape this verdict, voice rising and falling unsteadily: "They were either beggars or sold by their parents; alive they were worse than pigs and dogs; death is the only release!"

Shaowei, trying this path for the first time, was stunned; those indiscriminately killed people she spoke of referred to pawns similar to those used by Chiyang in Changling to set a trap against her, then killed to silence them; but what was Shunzhen speaking of now?

Although the specifics were unclear, this was inevitably the true location of Shunzhen's heart demon; precisely because he could not let go in his subconscious, when his will was unstable, his first instinct was to justify it!

The listening household slaves also detected clues, and quickly interjected to ask: "Their parents are looking for them; where are the remains? At least they must be buried."

"Remains, where would there still be remains……" Shunzhen suddenly laughed strangely; he laughed until he coughed up blood, his whole body convulsing; Shaowei hurriedly sealed his acupoints, but his physical strength could not hold out, and in the end he fainted from reversed Qi.

Zhao Qie'an immediately had someone splash water to wake him; but the person woke, and his consciousness also cleared somewhat; he vaguely realized he had shown signs of a slip of the tongue; now no matter how Shaowei tried to provoke him, he refused to utter another word, only biting his teeth, lowering his eyes, trembling and enduring.

Shaowei was anxious; Zhao Qie'an led her out of the underground chamber, saying: "This indirect heart-attacking strategy has not yielded nothing; those vague words are also a clue; it seems they have other unspeakable dealings in secret."

Shaowei pondered deeply, looked toward the underground chamber entrance, and suddenly thought of the blood Qi that lingered around Chiyang; that had always been a mystery she could not clarify; now colliding with another mystery from Shunzhen's mouth, it was hard not to associate them.

Once done, there must be traces; we must search, we must investigate; following this secrecy, perhaps we can find Jiang Fu.

But the capital is this large; judging by the experience accumulated over these days, if we search in the city, it is truly a difficult matter; we can only secretly feel our way inch by inch, and also avoid all sides' gazes…… if only we could conduct a large-scale, sweeping search.

Shaowei clenched her fist, for the time being instructing the household slaves to have people continue wearing down and interrogating Shunzhen.

The next day in the afternoon, Shaowei entered the palace as usual to present pills, and diagnosed the Emperor's pulse.

The Emperor's mood was depressed; he again asked Huali, regarding the drought, whether there had been any sensing recently.

Shaowei lowered her eyes: "This minister offers incense and reveres the gods daily; as yet there is no clear sensing."

If she were to make a definitive statement on this matter, she would absolutely need an opportunity to assist and complement; otherwise empty words without proof would still be unable to nail Chiyang into his coffin, and would instead arouse the Emperor's suspicion.

There was temporarily no usable prophetic event; this opportunity could not be waited for passively; it must be forced to appear by human effort.

The beast-shaped incense burner curled with smoke; the Emperor asked a few other things, and brought up another matter: signs of plague had appeared outside the city; today he had already sent Taiyi Shu people out of the city, and said: "The commoners all believe in the Great Witch God giving medicine to treat the plague; therefore We intend to send Jiang Qing to go."

This is the duty of a Tai Puzhe; a thought flashed through Shaowei's mind, and she immediately bowed her head and agreed.

When Shaowei left Weiyang Palace, the four directions had already lit lamps.

Quan Wa held a lamp to lead the way; occasionally passing a deserted place, he would speak softly with her about palace news.

Shaowei listened all the way, and so walked a bit slower.

Upon reaching the palace gate, from behind came palace attendants carrying a Huaxuan; receiving Quan Wa's low-voiced reminder, Shaowei stood sideways to avoid it.

Two inner attendants led the way with lamps in front; the Huaxuan had hanging gauze; the one sitting on it was precisely Prince Liang.

After Prince Liang entered the capital, he frequented the palace; often a stay lasted a whole day; when the Emperor summoned ministers, Prince Liang would rest in the inner hall; the Emperor occasionally played chess with him, always letting this slow-witted younger brother; the two brothers got along harmoniously as before.

As this Huaxuan passed, Shaowei avoided it with head lowered; in her peripheral vision a blue-green skirt hem seemed to slow a step; wind blew; Shaowei's spirit inexplicably also stalled for a moment; she slightly looked up, only to see the wind brush past those blue-green robe sleeves, revealing the back of a hand with Tiger's Mouth wrapped in bandages, and a section of slender wrist; on that wrist was tied an extremely ordinary faded rope knot.

The swaying palace lantern seemed to fall into her heart, igniting a completely unexpected firelight; Shaowei abruptly raised her head, only to see that blue shadow following behind the Huaxuan slightly turn back; brows and eyes like a clear mountain stream, wanting to speak yet holding back, reflecting myriad shimmering lights.

Shaowei's pupils shook violently, almost wanting to rush over immediately; but that blue shadow shook her head almost imperceptibly, eyes full of restraint.

Seeking and searching without success, never imagining such a reunion scene; too caught off guard, to the point of losing reality.

Lamplight flickered, light gauze drifted; that touch of blue-green seemed like an immortal shadow that had mistakenly entered this pitch-black great mountain; appearing half-real half-illusory, departing without clarity.

Shaowei sank into enormous shock; her feet followed the path that blue shadow had walked; she dazedly thought, even if it is an illusion, a phantom, she absolutely must distinguish clearly what this phantom transformed from!

?? Good night everyone!