I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon

Chapter 779 - 291: Shen Zhixia’s Thoughts! A Shocking Change in the Prison, the Eerie Chu Heng!

"Good, with your words, these days here have not been in vain."

Shen Shuqiu looked at Chen Mo with somewhat complex eyes.

This former subordinate, once thought to be a playboy who couldn’t be helped, had unknowingly grown to such a level, holding a rank equal to his, and even his cultivation was steadily ahead.

However, he felt not jealousy, but rather pride.

After all, it was he who guided him, and Chen Mo was his "brother-in-law"!

"In the matter of Chu Heng’s case, feel free to ask if you need help. Although the Shen Family doesn’t count as a noble clan, they still have some sway in the Ministry of War," Shen Shuqiu said.

"Thank you, Lord Shen, I will remember this," Chen Mo replied with a cupped hand gesture.

"Hmm? Still calling me Lord Shen?" Shen Shuqiu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chen Mo reacted and corrected himself, "Thank you, brother-in-law."

"No need for formalities, we’re all family."

Shen Shuqiu nodded in satisfaction.

Although Shen Zhixia hadn’t officially married in, to him, it was just a matter of time.

"There’s government work waiting to be handled, I’ll head back first. Pay attention to tomorrow’s matters, make sure not to skip work again..."

"Hmm, the tea is good. Anyway, you can’t appreciate it, I’ll take it back and taste it for you..."

Shen Shuqiu casually stuffed an entire can of tea into his sleeve, his actions extremely natural, then stood up and slowly left.

"..."

Chen Mo shook his head.

Previously, it was him who would steal tea from Lord Shen, now their roles were reversed.

After sending Shen Shuqiu away, Chen Mo walked deeper into the government office.

Since the last Three Departments Joint Examination, he hadn’t seen Chu Heng.

On one hand, the "Floating Life Dream" couldn’t be used on the same person consecutively and was in a cooling stage, and on the other hand, he was gathering related information for verification.

Of course, this wasn’t for convicting Chu Heng.

No matter what, Chen Mo wouldn’t allow him to leave the Imperial Prison alive; after the Longevity Festival, he would seize the opportunity to act.

But even so, he also needed to clarify the motives behind what Chu Heng had done, as well as the secrets hidden within the Prince Yu Mansion—his intuition told him there were intricate ties with the Xu Family.

Passing through the Black Government, entering the underground cells, and arriving in the interrogation room.

He instructed the prison director to bring the person, while he sat in a chair, flipping through the Yellow Register.

The document Xu Qingyi handed over recorded all major events and changes in the Prince Yu Mansion in recent years.

Upon careful comparison, numerous suspicions indeed surfaced.

Just within two months of the previous year alone, the Prince Yu Mansion recruited as many as fifty workers, yet they didn’t provide employment contracts, nor had they registered the specific identities of these people, only knowing most were stonemasons and earthworkers.

Then last year, another batch was recruited; due to the lack of workers in the city, they even recruited hands from surrounding county towns.

Totaling more than a hundred people.

The purpose of employing them was to renovate the mansion.

"If it’s just renovation, does it require so many people?"

"Moreover, they hired only stonemasons and earthworkers, without recruiting carpenters or tilemakers... More suited for trench digging and tunnel excavation than renovation..."

Chen Mo’s eyes flickered, thinking of the three openings seen at the Prince Yu Mansion, two of which were blocked by huge stones, leading to unknown destinations.

But it could basically be confirmed that under the guise of renovating the mansion, tunnels were secretly being excavated.

As for those workers, their fate is clear, being drained of the last bit of value, becoming nourishment for Chu Heng’s evil technique cultivation.

Crash—

Just then, the dungeon door swung open.

Two prison guards escorted Chu Heng inside.

After days of not seeing him, his condition had worsened, his face pale, spirit scattered, thin to the bone, and his prison uniform covered in a thick layer of dried blood.

When he last saw Chen Mo, he still had the energy to swear, but this time he ignored Chen Mo, his eyes hollow and soulless, as if completely emptied.

