Chapter 212 - 211: Preparing for Interrogation

Chapter 212: Chapter 211: Preparing for Interrogation

Taking advantage of the chaos, Chad suddenly jumped to his feet and dashed over to Huo Xingchen’s side in a few steps. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the Conductor’s Baton, and he asked cautiously, "Can I play with it for a bit?"

Huo Xingchen gripped the Conductor’s Baton tightly and stepped back warily. "This is mine. Besides, it has to recognize its master before it can be used. You can’t use it."

Chad sighed disappointedly, his eyes full of envy. "My childhood dream was to have a Magic Wand."

"It can stay a dream for the rest of your life, too," Huo Xingchen said coldly.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingyin had already engaged the Werewolves. She was using the Fire Burning Stick like a sword, and though it had no edge, a single strike left a livid bruise.

The Werewolves were indeed tough-skinned. An ordinary person would have suffered broken bones after two of her strikes, yet these Werewolves took five or six hits with little to show for it beyond minor injuries.

Gu Qingyin stood her ground, swatting at them as if they were balls. She’d hit whoever came close, and the "balls" she sent flying would just run right back on their own.

At first, she found it rather amusing, but it quickly grew tedious.

Gu Qingyin’s brow furrowed slightly as she put more force into her swings. This time, the "balls" flew much farther, and it wasn’t so easy for them to run back; the pain made it too difficult to even get to their feet.

Soon, none of the Werewolves dared to approach Gu Qingyin anymore. They all circled her, maintaining an empty zone two meters in diameter around her.

"Stop!" a harsh shout rang out from beyond the encirclement. "Or I’ll kill them!"

Gu Qingyin looked over, her gaze hardening. Her previously nonchalant demeanor abruptly turned sharp and dangerous.

It was the two Heavenly Masters. They had taken Huo Xingchen and Chad hostage.

The Werewolves’ fur bristled with fear as they scrambled back, clearing a straight path from Gu Qingyin to the two Heavenly Masters.

The two Heavenly Masters: ’...A bunch of idiots! We have hostages, what are they so afraid of?’

Seeing this, Lin Wu also breathed a sigh of relief and sneered at Huo Yunjing. "Let me go. Otherwise, we can’t guarantee Huo Xingchen’s safety."

Huo Yunjing lowered his gaze to stare at him, his thin lips curling slightly. "Are you an idiot?"

Lin Wu’s eyes widened. "You...!"

Before he could finish, he was hoisted up by the scruff of his neck.

Huo Yunjing gave him a little shake. "Tell them to let the hostages go. Or I’ll kill you."

Lin Wu: !!! ℴ

His expression ugly, he looked at the two Heavenly Masters and weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He didn’t believe Huo Yunjing would actually dare to kill him. A ghost who takes a human life would be hunted by the Underworld, and he wasn’t worth that kind of trouble for Huo Yunjing.

Although the two Heavenly Masters couldn’t see Huo Yunjing, they could guess what was happening. They exchanged a look, and one said regretfully, "Our lord’s command is absolute. We cannot give up any chance to complete the mission. Lin Wu... you should understand, right?"

Lin Wu understood, of course, but at that moment, he couldn’t stop a surge of bitter resentment from rising in his heart.

Having made their position clear, the two Heavenly Masters simply ignored him and turned back to Gu Qingyin. "As long as you come with us, we can let them go completely unharmed."

Gu Qingyin still ignored them. She glanced coldly at Chad. "Useless."

Chad was speechless. Looking back on the night, he truly hadn’t been helpful in any way; he’d been a liability the entire time.

Just now was another example. If he hadn’t been pestering Huo Xingchen about playing with the Magic Wand, the two Heavenly Masters wouldn’t have had a chance to catch them off guard.

Chad’s face flushed red, and he was overcome with shame. "I’m sorry..."

"You certainly should be. For the Rote Family to raise a sheltered simpleton like you in its current state... your father was right. Amos is more suited to be the Family Head than you are."

