Where is the highest place in Haishi? On the roof of the Zhenhai Department.
The roof, resembling a castle, features pavilions, terraces, flowers, and trees. This roof represents the highest authority in Haishi, and only those with the highest authority are worthy of residing here.
Inside a spacious pavilion, Zhu Xuan sat quietly behind his desk, silently sipping tea, while the Grand Guard Commander Xi Qingyue stood opposite him, watching.
The two of them remained in silent confrontation for a long time.
Xi Qingyue knew he had done something to displease the other party. He had brought a large number of men to Langhuan Ju to make arrests without reporting it first. Most of the people who could live at Langhuan Ju were not ordinary individuals, and he knew this rash arrest would place considerable pressure on Zhu Xuan.
Although Zhu Xuan was inwardly displeased while silently drinking his tea, he could not really say anything. The other party had received a report, a murder had occurred in Haishi, and it was not entirely wrong to promptly bring men over to the scene.
After the silence had worn away a certain tension, Zhu Xuan finally spoke. “Do we have any leads on the murderer?”
Xi Qingyue replied, “They might be among the arrested men. We are currently taking their statements, and once the situation is sorted out, we will launch targeted interrogations.”
Zhu Xuan tilted his head to gesture towards Qi Duolai, who was standing with his hands behind his back. “Let him intervene in this case. Let him give you a hand, and consult with him more on any matters.”
Is he trying to take control from my hands? Xi Qingyue frowned. “Commander, in my opinion, there is no need for so many people to crowd together. I will handle it according to the rules. If I need Old Qi to help, I will naturally seek his assistance.”
Zhu Xuan’s expression instantly darkened, and he nearly slammed the teacup in his hand onto the desk. “Then give me a time. When can you find the real murderer?”
Xi Qingyue said, “Commander, the case details are still being sorted out. How can I give a specific timeframe?”
Zhu Xuan countered, “Do you think I am deliberately making things difficult for you?”
Xi Qingyue replied, “The Commander would naturally not deliberately make things difficult. However, investigating a case must be done step by step. The best I can do is to be as fast as possible.”
Zhu Xuan said, “Investigating a case? It seems you have not realised where the true problem with this case lies. Let me ask you, have you ever heard of the relationship between Wang Xuetang and the Earth Mother?”
Xi Qingyue said, “I have heard a little. They are said to be relatives.”
Zhu Xuan asked, “Let me ask you another question. Do you still remember the incident where the Great Sage forced the direct disciple of the Earth Mother to death?”
Xi Qingyue was suddenly stunned. The corners of his mouth tightened as he slowly replied, “Naturally, I have not forgotten.”
Zhu Xuan said, “Do you still think the death of Wang Xuetang is as simple as just a murder case?”
Xi Qingyue’s expression also grew solemn, and for a moment, he was left speechless.
“We must naturally root out the murderer. To dare to be so brazen in Haishi, we must naturally root them out and punish them severely! But that is all secondary. How to root out the murderer and how to deal with them can be left for later. What matters is the identity and background of the deceased. What matters is where Wang Xuetang died. He did not die in an ordinary inn. He died at Langhuan Ju. Who in the cultivation world does not know that Langhuan Ju was opened by the Fifth Cave Master? Do you think I am willing to get involved in this mess at Langhuan Ju? Qianliu Mountain sent me to garrison Haishi, not to sit here and play, nor to sit here and cause trouble for Qianliu Mountain.”
Having said this, Zhu Xuan pointed at Qi Duolai. “It will not affect your normal investigation. Investigate however you should. It is just that he has grasped some information about the activities of Zheluo Mountain over on Xingluo Island. You need to cooperate with him. I have only one request. A murder case is a murder case. I absolutely will not allow anyone to use excuses to drag things off track. Otherwise, no one will have a good time. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xi Qingyue slowly nodded. “I understand. If the matter is in our hands, without any hindrance, we can handle it slowly, or even handle it however we want. We need to solidify certain matters before the news of the death of Wang Xuetang alarms certain people.”
