Chapter 74 Clues about Hualien

He Si almost choked on her own saliva.

Cen Ying nodded and said nothing more.

In just fifteen minutes, Cen Ying had finished.

He Si was shocked: "This...this is it?"

Cen Ying ignored him, made a cleansing hand gesture to wash her hands, and then made a hand gesture to cast a spell while chanting incantations.

The originally bright red and terrifying wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. He Si's eyes widened. He had long known that the young master of the Cui family had gone to the immortal mountain to seek a master. He had thought that there were no magic immortals in this world, and that they were just fictions created by the ancients. He had never seen one with his own eyes. Now that he had seen one, he was shocked and dumbfounded.

It's no wonder He Si acted this way. Cultivators are not allowed to easily step into the mortal realm without the sect's orders, for fear that those with impure intentions might use magic to bully innocent mortals, causing conflict and estrangement between the cultivation world and the mortal realm. Therefore, even if they hear of cultivators, they rarely see them in person. Furthermore, when cultivators capture demons, they set up a barrier to prevent mortals from hearing or seeing them, lest it cause panic.

Cen Ying put another pill into his mouth, and the man, who had been in a daze, woke up and looked at them with fear, as if he had been badly frightened.

He Si was momentarily embarrassed and explained, "If a prisoner doesn't confess after a long interrogation, he'll find another way..."

Li Tiankuo received his gaze, nodded, and said calmly, "Lord He, there is no need to explain. I know it and understand your difficulties."

He Si's heart stirred, and he said gratefully, "Your Highness is wise; it was I who was foolish."

Li Tiankuo said nothing more, but asked Cen Ying, "Can we proceed with the interrogation?"

"Can."

Xu Huaji was terrified and muttered incoherently, which, upon closer listening, sounded like he was begging for mercy.

"He seems quite frightened; his mind is completely scattered." Cen Ying turned to Bai Yuheng and asked, "Yu'er, could you use that spell that makes people speak frankly? So that he can reveal the truth?"

Bai Yuheng: "It is possible, but this person is cautious and determined. I tried once before, but I couldn't get him to tell the truth. He was half telling the truth and half lying."

Li Tiankuo said, "It's alright. As long as we can get even the slightest bit of the truth out of them, it's a clue."

Bai Yuheng then said nothing, deftly flipping and folding her fingers to create a delicate pattern, finally forming a hand seal.

After being under the spell, Xu Huaji's emotions stabilized, and he stared at one spot with clear eyes, no longer babbling incoherently.

"Ask away."

"Who ordered you to arrest people to make lamps?" Li Tiankuo asked bluntly.

"Yes, yes, yes..." Veins bulged on Xu Huaji's forehead as if he were resisting something, but in the end he couldn't hold on, and his lips were bleeding. "It's the Young Master. He often comes to Yueqing Town to find me, just to issue the mission of the Painted Skin Immortal..."

Li Tiankuo stepped forward abruptly and asked urgently, "Who is the Painted Skin Immortal? What is his name and where does he live?"

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Oh my, who is this distinguished guest who has graced our Jiangzhou Prison with their presence?"

A sudden, light, cheerful voice rang out from outside.

A man in a crimson plum blossom patterned round-necked robe and holding a jade-bone fan walked in, his fox-like eyes gleaming as he scanned the people in the cell.

"Lord He." He gave a perfunctory bow and asked He Si, "I wonder why Lord He has brought so many unimportant people to interrogate a first-class criminal of the court. What is the purpose of this?" After speaking, his narrow eyes swept over the others, as if he suddenly realized something. "I wonder which of you gentlemen you are? Are you the ones Lord He has brought to help me?"

"Who are you?" Li Tiankuo stood in front of the four people, squinting as he sized him up.

The visitor was displeased with his attitude, but still politely replied, "I am the judge of Jiangzhou, and I am in charge of interrogating Xu Huaji."

"..."

He Si originally wanted to remind him of the identity of the person in front of him, but then he thought that because the person had power behind him, he always suppressed him and always wanted to be ahead of him. So he gave up the idea and let him do whatever he wanted, so that he could vent his anger that had been building up for many years.

"Heh." Li Tiankuo chuckled lightly. He had thought it was some important position, but it was just a minor prefectural judge of the seventh rank, nothing to be afraid of.

"You, a mere seventh-rank prefectural judge, have such a big mouth. I am quite impressed. This Jiangzhou prefecture..." Li Tiankuo's indifferent gaze swept over He Si and the prefectural judge whose face was flushed with anger, "is a place where priorities are reversed and rank is not distinguished."

This refers to the person's arrogance and lack of manners.

He Si blushed and stammered, "This Judge Yan is a man of Prince Gong, and your sister is Prince Gong's favorite concubine..."

Li Tiankuo fell silent, and immediately understood why he was so timid.

Seeing that he was silent, Yan Zhen assumed that he was afraid of his brother-in-law's reputation, and suddenly felt more confident. His narrow eyes seemed to shoot towards them with blades, and he sneered: "I thought some kind of supernatural power had come, but it turns out it's nothing special. Alright, alright, Lord He, this matter has been handed over to me for investigation, so please keep your boundaries and do not interfere, lest you embarrass us."

He Si's face flushed red with anger. She glared at him and shouted, "Yan Zhen, watch your words!"

"Do you even know who this person in front of you is?!"

"Ha, I don't care who he is. I only recognize my brother-in-law. In Jiangzhou, my brother-in-law is the boss." Yan Zhen sneered, thinking he was making a fuss. He wasn't the emperor, and his sister was pampered. With his brother-in-law backing him up, what did he have to fear? Thinking this, he straightened his back considerably, like a sturdy bamboo. "This is my brother-in-law's territory. Even the Heavenly King himself would have to show him respect!"

What a boastful tone!

