Chapter 74: Surging Undercurrents

"If you don't want to suffer, then start talking about what you've done!"

Chen Mo looked at the various torture instruments in his hands; he had only ever watched others conduct interrogations before, and this was his first time doing it himself.

Liu Mingqiao actually had quite a decent appearance, even looking somewhat upright; at this moment, he was leaning against the wall, not daring to move about recklessly.

Hearing Chen Mo's words, he kept searching his mind for what exactly he had done, and he felt he had never even seen the person before him.

He was the head of the Salt Transport Department; logically speaking, Chen Mo should have paid him a visit after taking office.

But since he hadn't even visited Chen Mo's foster father, Chen Mo naturally wouldn't lower himself to curry favor by visiting him, so the two had in fact never met before.

Before taking action yesterday, Chen Mo had observed for a long time to avoid killing the wrong person, only making his move after confirming it was Liu Mingqiao.

"This brave Scholar, I don't know how I have offended you. Tell me, what do you want? As long as you let me go, I can give you silver, women, fertile land, and mansions."

Liu Mingqiao endured the pain, negotiating with Chen Mo without changing his expression, hoping to hoodwink this person into letting him go.

"Not talking, eh? Then that's a problem!" Chen Mo smiled and picked out a torture instrument.

In truth, he was unwilling to use torture casually; it wasn't that he couldn't bring himself to do it, but mainly because the sight of blood and gore would put him off his appetite.

"My lord, whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything as long as you ask!" Seeing the torture instrument in Chen Mo's hand, Liu Mingqiao's defenses instantly crumbled, and he spoke hurriedly, his body trembling like chaff.

He was only able to become an official not because he was particularly outstanding or capable, but mainly because he was born well.

When Chen Mo hadn't intended to take action, he could still borrow the power of others to bully, but once he saw Chen Mo was truly going to use torture, he didn't even dare to imagine how painful those instruments would be on his body.

First, pull the fingernails off one by one, then use iron plates to slowly grind the flesh and bone of the fingers to pieces.

This level of agony was simply not something he could endure.

"Then you should tell me everything; tell me all the things you did that you shouldn't have." Chen Mo put away the torture instrument and asked, lifting his chin.

Liu Mingqiao confessed quite thoroughly; he dared not conceal any of the evil deeds he had committed, from corruption and breaking the law to harming human lives.

Of course, in his speech, he still tried his best to invert black and white to defend himself, claiming it wasn't that he wanted to do those things, but that he was forced by those unruly people.

The more he said, the more suspicious Chen Mo became.

The crimes he had committed were indeed enough to warrant beheading several times over, but they didn't truly touch upon the core issue; why would his foster father suddenly have him take control of this man?

Was it because he had other things he hadn't confessed, or was it that it wasn't he who had run into trouble, but the Prefecture Assistant, and thus he had to be taken down?

"The Prefecture Assistant is your backer, so has he ever made you do anything?" Chen Mo smiled slightly and asked in a low, focused voice.

Liu Mingqiao hesitated, then shook his head; he knew clearly that the Prefecture Assistant was his greatest pillar of support, and if he fell, he himself would certainly not survive.

Although he didn't know why Chen Mo suddenly asked this, he could guess that he wanted to use him to topple the Prefecture Assistant.

Therefore, no matter how the other party pressed him, he had to bite his tongue and refuse to say it.

Unfortunately, under the torture, he ultimately couldn't hold out and spilled everything.

Aside from the fact that a portion of the bribes he received had to be offered up to the Prefecture Assistant, more importantly, the Prefecture Assistant had him use the name of transporting Official Salt to smuggle goods between Yangyang Prefecture and Xingyuan Prefecture.

But as for what exactly was being smuggled, or whose goods they were, he was completely unaware.

"For now, just go hungry for two days; you won't die from it anyway." Chen Mo picked up a towel from the side and stuffed it into Liu Mingqiao's mouth.

It seemed his guess was correct; it was eight or nine parts likely that the Prefecture Assistant was the one with the problem.

As for what the specific problem was, he would know once his foster father arrived.

Three days later, Sun Shouren arrived at the Zhu Niu Ji military camp, travel-worn and weary.

…………

"Foster father!" Chen Mo bowed and performed a salute.

Sun Shouren dismounted, walked into the camp quarters that Chen Mo had had people clear out in advance, and sat down in the main seat to rest.

The Personal Soldiers he brought with him also temporarily took over the entire military camp.

