Chapter 685 Interrogation (Part 2)
“You insignificant wretch, a prisoner, daring to act so audacious!”
An old servant from the Wenren family quickly reacted, enraged like a dog whose tail had been stepped on. His spiritual sense of the early Shentong Realm crushed towards Qi Huang and the others.
Cheng Hong Ling calmly released her Spiritual Sense Shield, rejecting the old servant’s spiritual sense from ten feet away, remaining as steady as a mountain.
The old servant, enraged, increased his spiritual sense with all his might, but his features contorted, and yet he couldn’t achieve any results.
The reason was simple: although both were at the third level of the Shentong Realm, Cheng Hong Ling had been using the Tongming Comb since childhood, her spiritual sense was much stronger than her cultivation level, how could cultivators of the same realm possibly contend with her?
Qi Huang continued her arrogant display, taking out a small table, placing it in front of her, and then arranging some fruits and snacks. She then beckoned to her martial sisters: “Come, come, eat, eat, don’t be shy! They can talk whenever they’re willing to!”
The Wenren family subconsciously looked over. They saw that among the “fruits and snacks” were many exceptionally precious Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine. Their eyes widened in disbelief. No one expected a country girl to possess so many valuable items, and even treat them as snacks. Even the Wenren family didn’t have such extravagance.
“Alright, after eating our fill, we’ll slowly ‘torture’ those old men. I want to see whose lifespan is longer!”
“Wow, I’ve never seen this blue fruit before. Not only does it smell fragrant, but after taking a bite, my mouth waters. It tastes so good!”
“That’s natural. This fruit is a necessary Spirit Medicine for water-attribute cultivators breaking through to the Shentong Realm.”
“Ah? Then is it too wasteful to eat it like this? Why not ask them if they want it? Based on their clothing, they should be quite wealthy.”
The martial sisters ignored the Wenren family, chattering and discussing, transforming this triple interrogation into a grand spectacle.
It turned into a gourmet tasting session.
“These women are too arrogant. What do they think the Wenren family is? A restaurant? They’ve even brought out dining tables.”
“Can someone deal with them? If word of this gets out, it’ll be disastrous! The reputation of the foremost cultivation family in our Changming Kingdom will be completely ruined.”
“Who is interrogating whom here? They are eating well and living luxuriously, while we are just sitting here staring enviously.”
The Wenren family felt greatly insulted and cried out in anguish.
“Hmph!”
Just then, the older youth who had clashed with Cheng Hong Ling at the HongHua Sect made his move. His spiritual sense of the mid-Shentong Realm crushed over without reservation. He was Wenren Yun, Wenren Qing’s son!
Cheng Hong Ling’s expression tightened. Her spiritual sense surged out from within her body, colliding with the opponent’s spiritual sense once again. The air between them was compressed and distorted, and any mosquito that flew past would instantly be pulverized.
The two were locked in a stalemate, and after a long struggle, no victor could be determined.
The older youth’s face began to show expressions of surprise and uncertainty. He could clearly feel that the opponent’s cultivation level was inferior to his, but why couldn’t he achieve a quick victory in both encounters? It was as if he had seen a ghost!
Qi Huang did not intervene, as she knew her main body’s temper. Unless encountering an opponent with a significant disparity in strength, she would never allow others to help.
Wenren Jun on the armchair revealed a glint in his eyes. He waved his hand and said, “Yun’er, step down!”
Wenren Yun showed a hint of unwillingness on his face, but he obediently retreated.
“I truly did not expect that in a place like the Xihui Dynasty, a genius like you would actually appear. No wonder Lü Yi would condescend to marry you!” Wenren Jun praised.
“It’s not condescension, it’s him being a toad wanting to eat swan meat. With his capabilities, he’s not even fit to carry shoes for Junior Sister,” Ruan Lingyu corrected, immediately drawing the agreement of several junior sisters.
“I admit that you are a genius, but that’s all. Was that not your limit just now?” Wenren Jun’s face showed a strategic expression, and then he said, “You ate our Wenren family’s Golden Life Flower Seed. If you do not give me a satisfactory explanation today, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave.”
“Old Master, didn’t your family summon us to investigate the truth? Now you want to determine guilt without any investigation? Even the Yamen requires evidence to convict.” Qi Huang spoke calmly. She was not afraid of them acting shamelessly, but simply wanted to understand the inside story.
