Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

Chapter 86 Conspiracy (Please vote!)

The Prison of Inquiry, within the prison cell.

Pan Lei was bound to a fine iron pillar with thick iron chains, his body covered in blood and his breath weak.

He struggled to lift his head, his bloodshot eyes looking at Zhou Yan.

"What do you want to ask?"

Zhou Yan met his gaze for a moment, then slowly approached, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, "What is the Giant Whale Gang planning to do on Beast Tide Day?"

Pan Lei, who had been looking half-dead, suddenly had his pupils contract.

But that strange feeling vanished in an instant, and he quickly feigned confusion, asking, "What? What are you talking about?"

Zhou Yan kept her eyes fixed on his, so she naturally didn't miss the change that had occurred just moments before.

He grinned and said softly, "I don't think I need to explain where this place is, do I, Pan Jingang?"

Pan Lei's heart sank.

He certainly knew about the Prison of Inquiry; in the ears of these江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) people, it was a place comparable to hell.

It is said that there is a form of punishment in the Prison of Inquiry called the Punishment of Inquiry.

Few who suffer this punishment survive a normal life.

At first, he thought the other party had only captured him to vent their anger.

If he just bear with it and waits for the Giant Whale Gang to receive the news, they will naturally step in to rescue him.

But what the other party asked him just now made him immediately alert. Their target was not him, but the Giant Whale Gang behind him.

Pan Lei remained silent for a moment, then forced a bitter smile and said, "Everyone knows the name of the Inquiry Prison, but Lord Zhou, I truly do not know what you are asking about."

Zhou Yan straightened up, looked down at him and said, "Pan Lei, if you confess now, I can spare your life. But once the 'Heart-Questioning Punishment' is handed down, the consequences will be beyond my control."

Pan Lei's forehead gradually broke out in a cold sweat, and his body, bound by iron chains, began to tremble slightly.

But after waiting for a while, he still kept his head down, looking like he was keeping quiet.

Zhou Yan stopped wasting words with the other party.

He turned to look at Li Kun and threw the waist tag over.

Li Kun received the token, nodded, and turned to leave the prison cell.

A moment later, he returned, holding a jade box in his hands.

After handing the jade box and waist token to Zhou Yan, Li Kun whispered, "My lord, the jade box contains the Heart-Questioning Jade. Once activated with your qi and blood, the Grandmaster's pressure will descend directly."

However, this item can only be used once. If it's not activated, it can be returned as is without deducting any merit points.

Zhou Yan nodded and carefully opened the jade box.

Inside the box lay a jade pendant of emerald green.

The jade pendant was made of an unknown material; it was flawlessly emerald green, with a faint shimmering light constantly moving across its surface.

Picking up the jade pendant, Zhou Yan looked at Pan Lei and said, "Pan Lei, this is your last chance. Will you talk or not?"

After just one glance, the color drained from his face, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

He didn't know if he could withstand the pressure from the grandmaster, nor did he want to try it himself.

Driven by a strong will to survive, Pan Lei finally lowered his head.

"Speak! I...I'll speak."

Hearing this, Zhou Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

One hundred merits were preserved.

"A few days ago, the gang leader summoned us to the main hall and said that we must keep a low profile recently and avoid conflicts with the Black-Clad Guards and other forces."

They also instructed each branch to amass manpower to prepare for any action needed on the day of the beast tide.

Pan Lei lowered his head and spoke slowly.

"What operation?"

Zhou Yan asked.

"I have no idea."

Pan Lei replied.

Zhou Yan frowned and picked up the jade pendant again.

Seeing his actions, Pan Lei's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly raised his head and said rapidly, "I really don't know. Although I'm known as one of the Eight Great Vajras, I'm just a minor hall master. The gang leader wouldn't tell me such important matters!"

As if remembering something, he added.

"The gang has been spending a lot of money lately, and all the money from my gambling den has been confiscated. So I specifically asked the vice-gang leader, but it seems he didn't know either."

Zhou Yan's eyes flickered slightly.

The actions on the day of the beast tide involved a large-scale confiscation of silver.

"When did you start charging money?"

"Seven or eight days ago, the young gang leader Jiang Long personally came to collect the money here."

Pan Lei dared not hesitate.

Jiang Long? That rookie prodigy?

After listening to what the other person said, Zhou Yan stared at him without saying a word, which made Pan Lei feel uneasy. He hurriedly said, "Besides these things, I really don't know anything else. Even if you beat me to death, I still won't know anything."

Seemingly fearing Zhou Yan wouldn't believe him, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly added, "I have a hundred taels of gold hidden under my bed, you can have it all! I only beg Lord Zhou to spare my life!"

By the end, Pan Lei's voice was trembling with sobs.

Judging from Pan Lei's reaction just now, this person probably really doesn't know the deeper inside story.

Zhou Yan put away the Heart-Questioning Jade and turned to look at Song Hu.

"Take him away and lock him up in solitary confinement. I want to see who the Giant Whale Gang sends to take this man."

"yes!"

