Wayfarer

Chapter 156: A Strange Interrogation

Ten days later, as night fell, a hidden valley in the Isle of Xiao was lit up with a bonfire.

The chefs on the island were preparing spiritbeast meat. Two huge toad spirits were seated close by, staring at the roast meat on a spit with eyes the size of lanterns. They were drooling madly.

Xiao Nanfeng and You Jiu had just finished setting up the Immortal's Destruction and camouflaging it.

"Sir Xiao, the spiritual aether around the Isle of Xiao is far more dense than at sea. There's something unusual about this island, and it might be able to increase the power of the Immortal's Destruction by a fair amount," You Jiu commented curiously.

"It's an island that my father left behind, so there naturally has to be something special about it. That said, the spiritual aether here can't compare to that on Taiqing Island. Spiritual aether is even more prevalent there."

"Could Taiqing Island be built on some vein of draconic aether, then?" You Jiu asked curiously.

"I'm not so sure about that. Right, when you went to hunt down the sea serpents, did you figure out where their lair was?"

You Jiu nodded. "It's a large spiritbeast cave, one filled with sea serpents, Even from afar, Croak could sense a few Spiritsong-realm sea serpents. There might be even more in their midst. It felt particularly dangerous, so we didn't go near it."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng's face fell.

"However, we did see a ship heading into it," You Jiu recalled.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. These serpents were in cahoots with humans? There had to be something exceptional about this spiritbeast cave.

"Sir Xiao, do we need to continue keeping watch on the serpents?" You Jiu asked.

"Not at the moment," Xiao Nanfeng replied, shaking his head.

You Jiu nodded.

Just then, Croak's urgent voice came from afar. "Isn't the meat finished yet? I can smell how fragrant it is! Can't we eat already?"

"These two fish can be eaten, but they're a little hot. As for the others, they'll have to wait," one chef replied, quaking. This was the first time he was serving two humongous spirits. If not for Xiao Nanfeng's presence, he would long since have been stared stiff.

"We're not afraid of heat!" Croak leapt over excitedly, but Warble snatched both fish first.

"Warble, there are two fish! Let's have one each," Croak said expectantly.

"No! Wait for the next set." Warble had no intention of giving up her spoils. She kept both fish firmly in her grip.

Croak was almost in tears.

"Don't worry, Croak. With so many chefs around to cook for you, you'll surely be able to eat your fill." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

Croak glanced at Warble, disagreeing. With a wife as gluttonous as Warble, would it really get to eat anything?

"There's a lot of spiritbeast meat, but Warble could eat it all..." Croak croaked.

Just then, one of Ye Dafu's lackeys, drenched, rushed into the valley.

"Senior Brother, something's wrong!" he cried out.

When he saw the two humongous toad spirits, however, he trembled with fear.

"Don't worry, they're my friends. What's the matter? Why are you the only one who made it back?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Mr. Zheng was captured!" Ye Dafu's lackey cried out.

"What? Didn't I have you accompany Mr. Zheng? It was just a simple trip to Taiqing Island. Who would dare attack him?" Xiao Nanfeng's face turned dark.

"No one dared to do so on Taiqing Island proper, and we were still guarding Mr. Zheng while he was on his way back. During the voyage, we were playing serpent biting in the cabin, but one of the sea serpents escaped. I dove into the sea to catch that serpent, but as I was swimming back, I saw a figure descending from the sky and landing on the ship. I didn't dare draw near. A bout of fighting ensued from the ship, and then it diverted from its original route and headed toward the Isle of Nalan instead. I swam back," Ye Dafu's lackey reported.

"Playing serpent biting...?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned as he attempted to dissect the claim for any inconsistencies.

"We all emulated our boss, Ye Dafu, and started cultivating Indomitable Body. He taught us that we would be able to cultivate more quickly if we were bitten by the sea serpents, so we tried it on the voyage back—no, that's not the point, Senior Brother! Everyone's been captured!"

Xiao Nanfeng glanced at Ye Dafu's lackey strangely. Ye Dafu seemed to be a masochist; was it the same for his lackeys?

After hearing his explanation, however, Xiao Nanfeng didn't doubt him.

You're certain that the cultivator descended from the skies, and the ship steered toward the Isle of Nalan?" Xiao Nanfeng confirmed.

A cultivator that could fly without any relics had to be at least at Spiritsong.

"Yes, he descended from the skies. I was watching the ship as I swam here, and I'm certain it was headed to the Isle of Nalan. What do we do now? Will everyone be in danger?" the lackey fretted.

Xiao Nanfeng frowned. Zheng Qian had gone to Taiqing Island to bring back a new batch of orphans. He had specifically asked Ye Dafu to escort Zheng Qian as a safety precaution—but trouble had struck anyway.

