Chapter 56: Purple Dawn Palace

Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to accompany Qingnü to the law enforcement department.

He was simply asked a few questions, explaining his relationship with Qingnü and what medicines he had bought from the Changqing Pharmacy, and was politely escorted to the waiting room.

Qingnü, however, was questioned for a much longer time. Chen Mobai waited for an hour but still didn't see her being released.

So, he recalled the words the law enforcement cultivator had mentioned earlier.

Prohibited techniques?

He immediately went online to look it up.

In the immortal sects, there are some powerful techniques and secret arts that have severe side effects after cultivation. These are known as prohibited techniques, which, as the name suggests, are forbidden to cultivate.

In the recent news online, the most relevant content was from three years ago, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Wangwu Grotto Heaven attempted to break through his bottleneck using a prohibited technique, resulting in a mental breakdown. The out-of-control spiritual energy attacked the surrounding people, causing significant casualties among ordinary cultivators.

Just as he was about to read further, Qingnü was released.

"Make sure your phone is available these next few days. We might need to verify your situation at any time," the short-haired female law enforcement cultivator in charge of Qingnü reminded her as she left.

"What's going on? What prohibited technique is your teacher cultivating?" Chen Mobai couldn't help but ask out of curiosity as he and Qingnü left the department.

"I don't know. My teacher only taught me about alchemy and never mentioned anything about cultivation," Qingnü said, her eyes still red, clearly emotionally impacted. After all, it's hard for anyone to accept that a teacher they've been close to is a criminal.

"I'll take you back. Don't overthink it, just rest well," Chen Mobai could only comfort her like this.

In an office on the third floor of the law enforcement department, Lan Haitian watched Chen Mobai and Qingnü leave from the window, put down their files, and turned to Gu Changfeng, who was seated and restrained, and asked, "You should know the dangers of the Devouring God Technique. Those who cultivate it among you don't have a good end."

"Concealing the Devouring God Technique back then wasn't my idea; I was just caught in the middle," Gu Changfeng said.

"I'm not asking you about that. I just think these two young people are quite good, and I hope they haven't gotten involved with the Devouring God Technique."

"Rest assured, Qingnü knows nothing, and I have already expelled her from my sect," Gu Changfeng said. Lan Haitian shook his head, handed Chen Mobai's file to the law enforcement cultivator beside him, and scanned Qingnü's file with his phone, sending it to a friend for further investigation.

"That's not up to you. Since she was once your disciple, we still need to monitor her for a while," the law enforcement cultivator said.

"You are from the Righteous Law Hall; you need evidence. Qingnü hasn't committed any crime."

"Because I need evidence, that's why she was released. If she were still your disciple, we would have had a legitimate reason to arrest both of you," Gu Changfeng grunted in anger but didn't argue further.

"Brother Gu, why didn't you choose to run away?"

"You gave your business card to Qingnü, knowing she would pass it to me, to force me to run, so you would have a reason to interrogate me using the Righteous Law Hall's methods," Gu Changfeng said coldly, looking at Lan Haitian, who only smiled slightly in response.

"Given Brother's talent, you wouldn't have reached this level through normal cultivation. It seems the prohibited technique really does cloud the mind," Lan Haitian said. At this, Gu Changfeng closed his eyes and remained silent.

Lan Haitian interrogated for a while longer but, seeing that Gu Changfeng wouldn't speak again, gave up on further questioning.

As he left the interrogation room, he removed a "Heart-Questioning Talisman" from the door to verify which of Gu Changfeng's words were true and which were false.

"Mr. Lan, what should we do next?"

In the office of the law enforcement department, the staff compiled the files of Gu Changfeng and Qingnü and handed them to Lan Haitian, awaiting his instructions.

"Lock him up for now. I'll take him away when I leave."

"Understood. What about his female disciple and that student? Should we send someone to monitor them?"

"I'll arrange it."

"Understood."

…

Chen Mobai took Qingnü back to her apartment, and she asked him to stay for a while.

It was a single-person apartment in Danxia City. Upon asking, he learned that Qingnü had lost both her parents at a young age and grew up in an orphanage.

At the age of fifteen, due to her excellent performance, she was taken as a disciple by Gu Changfeng, who came to give a lecture at her school. She started working at the Changqing Pharmacy and, with her master's help, rented this apartment, beginning her independent life.

Chen Mobai felt the place; since it was a public rental, the facilities were quite basic, with only a low-grade supply of basic spiritual energy.

"To me, my teacher is like a father. But they say he cultivated a prohibited technique and is a bad person," Qingnü said, her eyes reddening again. Probably due to the hardships she had endured from a young age, her mind was strong, and her emotions were stable, not as agitated as before.

Chen Mobai comforted her for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, he bid farewell.

Qingnü got up to see him out. After he left, she squatted down by the door in the empty room, hugging her knees and burying her head, sobbing quietly after hearing the footsteps fade away.

…

"True Person, this is the report on the Gu Changfeng case."

At the top of Spirit Peak, in front of the wooden house, Lan Haitian respectfully held the report he had written over his head.

A powerful divine consciousness emerged from the wooden house and quickly read through the entire report.

"Have all five people who obtained the prohibited technique from Purple Dawn Palace been apprehended?"

"Yes, Gu Changfeng was the last one, but I suspect there are some hidden details. Since I couldn't use unconventional methods, I didn't get any useful information," Lan Haitian said. With years of experience, he had a natural intuition. If a case was thoroughly resolved, he would feel a sense of clarity and peace. Otherwise, his mind would be clouded.

"Then that's it. Since they are all in your hands, if there are any hidden details, you can interrogate them slowly," the voice of True Person Shiqing from inside the wooden house was calm, seemingly indifferent to the outcome of Lan Haitian's investigation.

"May I ask, True Person, how should we handle Gu Changfeng's disciple?"

"Hmm? Do you need to ask me about this?"

Hearing True Person Shiqing's slightly displeased voice, Lan Haitian could only smile bitterly and take out his phone, sending the internal information of Jumang Dao Academy he had obtained through illegal means to the True Person inside the wooden house: "This is Qingnü's file, please review it, True Person."

"Oh, I didn't expect it to be her," True Person Shiqing said, surprised after reading it.