Chapter 1292: Breakdown

Chapter 1292: Chapter 1292: Breakdown

Ding Zhiyi and his companion, who had been thoroughly humiliated by Pei Yan’s scornful words, now sat slumped against the wall as if bereft of life, unable to muster any retort. After a long pause, Ding Zhiyi looked up at Pei Yan with a complex and weary expression and said, "You’re right! We are like fools, gambling everything to come here only to discover that our sacrifices were completely meaningless! When you first presented this evidence, it was clear that even without probing for flaws, the truth could be proven! But why did you still feign conditions with us? Was it just to humiliate us? If we had accepted your terms from the start, would you truly have let us go?"

"Humiliate you? Don’t flatter yourselves! Outside, you may dominate the scene, but compared to those gathered in this building today, you’re insignificant, just a toss of an onion or garlic not worth my effort to humiliate you! If you had accepted my terms from the start, it would have saved me a lot of trouble, and I could simply hand the evidence and your testimonies to someone for review! As for the conditions I mentioned, my promises will be fulfilled." With that, Pei Yan smiled slightly and added, "But I knew you wouldn’t accept!"

"Are there other people in this building? Are they behind that mirror?" Mi Langcai, who had noticed the peculiar mirror since entering the room, only reacted to ask this after Pei Yan’s statement.

At this point, there was no need to conceal anything from them. Pei Yan nodded with a smile and said, "That’s right! Otherwise, who do you think this puppet show is for?"

Looking at the two who had fallen into utter despair and silence, Pei Yan sighed and curiously asked, "Now that there’s no meaning in hiding the truth for White Deer Institute, I’m still curious why you chose to do this for them? For profit? Given your actions, even without linking them to this matter, the many sects in the Daoist Plane wouldn’t spare you. Being captured equals death, and with life gone, what profit is there to speak of?"

"We cannot tell you!" Ding Zhiyi looked up, glanced at Pei Yan, and said helplessly.

"Cannot! Oh! I understand you can’t speak the words! It’s a restriction! White Deer Institute has placed restrictions in your minds regarding the details of this matter, and speaking about anything related would trigger them, right?" Upon hearing this, Pei Yan pondered briefly before understanding and pursued with further questions.

The two didn’t verbally confirm but tacitly agreed with his statement, prompting Pei Yan to continue, "Then I’ll ask some questions, and you can simply nod or shake your head. Are you truly from a sect, as you claimed?"

Seeing the two nod, Pei Yan asked again, "You’re not as isolated as you claim, right? Do you have family or friends who need White Deer Institute’s protection?"

The two did not respond to this question, but from their pained expressions, Pei Yan already knew the answer. There was no point in further questioning, so he gestured to have the three of them taken away.

As they left the interrogation room together with the escorted three, Pei Yan turned and walked into a nearby dark room. As soon as he pushed the door open, a figure rushed up to him, grabbed Pei Yan’s hand, and praised, "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This interrogation should be enough to clear my Hongjun Sword Furnace of suspicion, right?"

Without looking, Pei Yan knew the person was Liu Xuanji, overwhelmed with excitement after seeing the truth about White Deer Institute exposed. Behind him, the sect leaders who had watched the interrogation emerged from their spaces, casting approving glances at Pei Yan.

"Today’s interrogation by Pei Xiaoyou opened my eyes wide. I never thought there could be such a wondrous method of investigation in the world. Fingerprints! This is the first I’ve heard of it. Just now, to verify Pei Xiaoyou’s claims, the present individuals and I compared our fingers and found that, although everyone’s fingerprints appeared identical, upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences inevitable, each uniquely its own!" Murong Longxiang, Sect Leader of Infinite Thunder Sect, knowing Pei Yan’s success could again earn the Spirit Lord’s trust and favor, spared no praise to mend the slightly stiff relations between the two sects.

"Indeed! Even during collaboration with the Investigation Hall, I found many admirable aspects of the Foundation Plane that are worth learning from. We were truly too arrogant in the past." Feng Tianhe sighed on the side.

Seeing a room full of people about to take turns exchanging pleasantries with Pei Yan, Liu Xuanji, who hadn’t fully washed away his injustice, had no mood to watch them go through the motions. Grabbing Pei Yan’s wrist, he interposed himself between Pei Yan and the crowd, eagerly insisting, "Pei Yan, you’ve proven that White Deer Institute’s statements are all lies, and everyone here acknowledges your interrogation! So our Hongjun Sword Furnace’s suspicions must be cleared, right?"

"Uh~!" Pei Yan hesitated for a moment and shook his head regretfully, saying, "For now, all we can say is that suspicion towards White Deer Institute has greatly increased. To fully prove Hongjun Sword Furnace’s innocence, we need to obtain testimony from Elder Yang in your sect and further clues from Elder Zong responsible for handling matters at White Deer Institute."

"Then, ask! Ask right here! We have plenty of time! I want to see what terms White Deer Institute offered Yang Yeqing, the traitor that led him to betray his family and sect!" Thinking of Yang Yeqing filled Liu Xuanji with raging anger, pulling Pei Yan’s hand while urging him onward.

"Hey! Elder Liu!" Pei Yan counter-gripped Liu Xuanji’s hand to stabilize himself and smiled wryly, saying, "Don’t rush! Elder Liu, I understand your feelings, but remember! I was able to break through Ding Zhiyi and his companions’ psychological defenses tonight because our team carried out thorough preliminary site investigations, and White Deer Institute was too hurried, leaving behind numerous flaws. But Elder Yang is different! Although we have some evidence against him, using just these pieces to make him speak seems difficult to me! After all, if this matter is confirmed, it involves his life, implicating even his family. Without ironclad proof, he won’t yield."

"Humph! Implication?" Mo Baiqi, behind Liu Xuanji, raised his eyebrows with a cold snort, stating, "His actions have implicated the entire sect! Pei Xiaoyou, you don’t need to be overly cautious! Present the evidence to confirm his suspicion is sufficient! If he doesn’t confess! Humph! The penalties of Hongjun Sword Furnace aren’t all talk!"

"What Senior Brother said is correct! Pei Yan, you have always acted ruthlessly and decisively! Even though we had conflicts due to misunderstandings earlier, I still admire your approach very much. Why are you showing compassion here? If concerned about Hongjun Sword Furnace’s opinion, there’s no need! As long as you can clear our Sword Furnace from charges, Yang Yeqing’s fate is subject to your discretion!" Liu Xuanji picked up his senior brother’s remarks and promised.