"The Deceitful Mother was far more powerful than I had anticipated. I knew I was no match for it, so I was forced to do what I did. I believe Ye Han won’t blame me. After all, we had an agreement: he would lend me his power, and I would be responsible for resolving the Deceit."
The three men looked at the Lying Insect. The Lying Insect didn’t move.
"What is your opinion of Ye Han?" Wang Buku asked.
Li Qingxian was silent for a long moment before saying, "We are all brother Night Guards who have faced life and death together. There are some things I want to say, but I cannot."
The two Daoists nodded slightly, a look of approval in their eyes.
Wang Buku pointed to Li Qingxian’s left wrist and asked, "Why is the Qiankun Ring in your possession?"
Li Qingxian smiled faintly. "Regarding that matter, you can ask your good friend, Ye Han. It’s not convenient for me to answer."
They continued their conversation for a long while. Eventually, Wang Buku left with the two Daoists.
Once outside the room, the Daoist holding the Sound Bowl said, "His account was so clear. We just need to let the others hear it. It’s bound to awaken some of their memories, allowing them to corroborate each other’s stories. But... it seems they all have some complaints about Ye Han. If they remember more about what Ye Han did..."
Wang Buku said with a blank expression, "We in the Black Lamp Department exist to resolve Deceits. As long as it helps resolve the Deceit, we should do it. Let’s conduct a second round of questioning."
The three of them questioned Han Anbo, Yu Ping, Zeng Youqian, and Deng He again, this time playing Li Qingxian’s recorded testimony.
Stimulated by Li Qingxian’s words, the four men recalled more of what happened and recounted their experiences.
After questioning the four men, Wang Buku and the two Daoists stopped at a corner on the second floor.
The Daoist with the Sound Bowl said in a low voice, "Buku, I can’t help you on this one. I have to report this content exactly as it is. This Ye Han... he’s really pissed me off."
"I never thought he’d be like this. And to think you always praise him for being incredibly righteous and saving people in peril. Who knew he’d become a completely different person when faced with a life-or-death situation? As for the Qiankun Ring changing owners, if Ye Han dares to ask for it back, then fine. But if he doesn’t, he must have a guilty conscience."
Wang Buku was silent for a long time. "Ye Han has woken up," he said. "Let’s go question him."
The three entered Ye Han’s room. When Ye Han saw his good friend Wang Buku, his eyes reddened. He stood up and complained, "Buku, I almost died in the Deceit Village."
Wang Buku’s expression softened. "We can catch up later. Right now, we have official business to attend to. Here are the Sound Bowl and the Lying Insect; I’m sure you understand what they mean. Every word will be heard by the higher-ups, so you must speak and act with caution."
Ye Han nodded lightly.
Wang Buku said, "Take a moment to compose yourself. We will ask you about the entire incident in a moment."
Ye Han understood. He lowered his head and thought carefully. ’Li Qingxian, don’t blame me for running my mouth...’ he thought at last, glancing at the Lying Insect.
After a long while, Wang Buku said, "Alright. Tell us what happened."
Ye Han glanced at the Lying Insect again and began his account slowly. "Everything was normal at first. It wasn’t until we entered the village that we realized something was wrong..."
"I believe that Li Qingxian was deliberately targeting me..."
"I feel that Li Qingxian had selfish motives..."
"I get the sense that Li Qingxian could have saved more people..."
The two Daoists frowned as they listened, but Wang Buku remained impassive, his brush moving continuously across the white glazed tablet to record the testimony.
Questioning Ye Han took twice as long as it took to question Li Qingxian.
After finishing the record, Wang Buku asked, "Brother Ye, what is your opinion of Li Qingxian?"
Ye Han sighed and said, "I admit that Li Qingxian has a talent for being a Fate Master, but he is a malicious and ruthless person who always takes things too far. When Captain Wuu was alive, he was very displeased with him..."
"SQUEAK... SQUEAK... SPLAT!"
Inside the cricket cage, the Lying Insect exploded, its flesh and blood splattering the interior. A pungent, strange odor spread through the room.
The three men stared at the embarrassed Ye Han.
