Evil of all ages

Chapter 21 Claiming Life
"I need all the information about Huang Tianyi."

Upon hearing that this was an evil spirit returning to take revenge, Di Qingtian dismissed it as nonsense.

But no clue could be overlooked in the investigation; he had to get to know Huang Tianyi.

"I'll go find Huang Tianyi's books right now."

Chang Xingde hurriedly went to find Huang Tianyi's personal records in prison, hoping that Huang Tianyi's records were still there.

The records of ordinary prison guards who die unexpectedly in prison or in the line of duty will be kept in the prison's register room for three months.

Three months later, it will be transferred out or destroyed.

The jailer's term is a little longer than that of a regular jailer, about a year.

Huang Tianyi died exactly one year ago, right at this juncture, and Chang Xingde hoped it wasn't too late.

籍房
"Huang, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. You killed Shi Boyi and the others, and they deserved it. Don't come looking for me."

“As long as you don’t come looking for me, I swear that I will repay your son tenfold for every tael of silver you gave me while you were alive, and I will take even better care of him in the future.”

As Chang Xingde searched for Huang Tianyi's books, he muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

Perhaps due to negligence on the part of the personnel managing the books, Huang Tianyi's books still exist.

Chang Xingde obtained the book and immediately brought it back to Di Qingtian.

While reading the classics, Di Qingtian asked Chang Xingde to describe what kind of person Huang Tianyi was during his lifetime.

Chang Xingde tried to put it in a positive light because he felt that Huang Tianyi was definitely watching him and everyone else present.

He'd only say bad things and leave negative comments if he didn't value his life.

According to his account, Huang Tianyi had become a person of great righteousness and noble character.

"Lord He, is Huang Tianyi really that kind of person?"

After listening to Chang Xingde's account, Di Qingtian's expression remained unchanged. His eyes never left Huang Tianyi's book, and without even looking up, he asked He Rongjiang.

“Lord Di, I don’t know much about Prisoner Huang, but since Warden Chang said so, it must be true.”

He Rongjiang also felt that Huang Tianyi's ghost was watching nearby, and even though he knew that Chang Xingde was exaggerating and flattering him, he dared not say a word against it.

They even had to flatter him.

Di Qingtian shook his head slightly, knowing that he wouldn't get the truth from He Rongjiang and Chang Xingde.

Fortunately, there were several people in the prison who knew Huang Tianyi better than Chang Xingde.

Without further ado, in addition to Huang Taichu, Di Qingtian summoned Ren Zhengnian and the others for questioning again.

After asking all the questions, Di Qingtian had a general understanding of Huang Tianyi.

He wasn't as good as Chang Xingde described, but he was indeed loyal and righteous. Besides being exceptionally kind to his subordinates, he was also a cunning and shrewd old man.

In summary, he was just someone who made a living in prison and had nothing remarkable about him.

"Lord Liu, in order to facilitate the investigation, may I stay in the imperial prison?"

Di Qingtian didn't know how long it would take him to solve this bizarre case, but the more difficult it was, the more excited he became. He planned to stay here until he solved the case before leaving.

Upon hearing this, Yin Tianying hesitated, but it was inconvenient for him to speak when the adults were talking.

"Sure, you can stay as long as you want."

Liu Yidao had been either internally examining himself or circulating his true energy throughout his body's meridians. After several examinations, he found only a few irreversible hidden ailments.

They couldn't find anything wrong with the examination.

But the more he did this, the more panicked he became, and the more he doubted himself. Under such extreme thinking, he was already on the verge of going mad.

He was startled awake by Di Qingtian's question, which saved him from going mad.

Feeling that the internal energy in his body was a bit disordered, he left a message saying that he could stay as long as he wanted, and then went to the third floor to meditate without stopping.

Di Qingtian told He Rongjiang and Chang Xingde to go about their business and not to follow him. He said to call them if there was any trouble.

When Qi Hongfei started clamoring for alcohol, Di Qingtian told Yin Tianyong to take him back to dig some.

After seeing Qi Hongfei and Yin Tianyong off, Di Qingtian returned to the place where Shi Boyi and the others lay dead, intending to stay there and investigate the case.

