Chapter 569 - 565: Interrogation
Chapter 569: Chapter 565: Interrogation
In the distant foothills, a blue-tiled, white-walled estate lay quietly in the morning mist, like a slumbering beast.
Fang Han stood on the shaded side of a hill several miles away, his figure completely concealed behind a thicket of withered bushes.
’Thousand-Mile Soul Lock.’
Fang Han pushed ’Thousand-Mile Soul Lock’ to its peak. His perception spread out like formless ripples, flowing silently over the untamed wilderness and fields to envelop the entire estate.
Within a radius of several miles, every aura was revealed in perfect clarity.
’Five auras...’
Within the estate, Fang Han discovered a total of five auras.
Judging from their auras, their strength wasn’t high. They were all just Middle Third-Grade Martial Artists; there wasn’t even a single Upper Three Grades Martial Artist.
To destroy the Qingxuan Sect, Yan Wuji had led the elites of the Tiejiang Gang out in full force, so this secret hideout was clearly left with only a few small fry.
’I can’t detect Yan Wuji’s aura!’
A contemplative glint appeared in Fang Han’s eyes.
He hadn’t detected Yan Wuji’s aura in the estate, but that didn’t mean Yan Wuji wasn’t there.
As a Grandmaster, Yan Wuji’s ability to hide his presence was already formidable. With the aid of a special Concealing Breath elixir, it would be difficult for even Fang Han to detect him if he were intentionally hiding.
’Is Yan Wuji truly hiding in this estate?’
Fang Han’s gaze swept over the estate once more.
The white walls were tall, the gates were shut tight, and the courtyard was deathly silent. Not even the crowing of roosters or the barking of dogs, common to any normal estate, could be heard.
It was unnaturally quiet—a silence that put one on edge.
It was like a great beast dozing, seemingly peaceful but holding a deadly threat within.
’To be safe, I should return and report to the Sect. I’ll ask the two Grandmasters from the Vajra Temple and Baihua Valley to investigate.’
Just as Fang Han decided to withdraw, he froze.
With a soft CREAK, the estate’s side gate swung open.
A figure dressed in simple gray clothes darted out. After looking left and right for a moment, he lowered his head and hurried along the narrow path between the fields, heading toward the city.
Judging by his aura, he was one of the five.
’An opportunity!’
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed.
This was an opportunity.
If he could capture this man, he could interrogate him to confirm whether or not Yan Wuji was hiding in the estate.
He held his breath and focused, waiting patiently.
He waited until the gray-clad figure was a few miles away, well out of sight of the estate, and had reached a desolate, empty stretch of land—
SWOOSH!
Fang Han shot out from the side like a phantom, his speed so fast it left only a faint, imperceptible distortion in the air.
The man in gray only felt a sudden numbness in his neck and his vision went black. Before he could even cry out, he collapsed limply.
Fang Han moved like lightning, one hand catching the limp body while the other swiftly pried open the man’s jaw.
His fingertips probed the man’s mouth, sweeping quickly between the teeth and gums.
No foreign objects.
He then carefully pressed the man’s cheeks and under his tongue. Confirming that there was no hidden Poison Pouch, he finally relaxed.
Hoisting the man up, Fang Han moved again, speeding off toward the dense mountain forest in the opposite direction of both the city and the estate.
At Fang Han’s current speed, covering a distance of many miles took but a few moments.
Deep in the woods, he found a hidden corner where the trees were exceptionally dense and tangled with vines.
Fang Han put down his captive, took a coil of tough cowhide rope from his Storage Ring, and bound him tightly to the trunk of an ancient tree so thick it would take two people to encircle it.
He tied several dead knots, ensuring the man could not possibly break free, even if he suddenly recovered.
After doing all this, he flicked his finger, sending a wisp of Inner Qi into the man in gray, piercing his body like a needle.
"Ugh..."
Stimulated by the pain, the gray-clad man’s eyelids fluttered, and he slowly woke up.
His initial confusion turned to sheer horror as he took in his surroundings and saw the green-robed, sword-wielding figure standing before him.
