He arrived at the residence deep within the restricted area. This residence had been built specifically to house politically sensitive prisoners, people with high social standing such as princes, heirs of great clans, or sect leaders.
These kinds of people were usually too troubleso either to kill or to imprison in a normal prison. Unless the grudge was truly one of life and death, the kind where both sides could not even breathe the sa air, these high status individuals would be housed here as prisoners.
But even then, they were more like people under house arrest. Other than leaving the designated area, they could do almost anything they wanted.
Wei Chen walked past the gate where the two blade guards bowed to him deferentially.
The reason he ca here was because Mo Xingyao had allowed him to read the interrogation reports from all the prisoners. One of them had caught his interest greatly, which was why he decided to visit the man personally.
He asked the servants in the courtyard for directions and followed their guidance toward a small courtyard that was more secluded from the others.
He walked into the courtyard and saw a large muscular man over two ters tall sitting at a stone table, listening to the sound of the wind brushing against the bamboo. In his hand lay a half carved wooden figure, a cat... or perhaps a tiger, while the carving tools rested neatly on the table.
The man was none other than Ox, though this ti he wore no mask, gloves, or anything else to conceal his skin.
His skin carried a rich deep brown tone, and his hair was short and tightly coiled. His facial features were sharp and stern like those of a veteran warrior, with a small scar near his right brow. He clearly possessed features of African descent.
At that mont, Ox noticed Wei Chen walking into his courtyard. He set down the half finished carving.
"Ah... Young Master Wei, welco! Do you want so tea? I’ll brew so for you," Ox said as he stood up, preparing to head inside the building.
"No need. Let’s go inside and sit down, I have a lot of things to ask you. As for the tea, let the servants handle it. It’s their job after all," Wei Chen said.
Hearing that, Ox froze for a mont before nodding.
"Oh... okay, Young Master Wei."
The two walked into the guest hall where Wei Chen sat opposite Ox. After calling for the servants to prepare tea, they waited quietly.
"How’s your arm? It seems it’s already been reattached," Wei Chen asked, gesturing toward Ox’s arm.
"Oh! With Lady Yan’s help in expelling the severing law, there was no problem reattaching it. Thanks to the body cultivation technique I learned from the Zodiac group. Thank you for your concern, Young Master Wei," Ox explained with a good natured smile.
Wei Chen narrowed his eyes while studying Ox’s sharp, cool features that resembled a seasoned warrior.
Is this guy Idris Elba or sothing? Why does he look so cool? Damn, if this guy were dropped into Hollywood, he’d absolutely kill it. Just hopefully he wouldn’t accept the role of George Washington in so Netflix adaptation.
Wei Chen’s usual nonsense thoughts spiraled wildly through his head once again.
Ox noticed Wei Chen’s wandering gaze and finally called out.
"Err... Young Master Wei? What did you want to ask ?" Then he glanced down at his hands and skin tone.
"Is it because of my appearance? If so, I’ll tell you the sa thing I tell everyone else. First, I’m not a demon, half demon, or the result of so strange cultivation ritual. Second, I’ve been fully human since birth," Ox said, unable to completely hide the irritation in his voice.
Wei Chen frowned.
"You seem very defensive about this topic. Do a lot of people ask you these kinds of questions?"
"Yes." Ox nodded with a smile. "I stopped counting a long ti ago."
Wei Chen let out a sigh.
"You’re right, I was curious about your appearance, but not about the things you already ntioned. I already know you’re fully human the mont I looked at you, not so weird cultivation experint or ritual nonsense. What I want to ask... is sothing else."
Ox’s thick brow raised slightly. Wei Chen’s statent had piqued his interest.
At that mont, the tea arrived. Wei Chen thanked the servants who brought it over. The two sipped their tea lightly before setting the cups down, ready to begin the real conversation.
"Let’s start with your na. What is it?" Wei Chen asked.
"My na?" Ox touched his chest as though he had misheard the question. It had been a long ti since anyone had asked for his actual na instead of simply calling him Ox, the codena given to him by the Zodiac group.
He touched his chin as though searching through a distant mory.
"Bob... My na is Bob."
The mont Wei Chen heard the na, it felt as though thunder exploded inside his head. Even though he had already prepared himself after reading the report from Mo Xingyao, hearing it directly still shook him deeply.
Wei Chen’s hand trembled slightly, but he quickly circulated spiritual qi to force himself calm.
"Okay... next question... where are you actually from? Not the Zodiac, of course. I an your hotown, your birthplace."
Hearing the question, Bob could not help but smile as though hearing an innocent question from a child. The kind of question where even if he gave the answer, the child would never truly understand it.
"A very far away place... so far away that I can never go back anymore. But I don’t want to return, and if I ever did go back, it probably wouldn’t be for a peaceful visit to my hotown. I’d more likely return just to cause trouble instead."
Bob spoke with a predatory smile, imagining himself returning to that damned place.
Wei Chen tapped his finger against the armrest before speaking.
"Hmm... okay, Bob... then try . Who knows, maybe I actually know it."
Bob shook his head with a tired smile.
"You wouldn’t know it, Young Master Wei."
Yes, even if he said it aloud, there was no way this curiosity driven young master in front of him would know the place. And honestly, Bob did not even want to say its na. Just rembering it disgusted him enough already.
Hearing that, Wei Chen let out his signature confident smirk.
"How about a little bet? If I know it, you’ll do three things for . I won’t ask you to do anything evil or go around killing innocents, that’s for sure. And I won’t ask you to do anything suicidal either. It’ll all be within your capabilities," Wei Chen said.
Bob nodded. Now this curious young master was finally getting interesting. His attention fully focused on Wei Chen.
"What if you don’t know?" he asked. That was the part that mattered most to him.
Wei Chen smirked.
"If I don’t know, I’ll ask Lady Yan to pardon you, and I’ll also give you so money so you can rebuild your life. Buy a place to live, hire a few servants, maybe open a simple business. How about it?"
"Oh? Are you sure? You can really do that?" Bob asked.
"I can. Trust , I’m that influential. Besides, from the interrogation report yesterday, you were basically nothing more than an enforcer and bodyguard for that Zodiac guy. I don’t think Lady Yan would have any problem letting you off the hook," Wei Chen said.
"Okay... young master Wei...." Bob paused, then tried to recall all the information he rembered about the place where he ca from.
"I’m from Riverbend Plantation. I don’t know much about where it was exactly, but I only know that it was far in the south of a country called the United States. The place was cruel, full of people like working in the cotton plantations." He smirked.
"How about it, young master Wei? Do you know of that place?"
Bob asked, already planning how he would spend the money to open a simple teahouse... no, maybe an escort agency would do. It was rare to have an escort agency owned by a peak Soul Transformation cultivator.
Wei Chen let out a calm smile. "Do you know George Washington?"
The question was like thunder striking Bob’s mind. His eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.
"Young master Wei... you... how... how did you...."
"Did he win the Revolutionary War yet? If so, how long ago?"
Boom!
The question struck even deeper into Bob’s mind. He unconsciously stood up, looking at Wei Chen in disbelief. He was now deeply shaken to the core.
"You...."
Wei Chen shook his head and gestured for Bob to sit down.
"Calm down, man. Let’s talk... there’s a lot of things I really want to ask you." Wei Chen smiled, the expression of "Gotcha" written all over his face.
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