I am becoming the ultimate demon.

Chapter 38 Hidden Dangers Emerge, Traitor Closes the Net

Ji Lin first sent some agile members of the night patrol team to monitor the Third Uncle's lineage.

Let's find out what kind of secret deals they're making and try to get the evidence.

Then he, Huang Yu, and Tang Wu brought some wine and meat to the dungeon in the backyard of the Ji residence, where they found Ji Changshou and Li Biaotou, who were imprisoned.

According to seniority, the interrogation should be jointly conducted by the clan elders and Ji Chang'an.

However, out of consideration for personal relationships, no one wanted to be the bad guy and offend Ji Yongchang, who still controlled important industries.

Therefore, Ji Lin had to do it, and he didn't trust anyone else. What he needed was firsthand information, not a relayed statement.

The dungeon was locked behind a two-meter-high, four-foot-wide iron door, with hidden and visible sentries on both sides and in the distance, making it inaccessible to ordinary people.

It was usually used to punish disobedient servants and invading enemies.

Now, however, a prominent figure from the Ji family, Ji Changshou, who controls the Ping An Escort Agency, has been imprisoned.

"Greetings, young master!"

Upon seeing Ji Lin's arrival, the two swordsmen slowly opened the old, rusty iron door.

Previously, without Ji Chang'an's family head's token or edict, he could not freely enter or leave this place.

Following recent events, Ji Chang'an gradually handed over the management of the Ji family's businesses to Ji Lin, especially the power over personnel allocation.

Naturally, he began to delegate authority over many matters, allowing him to take the lead. At this point, he was essentially half the head of the family.

Taking over the Ji family in the future is now a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, the Ji family members showed him more respect than before and began to take sides.

Opening the iron gate reveals a narrow passage with a torch every few meters on either side and a small ventilation opening at each interval.

At the end of that dark passage was an even more enclosed and gloomy secret room.

There are rows of cubicles enclosed by wooden fences on both sides, each only a few square meters in size.

Finally, there were a few compartments with iron railings, seemingly prepared for dangerous or important figures.

Ji Changshou and Li Biaotou were such important figures.

Several skilled guards were stationed at the entrance, taking turns on duty around the clock.

"Greetings, young master!"

To prevent the two from colluding, they stuffed a fist-sized piece of coarse cloth into each of their throats, making it difficult to pull out, let alone spit out.

The two were locked in two separate iron cells, one on the left and one on the right, their hands and feet chained to a cross-shaped wooden stake.

Ji Lin first had someone remove the coarse cloth from Ji Changshou's mouth and untie the iron chains on his limbs.

Ji Changshou was very excited to see Ji Lin arrive, and kept shaking his body as if he had something to say.

"Uncle Changshou, your nephew has come to visit you. How have you been these past few days? Have you been eating and sleeping well?"

Ji Lin set out a roast chicken, a pork knuckle, and a bottle of liquor.

He uncorked the wine, poured some wine into the bowl, and handed it to Ji Changshou.

Ji Changshou smiled bitterly, thinking about how he had lived a carefree life for most of his life, but he never expected that he would lose his reputation in his later years and become a prisoner, a sinner to his family.

Every time I think about it, I feel extremely regretful and cry my eyes out.

He now realizes that he shouldn't have gotten involved in these things at all; he should have just lived a peaceful life for the rest of his days.

As for Ji Yongchang and Ji Changming, let them fight it out. Whether they win or lose, I will still be the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort) of Ping'an Escort Agency.

He took the wine bowl from Ji Lin and gulped it down, then continued drinking.

He picked up a roast chicken in one hand and a pork knuckle in the other, took a couple of bites, and then used his greasy hand to pick up a wine bowl and take a sip.

They ate the roast pork with wine, drinking four or five bowls before finally stopping.

Li, the镖头 (bodyguard) on the opposite side, looked on with envy, his throat bobbing up and down.

"Lin'er, are you here to interrogate me?" Ji Changshou suddenly said.

"To be honest, I have no intention of betraying them. Please understand. Give me a knife, and I will take my own life."

Ji Lin sighed and said, "You didn't dare before, but you dare now?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Changshou was filled with shame. If he had been brave enough to slit his own throat, he would have been a hero. Now that he had been caught, he wanted to preserve his reputation for loyalty and righteousness, which was utterly ridiculous.

