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Chapter 122 Interrogation

The night was gloomy, and the campfire in the camp flickered in the wind.

Inside the cage made of rough wood, there was a layer of damp, moldy hay.

Zhao Yuanshan moved his body with difficulty, leaning against the wooden fence, and let out a suppressed groan of pain.

His once-proud dual-lamp realm aura was now extremely depleted, and the strip of cloth wrapped around his chest was soaked in blood—terrifying wounds left from his battle with the Hair Demon.

He turned his head to look at Chen Qian, who was also pale and weak beside him, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes, his voice hoarse.

"Brother Chen, I fought my way out from the outer perimeter with my life on the line. How did you—you—survive?"

Chen Qian leaned against the other side, smiled wryly upon hearing this, and reached out to press his left chest.

Even through the clothing, the ashes of the paper figures had long since dissipated, but the chilling aura seemed to linger.

"Lord Zhao is unaware of this."

Chen Qian said, half-jokingly, with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes, "Ten days ago, I mistakenly entered Black Mountain and was captured by the Li family of Black Mountain. They planted a bloodline mark on my heart. I originally thought it was a death warrant for me in ten days, a death warrant from the King of Hell."

"But unexpectedly, at this critical moment when the whole city was being sacrificed in blood, it was this mark that saved my life."

"That's how I managed to survive, but I was knocked unconscious in the chaos of battle and was not rescued until government troops came to my rescue."

"The bloodline imprint of the Li family—so that's how it is."

He raised his head, gazing at the black smoke drifting above the camp. His once bright and piercing eyes were now filled with turbidity and sorrow: "That hair demon—it was too strong. The twenty-three elites I had carefully trained in my manor, along with those few experts at the Heart Fire Realm, all perished at its hands while trying to cover me."

"If it weren't for the compass you gave me, Brother Chen, which guided me out of danger several times, I'm afraid I would have become that monster's meal long ago."

When the compass was mentioned, Zhao Yuanshan took out the dark object from his pocket.

He stroked the compass, his eyes suddenly reddening, two streams of tears sliding down his blood-stained cheeks: "Our family business is ruined, my brothers are gone—Feng'er, my Feng'er is gone too—"

His eldest son, on whom he had placed high hopes and whom he had wholeheartedly wanted to raise to be a pillar of the family, ultimately failed to return.

"The only thing to be thankful for is—"

Zhao Yuanshan took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "I sensed something was wrong beforehand and arranged for Rong'er to be forcibly sent out of the city. The Zhao family—is not extinct yet!"

By the end, his fists were clenched so tightly they were cracking.

Chen Qian listened quietly, a slight sigh escaping his lips.

Although Zhao Yuanshan was greedy and ruthless, he was truly devoted to his family.

"Lord Zhao, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn."

Chen Qian gently comforted him, "As long as they're still alive, the Zhao family won't fall. Don't forget, we'll have a drink together after we get out of here. In this vast Linjiang County, besides those few whose fates are unknown, you're the only old friend I have left."

"drink wine?"

Zhao Yuanshan was taken aback, then grinned, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Alright! Let's drink!"

"Having survived such a calamity, good fortune is sure to follow! This drink is on me!"

He looked at Chen Qian, the distance in his eyes completely melting away, replaced by a closeness born from sharing life and death: "Also, Brother Chen, don't call me Lord Zhao anymore."

"Linjiang County is gone, and the county government office has collapsed. What kind of county magistrate am I now? I'm nothing but a stray dog."

"I'm quite a bit older than you. If you don't mind that your older brother is down on his luck now, let's take the liberty of acknowledging each other as Brother Zhao!"

"Then I shall respectfully comply."

Chen Qian didn't stand on ceremony, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and solemnly said, "Brother Zhao."

The two men smiled at each other. Although they were imprisoned and covered in wounds, a sense of heroism arose within them in the cold cage.

After a while, Chen Qian looked through the wooden fence at the black-armored soldiers patrolling in the distance.

These soldiers were clad in heavy armor, wielding long spears, and moved without making a sound.

Even ordinary soldiers exuded a chilling aura.

"Brother Zhao, you are very knowledgeable."

Chen Qian lowered his voice and asked, "Who are these soldiers? Although I don't know much about the military, I can tell that they are definitely not the garrison of our prefecture, and they don't even seem to be ordinary border troops."

"That murderous aura—it's like it was trained specifically to kill something."

Zhao Yuanshan followed Chen Qian's gaze, a deep sense of apprehension and awe flashing in his eyes.

"Brother, you have a good eye."

He shrank back, his voice extremely low, as if afraid of being overheard: "This is no ordinary army."

"This is the Great Qian Heavenly Patrol Guard, directly under the jurisdiction of the capital, and answer only to the imperial family!"

"Sky Patrol Guard?" Chen Qian raised an eyebrow; he seemed to have seen this name in some miscellaneous book.

"Excellent, patrolling the heavens to monitor and suppress dissent."

Zhao Yuanshan explained, "Fifty years ago, the Demon Suppression Division was disbanded for some reason, and most of its experts went into seclusion in the mountains. However, the Sky Patrol Guard was not affected, which shows how deep the water is."

"They don't fight wars, they only kill demons, they only wipe out entire families!"

"The threshold for joining the Sky Patrol Guard is extremely high."

Zhao Yuanshan held up one finger and waved it in front of Chen Qian: "At least at the Heart Fire Realm!"

"In a small place like Linjiang, someone at the Heartfire Realm can open a martial arts school, take on disciples, and dominate the area. But in the Sky Patrol Guard—that's nothing more than a newly initiated soldier!"

"As for those leading captains and commanders, they all start at the Double Lamp Realm, and some even have top-tier experts at the Divine Peak Realm overseeing them!"

Chen Qian felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

A state of collective inner fire?

Such combat power, if placed in Linjiang, would be enough to sweep away any sect.

"It seems this matter has really escalated, even requiring the mobilization of such a powerful national weapon."

Chen Qian secretly made his own plans.

The fact that the Sky Patrol Guards have arrived indicates that the Great Qian Imperial Family attaches great importance to the "seal" here.

The secrets within oneself must be kept even deeper.

Just as the two were talking in hushed tones.

A series of neat and heavy footsteps came and stopped in front of the cage.

Four Sky Guards, dressed in black iron armor and wearing masks, walked over.

"Open the door."

The leader's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

The chains are unlocked.

Two armored soldiers entered the cage and went straight to Zhao Yuanshan.

"County Lieutenant Zhao, come with us. The general wants to see you."

Although it was a "please," the actions were extremely rough; they grabbed Zhao Yuanshan's arm and dragged him out.

"I can walk by myself!"

Zhao Yuanshan struggled, but his severely injured body was no match for these fierce soldiers, and he could only be forcibly dragged out.

He glanced back at Chen Qian, a hint of worry in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, two other armored soldiers approached Chen Qian.

"You, come out."

His tone was noticeably more dismissive, and he didn't address anyone by their official title, as if he were shouting at a prisoner.

Chen Qian did not resist and obediently stood up.

He discovered that the two groups of people were heading in different directions.

Zhao Yuanshan was taken to the most luxurious and brightly lit tent in the center of the camp.

But what they took him to was a dark, low-ceilinged interrogation camp in a corner of the camp, exuding a bloody smell.

"As expected, the treatment is different."

Zhao Yuanshan was, after all, an official appointed by the imperial court. Even if Linjiang was destroyed, he would still have a status in the officialdom.

In the eyes of these powerful figures, a "survivor" like himself with no background is probably just a "suspect" who can be crushed at any time and used to extract information.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for!"

A soldier behind him gave Chen Qian a push, and he stumbled a step.

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