He subconsciously tried to struggle, but found himself bound and unable to move. The rough cowhide rope dug deep into his flesh, and he couldn’t budge an inch.
"You..."
His voice was dry and hoarse, laced with an uncontrollable tremor.
"I’ll ask, you’ll answer."
Fang Han spoke. His voice was calm, yet carried an undercurrent of danger.
He stood with his sword, not deliberately exuding any menacing presence, but his calm, direct gaze made the man in gray feel as if he’d been plunged into an ice pit.
"If you utter a single lie, or hesitate to speak..."
With a flick of his wrist, the Cloud Splitting Sword was unsheathed in a blindingly fast slash.
A thread of condensed Sword Qi shot out, grazing the man in gray’s ear.
HISS—
With that soft sound, a cut an inch deep and smooth as glass appeared silently on the iron-hard bark of the ancient tree behind the man.
A few strands of hair, severed by the Sword Qi, slowly drifted down.
The man in gray shuddered, and cold sweat broke out on his brow as the fear of death gripped his throat.
"Spare my life, sir! I’ll tell you everything, I swear! I won’t hide a single thing!"
He cried out, afraid that a moment’s delay would cost him his life.
"How many people are in the estate right now? What are their Cultivation levels? Is Yan Wuji there?"
Fang Han asked, his pace steady, his questions getting straight to the point.
"F-five... five people. Including me, there are five of us. I’m a Fifth Grade Martial Artist. Of the other four, one is a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, and the other three are Fifth Grade Martial Artists. The Supreme Elder... he..."
The man in gray swallowed hard, his eyes darting about in terror, as if he feared the man he’d just named would suddenly appear.
"He came back late last night!"
Fang Han’s gaze sharpened:
"Tell me everything. When did he come back, what did he do, and is he still in the estate?"
"Around the hour after midnight... He was covered in blood and looked terrible. He had wounds on his left shoulder and below his ribs..."
The man in gray’s face was still etched with fear as he recalled the scene.
"He went straight to the inner vault, stayed for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, and when he came out, he was carrying a bundle. Then... then he left again immediately!"
"Before leaving, he just told us to watch the estate, not to let anyone in, and not to reveal our identities..."
"He left? What did he take?"
Fang Han pressed.
"I don’t know! A man of my station... how could I dare ask the Supreme Elder what he was taking?"
The man in gray frantically shook his head, afraid Fang Han wouldn’t believe him.
’He took something and left...’
Fang Han was lost in thought.
’Yan Wuji came back in a hurry, grabbed a few things, and left immediately. He must have suspected this place was compromised and didn’t dare to linger.’
’That fear wasn’t unfounded. I myself found this place by following the lingering auras of the Tiejiang Gang members.’
"Yan Wuji... where did he go? Do you know?"
Fang Han’s gaze fixed on the gray-clad man’s face as he exerted pressure with his aura.
The man in gray’s face grew even paler as he shook his head repeatedly:
"I really don’t know! How could I possibly know the Supreme Elder’s whereabouts? He just took his things and left without saying anything else..."
Afraid this answer would anger Fang Han, his eyes darted nervously and he quickly added:
"But... but I know something else! It might be useful to you, sir!"
"Speak."
"A day ago, yes, that’s right, a day ago, the gang secretly transported more than ten cartloads of things into the estate, and they were sent directly to the inner vault!"
The man in gray spoke rapidly, with an eagerness to please.
"I heard from one of the disciples in charge of the transport that it was all... all of it was valuable treasure!"
’A huge amount of treasure...’
A faint ripple stirred in the depths of Fang Han’s eyes.
’The Tiejiang Gang has absorbed many smaller powers lately, and their haul has been immense. Over ten cartloads of treasure... that must be an astonishing fortune.’
’If I could deposit all this treasure into the system panel...’
’The ten million gold needed for the Ninth Level Amplification might no longer be an astronomical, unattainable sum.’
The thought flared in his mind like wildfire, but he forcefully suppressed it, allowing no trace of it to show on his face.