A Pawn's Passage

“Well done,” Zhang Yuelu praised, using her horsetail whisk to brush some dust off Mu Jin’s shoulder.

Mu Jin beamed, accepting the compliment. Though their statuses differed, their personal relationship was good enough to make such gestures routine.

Tian Baobao handed Zhang Yuelu a case file, containing details about the Green Phoenix Guard’s raid on the courtyard where Bai Xiaojin was held captive.

Zhang Yuelu quickly skimmed through the file before heading toward the interrogation room in the dungeon.

Without needing her instructions, the Spirit Guards carried Ye Xiu and followed closely behind.

The interrogation room had two doors: a small one for interrogators and a larger one for prisoners. The room itself was divided into two sections. The larger outer area was accessed through the main door, housing an array of torture instruments and a desk for administration purposes. The smaller inner area entered through the smaller door was isolated. Those inside could see the outer area, but not vice versa.

Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu entered the inner room through the small door. It was also equipped with tables and chairs, exuding a touch of elegance. The wall facing the outer area was made of tinted crystal the color of tea. Although slightly dim, it offered a clear view of the entire outer area.

At the center of the outer area was a stone chair built into the floor. Two Spirit Guards placed Ye Xiu on the chair and secured him with its built-in metal chains.

Surrounding the stone chair were various torture instruments, readily accessible. Though some appeared old, no one doubted their effectiveness.

Qi Xuansu remarked in surprise, “You know how to use these?”

“Did you forget my background?” Zhang Yuelu retorted.

“Of course not,” Qi Xuansu replied. “You once worked in Beichen Hall, but given your noble background and position as a superintendent, I doubt they would have you personally conduct interrogations.”

Zhang Yuelu admitted, “You’re right. I’ve never conducted interrogations myself. But Mu Jin knows a thing or two.”

“Her?!” Qi Xuansu finally realized that Mu Jin had not been standing by Zhang Yuelu. Instead, the Tiangang Hall superintendent had entered the outer area through the main door.

Through the crystal wall, Qi Xuansu saw Mu Jin had removed her outer robe. She now wore a tailored, long white robe, cinched with a jade belt, accentuating her graceful curves—neither overly pronounced nor completely flat, just perfectly balanced.

When Zhang Yuelu promoted Qi Xuansu to deacon, Mu Jin became quite jealous, fearing that Qi Xuansu would take her place. Thus, Mu Jin gave him a hard time on several occasions, so their relationship was not exactly friendly.

In fact, Qi Xuansu had hardly observed her carefully and had failed to notice that she was actually quite capable.

Qi Xuansu turned to look at Zhang Yuelu, who was dressed in her formal Daoist attire and holding a horsetail whisk. Her attire was certainly elegant, but it had its downside. It was so loose and billowy that he could not see a single curve.

Zhang Yuelu realized what he was doing and scolded, “What are you looking at?”

Qi Xuansu cleared his throat and sat down beside Zhang Yuelu.

In the outer area, Mu Jin took a whip from one of the Spirit Guards. This whip was covered with strange talismans and ancient coins. Unlike ordinary talismans, these had bright red markings that seemed sinister. The ancient coins had become rare since the Great Xuan Dynasty introduced the new currency. The coins bore the inscription “Mingyong,” which was the title of an emperor from the previous dynasty over 300 years ago.

Mu Jin swung the whip once to intimidate the prisoner. “Beggar King, you’re well informed, so you should recognize this item. If not, I can explain. This is called the Soul-Hooking Whip. This whip doesn’t leave external scars when it strikes, so it doesn’t hurt physically.

“But this whip isn’t called the Soul-Hooking Whip without reason. When it strikes, it’ll feel as if it’s lashing your very soul. The pain to one’s soul is far worse than any physical torture.

“I’ve interrogated some cult demons in the past. They all claimed they’d rather die than confess. But after one round of interrogation with this whip, they had only one request—a quick death.

“Beggar King, you’re fortunate that my colleague Xu Kou isn’t here. He’s known as the Little Yama and once tortured a prisoner to death. Of course, he was demoted for it. If he were in charge of this interrogation, you wouldn’t find him as agreeable as I am.”

Mu Jin’s tone was gentle, sounding like she was trying to reason with Ye Xiu rather than interrogate him. However, Ye Xiu, with his extensive experience, was not intimidated by her words. Still, he could see from her eyes that she was serious about it.