His accommodation might be a single room shared with the other four, or he might spend the night with prisoners, depending on his investigation needs.

"Sir, although I don't believe it's the work of evil spirits, this place is too eerie."

"Staying here means staying on someone else's turf. The people behind the scenes want us dead. We're probably in big trouble tonight."

Yin Tianying didn't want Di Qingtian to take such a risk.

"In the past, when we were investigating those strange cases, there were always assassination attempts when we got to the crucial part."

"Moreover, what I want this time is for the person behind the scenes to take action against me. As long as they do so, I will know how they did all this."

Di Qingtian said casually, "My lord."

Yin Tianying became anxious when he saw that Di Qingtian was so obsessed with investigating the case, disregarding his own safety.

However, he knew he couldn't persuade the adults; the only one who could persuade them was the adults' sister. He was now considering whether he should go back to find the adults' sister.

"Entering and leaving the Heavenly Prison is cursed. You want both my sister and your sister to be cursed!?"

Di Qingtian saw through Yin Tianying's thoughts and couldn't help but remind him.

Upon hearing this, Yin Tianying was at a loss.

We can only be more vigilant and keep an eye on our surroundings to prevent the person behind the scenes from launching an attack using unbelievable methods.

"How about teasing him a bit... But no, it wouldn't be fun if I broke his Dao heart."

Huang Taichu, who was being held in solitary confinement, temporarily suppressed his desire to toy with Di Qingtian.

Now, the jailers guarding him and the Zhenwu Division personnel secretly recording his every move are looking at him differently.

Unfortunately, the rumors spread so much that most of the people in the prison knew he had a wicked father.

With a wicked father watching over him, everyone treats him with utmost respect.

Sure enough, Chang Xingde walked over with a friendly expression, carrying a food box filled with food.

The jailer immediately opened the cell door.

"Are you hungry? Come on, have a taste. This is something I specially had someone buy from Baixianglou."

Chang Xingde was very enthusiastic, and he looked up at the cell.

"What's going on? It's a mess. Why didn't you tidy it up? And why didn't you change the bedding?"

Upon hearing this, several prison guards outside immediately rushed in.

It wasn't to show off in front of Chang Xingde, but to avoid being targeted by Huang Taichu's evil father.

A moment later, new bedding was put on, and the cell became clean and tidy.

"Is this my last meal before I'm executed?"

Seeing that there was fish and meat, and the wine was also good, Huang Taichu asked the question knowingly.

"You're joking, how could this be a last meal before someone's execution?"

Chang Xingde smiled and tried his best to make Huang Taichu feel his goodwill.

"What does this mean?"

Huang Taichu pointed to the food and asked.

“Actually, I feel very guilty. Your father was kind and loyal to everyone, and he was also very responsible to me, his superior, but…”

Huang Taichu remained silent, watching Chang Xingde's performance in quiet contemplation.

“I’m really not a good boss. I’ve let Shi Boyi and the others bully you for so long. It makes me feel like I’m a worthless person every day and night.”

“Now I have come to my senses and have decided to make amends for my mistakes and take good care of you in place of your father.”

"Here's one hundred taels. Take it and use it first. If it's not enough, just ask me for more."

As Chang Xingde spoke, he realized he was just fooling a child. Feeling embarrassed, he quickly stopped, took out a hundred-tael silver note, and handed it over.

"All this talk is just because you're afraid my father will come after you."

Huang Taichu said calmly.

"You knew all along!?"

Chang Xingde's expression froze, wondering who had told Huang Taichu all this while he was locked up alone.

"The prisoners were half-dead, so the cell was quiet. The only sounds were the guards talking and walking around."

Unfortunately, I overheard the jailers discussing my father.

Huang Taichu said calmly.

"So, it really is your father!"

Chang Xingde suddenly realized.

He knew why Huang Taichu's personality had changed so much; it must be because of his father.

He had long suspected his father's existence, and with that sense of security, he gradually lost his former timidity and introversion.

Or rather, he could see his father, communicate with his father, and his father guided his growth.

(End of this chapter)