"Name?" "Yizhang Hong."
"Be honest, what's your real name?"
"Zhang Xiaohong."
In the dimly lit interrogation room, the flickering oil lamp cast a cold, dark atmosphere. Fang Qingyun, arms crossed and smirking, was watching the captured suspect closely. Head Constable Wei stared into Yizhang Hong's eyes, throwing out one question after another, while a junior constable hurriedly took notes at a nearby table.
"Gender?"
"Male."
"Level of cultivation?"
"Peak late Foundation Establishment."
Head Constable Wei snorted coldly. "Note that down as late Foundation Establishment, skip the rest. Zhang Xiaohong, let me tell you, if you think our handling of this case affects a fair trial, you can request to withdraw, meaning you want someone else to handle it. Do you want to withdraw?"
"I request..."
Wei's voice dragged out, rising at the end.
Zhang Xiaohong quickly added, "No, no, I don’t want to withdraw."
"Now tell me why you’re here."
"Because I didn’t pay for grilled skewers?"
Fang Qingyun, losing patience, said, "Stop the questioning. Just execute him on the spot. Say he resisted violently during arrest, refusing to surrender, and died from poison."
This was definitely something Fang Qingyun could do. Yizhang Hong, bound in chains, quickly said, "I’ll explain. About ten days ago, I woke up at the bottom of a cliff. I must have slipped while passing by the mountain on the west side of Yanjian County. When I woke up, I found a cave, probably a hermit’s dwelling. It hadn’t been visited in a long time. I carefully went in and found nothing valuable except for a book."
"They took that book when they searched you."
"It recorded some rare talismans and matching formations, like the Reverse Longevity Talisman and the Reverse Longevity Formation. According to the book, the Reverse Longevity Talisman can convert lifespan into my cultivation level. I was at a bottleneck, hoping to break through and reach the Golden Core stage, living freely. Plus, this method could even extend my lifespan. The temptation was too great."
Fang Qingyun angrily said, "I consulted the county magistrate. According to the scale you set up, not to mention breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, even from Golden Core to Nascent Soul would be easy!"
Yizhang Hong thought to himself that he knew it was a waste, but wasn’t there another way?
Of course, he couldn’t say that. Yizhang Hong pretended not to hear Fang Qingyun’s scolding and continued, "I’m a talisman cultivator myself and quickly learned the Reverse Longevity Talisman. Setting up the Reverse Longevity Formation isn’t hard; you just arrange the talismans in formation."
"The effect of the Reverse Longevity Talisman is undetectable to cultivators and only makes mortals feel sleepy, easily overlooked. And once the formation is set up, there’s no sleepy effect at all."
"But the Reverse Longevity Formation requires too many talismans, and one person can’t complete it in a short time. I happened to meet two companions, the other two you captured."
"Strangely, those two weren’t from Yanjian County and just happened to show up here. They couldn’t even remember why they came to Yanjian County."
"We hit it off and decided to break through from Foundation Establishment together."
"We worked carefully, leaving no traces. While you were searching for the Reverse Longevity Talisman, we didn’t act again. We felt this place was getting less safe and wanted to leave Yanjian County. Before leaving, we heard there was a famous barbecue place here, so we wanted to try it. Just as we were about to eat, you showed up."
Yizhang Hong was completely confused, unable to figure out where things went wrong. Head Constable Wei wouldn’t mention that it was the enthusiastic shop owner who reported them.
After the interrogation, Head Constable Wei had him sign the document: "Write your name at the bottom of each page, and on the last page, write that you have read this record and it matches what you said."
"Press your fingerprints on all the signature spots."
The next day, Head Constable Wei brought a banner as usual.
He was considering setting up an office at the barbecue shop, thinking it would be more efficient than patrolling all day.
At this rate, becoming the chief constable would be just around the corner.
"Shopkeeper Lu, your barbecue shop has good feng shui, with talented people and a good location."
Lu Yang smiled awkwardly. "Good location aside, it’s mainly about the talented people."
"The government office has been too busy lately. Once things calm down, I’ll apply for a plaque recognizing your shop as an outstanding establishment."
"That would be great! I just made some hot water; drink it while it’s warm."
Lu Yang enthusiastically poured a cup of hot water. "Are you still busy after catching the person?"
"Well, we caught him and found the place he mentioned, an abandoned cave where a wanted criminal might have hidden. Once we tear down the Reverse Longevity Talisman from the spot they indicated, this case will be settled."
"The problem is, the Spring Festival is coming. This year, it looks like there will be 20% more people than last year. I think even if I want to take a break, the chief constable won’t approve and wants me to patrol more during the festival."
"You can come rest at our place if you get tired from patrolling. Our shop will be open normally during the Spring Festival."
After sending off Head Constable Wei, Meng Jingzhou sighed in relief. "Finally done. It was tense for the past few days, searching for the Reverse Longevity Talisman. Maybe Yizhang Hong saw how hard we were working and came here to turn himself in."
Man Gu hesitated, feeling that Yizhang Hong probably didn’t think that way.
Lu Yang noticed Lan Ting was gesturing something repeatedly and curiously asked, "What are you doing?"
Without looking up, Lan Ting replied, "I’m trying to develop a self-assembling skewer formation, where the bamboo sticks automatically skewer the meat pieces."
Lu Yang picked up a bamboo stick, pinched it between two fingers, and pondered.
Suddenly, he tossed a few meat pieces, using his fingers to propel the bamboo stick.
Unfortunately, the stick just grazed the meat pieces and didn’t skewer them.
Man Gu didn’t understand what Lu Yang was doing, thinking he was playing a new game. Meng Jingzhou’s eyes lit up as he realized.
"You want to practice using the bamboo stick to skewer meat, honing your skills with hidden weapons?"
Lu Yang smiled without answering, which was an acknowledgment.
Soon, Meng Jingzhou joined in, practicing how to accurately strike and skewer the moving meat pieces in the air.
Man Gu hesitated, "This... shouldn’t be something a righteous person would do, right?"
Lu Yang replied seriously, "That’s not true. Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Determined to hold onto the green mountain, the roots lie deep in the broken rocks. After countless trials, it remains strong, regardless of the winds from all directions’?"
"Bamboo is resilient and elegant, representing a gentleman. How could using bamboo as a weapon be a hidden weapon?"
"This is a weapon only a gentleman would use."
Man Gu suddenly understood, feeling enlightened. "So that’s how it is. I’ll join too."
Lan Ting focused on the formation, and several bamboo sticks floated in the air. Suddenly, with a whoosh, a bamboo stick shot straight into the wall, vibrating at the end.
If the target were a person, they would have been dead long ago.
"That’s quite powerful," Lan Ting said, scratching her head in frustration. She had tried to minimize the power as much as possible.
"Instead of making a self-assembling skewer formation, why not just crank the power up to the max?"
The two ghosts watched the chaotic scene, trembling in fear.
(End of Chapter)