Something’s Wrong with This Game — I Became a God by Mining!

He Dongqing was a smart man. He could tell at a glance that Wangzhi didn't believe a word he said.

Fear instantly flooded his entire body.

He knew his uncle-in-law's methods better than anyone.

Not only was the man related by marriage to a Third-Rank Grandmaster Supreme.

The Pharmacy Guild Master was also deeply connected to him.

With that kind of backing, if word got out that he was the one who had betrayed Wangzhi.

No matter what, he was dead, and not just him, his entire family would be wiped out!

At this moment, He Dongqing felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

"Looks like you're having second thoughts? No matter. Once those bodies are dug up, you'll be singing a different tune."

Yang Ling smiled and had Shi Xin and Yun Ruo go confirm how many locust trees were in the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop.

Time ticked by, minute after minute.

Finally, the two returned to report:

"Director Yang, there's only one locust tree in the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop, right over there."

Not far beyond the courtyard wall stood a rockery, and behind that rockery was a large locust tree.

"Dig it up."

"Yes, sir!"

In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, the locust tree had already been toppled.

Soon, seven corpses were unearthed.

Everyone in the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop, from top to bottom, turned deathly pale at the sight.

Wangzhi's back hunched over even more.

Zhao Qing and the others' eyes flickered with delight.

These corpses were practically a godsend!

Their appearance would make the next phase of this case a hundred times easier!

Zhao Chonghong seemed deep in thought, gesturing for the military officer beside him to go verify the identities of the corpses.

The nearby servants were all summoned to identify the bodies.

"He Dongqing, I promised you back then that if you came forward to testify, the crime of silencing those seven servants could be reduced to the minimum, at least enough to save your life."

"That promise still stands. Are you willing to talk now?"

Yang Ling's gaze settled back on He Dongqing.

He Dongqing stared at the corpses, his mind waging a fierce war within.

Cold sweat kept beading on his forehead.

A faint trace of cold mockery flickered in Wangzhi's eyes.

You already betrayed me, what's the point of putting on this act now?

"Director Yang, I know I was wrong. This humble one is willing to report everything truthfully."

He Dongqing said in a hoarse voice.

Yang Ling breathed a silent sigh of relief.

He had been gambling too, betting that He Dongqing, caught between a rock and a hard place, would have no choice but to side with the Ironclad Department to save his own skin.

If the man had stubbornly denied everything, Yang Ling had no evidence whatsoever to link these seven corpses to Wangzhi.

And with Wangzhi's connections, the whole matter might well have been swept under the rug.

All subsequent work would have ground to a halt.

But now, his gamble had paid off.

And Wangzhi's behavior had played a huge part in it.

It was Wangzhi's own words that had completely destroyed any trust he had in He Dongqing, leaving the man with no way out!

"These seven corpses were servants who helped the Blood Hand Scholar gather Fire Oil from various places."

He Dongqing spoke slowly.

Zhao Qing and the others' bodies jolted.

Yang Ling: "Director Yun, record this in the case file."

Yun Ruo immediately began taking down He Dongqing's confession on the spot.

Zhao Chonghong said coolly: "Give our prefectural yamen a copy of the confession later too."

"Of course."

Lu Yunchen nodded with a smile.

He Dongqing's words had already nailed the connection between the Blood Hand Scholar and the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop.

This meant that Kong Xinghu's death was now tied to the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop.

Following this thread would naturally lead to a conclusion.

"The Blood Hand Scholar was actually kept by Wangzhi for years, quietly doing all sorts of dirty work for him behind the scenes."

"This humble one's cultivation level isn't high, so I mostly just assisted from the sidelines."

"Specializing in cleaning up the mess afterward."

"After this incident happened, Wangzhi told me to silence those seven servants, afraid the Ironclad Department would catch onto something."

He Dongqing's tone was a bit shaky at first, but grew steadier as he went on:

"This humble one has an account book in hand that records many of the things Wangzhi had the Blood Hand Scholar do over the years, as well as the origins of this Fire Oil.

