Commander Lin Dai crossed his arms behind his back. “About that. Director Wang would like to speak to you in his office… if that’s alright,” he said politely.
Sa Min studied Commander Lin Dai’s face closely, trying to take his answer from expression. But… he managed to read nothing.
Sighing inwardly, he looked over Sa Huiqing with a mock hesitation. "Father?"
Sa Huiqing met his gaze with a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing serious. Just some routine questions. I’ll be right there with you, so there’s nothing to worry about."
Nothing to worry about. Sa Min swallowed a grim smile. Oh, but I’m worried.
It wasn’t the questioning itself that had him on edge. He'd been prepared for that. And he was aware of the rules. The IJB could not legally pull him into the Interrogation Hall without an official charge.
The Interrogation Hall was basically a formation with the ability to detect lies.
And besides, as the son of a prominent elder from one of the three major clans, they would think a thousand times before thinking of trying any Investigation-type Yantra on him.
Nodding to Commander Lin Dai, he went to grab his backpack off the bed and followed him and Sa Huiqing up the stairs. With each step, he could feel his doubts and nerves grow. And he chuckled to himself at that, quite enjoying his tension.
Let’s see where my luck takes me, he thought.
What really troubled him most about his scheme to betray the Wing family boiled down to two risks: Wing Xieren and his head guard might somehow escape the sudden raid, or worse, end up captured by the IJB.
Since Sa Min began mulling over this plan, those two potential outcomes were the main reasons he felt unconfident about it.
If they got away, it would totally ruin the whole reason he had chosen that plan in the first place.
The way Sa Min saw it, the Wing family was a serious threat that could turn on him at any moment. With his current level of cultivation and aptitude, he knew he wouldn’t be able to take them down directly anytime soon.
The recent fight with that local gang in the brothel, however, had given him the perfect excuse to to turn them in and use the IJB to get rid of them for good. Once they were out of the way, he could finally keep the location of the Key hidden until he was ready to take it for himself.
But for this plan to succeed, Wing Xieren and his guards had to be taken out.
If any of them escaped, they’d just pick up their search for the Key right where they left off.
Even worse, the Wings would know exactly who had betrayed them, and they’d definitely come after him with a vengeance.
.
Still, as bad as this scenario was, it wasn’t nearly as dangerous as them getting captured.
In fact, as Sa Min climbed the stairs, he actually found himself wishing they’d escaped rather than fall into the hands of the IJB.
If they got away, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I can always leave the city if things get too dangerous, he reasoned, rubbing his left eye. None of his worries were shown on his face. Moreover, knowing the Key’s location gives me a massive advantage. Even if they seize it, they’ll have to return to its hiding place every time they want to enter the Domain.
But if the IJB discovered the Key’s hiding place? They could lock it down, and the Wings would be just as stuck as he was. He could even use that to his advantage—maybe leverage it to strike a new deal with Wing Xieren, even after tearing apart his family.
What if the IJB found out about that place and sealed it off? How would they get in then?
Threatening them with this could give Sa Min a chance to make another deal with Wing Xieren, even after killing his son and destroying his family.
All in all, he saw plenty of options if they managed to escape. But if they were captured? That would lead the IJB right to him, with no way out. And if he was captured…it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that it would mean the end for him.
It wasn’t because of the Key…
Before finishing off Wing Lian, Sa Min had taken the chance to press him on every question that had been turning over in his mind about the Key.
At first, Wing Lian had spat in his face, furious and defiant, refusing to say a word.
But when Sa Min grabbed Wing Lian’s penis, yanked them out of his underwear, and began to cut with the dagger, showing him just how serious he was, the poor boy quickly broke down, spilling everything he knew like a songbird.
It had been a quick conversation, but Sa Min had managed to learn some interesting details about the Key and how the Wing family came to know of it.
He had also asked whether the story about the No One Knows Except Who Knows Yantra, which Wing Lian had told him while drunk, was real.
Turned out, it was.
That meant if the Patriarch or his head guard got captured, they wouldn’t be able to reveal anything about the Key; and with the sister in the Sa Clan having no clue about it either, the IJB’s would continue to stay in the dark about it.
That might sound like good news, but it didn’t mean Sa Min was safe or immune.
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While the Wings could not mention the Key or the Domain, they could still talk about… him.
When Wing Xieren discovered that Sa Min was the one behind their capture and failure, there was no doubt he'd eagerly inform the IJB about Sa Min’s knowledge of the kidnapping.
The IJB wouldn’t take that lightly. They’d come after Sa Min hard.
The IJB was not to be underestimated. Tetra Blessing City might not be a major city, but they likely had Yantras capable of penetrating a cultivator’s Ba. And with Sa Min’s Ba being so weak right now, they could easily hack into it. If that happened, finding out about the Key would be the least of his problems, because they would also learn…his true identity.
And that, more than anything, was the root of all his worries.
Sa Min might’ve never set foot on the Eastern Plane before, but his notorious reputation sure had.
The Easterners, especially the Xi Empire, took great pride in their righteous ways and their temple traditions. They despised demonic cultivators like him with a passion and would definitely want to make an example out of him.
But Sa Min was certain that this wasn't what was going to happen.
Once they dug into his memories, they’d realize he was more than just a notorious demonic cultivator.
