Seeing how cooperative Gojo was, the burly men didn't make things difficult for him. They escorted him straight toward the county yamen.
After passing through several streets and a few rows of tiled houses, Gojo was brought inside.
Once inside, they didn't stop. Instead, they headed southwest of the main hall, turned two corners, and stopped in front of a pitch-black room.
Looking at them halting, Gojo asked,
"Why stop here?"
"Daoist, this is where you'll be staying today!"
The leading man sneered, stepping aside and shoving Gojo inside.
Only after entering did Gojo realize—
This room was actually a prison.
A foul stench rushed into his nose—rank sweat, rot, mildew… a mixture of odors so pungent and bizarre that it made him instinctively frown.
Sweeping his gaze around, he quickly noticed something—
Aside from himself and the group of men, there wasn't a single living soul in the prison.
But if one looked closely, bones—bleached white—could be seen piled in the corners.
Clearly, all those strong men the magistrate had arrested before…
Had already died here.
And beyond that—
Hundreds of vengeful spirits hovered within the prison, swirling restlessly, nearly taking physical form.
Prisons might claim lives, yes—but ordinary deaths wouldn't produce so many restless souls.
Only those who died unjustly, who had no reason to die, would leave behind such resentment.
And judging by their number—
At least a hundred people had perished here.
Gojo forcibly suppressed the anger rising in his chest and asked,
"Where is your magistrate?"
"The magistrate?"
The leader immediately burst into laughter.
"You'll see him soon enough!"
As he spoke, he raised his club and swung it straight at Gojo's head.
Bang!
A heavy impact rang out.
But the expected spray of blood never came.
Instead—
A golden light suddenly blossomed around Gojo, blocking the blow entirely.
"This… what is this?!"
The man's eyes widened in shock, instinctively stepping back.
The others stared at Gojo in disbelief.
Just moments ago, he had seemed weak and timid.
Now—
He looked like a figure made of golden light.
What kind of sorcery was this?
"I was planning to wait a bit longer… until the magistrate showed himself."
"But since you've made your move first…"
"Then I'll just have to change my plan."
As Gojo spoke, the golden light around him shifted.
It moved like a living thing, twisting and transforming into thin ropes that shot toward the men.
"Demon! You're a demon!"
The burly men screamed in terror, scrambling toward the door in a desperate attempt to escape.
But they had barely taken a step—
The golden light arrived instantly, tightening around them and binding them completely.
At the same time, to prevent their screams from alerting the magistrate, Gojo tore strips of cloth from one of their garments and stuffed them into their mouths.
"Alright."
Standing before the now helpless men, Gojo spoke calmly,
"I ask. You answer."
"Oh, and one more thing—"
"I'm not one of those compassionate Daoists."
"I kill."
As his words fell, Gojo lightly stomped his foot on the stone floor.
When he lifted it—
A shallow crater the size of a bowl had been crushed into the ground.
The men's pupils shrank violently.
The prison floor was made of thick bluestone—nearly half a meter thick to prevent escape.
Even a grown man with a pickaxe would need an hour to dig a small pit.
Yet Gojo had created one with a casual stomp.
How could they not be terrified?
"Mmm! Mmm!"
They nodded frantically, trying to shout through the cloth stuffed in their mouths.
Seeing their reaction, Gojo pulled the cloth from one man's mouth.
"Speak."
"Why are you capturing strong men in the city? What is the magistrate doing?"
"T-This Daoist… we don't know anything!"
"We're just following orders!"
"The magistrate told us to capture strong men, so we did!"
"Please, spare us! I really don't know anything!"
The man begged desperately the moment he could speak.
"In that case…"
"We'll try someone else."
Gojo raised his hand and flicked a finger lightly.
A speck of golden light shot out—
Piercing straight through the man's skull.
He died instantly.
From the way he had attacked earlier, it was clear—he had intended to kill.
And judging by his ruthlessness, this wasn't his first time.
Killing him—
Brought Gojo no burden at all.
"Mmm!!"
The remaining men trembled violently, looking at Gojo as if he were a merciless demon.
"You."
"If your answer is the same as his… you'll end up the same way."
Gojo pulled the cloth from another man's mouth.
"D-Daoist… this was all the magistrate's doing!"
"He said for every man we kill here, we'd get one silver dollar!"
"That's all we know! We swear!"
The man stammered, his voice shaking uncontrollably.
"One silver dollar… per man?"
Gojo frowned slightly.
"How many have you taken so far?"
The man's face turned pale.
He hesitated, not daring to answer.
But as Gojo slowly raised his hand again—
"H-About… three hundred…"
"Over three hundred silver dollars…"
"Three hundred lives."
"You five…"
"That's over sixty people each."
Gojo's gaze turned ice-cold as he looked at them.
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