Chapter 654: Interrogation

Following Guo Zhi inside, Zu An surveyed the so-called Heavenly Prison.

This was not a professional prison but merely a temporary holding area for criminals within the palace. It had one floor above ground and many underground levels.

As they descended winding stairs, step by step, the sunlight vanished, and a damp, chilly atmosphere indicative of a prison became palpable.

The surrounding walls were neatly constructed from massive stone blocks, faintly etched with magic arrays.

These arrays prevented tunneling from the outside and also blocked earth element cultivators from using their earth-escape abilities.

Looking at the various torture instruments along the way, faint dark red stains, evidently the blood of prisoners, clung to them, creating an inexplicably oppressive atmosphere.

Guo Zhi led Zu An further down when, suddenly, a cry from within announced someone wanted to confess.

Guo Zhi's face lit up with wild joy, and he rushed inside, forgetting all about Zu An.

Zu An frowned and quickly followed.

At that moment, muffled angry shouts from other people inside could be vaguely heard:

“Spineless coward, ugh!”

“How can you face all those dead brothers like this?”

“Your master painstakingly taught you for years; is this how you repay her?”

The curses were interspersed with all sorts of vulgar profanities, as the person's female relatives were subjected to countless vile insults.

Guo Zhi snorted coldly, snatched a leather whip from nearby, and lashed out, “All of you, shut your mouths!”

Their voices indeed quieted. Having been tortured daily for days, they were already devoid of strength. Their previous outburst of curses was merely a moment of indignation, and now, with that surge of anger dissipated, they could no longer curse.

Guo Zhi then ordered his subordinates to take one of them to an adjacent quiet room, and Zu An, curious, followed.

Guo Zhi glanced at him but said nothing. This was someone introduced by the Crown Princess; since she trusted him, he was considered one of their own.

Zu An, meanwhile, examined the blood-stained young man before him, and his expression immediately turned peculiar. It turned out to be an old acquaintance.

This was Gu Yueyi, Qiu Honglei's senior disciple, whom he had met before in Mingyue City.

At that moment, Gu Yueyi also saw him, and his expression became exceptionally vivid.

Guo Zhi, standing nearby, let out a heavy snort. “You said you wanted to confess. You may do so now.”

Gu Yueyi's eyes darted around, and he immediately pointed at Zu An, saying, “He…”

“Me, what?” Zu An walked out with a faint smile, casually tidying his clothes as if dusting them off.

Gu Yueyi's gaze fell upon the jade pendant at Zu An's waist. In an instant, his expression blended shock, fear, and surprise. It was hard to imagine one person displaying so many emotions simultaneously without seeing it firsthand.

“What about him?” Guo Zhi asked, a little suspicious.

Gu Yueyi snapped back to reality. “Who is he, and why is he here?”

Guo Zhi then relaxed, saying directly, “You don't need to concern yourself with who he is. He's trustworthy. Now, quickly, what exactly do you want to confess?”

Gu Yueyi finally let out a small "Oh." “I just wanted to say, please stop hitting us. We've already said everything there is to say. The one who ordered us truly was King Qi.”

Guo Zhi was so enraged he laughed instead. “Are you f***ing messing with me?”

He had never expected the other party to specifically call him out just to say that. Infuriated, he lashed out with the leather whip, making Gu Yueyi shriek.

“But we truly have confessed, Lord Guo, why won't you believe us?”

“Still f***ing messing with me!”

“Ah… ah…”

Watching Gu Yueyi cry out repeatedly, his eyes constantly darting towards him, Zu An knew it was time. He gave a light cough and stepped forward, saying, “General Guo, why don't you let me try handling these worthless wretches?”

“You?” Guo Zhi was a little suspicious. He had been interrogating them for days without gaining any meaningful information and had just been played for a fool. He truly couldn't believe Zu An would have a solution.

“Trying won't cost them a piece of flesh,” Zu An said with a sincere expression.

Guo Zhi recalled the Crown Princess's purpose in sending him. He handed over the leather whip. “It's fine, hit them as much as you want. Give them a thorough… training. Losing a bit of flesh won't be a big deal.”

Zu An's eyelid twitched. Could this guy not break his sentences so strangely?

After Guo Zhi left, Zu An had the jailers carry Gu Yueyi, who was a limp mess, back to the outer cells. Inside, several people were bound to wooden racks, enduring torture from the jailers.

One of them was tall and thin, with faintly reddish hair—it was none other than the Fiery Rogue he had encountered on the way to the capital.