Ji Changshou, oh Ji Changshou, you are such a failure.

He let out a long, helpless sigh.

"Lin'er, can you please let your uncle go? I used to buy you candied hawthorns all the time when you were little." Ji Changshou pleaded.

Ji Lin shook his head. "Uncle Changshou, I'm already sparing you from torture out of consideration for our past relationship. If you remain obstinate and try to bargain, I'm afraid even that small favor will be gone."

He pointed at Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), across from him and said, "He doesn't get this kind of treatment. You can see for yourself."

The torture instruments, including branding irons, stoves, tiger benches, clamps, axes, knives, saws, drills, chisels, whips, and canes, were already fully prepared.

Then the iron cell where Chief Escort Li was located was opened; Ji Lin intended to make an example of him.

Look at these die-hard loyalists of the Li family, how long can they keep up their stubbornness?

Let the pampered Ji Changshou see just how terrifying this torture device really is.

Sometimes deterrence is more effective than direct punishment, especially for those who are weak-willed.

"Chief镖李 (Li, the镖师 is a nickname for a镖师 in Chinese, and he was reluctant to come with me before. Now you regret it, don't you?")

"Guards, bring the torture on!"

Several skilled craftsmen prepared their soldering irons and heated them in the stove until they were red-hot.

The man picked up the branding iron and pressed it against Li, the镖头 (bodyguard/escort).

Li, the镖头 (bodyguard), stared wide-eyed, his forehead covered in sweat, and his fists clenched tightly.

"Sizzle!!!"

"Ugh... Ugh!!!!" Chief镖师 Li struggled desperately.

The red branding iron was imprinted on his chest, and a smell of roasted meat immediately wafted out. The iron plate also turned from red to black.

The man paused, and Ji Lin immediately told him to try again.

"Sizzle!!!!"

"Chief镖师 Li, are you going to confess now?"

Li, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), nodded frantically.

"Take off his sabs and let him talk." Ji Lin didn't expect it to work so well; he couldn't withstand the first instrument of torture.

"Young Master Ji, I... I didn't say I wouldn't confess." Chief镖师 Li looked pained.

"Oh, is that so? You should have said so earlier, then you wouldn't have had to suffer like this."

Li, the镖头 (bodyguard), had already started cursing. "That bastard dared to trick me! It was all on purpose!"

Then, Chief Escort Li explained in detail that Li Tianming and Ji Changshou were merely pawns in the open.

Although the Li family and the Ji family are competitors, they often cooperate on many matters, and their relationship is superficially friendly and cooperative.

Secretly, Ji Changming and Li Rong plotted to seize the Ji family's assets and agreed on how to split the profits after the deed was done.

With Li Rong's men and Ji Changming's military strength, dealing with Ji Chang'an was more than enough. So, there was no rush. They slowly eroded the Ji family's assets and let their performance speak for itself, which was more convincing than directly using force.

However, Ji Lin, who had always been a playboy, suddenly showed great potential.

We had to act before he grew up, so we used all sorts of methods, both overt and covert.

After Li confessed, Ji Lin didn't make things difficult for him. He untied him and treated him to good food and drink from then on.

He turned around and looked at Ji Changshou, signaling for him to confess.

After seeing that Chief Escort Li had confessed, Ji Changshou began to give his prepared statement.

As a result, Ji Lin also obtained a fairly accurate confession, which was recorded in detail.

Have the two write down the sentence: "All that has been stated above is as I have said."

They had to sign and put their fingerprints on the document before it was considered finished.

The information obtained through undercover agents, combined with the unusual movements of the Third Uncle's faction during the crisis, revealed that...

They finally identified the biggest traitor within the family: Ji Changming, the son of their third uncle and their cousin.

Ji Changming not only colluded with the Li family and the pseudo-immortal sect, but also allegedly sold intelligence and unusual items to a more mysterious interstate organization through the black market.

The organization is called Worry-Free Cave. Ji Lin has not yet found any information about it, which makes him even more worried.

Ji Lin quietly handed the evidence to his father, Ji Chang'an, and a massive internal purge quietly began...