Chapter 90: Interrogation Record

"Name?"

"Yizhanghong."

"Be honest, ask for your real name!"

"Zhang Xiaohong."

Inside the interrogation room, the dim oil lamp flickered unsteadily, casting a cold and dark atmosphere. Fang Qingyun, arms crossed, sneered at the newly apprehended criminal suspect. Head Constable Wei stared intently into Yizhanghong's eyes, hurling one question after another, while a young constable at another table wrote furiously, recording the details of the interrogation.

"Gender?"

"Male."

"Cultivation realm?"

"Peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, perfect grand completion."

Head Constable Wei gave a cold snort. "Record it for him as the late Foundation Establishment stage; omit the nonsense that follows. Zhang Xiaohong, let it be known to you now: if you believe our handling of this case compromises a fair trial, you may request recusal—meaning someone else will handle it. Do you wish to request recusal?"

"I request..."

Head Constable Wei let out an "mm," drawing the sound out long and pitching it upward at the end.

Zhang Xiaohong hastily amended, "No, no, no, I do not request recusal."

"Speak then, what matter brought you in here?"

"Eating skewers without paying?"

Fang Qingyun spoke up with impatience, "Do not bother with the trial. Execute him on the spot. Just say he resisted fiercely during arrest, preferred death over surrender, and took poison to end his life."

This was absolutely something Fang Qingyun was capable of doing. Clad in heavy chains, Yizhanghong rushed to speak, "I will confess, I will confess. About ten days or so ago, I woke up at the bottom of a cliff. I must have accidentally slipped while passing by the mountain west of Yanjiang County. When I came to, I discovered a cave dwelling. It should have been the residence of some cultivator, left abandoned for a very long time. I walked inside with great caution. Aside from a single book, I found nothing of real value."

"That book was taken by your men during the body search."

"Recorded within it were some rather obscure talismans and matching formations, such as the Reverse Longevity Talisman and the Reverse Longevity Formation. According to the book's descriptions, the Reverse Longevity Talisman could convert lifespan into my own cultivation. I happened to be at a bottleneck, thinking to break through in one fell swoop to reach the Golden Core stage and enjoy absolute freedom. Moreover, this method of breakthrough could also increase one's lifespan; the temptation was simply too great."

Fang Qingyun said furiously, "I have consulted the County Magistrate! Given the scale of your arrangement, let alone breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, even breaking through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul would have been more than enough!"

Yizhanghong thought to himself that he also knew it was a waste, but he simply had not known any other method.

Naturally, such words could not be spoken aloud. Yizhanghong acted as though he had not heard Fang Qingyun's shouted reprimand and continued, "I am a talisman cultivator by trade, so I learned the Reverse Longevity Talisman very quickly. Setting up the Reverse Longevity Formation is not particularly difficult; one simply needs to arrange the Reverse Longevity Talismans into the shape of the formation."

"The effects of the Reverse Longevity Talisman are undetectable to cultivators, and its effect on mortals is merely drowsiness, which makes it very easy to overlook. Furthermore, once the formation is completely deployed, even the drowsy effect disappears."

"It is just that the Reverse Longevity Formation requires too many talismans to be pasted, making it impossible for a single person to complete in a short time. I just so happened to encounter two companions—the other two you apprehended."

"Strangely enough, those two were not natives of Yanjiang County, yet they happened to appear here, and they could not clearly remember what they had come to Yanjiang County to do."

"We struck an immediate accord, intending to break through the Foundation Establishment stage together."

"We conducted our affairs rigorously, leaving no trace behind. When you all began a massive search for the Reverse Longevity Talismans, we ceased all operations. Feeling that this place was becoming increasingly unsafe, we intended to leave Yanjiang County. Before departing, we heard that a certain barbecue shop here was very famous and wanted to try it. Before the skewers were even fully grilled, you all arrived."

Yizhanghong's face was filled with utter incomprehension, unable to fathom which step had gone awry. Head Constable Wei, naturally, would not reveal that it was the enthusiastic shop owner who had reported them.

The interrogation concluded, and Head Constable Wei had him sign and press his thumbprint. "Write your name at the very bottom of each page. On the final page, write: 'I have read the above transcript, and it matches what I have spoken.'"