Ye Han said hurriedly, "I really thought Captain Wuu disliked Li Qingxian. Maybe I misunderstood..."
Wang Buku stood up, patted Ye Han’s shoulder, and consoled him, "It’s alright. Even the Lying Insect can be wrong sometimes. Perhaps you just said it without thinking. You stay seated. We will continue questioning the others."
Wang Buku smiled, turned, and took a few steps, then suddenly looked back and asked, "Brother Ye, how did the Qiankun Ring end up in Li Qingxian’s hands?"
Ye Han’s gaze was frantic. His lips trembled, but he eventually lowered his head and said, "My Qiankun Ring was taken by the Deceitful Mother. After the Deceit was resolved, it somehow ended up in his hands. But never mind, it’s just a worldly possession anyway."
"I see. We’ll talk later."
The three men went downstairs and sat in a room, silent.
The Daoist holding the Sound Bowl couldn’t help but say, "Even though Li Qingxian is dissatisfied with Ye Han, he was extremely restrained from beginning to end. During his questioning, he was always talking about the facts, about the Deceit, about the sacrifices of the Night Guard, and about brothers working together. Then listen to Ye Han. His account of the Deceit was incoherent, his description of his own actions was muddled, and instead, he spent a great deal of time blaming Li Qingxian."
"And compare that to the others. They said whatever they could remember, but they all pointed the finger at Ye Han. Those four, even with their damaged memories, couldn’t hide their disgust for him. This kind of thing has happened before, and we all know how it turns out. I’m almost certain that Ye Han deliberately harmed people and angered all the other Night Guards. That’s why even though they’ve forgotten the details, their hatred for him remains. As for Li Qingxian, I’m afraid he knows this too, but can’t say it."
"The Lying Insect’s death is very telling. When those four talked about Captain Wuu, they were a bit biased towards Ye Han, so it’s obvious Captain Wuu and Ye Han had an unusual relationship. But the fact that he ultimately chose to protect Li Qingxian proves all the more that Ye Han has been deserted by everyone."
"And as for calling Li Qingxian ruthless—Ye Han was clearly loaded with Treasures and knew the method to resolve the Deceit, yet he kept it hidden, causing the deaths of one Night Guard brother after another. If it were me, I’d be even more ruthless than Li Qingxian!"
"By the standards of our Black Lamp Department, if someone knows the method to resolve a Deceit and doesn’t talk, we torture them for answers first. Li Qingxian actually negotiated conditions and made a deal with him. You call *that* ruthless? In my opinion, Li Qingxian is too soft-hearted and merciful!"
"That Qiankun Ring was probably a hush-money payment from Ye Han."
"Buku, you need to be more careful around Ye Han from now on. A few days ago, didn’t Li Qingxian resolve the Yellow Springs Mysterious Land? I didn’t quite believe it, so I made some careful inquiries. And guess what?"
"What is it?" Wang Buku asked.
The Daoist with the Sound Bowl said slowly, "Ye Han teamed up with the Heir of Prince Yuann and nearly got Li Qingxian killed."
Wang Buku’s pupils suddenly dilated. He clenched his right fist. His pupils soon returned to normal, but his fist remained clenched.
"Back when the Duke Rong Mansion was persecuted, Prince Yuann wasn’t a main instigator, but he had a hand in it. I’m sure you’re aware of this."
"Thank you..." Wang Buku lowered his head.
「At daybreak」, a carriage rose into the air and took flight. In less than an hour, it returned to the Night Guard Office.
Having been through a life-or-death crisis for days, Li Qingxian, Han Anbo, and Yu Ping couldn’t be bothered with anything else. They staggered back to Room A9 in a daze and fell into a deep sleep.
That night, the Black Lamp Department compiled its report and delivered copies to the desks of the Night Guard high officials.
「Demon Hunting Bureau.」
Songg Yanxue read the Black Lamp Department’s document twice over. Her face was like frost, her teeth clenched tightly. Her eyes widened, making her already bright and beautiful eyes shine even more brilliantly.
After a long moment, Songg Yanxue took a deep breath and gave a cold smile.