Volume Five: Amethyst Turns to Mist Chapter Four: The Truth Revealed

After the man in black was brought back to the Heavenly Sword Bureau, he was locked in the interrogation room. Despite several rounds of questioning, he didn’t utter a single word, his expression as if daring them to kill him if they could. The officers interrogating him were at their wits’ end, completely helpless in the face of someone so stubborn, impervious to both threats and persuasion—a stone that would not budge. The police were exasperated; confronted with the evidence from the surveillance footage, he denied everything, insisting it wasn’t him. He was convinced the police had no proof, repeatedly challenging them to produce evidence. The problem was, none of the evidence was conclusive: only his back was caught on camera, there were no footprints or fingerprints, and the victim remained missing. Getting him to talk seemed nearly impossible. The officers could only scratch their heads, frustrated by this unyielding man.

“What are we supposed to do now, Sister Phoenix?” Huo Mingkun asked helplessly.

“If he’d rather die than talk, so be it. This isn’t a problem—I have my methods,” Yaoguang replied, rising from the sofa. She had rested for several hours and was now fully recovered.

“You’re not planning on using force, are you?” Xuan Chen looked at her, knowing exactly what she intended.

“What do you think?” Yaoguang slipped on her shoes and glanced at Xuan Chen.

“Just don’t go too far,” Xuan Chen said, aware of her methods. Years ago, when the criminal investigation team caught a notorious drug lord who refused to talk, they had no choice but to call on her. Within half an hour inside the interrogation room, bloodcurdling screams began to echo from within. In less than an hour, the drug lord confessed. Everyone feared he might die, the screams too harrowing to ignore, but when they entered, they found not a scratch on him. He was drenched in sweat, and after confessing, he passed out and didn’t wake for several days. Medical checks showed he was physically unharmed. Everyone was left wondering how Yaoguang had managed it. Her answer was simple: soul interrogation.

“I won’t, don’t worry. I’ll just make him wish he’d never been born,” Yaoguang said with a smile. “The four of you, come with me.”

Xuan Chen, Chu Tianyou, Huo Mingkun, and Jiang Yun followed Yaoguang into the interrogation room. She seated herself on the bench, facing the man in black, who still wore his insolent smirk.

“Lihun—birth name Chen Li, age twenty-six. You’re quite the talent among the Black Mountain Miao,” Yaoguang said, closing the folder. Lighting a cigarette, she fixed him with a half-amused, half-chilling gaze, saying nothing more. The other four men sat quietly to the side, uncertain what Yaoguang was planning.

They sat in silence for half an hour. Lihun grew increasingly uneasy under Yaoguang’s unblinking stare, until he finally snapped, “You have no evidence—bring me evidence if you want to question me!”

“You don’t need to speak, because I already know what you’ll say: that we have no evidence, that the person in the video isn’t you. Spare me the lines. Here, you don’t have to say anything at all,” Yaoguang replied, her half-smile unwavering.

“Why?” Lihun was puzzled.

“Because I don’t need you to talk. All I need is for you to save your strength to scream,” she said, lighting another cigarette.

“What are you going to do?” Lihun felt dread rising in his chest.

“I’m going to make you regret ever being born.” Yaoguang quietly smoked her cigarette. When it was finished, she spoke again, her tone calm: “You’re Miao, so perhaps you wouldn’t accept Han methods; it would be disrespectful. I’ll use the ways of Miaojiang instead.” She seemed to be speaking both to him and to herself.

“What do you want?” Lihun’s voice was shaky now. The woman before him was nothing like the one he’d seen in the alley. Her beauty was overwhelming, but it came with a crushing sense of power—an aura that not even the high priestesses or sorceresses of his own tribe could match. It was the presence of a deity.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Yaoguang sat down, admiring her elegant fingernails. With a twist of her hand, the Golden Silkworm King appeared in her palm. She cradled it in one hand, teasing it with the other. The Golden Silkworm King tried to bite her, but couldn’t quite reach. Man and insect were engaged in their peculiar game, Yaoguang laughing heartily while the silkworm chirped in delight. Across from her, Lihun was sweating profusely. He knew all too well the power of the Golden Silkworm King, though he had no idea to what degree this one had been cultivated.

“My dear little Xue’er, will you help Mama out? That uncle over there isn’t cooperating—he won’t answer any of Mama’s questions. Can you make him talk for me? I’ll buy you meat, your favorite steak, how about it?” Yaoguang cooed, pinching the silkworm’s plump body.

The Golden Silkworm King chirped, its beady black eyes fixed on her. Yaoguang lifted it to her lips and kissed it. With a satisfied chirp, the silkworm flew from her hand, hovered before Lihun, then suddenly latched onto his neck and vanished.

“No, don’t!” Lihun shrieked, tumbling off his chair and clutching his abdomen, writhing in agony on the floor. Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.

“Jiang Yun, what’s happening?” Yaoguang wasn’t familiar with the Golden Silkworm King’s methods, so she asked Jiang Yun.

“Well, it seems the King has inflicted him with the Gut-Rending Poison. You see, among all poisons, none surpass the Golden Silkworm. Its venom is the most unpredictable in the world. Your silkworm can produce a hundred different toxins easily. Gut-Rending Poison is nothing more than child’s play for it,” Jiang Yun explained.

