Poisoning to Death

Inside Zhaoyu Tower, Yun Zishan walked quickly at the front, her deep blue Immortal Flowing Skirt brushing the ground with a faint rustling sound. Qiao Bin followed closely, his expression solemn, while Xu Yinyin trailed behind, her gaze unfocused, lost in thought.

"What exactly is going on?" Yun Zishan asked.

Qiao Bin quickened his pace, maintaining a half-step distance from Yun Zishan, and reported in a low voice, "Through the search of Magic Stones today, the sect apprehended seventeen demon cult spies. Excluding two who resisted arrest and committed suicide on the spot, fifteen are imprisoned in Zhaoyu Tower. However, starting from dusk, these individuals have successively begun to suffer from abdominal pain and wailing..."

"Why didn't you report it sooner!" Yun Zishan stopped and turned to look at Qiao Bin.

Qiao Bin hurriedly bowed and said, "The guarding disciples initially thought it was an isolated case and treated them according to regulations. Who knew that more and more people started experiencing abdominal pain, which led to the urgent report."

Yun Zishan said no more and quickly walked to the nearest interrogation room, pushing the door open. Two Law Enforcement Hall disciples were gathered before an iron chair. Upon seeing the Hall Master's arrival, they hastily turned to salute.

"What's the situation?" Yun Zishan inquired.

The two disciples bowed, heads lowered, and glanced at each other, neither daring to speak first.

Yun Zishan went straight ahead. She saw that the spy tied to the chair was bleeding from all seven orifices, his eyes rolled back, and he was already dead.

"He... he's dead..." one disciple finally stammered.

Yun Zishan's expression turned icy, and she immediately turned to head to the other interrogation rooms.

One room, two rooms... up to the fifteenth room, she had visited all the cells holding the spies. The sight in each was the same tragic scene—some prisoners had bitten their own lips, some had contorted expressions, clearly having endured immense pain. All prisoners were bleeding from their seven orifices, their eyes rolled back.

According to all the guarding disciples, everyone initially experienced abdominal pain, which later escalated into full-body wailing and convulsions. The Law Enforcement Hall disciples had tried all sorts of remedies, from channeling true qi to administering elixirs, but all were futile.

In the corridor, Yun Zishan's temples throbbed incessantly. "Conduct autopsies immediately," she ordered coldly. "I'll wait right here. We must ascertain the cause!"

Qiao Bin, standing nearby, immediately cupped his hands and said, "Understood!" He then hurried off to arrange the autopsies.

At this moment, Yun Zishan's gaze inadvertently swept across an interrogation room at the end of the corridor. The words "Special Interrogation Room" on the doorplate glowed faintly—this was the very room Yang Ning had modified yesterday.

Yun Zishan walked over, opened the door, and slowly entered. Xu Yinyin followed silently behind.

Inside the interrogation room, the one-way glass cast a faint glow under the candlelight. Yun Zishan stared at her own blurred reflection, and in the next instant, she seemed to see Yang Ning facing her from behind this glass yesterday. Their figures slowly overlapped, just as they had the day before.

"Yinyin."

There was no response. Xu Yinyin was lost in thought, her mind occupied with: With such heavy rain, will the boss catch a cold? The Rejuvenation Pill's effect is too weak; I should go to Dan Peak tomorrow to request a Sun-Generating Pill...

"Yinyin?" Yun Zishan turned around and saw Xu Yinyin's dazed expression. She couldn't help but frown. "What's wrong?"

Xu Yinyin's heart skipped a beat, but fortunately, her mind worked quickly. She immediately cupped her hands and said, "This disciple was contemplating the case."

Yun Zishan nodded slightly. She glanced around the interrogation room and, after a moment of hesitation, asked, "Did you go to that Yang Ning's shop today? Did he leave at any point?"

"No," Xu Yinyin shook her head without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Yun Zishan confirmed again.

Xu Yinyin's heart tightened. She knew her Master seemed to be suspicious of Yang Ning again. She immediately raised three fingers: "Master, I, disciple Xu Yinyin, swear to the heavens that from the early hour of Mao (5 AM) to the late hour of You (6 PM) today, Boss Yang never left his shop. He was always within my sight! If I violate this oath, may my spiritual roots..."

"Stop!"

Yun Zishan interrupted her sharply. Xu Yinyin was her most valued direct disciple, and as her Master, she absolutely would not allow her to make such a deadly oath.

Yun Zishan turned away. "There's no need to say more. I understand."

Xu Yinyin also realized her reaction had been too strong and slowly lowered her head.

Silence returned to the interrogation room.

Not long after, Qiao Bin walked in from outside the door and cupped his hands. "Hall Master, all the coroners in the Law Enforcement Hall have conducted their examinations. The autopsies are complete."

"Speak," Yun Zishan's clear, cold voice came.

"Traces of potent poison were detected in the bodies of all the spies. Preliminary analysis indicates the poison contains ingredients such as Gut-severing Grass and One-day Silence..."

"The cause of death was poisoning?" Yun Zishan inquired.

Qiao Bin hesitated for a moment, then said, "The cause of death for all of them was excruciating pain. These poisons induce extreme abdominal agony. The victims... were all tortured to death."

Yun Zishan's hands clenched together, her knuckles turning white. "The demon cult is truly the demon cult. They are so cruel even to their own people, not even allowing them a quick death."

Her emotions showed a rare fluctuation. "These spies deserved to die, but now there isn't a single survivor. The only one who survived has gone mad after interrogation. Moving forward... this will be difficult to handle."