Interrogation in Person, Served on a Tray

Chapter 42: Interrogation in Person, a Tray Carried Out of the Demon Suppressing Division Dungeon.

An interrogation room deep within the dungeon.

Sun Tai was suspended from the wall by iron chains, his official robes long since stripped away, revealing a tattered shirt.

Whip marks and brandings covered his body, and his face was bruised and swollen.

He looked utterly wretched, but a stubborn glint remained in his eyes.

When he heard the sound of the cell door opening, he looked up and saw Lin Hu entering.

Sun Tai's eyes flickered, then he resumed his "dead pig not afraid of boiling water" expression.

"Hmph... you again."

His voice was hoarse and laced with mockery.

"How many times have I told you, I am innocent! I have never colluded with any Demon Cult!"

"You arrest people without evidence, that's abuse of power! The first thing I'll do when I get out is report you to His Majesty, accusing you, Lin Hu, of harming loyal officials..."

Lin Hu walked up to him and looked down at his defiant demeanor.

Then he smiled.

"You think if you don't speak, This Seat won't find out?"

Sun Tai sneered.

"I am clean, what can you investigate? What can you find?"

"If you truly had evidence, would you be wasting your breath talking to me here?"

Lin Hu shook his head.

"You've misunderstood one thing."

He squatted in front of Sun Tai, his voice calm but sending a chill down Sun Tai's spine.

"This Seat is interrogating you personally, not because there's no evidence."

"But because your mouth is too stubborn, and it wasted This Seat's entire night."

As his words fell.

He raised a hand and sent a stream of white Spiritual Power directly into Sun Tai's body.

The Spiritual Power was like a venomous snake, slithering through Sun Tai's meridians.

Wherever it passed, the meridians burned.

It felt like being stabbed with a red-hot iron rod!

"Ahhhhh--!"

Sun Tai threw his head back, letting out a piercing scream that was barely human.

His body convulsed violently, the chains rattling loudly.

The muscles in his face contorted, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

But this was merely physical pain.

Lin Hu raised his other hand and pointed his index finger at Sun Tai's brow.

An even purer Spiritual Power surged into Sun Tai's sea of consciousness.

Sun Tai felt as if an invisible hand was prying open his head.

Terrifying illusions flooded his mind.

He saw himself being sliced into a thousand pieces, each cut agonizingly real.

He saw his entire clan being led to the execution ground, his parents, wife, children, and relatives, their heads severed before his eyes.

He saw members of the Holy Demon God Sect finding him, torturing him with the most brutal methods, making him wish for death.

These illusions repeated endlessly.

"Ahhhhhh--!"

Sun Tai's screams echoed through the interrogation room, making even the guards outside the door's scalps tingle.

His will was as thin as paper against this torment.

In less than the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Sun Tai finally broke, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.

Lin Hu withdrew his finger, and the white Spiritual Power dissipated.

Sun Tai hung limply from the chains like a puddle of mud, gasping for air.

His entire body was soaked in sweat, and his pants were drenched.

He raised his head.

The look in their eyes as they gazed at Lin Hu was filled with terror.

"Speak."

Lin Hu's tone was indifferent.

Sun Tai's lips trembled as he spoke in fits and starts.

"I... I truly did have dealings with the Holy Demon God Sect."

"Three years ago, people from the Holy Demon God Sect found me. They said that as long as I helped them provide intelligence on the movements of the Xu Province garrison, they would give me one million mid-grade Spirit Crystals as an offering every year."

"I was greedy at the time, so I... I agreed."

"Later, they had me help them establish branch sect hideouts in various counties across Xu Province, forge official government documents, and cover their tracks. I also had to report the stationing and movements of the Xu Province prefectural army to them regularly."

"In exchange, they promised to help me break through to an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster within five years. They also promised that once the Demon Realm descended and the world changed hands, they would not only spare my entire family but also let me remain the master of Xu Province, and perhaps even grant me a few more provinces..."

Having said this, he hurriedly added another sentence, his voice tinged with an eagerness to earn merit.

"But I never helped them with anything regarding the branch sects! I truly don't know how those branches were built or where they are currently hiding!"

"They were very tight-lipped about it and never let me touch any information regarding the branches! I asked a few times, and they warned me not to meddle in affairs that didn't concern me, saying the less I knew, the better it would be for me!"

Sun Zhengyang stood behind Lin Hu, listening to Sun Tai's confession word for word.

His eyes grew wider and wider, and his mouth hung open in shock.

