"Not daring to delay important matters, it's all because of our incompetence!" Shopkeeper Pan mocked himself, then cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask if Daoye has any brilliant ideas to make them speak up as soon as possible?"
The others also looked at Niu Youdao, understanding the meaning behind Shopkeeper Pan's self-deprecating words. He was hinting that Niu Youdao had nothing to say.
Shopkeeper Pan's senior-apprentice brother casually reprimanded, "Junior-apprentice brother, don't be rude!"
After all, the sect had instructed them to cooperate with Niu Youdao, but Niu Youdao's words made the three sects feel uncomfortable. What did he mean by there was no one left in the three sects?
Black Peony's face was filled with anger. She took a step forward from behind Niu Youdao, wanting to reprimand him, but Niu Youdao reached out to stop her.
Niu Youdao couldn't be bothered to bicker with the other party. It wasn't the time for internal strife either. What he needed to do now was to solve the problem. What was going on was what was going on. He asked, "Shopkeeper Pan, are you sure you've tried everything you could think of?"
Shopkeeper Pan: "At the very least, we've tried everything we can think of."
Niu Youdao: "Alright, then I'll remind you of a method. You can try it again."
Shopkeeper Pan cupped his hands again. "I'm all ears."
Niu Youdao waved his hand and led him away, avoiding the crowd. When they arrived at an empty room, he turned to face Shopkeeper Pan, saying word by word, "An eye for an eye!"
Shopkeeper Pan was at a loss. He didn't know how 'an eye for an eye' could be applied to an interrogation. He asked doubtfully, "This humble one is ignorant. Please enlighten me, Daoye!"
Niu Youdao gestured for Shopkeeper Pan to come closer and whispered a few words in his ear.
Shopkeeper Pan's eyes brightened, but he hesitated. "This … if a fight breaks out, we won't be able to explain it to the Boundless Pavilion, and if we don't fight, no one will believe us."
Niu Youdao: "If we can't fight, then don't fight …" He whispered a few more words in Shopkeeper Pan's ear.
"I understand, but our disguise technique can't pass off as genuine for now."
"I say, Shopkeeper Pan, I've already provided you with the direction. Do you think a living person can make you suffocate to death? If you can't pass off the fake as the real one, just change the method. It's the same even if you change the method …"
After hearing Zhang Xuan's instructions, Shopkeeper Pan nodded his head profusely. "I understand. I'll give it a try right now!"
Niu Youdao warned repeatedly, "To prevent any accidents, you must arrange this matter in secret. For the time being, don't let anyone know about it. Also, contact the Floating Cloud Sect's shop and tell them the same method. Have them do it in secret. Both sides will work together. Hopefully, one of them will agree. "
"Yes. Don't worry, Daoye. I will make the arrangements right away." Shopkeeper Pan clasped his fist. His attitude had clearly changed, and he seemed to have accepted Daoye's words.
Inside the prison cell, Manager Pan, who was shackled to a pillar, had a deathly pale face. His gaze was unfocused, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Two Immortal Retaining Sect disciples guarded the cell 24/7. From time to time, they would give him a few words of advice. It could also be considered as enlightening him on his mission from above.
Up until now, no one knew what this Shopkeeper Pan's real name was. There was no way they could go out and ask around like they had done with the skinny man.
"I say, why do you have to resist here? Our shopkeeper has already promised you that as long as you confess, he will let you live."
"That's right. You're just making things difficult for yourself. Do you have a wife and children? Even if you don't think for yourself, you should at least think for your family, right? "
"Why do you have to suffer like this? If you keep resisting here, who would think of you?"
"You're locked up here. You also know that not many people in the world would dare to use force to rescue you. Are you willing to continue like this?"
No matter what the two said, Shopkeeper Pan did not respond. He did not utter a single word.
Someone knocked on the door. One of the guards opened the door and smiled. "Junior Brother Zhao, you're here to deliver food again?"
The unprepossessing Junior Brother Zhao entered with a food box.
The other guard disciple said with a smile, "Junior Brother Zhao, it's a waste of time. He might not appreciate it."
Junior Brother Zhao stared at Shopkeeper Pan, who was tied to the pillar, for a while. He said unhurriedly, "It's fine if he doesn't appreciate it. He can't die in our hands. If he doesn't want to eat, we'll force it down his throat. That's what Martial Uncle Pan wants."
The guard disciple sighed. "Alright, got it."
The food box was placed in front of the criminal. Junior Brother Zhao turned and left. Before he left, he instructed, "Feed it to him as soon as possible."
"Alright, alright. I got it. You don't have to be so long-winded." The guard disciple waved his hand.
Junior Brother Zhao closed the door and left. He squatted in front of the food box and slowly opened it to take a look. He exclaimed, "This food is not bad." Looking up at Shopkeeper Pan, he said, "Look at how well we treat you. Not only do we have good food and drinks, we even have to serve you."
Shopkeeper Pan lowered his eyes, but he still didn't say a word.
Just as the disciple squatted down and took out the food, there was another knock on the door. Another disciple went to open the door, only to see another fellow disciple standing outside with a food box. He let the criminal in and chuckled. "Thank you, Junior Brother Gong, for personally delivering the food to us."
Junior Brother Gong sneered. "Senior Brother, this is for the criminal. If you want to eat, someone will naturally come and take over your shift."
Shopkeeper Pan, who was tied to the pillar, looked up.
