Chapter 540: Overnight Interrogation

**Chapter 537: Overnight Interrogation**

Each art has its master; an ordinary cultivator might be at a loss. Moreover, this young man seemed to follow the path of a martial cultivator.

He Lingchuan took the cloth doll and, without any other movements, simply tucked it into his jacket, as if Bai Ziqi had thrown him a silver coin that he casually put away.

He even patted it twice.

As a result, Bai Ziqi saw the stag beetle swarm on the ground halt.

Each one remained motionless like a statue, not even its antennae twitching.

“Please release them from their restraints,” He Lingchuan said. He also wanted to know what method Bai Ziqi had used to control these unruly insects.

Bai Ziqi then took a whisk from his sleeve and gently flicked it towards the swarm on the ground.

A strong gust of wind swept through. He Lingchuan had a feeling that something had been blown off the stag beetles.

Only then did they start to fly, a few at a time, circling around He Lingchuan.

He still didn't understand the other's method.

Fortunately, Bai Ziqi probably hadn't figured out his trick either.

He Lingchuan then took the cloth doll out of his jacket again and waved it towards the swarm, saying, “Go home, there’s nothing fun out here.”

The swarm surged towards him with a whoosh.

More precisely, they surged towards the cloth doll.

Their large bodies somehow squeezed into that small opening. In short, within about a few dozen breaths, not a single stag beetle remained; all had returned to their nest.

Bai Ziqi couldn't help but applaud. “Excellent, interesting! How did you do that?”

“Cheng Yu didn't actually tame the Worm King; he just used a clever trick.”

“Oh?”

“He used the evil spirit he raised to control the Worm King,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be easy to build a relationship with the Worm King.”

Old Yu, a beast tamer in his Panlong City team, once said that creatures between ordinary beasts and demon beasts are the hardest to tame. They become cunning once their spiritual awareness awakens, yet they lack common sense.

Among them, insects are the most difficult to train.

Because it’s very difficult to communicate with them effectively.

Cheng Yu likely encountered this problem too, so he took a shortcut.

He Lingchuan was able to quickly tame the Worm King by adapting Cheng Yu's method.

After all, he possessed the Soul-Capturing Mirror. And who knew that two evil spirits were being nurtured within it?

The mirror absorbed the evil spirit from the Worm King and then released one of its own minions to replace it. The stag beetle Worm King was simple-minded and lacked the ability to think, possessing only a bit of arrogant stubbornness.

The evil spirits in the mirror found it easy to control such a possessed entity, and the stag beetle Worm King was quickly appeased.

He Lingchuan calmly put away the cloth doll. “Thank you for the gift, Commissioner Bai.”

Bai Ziqi observed him closely for a moment before saying, “Cheng Yu’s defeat at your hands is certainly not unjust.”

He Lingchuan could only chuckle.

He could sense that Bai Ziqi had dealt with those two calmly, without expending much effort at all.

Actually, he wanted to trade the insect nest doll for the platinum candle; that item seemed more useful.

But He Lingchuan felt that Bai Ziqi wouldn't agree. After all, it was a treasure of the Star-Plucking Pavilion, so he decided not to ask for trouble.

At this point, the various constables finally caught up from behind and placed runic shackles on both fugitives.

This chase, which had alarmed the entire city, finally came to an end.

Bai Ziqi let out a breath and patted his sleeves. The constables led over a spirit deer and invited the Envoy to mount it.

Watching his back as he was surrounded and escorted forward, He Lingchuan's lips curved into a slight smile.

The giant serpent manifested by the lamp spirit was indeed very difficult to deal with.

Bai Ziqi's supernatural abilities were indeed unexpectedly powerful.

However, Bai Ziqi had not seen through the method he had just used either!

The real show was yet to come.

He Lingchuan returned to Baisha Qu and waited for another half hour before Fu Shanyue returned from the north.

“It's fortunate that Commissioner Bai and you went west!” Fu Shanyue, hearing that Cen Boqing had been captured, also let out a long sigh of relief. “If that fellow had escaped, he would surely have stayed far from Beijia and never returned! So, where is he?”

“Commissioner Bai took him back to the county yamen, along with Cheng Yu.” Speaking of Cheng Yu, He Lingchuan always felt a little uneasy. “The interrogation hasn't started yet; Commander Lu also sent people to guard them. Commissioner Bai said he would interrogate him with you in the morning.”

“Hah, at least he remembered,” Fu Shanyue said. Before splitting up to pursue the criminals, he had agreed on three terms with Bai Ziqi: whoever caught Cen Boqing, they would interrogate him together.

After a night of getting dusty and dirty, everyone needed to go back to clean up and change clothes. Fu Shanyue even called He Lingchuan to go grab a late-night snack.

However, a personal guard under Commander Lu suddenly rushed over to report:

“Commissioner Bai has gone to the county yamen. Also, Cheng Yu, the one you captured, has woken up.”

He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat.

Was Bai Ziqi going to interrogate Cheng Yu? What connection could a mere spellcaster have with the demon-hunting and pearl-retrieval case? Why couldn't Bai Ziqi wait even a few hours to interrogate him now?

He Lingchuan's method of defeating Cheng Yu last time was not something he could reveal to outsiders, which made him feel uneasy at this moment.

“Cheng Yu is awake?” When they had brought Cheng Yu back, he was still unconscious. The impact from the lamp spirit transforming into a white fireball had been too powerful, and the Everlasting True Flame seemed to have a suppressive effect on Cheng Yu's spells.

“He's awake. Barely alive, but he can still speak.”

He Lingchuan glanced at Fu Shanyue. “Is this appropriate?”

Fu Shanyue thought for a moment. “He's interrogating the spellcaster, not Cen Boqing, so it's not a breach of our agreement.”

He had no interest in Cheng Yu.

