Inside the rear hall of the Commandery Commandant Office in Jinling City.
The dim candlelight flickered, stretching the shadows of Li Yan, Long Yan'er, Kuai Dayou, and the others across the cold stone walls.
Besides Qiu Mingyuan, the capital's Mystic Sacrificial Official and Chiliarch of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, several collateral-branch members of the Lin Family were also in the room. It was clear that Qiu Mingyuan had kept his word. Though these people were still being held temporarily, their clothes were clean and neat, and their earlier injuries had been bandaged.
Having been brought in for interrogation in the middle of the night, the collateral-branch members looked pale, their eyes filled with fear.
"First Young Master, we're truly innocent!"
Faced with Fatty Lin's repeated questioning, all of them trembled inwardly.
They had only just escaped death. They did not want to be thrown back into prison.
"Honored sirs, please judge wisely!"
An older Lin Family youth cupped his hands and said, "Ever since Lin Yaozu took power, he monopolized the account books and the warehouse keys. We... we weren't even qualified to check them anymore. Besides, this was a crime punishable by decapitation. How would we dare get involved?"
"Don't be afraid."
Li Yan offered a word of comfort, then asked in a deep voice, "The matter of Lin Yaozu has already been cleared up. It has nothing to do with you, or you wouldn't be here."
"We summoned you because we want to know whether, during their time in Jinling, those people did anything besides colluding with the demon practitioners to cause trouble."
"Think carefully!"
Fatty Lin helped from the side as well. He seemed stern, but in truth he was trying to save these clansmen.
These collateral-branch members had been assigned to manage shops, so none of