Chapter 199: Chapter 192: The Jiaofang Division Investigates
“Why are there so many of you?” the warden asked, looking at the four people from Jiang Cheng behind the reporter.

“I am Wang Chen, a columnist for the ‘Jade Lake Evening News,’ and these four are my assistants,”

Wang Chen said very politely.

Then he pulled the warden aside, took out a dozen or so medium-grade Spirit Stones, and stuffed them into the warden’s hand.

“Please make things convenient for an officer. We all have tough jobs.”

Zhu Hongcai saw this and muttered under his breath, “Damn! I gave him a high-grade one, but he only gave the warden a few medium-grade Spirit Stones! How much of a kickback is he taking! A reporter’s income is ridiculously high!”

“Hong Cai, keep it down,” Ding Guangming reminded him.

Zhu Hongcai thought about it and realized it was true.

He was a Rich Second Generation, fussing over just one high-grade Spirit Stone, not acting like one at all.

“Psh, small change!”

The warden led Jiang Cheng and the others to the cell of Mr. Gao’s concubine Lu, opened the door, and instructed, “Just half an hour, don’t dawdle.”

Reporter Wang Chen, very professional, took Zhu Hongcai’s money and resolutely said, “I’ll keep watch at the door for you; ask whatever you want quickly.”

Jiang Cheng’s group stood in the cell, two or three meters away from Lu Ran.

Lu Ran, wearing the prison uniform, leaned against the wall, with her disheveled hair sticking to her face.

Her complexion was very poor, and she wasn’t young anymore, but it was still easy to see the beauty she possessed when she was younger.

Even now, in her suffering and fallen state, with delicate features and tender white skin, although she looked haggard, she could still be described as extremely beautiful.

When Zhu Hongcai saw Lu Ran, he immediately declared, “I, Zhu Hongcai, detest evil like an enemy. If you have any grievances, sister, just tell me!”

Lu Ran didn’t even raise her eyelids.

Honest Ding Guangming said, “Sister Lu, you’re beautiful, and Hong Cai will definitely not abandon you.”

Zhu Hongcai:

Lu Ran was still unmoved.

Song Junsheng glanced at Jiang Cheng and said, “This person is called Jiang Cheng, he has some influence in the Immortal Sect; we might be able to save you.”

Lu Ran just lifted her eyelids slightly.

Finally, Jiang Cheng squatted down, looking straight at Lu Ran.

He looked at Lu Ran’s clean hands, devoid of any roughness, and said, “Madam Lu, Mr. Gao treated you quite well, didn’t he?”

Lu Ran bit her lip and turned her face away.

“His death was an accident, wasn’t it? You learned the Hehuan Sect’s cultivation techniques, but you are not a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, right?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Lu Ran’s voice was a bit hoarse. It might have been related to the tear stains on her face.

“We want to clear your name.”

“I don’t need that.”

Song Junsheng’s heart tightened. If the party involved didn’t want to clear their name, there was nothing they, the outsiders, could do.

But, unlike Song Junsheng, when Jiang Cheng heard Lu Ran’s answer, he showed a warm smile.

He said gently, “So, Sister Lu, you also believe that you are innocent, right?”

Lu Ran’s eyes suddenly reddened, and with a bitter laugh, she said, “Hah, who would care?”

“I care!” Zhu Hongcai, upon seeing a beautiful woman in tears, was instantly torn apart, exclaiming indignantly, “Dammit, I’m going to fight it out with those corrupt officials!”

Ding Guangming quickly grabbed him, “Hong Cai, calm down! You can’t even draw a talisman! Going there would be suicide!”

Zhu Hongcai was furious, “Ding Guangming! Can’t you stop exposing me in front of strangers! Don’t I deserve some face?”

Even in the depths of the prison, Zhu Hongcai kept making a fuss, while Jiang Cheng remained as calm as ever.

“Sister Lu, since you’ve already hit rock bottom, why not let us give it a try?”

Lu Ran didn’t say a word.

“Do you have any family outside? Are they threatening you with your family?”

“Sister Lu, we are university students from the Lotus Cloud University. If you don’t trust us, do you trust those who want to harm you?”

Lu Ran sighed, “You’re just a bunch of students, without power or strength, how can I trust you?”

When Jiang Cheng heard this, his spirits suddenly lifted.

If Talisman Drawing Class 1 was lacking in anything, it sure wasn’t connections.

