Chapter 17: Self-Deception

The capture operation went smoothly.

Chris had even thought that taking Li Ang away would be stopped by Aierwei, but it didn’t happen.

The girl seemed unable to recover from the shocking scene from earlier.

Aierwei didn’t know how she had left that basement.

When she came to her senses, she was already standing in front of the familiar small courtyard.

The wooden door, which usually creaked with every breeze, was already covered with numerous cracks—though Aierwei had never paid attention to such details.

All she hoped for was the person standing behind that door waiting for her return.

But now, the girl just stood at the door, not pushing it open.

She knew no one was waiting behind it.

The sunset slowly dipped below the horizon, pulling back the remaining light scattered over the city, turning the whole world dim and lifeless.

It wasn’t until nightfall that Aierwei, still in a daze, walked back to her room and buried herself in bed.

“It’s all just a dream… a good sleep will fix it…”

The girl muttered to herself before drifting into sleep.

The next day, when she woke up and stepped outside, she heard people on the roadside discussing yesterday’s purge.

“They should have killed that damned cult on the spot!”

“That would be letting him off too easily. I heard someone died this time. If it weren’t for the knights, your kid wouldn’t have made it back!”

“I wonder when the public trial will be held. I want to see that bastard die with my own eyes.”

“Disgusting scum, beasts!”

The faces of those talking about the cult were filled with pure contempt.

This suddenly reminded Aierwei of when she had been captured before.

Back then, she was the one facing such harsh words, and it was her master who rescued her from that vortex.

Aierwei suddenly thought of a possibility—what if her master was innocent?

What if he was threatened or controlled by the cult, forced to do such things… right?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

She had to find her master and figure out what really happened!

Aierwei immediately headed in the direction of the Ashen Knights.

If her master was falsely accused, she would do everything she could to save him!

Just like he saved her before.

***

The Ashen Knights’ headquarters were located underground, in the dungeon.

“You really are ruthless with yourself,” Chris said, sitting across from the pale man at the interrogation table.

“How’s the news spreading?”

Li Ang hunched over, as if he had aged by ten years, speaking slowly.

He had no time to chat with Chris.

Every moment, he could feel his life slipping away.

His time was running out.

“It’s all arranged.”

Chris replied.

“The people of Ashen City hate you with a passion. If we threw you into the crowd, there wouldn’t even be bones left—after all, you’ve killed someone…”

“Given the commoners’ fear of the cult, they probably want you executed right now.”

Chris stared at Li Ang’s face, trying to see any trace of fear, but to his disappointment, there was none.

“Make sure Aierwei presides over the trial…”

“Got it. But you’re really harsh on your disciple. Putting myself in her shoes… damn. The master you spent day and night with suddenly turns out to be the villain? Tsk tsk…”

Chris teased Li Ang’s mood but got no reaction, until a knight guarding outside came in with a report.

Li Ang’s gaze shifted slightly.

“Your dear disciple is here. Want to see her?”

Chris said with a bright smile.

Li Ang ignored the provocation and quietly said, “Torture me…”

Chris was shocked.

“Is it really necessary to make it so realistic?”

Though he said that, his hands did not stop.

After all, he hadn’t forgotten the kick Li Ang gave him before.

He picked up an iron needle from the table and stabbed it into Li Ang’s hand, pinning it to the table. Then, his eyes glanced out the window.

Spotting the golden-haired figure, he shouted decisively: “Are you going to talk or not!”

Li Ang slumped weakly on the table.

Blood quickly dripped down, the excruciating pain twisting his expression.

The next moment, the interrogation room door was broken open.

The blonde girl rushed in, glaring at Chris.

“Torture behind closed doors is illegal!”

Chris stepped back two steps, raising his hands innocently.

“But he’s a cultist. Cultists aren’t even human—they’re a bunch of inhuman beasts.”

“What’s this? Miss Aierwei protecting the cult now?”

Chris squinted as the knights around him drew their swords from their belts.

“I… I’m not,” Aierwei clenched her fists, her gaze hurting as she looked at Li Ang beside her.

“I’m just wondering if my mas– if he was controlled by the cult when he did those things…”

“Even if that’s true… he still brutally killed two innocent civilians. Their lives deserve justice, right?”

Chris shrugged.

Aierwei was left speechless.

Indeed, she had seen Li Ang kill those two people with her own eyes.

Seeing this, Li Ang sighed silently.

Facing an old fox like Chris was tough for Aierwei.

His voice trembled, “Cough… I’m the one who killed them. I just wanted to survive. What’s wrong with that?”

“A cult is a cult. How can you speak so lightly about such filthy deeds?”

Chris’s expression darkened.

He scolded fiercely.

Hearing Li Ang’s words, Aierwei’s face turned even paler.

She retreated step by step until her back hit the cold wall of the interrogation room, her gaze vacant.

The last flicker of hope in her heart shattered at that moment.

“No, my master would never use such methods to survive.”

Aierwei bit her teeth and shouted angrily, as if to scream out all the confusion and rage in her heart.

“He told me that as a knight, one should protect others and uphold justice in one’s heart. He would never do such a thing…”

The girl murmured to herself, as if arguing with Li Ang, or maybe even with herself.

“No, that can’t be. If you needed to sacrifice others to extend your life, then why didn’t you try it on me? I’m the easiest target!”

Aierwei grasped at what she thought was a loophole, speaking urgently.

“Cough… Who said I didn’t try it on you? I just thought to raise you a bit before sacrificing you. Cough… you really are as stupid as your father.”

Li Ang laughed lowly, mocking the girl’s innocence.

His words pierced Aierwei’s heart like a sharp blade, cutting off her remaining hope.

What made her even more desperate was that she heard her father’s name from Li Ang’s mouth.

The girl opened her mouth, her hoarse voice like a roaring young lion, panic engulfing her heart.

“So my father…”

“Yes, I killed him.”