Song Hu and Yu Hua untied Pan Lei from the iron pillar and took him away.

Zhou Yan put the Heart-Questioning Jade back into the jade box and handed it to Li Kun, saying, "Return it."

Li Kun chuckled.

"it is good."

Li Kun took the jade box and jogged towards the management office of the Inquiry Prison.

Zhou Yan and the rest of the group headed towards the exit. Just as they arrived at the entrance of the Inquiry Prison, a group of guards in black robes walked in from outside.

The leader was none other than Wang Musheng.

Zhou Yan clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, Deputy Commander Wang."

Wang Musheng paused, looked at Zhou Yan, and a hint of hidden disgust flashed in his eyes.

He said in a calm tone, "Oh, it's Captain Zhou. What, are you done interrogating the prisoner?"

"Just finished the review."

Zhou Yan was exceptionally polite.

"Is Deputy Commander Wang here at the Inquiry Prison also to interrogate prisoners?"

Wang Musheng's expression darkened slightly.

"What is Wang doing here that he needs to report to a mere captain like you?"

After saying that, he ignored Zhou Yan and walked right past him.

The black-clad guards following behind Wang Musheng also looked arrogant and disdainful as they looked at Zhou Yan and the others.

Looking at Wang Musheng and the others, a cold glint appeared in Zhou Yan's eyes. Wang Musheng arrived so quickly, he was most likely after Pan Lei.

He had barely finished his task when he received news that the powerful families were indeed powerful; there were countless people in the Inquiry Prison who were working for them.

Seeing Li Kun jogging after them, Zhou Yan whispered, "Let's go!"

The group left the Prison of Inquiry.

In the room of Lu Qingshuang, a member of the Xuanyi Guard.

Zhou Yan recounted the entire interrogation of Pan Lei, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a large gulp.

Lu Qingshuang sat behind her desk, her fingers slowly turning another teacup.

"So it seems that only a few core members of the Giant Whale Gang truly know about the Beast Tide Plan."

Zhou Yan nodded and said, "The only thing that's certain now is that the Giant Whale Gang will definitely make a move on the day of the Beast Tide, but apart from their gang leader Jiang Hua, no one else should know what that move will be."

Turning the teacup in her hand, Lu Qingshuang shook her head and said, "No, there's one more person who should know as well."

"Sister Lu, you mean Jiang Long?"

"good!"

A hint of admiration flashed in Lu Qingshuang's eyes as she continued, "Jiang Long is Jiang Huatong's son, born late in life, and he is doted on by him. Jiang Long is quite talented, having made it onto the Dongchao Prefecture Rising Star List at a young age and being regarded as the successor of the Giant Whale Gang."

Moreover, Pan Lei also said that Jiang Long received the money, so even if he didn't know the whole plan, he was very likely involved in a part of it.

Nodding, Zhou Yan said, "Sister Lu is indeed incredibly intelligent."

Lu Qingshuang looked at him and said, "Stop with that. Stop investigating the Giant Whale Gang for now."

"You led your men to storm the Giant Whale Casino today, and the Wang family has already intervened. If we continue to keep an eye on the Giant Whale Gang, we'll only alert them and force them to change their plans."

She put down her teacup and continued, "However, we should also keep an eye on Jiang Long and pay attention to his movements."

"Yes, I understand."

Zhou Yan stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"As for you, focus on your cultivation first. You have good talent, and in a few years you might be able to make it onto the new talent list."

Lu Qingshuang leaned back and said to Zhou Yan.

"Yes."

Zhou Yan respectfully agreed.

Rookie Rankings?

I wonder how strong Jiang Long and Wang Musheng are? Can they withstand his full-force strike?

After leaving Lu Qingshuang's residence, Li Kun, Song Hu, and the others surrounded them.

"Sir, we found about three hundred taels of silver at Pan Lei's gambling den. According to the rules, it can be kept by us and distributed as we see fit."

o

He shook his head. A gambling den only had three hundred taels of silver. It seemed that the Giant Whale Gang was really short of money.

He took one of the three silver notes and handed it to Li Kun, saying, "You can divide this hundred taels among yourselves."

"Thank you, sir."

The group was overjoyed. One hundred taels was not much when divided among the six of them, but it was still equivalent to their monthly salary.

When other captains handle cases, the team leader often wants to pocket all the spoils.

No one could be as generous as Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan put the remaining two silver notes into his pocket and continued to instruct, "For now, stop investigating the Giant Whale Gang. Keep a close eye on Jiang Long's recent movements. If you find anything unusual, report to me immediately. The rest of the time, prepare for the beast tide."

"yes!"

Li Kun and his companions immediately clasped their hands in greeting.

Zhou Yan looked up at the gradually darkening sky outside the yamen.

There are only a few days left until the Beast Tide Day.

Zhou Yan wasn't particularly concerned about what the Giant Whale Gang was plotting.

He doesn't care at all as long as it doesn't affect his achievements and resources.

But if he blocked it, a cold glint would flash in Zhou Yan's eyes.

>