"Press your thumbprint on every place where a signature is required."

The following day, Head Constable Wei brought a silk banner as was customary.

He was currently considering whether he should simply establish a branch office inside the barbecue shop and live there; wouldn't this efficiency in capturing criminals be far higher than patrolling all day long?

If this continued, becoming the Chief Constable was just around the corner.

"Young Shopkeeper Lu, the geomancy of your barbecue shop is truly excellent, a land of auspicious energy and remarkable people."

Lu Yang offered a polite, accommodating smile. "Whether the land's energy is auspicious is secondary; the main thing is that we have remarkable people."

"The yamen has been far too busy lately. Once things quiet down, I will apply to the higher-ups to see if we can award your shop a plaque for Outstanding Establishment."

"That would be wonderful. Here is some freshly boiled water, drink it while it is hot."

Lu Yang hospitably poured a cup of boiling water. "Is it still so busy even though the people have been captured?"

"Sigh, the people are caught, and we also located the place he confessed to—an abandoned cave dwelling where some wanted demonic cultivator probably hid out in the past. Once we tear down the Reverse Longevity Talismans according to the positions they disclosed, this case will be considered closed."

"The issue is that the Spring Plucking Festival is upon us. Looking at the situation this year, the number of visitors might be twenty percent higher than last year. I wanted to take some time off, but the Chief Constable refused to approve it, telling me to patrol more during the festival."

"If you grow weary from patrolling, you can always come to our place to rest your feet. Our shop will remain open as usual during the Spring Plucking Festival."

After seeing Head Constable Wei off, Meng Jingzhou let out a long breath of relief. "It is finally over. The past few days were nerve-wracking, hunting for those Reverse Longevity Talismans every day. Perhaps this Yizhanghong saw how hard we were working and threw himself into the net here."

Mangu hesitated for a moment; he felt that Yizhanghong probably did not think that way.

Lu Yang noticed that Lanting was continuously gesturing and practicing something, and asked out of curiosity, "What are you doing?"

Without lifting her head, Lanting replied, "I am attempting to research an automatic skewering formation, so the bamboo skewers will automatically thread the meat cubes."

Lu Yang picked up a bamboo skewer, pinched it between two fingers, weighed it lightly, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he tossed a few meat cubes into the air, exerted force through his two fingers, and threw the bamboo skewer outward.

Regrettably, the bamboo skewer merely brushed past the meat cubes, failing to skewer them.

Mangu did not understand what Lu Yang was doing, thinking Brother Lu was playing a very novel game, but Meng Jingzhou's eyes lit up as he grasped the intent.

"Are you trying to use bamboo skewers to thread meat as a way to practice hidden weapon techniques?"

Lu Yang smiled without speaking, which counted as tacit agreement.

Soon, Meng Jingzhou also joined the practice ranks, studying how to exert precise force to skewer the meat cubes moving through the air.

Mangu said hesitantly, "This... should not be the path of a righteous cultivator, right?"

Lu Yang spoke with utmost solemnity, "That is where you are mistaken. Have you never heard the poem: 'Biting into the green mountain, never letting go, its roots originally deep within the broken rocks. Through a thousand grindings and ten thousand strikes, it remains steadfast and strong, indifferent to the winds from east, west, south, or north'?"

"Bamboo is unyielding and unbreaking, elegant and detached from material desires, the very embodiment of a true gentleman. Using bamboo as a weapon, how could it be considered a hidden weapon?"

"This is a weapon used only by gentlemen."

A sudden realization washed over Mangu, feeling as though a blocked path in his mind had instantly cleared. "So that is how it is. Then I shall join as well."

Lanting focused entirely on researching her formation. Several bamboo skewers hovered in mid-air when, with a sharp swoosh, they flew straight into the wall, their ends still vibrating with a low hum.

Had the target been a person, they would have been long dead.

"The power is a bit too great," Lanting scratched her head in vexation; she had tried her best to minimize the force.

"Instead of making an automatic skewering formation, I might as well just turn the power to the absolute maximum."

The two enslaved ghosts, watching this scene of chaotic and wild behavior, trembled in absolute terror.

(End of Chapter)