Zhu Xuan slowly picked up his teacup and sipped. “Time is short. Give me an answer as soon as possible. Go.”
Xi Qingyue and Qi Duolai cupped their hands and bowed together, then quickly walked away together.
In a document room, Tu Xiukui was being questioned. The personnel of the Zhenhai Department wanted to understand all the details before the death of Wang Xuetang. As someone close to Wang Xuetang, Tu Xiukui was naturally the most clear about these matters.
At this moment, Xi Qingyue and Qi Duolai walked in together.
Seeing the two men, the questioning personnel of the Zhenhai Department quickly stood up and saluted, somewhat surprised that these two had come together.
Tu Xiukui also knew these two men. He stood up and saluted as well, pleading, “Grand Guard Commander, Grand Guard Inspector. I have already said most of what needs to be said. Our sect leader has passed away, and I really need to rush back in time to stabilise the situation. Otherwise, our sect will fall into great chaos.”
He was indeed extremely anxious right now. With Wang Xuetang dead, how Zheluo Mountain would be maintained was a problem. At a time like this, whoever fought for more speaking power would gain more benefits. If he was trapped here and could not leave for a long time, once the news of the death of Wang Xuetang was transmitted back, could he still expect the others to slowly wait for him to return before discussing matters?
Taking a step back, even if Zheluo Mountain collapsed and the family had to split, he still had to rush back to claim his share. With such a large piece of fat meat, the difference between a little more and a little less was huge.
Unable to extricate himself for so long, how could he not be anxious? He did not know how many times he had already pleaded.
The two top leaders of the Zhenhai Department ignored his words. Qi Duolai asked for the contents of the interrogation and looked through them for a while. After placing them back on the desk, he walked up to Tu Xiukui and asked, “Zheluo Mountain seems to have deployed quite a lot of men on Xingluo Island. What are they trying to do?”
Tu Xiukui was stunned. How could he easily reveal the truth? He quickly covered it up and said, “Sigh, the young sect leader has had an accident. Our sect naturally worries about the safety of the sect leader as well, so we transferred some men to prepare to protect the sect leader. Is there anything wrong with that?”
Qi Duolai hummed. “The young sect leader had an accident, and you were worried that Wang Xuetang would also be arrested by the Ghost Envoys, so you sent men to protect him. Is that what you mean?”
These words almost made the Zhenhai Department personnel on the side burst into laughter.
Tu Xiukui, however, countered, “Can the disciples of Zheluo Mountain not come to the Minghai area?”
The implication was, does it matter how many people Zheluo Mountain brings?
The eyes of Qi Duolai instantly turned cold. He turned his head and said, “Brother Xi Qingyue, I think this place is not suitable for questioning. It would be more appropriate to take him to the interrogation room.”
Without a second word, Xi Qingyue directly ordered, “Take him to the interrogation room.”
Tu Xiukui was instantly panicked and cried out, “What are you doing? What do you want to do?”
No one paid attention to his shouts. The men who rushed over directly took him away. His cultivation was restricted and he was powerless to resist, so he was almost dragged away.
The questioning personnel present looked at each other. Were they not investigating a murder case? What did it mean to investigate over to Xingluo Island?
The group arrived at the interrogation room. Qi Duolai raised his chin, signalling to directly torture the panicking Tu Xiukui. “Give him something that smells like roasting meat.”
The interrogation personnel immediately looked at Xi Qingyue. Seeing him nod in permission, they immediately pinned Tu Xiukui down, stripped him completely naked, locked his wrists with iron chains, and dragged him directly to a large bronze pillar, tying him to it with his hands behind his back.
Tu Xiukui, left with only his underpants, did not know what this was for. He cried out in shock, “You are not investigating the murder of our sect leader, but instead treating me like this. What exactly are your intentions?”
Qi Duolai walked up to him with his hands behind his back and said calmly, “Speak. What exactly is Wang Xuetang trying to do by deploying so many Zheluo Mountain personnel to act sneakily on Xingluo Island? To put it bluntly, we also want to know what shady things Wang Xuetang did in Haishi. If it involves you, I guarantee I will not pursue it. If you are stubborn, do you think killing you would amount to anything for me?”
