Mo Qi cast a mysterious glance inside, and Xue Nu, understanding, immediately let him in.
The two sat at a table. Mo Qi produced a pill and said, "This is a truth-telling pill, freshly refined by me. Fang Bu Yi suspects there are moles among his guards but cannot find them. With my pill..."
Xue Nu's eyes shone brightly, "Will he definitely tell the truth?"
Mo Qi's eyes darted, "Not necessarily. Since it's newly refined, I haven't tested it. I want to try it on you." As he spoke, he handed the pill over.
Xue Nu suddenly stood up, her face blushing, "No, I can't..." She worried about what he might ask. How embarrassing that would be.
Mo Qi was surprised, "What are you afraid of? You're not a mole, are you?"
Xue Nu grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, "You're the mole! Your whole family is the mole!"
Mo Qi agilely dodged and laughed, "If you don't want to try, then don't. Why such a big reaction?"
Xue Nu picked up the pillow and hit him again. Mo Qi fled in a dejected manner.
He was puzzled, "Why is she afraid to try?" Then he raised an eyebrow, "Who wants to try it on you? I was just teasing you, look how scared you got! Every one of these pills is a priceless treasure."
Xue Nu leaned against the door, her heart pounding like a startled deer. After a moment, she calmed down and felt regret, "How could I be so foolish? If he wanted to try, I should have let him. Otherwise, how can we ever talk about such things?"
Mo Qi returned to his room. With nothing to do, he went to the window to look at the Soul Seizing Cliff. The Soul Seizing Cliff was actually a cliff, as if cut by a knife, plunging straight down to the sea.
At this moment, two people dressed identically to Dai Guang stood in the air above the sea, gazing into the distance.
Beneath their feet and all around, faint light and shadow formed a passage, connecting to the tunnel below the mountain. A ship then sailed from afar and slowly stopped before the light passage. People disembarked one after another. As they stepped into the light passage, the entire passage became visible, as if substantial.
Those entering the passage held transit documents, which they successively presented to the two people in guard uniforms for inspection. A guard also stood by the cliff edge, his eyes fixed on the two inspecting the documents. If anything unexpected occurred, he would immediately lower the barrier, preventing anyone from outside from entering.
After everyone had disembarked from the ship, people from the tunnel below the mountain boarded the ships in sequence with their transit documents.
Mo Qi watched several ships come and go, but soon lost interest. He felt bored. Fang Bu Yi had still not appeared, and Mo Qi could no longer sit still. He didn't want to be kept waiting like this.
He went to find Dai Guang to inquire about Fang Bu Yi's situation. When he saw Dai Guang, Mo Qi was startled. Dai Guang had dark circles under both eyes and was swaying as he walked.
Mo Qi gave him a sympathetic look. Dai Guang waved his hand, putting on a brave face, "It's nothing. Everyone is the same. Commander Fang is even more tired than us, with darker circles than us."
Mo Qi asked him to announce his arrival, as he wished to see him.
Dai Guang repeatedly waved his hands and even gagged, "I don't want to see him again. The sight of him makes me want to vomit. You'd better knock on his door yourself." He then hobbled away.
Mo Qi had no choice but to steel himself and knock on the door. Inside, Fang Bu Yi was interrogating a guard named Ma Wu. Hearing the knock, he impatiently roared, "Whatever it is, wait a moment!"
Mo Qi continued to knock. He felt he had to save him quickly, though perhaps driven by eagerness for merit, he himself was unaware.
"Who is it?" Fang Bu Yi roared in fury, "Are you looking for death?"
The door burst open, revealing a burly man with a square face, broad ears, and a powerful build. The rage in his eyes was almost burning Mo Qi.
However, due to the deep dark circles, they intertwined with the anger on his face, making him look particularly comical.
"Who are you? Speak quickly. If you can't give me a reason not to kill you, don't blame me for being ruthless." Fang Bu Yi continued to roar, his voice deafening, spittle spraying onto Mo Qi's face.
