179: Chapter 179 Interrogation, Lin Wan

Chen Ran walked out of the Jia Ward cell, heading upward along the dim corridor.

He instructed the Jailer to take good care of Shi Taichu over the next few days and not to interrogate him strictly.

Although Chen Ran could understand the things Shi Taichu had committed after becoming possessed by inner demons, it did not prove that Shi Taichu was completely innocent.

Everyone in the Wu Family, except for that Wu the Second who narrowly escaped, had been killed; surely, some innocent people were wrongly slain among them.

However, the situation was special; if it had been anyone else, they might have gone mad too.

Chen Ran felt heavy-hearted and whispered to himself:

"So, the pain of losing one's beloved..."

Just as he stepped out of the heavy gates of the Celestial Prison, the blinding sunlight made him squint slightly.

Not far away, several figures wearing Flying Fish Robes were striding toward him.

Leading them was a Prison Officer from the Celestial Prison, who was guiding the way with a Face full of smiles.

Following behind him were four Six Doors Constables with golden badges hanging at their waists and extraordinary Auras.

Gold-Badge Constables.

In the Six Doors, these were bona fide high-ranking officials.

The extermination of the entire Wu Family had caused a huge uproar in the capital.

The Six Doors naturally attached great importance to it, and it was reasonable for them to send Gold-Badge Constables to interrogate Shi Taichu.

Chen Ran had intended to step aside to let them pass.

Who would have thought that upon seeing him, those Gold-Badge Constables stopped in their tracks.

"Oh my, isn't this Prison Warden Chen?"

The bearded Constable walking in the front strode forward and enthusiastically cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Chen, I have long admired your name!"

Chen Ran raised an eyebrow.

As a Prison Warden who had only recently been promoted, he counted as someone in the Celestial Prison, but in the eyes of these Gold-Badge Constables, he was nothing of note.

Seeing this, the Prison Officer hurriedly leaned into Chen Ran's ear and whispered a report.

"Lord Chen, these are officials from the Six Doors, ordered to interrogate that serious criminal named Shi Taichu."

Chen Ran nodded, his gaze passing over the overly enthusiastic Constables to look toward the back of the group.

A tall figure stood there.

Wearing a capable black martial outfit that outlined breathtaking curves, with her long hair tied up high, she exuded a heroic spirit.

It was none other than Lin Wan.

Chen Ran suddenly realized.

No wonder these old foxes had such a good attitude; it was all for the sake of Lin Wan's Face.

Since they last parted, the two had not seen each other for several days.

Lin Wan stood where she was, arms crossed, her gaze shifting around, deliberately avoiding looking at Chen Ran.

In reality, she was feeling a bit nervous.

Originally, as one of the lead officers for this interrogation, she had to be present.

But those Gold-Badge Constables were all shrewd individuals.

The bearded Constable looked back at Lin Wan, then at Chen Ran, and smiled while winking.

"Constable Lin, you've been working around the clock for the Wu Family case these past few days and haven't even closed your eyes."

"The rough work of interrogating prisoners can just be left to us."

One of the thin, tall men also chimed in.

"Exactly, exactly. The Yin Qi in the Celestial Prison is heavy; you should just rest outside."

After speaking, the group looked at Chen Ran in unison, their teasing gazes undisguised.

Lin Wan's expression stiffened.

Her earlobes turned visibly red.

Considering the "public relationship" between the two that had already spread within the Six Doors, if she kept hiding, it would only make her appear guilty.

She steadied her breathing, lowered her arms, and walked up to Chen Ran.

"Chen Ran, come out with me for a moment."

Her tone was cold, carrying an irresistible, commanding air.

Only her slightly evasive eyes betrayed the panic in her heart.

"Alright."

Chen Ran smiled, not exposing her.

Amidst the stifled laughter and "we understand" gazes of his colleagues, the two walked side-by-side out of the Celestial Prison square and disappeared around the corner of the street.

...

On the streets of the capital, people came and went, and the sounds of hawking were endless.

The two walked aimlessly.

Neither spoke first, and the atmosphere was subtly quiet.

A steamed bun shop by the roadside was emitting steam, and several children holding candied haws ran past, playing.

Watching this scene filled with the Aura of daily life, Lin Wan's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Just then, a cry of alarm suddenly came from ahead.

"Move! Move quickly!"

A carriage loaded with goods seemed to have been startled; the inferior horse pulling it had blood-red eyes and was frantically charging recklessly down the street.

The surrounding commoners were scared and fled in all directions, and stalls were knocked over in disarray.

It looked like the crazed horse was about to collide with a child by the roadside who had been frozen in terror.

Lin Wan's eyes turned sharp.

Her figure moved like lightning as she darted forward.

Her palm pressed against the hilt of her blade, ready to draw her sword and strike the horse.

But just as she was about to act.

Chen Ran's finger flicked lightly beneath his sleeve.

An extremely concealed gust of finger wind pierced through the air, accurately striking the crazed horse's knee joint.

Snap.

The crisp sound was covered by the surrounding cries of alarm.

The crazed horse's front legs went weak, and its massive body crashed to the ground, sliding several meters across the bluestone pavement, stopping just in front of the child.

Lin Wan's motion of drawing her blade stopped abruptly.

She looked at the fallen, incapacitated horse with some confusion, then looked at her own hand.

"This horse... how did it fall on its own?"

She muttered, then stepped forward to pick up the crying child and handed them over to the parents who had rushed over.

Chen Ran walked up slowly, hands tucked into his sleeves, looking like a bystander enjoying the show.

"Chief Lin has great skills; you didn't even need to draw your blade to suppress the crazed horse with just your Aura."

His tone carried a hint of teasing.

Lin Wan rolled her eyes at him.

"Stop running your mouth."

She re-sheathed her long blade and brushed the dust off her hands.

"This horse fell strangely; it probably had an old injury on its leg."

She did not suspect Chen Ran.

After all, in her eyes, Chen Ran was just a Martial Artist who hadn't even reached the Seventh Grade; how could he possibly have the means to injure a horse from a distance?

After this little interlude, the atmosphere between the two had eased up quite a bit.

"Is the Wu Family case very tricky?"

Chen Ran asked casually as he continued walking forward.

Lin Wan rubbed her brow, her tone carrying a hint of exhaustion.

"The seventy-three members of the Wu Family were all but slaughtered in a single night."

"The pressure from above is very tight."

"Although we caught Shi Taichu, he refuses to speak, and the case is stuck here."

Chen Ran did not respond.

Of course, he knew why Shi Taichu killed, and he even understood Shi Taichu's obsession clearly.

But he could not say.

"What about you?"

Lin Wan turned her head to look at Chen Ran.

"What are you... responsible for in the Celestial Prison now?"

"I was just promoted to Prison Warden, so I'm just managing the cells now."

Chen Ran said in a casual tone.

"Usually, I just patrol around; nothing big."

Lin Wan glanced at him slightly.

She recalled the respectful attitude of the Prison Officer toward Chen Ran at the gate of the Celestial Prison, as well as the awe-filled gazes of the Jailers along the way.

This was definitely not the treatment an ordinary Prison Warden could have.

Chen Ran's status and position were clearly different from the days when he was a little Jailer who could be bullied by anyone.

This made her feel a little more at ease.

But what followed was a deeper worry.