The prison director approached, speaking in a low voice, "My lord, according to your instructions, three people took turns watching, not letting him sleep since the end of the last interrogation... Initially, we used cold water but it stopped working, so then branding iron was used, and finally even steel needles were driven into the bone marrow..."

In all his years at the Imperial Prison, he had never seen such a method.

Especially during the last two days, when Chu Heng completely broke down, experiencing hallucinations and speaking nonsense, standing by he felt his hair stand on end.

This mental torment was far more terrifying than any physical punishment.

"Well done."

That’s the effect Chen Mo wanted.

Last time using "Floating Life Dream," he invaded Chu Heng’s divine soul, but at the critical question, some force seemed to stop him from continuing.

This time, to ensure the effect, he first weakened Chu Heng’s willpower using this method.

He wanted to try again, see if he could extract any useful information from his mouth.

Crash—

The prison guards tugged the chains, hanging Chu Heng on the torture rack.

At the same time, the archivist took out pen and paper along with the Image Stone to begin recording the interrogation process.

Chen Mo walked to Chu Heng, lifting his drooping head with the dagger handle.

Looking at such a muddled appearance, Chen Mo furrowed his brow slightly; it was apparent that Chu Heng’s cognitive functions were on the verge of collapse, losing his directedness, no longer responding to external stimuli.

"Seems a bit overdone."

"At least basic communication ability is needed to activate divine skills..."

Chen Mo summoned his soul power, slicing into the Sea of Consciousness like a sharp blade.

"Ugh—"

Chu Heng’s body began trembling, lips parted, uttering hoarse growls.

The stimulus of sharp pain brought a trace of clarity to his muddled eyes, finally noticing the man before him.

"Chen... Mo..."

His expression twisted with hatred, the voice filled with deep-seated enmity, as if even the waters of three rivers and five lakes couldn’t wash it away.

Chen Mo didn’t waste words, directly activating divine skills, his eyes transforming into deep, swirling vortices.

In the instant they met eyes, Chu Heng’s expression suddenly stiffened, then became wooden, entering a controlled state.

Considering Chu Heng’s fragile mental state, Chen Mo didn’t proceed as gradually as last time, instead choosing a swift and decisive approach, directly asking, "Since the year before last, Prince Yu Mansion started recruiting a large number of stonemasons and earthworkers, what exactly was the purpose?"

Chu Heng answered in a muffled voice, "To dig tunnels for the subsequent plan execution."

Chen Mo followed up, "Where do the tunnels lead? What is the so-called subsequent plan?"

"The tunnel leads to nine... nine..."

"Nine what?"

"I don’t remember."

Seeing his bewildered look, Chen Mo frowned.

Under "Floating Life Dream" control, Chu Heng couldn’t lie, he really likely forgot.

Could someone have erased that segment of memory?

Taking advantage of the divine skill’s effect, Chen Mo changed direction, asking, "You’re secretly mining Red Sand, colluding with the Demon Clan, and seeking the Eight Desolates Demon Extermination Array Map, what are you trying to do?"

Chu Heng murmured lowly, "To live."

?

Chen Mo asked puzzled, "What do you mean? Who wants to kill you?"

"He... he..."

Suddenly, Chu Heng’s body trembled like a sieve, his neck twisting at an eerie angle, looking up at the ceiling, eyes rolling back, producing a rasping sound from the throat.

Moments later, he regained calm, body motionless in stiffness.

"What happened?"

While Chen Mo intended to investigate carefully, Chu Heng slowly lowered his head.

Four eyes met.

Gazing into those eyes, Chen Mo was momentarily stunned.

Chu Heng’s pupils had disappeared, replaced entirely by whites, silently staring at him, sending chills down his spine.

"Who are you?" Chen Mo asked sternly.

Chu Heng responded, "I am the Heir of Prince Yu, Chu Heng..."

Good.

Seems the divine skill’s effect remains.

Just as Chen Mo was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a mocking voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

"Do you believe that?"