Mo Qi truly felt the intense killing intent emanating from him and felt a tremor of fear. He also worried about his pill. If the pill was ineffective, he might truly be killed.
He had been confident initially, but Fang Bu Yi's ferocity made him suddenly lose his nerve, "I, I'm here to help you."
Fang Bu Yi stared at him fixedly. The air suddenly solidified, as if a storm was about to break.
In recent years, Mo Qi's cultivation had grown rapidly, coupled with his long-term consumption of pills. At this moment, he still looked like a boy of fifteen or sixteen, just as he had when he first joined the sect.
Fang Bu Yi looked at his innocent face. His first thought was that some adult hadn't looked after their child properly, letting him run out to play. However, he clearly felt spiritual energy flowing from the other person.
Upon probing, he discovered that his own cultivation could still suppress the other. It wasn't like some divine intervention, so why was he being so arrogant? Why was he bothering me?
Fang Bu Yi was so enraged he was almost driven mad. He directly grabbed Mo Qi's head and shoved him inside without a word, "Come, you help me. Let's see how you help me."
Mo Qi was inexplicably pushed onto a chair. Fang Bu Yi stood behind him, one hand always pressing down on Mo Qi's arm. Facing them sat a man with a face full of pockmarks, presumably Ma Wu.
Ma Wu sat on a stool, his eyes bloodshot, surrounded by dark circles. His body swayed as if he might collapse at any moment.
As Mo Qi was dazed, Fang Bu Yi's voice, filled with icy coldness, came through, "I don't care who you are. Interrupting me during my interrogation is malicious. If you don't get to the bottom of this today, you'll be charged with colluding with the enemy."
Mo Qi suddenly turned back with a cold laugh, "I hate it most when people push my head. I don't care who you are, I must cripple your hands."
"Hmph," Fang Bu Yi laughed in anger, "So what if I push your head? I... still want to... push harder... Ouch... Ouch..."
Fang Bu Yi suddenly felt as if he had been pricked by something, from his chest to his back. Initially, there was no sensation, but then the pain gradually spread, pressing down on his entire body. Finally, he lost his footing and fell to the ground.
Just as he had pushed Mo Qi into the chair, Mo Qi had quietly flicked his finger at him. The sword energy of the Earth Arrow, with his increasing cultivation, could be done silently. Moreover, the distance was too close; even if Fang Bu Yi had been prepared, he couldn't have dodged it.
Fang Bu Yi's eyes widened in terror, and he asked unwillingly, "Who exactly are you? Are you one of them?"
Ma Wu was equally terrified. He didn't know what had happened. How could Fang Bu Yi fall so suddenly? Who was this person? What was he here for? All sorts of questions flooded his mind, making him instantly feel awake.
Mo Qi stood up, still harboring his anger. He kicked Fang Bu Yi, who was on the ground, a few more times, then said coldly, "I keep my word. I'll cripple your hands first."
He then flicked two more fingers of arrow energy. Amidst Fang Bu Yi's pig-like wails, his hands could no longer be raised. He lay on the ground, his body twitching, staring at Mo Qi with eyes full of hatred.
What was going on? He still hadn't recovered. Just moments ago, he had been majestic, and now he was lying on the ground. Was it because he was too arrogant?
Yes, you were too arrogant! Mo Qi's gaze told him.
"Who exactly are you?" Fang Bu Yi asked unwillingly.
He had definitely failed today, but he still didn't believe his misfortune was due to his arrogance. The other party must have been planning this for a long time, and they were the same group who had harmed Hong Cheng.
At this moment, others were attracted by Fang Bu Yi's shouts. Apart from the three people below the cliff, all other guards had arrived. They entered the room one after another, glaring at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi held his flying sword against Fang Bu Yi's neck, preventing anyone from making a sudden move.
Xue Nu, Wu Si Qi, and Liu Sha also arrived. The three of them happened to block the doorway but were blocked from seeing inside by the people in front, unaware of what was happening within.
