A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1423: Solving the Case

Beichen Hall had its own interrogation techniques. Even when dealing with high-ranking Daoists, they showed no mercy. Sometimes, they even resorted to harsher methods. The stark contrast in treatment could even drive many high-ranking Daoists to despair. This was one of the reasons Beichen Hall had such a bad reputation.

When Qi Xuansu was younger, he cared deeply about such matters. Later, his perspective changed. He realized some things could not be altered, and anyone in that position would act the same, so he stopped dwelling on it.

Of course, this did not mean Qi Xuansu started out as purely righteous. He was always a mix of black and white, not naive to the world. Before entering the upper echelons, he harbored a somewhat unrealistic, hopeful illusion. Zhang Yuelu’s presence only deepened that illusion. Later, it naturally shattered. Qi Xuansu realized that Zhang Yuelu was a rare exception. Most people were simply as human nature dictated, and some were even worse than Madam Qi.

When Qi Xuansu arrived at the temporary holding place to see Qi Wangui, the man had already changed drastically.

This disheveled state was not physical. Qi Wangui was still neatly dressed, his hair perfectly in place. It was psychological and mental. He had lost the composure of a high-ranking Daoist, showing clear exhaustion, diminished presence, and panic masked by forced calm. He seemed to have aged several years.

Clearly, a flowerbed Daoist like Qi Wangui had been sheltered for years. Even in a high position, he could not adapt to Beichen Hall’s methods. If it were someone like Xu Kou, he might not be completely unaffected, but at least in the short term, he would remain composed.

“Qi Xuansu!” Qi Wangui became agitated upon seeing him. “This is an abuse of power! I will report you to the Golden Tower Council!”

Qi Xuansu sat down across from him, expressionless. He did not respond to the accusation. Instead, he asked, “Dan Jin, how did the questioning go?”

Li Zhuyu replied, “He refuses to admit anything.”

Qi Xuansu continued, “Does he deny hiring someone to kill, or deny colluding with secret societies?”

Li Zhuyu said, “He denies both. However, I’ve already issued a warrant in the name of headquarters. We should have results soon.”

Qi Xuansu said nothing.

Often, cases become unsolved not because they could not be solved but due to insufficient manpower and resources. After all, solving cases had its costs, and with various factors obscuring and entangling matters, they were easily left unresolved.

But if one were truly committed to investigating, with Beichen Hall’s capabilities, there were almost no cases they could not solve.

With the second-in-command of Beichen Hall giving the order and Deputy Hall Master Li Zhuyu executing it, all Beichen Hall branches across various Daoist Mansions had been mobilized. With support from Tiangang Hall’s Spirit Guards and even coordination from the Green Phoenix Guard’s regional units, they became an extremely formidable force. Even the past Qi Xuansu would not have been able to escape it.

Qi Xuansu simply sat there waiting, ignoring Qi Wangui, only occasionally chatting with Li Zhuyu about everyday matters.

For example, Li Zhuyu asked when Qi Xuansu planned to marry Zhang Yuelu, and he replied that it would be soon, after both of their current terms ended.

Qi Xuansu then asked Li Zhuyu if she had any such plans, and she said she did not have a suitable partner.

Qi Xuansu even advised her to find a partner sooner rather than later, or she might end up like him, facing difficulty having children.

Li Zhuyu did not mind. She was the adopted daughter of Sage Qingwei, and Qi Xuansu himself had both an adoptive mother and an adopted daughter. Their elders had already set the example. Adoption was a long-standing tradition in the Li family, so she could always adopt a child in the future.

At that moment, Xu Kou entered with a cold aura.

“Chief Deputy, the suspect has been captured.” Xu Kou had intended to report quietly, but upon meeting Qi Xuansu’s gaze, he immediately spoke loudly.

Qi Wangui visibly trembled.

Qi Xuansu ordered, “Mute the area.”

This place had been modified by Beichen Hall Daoists. One of them immediately activated a formation, isolating Qi Wangui’s area. His voice and Thoughts could no longer transmit outward, though his vision remained unaffected.

Qi Xuansu added, “Bring him in.”

The assassin was indeed experienced. He fled the Wanxiang Daoist Palace immediately and left Longmen Prefecture, escaping all the way into Huzhou territory.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been temporarily safe. But he never imagined the case would involve Qi Xuansu.

When Qi Wangui hired him, he did not reveal the truth. He claimed the female instructor was his mistress who kept pestering him, which could damage his reputation. Since it was a crucial time for deciding the Palace Master position, he needed to deal with her, so it was best to just stage it as a suicide.

At first glance, it did not seem like a big deal. Coupled with Qi Wangui’s generous payment, the assassin accepted the job.

If he had known it involved the second-in-command of Beichen Hall and internal Daoist conflicts, he would not have taken the job no matter how much money was offered.

Beichen Hall was a notorious force, the Daoist equivalent of the Green Phoenix Guard. Offending such a massive power left no path to survival.