"Sir Xiao, is the Isle of Nalan difficult to deal with?" You Jiu asked.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "The Isle of Nalan is protected by a ward, and I'm unfamiliar with the situation within. Barging in blindly will be dangerous, but we have to rescue Zheng Qian and Ye Dafu."

"What if I were to sneak in for reconnaissance?" You Jiu asked.

"You? If you're caught, you'll be in great danger." Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He believed You Jiu capable, but...

"Stealth is the most crucial skill learned in the Hall of Specters. You can relax, Sir Xiao," You Jiu replied confidently.

Xiao Nanfeng thought for a moment before nodding. "Don't do anything unnecessary once you manage to get inside. I'll meet up with you as quickly as I can. Just ensure that they're not in mortal danger."

You Jiu nodded solemnly.

Xiao Nanfeng discussed the details of the plan with You Jiu for a while longer before the latter vanished in a flash.

"I'll write a letter to Ye Sanshui, back on Taiqing Island. Give it to him at your fastest speed. If you can't find him, open the letter and follow the instructions within. Do it quickly, understand?" Xiao Nanfeng's tone was serious.

"Ah? Of course, Senior Brother Xiao!"

"Croak, Warble, don't eat too much. There might be fighting ahead, and I'll need your help," Xiao Nanfeng continued.

"Don't worry, I can digest these fish easily," Warble replied, but it did listen to Xiao Nanfeng. It stopped fighting over the food and even handed half of the roast fish in its hands to Croak.

Croak took the fish with tears in its eyes. It had finally gotten some of this food! It couldn't help but be grateful to this Mr. Zheng for being kidnapped at such an opportune time. Otherwise, trying to snatch food from Warble would have been a tremendously difficult task.

Meanwhile, Xiao Nanfeng was off writing a letter for Ye Dafu's lackey to deliver.

You Jiu rushed toward the Isle of Nalan's harbor at his fastest speed. He could see a group of guards surveilling the harbor from afar.

Using his many years of experience as an assassin, he caused a diversionary commotion before slipping by the guards in a disguise, entering the Isle of Nalan proper.

The moment he did so, the hairs on You Jiu's neck stood on end. He felt as though he had been marked by something dangerous—the arrays that warded the island. The arrays targeted all those who were on the island, ready to strike them at any moment.

You Jiu didn't dare reveal himself, and he became even more cautious. Taking advantage of his experience, he quietly took down and interrogated a few guards, after which he learned of Ye Dafu and the others' location. He silently crept inside the prison in which they were detained.

From afar, he could hear their shouts.

"Beat me if you dare! I won't reveal anything. Beat it out of me if you want!" Ye Dafu bellowed.

A whip slashed through the air.

"Argh!" Ye Dafu cried out, then continued, "Haven't you eaten? Put more strength into your blows!"

"Looks like it'll take a beating to loosen your mouth. Continue whipping him!"

"Argh! Ah, argh!" Ye Dafu's cries rang out through the underground prison.

"Well? Were you the ones who captured our men? Are they still alive?" the interrogator shouted.

"I'm not going to say anything. Keep whipping me if you dare!" Ye Dafu hollered.

"Beat him!"

"No, beat us! Don't beat our boss!" Ye Dafu's lackeys cried out.

"Beat all of them!"

The sound of whips echoed through the prison. Ye Dafu and his lackeys cried out with every whip, but they adamantly refused to speak.

You Jiu glanced at them strangely. "Are these cultivators so loyal that none of them would give in...?"

He crept closer, skulking through the darkness and watching the interrogation from afar.

A group of cultivators in purple were whipping Ye Dafu and his lackeys. They shook and trembled, but continued to refuse to talk.

"Whip them, harder! Whip them within an inch of their lives!" the lead interrogator commanded.

Ye Dafu's body shook as he received the beating. Subconsciously, he murmured, "Ah, it's so relaxing..."

"What did you say?!" the cultivator whipping Ye Dafu paused, wondering if he had misheard.

"I didn't say anything! Keep going!" Ye Dafu shouted. His pained expression and loud cries finally dispelled the cultivator's doubts.

"Sir, something's wrong! I saw him smiling lecherously just now!" one of the guards shouted.

Ye Dafu's eyes widened, hurriedly schooling his expression into one of pain. Pretending to cry, he begged, "It hurts, it hurts! Don't beat me anymore!"

"Don't hit our boss! Hit us!" his lackeys cried out.

"Beat them all!" the leader of the guards demanded.

The whips cracked as the interrogation continued.

You Jiu, still watching from afar, began to frown strangely. He could clearly see that Ye Dafu had been enjoying his beating—and his lackeys, as well. Though the pain made them gnash their teeth, they then subconsciously revealed an expression of bliss and relaxation. How could these cultivators be enjoying the interrogation? Were they all perverted?!