“Will he die from the poison?” Yaoguang asked.

“No. You instructed the silkworm to make him talk, so it will both poison and heal him, cycling the agony. He won’t die or suffer internal injuries—he’ll just be in so much pain he’ll wish he were dead,” Jiang Yun replied.

“Is there a risk he’ll try to kill himself from the pain? Should we tie him up?” Yaoguang didn’t want anyone dying on her watch.

“No need. The silkworm has already numbed his joints. He’s lucky he can still roll around,” said Jiang Yun.

“Good to know. Let him roll, then. The room’s big enough,” Yaoguang said, leaning back in her chair as Lihun writhed in torment on the floor.

“Whenever you’re ready to talk, just say so,” Yaoguang said coolly.

Lihun’s screams shredded everyone’s nerves. Huo Mingkun looked troubled—what kind of pain was this?

But Lihun’s resolve was extraordinary. Even after four rounds of gut-wrenching agony, he refused to crack.

“Master,” Jiang Yun whispered in Yaoguang’s ear.

She smiled knowingly. “Xue’er, the Thousandfold Turn.”

“No…!” Lihun was on the brink of madness. The Thousandfold Turn meant the Golden Silkworm King would release countless offspring to burrow into his blood vessels and nerves.

Sure enough, tiny lumps began to writhe beneath Lihun’s skin, moving restlessly. Eventually, he couldn’t even scream; he lay limp on the floor, like a dead fish, incontinent, the stench of urine and feces filling the room.

“I’ll talk,” Lihun gasped at last. If he’d known she was this ruthless, he wouldn’t have resisted—what was the point of enduring such torment?

“You should have done so from the start. Take him out to clean up—he stinks. Xue’er, remove the poison,” Yaoguang said, pinching her nose as she left the interrogation room.

Twenty minutes later, Lihun returned, freshly cleaned. The Golden Silkworm King crawled out from his body and scuttled off for a bath before returning to Yaoguang’s side. The officer who’d gone out to buy steak returned with takeout for Lihun, as Yaoguang requested. Lihun ate greedily, unashamed, while the Golden Silkworm King feasted on the steak as well.

After eating and drinking some water, Lihun took a deep breath and began to speak: “My name is Lihun, heir to Black Mountain Miao Village. I wasn’t supposed to come down the mountain this time, but the Grand Shaman Black Sky said I needed experience, so the task fell to me. The mission was to abduct nine Han girls, all under twenty-five. Once I identified the targets, I used Miao venom to control them, then transported them to a car I’d prepared, drove them to a bamboo grove on the western outskirts, and handed them over to a contact. From there, they’d be taken to Miao territory by secret routes to avoid detection.”

“What do you do with these girls?” Yaoguang asked.

“Every ten years, the Black Mountain Grand Shaman requires nourishment—these young girls are the source. Their bodies become vessels for breeding the Immortal Worm, which is then transplanted into the Grand Shaman, allowing her to remain eternally forty. The girls’ souls are offered as sacrifices to the temple gods. Not just any girl will do—their fates must align,” Lihun explained.

“So, the seven missing girls aren’t the only ones?” Yaoguang was shocked.

“Both yes and no. Usually, the Grand Shaman uses Miao girls. I don’t know why she’s chosen Han girls this time,” Lihun said.

“How do we contact your handler?” Yaoguang asked.

“Tomorrow is the delivery day. All you have to do is drive my black Honda to the designated spot at the appointed time, and someone will meet you,” Lihun replied.

“How many people?” Yaoguang asked.

“One.”

“When?”

“Tomorrow night at ten,” Lihun answered.

“Very well. Tomorrow night, you’ll come with us. If you try any tricks, I’ll show you what it means to have your soul flayed,” Yaoguang said, rising. “Akunn, tell him what soul-flaying is.”

Yaoguang left the interrogation room and headed to the conference room. Behind her, the Fox Spirit emerged. “He didn’t lie. His soul told me he spoke the truth.”

“Sister Fox, go tell the immortals and Yitian to prepare. Have him pick me up at the police station tomorrow night at eight-thirty. Xuan Chen, you make the arrangements. Once we catch the handler, we’ll head straight to Miao territory. Black Mountain Miao Village has long been a scourge—of all the Black Miao, they’re the most ruthless. The White Miao have launched several raids without success. Now they dare target the Han people. This time, I’ll reduce Black Mountain Miao Village to ashes. Jiang Yun, you’re with me. We’ll need the help of Qingcheng Miao Village for this operation. That handler and this guy are small fry—the real trouble is the hidden hand behind them,” Yaoguang said angrily, leaving the conference room to sit alone, smoking.

The Golden Silkworm King, having finished its meal, flew to Yaoguang’s shoulder.

“Xue’er, Mama’s heading to Miao territory. You have to help me. Even as a divine lord, I can’t guarantee we’ll get out unscathed without you,” Yaoguang murmured, stroking the silkworm’s plump body.

The silkworm chirped, its little black eyes full of pride. Yaoguang understood: Miao territory was its domain; their tricks were child’s play compared to its own.

Yaoguang managed a wry smile, but the next moment, her heart sank. She could only hope those flower-like girls were still alive.