Interrogation

Li Ye took off the Shapeshifter Mask, revealing a face just as young and handsome, but completely different.

Wei Bo's mind buzzed, and his expression instantly turned spectacular.

"It's you?"

He cried out, waves of shock surging through his heart as he stumbled backward.

How could it be this man?

Wasn't he supposed to...

Li Ye said expressionlessly, "Hmm, it seems you know who I am."

Wei Bo's face was covered in shock.

Of course I know who you are.

You're the crippled former Divine Concealment Sect Saint.

And now you're Li Ye, the Corpse Burner.

"Saint Li Ye, shouldn't you have already..."

Wei Bo began.

Li Ye sneered. "Should have what?"

"Should have been crippled and on your last legs? I'm sorry to disappoint you."

How was this possible? Hadn't he been poisoned?

But he had clearly lost his cultivation after being poisoned, become a cripple, and eventually been demoted to the Corpse Refining Courtyard.

How could he now be standing before him as if nothing had happened?

Unless...

Unless he had noticed something from the very beginning and played along.

He must have been trying to find out who had poisoned him.

The Divine Concealment Sect must have been cooperating, too.

Yes, it had to be that.

Wei Bo instantly became certain of his guess, and his face turned ashen.

Because his superior had said that the poison was a newly developed slow-acting toxin, one with no antidote anywhere in the world.

Once poisoned, there could be only one outcome.

Hahaha!

Wei Bo laughed, a tragic look appearing on his face. "To die at your hands is an honor."

"Please, do it."

He made no attempt to resist. He simply closed his eyes and awaited Li Ye's judgment.

First, his precious son was right in front of the man. With a single thought, Li Ye could take the boy's life.

Second, the man standing before him was none other than the dazzling, peerless sword genius of the Southern Region, the Object Manipulation Realm Great Perfection prodigy and Divine Concealment Sect Saint—Li Ye.

In the presence of this legendary figure, Wei Bo had no choice. All he could do was surrender.

Li Ye had no idea what Wei Bo was thinking. He thought the man knew how to read the room and said coldly, "Want to die? Fine!"

"Answer my questions first. Why did you poison me?"

Wei Bo opened his eyes and sighed. "This humble one doesn't know. I was only following orders."

Li Ye snorted.

"Whose orders?"

"My superior's."

"Who is your superior?"

Wei Bo's face filled with conflict. "...Could you ask me something else?"

"If I answer, it'll be the same as betraying them."

"And the Imperial Guards' way of dealing with traitors is... to wipe out their entire family."

Wei Bo spoke in a pleading tone.

It was clear that this man was truly at the end of his rope.

But did being at the end of his rope give him the right to ruin a genius's life and leave him to die in misery?

Did it give him the right to poison me?

Why should other people have to bear the burden of your desperation?

Li Ye felt not the slightest sympathy for Wei Bo. Since he had chosen to join the Imperial Guards and sell his life to them, he should have been prepared to face the consequences.

"Are you trying to win my sympathy?"

"Want me to make an exception for you?"

"When you poisoned me, why didn't you make an exception for me? Don't try that on me."

"Believe me, I can wipe out your family right now."

Wei Bo sank into unprecedented despair. His expression gradually twisted in pain.

As a member of the Imperial Guards, he simply didn't have the courage to betray the organization.

But if he didn't, neither his wife nor his child—or he himself—would make it out alive today.

What should he do? What should he do?

Wei Bo understood his situation perfectly. There was no other choice.

He... gave in.

"He's called Red Fox."

"Where is Red Fox?"

"I don't know. I know very little about him. He's masked every time we meet. I've only seen his real face once."

"I see. Then how do you contact each other?"

"He always comes to me."

"Do you have a set schedule?"

"No. Sometimes he comes to see me once every month or two. Sometimes years go by without him contacting me."

"When did he last come to see you?"

"Last night."

"And the time before that?"

"...The night before."

"What's Red Fox's cultivation level?"

"Object Manipulation Realm First Layer!"

"Were you the one who poisoned me more than half a year ago?"

"No."

"Who was it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Fine. Let me ask you this: apart from you and Red Fox, are there any other Imperial Guards in Licheng?"

"N-no, there aren't."

"Do you want your son to join you on the road to the afterlife? You don't understand? Fine, let me give you a hint. Fan Chunfang!"

"What? You..."

Wei Bo stared at Li Ye in shock, then met Li Ye's piercing gaze.

That gaze seemed able to see right through him, making Wei Bo's scalp tingle as if none of his thoughts could be hidden.

Wei Bo gave a bitter smile. "There really aren't any others."

"We Imperial Guards have always communicated through single lines. Apart from our own superiors and subordinates, we can't possibly know that other colleagues exist."

"Please, you must believe that."

"This humble one truly doesn't know who poisoned you half a year ago."

Li Ye studied the changes in his expression and felt that he didn't seem to be lying.

That was also consistent with the rules for undercover agents Li Ye had seen in movies in his previous life.

"Fine. I believe you,"

Li Ye said.

Wei Bo let out a sigh of relief.

"What was that poison called?"

"I don't know."

"Where's the poison?"

"It's gone."

"Kill yourself."

Wei Bo was dead.

He had taken his own life with the Spring Embroidered Saber of the Imperial Guards.

He died in front of his son's cradle.

The little one in the cradle wailed.

After leaving Wei's home, Li Ye didn't go to the Golden Juice Beef House to deal with the proprietress.

He returned straight to the Corpse Refining Courtyard.

"Wei Bo was at my mercy, and he answered every question."

"If he didn't know something, there's even less chance Fan Chunfang would know."

"Better to keep her alive."

"First, it'll mislead Red Fox, so he won't know that Wei Bo died at my hands after his poisoning was exposed. Second, I can wait for Red Fox to send a new Imperial Guard to take Wei Bo's place and become the proprietress's superior."

"Then I can use the two of them as bait, lure out Red Fox, and expose the Mastermind."

Li Ye thought.

In his view, Red Fox probably wasn't the Mastermind.

His status was too low. He didn't have the standing.

The one who truly wanted to kill him and the Saint had to be someone else.

Li Ye could use Daily Divination to deduce Red Fox's whereabouts, but the man was probably far from Licheng.

If Red Fox was in the Capital, Li Ye wouldn't be able to make a move.

Besides, Li Ye wasn't Red Fox's match yet.

So he chose to spare the proprietress for now, intending to use her later.

"Tomorrow night, I'll first divine Red Fox's origins."

"But Red Fox's status is too low. Even if I catch him, I might not learn anything."

At this thought, Li Ye flipped his palm, and a crystal-clear Jade Talisman appeared in it.

It was the Communication Talisman Flower Demon had given him.

Hiss!

The next moment, Li Ye made a sword-pointing gesture. Tiny electric arcs crackled from his fingertips as he traced characters onto the Communication Talisman.

A miraculous sight unfolded.

When the Communication Talisman came into contact with Li Ye's power, it wasn't damaged or scratched. Instead, a faint ripple spread across it like water.

When Li Ye's finger touched the ripples, characters appeared upon them.

Four characters in all—Something's up. Come at once!

The four characters instantly sank into the Jade Talisman and disappeared.

Before long, the Communication Talisman lit up, and a line of writing appeared.

It was Flower Demon's reply.

"Hmph. Do you think you can summon me whenever you like and send me away whenever you like? You're far too outrageous, Li Bai!"

"Cooperation canceled."

"Brother Li, your little sister was wrong. I'm coming right away. But... in the middle of the night, what... what do you want to do? I'm scared!"