Entering the interior of the Black Wolf Gambling Den, Wei Yang immediately sensed several gazes locking onto him.
He narrowed his eyes, secretly sizing up the people staring at him.
They were all martial artists, some Level 2 and others Level 3.
This was definitely no ordinary underground gambling den.
He stopped in his tracks, subconsciously reaching for the long-handled modao on his back, just in case.
“Hey, Soldier, what’s this? You here for a little fun?” A fit, muscular man with a buzz cut and a white tiger tattoo on his body stood up from the gambling table and slowly walked toward Wei Yang.
A dagger spun into a blur of afterimages in his hand. Just as Wei Yang was about to draw his weapon, the man instantly sheathed the dagger back at his waist and laughed.
“It seems you really are here to play. Come, come.”
The buzz-cut man grabbed Wei Yang’s arm, trying to pull him toward the gambling table.
“Soldier…”
Finding that Wei Yang stood as immovable as a mountain, refuse to budge no matter how hard he pulled, the man’s tone darkened.
“I’m not here to gamble,” Wei Yang said.
“Not here to play?” The buzz-cut man released his arm and shot a look at the others.
Several guards standing at the edges of the den stepped out from all directions, surrounding Wei Yang.
“Then might I ask, Soldier, what exactly are you here for?”
As soon as he spoke, the man waved his hand. Several guards moved immediately with practiced coordination. They quickly cleared the chips from the gambling tables and flipped the tables over in the main hall.
In less than a moment, the gambling den had transformed back into a tea house.
The man looked at Wei Yang, who had been on the verge of drawing his weapon, and smiled. “Is the soldier here for tea?”
“I’m looking for someone,” Wei Yang said after a brief silence. “Have you seen four men? One of them has a scar over his eye.”
“No,” the man shook his head. “Are you here to arrest them?”
“I have something I need to confirm with them,” Wei Yang replied.
He had to confirm it himself. He needed to know if those guys he had encountered earlier in the tavern were accomplices of the people who attacked the congee stall.
‘If it isn’t, then that’s fine. But if it is…’
‘That would mean the attackers are most likely Anxi soldiers.’
‘No, not necessarily. Maybe it’s someone who secretly learned the Seven Star Blazing Flame Art, or a deserter unworthy of being a soldier!’
‘True Anxi soldiers would never betray Daqian or Sheng’an!’
“Soldier? We already told you we haven’t seen the group you’re talking about. What are you still standing there for?”
The buzz-cut man frowned, his entire body tensed as he rested his hand on the dagger at his waist. “If you want to have a cup of tea here, you’re naturally welcome. But if you’re sincerely trying to collect protection money from us… then I’m afraid we cannot agree to that.”
“I can turn a blind eye to your gambling den and I won’t report it to my superiors.”
Wei Yang took a step forward, his gaze shifting toward the corridor leading further into the building.
“Is there another level below?”
“To answer you, Soldier, that’s where we eat, sleep, and take care of business. You definitely don’t want to see it.”
Wei Yang walked up to him and said in a heavy voice, “I need to go down and see for myself.”
“There’s no need for that. It’s really not a nice place. If you go in… you might not come back out.” The buzz-cut man took a step back as the surrounding guards slowly moved forward.
“Are you threatening me?” Wei Yang frowned. The words coming from his split lip were somewhat slurred, making him look rather comical.
The buzz-cut man sneered, drew his dagger, and leapt backward. “I wouldn’t dare threaten a soldier. I’m just — telling the truth.”
“Hmph!”
Wei Yang didn’t bother saying more. He swiftly drew the long-handled modao from his back and slammed it onto the floor.
*Thud!*
His intention was unmistakable.
“Stop! Are you all blind? Can’t you tell where the armor on this man comes from?”
At that moment, a voice echoed from the corridor below.
Wei Yang looked toward the sound. When he saw the attire of the person who had spoken, his pupils suddenly constricted.
—
“Lady Nie, we have completed the re-interrogation according to your requirements.”