As a result, the Beichen Hall branch in Huzhou quickly tracked him down to the Taiping Inn. Xu Kou personally led a team to descend from the air, surrounded him, captured him, and returned overnight by flying ship to the Wanxiang Daoist Palace.

This man, named Gu Dalin, came from The Inn and was an experienced assassin. He initially held a glimmer of hope. After all, The Inn had good relations with the Green Phoenix Guard, which in turn had ties with Beichen Hall. Everything seemed connected, so perhaps there could be some leniency. But the moment he was escorted onto the flying ship, he knew the matter would not end well.

Riding a flying ship was usually reserved for fallen high-ranking Daoist prisoners, such as Du Juanzhi.

Gu Dalin was not even a Daoist, yet he was receiving the same treatment. Thus, he immediately realized something was wrong with the female instructor’s case.

Qi Wangui must not have told the truth and dragged him into it. It likely had something to do with the Palace Master position Qi Wangui mentioned, and it certainly was not about any mistress.

At this moment, Gu Dalin deeply regretted everything. Nothing good came from getting entangled in internal Daoist conflicts. Even if The Inn’s Owner personally stepped in, it might not help.

The flying ship landed at Xingye Lake. Along the shore stood rows of Spirit Guards clad in black armor, forming a dense, oppressive presence. This was the treatment usually reserved for major offenders of the Heavenly Being level, meant to overwhelm one’s psyche and crush any lingering hope.

Seeing this display, Gu Dalin’s heart sank into despair.

Xu Kou brought Gu Dalin to the place where Qi Wangui was being held.

As soon as Qi Xuansu finished speaking, two Spirit Guards escorted Gu Dalin inside.

At first glance, Gu Dalin saw Qi Wangui.

At the same moment, Qi Wangui looked toward him.

As soon as their eyes met, Qi Wangui’s expression changed drastically. Gu Dalin immediately understood everything and became furious.

Qi Wangui tried to say something, but Qi Xuansu had already ordered a privacy barrier, so no voice or Thoughts could get through.

This was exactly the effect Qi Xuansu wanted.

Seeing that Qi Wangui had already been captured, Gu Dalin naturally assumed that Qi Wangui had exposed him, which led to his swift arrest. As a result, he would not resist interrogation but instead confess everything to prevent Qi Wangui from shifting all the blame onto him.

In Gu Dalin’s view, Qi Wangui was a high-ranking Daoist backed by the Qi family. Daoist authorities would not easily punish him. Yet the murder case had to be resolved, making Gu Dalin, the actual perpetrator, the perfect scapegoat. To survive, Gu Dalin could only save himself by confessing everything in full.

Even if he could not save himself, Gu Dalin would still drag Qi Wangui down with him out of vengeance.

In either case, Gu Dalin would not hold back.

Qi Xuansu signaled Xu Kou to take the man away.

Li Zhuyu understood and followed them out. She would not conduct the interrogation herself but would supervise from outside, keeping track of the progress at all times.

The interrogation went smoothly. The Daoists of Beichen Hall barely needed to use any techniques, as Gu Dalin took the initiative to spill everything.

Since the incident had happened only recently, his account was extremely detailed. He could pinpoint events down to the minute and even recite Qi Wangui’s exact words verbatim. He confessed how he committed the murder, accelerated the dissipation of the soul, and erased the Three Corpses, all of which perfectly matched the forensic findings at the scene.

The illicit payment and all tools used in the crime were accounted for. As a seasoned assassin, Gu Dalin had even secretly recorded their conversation.

With both witness testimony and physical evidence in hand, the case was solid.

Thus, the entire chain of evidence was complete.

This showed that with sufficient manpower and resources, solving a case could be this straightforward.

Qi Xuansu instructed Li Zhuyu to keep a close watch on Gu Dalin and to compile everything into a file for reporting to the Great Sage Shi. Under no circumstances was he to die.

After hearing the report, Great Sage Shi was not particularly surprised. From the moment Qi Xuansu decided to escalate the matter, he had already anticipated the outcome.

Still, he added, “You may deal with the man as you see fit. But it would be best to inform Qi Jiaozheng first.”

This was not a threat, but advice for Qi Xuansu’s sake. Like Sun Hewu’s earlier earnest persuasion, it all stemmed from a desire to prevent Qi Xuansu from making too many enemies.

Qi Xuansu understood and said he would contact Qi Jiaozheng immediately.

Even after Gu Dalin’s confession, Qi Wangui remained stubborn, repeatedly invoking Qi Jiaozheng. He did not believe Qi Jiaozheng could save him, but he had no other option. He could not just sit and wait for death.

Qi Xuansu’s response was simple. He muted Qi Wangui again and had the mother-child mirror brought to the holding area, intending to contact Qi Jiaozheng right in front of him.

For matters like this, one should go big or go home.

In truth, Qi Xuansu was also establishing his authority and sending a clear warning for others so that they would not provoke him without reason.