Chapter 316 - 309: Interrogation
In the rear hall of the Jiangkou County Magistrate’s Office.
Evening.
An array of eight dishes and a soup was spread across the pearwood round table. Though not rare delicacies, the meal included a full spread of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.
County Magistrate Feng Zijing listlessly moved his ivory chopsticks, managing to pick up a couple of bites of vegetables. He chewed them, but they tasted like wax.
After just two bites, he felt a knot in his chest and couldn’t bring himself to eat another mouthful.
Across from him, Zhou Chengkai, a Hundred Households Chief from the Liyang County Martial Bureau, had his head buried in his food. His chopsticks flew, sweeping food into his bowl like a storm. He ate with audible smacks, his face flushed and glowing with satisfaction.
Watching him, Feng Zijing’s mouth twitched. He felt a wave of disgust, followed by a surge of regret.
’I’m regretting this to my very core!’
When Zhou Chengkai had first arrived in Jiangkou to investigate, Liu Siye and the others had died. Zhou Chengkai had then bravely decided to risk a trip back to Liyang to deliver the report. Feng Zijing had deeply respected him for this noble, selfless act.
So much so that when Zhou Chengkai later returned to Jiangkou with the Captain of Liyang County for the investigation, Feng Zijing had personally invited him to stay at the County Magistrate’s Office.
’Who could have known that it would be like letting a fucking wolf in the door?’
But as time went on, Feng Zijing saw the man’s true colors.
’All that loyalty, bravery, and righteousness—it was all a damn act.’
’This guy is nothing but a shameless scoundrel, with skin thicker than a city wall and tactics more deplorable than a common thug.’
Freeloading for a meal or two would have been one thing.
In all his years navigating the treacherous currents of official life, Feng Zijing had seen his fair share of freeloaders.
But he had never met anyone like Zhou Chengkai, who had been doing it for two straight months without missing a single meal, and with such brazen entitlement.
The eating and drinking he could tolerate; after all, the County Magistrate’s Office could spare an extra pair of chopsticks.
But this fellow didn’t just stop at meals. He had the gall to claim his Cultivation had reached a critical juncture and, being short on silver coins, asked to borrow some Cultivation Resources.
Feng Zijing’s face had turned pale, but not wanting to cause a scene, he had held his nose and lent him five hundred taels.
But seeing the smug grin on Zhou Chengkai’s face as he took the money, Feng Zijing knew this was far from over.
What made his skin crawl and put him constantly on edge was that Zhou Chengkai was like a shadow he couldn’t shake.
When Feng Zijing went to the front office to work, Zhou Chengkai would just happen to be loitering outside.
When he returned to his private quarters to rest, Zhou would find an excuse to "happen to be passing by," cozying up to him with a stream of overly familiar chatter.
If he wanted a moment of peace and went for a stroll in the small garden out back, he was guaranteed to "run into" this Hundred Households Chief Zhou in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, followed by an endless stream of drivel.
Feng Zijing had tried dropping hints.
He had tactfully suggested that Brother Zhou ought to return to the Commandery City to report on his mission, or that with official business being so busy lately, he feared his hospitality was lacking...
But this Hundred Households Chief Zhou would either pretend not to understand, laughing it off and changing the subject...
...or he would nod with a look of perfect understanding, only to show up punctually at the dinner table the next day and "happen" to be wherever Feng Zijing went.
Feng Zijing was on the verge of a breakdown.
’He even started to wonder if Zhou Chengkai had some... peculiar interest in him.’
’Otherwise, why would one grown man cling to another all day long?’
It was starting to give him nightmares.
"Brother Zijing? You’re stopping after just a few bites? Is the food not to your liking today?"
Zhou Chengkai asked with concern, noticing the barely touched bowl in front of Feng Zijing.
Feng Zijing forced a smile and waved his hand. "Please, Brother Zhou, take your time. I’ve just remembered some urgent documents that need my attention. You’ll have to excuse me."
With that, he strode quickly out of the rear hall without waiting for a reply.
