Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 19 The Truth
"Whoop whoosh!"

When only Dingjue's panting could be heard in the woodshed where the interrogation was taking place, Chihong and Jiewen remained silent, watching the changes in the perpetrator's expression.

From hatred to doubt, then from doubt to confusion, and finally to a sliver of hope: "You mean... my family... are still alive?"

"I don't know, it's just a reasonable analysis based on clues."

Zhan Zhao spoke the truth.

Seeing that Dingjue was in a hurry, he continued, "I only know that if Su Wuqing is not just a name without substance, there must be something fishy going on. You should think about it carefully instead of blindly believing and following."

"Yes! Yes! Hall Master Su shouldn't have overlooked this point... shouldn't have overlooked it..."

Dingjue nodded repeatedly, tears welling in his eyes, and sobbed, "They're still alive! They must still be alive!"

Zhan Zhao fell silent.

Chi Hong and Jie Wen silently clasped their hands together, without saying a word.

Only the sound of weeping could be heard from the woodshed.

Once the man's tears had soaked the ground and he had gradually calmed down, Zhan Zhao spoke again: "When was it that the false news of your family's murder was spread?"

Dingjue's attitude had changed, and he honestly replied, "Ten months ago."

"Ten months, these days have been incredibly tough!"

Zhan Zhao offered a reassuring remark, then finally got to the crucial question: "Who...was the one who fabricated this story?"

Dingjue pursed his lips, hesitated slightly, but finally said, "Feng Buyu, Vice Hall Master of Xuanji Hall!"

"It's actually him?"

Chi Hong and Jie Wen looked slightly surprised.

The Six Doors has four famous constables.

"Ruthless" Su Yiming, "Punishmentless" Li Jingming, "Heartless" Zhou Tianguang, "Faultless" Zhao Xingyao.

People in the martial arts world usually refer to him as Su Wuqing, Li Wuxing, Zhou Wuxin, and Zhao Wujiu.

These four individuals served as the heads of the Xuanji Hall, Zhenyue Hall, Juefeng Hall, and Fengjun Hall, respectively.

Below them in each hall are two deputy hall masters, both of whom are veteran constables.

He held the golden seal, which was placed only below the jade mirror.

The Great Xiangguo Temple and the Six Doors both reside in the capital; how could they not know this?
This man, Feng Buyu, lived up to his name; he was taciturn and sparing with his words, yet every word he uttered carried immense weight, and he always kept his word.

That is why Dingjue had unwavering faith in the visitor.

Let alone Dingjue, even the two eminent monks present would find it hard to believe.

After all, that's a reputation built up over decades.

Zhan Zhao didn't know this person, but he could roughly guess what was going on from his reaction. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "When Feng Buyu told you about this, were there any other people around?"

"of course not."

Dingjue shook his head: "My identity is hidden, how can I come into contact with too many outsiders? Deputy Hall Master Feng entered the temple disguised as a pilgrim, and we talked for no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

'Actually, you've already been exposed...'

Just then, Zhan Zhao had a question: "Why would the Six Doors plant spies in the Great Xiangguo Temple?"

"Then you should ask whether the local Buddhist community is protecting the perpetrator!"

Dingjue's face darkened, and his tone revealed deep disgust: "How many wanted criminals by the Six Doors have become 'lay-down' monks just by shaving their heads? Temples everywhere are filthy and corrupt. If we want to eradicate this stubborn disease within the sect, we must start with the Great Xiangguo Temple!"

"Oh?"

Zhan Zhao raised an eyebrow.

He himself deeply hated the kind of behavior that involved committing serious crimes or even murder, then hiding in a temple, shaving one's head, becoming a monk, and thus erasing all past wrongdoings.

And just because he is now at the Xiangguo Temple, he will not turn to speak for Buddhism and find all sorts of Buddhist doctrines to argue against it.

The Six Doors' attempt to eradicate this chaos, even if it's just a single target, may ultimately be difficult to implement, but it's still commendable.

The impression has improved without me even realizing it.

But the interrogation had to continue: "Did Feng Buyu give you the 'Corrupted Marrow Elixir'?"

"no no."

Dingjue shook his head repeatedly: "If he really tried to give me poison, I would definitely suspect him!"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Then how did you obtain this poison?"

Chi Hong and Jie Wen also pricked up their ears.

The answer, however, greatly surprised them.

Ding Jue replied, "I bought it." Even Zhan Zhao was surprised by this answer: "Bought it? Where did you buy it?"

Dingjue nodded and said, "It happened right in front of the temple, where the Wan family made their transaction more than half a month ago."

"absurd!"

Jie Wen couldn't help but ask, "'Corrosive Marrow Elixir' is a very rare poison even within the 'Five Immortals Sect.' Can you buy such a poison at the Wanxing Exchange?"

"What's so strange about that?"

