Evil of all ages

Chapter 40 Showdown
"I understand. Give me some time to settle things in prison, and then I'll let you go."

Immediately afterwards, Di Qingtian called the others over and told them that after investigating the case in the palace, he would return to continue investigating this strange case.

"Lord Di, leaving the prison is forbidden. Many jailers' families are unaware of this and come looking for us from time to time. I wonder if..."

He Rongjiang was eager for Di Qingtian to leave, because Di Qingtian was just too much troublemaker.

Although the mystery remains unsolved, at least no more deaths are occurring in the prison.

Only the prisoners are unlucky; the others are fine, so they are not as worried as before.

Now that everyone has left, he naturally doesn't want the prison to remain locked down.

"The lockdown can be lifted, but those on duty in the prison are prohibited from leaving the city."

Di Qingtian knew that as long as he wasn't there, even if he asked for the blockade to continue, He Rongjiang and the others would just pay lip service to it, so why not just give in to them?

"Huang Taichu has never admitted that his father did all of this; you all mistakenly believe he is the son of the Ghost King."

"I hope you won't make things too difficult for him."

Di Qingtian knew that Huang Taichu would have a hard time in the prison after he left, so he spoke up for Huang Taichu.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't stoop so low as to make things difficult for a mere jailer."

He Rongjiang said this, but he only represented himself. It was none of his business if others bullied Huang Taichu.

Di Qingtian knew that nothing could be perfect, and there were bound to be people in prison who outwardly complied but inwardly defied him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could only take it as a lesson for Huang Taichu.

"Lord Liu, I am truly sorry, but I have to leave due to imperial orders. This mysterious case can only be investigated again after I return from the palace."

Di Qingtian said apologetically.

"The case in the palace is urgent. I'm waiting for you to return, Lord Di."

With Liu Yidao and the others seeing them off, Di Qingtian and the other two left with He Dong.

"Chief Clerk He, do you know what case is in the palace?"

On the way back to Dali Temple, Di Qingtian asked curiously.

“Director Di, I am just a minor clerk. How could I possibly know about matters within the palace? You will find out once you enter the palace, Director Di.”

He Dong was rather cautious in his speech and was unwilling to talk too much about matters within the palace.

Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, Di Qingtian focused on continuing his journey. He hoped that the cases in the palace weren't mysterious; he could easily solve minor cases.

Jail
Once Di Qingtian left, everyone who was supposed to disperse did disperse.

"Lord He, many of us have offered tributes to Huang Taichu to varying degrees during this period. I wonder if we may..."

After seeing Liu Yidao leave, Chang Xingde asked He Rongjiang whether Huang Taichu should vomit up everything he had eaten.

"His ancestors were prison guards for three generations, and their contributions to the prison are indelible."

"You can ask for your things back appropriately, but don't go too far, or you'll discourage people."

He Rongjiang thought for a moment and then said.

Chang Xingde indicated that he understood and led several prison guards and jailers who had made substantial contributions to the Ding area.

When Gao Zhiming was delivering food to the prisoners, he saw Chang Xingde and the others walking towards their Ding area. Realizing something, he quickly ran back to find Ren Zhengnian.

When Ren Zhengnian learned of the situation, he guessed that Chang Xingde and his group might have come to question him, so he asked Xu Dai to call Huang Taichu over.

"Xiao Chu, wait a minute. Don't say anything. Just bow your head and admit your mistake."

"If they ask for their old things back, just give them what they need. If it's not enough, we'll make up the difference."

"Remember, don't get angry, and don't let them see the slightest hint of dissatisfaction on your face, or you'll find it hard to move an inch in the prison."

Ren Zhengnian earnestly gave his instructions.

"Uncle Ren, you don't need to worry. Even if they want to make things difficult for me, they can't."

Huang Taichu said, not taking it to heart.

"Xiao Chu, what do you mean by that?"

Ren Zhengnian and the others were taken aback, not understanding why Huang Taichu was so confident.

Could it be that Huang Taichu has some hidden trump card, or that this bizarre case is truly related to Huang Taichu?

