58

"I've said all. This is the secret I've kept hidden for over ten years, and now I've revealed it all."

"I beg the Immortal to have mercy and spare my daughter's life. I will die without regret."

Mayor Chen wore an expression of dying compassion, calmly awaiting his death.

Qing Chen, however, was skeptical of the old man's straightforwardness and asked, "You said Deng Zhiping was at the third level of Qi Refining?"

The old mayor replied, "Yes, the third level of Qi Refining. He went to sea seeking a breakthrough, but unfortunately, his luck was bad, unlike yours, Immortal, who has such good fortune."

Qing Chen asked again, "Your daughter embarked on the path of cultivation because of him, and also broke through to the second level of Qi Refining because of his belongings?"

The old mayor pleaded, "Yes, I must repay the sins I committed. My daughter is already a cripple. I beg the Immortal to have mercy and give her a way to live! I am willing to die!"

Qing Chen remained unmoved; he remembered the storage bag he had taken from Chen Zhu'er earlier.

A quick probe with his divine sense revealed a surge of delight.

Inside the storage bag, besides some women's everyday clothing,

there were over eighty spirit stones, two jade slips, several long-distance transmission talismans, four or five spirit talismans, and two bottles of pills.

One of the jade slips contained a basic cultivation technique of the lower-grade Yellow rank;

the other was a high-grade Yellow rank cultivation technique, which Qing Chen didn't care about.

One bottle of pills contained ten Qi-Nourishing Pills, suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining.

The other bottle contained only one pill, but it filled him with immense joy—it was a Lesser Xuan Pill!

If a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining had reached the peak of their cultivation, consuming this pill could potentially allow them to directly break through to the fourth level, reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, besides this effect, the Lesser Xuan Pill also had the miraculous effect of breaking through cultivation bottlenecks for cultivators below the late stage of Qi Refining!

Such a small Xuan Dan is worth at least a hundred spirit stones, and it's not even guaranteed to be available; it's more precious than a mid-grade defensive magic weapon!

After scanning Chen Zhu'er's storage bag with his divine sense, Qing Chen knew that this old man was definitely hiding something from him.

"Trying to scheme against me?" A cold glint flashed in Qing Chen's eyes. He decided to teach this old man a lesson; he wouldn't admit defeat until he was faced with the truth.

"You said your daughter embarked on the path of cultivation because of Deng Zhiping.

And the reason you killed Deng Zhiping was because he went out to sea to hunt demonic beasts to break through to the middle level of Qi Refining?"

Qing Chen continued to question, his tone icy.

"Yes, Immortal, every word I spoke is true; I dared not conceal anything," Mayor Chen replied in a trembling voice.

"Look at your daughter's expression! She's shameless!" Qing Chen said coldly. "How could a mortal like you fully comprehend the cultivation resources she possesses?

But let me tell you, in her storage pouch lies a miraculous elixir capable of breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Tell me, if Deng Zhiping had this elixir, would he still need to go out to sea to hunt any demonic beasts?"

The old town head, hearing Qing Chen's words, was shocked, then looked at his daughter's despairing eyes.

He froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

"Very well, I see you're a coward who won't learn your lesson until you're faced with death."

Qing Chen said coldly, "You lot, drag that woman to the next cell. Do whatever you want with her."

Hearing Qing Chen's words, the constables were overjoyed.

They quickly untied Chen Zhu'er and dragged her to the next cell like a piece of cargo.

"No! No! Father! Save me!" Immediately, a woman's shrill screams and the men's sinister laughter echoed from the cell.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please let her go!" The old town headman's heart ached at the sight.

He could no longer bear it and quickly begged for mercy.

However, Qing Chen didn't respond to the old man's pleas. He had to teach him a lesson.

He simply looked at him coldly, as if looking at a dying ant, and didn't order the constables to stop.

“That’s right! Besides Deng Zhiping, there’s also Xu Jincheng, the young master of the Xu family on Haichang Island! He must have given us this elixir!” The old town chief revealed this long-hidden secret.

Qing Chen then raised his hand: “You lot, stop. Bring this woman here.”

The constables dared not disobey Qing Chen’s order and reluctantly opened the door, dragging Chen Zhu’er out.

Her undergarments were torn to shreds, her hair was a mess, her eyes were vacant, and her whole body was trembling.

Qing Chen glanced at her, then looked at the old town chief: “Old man, if even half of what you said is a lie, I guarantee your Zhu’er will become the most famous prostitute on Huangzhu Island, and for free.”

If either of you is wrong, I guarantee you’ll be present every time she’s with a client, and your eyes won’t be able to close. You won’t even be able to commit suicide.”

Having said that, he waved his hand, signaling his men to take Chen Zhu'er to another torture chamber.

Mayor Chen sighed deeply, "I've finished speaking. Give us a proper end to this."

For the next half hour, the old mayor's words made Qing Chen's expression grow increasingly grim.

It turned out that after Deng Zhiping's death, the old mayor had nowhere to dispose of his belongings until three years ago when Xu Jincheng passed by Huangzhu Island.

The young master of the Xu family immediately recognized that Chen Zhu'er possessed a low-grade five-elemental spiritual root. He not only gave her cultivation techniques but also gifted her spirit stones and pills.

Later, he instructed her to keep an eye on the Ningxuan Sect's resident cultivators on the island, as well as the movements of disciples who had gone on training missions.

Qing Chen carefully put away the recording stone containing the old mayor's words, his heart churning with shock.

A mere Foundation Establishment family dared to inquire about the movements of the Golden Core sect, Ningxuan Sect? Wasn't this courting death?

Unless, of course, the Xu family of Haichang Island has an even greater force supporting them!

Moreover, there's no concrete evidence of any of these communication talismans!

If he leaks the information, the Xu family of Haichang Island might be fine, but he'll be relentlessly targeted!

"I have absolutely no intention of sacrificing myself for the sect, not even a little bit."

Right now, even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Mo Qiuxian is making him feel like he's walking on thin ice.

Adding the Foundation Establishment family, the Xu family, to the mix, makes Qingchen's scalp tingle.

What kind of damn secret is this? This is practically a death knell!

Qingchen also managed to extract the method for using the coded message from Chen Zhuer.

After repeated confirmation, torture, and testing—a full six hours—he was certain that Chen Zhu'er was not lying.

Furthermore, it was impossible for her to piece together a flawless cipher in such a short time.