Nie Ling, sitting with her legs crossed, took the interrogation records and scanned the contents. The more she read, the more alarmed she became.
She closed the record and suddenly asked, “Has this been cross-referenced? Is it confirmed that everything they said is true?”
“Reporting to the Chiliarch, these fellows seem to have undergone professional military training. Our interrogation techniques haven’t been very effective,” a General Banner of the Jingting Guard replied with a cupped-hand salute.
Nie Ling knit her brows. She began to pace, her high-heeled boots clicking on the stone floor. After a moment of thought, she ordered, “Take me there. I will personally interrogate that last man!”
“Yes, My Lady.”
Upon arriving at the temporary interrogation room, Nie Ling’s eyes darkened as she looked at the “survivor.” He had been beaten bloody by the Jingting Guards, and his breath was faint.
If he were an ordinary civilian, he would have fainted long ago from injuries of this severity, yet the man before her could still move his eyes to observe her.
She walked up to him, grabbed his wrist, and carefully examined his palm, finding thick calluses.
She turned his head to the side and noticed the pressure marks on both sides of his forehead caused by wearing a helmet for many years. She confirmed his identity in her heart.
A soldier, and an elite one at that.
She just didn’t know where he came from.
With that thought, she spoke coldly, “What is your name?”
The man stared intently at her and smiled faintly. “Lu Liu.”
“Where are you stationed?”
“No comment.”
“No comment?”
Nie Ling sneered and kicked him. Her long, slender legs, clad in dark silk trousers, suddenly exerted force as the heel of her high-top boot dug into his flesh and twisted.
*Squelch —*
Lu Liu’s wound, which had only just stopped bleeding, instantly tore open again.
Watching Lu Liu tremble all over from the pain, Nie Ling curled her lips. She couldn’t help but remember the tricks she used when interrogating detainees during her years as a Chief Constable. She exerted force with her leg again.
‘The feeling of the heel sinking into flesh… is a bit addictive.’
‘No!’
Nie Ling’s expression shifted. Suddenly remembering her current status, she quickly suppressed her slightly wanton expression and said coldly:
“Your comrades have already confessed. We already know about the black fire oil you’ve hidden at various locations in Sheng’an, as well as your subsequent plan of action.”
Hearing this, Lu Liu’s expression darkened instantly.
Nie Ling took everything in. It was just as she had expected; the goals of these people were even more atrocious than previously speculated.
Gu Wangchen had told her before that since these guys had such a clear organization, it meant they were definitely not ordinary thugs.
Therefore, they would never attack just for the sake of attacking; they certainly had another objective.
Following that logic and combining it with their identities as elite soldiers and her past experience, she immediately had a theory.
Though she didn’t know what their ultimate goal was, this attack was merely an appetizer!
Moreover, not everyone was as stubborn as this man. Several people had already confessed.
However, they had provided completely different hiding spots for the black fire oil.
Aside from that, their other answers could be cross-referenced and verified. There was no reason for them to lie only about this one issue.
It wasn’t logical.
In other words… the information they had received was designed that way. It was highly likely that the information from only a few people, or even just one person, was true, while the others were red herrings!
And this Lu Liu was currently the only one who hadn’t confessed the location of the black fire oil he knew about.
Thinking of this, she glanced at the sky and saw it was already 12:00 AM. The locations given by the accomplices were scattered throughout Sheng’an; they had to deal with them right now.
“Everyone, stop what you are doing. Divide into five teams and go search the corresponding locations. You must find all the black fire oil before dawn!”
“Yes, Chiliarch!” Led by five Centurions, the group of Jingting Guards quickly split into five small squads and rushed toward the locations obtained from the survivors.
Nie Ling turned to look at Lu Liu, whose head was hanging low, and ordered her subordinates, “Bring this guy along. Come with me to the sixth location. I want him to see his scheme crumble with his own eyes!”
“Chiliarch, he’s dead! He committed suicide!”
“WHAT?!”