Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

Chapter 7 Interrogation

The disciple from the Enforcement Hall stared intently at Gu An's face, the compass needle in his hand trembling as if hesitating about which direction to point.

Gu An felt his back instantly drenched in cold sweat. He abruptly released the hand seal hidden in his sleeve. If he dared to suddenly attack someone at this moment, he would be truly courting death.

"Reporting to...Reporting to Senior Brother."

Gu An lowered his body, adopting an even more humble posture. His hand, which was originally about to form a hand seal, trembled as he reached into the pile of rocks and pulled out a handful of mud still dripping black water and a few pieces of crumpled rice stalks from under the layer of withered grass.

A nauseating, rotten, and sour stench instantly filled the air.

"These seedlings have been infected with root rot. I was worried that it would spread to other spirit grains, so I was thinking of using traditional methods to bury them deeply for composting... I didn't expect to disturb you, senior brother." Gu An's face was full of fear, and his hands holding the clump of filth were still trembling, as if he was afraid of soiling the other person's boots.

The disciple in charge of enforcement frowned deeply, instinctively taking two steps back and covering his mouth and nose.

The compass needle in his hand wobbled twice, ultimately failing to settle on a direction. The fluctuation of wood elemental energy from before was already fleeting, and now, overwhelmed by the stench of the rotten roots, it became even more difficult to detect.

"What bad luck."

The disciple spat in disgust, glanced at Gu An's shabby appearance at the second level of Qi Refining, and his hands covered in mud, and his last trace of doubt vanished. What kind of trouble could such a lowly spirit farmer possibly cause?

"Clean this up, get rid of it!"

After saying that, he didn't even bother to look at Gu An again, put away the compass, and turned to walk towards the other end of the field ridge.

Gu An remained bent over until the other person's figure completely disappeared from sight, at which point his stiff back slowly relaxed.

That was close.

He looked at the "top-grade yellow germ rice" in his hand that he had crushed into pieces, and thought to himself that it was a pity. He casually threw it into the mud pit and crushed it with his foot.

Just then.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Three sharp, muffled gong sounds echoed throughout the Bingzi Lingtian District like death knells.

Immediately afterwards, an immense and suffocating spiritual pressure descended from the sky, making the previously clear sky seem to drop three feet in an instant, and the air become thick and heavy.

All the spirit farmers still working in the fields, whether they were at the second or third level of Qi Refining, felt a tightness in their chests from the pressure of the spiritual energy, and had to stop what they were doing and look up at the sky in fear.

A streak of blue light ripped through the sky and crashed down on the assembly point in District C—the grain-drying ground where wages were usually distributed and speeches were given.

"Everyone, get over here and assemble within fifteen minutes!"

Zhao Feng's voice was like rolling thunder, filled with undisguised rage and murderous intent.

Gu An's heart sank. They've arrived.

Without any hesitation, he picked up his hoe and mingled with the other Lingnong people, whose faces were also filled with fear, as he moved toward the threshing ground.

He adjusted his breathing as he walked.

The Secret of Turtle Breathing (reprinted).

My heart pounded violently for a few moments, then the rate suddenly dropped. Thump...thump...thump.

Thirty times per minute.

Blood flow slowed, body temperature dropped, and his already pale face turned even paler, making him look like a cripple recovering from a serious illness and severely weakened.

More than two hundred people stood in the threshing ground.

Zhao Feng stood on the high platform, hands behind his back, his face grim. Behind him, two disciples from the Enforcement Hall stood on either side, like two guardian deities, their cold gazes scrutinizing every servant below.

The disappearance of Xun Meng was not as simple as just losing a dog.

That fool was carrying Zhao Feng's ledger of misappropriated spirit stones over the past six months, along with several shady transaction records. If this fell into the hands of their enemies, Zhao Feng's position as manager would be over.

"Xun Meng has been missing for so many days," Zhao Feng said. "I don't care if he ran away or he's dead. Today, I want an explanation."

Zhao Feng slowly walked down the platform, and with each step he took, the pressure from the sixth level of Qi Refining increased.