Huang Taichu smiled but did not answer, indicating that he would know soon.

Upon seeing Chang Xingde and the others, Ren Zhengnian and the others stood up, while Huang Taichu remained seated on the bench.

The two sides were about twenty paces apart. Chang Xingde and his group saw that Huang Taichu was sitting alone. Not only was he disrespectful to them, but he also looked at them with such an arrogant gaze.

They still consider him the son of the Ghost King; what a person who can't see the situation clearly.

Originally, they planned to just take back their tribute and be done with it, but now it seems they'll have to teach him a lesson. The two were ten paces apart. Chang Xingde, with a cold face, adopted an air of official authority, clearly intending to reprimand Huang Taichu for his lack of manners.

"thump"

But before he could speak, he was interrupted by the noise around him.

Because one of the people following behind him collapsed right at his feet.

His condition was similar to that of prisoners in jail; he looked sickly and listless.

This scene sent chills down everyone's spines.

It's not just criminals who have problems; how come these managers are having problems too?

"thump"

Before they could react, another person next to them collapsed, in the exact same condition as the previous one.

This made their bodies stiffen, and their necks turned mechanically as they looked at Huang Taichu.

Fear was all that remained in his pupils.

They came here to cause trouble for Huang Taichu, which is why things turned out this way...

"I……"

Chang Xingde was terrified.

He was trying to convey that he wasn't there to cause trouble, but rather to congratulate Huang Taichu on finally getting rid of Di Qingtian.

He had barely uttered the word "I" when his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground like everyone else.

The moment he fell, everyone who came with him also fell.

Their eyes were filled with fear. They now hated Di Qingtian and Chang Xingde to death.

It's all their fault for misleading them and making them believe that Huang Taichu was not the son of the Ghost King.

They were wrong. The Ghost King was always there, watching them all along.

Oh no! The Ghost King saw that they were about to bully his son, and he was furious. He was ready to kill them.

"This this……"

When Ren Zhengnian and the other three saw that Chang Xingde and the others had all turned into prisoners, they were speechless for a moment and looked at Huang Taichu in disbelief.

Is this still the timid and introverted child under their protection?

Seeing the shocked looks in Ren Zhengnian's and the others' eyes, Huang Taichu didn't explain much. Instead, he got up and walked to Chang Xingde and the others.

"How could you all be so stupid? Di Qingtian is best at solving strange cases. Once he suspects someone, how many of them can be innocent?"

"What's more, I'm his prime suspect."

Huang Taichu disregarded all concerns and admitted that he was the one who did everything in the prison.

“You might wonder why my father didn’t kill Di Qingtian when he slashed me with the back of his knife.”

Upon hearing Huang Taichu mention his father, Chang Xingde and the others trembled. Huang Taichu was indeed able to communicate with his Ghost King father.

“Because Di Qingtian is an outstanding person, how could my father possibly kill someone who is capable of serving the country and its people?”

"what about you?"

"Can you compare to Di Qingtian?"

"Sorry, we can't compare, so you're all lying here now."

Huang Taichu's voice was like a vengeful ghost, making Chang Xingde and the others feel as if their consciousness was sinking into an abyss of death, unable to think.

"You seem to have something to say. Considering your past filial piety towards me, I'll grant your request."

Huang Taichu allowed the Greedy World-Devouring Gu to slowly plunder their life energy, giving them the strength to speak.

"We were wrong, we were wrong, please spare our lives, we will listen to you from now on."

“Release us. We are useful. We can help you manage this prison and make Di Qingtian run into obstacles every time he comes here.”

“I know that you can crush us as easily as crushing an ant, and I know that in your eyes our lives are no different from those of ants, and that we are just dead.”

“But our deaths will cause you some trouble. For example, when Di Qingtian returns from the palace and sees that so many people are missing from the prison, he will definitely suspect you.”

“If you don’t kill him, he’ll keep an eye on you. But if you keep us around, we can help you deal with him.”

"..."

In order to survive, Chang Xingde and the others talked back and forth, all trying to find a way to stay alive.

(End of this chapter)