“Looking at the mark on your forehead, you should be Cheng Hong Ling’s clone, right? If that’s the case, then I’ll make you submit wholeheartedly.” Wenren Jun was still somewhat principled. He turned to Pi Lao Er and said, “Pi Lao Er, the Golden Life Flower Seed that I planted in the backyard, you stole it, didn’t you?”
It turned out that the Golden Life Flower Seed was originally planted by this Wenren Jun. It seemed this old fellow, like Qin Quan, was holding onto a flicker of hope. However, he didn’t know why the other party had planted it for twenty years and only discovered it was missing recently. Qi Huang fell into thought.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Pi Lao Er, having suffered greatly, now only sought leniency by confessing.
“When did you steal it?” Wenren Jun asked coldly.
“Reporting to the Old Master, I stole it twenty years ago, shortly after you planted it,” Pi Lao Er replied.
“Why did you steal it? And where did the Golden Life Flower Seed go?” Wenren Jun took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. “At that time, I was in urgent need of money, and the Sect Leader of the HongHua Sect happened to come to Zhongzhou to purchase Golden Flower Seeds. So, I used my position to steal that seed and lease it to him.” Pi Lao Er explained in detail.
“For how long did you lease it? Is there any proof?” Wenren Jun asked with a pale face, turning ashen.
“I leased it for twenty years, and I have already handed over the contract to the Master!” Pi Lao Er truthfully confessed. At this time, Wenren Qing also handed the contract to his father: “Father, the contract is here!” Wenren Jun picked up the contract and started looking at it, his hands trembling with anger. He gritted his teeth, “You truly have the bear’s heart and leopard’s gall to dare to lease it for twenty years. Weren’t you afraid of being discovered midway?”
“Didn’t you say at the time that you planned to bury the Golden Life Flower Seed in the soil for twenty-one years and prohibited anyone from disturbing it? So I boldly leased it to him for twenty years, thinking of burying it back in its original place in the last year. Who knew you would dig up the soil to check it half a year in advance?” Pi Lao Er’s face was full of regret. If he had known this, he would have leased it for two fewer years back then.
“So that’s how it is.” Qi Huang’s biggest question had been completely resolved. It turned out that this old man planned to bury the Golden Life Flower Seed for twenty-one years to make it grow successfully, so this Pi Lao Er boldly leased it to Qin Quan for twenty years. This was also why the Wenren family had only recently discovered the seed was stolen.
“So it wasn’t that Pi Lao Er was greedy and rented it to Sect Leader Qin, but rather he absolutely dared not sell it,” Cheng Hong Ling’s Mind Transmission also sounded at this time.
“Yes, now the truth seems to be revealed. The only thing we still need to clarify is whether the Wenren family plans to go to the Tencel Valley Treasure Land for more Golden Life Flower Seeds, as Pi Lao Er said.” Qi Huang replied.
“Pi Lao Er! Pi Lao Er! Do you know how much I trusted you with the Golden Life Flower Seed? You’ve disappointed me so much!” Wenren Jun sighed and shook his head.
“Old Master, spare my life! Old Master, spare my life! It was my greed that got the better of me. As long as you spare my life, I will serve you like an ox or horse for the rest of my life!” Pi Lao Er desperately kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Wenren Jun completely ignored Pi Lao Er. He handed the contract to Wenren Yun beside him: “Grandson, show this to everyone from the HongHua Sect.”
“Yes, Grandfather.” Wenren Yun obeyed, then took the contract to show it to Qi Huang and the others.
“Everyone, look clearly. This contract has your Sect Leader Qin’s fingerprint on it. Now that we have witnesses and evidence, do you have any more excuses?” Wenren Jun questioned loudly.
“Since that’s the case, then there’s nothing to argue about.” Qi Huang was not someone who didn’t understand reason, so she generously admitted, “That Golden Life Flower Seed was eaten by my main body. It has nothing to do with these martial sisters. Don’t make things difficult for them.”
“Very good, then how do you plan to compensate our Wenren family?” Wenren Jun smiled with satisfaction.
“Then how do you want me to compensate? With money? Or should I get you another Golden Life Flower Seed?” Qi Huang tested.
“Compensate? I’m afraid you can’t afford it!” Wenren Jun sneered.
“Just a mere Golden Life Flower Seed, how little do you think of me? Doesn’t this table full of snacks demonstrate my strength?” Qi Huang gestured towards the table in front of her.
“Eating Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine as snacks does show some strength. If it were a cooked Golden Life Flower Seed issued by the Immortal Alliance, I believe you could afford to compensate. But my Golden Life Flower Seed was raw, what are you going to use to compensate?” Wenren Jun raised an eyebrow.