He didn't use any sophisticated interrogation techniques; he just used the simplest and most brutal method—overwhelming spiritual pressure.

For these low-ranking menial workers, this is the most effective lie detector.

Those who are guilty will inevitably panic.

"You, step forward." Zhao Feng pointed to a burly man in the front row.

The burly man stepped forward, trembling.

Zhao Feng's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and a surge of divine consciousness forcefully struck the burly man's brow: "Where were you the night Xun Meng disappeared?"

"I'm... I'm sleeping inside..." The burly man was so frightened that he stammered, his legs trembling.

"Useless." Zhao Feng sneered, his divine sense sweeping over the man and confirming that his soul was trembling with fear but not ghostly energy, before kicking him away.

next.

The interrogation proceeded quickly and brutally. Several men with weaker mental fortitude wet themselves on the spot after being glared at by Zhao Feng, collapsing to the ground. Zhao Feng showed no mercy, ordering them to be dragged away and given twenty lashes.

Gu An huddled at the back of the crowd, head bowed, seemingly trembling with fear, but in reality, he was constantly watching the data on the panel.

[Status: Dormant (Stealth Coefficient: 45%)]

As Zhao Feng approached, Gu An pushed the Turtle Breathing Technique to its limit. Within his dantian, the faint ball of spiritual energy completely stopped rotating, becoming like a stagnant pool.

Finally, Zhao Feng stopped in front of Gu An.

Those sinister, triangular eyes were fixed on Gu An.

"Gu An".

Zhao Feng's voice carried a chill. He naturally knew that Xun Meng's last destination was at his behest, but he pretended to ask, "Someone saw that Xun Meng's last destination that night was near your thatched hut."

As soon as he said this, a large area around him cleared up, and everyone avoided Gu An as if he were a plague god.

The two disciples also pressed down on the magical artifacts at their waists, locking their aura onto the thin boy.

Gu An's body trembled violently, as if he had been frightened out of his wits. His knees buckled, and he knelt down in the dust with a "thud".

"Sir...the steward, please see the truth!"

Gu An's voice trembled with sobs, his whole body shaking like a leaf. "That night...that night I had an upset stomach and had diarrhea all night. I just squatted in the outhouse and really didn't see Senior Brother Xun!"

"Did you poop all night?" Zhao Feng narrowed his eyes, his massive divine sense covering Gu An without any hesitation.

In his perception, the spiritual energy in the boy's body was pitifully thin and chaotic, his aura was weak, and his internal organs exuded a sense of frailty, making him seem like a sickly person.

Someone like that would have a hard time killing a chicken, let alone Xunzi or Mengzi.

"Didn't see him?" Zhao Feng didn't immediately look away, but instead emphasized, "But I heard there was a burning smell in your room that night?"

Was this information leaked to someone by Old Zhang last night? Or did Zhao Feng trick him?

Gu An's mind raced, but his face showed even more fear: "It's...it's because this disciple wanted to brew some herbal medicine to stop the diarrhea, and also to refine some insect repellent, but the medicine pot exploded...If the steward doesn't believe me, you can check in this disciple's room; the dregs are still there...Besides..."

At this point, Gu An seemed to suddenly remember something, raised his head with a flickering look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What else do you want to say? Stop stammering, are you looking for death?" Zhao Feng shouted.

Gu An shrank back, lowered his voice, and said in a volume that only Zhao Feng and a few others nearby could hear, "Actually...actually, that evening, I overheard Senior Brother Xun mention it on the edge of the field...he said he was short of money lately and was going to the ghost market to do a big deal..."

Gu An could only lead people to the black market, an unregulated place that only recognized spirit stones and goods, and didn't care about the buyers—that was the unwritten rule there. Gu An wasn't worried that Zhao Feng would extract information about him from the black market.

"A ghost market?"

Upon hearing those two words, Zhao Feng's pupils suddenly contracted.

What is a ghost market? It's a place that eats people without spitting out their bones.

Xun Meng, that greedy fool, has the account book in his hand. Who can guarantee he won't have some crooked ideas, like trying to cash in those shady accounts at the ghost market, or being targeted and double-crossed?