Dai Guang glanced at Mo Qi with his two vacant eyes, not knowing what to say. He seemed to know what had happened and that it was bound to happen. When Mo Qi had asked him to announce his arrival, he had chosen to stay away, not wanting to experience something similar himself. But he hadn't expected that the person lying on the ground now would be Fang Bu Yi; logically, it should have been Mo Qi.
He knew the whole story, but others didn't. Another slightly older person stepped forward, out of the crowd, and looked at Mo Qi, "Young brother, may I ask why you attacked the commander? Trespassing is a capital offense."
Mo Qi stood tall, his gaze sharp, holding the token to his chest. He declared loudly, "We are dispatched from the Qiong Lu Realm to investigate cases. Fang Bu Yi has overstepped his authority, abused his power, neglected his duties, was indolent and unprofessional, and was also disrespectful to me. We are administering a minor punishment to him, hoping it will serve as a great warning. Those who dare to defy superiors will suffer the same fate as this man."
The imposing aura, the impassioned speech, immediately stunned everyone. Even Xue Nu and Wu Si Qi at the very front were taken aback, momentarily confused, "Are we here to investigate a case?"
Liu Sha, however, seemed to realize something, "So this is their mission."
All the guards believed Mo Qi's words because they felt Fang Bu Yi had indeed gone too far. Your duty is to guard the border and protect the territory; what are you investigating? What business is it of yours? Moreover, you constantly summon people for questioning, and the questioning lasts for hours. You are restricting people's freedom; do you have that right?
But Fang Bu Yi never believed Mo Qi was dispatched from the Qiong Lu Sect to specifically investigate cases. This was because before he descended from the Qiong Lu Realm, his superior had actually given him the task of investigating the murderer and their accomplices, but it was to be done secretly, not too ostentatiously.
"Everyone return to your posts," Mo Qi began issuing orders while everyone was still stunned, "I will continue to interrogate Ma Wu." He pointed to Xue Nu, who peeked out from behind, "You, interrogate with me." Xue Nu lowered her head, suppressing a smile, and responded, "Yes!"
Mo Qi then pointed to Wu Si Qi and Liu Sha, "You and you, guard the entrance. No unauthorized personnel are allowed near. After Ma Wu leaves, call in someone else. If you don't know who to call, ask Dai Guang; he knows."
Wu Si Qi and Liu Sha responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
The next moment, the crowd dispersed, truly attending to their respective duties in an orderly fashion.
No one cared about Fang Bu Yi's fate on the ground!
Ma Wu's face showed the expression of a dead pig. More suffering awaited!
Fang Bu Yi was secretly circulating his spiritual energy, slowly healing his wounds. After calming down, he felt that spiritual energy was still flowing through him. As long as spiritual energy flowed, he could heal his injuries and crippled hands. At the same time, a hint of disdain appeared in his eyes, "I'll see how you investigate."
Mo Qi sat on the chair and had Xue Nu step forward to give Ma Wu a pill.
Ma Wu didn't know what the pill was and initially refused to take it. But Mo Qi used provocation, saying, "This is a truth-telling pill that makes people speak the truth. If you have a clear conscience, eat it."
Ma Wu figured they wouldn't poison him to death, so he ate it.
Fang Bu Yi had never heard of a truth-telling pill. He thought, "Just put on a show. I'll watch you make a fool of yourself."
After Xue Nu returned and sat down, Mo Qi began his questioning, "What is your name?"
"Zhao Xiaohu. My nickname is Ma Wu."
"Which sect are you from?"
"I'm not from any sect; I'm a rogue cultivator."
"Apart from your guard duty at the Soul Seizing Cliff, have you simultaneously accepted any other tasks from any other sects or organizations?"
"No."
"Are you a mole?"
"No."
"Alright, we can end this. You can go out now," Mo Qi said.
Ma Wu stood up and walked towards the exit.
Fang Bu Yi was dumbfounded, "That's it? This is too childish. It's like playing house."
Xue Nu was also a little worried and glanced at Mo Qi, "Is your pill reliable?"