Dingjue still didn't give them a friendly look, coldly saying, "For the sake of a thriving business, what can't be bought and sold in the Wanxing Trading Center? Didn't the temple turn a blind eye to people selling secret manuals before?"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Who was the seller who gave you the deadly poison?"

Dingjue described him as: "Wearing a bamboo hat, his face was not visible, but judging from his accent, he was an elderly Miao man who was skilled in poison techniques."

“How come you see?”

"He had me test the medicine and used the Five Immortals Sect's poison techniques to neutralize it, proving that the poison was real."

At this point, Dingjue paused, then his voice sharpened again: "Whether he is from Miao territory or not, I don't care. As long as the medicine is real! As long as it can help me get rid of those sinners!"

Dingjue's mission as an undercover agent was to silently gather information about the monks in the temple and send it to the Six Doors at regular intervals.

Therefore, he knew very well that Hu Xiba was a local tyrant. After killing someone, he was sent to Puji Temple by a local wealthy man. He violated the precepts at Puji Temple and was then transferred to Daxiangguo Temple.

He also knew that Cheng Ruoshui's father had committed a bloody crime in Xiangyang and had now been imprisoned in the Valley of Villains, becoming a notorious villain.

Seeing that these two were the ones who were poisoned, he felt even more certain that he had done the right thing.

But as he spoke, a fierce aura suddenly surfaced in Dingjue's eyes again.

"how?"

Just as Zhan Zhao realized something was wrong, the Zen Master Chi Hong, who had been silent all along, suddenly moved, his withered index finger pointing towards Ding Jue's brow like a vajra.

"Ding!"

The sound, like shattering glass or jade, echoed through the woodshed, instantly clearing the minds of the group.

Then, a golden light emanated from the fingertips of Zen Master Chihong, and a twisted black line appeared faintly between Dingjue's eyebrows, writhing and thrashing like a venomous snake, causing his eyes to turn completely crimson.

"My heart is as still as water, my thoughts as clear as a mirror; the eight winds pass by, yet I remain steadfast!"

When Zen Master Chihong began to speak, the chanting carried a calming and soothing power.

The words fell.

The black mist was pulverized inch by inch by the golden light and suddenly shrank back.

The sandalwood incense in the woodshed suddenly intensified, as if the previous filth had never existed.

All of this feels mysterious and elusive.

If not for the fact that everyone present was a master, and that Zen Master Chihong made no attempt to conceal his true intentions, it would have been extremely difficult to capture such a clear spiritual fluctuation.

Jie Wen suddenly realized: "Ding Jue has been hit by a mental technique; someone has left this strange true energy within his body!"

Zhan Zhao's eyes lit up: "Oh?"

Jiewen, thinking he was unaware, explained, "In martial arts competition, attacking the mind is paramount; that is also a method."

“Mind techniques can suppress the enemy’s spirit and affect their mind. The strong can even seal off a person’s five senses, plunging them into eternal night, causing them to disarm themselves and await their execution.”

"Most importantly, the mental cultivation method contains secret techniques of the mind, the Qimen Dunjia contains secret techniques of the mind, and even swords and clubs contain hidden true qi and killing intent that can shake the mind. It can be said to be omnipresent and all-pervasive!"

Zhan Zhao listened attentively.

He actually knew about the secret arts of the mind; the Wine Master had specifically mentioned it.

According to the Daoist of Wine, when a martial artist's cultivation reaches a certain level and their spiritual power is abundant, they will inevitably have to suppress their enemies with their spirit. If we take it out of context, it is the skill of mental secret arts, which allows one to use true energy to hide in the enemy's body and make various kinds of influence.

However, there is no specific secret technique for this in the Six Lines Formless Sword Qi at this stage, so this is the first time he has witnessed it firsthand.

Meanwhile, Zen Master Chihong stopped and said in a deep voice, "The resentment in Dingjue's heart was amplified by this hidden true energy within his body, causing him to completely lose control!"

Jie Wen said coldly, "They're afraid he'll be able to restrain himself from killing!"

Zhan Zhao nodded: "The details of the case have now been clarified."

"First, Feng Buyu, the deputy head of the Xuanji Hall of the Six Doors, conveyed a message to Dingjue, making him believe that his family members had been killed by the wicked monks, or that their remains had not been found, and that he was suffering in the temple every day. This was the fundamental motive."

"Furthermore, through the transactions among the Wan family members at the temple gate, Dingjue obtained the Five Immortals Sect's highly poisonous 'Marrow-Corroding Elixir,' which provided a viable tool."

"Finally, this mental technique, a different kind of true energy, completely transformed his hatred into killing intent."

"It facilitated a covert operation by a member of the Six Doors (a secret police agency) to carry out an incident within the Xiangguo Temple..."

"Morning class poisoning case!"

(End of this chapter)