Honored sirs, if you investigate according to this account book, everything will match up, proving that this humble one has not spoken a single word of falsehood!"

He spewed out a mountain of information, all of it recorded in the file, and finally affixed his own fingerprint as verification.

Wangzhi watched He Dongqing with an expressionless face.

He Dongqing didn't dare look at him, keeping his head lowered in silence.

"Wangzhi, this now proves you conspired with the Immortal God Sect, that you are Rong tribe spies, deserving of asset confiscation and the extermination of your entire family!"

Yang Ling stared at Wangzhi, his tone sharp and biting:

"Using Fire Oil to burn Zhao State citizens to death, and killing Director Kong, a Fifth-Rank official, in the process.

Your Wang family could be stripped of everything and wiped out ten times over and it still wouldn't be enough."

Wangzhi's son suddenly went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground.

Wang Xingsu's eyes also lost their light, his expression going slack.

The many supervisors, laborers, and servants of the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop were all trembling like leaves in a storm.

Wangzhi took a deep breath, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes:

"Director Yang, this old man admits that the Blood Hand Scholar has been staying at the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop these past years."

"This old man also admits that those vagrants were burned to death by the Fire Oil here."

"But those were just vagrants, not Zhao State citizens."

"And this old man is absolutely not a Rong tribe spy! Nor do I have the slightest connection to the Immortal God Sect!"

Having said that, Wangzhi suddenly straightened his back and looked toward Zhao Chonghong, a glimmer of light flickering in his murky eyes:

"Lord Zhao, you are someone close to His Majesty.

Today, there are some things this old man has no choice but to confess truthfully.

Only by doing so can this old man's Wang family avoid total annihilation."

Zhao Chonghong frowned: "Is there some hidden truth to all this?

Otherwise, even just burning those vagrants to death, your crimes would be unforgivable.

They were vagrants, yes, but they were still bona fide citizens of Zhao State!"

Zhao Qing and the others saw the look on Wangzhi's face, and suspicion crept into their eyes.

What kind of excuse could this old bastard possibly come up with now?

"Of course there's a hidden truth! The order to send the Fire Oil to that courtyard where the vagrants were being held came from Director Kong himself!"

Wangzhi said with resounding force:

"These years of gathering Fire Oil were also done on Director Kong's orders!"

"And even the idea of burning those vagrants to death, forcing you to step down from your position as Prefectural Governor of Xiangfeng Prefecture, that idea came from Director Kong's junior martial brother!"

That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

A faint smile appeared in Yang Ling's eyes.

He had finally forced the result he wanted out of this old bastard's mouth.

"Lord Zhao, who stands behind Kong Xinghu, does this old man need to say it out loud!?"

Wangzhi's gaze was aggressive and unyielding:

"This old man will never stake the lives of over a hundred members of the Wang family to pay this debt!"

Zhao Chonghong's expression became extremely grave.

Zhao Qing was already stunned, his face turning somewhat pale.

Shi Xin and the others were also dumbfounded.

Kong Xinghu... came up with the idea?

Who stands behind Kong Xinghu? A suspicion suddenly rose in their minds, and they couldn't help but gasp sharply.

"Director Lu, Director Yang, clear the area."

Zhao Chonghong spoke slowly:

"In the courtyard, only we should remain."

"Yes."

Lu Yunchen didn't object and immediately began clearing the area.

On Zhao Chonghong's side, only he remained, not even the military officer was kept.

On the Ironclad Department's side, only Lu Yunchen, Yang Ling, and Yun Ruo were present.

Even Zhao Qing and Shi Xin were cleared out of the courtyard.

At the Wangzhi Medicinal Shop, naturally only Wangzhi and his three generations of family remained, along with He Dongqing.

Wangzhi smiled, "So Lord Zhao can be afraid too. This counts as a family matter for you all, doesn't it?"