Zhou Chengkai narrowed his eyes, watching Feng Zijing’s hasty retreat. As the man’s back vanished through the doorway, the smile on Zhou’s face slowly faded, replaced by a look of resignation.
’It wasn’t that he didn’t want to return to Liyang. He couldn’t. He didn’t dare.’
Everything had spun out of control since that night Patriarch Chen Li had suddenly appeared, holding a secret order from the Hidden Emperor Castle.
Liu Siye was dead. Cao Danying of the Cao Family was dead. Then, Deputy Governor Yan Wenlu went missing. Finally, even Governor He Mingyun had dropped dead in his study.
’He didn’t know all the details or the inside story, but he wasn’t an idiot.’
’This string of deaths and disappearances... the Chen Family was undeniably involved in every single one.’
’And now, to make matters worse, those butchers from the Kyoto Garrison Command were here.’
’They weren’t like local officials who cared about procedures, evidence, or professional courtesy.’
’The Garrison Command used any means necessary to solve a case. Even if you survived their questioning, you’d lose a layer of skin.’
’As someone directly involved in Liu Siye’s death and mixed up in He Mingyun’s secret investigation, he knew far too much.’
’If he went back, he would undoubtedly be a primary target for interrogation.’
’He had zero confidence he could withstand it.’
’Besides, it wasn’t just the Garrison Command he feared. He was even more terrified of the Chen Family.’
’The Chen Family dared to move against a Governor and a Deputy Governor. Killing a minor Hundred Households Chief like him would be as easy as crushing an ant.’
’If the Chen Family decided to silence him... he’d have nowhere to run.’
’If it weren’t for his family ties, he would have just left, thrown away his official post, changed his name, and disappeared to the ends of the earth.’
So, he could only cower like a turtle in its shell, holing up in the Jiangkou County Magistrate’s Office.
’At least, this place was far from Liyang.’
’And being a Government Office, even the Chen Family would have to think twice before making a move here.’
’As for the Garrison Command, he could only hope that with him out of sight, he would be out of mind.’
’Still, this was a miserable way to live.’
Feng Zijing’s expression grew fouler by the day.
He didn’t dare return to Liyang for his silver coins, nor did he dare use his merit points from the Jingwu Bureau to trade for Cultivation Resources.
Without the aid of Medicinal Cuisine, he could only rely on the most primitive method: stuffing himself with as much food as possible to convert into Qi Blood Power for his Cultivation.
"Sigh..."
Zhou Chengkai drained the lukewarm tea from his cup in a single gulp.
He picked up his chopsticks again and resumed eating ravenously.
Not until he had finished every last dish on the table did Zhou Chengkai let out a loud, satisfied belch.
A serving girl behind him cleared the dishes and brought a freshly brewed cup of fragrant tea.
Zhou Chengkai accepted the cup, leaned back in his chair, and sipped it slowly with his eyes half-closed.
’A short rest, a full stomach... time to go find Brother Zijing for a chat.’
’Otherwise, the night is long. It would be trouble if someone came looking for him.’
He put down his teacup, stood, and ambled toward the study where Feng Zijing handled his daily affairs.
He had just reached the outside of Feng Zijing’s private office.
Just as he was about to push the door open, he froze, his expression changing drastically.
The door was ajar, and a dim, yellow light spilled out from within.
Jiangkou County Magistrate Feng Zijing was slumped in a large Grandmaster’s Chair, eyes shut tight and completely unconscious. He had clearly been subdued.
Standing before him, one to the left and one to the right, were two strange figures, silent as a pair of guardian statues.
Both were dressed in black, coarse-spun cotton clothes, with wide-brimmed straw hats on their heads and straw sandals on their feet. At first glance, they looked like common laborers from the docks.
But the waist tokens hanging from their belts, and the long sabers slung at their sides with hilts wrapped in dark cloth, sent a chill through Zhou Chengkai’s veins.
’Garrison Command!’
’Weren’t they supposed to be in Liyang investigating?’
’What were they doing here in the Jiangkou County Magistrate’s Office?!’
A cold dread shot up his spine.
Zhou Chengkai’s scalp prickled with fear. He instinctively took a step back, about to retreat from the room.
TAP.
