Chapter 780: Zheng Jingxuan

Xu Wuyi closed the car door, walked around to the driver’s seat, and started the engine. The vehicle pulled out of the secluded street, heading out of town. The night had deepened. The streets were almost completely devoid of pedestrians, with only the occasional passing car.

Sitting in the back seat, Lu Sheng stared at the young man driving and felt an indescribable sense of terror welling up inside him.

The car soon left Heihe City, turning onto a highway leading into the outskirts. Endless snowy plains stretched out on both sides, shimmering with a silvery-white glow under the moonlight. Occasionally, a few solitary trees could be seen trembling in the freezing wind.

Xu Wuyi drove in silence, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. The interior of the car was completely quiet, save for the faint hum of the engine. After driving along the highway for nearly an hour, the car finally came to a halt in front of an isolated, abandoned factory.

Xu Wuyi had discovered this location while scouting during the day. With no signs of human life for several miles in any direction, it was the ideal spot for an interrogation. He pushed his door open, stepped out, and opened the rear door, gesturing for Lu Sheng to exit. Lu Sheng’s body followed him uncontrollably as they walked into the abandoned building.

It was pitch black inside, filled with dust and rust. Moonlight filtered through the dilapidated roof, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Xu Wuyi found a relatively clean spot and made Lu Sheng stop. Then, he raised his right hand, his thoughts stirring slightly.

The Power of Order surged from his palm, beginning to weave an invisible web in the surrounding space. It was not a web meant to bind Lu Sheng, but rather something far more exquisite—a web that created Rules. He intended to establish a Rule here, one named “Truth.”

Within the coverage of this Rule, every word spoken by anyone had to be the truth. Not a truth that could be twisted by one’s Will, nor a truth that could be influenced by one’s Spirit, but an absolute, unquestionable truth.

This idea had been brewing in his mind for a long time. Ever since he had dealt with the Rifts in Dongjiang, he had been pondering this concept. Using the Power of Order to create Rules was not limited to establishing physical ones like “Gravity Imbalance” or “Flame Suppression.” It could also be used to create more abstract Rules, such as “one must speak the truth”—Rules that acted directly on consciousness and the Spirit.

Previously, he hadn’t been entirely confident. Innate Martial Artists already possessed formidable Spiritual Power. Forcibly suppressing their Will to make them speak the truth was no easy task. Lu Sheng had been affected instantly earlier only because he had been completely caught off guard; now, he might very well be able to put up some resistance. Merely omitting a single true statement could be enough to completely distort the intended meaning of a confession. Only an inviolable Domain of Rules like this could sufficiently guarantee the authenticity of an interrogation.

The invisible web slowly unfolded around him, growing denser and thicker. Every thread of the web was a strand of Rules, and every strand had been meticulously calculated and designed.

Standing in the center of that web, Lu Sheng could sense something changing. The surrounding air remained the same, and the lighting hadn’t changed, but it felt entirely different to him. It was a subtle sensation, as if the space he occupied had been peeled away from the real world, forming an independent Domain.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but no words came out. He simply looked at the young man, gazing at that calm face, as an indescribable terror swelled within his heart.

A few minutes later, the web was finally complete. Xu Wuyi withdrew his hand. He looked at the space before him, now shrouded in Rules, and felt the “Truth” Rule operating within it.

He could feel that, within this space, no lie could exist. Any thought of lying would be forcefully suppressed by the Rule, forcing the truth to blurt out instead. This was a suppression at the level of Rules, completely unrelated to the strength of one’s Spiritual Power. Even if a Grandmaster were to enter this space, they would be unable to lie. Because the very act of lying was intrinsically forbidden in that space.

He looked at Lu Sheng and said calmly, “Now, I will ask, and you will answer.”

Lu Sheng stood rooted to the spot. He opened his mouth, wanting to say, “Don’t even think about it,” but the words morphed as they reached his lips: “Okay.”

His eyes widened, his face fraught with horror. He had no idea why he had spoken that word. It wasn’t what he wanted to say at all, yet it had slipped out entirely on its own.

Xu Wuyi looked at him and began the interrogation.

“Is your name Lu Sheng?”

“Yes.”

“An Innate Martial Artist?”

“Yes.”

“The Red Mountain Sanatorium belongs to you?”

“Yes.”

Xu Wuyi nodded and continued, “Who do you work for?”

Lu Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to say, “I don’t know,” or “I don’t know anyone,” but those words were forcefully suppressed by an invisible power the moment they reached his lips. Ultimately, the name that slipped from his mouth was just three syllables.

“Zheng Mingchuan.”

Xu Wuyi’s eyes flickered slightly. It was him, just as he had expected.

“What is your relationship with Zheng Mingchuan?”

Lu Sheng remained silent for a few seconds, as if putting up a final struggle. However, the power of the “Truth” Rule was simply too strong, so overpowering that he could not resist it in the slightest.

“We’re childhood friends; we grew up together. My family was poor, but his was well-off, and they often helped me out when we were kids. Later, when I embarked on the path of Martial Arts, he was the one who funded me.

“Without him, I wouldn’t have the strength I possess today.”

Listening to this, Xu Wuyi understood the situation. Childhood friends, financial backing, and essentially a life-saving debt. Such a profound bond was indeed enough to make Lu Sheng serve Zheng Mingchuan with unwavering loyalty.

“What exactly do you do for him?”