Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

However, he did not resist.

This torture device was a soul tool, and while it could suppress the prisoner's soul power, it still adhered to the fundamental rules of soul tools. He carried with him the Jing Hongchen's Protection, a ninth-level soul tool given to him by Jing Hongchen. In the entire world, it was among the most powerful.

In other words, just relying on this device alone, it would never break through his defenses!

"Your Highness, I still advise you to cooperate and confess what you need to. Otherwise, here in this place, the law applies to both the emperor and commoners alike!" The Soul Emperor leaned back leisurely in his chair, taking a sip of tea, his face full of confidence.

"Why hasn't your captain come in?" Xu Cheng smirked. "Is he afraid?"

"Shut up!" The Soul Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly straightened his posture. "Xu Cheng, you're still trying to sow discord between us? Isn't that a little ridiculous?"

"Was it the Fourth Prince who sent you?"

Xu Cheng remained indifferent.

It was as if he wasn't in an interrogation room, moments away from being tortured, but rather in a teahouse, casually sipping tea.

"Don't change the subject!"

The Soul Emperor's expression darkened.

He had originally planned to intimidate Xu Cheng. After all, most eleven- or twelve-year-old children facing this kind of setup would be crying, begging for their lives.

But now, after seeing Xu Cheng's composure firsthand, he had to admit—this kid's courage was truly remarkable.

Perhaps this was what it meant to be a true prince...

"Then what do you want me to say?" Xu Cheng looked at him with interest. "Say that I killed Wang Shaojie? That accusation isn't even publicly acknowledged. If you want me to admit guilt? Even if I did kill him, so what? If you report it to His Majesty, who dares do anything to me?"

"But you lot… You really have no fear of death, do you?"

Xu Cheng shook his head, his gaze filled with pity.

"All for a reward from your master? You should at least make sure you live long enough to enjoy it. And what if you drag your families into this? It's not worth it. Besides—"

"Xu Cheng, don't fucking push your luck!" The Soul Emperor shouted angrily.

"Just because you're a prince, you think you can act all high and mighty? Let me tell you something—even princes have ranks! You think you're qualified to fight for the throne? You're nothing but a motherless bastard!"

After his outburst, he muttered under his breath.

But Xu Cheng heard him clearly.

He simply shook his head in disappointment.

Before Xu Cheng could respond, the door to the interrogation room suddenly opened.

The Soul Emperor was called outside.

The room fell into silence again.

Xu Cheng smiled faintly and closed his eyes to rest.

Elsewhere…

Not far from the interrogation room, in a resting lounge.

"Brothers, since we've already started this, why don't we go all the way? We should just kill him and be done with it!"

Xu Mocheng's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

"Captain, isn't that too extreme?"

The Soul Emperor who had just interrogated Xu Cheng looked horrified.

This wasn't part of the original plan!

Before their operation, Xu Mocheng had only told them to use the Fourth Prince's name to intimidate Xu Cheng—scare him a little, maybe fabricate some crimes so they'd have blackmail material. That way, when the fight for the throne escalated, they could use this against him.

At most, they'd try to extract some confidential information that might help take him down.

But killing a prince?

That was an entirely different matter.

This was a crime they could never wash off, one that not even the Fourth Prince could protect them from!

"You—"

Xu Mocheng looked conflicted.

"Captain, just tell us what's going on! We're all in this together!"

The Soul Emperor urged.

"Sigh…" Xu Mocheng let out a long sigh.

"I just received news that this kid isn't simple. There might be a connection to the Holy Spirit Church. And… just last month, he became the personal disciple of Master Cheng Baiqing."

"WHAT?!!!"

Everyone in the room gasped.

The Soul Emperor felt his entire body go numb.

This information completely overturned everything!

They had targeted Xu Cheng because he was an insignificant prince—his mother had passed away, and the emperor barely cared for him. He was a forgotten royal, yet he foolishly thought he could compete for the throne.

Since he didn't know his place, they thought it was their duty to remind him.

But now?

With Xu Mocheng's revelation, everything changed!

If Xu Cheng had no backing, then at worst, they'd get a slap on the wrist for this. After all, no one cared about him, and the Fourth Prince would cover for them.

But if he did have backing, things weren't so simple.

Especially if Master Cheng Baiqing was involved.

If this turned into a scandal, even the Fourth Prince wouldn't be able to suppress it. It could blow up into a full-blown political storm.

And what was even more terrifying…

The mention of the Holy Spirit Church.

As members of the Royal Inspection Squad, they had some knowledge of the empire's underground forces. The Holy Spirit Church… Those two words alone sent shivers down their spines.

Evil Soul Masters weren't just feared by commoners—even many powerful soul masters and soul engineers dreaded them.

If they were marked as targets by that group, they might never have another good night's sleep.

Especially considering the horrific torture techniques used by Evil Soul Masters—methods that were the best in the industry. Many of the interrogation tools they had here were actually copied from them!

The Soul Emperor's hands trembled as he reached for his teacup. Half of the tea spilled out, and only two sips made it into his mouth.

Just now, he had insulted Xu Cheng's dead mother…

If Xu Cheng sought revenge later…

"And according to my father's latest message, Xu Cheng is not just connected to the Holy Spirit Church—he is their Holy Son."

Xu Mocheng looked utterly regretful.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Soul Emperor's teacup shattered in his hands.

His face turned pale as a ghost.

His gaze toward Xu Mocheng was filled with betrayal and resentment.

Bro, are you trying to kill me?!