When he heard Sun Tai admit that he had indeed colluded with the Demon Cult, he felt as if he had been punched in the gut.

He stumbled back two steps and collided with the wall.

"You... you actually did it...!"

Sun Zhengyang pointed at Sun Tai, his finger trembling.

He had interrogated him for an entire night, kept in the dark by Sun Tai's performance of a "loyal official suffering a grievance."

He had even spoken up for Sun Tai before Lin Hu several times, saying things like "could there be a misunderstanding" and "Prefect Sun is loyal to the imperial court."

Now, it was all over; Sun Tai had confessed with his own mouth.

The slap to his face was resounding.

He recalled the things he had said to Lin Hu earlier, and his old face flushed a deep red.

Han Meng, who had come along to observe, also stood frozen in place, his expression as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly.

To think he had actually pleaded for Sun Tai!

Now he was in trouble; he had pleaded for a traitor who colluded with the Demon Cult. If this news got out, he would be investigated himself!

Han Meng turned to Lin Hu and cupped his fists, his tone filled with guilt.

"Lord Envoy, this subordinate has offended you greatly by speaking up for this traitor."

"I was foolish! I am guilty! Please, Lord Envoy, punish me!"

Sun Zhengyang also hurriedly bowed, his voice heavy with self-reproach.

"This official as well! I could not extract the truth and even questioned Lord Envoy's judgment."

"I am incompetent; please, Lord Envoy, punish me!"

Lin Hu waved his hand.

"The ignorant are not guilty."

He glanced at the dying Sun Tai hanging on the wall and said coldly, "Continue the interrogation. Dig out everything he knows."

"Even if he doesn't know the exact locations of those branch hideouts, he should at least know some clues."

"After the interrogation, escort him to the capital and hand him over to His Majesty and the... Prince for judgment."

Han Meng and Sun Zhengyang cupped their fists in unison.

"This subordinate obeys!"

This time, there was not a shred of dissatisfaction in the eyes of the two men as they looked at Lin Hu; in its place was heartfelt awe and admiration.

The strength of a Ninth-Rank Martial Saint, precise and unerring judgment, and such interrogation methods that made one wish for death.

This White Tiger Guard under Prince Wu'an was far more terrifying than they had imagined!

While the interrogation of Sun Tai was taking place deep within the prison, the Prefectural Governor's Mansion in Xu Province had already descended into chaos.

Once the news spread that Sun Tai had been taken down and thrown into prison, the mansion's advisors, secretaries, accountants, and stewards all lost their heads.

Some tried to slip away during the confusion, but they were blocked inside the mansion by soldiers Han Meng had arranged in advance.

After Lin Hu emerged from the prison, he led his men directly back to the Prefectural Governor's Mansion to begin a thorough investigation.

Ledgers, secret letters, communication talismans, storage rings – everything that might hold a clue was turned out.

He flipped through the ledgers page by page.

"These few accounts are wrong."

He pointed to several altered entries in the ledger, his tone firm.

"For the past three years, there's been an income of five hundred thousand mid-grade Spirit Crystals annually, but less than half was recorded. Where did the other half go?"

The Secretary, held captive nearby, trembled all over, his face instantly turning ashen.

He stammered for a long time, but finally couldn't withstand Lin Hu's gaze and confessed honestly.

"Yes, it was Lord Sun who told us to falsify the accounts. That money was received privately by him and not to be recorded."

Lin Hu nodded, then pulled out several more secret letters hidden in a secret compartment.

Although the secret letters didn't directly mention the Holy Demon God Sect by name, the text was full of code words.

"Goods have arrived," "Meet at the usual spot," "The higher-ups are very satisfied."

Such furtive wording made it obvious this was no legitimate business.

He handed the secret letters to Sun Zhengyang beside him.

"Can you decipher these code words?"

Sun Zhengyang took the secret letters, examined them carefully, and nodded.

"Yes. These code words are common communication methods for the Demon Cult. We've seen similar ones elsewhere before."

"This subordinate will have someone decipher them immediately. We should be able to find clues to other Branch Sect hideouts from them."

Lin Hu nodded.

"Act quickly."

Sun Zhengyang bowed to receive the order and left quickly with the secret letters.

After he departed.

Lin Hu's gaze sharpened even more than before.

Sun Tai was just the beginning; the Demon Cult hideouts hidden within Xu Province were the main course.

He had to root out all these rats before the Venerable One arrived in Xu Province!