The two disciples in the room looked at each other, slightly stunned. The disciple squatting in front of the criminal and taking food from the food box turned and said, "Junior Brother Gong, Junior Brother Zhao just delivered food to the criminal. What's going on with you giving him another set?" He pointed at the food box in front of him.
Junior Brother Gong was stunned. "Didn't Senior Brother Zhao leave early in the morning? He asked me to deliver the food for him."
The two guards looked at each other. The one who opened the door asked curiously, "This is what Junior Brother Zhao just delivered."
Junior Brother Gong scratched the back of his head. "Senior Brother Zhao is really something. He didn't even say anything when he came back. Alright, I'll leave the two of you to your own business." He shook his head and left with the food box.
Once the door to the prison room closed, one of the disciples took out the food and a spoon. He took a spoonful of the food and said to Shopkeeper Pan, "After all, you are made of flesh and blood. You can't avoid this. Why do you have to make things difficult for yourself? Eat some!"
Shopkeeper Pan's lips were tightly shut. His eyes were fixed on the food in the disciple's hands, and his chest was rising and falling abnormally.
The disciple who took out the food scoffed. "Alright, I know you're stubborn. Senior Brother, come and help me. Help me pry his mouth open."
The other disciple walked over and stretched out his hand to do the same. Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Pan suddenly turned his head to the side, refusing to cooperate. However, he still said, "This thing can't be eaten!"
The disciple who came over to cooperate ignored him and turned his face over.
Shopkeeper Pan seemed to be anxious. He shouted, "It's poisonous!"
The disciple who took out the food sighed. "You're a big boss now. You even need us to serve you when you eat and drink. How would we dare to poison you? We can't wait for you to live and tell us everything you know. We wouldn't dare to kill you. Don't worry. We've already checked everything you ate. Senior Brother, pry his mouth open and force him to drink! "
The senior brother pried open Shopkeeper Pan's mouth.
Shopkeeper Pan roared angrily. His words were unclear. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! "
The two disciples were stunned. The senior brother let go of his mouth and asked, "What did you say just now? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again. "
Shopkeeper Pan continued, "Don't you think there's something wrong with what happened just now? That Junior Brother Zhao of yours clearly isn't here. Why would he come to deliver food? "
The senior brother glared. "Are you messing with me?"
Shopkeeper Pan said anxiously, "The 'Junior Brother Zhao' who came in earlier was impersonated. He's not your Junior Brother Zhao. He's here to silence me. If you don't believe me, you can check the food again."
The junior brother sighed. "Even if you don't want to eat, there's no need to go through all this trouble. How can we not recognize our Junior Brother? Senior Brother, let's not waste our breath on him. This person has many problems. Just pry open his mouth and force him to drink. "
Just as the senior brother was about to stretch out his hand, Shopkeeper Pan said anxiously, "If I can impersonate your shopkeeper, there's naturally someone else who can impersonate your Junior Brother. If I impersonate your shopkeeper, who would recognize me?"
The moment these words came out, the two disciples looked at each other in dismay.
Shopkeeper Pan continued, "Check the food again. If there's nothing wrong with it, you don't have to force me to drink. I'll open my mouth and eat by myself. You can check it again!"
The two of them stared at the food at the same time. The two of them looked at each other, exchanging glances.
The senior brother took out a small porcelain bottle from his robe and uncorked it. The junior brother handed over the food.
A bit of white powder was poured into the food. The junior brother stirred it with a spoon. Soon, the color of the food changed, turning as black as ink.
The two disciples were dumbfounded. They slowly raised their heads and looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.
The junior brother said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, stay alert. I'll go inform Martial Uncle Pan!" He quickly placed the food on the ground and ran out.
The senior brother immediately took out two crescent moons from his back and guarded 'Shopkeeper Pan' behind him. At the same time, he kept a vigilant eye on the prison room door.
'Shopkeeper Pan' looked down at the bowl of black food on the ground. His face was filled with grief and indignation. If it weren't for his quick reflexes and quick wits, these two idiots would have forced the food into their stomachs. It wasn't hard to imagine what would have happened next.
A series of footsteps could be heard outside. At the same time, Shopkeeper Pan's voice could be heard. "Check if the person is still in the shop. Don't miss a single corner. Check carefully!"
The door opened and a group of people barged in. Their gazes were all fixed on the bowl of black food on the ground. Shopkeeper Pan picked up the bowl and brought it to his nose for a sniff.
His face completely darkened. He turned to face the crowd and pointed. "You, you, you, the four of you, stand guard here. In the future, check every food and drink that is sent in again!"
Then, he led the others out. His furious voice could still be heard from outside. "From now on, every disciple of our sect, no matter who they are, including me, will be strictly checked when entering the back hall!"
"Yes!" The group of people responded. The atmosphere instantly became tense.
'Shopkeeper Pan', who was tied to the pillar, trembled. He raised his head and closed his eyes. His grief and indignation were clear in his words …
In the evening, Shopkeeper Pan and the others walked out of the prison room. When they arrived at the back hall, they looked at each other and heaved a sigh of relief.
That fake 'Shopkeeper Pan' had finally relented. He had finally confessed!
"Senior Brother, I finally understand why Niu Youdao was the one in charge. I also understand why the sect wanted us to cooperate with that Niu Youdao. This person is indeed quite capable." Shopkeeper Pan sighed in admiration.
The senior brother asked, "This is his method?"
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