Another had a full beard, and even though imprisoned, an imposing aura emanated from his brow. This was likely Elder Sun Luzhen, whom Yun Jianyue had mentioned as an elder of the cult.

A few others lay scattered in distant cells, covered in blood and filth, their lives uncertain.

Zu An felt a hint of admiration. Although he had previously criticized members of the Demonic Cult as selfish, these individuals, despite enduring such severe torture, had still not betrayed Yun Jianyue. It seemed they truly held their own beliefs.

“Traitor, you dare to return! I'll never let you off, even if I become a ghost!” Upon seeing Gu Yueyi, Sun Luzhen became so agitated he lunged forward, causing his chains to rattle as if he might break free at any moment.

“Still not behaving!” A nearby jailer immediately lashed him with a whip. Sun Luzhen cried out and dared not struggle further, only glaring fiercely at Gu Yueyi.

Gu Yueyi, standing by, hesitated to speak. He looked at Zu An and the nearby jailer, but in the end, said nothing.

Zu An curiously glanced at the whip in the jailer's hand. Faint magic arrays seemed to shimmer on it, suggesting it was similar to Little Zhao's Whip of Wailing, capable of amplifying pain. No wonder even a tough man like Sun Luzhen was struggling to endure.

At that moment, the Fiery Rogue, who was nearby, slowly opened his eyes. Upon seeing Zu An, a look of shock appeared in his eyes. “You… you…”

“'You' what? Haven't you seen someone this handsome before?” Zu An swung the leather whip Guo Zhi had just given him, lashing out directly, cutting off the Fiery Rogue's stream of words.

Then he turned to the nearby jailers and said, “You all can leave too. I'd like to have a private talk with them.”

“Yes, sir!” The jailers had already received their orders. Hearing this, they exchanged glances and all withdrew.

Once the jailers had left, the Fiery Rogue spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. “Bah! You son of a bitch! I never thought the tables would turn, and I'd fall into your hands today. Do what you will, kill me or slice me, I don't care!”

Rage value from the Fiery Rogue +999!

Clearly, he believed that since he had pursued Zu An on the way to the capital, the latter would now seize the opportunity for revenge.

At this moment, Gu Yueyi quickly interjected, “Mr. Huo, you've misunderstood. He's not an enemy; the Saintess sent him.”

He had just recognized the jade pendant on Zu An as a personal item of Qiu Honglei's, which was why he had changed his mind at the last minute.

“The Saintess?” The Fiery Rogue paused, remembering that during their pursuit, there had indeed been something ambiguous between the Saintess and this guy. For a moment, he was uncertain.

Sun Luzhen, who was tied to the central wooden rack, glared at Gu Yueyi, furiously exclaiming, “You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? I've never even heard of any Saintess!”

Zu An couldn't help but smile. “Elder Sun is truly fiery by nature. Even in this situation, he's unwilling to reveal anything.”

Hearing him speak his name, Sun Luzhen's breath hitched, and he stared fixedly at him. “Who exactly are you?”

The Fiery Rogue said, “Zu An, the boy with the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture.”

Sun Luzhen immediately realized, having heard about him before.

Zu An leisurely pulled up a stool and sat down. “Indeed, Honglei asked me to come. Considering our previous acquaintance, I came to deliver a message for her.”

Upon hearing him use such an intimate address, a flicker of jealousy crossed Gu Yueyi's eyes. He had always admired his beautiful junior disciple, but she had consistently treated him coldly. Yet, now she had given her personal jade pendant to this man.

However, considering his future fate depended on this person, he quickly suppressed his displeasure.

“What message?” Sun Luzhen asked curiously.

Zu An said, “Do you know why, despite your insistence that King Qi was the mastermind, they still refuse to believe you? Ultimately, you can only accuse King Qi but cannot provide more specific details. How could these people dare to submit such a flawed confession? My purpose in coming here this time is to teach you how to refine the details…”

“So that's it!” Sun Luzhen exclaimed with emotion. “No wonder they didn't believe anything we said and tortured us every day. I pride myself on having strong bones, but even I almost couldn't endure it.”

The Fiery Rogue then asked curiously, “What kind of details? How should we explain it?”

Zu An then proceeded to teach them the narrative of how Cheng Xiong used his son Cheng Gang and relied on Shuang Yue from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau to transmit information.

The others listened, nodding subtly, but only Gu Yueyi asked the question he was most concerned about: “Young Master Zu, saying this is fine, but once we've said it, we'll lose our value. The people in the palace might just execute us casually. Do you have a plan to save us?”

As he spoke, his eyes gazed at Zu An with a burning intensity.