Chapter 40: The Truth

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The smell of dampness in the cell was strong and musty. Coupled with the killing of the jailer and the others, the smell of blood almost covered the other smells.

However, Zhang Ronghua’s nose was very sharp. He smelled the elk fragrance that the Crown Prince had tracked down.

Looking at Wu Lizhi, a fragrance emitted from his body.

It was very faint and undetectably weak.

It wasn’t his. If he had used it himself, he wouldn’t have done this. The smell would have been stronger. It must have lingered on him after being with someone for too long.

“I didn’t expect to gain something unexpected.”

He stopped at the black-robed man’s corpse.

With a wave of his hand, a golden light rushed out of his palm and shattered the black robe, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman. It looked unfamiliar and he did not recognize this person.

He searched her corpse and obtained a token with the words ‘Heavenly Sound’ written on it. Could she be the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sound Sect?

Didn’t the True Dragon Hall send someone to surround them? Why did they let her escape?

He took off the Heavenly Silkworm Golden Silk Gloves she was wearing. This was good stuff. It contained the essence of the Heavenly Silkworm’s life. It was tenacious, light, and had a powerful defense. Every Heavenly Silkworm would only spit out silk at the end of its life. It was once per lifetime and was priceless.

After dealing with her corpse, he carried Wu Lizhi out.

As soon as he reached the door, the soldiers who had changed their guard rushed over. Seeing corpses everywhere on the ground, Zhang Ronghua came out with the right vice minister of Justice in his hand. They hurriedly drew their swords and surrounded him.

“The Flood Dragon Guard is handling a case. Move!”

Taking out his identity token, the leader of the soldiers took a serious look. The token was real, but the guards had been killed and he was also grabbing the Lord of the Ministry of Justice. He did not let him in immediately but asked in a low voice, “What’s going on?”

Zhang Ronghua’s expression darkened. “Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t know. Be careful not to lose your life!”

He walked outside.

The surrounding soldiers hurriedly looked over. Seeing him shake his head, they made way. After Zhang Ronghua left, this person ordered his subordinates to report the news here and rush into the prison to check on the situation.

Back at the East Palace.

The Crown Prince had been waiting for a long time. After dealing with the matters at the Qinghua Hall, he waited for him in the Xuanhe Hall. The rumors outside were suppressed by him.

He threw Wu Lizhi to the ground and took out the two soul pearls. “My previous guess was right. The souls of Princess Fenghe and Crown Prince Fengyi had been devoured by them before this. What they saw was only an empty shell. They established cooperation with him, so this operation happened. We still have to interrogate them for the exact details.”

“There’s no need to go to the side hall. We’ll interrogate them here. I’ll watch.”

The hall was filled with his own people. Other than him, there was also Qing’er and Shuang’er. Zheng Fugui and Ma Ping’an were guarding outside.

He stepped on his palm and crushed it forcefully. Crack! It was a bloody mess. Under the stimulation of intense pain, Wu Lizhi immediately woke up. “Ah…”

“Shut up!”

Zhang Ronghua kicked him over and met his nervous gaze. He used the Seven-section Soul Extinguishing Hand, grabbed the bones in his body, and squeezed them roughly. He retracted his palm and stood at the side, watching.

It hurt!

It hurt like never before!

His soul felt like it was being pulled by a saw or boiled in a boiling pot of oil. In an instant, Wu Lizhi could not hold on anymore and fainted.

Zhang Ronghua woke him up and tortured him again.

This happened three times in a row. On the fourth time, he could not take it anymore and died of pain.

Zhang Ronghua said, “As expected.”

He told them about how he had been preparing to commit suicide in the cell.

“You’ve done well.”

“He smelled like an elk. Now that he’s dead, I’m afraid this lead is gone.”

“No!” The Crown Prince’s gaze was cold.

“I’ve found clues. I’ve already ordered people to capture them. Soon, there will be news.”

Looking at the two soul beads, Zhang Ronghua undid the seal and revealed the evil spirit and the Snake Girl.

Their wills were very weak, unlike Wu Lizhi, who was determined to die. As soon as they were released, they begged for mercy. “Your Highness, spare us! This has nothing to do with us. He ordered us to do this.”

He obediently took out the voice-recording stone and explained this matter from beginning to end.

Before the envoys of the Nanman Kingdom arrived in the capital, they happened to meet them. They were happy to see them and had designs on them.

At first.

They wanted to devour them all, but the plan changed again. When they finished devouring the souls of Crown Prince Fengyi and Princess Fenghe, they were discovered by the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sound Sect, who was passing by. They wanted to silence her, but she was too strong and they did not have absolute confidence. They could only give up. The other party told them not to act rashly and wait until they reached the capital.

When they arrived in the capital, she came to him immediately and brought the evil spirit to a place where she saw Wu Lizhi and had this plan. They would frame the Crown Prince for the deaths of Crown Prince Fengyi and Princess Fenghe. After it was done, she promised to let them devour the souls of the criminals in the prison of the Ministry of Justice.

The Crown Princess gave him a look. Qing’er stepped forward and infused her internal strength into the voice-recording stone. The process of its cooperation with Wu Lizhi was displayed.

After reading it once, he put away the voice-recording stone.

Zhang Ronghua took out two more voice-recording stones and handed them over. One recorded the scene in the Qinghua Hall, and the other recorded the conversation between the prison guards.

At that time, he had hidden in the dark and recorded their conversation with the voice-recording stone before attacking.

“Send them on their way!”

“No…”

Under the terrified gazes of the evil spirit and Snake Girl, Qing’er attacked at lightning speed and killed them.

Zhang Ronghua asked, “How did Qinghua Hall deal with it?”

“I asked Feng Zhengyi to wait. Although he has objections, he can only endure it!”

He looked regretful.

“This opportunity is too good. The mastermind is too cautious to make things difficult in the court. Otherwise, the benefits will be greater.”

He pointed at the chair beside him and asked Zhang Ronghua to sit down.

Qing’er served tea and placed a steaming cup in front of him.

Holding a teacup with a lid over the tea, they waited together. As long as the people sent by the Crown Prince sent news, they could find the mastermind.

It was almost dawn.

A black-robed woman wearing a half-moon mask with a golden phoenix with its wings spread to the nine heavens embroidered on her chest walked in. “Greetings, Your Highness!”

“Any news?”

“The relevant personnel have been executed. This is a voice-recording stone. The lord asked me to tell you that her residence has been surrounded.”

After handing the thing to Qing’er, the woman retreated.

The Crown Prince introduced, “This is the Phoenix Guard. It’s not under my care. It belongs to my aunt.”

Qing’er input her internal strength into the voice-recording stone. The scene played. It was very short, only dozens of breaths. Finally, a name appeared—Madam Zhenlie!

Crack!

The Crown Prince crushed the teacup and stood up from his chair, looking shocked. He could not believe it. After a few breaths, his expression calmed, as if he was puzzled or asking himself, “Why is it her?”