“This one, Song Junsheng, the only fourth-rank Talisman Master in Liang Kingdom, is the grandson of Song Hai. Ocean Talisman Studio is their family business. This one, Ding Guangming, comes from a family of founding war heroes, a local power in Jingzhou with the most connections. And this one, Zhu Hongcai, comes from a very wealthy family.”

Zhu Hongcai stood tall and proud, finally getting his chance to show off.

“My family runs a trading company; Yujun Datong Trading Company is our property.”

Lu Ran looked at Jiang Cheng skeptically; she seemed a bit baffled.

“Why do you want to help me?”

Jiang Cheng tugged at Zhu Hongcai and said, “Young Master Zhu likes you, and the feelings of the young often defy logic.”

Zhu Hongcai:

Ding Guangming and Song Junsheng quickly nodded and kept jabbing Zhu Hongcai in the back to get him to admit it.

Zhu Hongcai hurriedly nodded.

Lu Ran looked at Zhu Hongcai and said, “Then let’s forget about it.”

Zhu Hongcai really wanted to wail: love moves too fast like a tornado~

“Alright then, I can only tell the truth now. You know, since Prince Liang Chu died, some Immortal Sects think they have a chance to interfere with the succession struggle, so we’re investigating Prince Liang Chu’s case to see if there’s an opportunity,” Jiang Cheng briefly introduced the background.

The mention of the Immortal Sect finally touched Lu Ran.

“I indeed learned the cultivation technique of the Hehuan Sect. At first, I took the risk to learn it to win over my master’s favor. Later, when my master was no longer willing, I stopped using it. But a few days ago, he obtained a Willpower Empowerment Talisman and suddenly became unusually brave. At first, I was happy, but eventually, I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I had to use the technique again, and then…”

“Mr. Gao died?”

Lu nodded, then shook her head and said, “I’m not very clear either, you should know that at the time, I couldn’t afford to think too much.”

Jiang Cheng and his friends: …

My sister is overthinking, our dorm is full of virgin singles. We don’t know anything.

In the end, Lu said, “In any case, that day my Hehuan Sect cultivation technique worked incredibly smoothly, with effects far surpassing previous attempts. In about an hour, I had already broken through from the seventh level of Qi cultivation to the eighth. Just when I was vaguely approaching the ninth level, the master passed away.”

Song Junsheng and the others took a sharp intake of breath.

No wonder many cultivators risk being hunted by the Immortal Sects to practice Demonic Tao techniques. The cultivation effect is outrageously good!

To rise two levels in one night and comfortably enhance one’s cultivation level—who wouldn’t want to practice this!

After listening, Jiang Cheng gave a slight nod.

Lu’s situation was largely consistent with his guess.

Hehuan Sect’s techniques are numerous, yet their essence is “harvesting and replenishing,” depleting yin to benefit yang or vice versa.

The Willpower Empowerment Talisman fools the desire to survive and enhances the body, leading to an overabundance of yang energy in certain parts of the body. Although it appears to make one stronger, it is actually a type of overdraft.

Furthermore, the Hehuan Sect’s techniques drain excessively, leading to an overdraft on top of an overdraft.

Finally, when the desire to survive is no longer in the body and the body maintains overdrive intensity without yielding, it is completely drained by the Hehuan Sect’s technique, leaving not a drop behind.

The Willpower Empowerment Talisman sounds dangerous, but in reality, there would be no harm as long as Mr. Gao didn’t use it for so long.

Just like how cold medicine should not be overdosed, any substance can be deadly in excess. The Willpower Empowerment Talisman is no exception.

However, “confidence,” once found, can easily turn into arrogance.

Mr. Gao must have been unable to hold his head up in front of Lu for a long time.

That’s why he was so eager to surpass the peak with the help of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman.

To clarify Lu’s situation, vindicate her, and overturn the judgment of the three departments’ investigation team, relying on her own word alone won’t suffice.

Because she has neither witness nor physical evidence, lacks backing, and practiced demonic techniques, she’s the perfect scapegoat.

The most direct method is to root out the Hehuan Sect’s influence in the Capital completely!

By using the testimonies of their higher-ups and the list of disciples, one can prove that Lu is indeed not a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, and thereby prove she had no motive to kill Mr. Gao, which would help exonerate her and demonstrate the investigation team’s judgment as unreasonable.

