Chapter 368: Forced Confession

Chapter 368: The Offering

Three million units of reverse sacrifice reduced to three hundred thousand, this operation proved beyond the expectations of Xie Zhen.

"Don't look at me with that smug expression, I know what you're thinking," said Xie Zhen, watching the peculiar-eyed attendant carefully pour wine into his mouth, smiling lightly. "If it's just to hide our traces, preventing someone like me from calculating our escape route, this little coin would be enough."

"I know you're already living like a servant in the courtyard, and I'm just a special guest from our household. If you're going to speak so loudly about this at this moment, wouldn't it be better if you just let us deal with our own affairs?"

Xue Zhen, with two long legs crossed in front of him, the pale gold lines of the wine glass extending upward into the unknown, drew glances from around.

Yuan Mingfeng held a three-foot-long pipe of smoke, the ember within crackling with a foul, pungent smoke.

"This," Xue Zhen said, his tone firm, "means you're ready to commit. If you're going to play the fool, let's see how you handle the punishment for the man who stole the oil before you were born."

Yuan Mingfeng paused mid-sentence, then shrugged, his voice steady. "The rules are clear. If you're bound by them, you don't waste words. If you don't want to experience the pain of being caught, then maybe you should let go now."

Xue Zhen's eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. "You're not thinking about status, are you? You're thinking about revenge. The Imperial City is just a gilded cage for the Confucian scholars. The Jade Emperor's realm is nothing more than a figment in their dreams."

Yuan Mingfeng’s composure remained unshaken. "Revenge is a simple matter. But why do you still fear the Jade Emperor's wrath?"

Far beyond the city walls, in the snowy expanse of Dogan, a carriage halted amid the white expanse. Fan Zhen, riding atop a golden horse, sat with his back to the wind, inspecting three men kneeling before the carriage, bloodied and defeated.

"You're the one who ordered this, aren't you?" Fan Zhen said, his voice low and commanding. "If you want to live, you must understand: the path of the scholar is paved with sacrifice."

Fan Zhen's lips curled into a knowing smile. "I'll let you live, but only if you promise to listen to the stories of the others."

The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words.

Elsewhere, in a dimly lit tavern called Weiqi, the proprietor, White Tong, bit his lip, his eyes flickering with a mixture of amusement and concern. He watched the two men—one with a fierce gaze and the other with a calculating stare—sharing a moment of quiet understanding.

"Three million units of sacrifice reduced to three hundred thousand," White Tong mused, his voice a low murmur. "This is more than just a number. It's a lesson."

The scene was a testament to the wisdom of the past, a reminder that the sacrifices of old were rooted in truth. But in this moment, it was clear that the lessons of history would soon be tested in the crucible of fate.

Fan Wujiu's face turned cold. "If you, Hong Yao, only retaliated against Ru Xu, or any one of the three religions and nine streams, then I, Fan Wujiu, would have to say that I admire you from the bottom of my heart. But you insist on dragging those innocent ordinary people into it, making them your targets and tools for deception and attack."

"National prosperity and decline, the common people."

Jin Qizhao stretched his neck and shouted, but was abruptly cut off by Fan Wujiu.

"If you don't give others a brain machine or a mechanical body, you expect them to sacrifice themselves for these slogans. You don't treat others as common people, but as ants!"

Jin Qizhao's eyes turned red, his features contorted with excitement. "As long as we can overthrow this corrupt empire, destroy all the aristocratic families, groups, and large enterprises, then everyone will be able to freely choose the sequence they want and live the life they desire!"

"And then your leader will naturally transition from horizontal to vertical, and the Hong Yao organization will be resurrected as the new imperial family, and you little players will also be able to rise to the top together?"

Fan Wujiu looked down his nose and spat bitterly. "You bastards dare to act but not take responsibility, you're so damn shameless!"

He jumped down from the machine cover, kicked up the front of his skirt, and pulled out a Doyan guard from his waist.

"Jin Qizhao, I know you still have some conscience in your heart, you're not one of those mad fanatics, that's why I've wasted so much time talking to you."

Fan Wujiu grabbed Jin Qizhao's throat and lifted him up directly.

"This time, Hong Yao set fire to the city to prevent the new imperial policy. You've seen for yourself what the tragedy looked like."

"You've been hiding in Quan Mountain City for nine years. Among those who burned to death were your subordinates, friends, and neighbors. Tell me, what relationship did they have with the Ru Xu you hate? What conflict did they have with the new empire that Hong Yao is pursuing?"

Jin Qizhao's face turned pale as paper, his lips moved, but he couldn't make a sound.

"Or is it just because they lived in Quan Mountain City that they had to suffer such an unforeseen disaster?"

The cold barrel of the Doyan guard was pressed against Jin Qizhao's forehead. "Come on, tell me what's on your mind. Don't you also think their deaths were not worth it?"

"No, I didn't know they would set fire beforehand. I really didn't know."

The faint smell of gunpowder continued to stir Jin Qizhao's tense nerves. His expression was extremely complex, alternating between grief and indifference.

At this moment, Jin Qizhao's expression was dazed. Faces consumed by flames kept swirling in front of his eyes, and the real and vivid cries of sorrow kept echoing in his ears.

"Jin Qizhao, don't forget your oath."

The other two Hong Yao members who were captured noticed Jin Qizhao's abnormality and their faces changed instantly.

But their angry shouts had just been uttered when they were all cut off by a sudden flash of cold light.

Pfft!

Yasha wiped the blood splatter from his face with his hand, his expression cold, the embroidered spring knife in his hand flashing with a blinding cold light.