He had no interest in the case of the murder of Wang Xuetang. He just wanted to solidify some things for future use.
Tu Xiukui was both shocked and angry. “Have our Zheluo Mountain personnel acted recklessly on Xingluo Island? Can they not go to Xingluo Island? The sect leader is even more upright. Where would there be any shady business? You do not go and catch the murderer, but instead force me here. What is the reasoning?”
Qi Duolai snorted coldly, turned around, and nodded to Xi Qingyue. Xi Qingyue immediately gave a hand gesture to his subordinates.
An iron door in the corner immediately opened. Not long after, a small cart filled with glowing red charcoal was pushed over. Half a cart of it was poured with a clatter right at the feet of Tu Xiukui. The terrified Tu Xiukui, who had been shouting non-stop, quickly pulled his feet up, not daring to touch the ground.
An opening at the back of the bronze pillar was opened. The remaining charcoal from the cart was shovelled in, and then dry firewood was added. Someone fanned the flames there, and soon a raging fire was burning inside the bronze pillar. The smoke drifted away along the pillar to who knows where.
With things like this, Tu Xiukui naturally understood what kind of punishment this was, but no matter how much he screamed in shock, it was useless.
He did not yet feel the high temperature of the bronze pillar, but this waiting process gave him immense psychological pressure. Moreover, his cultivation was currently restricted, and his feet could barely stay suspended much longer, trembling above the charcoal fire.
Under the burning of the fierce fire, the temperature on the bronze pillar rose rapidly.
Tu Xiukui was shivering. Looking at Qi Duolai and Xi Qingyue, who were ignoring his life and death, just as the searing pain of the high temperature began to transmit to his back, before it could burn him, he suddenly shouted, “I will speak!”
Xi Qingyue instantly showed disdain on his face. He had not even suffered any real hardship yet, and he could not hold on.
Qi Duolai said coldly, “If what you say does not satisfy me, tying you back will be a completely different experience.”
The two iron chains binding Tu Xiukui suddenly loosened. The feet of Tu Xiukui inevitably fell into the charcoal fire, and he jumped out, grimacing in pain.
Two people on the left and right pulled the iron chains, stretching him into a cross shape, ready to pull him back onto the bronze pillar at any time.
Everything after that was simple. Whatever Qi Duolai asked, Tu Xiukui confessed.
The men deployed on Xingluo Island were prepared to kill Yu Qing. Assassins were even stationed outside Youjiao Port as a backup.
The key point was that he also confessed about Qingya, saying that Qingya would cooperate with them to drive Yu Qing out of Haishi, making it convenient for them to strike.
Even more fatally, he revealed that before the Ghost Envoys arrived, Wang Xuetang actually already knew about Wang Wentian kidnapping Xiao Hei. Wang Xuetang had tacitly approved of the subsequent actions of his son against Yu Qing.
As for why the father and son Wang did that, something about the disciple of the Earth Mother and so on, he babbled it all out.
The involvement of Qingya in the kidnapping was naturally confessed as well. Regarding this, Qi Duolai knew it all too well. This was originally his instruction for Qingya to participate in. What he wanted was evidence that the father and son Wang, relying on the power of the Earth Mother, participated in the kidnapping of Youjiao Port personnel.
After getting a bunch of testimonies, Qi Duolai cupped his hands to Xi Qingyue. “I will leave this place to you. I will mobilise men to go to Xingluo Island to arrest the relevant witnesses and solidify the evidence of the father and son Wang acting recklessly by relying on the power of the Earth Mother.”
Xi Qingyue knew that all this was to be used to shut the mouth of the Earth Mother once she erupted in anger.
He turned his head and watched Qi Duolai leave, knowing that this matter would definitely be reported. The Great Sage would probably see it afterwards. If the Great Sage thought Zhu Xuan had handled things beautifully, the position of Zhu Xuan as the Commander of the Zhenhai Department would probably be even more secure.