Chapter 1289: Quibbling

Chapter 1289: Chapter 1289: Quibbling

Just as Ding Zhiyi saw the strange insect and thought it would use punishment against him, becoming more vigilant, the light in the room dimmed. A light projection immediately cast from the front end of the insect onto the wall, displaying an image of the White Deer Institute elder, Zong Changqing, accused of secretly using the teleportation array to let the three people leave.

"According to your statement, you came to the Immortal Palace to negotiate with Zong Changqing about stealing the Huiquan Meridian Cleansing Record, which might be buried along with the late senior, Zhen Zhixi, from Yu Lin Square. You were then sent away via the teleportation array because you feared being discovered during our search, is that correct?" Pei Yan pointed at the image on the wall and said.

"Yes! That’s right! Didn’t your people already ask this several times?" Xu Wendong said impatiently.

"How did you enter the Immortal Palace? Anyone who is not at the top tier of the Celestial Dao will trigger the Immortal Palace’s restrictive array upon entry. I see you haven’t reached that level yet. However, there’s neither entry records of yours in the Immortal Palace nor in the public array. Can you give me an explanation?" Pei Yan leaned back on the chair and said mockingly.

"Naturally, we entered the Immortal Palace via the secret teleportation array of the White Deer Institute, which wouldn’t trigger the Immortal Palace’s surveillance array." While saying this, Ding Zhiyi realized the flaw in this explanation but couldn’t think of any other reason, so he had no choice but to say it anyway.

"Oh! You reached the main institution of White Deer Institute. Someone there received you and opened the secret teleportation array, usually only used in emergencies, to send you to the Immortal Palace? So, you knowingly engaged in a shady deal and risked being discovered to conduct it in the Immortal Palace at great distances — Ding Zhiyi! Do you believe this statement yourself?"

Facing Pei Yan’s challenges, Ding Zhiyi defended himself: "What’s strange about it? Our dealings have always been with Zong Changqing. We don’t trust anyone else."

"I figured you’d say that!" Pei Yan smiled slightly after speaking, then waved his hand. The once flat ground suddenly raised two partitions, separating the three people into dark rooms. At this moment, Mi Langcai, the quickest to react, suddenly understood what Pei Yan was going to do, tried to shout, but found his throat restrained by a force. Then, earplug-like objects blocked his ears, preventing him from hearing any external sounds. Moments later, a question asked by Pei Yan came through those earplugs.

Hearing this question, all three were mortified, petrified in place, and then simultaneously attempted to dig out the objects in their ears. But Pei Yan would never let them have their way. Like mechanical arms firmly restrained them, Pei Yan’s devilish voice rang again in their ears: "What? Is my question causing such agitation you can’t answer? Quickly, give a straightforward answer!"

Silence prevailed; using silence to confront now, since their source of energy was sealed, even secret sound transmission couldn’t be performed. The more said, the worse off they were; not speaking left Pei Yan without leverage! This was Ding Zhiyi’s thought, and perhaps this strategy paid off. Following an extended period of being confined, he didn’t know how much time had passed. Ding Zhiyi only felt his body relax as the partitions separating the three vanished. When his hearing returned, he heard Mi Langcai shouting loudly: "3:30 AM! 3:30 AM!"

"Right! Yes, we arrived at White Deer Institute via the secret teleportation array at 3:30 AM!" Ding Zhiyi, knowing this sounded self-deceptive now, still moved forward one step at a time. Having said this, he turned to look at his third younger brother, Xu Wendong, but found him sitting dumbly, not backing him up.

Pei Yan watched their performance, his face full of mockery, and said nothing, merely snapped his fingers at the mechanical insect before him. Following his orders, it replayed the earlier images showing Ding Zhiyi and Mi Langcai looking conflicted, but after initial struggles, both chose silence. Xu Wendong, however, appeared far more frantic, continually glancing towards his two elder brothers. Upon seeing Pei Yan nod and smile as if receiving an answer when looking at them, Xu Wendong finally couldn’t hold back and shouted: "Midnight, we arrived at the Immortal Palace at midnight!"

Watching this segment finally made Xu Wendong realize everything that occurred just now was Pei Yan’s act to deceive, feeling humiliated, and he erupted in anger, shouting: "Despicable! How insidious you are!"

"Wendong!" Ding Zhiyi sternly stopped Xu Wendong’s actions and turned to Pei Yan, snorting coldly: "My third brother has always been careless. Remembering the time incorrectly is common for him. This doesn’t prove anything!"

"Yes! Yes! I got the time wrong! Midnight and 3:30 AM are both late night, so it’s normal for me to mix them up!" Xu Wendong, like grasping a lifeline, quickly agreed.

"Midnight and 3:30 AM differ by nearly two full hours, equating to four hours in our world’s time. Can you mix that up? I think you’re not careless, but simple-minded!"

"Say what you like, but I got it wrong!" Xu Wendong faced Pei Yan’s insults without refuting, insisting stubbornly.

"Alright! Then according to your statement, you arrived at the Immortal Palace at 3:30 AM! Then where’s the record of that? I reviewed the White Deer Institute’s records around the Ten-Eyed Well for three days before and after. There’s only the record of you returning, not of coming to the Immortal Palace! How do you explain this?" Pei Yan continued pressing.

"This, this!" This time the three had no idea how to respond; normally dealings in the Daoist Plane were straightforward, capturing people and using various punishments for interrogation ensured most couldn’t withstand it. Even those with steel will couldn’t endure the diverse punishments of the Daoist Plane, ultimately having memories extracted to reveal all truths. They had made preparations for such measures, never expecting Pei Yan not to employ punishments but instead to ask questions they could barely handle.

"What? Didn’t think we’d use this tactic? Or was the time too short, not leaving enough to cover this flaw? Too inexperienced! You knew I’d personally interrogate you, yet didn’t coordinate your stories beforehand? And you still thought you’d gain my respect? Hmph, too little challenge!" Pei Yan taunted, nose pinching disdainfully at the silent trio.

"This! That’s their problem at White Deer Institute! How should I know why there isn’t a record of our arrival? Maybe they made a mistake or perhaps something went wrong with the Ten-Eyed Well! You shouldn’t ask me this, but should be asking the people at the White Deer Institute!"