Qi Xuansu was not surprised that Mu Jin, who often seemed like a simple, common woman, had this side to her. Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall were known as the Daoist Order’s two fists—one internal, one external. As institutions that were undeniably violent, they were not at all inclined toward mercy.

Thus, Mu Jin would have had her own methods to hold her ground in Beichen Hall and Tiangang Hall.

Qi Xuansu had killed countless people but was not well-versed in interrogation techniques. If he had to conduct the interrogation, his approach would be simple: talk or die.

Thus, he could only observe Mu Jin’s performance without judgment.

Mu Jin’s tone shifted, losing its warmth and gaining a chilling edge. “Beggar King, I don’t think you would want to find out.”

Ye Xiu remained silent, offering no bold retort.

Mu Jin took note of all this.

If it were some of Ye Xiu’s subordinates, Mu Jin might not be confident about breaking them. But Ye Xiu was different. No matter how brave he had been in his youth, years of luxury had worn away his fighting spirit, so breaking him would be much easier.

She did not waste any more words and struck Ye Xiu viciously with the whip.

As Mu Jin had said, the whip’s impact on the body seemed ordinary, not leaving even a trace of blood.

Yet, in that instant, Ye Xiu’s pupils suddenly contracted, appearing dazed.

Without hesitation, Mu Jin lashed Ye Xiu with the whip once again.

Ye Xiu seemed to awaken from a nightmare, his face pale and drenched in sweat as he cried out, “I’ll talk!”

The whip Mu Jin had raised paused mid-air.

Her hand was just as steady.

The next moment, Qi Xuansu realized that the crystal wall in front of him could be raised and lowered.

Zhang Yuelu had activated some mechanism, causing the crystal wall to slowly sink into the ground, removing the divider between the inner and outer areas.

Ye Xiu, restrained in the stone chair, was now facing Zhang Yuelu. Before the wall descended, Zhang Yuelu had already put on a pair of finely crafted crystal sunglasses, used not for sun protection but to obscure her gaze, preventing suspects from reading her emotions during interrogations.

Since Mu Jin was in charge of the punishment, Qi Xuansu stood up and walked to the desk, taking charge of recording and documentation.

Even without Zhang Yuelu speaking, Ye Xiu already knew what she wanted to know and straightaway admitted to helping detain Bai Xiaojin.

Zhang Yuelu asked, “Who captured Bai Xiaojin?”

“The Heavenly Court’s Feng Bo,” Ye Xiu replied. “He personally delivered Bai Xiaojin to us. After all, he’s a Heavenly Being with the support of the Heavenly Court. I didn’t want to provoke him, so I couldn’t refuse.”

Zhang Yuelu remarked, “This indicates that you must be old acquaintances with Feng Bo, as I doubt he would entrust such an important hostage to a stranger.”

Ye Xiu had no choice but to admit it. “Yes, I’ve had business dealings with the Heavenly Court.”

“What kind of business?” Zhang Yuelu pressed, not giving Ye Xiu any respite.

Ye Xiu hesitated for a moment before answering, “It’s related to the brothels.”

Zhang Yuelu said, “There are over a hundred brothels in Jinling Prefecture, all with their own backers. Tell me which ones belong to the Heavenly Court, and I’ll send people to shut them down immediately.”

Ye Xiu remained silent.

Mu Jin lashed him again. “Answer!”

Ye Xiu had no choice but to speak. “The Snow Moon Villa on Pingyang Street.”

Zhang Yuelu scoffed. “How convenient. That’s exactly where we rescued Bai Xiaojin. Clearly, it’s your property—or rather, the property of the Sage behind you. Are you suggesting that this Sage is also affiliated with the Heavenly Court?”

Ye Xiu’s expression changed, and he hurriedly said, “No, no, I would never imply that.”

Zhang Yuelu warned. “I’ll give you one more chance to confess.” Then she turned to Mu Jin and instructed, “Three lashes.”

Mu Jin did not hesitate, delivering three consecutive lashes to the Beggar King, leaving him pale and drenched with sweat. His eyes were dim, and his entire body was trembling as if he were in unbearable agony.

Zhang Yuelu looked at Ye Xiu and demanded, “Speak.”

Ye Xiu lowered his head, not daring to meet Zhang Yuelu’s gaze. “I’ve conducted a bulk trade with the Heavenly Court, but the ships and goods belong to them; we merely help with the logistics.”

Zhang Yuelu leaned forward slightly. “Where do these goods come from?”

Ye Xiu replied, “That’s beyond my knowledge. Deputy Hall Master Zhang, you should ask Feng Bo.”