Chapter 1859: 1398: Interrogation (Part 2)

Chapter 1859: Chapter 1398: Interrogation (Part 2)

“Hmph! Don’t think just because you have Loose Immortal Grade cultivation, you’re something special. Within Daqian territory, the Human Dao Hundred Schools are still in charge! It’s not your place to interfere!”

Li Zhirui was very curious about what had happened to the Daqian Dynasty, causing such a huge rift and serious conflict between cultivators and the Hundred Schools disciples.

It had even reached the point where low-level officials and guards instinctively targeted cultivators.

After the official left, he returned to the stall, intending to buy a few selected items. He asked, “How much?”

“One hundred silver coins!” The stall owner’s eyes showed intense greed, not caring about the consequences at all.

“Farewell!”

Li Zhirui turned and left without hesitation. Did they really take him for a fool, or a sucker? Just a mere mortal dared to bully him, thinking he was easy to push around?

“Wait, wait! Fifty coins, thirty coins, you can take them all!” The stall owner, as if doused with cold water, suddenly regained his senses and yelled loudly.

However, no matter how loudly he shouted, Li Zhirui did not stop his steps. There were plenty of substitutes for those trinkets. There was no need to waste silver coins there without receiving proper treatment. Why ask for trouble?

After wandering around casually, he entered a narrow alley, observed carefully, and knocked on a seemingly ordinary courtyard gate.

In the next moment, the door opened automatically, letting him in.

This seemingly ordinary courtyard was actually a base for an intelligence organization named Wenfeng Building.

Li Zhirui knew of and was able to find Wenfeng Building due to information collected and purchased from the Dayan Dynasty.

The hall doors within the courtyard were wide open, and inside was a man responsible for the matter, looking quite weak.

“Welcome, distinguished guest! I am Shen Zaikong. What kind of information does the guest wish to know? As long as there’s a need, Wenfeng Building can begin investigations immediately! Within three days, the information will reach your hands.”

“I want to know what exactly happened in Daqian? Why is there so much conflict between cultivators and Hundred Schools disciples? They seem to dislike each other.” Li Zhirui immediately asked all the questions he wanted to know.

“Hmm…”

Shen Zaikong looked over with some surprise, seemingly not expecting someone to purchase this information.

But since the guest came with a request, he naturally had to fully satisfy the other party.

Upon receiving the reward from Li Zhirui, he immediately showed a brilliant smile and said, “The conflict between the two sides had always existed, but it wasn’t so obvious until one incident erupted!”

Shen Zaikong, with his dramatic tone, was very suitable to be a storyteller.

“Oh?” Li Zhirui was quite intrigued by his words.

“The previous Human Emperor, in his old age, like all tyrants, wanted to live forever. But the Hundred Schools couldn’t extend life, only the Immortal Tao understood longevity well. Thus, he diverted various Spiritual Objects to the Immortal Tao, hoping to achieve longevity and reign eternally, monopolizing the dynasty!”

“Just because of this?” Upon hearing this, he asked in disbelief.

“Yes, just because of this!”

Shen Zaikong nodded with a smile, “In the final years of the old emperor, he urged the Immortal Tao to quickly develop Methods, awarding large amounts of Spiritual Objects originally for Human Dao Hundred Schools to the Immortal Tao, and not just once.”

“The result was that many Pills developed by the Immortal Tao not only failed to extend the old emperor’s life but accelerated his death!”

“When the current emperor ascended, he immediately blamed the death of the old emperor on the Immortal Tao and severely weakened the Immortal Dao Power.”

“From then on, no one supported the Immortal Tao, and the Human Dao Hundred Schools didn’t want to miss this great opportunity. They not only joined forces to suppress the Immortal Tao but also propagated negative stories about the Immortal Tao among the populace, causing many people not to want their heirs or descendants to join the Immortal Tao.”

After listening to his complete narration, Li Zhirui nodded. It seemed he hadn’t wasted his expense.

“Thus, if the guest doesn’t conceal their identity as a cultivator, walking within Daqian territory might be difficult,” Shen Zaikong reminded.

“I understand, thank you for the information.”

“Satisfying the guest is my greatest mission.”

Li Zhirui smiled without saying anything and got up to leave.

“I have a newly arrived piece of information about the Immortal Tao. I wonder if the guest needs it?” Shen Zaikong suddenly spoke, introducing it proactively.

“Oh?”

After some thought, he handed over a Human Immortal Rank Spiritual Object.

“This information isn’t very precious; it will be known sooner or later. A Loose Immortal Grade Spiritual Object is enough.”

Li Zhirui’s eyebrow slightly raised, it appeared not to be too important information, or else Wenfeng Building wouldn’t resist greed for money.

“There’s news from the court that henceforth, instead of suppressing the Immortal Tao, they will shift to cultivating cultivators!”

“Why?” For a moment he couldn’t figure out why they would do this, so he asked instinctively.

“The reason is currently unknown.”

“Alright, thank you.”

This news was indeed beneficial for Li Zhirui’s upcoming cultivation journey, at least he wouldn’t feel as stifled as today, where even an official dared to flaunt his power before him!

However, to spread and have the populace within Daqian accept this would require a long time to change their ingrained impressions.

This unexpected news lightened his mood slightly.

“I’d like to purchase a detailed map of the Daqian Dynasty. Do you have one at hand?”

Normally, selling detailed maps for a Human Dao power like Daqian would be illegal!

However, since they’re operating in gray areas, would they really care if something is illegal? As long as they could make a huge profit, why bother with consequences?

After the third exchange, Li Zhirui finally left the Wenfeng Building’s base.

He then rented a guest room in the city, planning to explore the nearby area further and get a good understanding of the Daqian Dynasty before continuing his travels.

…

As evening approached, Taiyin and Stars appeared continuously in the sky, adding a touch of brightness to the dark night.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard in Bianshan City, Wang Jianyi, the small official who had humiliated Li Zhirui earlier, was drinking under the moon.

But suddenly, his outstretched arm froze, and he fell straight down.

With a thud, dust was stirred up.

He lived alone, so no one discovered his condition until the next day when he failed to report for duty, only then did people find out he had died during the night!

A few seasoned coroners came to examine the corpse and concluded it was sudden death due to excitement, not likely a setup.

However, this unexpected death caught the local authorities’ attention, and they seriously suspected it was the handiwork of a cultivator, causing a healthy adult male to suddenly die at night!

Through their investigation, they quickly focused their suspicion on Li Zhirui and other cultivators, all of whom had conflicts with Wang Jianyi, among them Li Zhirui was the most suspected.

Bang!

The Shock Court Wood slapped heavily, and the official above shouted sternly, “Speak! Is Wang Jianyi’s death related to you?”

“On the day of his death, many people saw you two arguing, and you bore a grudge because of it, taking action at night to frame him, yet posing as if he suddenly died.”

“Ha!”

Li Zhirui couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, “Haven’t you already determined my crime? What more do you want me to say?”

“Though I’m a cultivator, I’ve some understanding of Hundred Schools theories. I wonder since when did the Legalist faction rely on speculation rather than evidence and witnesses for their judgments?”

Bang!

The official was both surprised and angry upon hearing this, slamming the Shock Court Wood heavily, “Don’t change the topic here with this official!”