He Si was about to say something when Li Tiankuo stopped him, glaring at him hatefully. He felt a surge of satisfaction; this man had been lawless for far too long, and now someone was finally going to teach him a lesson.

"I haven't seen your brother-in-law for quite some time. Go and ask him for me if the bond between uncle and nephew can outweigh the bond between husband and wife?"

This king!?

He's a prince!?

Yan Zhen's ears were ringing, his heart was pounding, and he felt a chill run down his spine, yet he couldn't believe it: "Who are you?! How dare you use such an honorific title?!"

Cui Mingcan, already furious with him, quickly leaned out from behind Li Tiankuo upon hearing this, spat at him fiercely, and stood up straight, displaying a somewhat arrogant demeanor: "Ha, why don't you vulgar and lowly people kneel before our Prince Xian? Not only do you not kneel, but you also dare to speak rudely!! What is your punishment!?"

Yan Zhen's lips trembled and his teeth chattered. He wanted to struggle, but He Siyi coldly rebuked him, so he slipped down and knelt down tremblingly.

Li Tiankuo glanced helplessly at Cui Mingcan, feeling that this man had quite the talent of a high-ranking eunuch.

The soft chuckles behind him made him smile. He heard the person behind him whisper, "Cui Mingcan has quite the presence."

Bai Yuheng agreed: "Yes, he has the air of a discerning senior eunuch in the palace."

Cen Ying chuckled again.

Cui Mingcan naturally heard the loud laughter. He bared his teeth, warning the two not to dampen his spirits, but Pei Yuan gave him a cold glance, his eyes filled with even more impatience and warning.

"..." Tch, what's so great about that? I have powerful backers too!

After thinking it over, he stood directly beside Li Tiankuo and faithfully served as his guard and eunuch.

From now on, Li Tiankuo—no, Brother Li—will be his strongest, biggest, and most dazzling patron! He's going to cling to this golden thigh!

Seeing his worthless appearance drew chuckles from Bai Yuheng and Cen Ying.

Yan Zhen couldn't bring himself to laugh at that moment.

Trembling, he knelt on the cold, hard, and dirty ground, showing the utmost respect and devotion to the wise king.

"Your humble servant Yan Zhen greets Your Highness, the Wise Prince. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Li Tiankuo remained silent and said to Bai Yuheng and the other person, "You two continue asking questions."

Yan Zhen panicked, feeling both anxious and fearful.

They were afraid they would find out something from Xu Huaji.

But when he caught sight of the bloodstains on the ground, he felt a sense of relief. This man had been beaten so badly that his tongue was cut off; they were probably powerless to do anything about it!

Thinking this way, my previously anxious heart calmed down immediately, and I even harbored the thought of watching them make a fool of themselves.

Before he could even feel at ease, after Bai Yuheng asked again who the Painted Skin Immortal was, and Xu Huaji was able to speak, Yan Zhen suddenly became uneasy. He couldn't understand how someone so badly injured and on the verge of death could still speak!

"Who is the Painted Skin Immortal? What is his name and where does he live?"

"No, I don't know. I've never seen this person before. It was always his junior servants who dealt with me."

Bai Yuheng frowned and asked again, "Who is the young envoy? How did you contact him? Do you know what he looks like, how old he is, and where he lives?"

"This person is masked, only their eyes are visible, and their voice is neither male nor female, making it difficult to discern their gender. They come to see me in person on the third day of each month..."

"So cautious!" He Si exclaimed in surprise.

"Flowers, flowers, flowers..." His face contorted, as if he was trying to stop himself from saying it, struggling against a force.

"Your Highness!" Yan Zhen, who had been quiet to the side, suddenly shouted loudly. Li Tiankuo looked at him with displeasure. Yan Zhen was in a state of turmoil, but he still trembled and forced himself to say, "Since Your Highness has not seen Prince Gong for many years, why don't I take you to his door to catch up?"

"..." Li Tiankuo stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled, revealing his gleaming white teeth, "Alright, let's go now."

Having said that, he stepped out of the prison.

Seeing that no one was following behind him, he raised his eyes with a cold face, "What? Wasn't Lord Yan going to lead the way for me?"

"Let's go."

"..." Yan Zhen was sweating profusely, a chill running down his spine, and forced a smile, "Your Highness's distinguished guests should also come along, so that the manor can entertain them together. We can't let the host's courtesy be neglected..."

"..." Li Tiankuo's smile faded. "No need. Let's go first. They," his sharp eagle eyes seemed to pierce through people's hearts, making Yan Zhen tremble like a leaf, he continued calmly, "naturally they have their own things to do. This king and Prince Gong don't need outsiders present to discuss their uncle-nephew relationship, don't you think, Lord Yan?"

"...Yes, yes, Your Highness is right. It was my oversight that led me to fail to consider things thoroughly."

"Lord Yan, please lead the way."

This sound was like the Grim Reaper demanding a life. Even though Yan Zhen was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to comply. After all, he had contradicted himself by saying those words, and this time he dared not disobey or be disrespectful. He slunk over.

Li Tiankuo turned to them and said slowly, "You can continue. I'll be back shortly."

Then he said to He Si, "Treat me with the utmost courtesy."

He Si lowered his head: "Yes."

Two hurried footsteps left the prison.

The prisoners all turned their gazes toward Xu Huaji, who was fighting alone, his features contorted in pain.

"The flowers you mentioned earlier..."

Just when they thought the clues had gone cold, he uttered a single word, "flower." Although the sound was not loud and was drowned out by Yan Zhen's sudden shout, they all heard it. Instantly, they had a choice and looked at each other in surprise.

"Is it about Hualien?"

Cui Mingcan was shocked. His voice was so high-pitched and thin that it hurt the eardrums.

Xu Huaji closed his eyes, his lips twitching.