"Liu Mingqiao isn't dead, is he? Did you manage to control him?" Sun Shouren asked the question he was most concerned about at the moment.

"Replying to foster father, he is still alive and well, and I have him detained in the neighboring quarters.

It is just that this child is truly puzzled as to why he had to be arrested so suddenly; is it that there is a problem on the Prefecture Assistant's side?" Chen Mo asked, his face full of confusion; this was the question he was most curious about right now.

Sun Shouren smiled upon hearing this, glanced outside the door and windows to ensure his own Personal Soldiers were on guard, and then took a sip of tea unhurriedly before speaking.

"You guessed correctly; it is indeed because the Prefecture Assistant ran into trouble.

According to the investigation by the Imperial Court's Patrol Heaven Guard, he has connections with the Dutian Dao Sect and had used the name of transporting Official Salt to have Liu Mingqiao smuggle commercial goods between Xingyuan Prefecture and Yangyang Prefecture for the Dutian Dao Sect."

Sun Shouren spoke slowly; he had only learned of this news not long ago, which was why he was in such a rush to have Chen Mo control Liu Mingqiao first.

Once this matter came to light, nothing else mattered; the Dutian Dao Sect was preparing to rebel, and the Prefecture Assistant was colluding with them.

The best outcome for him would be the execution of his nine clans, and Liu Mingqiao, who helped the Prefecture Assistant smuggle commercial goods, would certainly not be able to escape either.

Chen Mo's expression was one of astonishment; he had not expected the Prefecture Assistant to be linked to the Dutian Dao Sect.

The Prefecture Assistant, connected to the Prefect above and numerous officials within the various prefectures below—if he fell, it was likely that the entire officialdom of Ding Prefecture would face a major reshuffling.

"Then is the Imperial Court going to formally take action against the Dutian Dao Sect?" Chen Mo asked in a low voice.

Since the Imperial Court had already moved to arrest people, there was no doubt that a formal encirclement and suppression of the Dutian Dao Sect would likely begin in the very near future.

Sun Shouren nodded slightly, "According to my estimation, it should be within these next two or three months that the Imperial Court will mobilize troops to encircle and suppress the Dutian Dao Sect. Right now, they are first investigating to root them out completely, and second, they are mobilizing troops."

Moving a large army is not easy, and furthermore, to encircle and suppress the Dutian Dao Sect, one must slaughter them cleanly, leaving no future trouble behind.

This all requires time to prepare slowly; currently, Ding Prefecture appears calm on the surface, but in reality, it is already a place of surging undercurrents.

"You should also prepare yourself; strive to earn more merit, and I will help you maneuver things so you can rise further," Sun Shouren said with a smile.

It is said that having someone in the Imperial Court makes being an official easier; others might not be promoted even if they earn merit, but as long as Chen Mo earns merit, with him there, he would absolutely be promoted.

"This child understands," Chen Mo said.

Sun Shouren came in a hurry and left in a hurry; he only ate a simple meal at Chen Mo's place before rushing away with Liu Mingqiao.

How to investigate from here on out was no longer a matter for Chen Mo to concern himself with.

Watching his foster father leave all the way, Chen Mo looked at the Transformation Pearl in his dantian, where his Qi and Blood had accumulated nearly seventy percent; now he only hoped that the time for action would be a little later.

Give him another two or three months, and he would be able to accumulate enough Qi and Blood to undergo his next Mortal Transformation.

With greater strength, he would also have more confidence when surrounding and suppressing the Dutian Dao Sect.

After all, the methods of those Dutian Dao Sect cultivators were indeed somewhat bizarre.

After seeing his foster father off and returning home, Chen Mo heard quite a few people discussing the disappearance of Liu Mingqiao along the way.

This matter had now fermented, spreading like a Wind across the surrounding hundred miles; everyone was discussing it heatedly, and all sorts of theories existed.

At least for now, the vast majority of people still assumed he had gone missing, or that he had offended some enemies and been killed by them.

Everyone clapped and cheered at this, fearing only that he might not be dead.

They even secretly praised the righteous Scholar who had taken action, considering them a rare hero.

Some storytellers had even begun to embolden themselves to speak of this matter, compiling all sorts of stories about that righteous hero punishing the wicked and eliminating evil.

Following this, Chen Mo's days fell back into a steady rhythm, and he continued his cultivation and training every day until, one month later, Mo Hu sent someone to deliver a letter.

(End of this chapter)