This hypothesis instantly gained the upper hand in Zhao Feng's mind.

Compared to the fact that this useless servant who could barely speak killed Xun Meng, it was clearly more reasonable for Xun Meng to have stumbled in the Ghost Market.

Zhao Feng stared at Gu An one last time.

When his divine sense swept over her, Gu An's heartbeat remained slow and weak. There was only fear of facing a superior, and no murderous intent or panicked spiritual energy fluctuations.

"Useless trash."

Zhao Feng withdrew his gaze in disgust, then kicked Gu An, sending him tumbling over. "Get out of here!"

The kick was quite forceful; Gu An rolled several times on the ground, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. He quickly scrambled to his feet, kowtowing repeatedly, "Thank you, Steward! Thank you, Steward!"

He lowered his head and retreated into the crowd, his eyes cold beneath his disheveled hair.

He should have passed this hurdle. But not only did he get kicked, he also earned the label of "trash" in Zhao Feng's mind.

That's good. Only the useless are ignored and live a long time.

After questioning a few more people, Zhao Feng completely lost his patience.

"Go investigate at the ghost market!"

Zhao Feng gave a low shout to the two enforcement disciples, then summoned his leaf-shaped magical artifact, which transformed into a stream of light and soared into the sky. Since the clues pointed to the Ghost Market, things were getting complicated, and he had to clean up the mess before the sect intervened.

As the suffocating spiritual pressure dissipated, the people on the threshing ground seemed to come back to life, panting heavily.

Gu An wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, silently picked up the hoe, and walked towards his thatched hut.

His back was hunched and his steps were unsteady; anyone who saw him would only think he was a pitiful wretch who had been scared out of his wits.

However, the moment he returned to the house and closed the door...

Gu An did not collapse and rest, but quickly went to the bedside and pulled back the covers.

He took out the jade slip he had always kept close to his body from his bosom—the "Turtle Breathing Technique" that he had taken from Xunzi's corpse.

Just now, under extreme pressure, in order to survive, he forced himself to circulate the "Turtle Breathing Technique" to a level beyond his body's capacity.

At that moment, lines of light blue text danced wildly before his eyes.

Having withstood the pressure of life and death, the Turtle Breathing Technique is on the verge of a breakthrough.

[Turtle Breathing Technique Experience +10]

[Turtle Breathing Technique Experience +10]

……

Congratulations! Your Turtle Breathing Technique has reached the Proficient level (1/200)!

[Unlocked Trait: Feign Death (Complete cessation of heartbeat and breathing, body temperature drops to corpse-like level, lasting for half an hour)]

Gu An looked at the panel, but felt no joy.

Because at the end of his line of sight, the column that should have displayed "Lifespan" had turned into a strange dark red.

Lifespan: 19/78 (Under Damage: -1 day/hour)

Gu An clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of black blood. It was a hidden injury left by Zhao Feng's kick, and also the price of forcibly activating his cultivation technique and overdrawing his strength.

Although Zhao Feng left, he didn't completely let him go. That kick actually contained a subtle, insidious force that was slowly eroding his heart meridian.

If he doesn't get rid of this hidden force as soon as possible, let alone cultivating immortality, it's questionable whether he can even survive.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining..."

Gu An wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth, a dark fire burning in his eyes.

"I'll remember this debt."

He looked out the window in the direction Zhao Feng had left.

Since the other party intended to harm him, he had to become stronger than anyone else before he died.

Gu An pulled out a few low-grade spirit stones from under the bed, his eyes resolute.

I originally planned to save it to buy offensive spells, but now it seems I have no choice but to take a gamble.

He intends to use this spirit stone, along with the proficient level of the "Azure Wood Everlasting Technique," to forcefully break through the barrier!

Once he reaches the third level of Qi Refining, with the support of the panel, he might have a sliver of hope to resolve that hidden force.

As night fell, the lights inside the hut went out.

In the darkness, only the spirit stone emitted a faint but firm light, illuminating the boy's slightly ferocious face.