Even though he had taken out some of his memories about that Key the Heavenly Union seemed to desperately want in a hidden place, they would still find out just how badly the Heavenly Union wanted him. And to the Xi Empire, that would make him a powerful bargaining chip in their ongoing cold war against the Heavenly Union.
The bottom line was: in this scenario, he was absolutely done.
I’ll have to get out of the city right away if they get caught, before they start talking, Sa Min thought bitterly as they approached the Director's office door.
But the IJB wasn’t just some local group he could escape by simply leaving the city!
Sa Min knew that. It was an imperial bureau tied to the Ministry of Justice, and if they were after him, his wanted poster would be plastered across the entire Xi Empire.
Being hunted was a feeling he hadn’t exactly enjoyed or missed, but that’s that. He knew the risks when he made up his mind, and he had no regret.
If that happens, I’ll just find some mercenary group and try my luck, he reasoned, steeling himself for whatever came next.
Commander Lin Dai pushed it open and they walked through into a large office. Lots of red lotus painting around the walls.
An old man sat at a big rosewood desk, eyeing Sa Min with a squint, like he was trying to place him.
Director Dong…
Sa Min bowed, fists pressed together. “Sa Min pays respects to Lord Director Dong,” he greeted.
A Corrupt official, taking bribes working with gangs in the cursed area, and extremely abusive to his wife. These were some of the rumors Sa Min picked up about the head of the city’s IJB.
How much of it was fact, Sa Min couldn't say
Director Dong looked away to Sa Huiqing and his scowl softened slightly.
"Brother Huiqing, I appreciate your openness to this… friendly conversation,” he said with a polite gesture toward the chairs in front of him. Please, sit.”
Sa Huiqing gave a curt nod, neither warm nor cold, and took a seat.
"I only came to figure out what’s going on. Should we be worried?” he asked, his gaze flicking briefly to Sa Min, who sat down at his left. “Is my son in danger?”
Sa Min’s eyes were locked on the Director’s rough, chapped lips, his heart thumping in spite of himself. As much as he told himself, he really, really wanted to keep a low profile until he had built a solid foundation. If he had to go on the run now, at his current level of cultivation, he’d not only miss a golden opportunity to enter an Immortal's Domain—or even seize the Pointed Jade Box Ka from Sa Huiqing— but his cultivation progress would stall, and the chances of getting caught or killed would be at an all-time high.
The Director’s lips finally parted. “You don’t need to worry about the Wing family. They’re…”
Captured? Dead? Sa Min’s gaze went up to the director’s eyes, saw discomfort there. Whatever was coming, the old man clearly wasn't happy to say it.
“They’re all dead,” Director Dong said at last, and Sa Min immediately shut his eyes for a second, feeling a wave of relief wash over him, pushing all the tension out.
When he opened his eyes, he felt his lips twitching, wanting to smile. Not now, he reminded himself, and scowled instead. “So…” he said, sounding angry, “what Wing Lian told me was… true?”
“Yes… we found bodies of some of the colored-eyed who went missing. Two are still alive, but just barely hanging on. They’re in bad shape and getting treated at the city hospital as we speak.”
Two survivors, huh? Sa Min was already calculating. I wonder how the Wing family got taken down... The IJB must’ve tried everything to arrest them and figure out their motives.
He glanced over at Director Dong and Commander Lin Dai, who stood beside him.
Alright, time for some work.
He twisted his face with rage, tightened his jaw, and began, “those…those monsters, kidnapping and murdering innocent people. Death’s too good for them!” he shouted, tears running down his cheeks. “Why didn’t you capture them instead? Humiliate them? Make them suffer before they get justice?”
One of the talents he'd been blessed with since birth was the ability to shed tears anytime he wanted, no matter the mood.
Believe it or not, it had saved his life many times. Truly a gift from heaven.
Seeing him lose it, Sa Huiqing reached out to calm him. “Please don’t hold it against my son, Director Dong. He’s still mourning.”
“No, no, he’s right,” Director Dong sighed wearily, rubbing his temples. “He’s absolutely right... We did try to bring them in,” he muttered, managing a bitter smile as he clasped his hands on the desk. “But those bastards knew what would happen if we caught them, and they refused to surrender.”
I see, Sa Min nodded to himself. Outwardly, though, he was muttering, “Monsters, demons…” lowering his head and pressing his fingers to his eyes, fighting to hold back his tears.
“Do you know why they were kidnapping these people?” Sa Huiqing asked from the side.
“Unfortunately, we’re still investigating that,” Director Dong replied, turning to Wing Lian. “Which brings us to why I called you here. If your son can recount his story in detail, we might be able to pick up some crucial information that could help us solve this mystery and prevent it from happening again.”
Sa Min kept sniffling, as if struggling to hold himself together.
Sa Huiqing looked at Director Dong meaningfully. “Director Dong…”
Director Dong caught on. “I’m sorry. I was rushing things. We can do this later—”
"No," Sa Min interrupted, taking shaky breaths. He wiped his eyes with a trembling hand. "No, please... I want to do this now. If I can help stop something like this from happening again, it’s the least I can do."
Director Dong nodded, then pulled a red napkin from the desk and handed it to Sa Min. “Here. Take your time.”
Sa Min took it, wiped his nose, and began retelling the account he had invented.