Chad immediately panicked. "I’m not usually like this! It’s just that with you guys around, I let my guard down too much."

Gu Qingyin laughed in exasperation. "And now you’re blaming us?"

Chad shut his mouth and shook his head. Although he really had been infected by their family’s laid-back attitude, he didn’t dare say it out loud.

"Amos can’t be the Family Head! The Rote Family would truly be ruined if it fell into his hands. He’s been vicious since he was a kid—completely two-faced and a total hypocrite!"

Gu Qingyin remained noncommittal. ’Why should I care what kind of person Amos is? Anyone who provokes me should be prepared for my retaliation.’

Helping Chad seize the position of Family Head of the Rote Family from Amos was just one part of her revenge.

As for whether Chad could actually be a good Family Head, Gu Qingyin couldn’t care less.

When Chad saw her remain silent, he grew even more frantic. "Master Gu! We had a deal! You wouldn’t..."

"Enough!!" the irritable Heavenly Master holding them hostage roared. "Can you show us a little respect?! Stop acting like we’re not even here!"

The Heavenly Master tightened his grip on Chad’s neck. "You’re a hostage! Do you understand what that means?! I could end your life at any moment! Why aren’t you the least bit scared? How can you be chatting so happily?!"

"Say something! Weren’t you so talkative just now?!"

Chad was a bit dazed from the yelling and said instinctively, "Sorry, I was just panicking..." He was terrified that Gu Qingyin was about to abandon him, which would leave him with no chance of ever turning his situation around.

Hearing this, the Heavenly Master grew even more furious. "Panicking?! You don’t look like you were panicking! You don’t look scared of dying at all! Are you looking down on me? Huh? Answer me!"

Beside him, Huo Xingchen closed his eyes and turned his head away slightly. The shouting was really hurting his ears.

The already on-edge Heavenly Master saw this and glared. "What are you turning away for? You’re a hostage! What right do you have to turn away?!"

Huo Xingchen looked completely done with life. "You’re spraying spit everywhere. It’s gross."

The crazed Heavenly Master was suddenly at a loss for words. The next second, just as he was craning his neck to continue his tirade, his vision was enveloped in white light.

The Heavenly Master struggled instinctively but found he couldn’t move at all.

The other Heavenly Master, who had been quiet the whole time, sighed inwardly and closed his eyes in resignation.

"The original Lock God Talisman. How does it feel?" Gu Qingyin said, strolling over nonchalantly as she pulled Huo Xingchen and Chad away from them.

The crazed one’s fury was completely extinguished, replaced by a hint of panic in his eyes. ’She won’t kill us this quickly, will she?’

Seeing this, the Werewolves scattered and fled, each one terrified of being captured and not daring to look back. Of course, they didn’t forget to show some camaraderie on their way out, carrying their injured companions who couldn’t move easily.

After all, Werewolves were strong and could still run fast even while carrying someone on their back.

However, if any of them had dared to look back, they would have realized that no one was chasing them.

They were just minions following orders and posed no real threat. Besides, Gu Qingyin needed them to return and deliver a message.

As for the three Heavenly Masters, including Lin Wu, they weren’t so lucky. What awaited them was a long night of brutal interrogation.

Although most of the island was covered in rocks, it wasn’t completely treeless.

Gu Qingyin found three trees, spaced some distance apart. She hung up large lanterns on them, positioning them so that the prisoners would be unable to hear each other, but could still see one another.

Then, she had the three captives tied to the trees, one to each, to be interrogated one by one.

The first was Lin Wu.

Before the interrogation began, Gu Qingyin reminded him with a sweet smile, "Don’t you lie to me. If your testimony doesn’t match the other two, I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish."

Lin Wu: ...Fucking speechless.

"Xingchen, you do the questioning," Gu Qingyin said. "Try out your Conductor’s Baton."

Huo Xingchen was eager to give it a try. "On it!"