No matter what, Lu used her techniques as a means of self-protection, not with the intention of draining Mr. Gao dry.

Even if she is guilty, her crime does not deserve death.

Of course, the Willpower Empowerment Talisman is completely legal too; banning it to prevent demonic practices is understandable, but there’s no option to pay a fine to the court.

Jiang Cheng’s right to not pay the fine is legal, but in the end, it must be won by his own efforts to solve the case.

“Sister Lu, where did this cultivation technique come from?” asked Jiang Cheng.

“I was originally a traitor’s daughter, but later, I was fortunate enough for the old master to redeem me and take me as his concubine. This technique, I bought it foolishly from my sister. Don’t be too surprised, it’s an open secret that the Jiaofang Division uses some Demonic Tao techniques to retain customers. As for whether there are members of the Hehuan Sect in the Jiaofang Division, I really don’t know.”

In the dormitory, Zhu Hongcai analyzed, “So, the key issue is to find Sister Lu’s sister, Lu Ran. Then through Lu Ran, locate the disciples of the Hehuan Sect hidden in the Jiaofang Division. And through the Hehuan Sect’s disciples, we can root out the entire Hehuan Sect in the Capital. Finally, we can clear Sister Lu’s name.”

Jiang Cheng shook his head and said, “All of this will fall into place in due course. The hardest part is the beginning; right now, the key is who will accompany me to the Jiaofang Division.”

Actually, Jiang Cheng’s most reliable partners were not his roommates. However, bringing girls such as Liu Qing, Yue Linger, and Shen Menghan to the Jiaofang Division would not be discreet and was very unfavorable for the investigation.

Upon hearing ‘Jiaofang Division’, Zhu Hongcai’s eyes gleamed.

“To restore justice in Great Liang is a duty that cannot be shirked!” he declared.

Ding Guangming followed the crowd, saying, “I’ll see what Junsheng thinks.”

Song Junsheng was not too enthusiastic about upholding justice; he preferred to keep himself safe.

However, as he saw the gulf between him and Jiang Cheng growing wider, he felt it was necessary to learn more from Jiang Cheng.

“Alright, let’s go check out the Jiaofang Division together,” he said.

Jiang Cheng nodded and said, “The imperial mausoleum is being reconstructed recently, and it’s not appropriate to kill, so Sister Lu’s life is not in danger for the time being. We don’t have to rush into the Jiaofang Division just yet. Preparing some simple yet protective talismans is the real task at hand.”

Three days later, Jiang Cheng and three others, dressed in casual clothes, arrived not far from the entrance to the Jiaofang Division in the Capital.

Managed by the Ministry of Rites, the Jiaofang Division is Liang Kingdom’s official courtesan house.

In the Capital, it occupies nearly a thousand acres of land and has nearly a hundred pavilions and towers, comparable to a university campus.

Half of the ladies in the Jiaofang Division come from the families of criminals, and they are among the top in Liang Kingdom both in terms of beauty and skills.

At the same time, consumption within the Jiaofang Division is extremely expensive, making it a true gold pit of the Capital.

“Jiang Cheng, we won’t be discovered, will we?” asked Zhu Hongcai with a hint of trepidation.

Jiang Cheng said, “No, as long as you don’t show fear and let them realize it’s our first time here, we’ll be fine.”

Ding Guangming asked curiously, “What happens if they find out it’s our first time?”

“They will be very enthusiastic, and then fleece you thoroughly.”

Zhu Hongcai warned, “Guangming, it’s up to you later, don’t chicken out!”

Ding Guangming swallowed nervously, “I’ll try my best.”

“Let’s go.”

The four dorm mates walked up to the entrance of the Jiaofang Division.

The welcoming girl at the Jiaofang Division greeted them warmly, “Are you gentlemen visiting for the first time? Which university are you from? Freshmen this year, right?”

Zhu Hongcai’s body shook, “How, how did you know?”

The other three from Jiang Cheng’s dorm: …

The girl hooked Zhu Hongcai’s arm, “It’s easy for first-timers, let me recommend some fun activities for you. I assure you’ll be yearning for more after you go back.”

Song Junsheng quickly declined, “No, we are just…”

Zhu Hongcai, not caring about that, boasted, “That sounds great, follow me, guys! I’m paying tonight!”

The other three from Jiang Cheng’s dorm: …