An incredibly faint footstep sounded from behind, landing precisely in his path of retreat.
Zhou Chengkai went rigid, slowly, mechanically, turning his head.
A third figure, dressed identically, had appeared silently just a step behind him, completely blocking the doorway and his only path of retreat.
From beneath the straw hat, a pair of ice-cold eyes watched him with chilling indifference.
The three of them formed a triangle, trapping him in the center.
Zhou Chengkai swallowed hard, forcing a smile that was uglier than a grimace. He addressed the man blocking the door, "This humble one greets the three Officials. I... was not aware of your visit. What instructions do you have for me at this late hour?"
The man at the door tilted his hat up slightly. "You are Zhou Chengkai?" he asked coldly.
"I am, I am!"
Zhou Chengkai’s heart pounded. In an instant, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
"We have questions for you."
Zhou Chengkai bowed hastily. "Please, ask away, Sir."
But the man ignored him, turning his head to address the slightly leaner figure standing to Feng Zijing’s left. "Wu Shang," he ordered flatly, "seize him for interrogation."
"Yes, Sixth Brother."
The man called Wu Shang acknowledged the order and stepped toward Zhou Chengkai.
"Wait!"
The hair on Zhou Chengkai’s neck stood on end. He took a sharp step back and cried out, "Official, I am an official appointed by the Imperial Court! By law, you need a writ from the Three Ministries or a special decree from the Holy Emperor to formally question me!"
"The law?"
A faint, derisive chuckle seemed to come from under Sixth Brother’s hat.
He slowly raised his head, the candlelight illuminating a face so plain and unremarkable it would be lost in any crowd. "The Garrison Command acts on the Emperor’s authority. We investigate cases mandated by the throne. The Three Ministries? Do they dare object? Take him!"
The moment the words were spoken, the man called Wu Shang moved.
He flickered, seeming to move slowly, yet he crossed the distance in an instant, his hand reaching silently for Zhou Chengkai’s shoulder.
Unwilling to be captured without a fight, Zhou Chengkai’s survival instinct kicked in. He pushed off hard, retreating rapidly while forming his right hand into a blade. With a sound of slicing air, he chopped at Wu Shang’s wrist, attempting to force him back.
But as fast as he was, Wu Shang was faster.
Before his hand-chop could even connect, Wu Shang’s fingers had already clamped down on his shoulder like an iron pincer, striking a vital point with unerring accuracy.
Half of Zhou Chengkai’s body went instantly numb, and the Inner Strength he had gathered dissipated completely.
The gap in their strength was an insurmountable chasm.
"Aargh!"
Zhou Chengkai cried out in pain, feeling as if his shoulder bone was about to shatter.
Wu Shang’s other hand swept across his forehead like a phantom.
Zhou Chengkai’s vision went black as he lost consciousness completely, his body slumping to the floor.
Wu Shang lifted the unconscious Zhou Chengkai with one hand and laid him down in a clear space on the floor.
He sat cross-legged beside Zhou Chengkai, pressing his right index and middle fingers together. An almost imperceptible glimmer of light appeared at his fingertips as he gently touched them to the point between Zhou Chengkai’s eyebrows.
Closing his eyes, he began to chant in a low, esoteric murmur. Wisps of faint blue light, like living tendrils, seeped into Zhou Chengkai’s seven facial orifices.
The room fell deathly silent.
After roughly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wu Shang’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. He opened his eyes, the faint blue glow within them flashing once before vanishing.
He withdrew his hand and looked toward the man at the door. "Sixth Brother, there is indeed something wrong with this man."
"Report."
Sixth Brother was a man of few words.
"Ostensibly, he’s a Hundred Households Chief of the Jingwu Bureau. But secretly, he has another identity... he’s a secret agent for the Hidden Emperor Castle, planted within the Government Office."
Wu Shang reported calmly, "On the night of Liu Siye’s death, he came to the Jiangkou County Magistrate’s Office alone, not to investigate, but under orders from a man named Chen Li. That man possessed a Token representing a secret order from the Hidden Emperor Castle. Zhou Chengkai did not dare to disobey."