He Lingchuan immediately said, “The key figure in this case is Cen Boqing, yet Bai Ziqi wants to interrogate Cheng Yu overnight. Don't you find that strange?”

“Yes, it is a bit strange,” Fu Shanyue said, stroking his chin. “I've dealt with people from the Star-Plucking Pavilion a few times before. They always take their time to bathe, change, offer incense, and worship gods; they're never proactive about anything else.”

The man surnamed Cheng is already a prisoner. Any time would do for an interrogation, so why must it be overnight?

“He doesn't want us to know what he's interrogating Cheng Yu about?” Fu Shanyue's eyes darted.

He Lingchuan knew he was naturally rebellious and reminded him, “Didn't you say that Commissioner Bai might have other intentions?”

Fu Shanyue's heart tightened.

He had long suspected that Bai Ziqi had another purpose for coming south, and now he was secretly interrogating the spellcaster behind his back. Could it be that the man surnamed Bai was secretly targeting their father and son, looking for something to use against them?

In recent years, the relationship between Chiyan State and Lingxu City had not been very harmonious. His father, the king, had recently submitted multiple memorials, publicly exposing the private refining of the elixir of immortality, even alarming the gods. The Emperor must be furious.

Just then, an owl descended from the night sky, raised its wings, then bowed towards Fu Shanyue.

He Lingchuan speculated that this was likely the owl from Uncle Da's team, which had originally gone to Jinquan Yayuan to apprehend Fu Shanyue. However, to humans, all owls looked the same, so he wasn't sure if he had recognized it correctly.

“Crown Prince, Yao Xingning, the eldest daughter of the Grand Minister of Agriculture, suddenly arrived at the Cen residence, hit two of Commander Lu’s soldiers, and then rushed into the mansion. No one dared to stop her.”

“What?” Fu Shanyue jumped in surprise. “That fierce Yao woman is here?”

He Lingchuan remembered when he visited Xiang Yan, the old man had said it was fortunate that Cen Boqing’s wife hadn't come, otherwise the case would be even more difficult to handle. And now, just as the case was about to conclude, she had arrived.

Fu Shanyue had just returned from outside the city, and his mount had not yet been unsaddled. He immediately led it out and mounted it, saying, “Let’s go, to the county yamen! I want to see what scheme Bai Ziqi is up to!”

When he got stubborn, he didn't care if it was day or night. Anyway, the entire Baisha Qu had been in chaos all night; would one more night ride matter?

He Lingchuan also mounted his rock goat and went along. Watching Fu Shanyue's back as he rode ahead, he couldn't shake the feeling that Fu Shanyue wasn't going to confront Bai Ziqi, but rather to avoid someone.

The streets were clear late at night. Several riders galloped along and quickly reached the county yamen gate.

He Lingchuan's expression also tightened. He absolutely had to know what answers Bai Ziqi would extract from Cheng Yu.

As the two arrived at the county yamen gate, Commander Lu happened to step out, looked up, saw Fu Shanyue, jumped in surprise, and quickly bowed.

Had it already ended? He Lingchuan's heart tightened. “How was Commissioner Bai’s interrogation?”

“Ah, Commissioner Bai had just gone in and immediately dismissed me.”

Fu Shanyue strode inside, ignoring everyone.

Such private interrogations were conducted in separate rooms, not in the public hall. In any case, Fu Shanyue entered the brightest lit room, and the attendants at the door dared not stop him.

Inside, there was only a large bed and a chair.

A patient lay on the bed, looking sickly. Seated on the chair was Bai Ziqi.

Fan Sheng stood behind him.

In the four corners of the room, four burning white candles were placed, their flames rising vertically and unmoving.

“Oh, Commissioner Bai, you've worked hard! After apprehending the criminal, you're immediately interrogating him without pause!” Fu Shanyue strode in, a wide smile on his face. “Who is this fellow?”

He could tell at a glance that Bai Ziqi hadn't even changed his clothes.

Was he that urgent?

“The spellcaster Cheng Yu,” Bai Ziqi said gently, glancing at him. “Please take a seat, Crown Prince.”

Although his demeanor was amiable, he didn't move an inch from his seat upon the arrival of the Crown Prince of Chiyan State, remaining firmly seated.

He didn't even stand up.

He Lingchuan observed coolly, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the status of the so-called 'Capital Cloud Envoy'. Fu Shanyue didn't seem to mind either; when the guards brought two chairs, he casually took one, seating himself directly below Bai Ziqi.

The cubicle was already small. With two more people squeezed in, the guards had to turn sideways to enter or exit.

As soon as Fu Shanyue sat down, he asked, “What is so special about this man that Commissioner Bai must personally interrogate him?”

Given Bai Ziqi's status, he could have made the patient kneel before him. Yet he personally came to interrogate him, even appearing quite concerned. Fu Shanyue could tell at a glance that this was not like interrogating a criminal.

“I haven't interrogated Cen Boqing yet, thinking the Crown Prince should also rest after returning to the city.”

Bai Ziqi mentioned their agreement and casually glanced at Commander Lu. Fu Shanyue's eyes and ears were everywhere here. He had only just begun interrogating Cheng Yu, barely finished two initial questions, and the Crown Prince had already rushed over.

From the inn to here, how else could Crown Prince Yue have arrived so quickly if not by galloping his horse?

“Commissioner Bai is trustworthy, but I couldn't possibly let the Envoy toil alone while I slept soundly,” Fu Shanyue said, rubbing his nose. “Besides, this man surnamed Cheng cast a spell to kill my special envoy, so I want to hear him testify against Cen Boqing!”

With a single statement, he associated Cheng Yu and Cen Boqing, then immediately pointed at He Lingchuan and turned to ask Cheng Yu:

“Do you know who he is?”

(End of Chapter)