"Although I am the second son of the Zhao family, it is still my eldest brother who has the final say in the Zhao family. Be careful with your words when you follow me inside. Do not say anything you are not supposed to."
After entering the Zhao family, Zhao Kongming turned back and looked at Chen Mo and Chu Ruomo who followed him closely. He seriously advised.
Chen Mo smiled slightly and readily agreed, "Zhao Er, you can rest assured that my coming here is solely to help you uncover the truth. I will not be involved in any other matters."
Zhao Kongming raised an eyebrow, somewhat dissatisfied with the nickname Zhao Er for Chen Mo, but he ultimately tolerated it.
Chu Ruomo clung to Chen Mo like a shadow, hearing Zhao Kongming's words, she said smilingly: "Money in exchange for service, I just follow my boss. If you want me to do anything else, you will have to pay extra money."
Chen Mo's lips twitched, really money-oriented.
Zhao Kongming was lazy to bother with the two of them. He cut straight to the point: "Where should we go next?"
"Zhao family prison"
The Zhao family dungeon is located deep within the Zhao family estate and holds many prisoners who are detrimental to the Zhao family, including both members and non-members. Since they still have some value, they have not yet been disposed of.
Only the higher-ups of the Zhao family can enter the Zhao family dungeon. Zhao Kongming naturally has the qualification, but over the years, he has devoted himself entirely to the development of the Zhao family business and has not paid attention to these matters.
The ancient-looking dungeon gate was guarded by two Zhao family guards, their waists crossed with long knives, their gazes alert. Upon seeing Zhao Kongming and his party, the expressions on their faces grew more solemn.
The two guards were about to stop Chen Mo and his group, but upon seeing Zhao Kongming, they were startled, dropped their heads in fear, and saluted, "Second Master."
Zhao Kongming nodded slightly, "I have some matters to attend to inside."
"Uh…"
The two hesitated, reluctant to let them pass.
Zhao Kongming raised his eyebrows, his face suddenly turning stern, "Is my order not valid?"
"No, not at all"
The two guards looked at each other and then stepped aside, terrified. After watching Chen Mo and his group enter, they exchanged a glance with each other.
"The master has said that only authorized personnel are allowed inside."
"Can the second master be considered as idle? If he is not allowed to enter, he might kill us on the spot."
"But the master's orders... Never mind, I'll inform the master about this."
"..."
Chen Mo followed the dark passage that led all the way down underground. The further he went, the clearer he could see the cells on both sides of the passage.
In each cell, there were people confined inside, their eyes filled with fear and hate. Some cowered in the corner, while others rushed to the door, pulling at the bars and shouting loudly.
The dungeons were filled with putrid smells, darkness, and dampness.
Under Chen Mo's guidance, Zhao Kongming reached the third underground level and stopped outside an empty cell.
"So, the truth you're talking about is right here in this cell?"
Zhao Kongming pointed to a cell that was locked but empty, frowning slightly.
"Enter."
Chen Mo simply spat out two words, then spoke in a commanding tone.
Zhao Kongming, though puzzled, complied.
The cell door was securely locked, but that did not deter Zhao Kongming. With a swift movement, he drew the long knife from his waist, pulled it out and then sheathed it again in an instant. The iron lock snapped as if broken by command.
Zhao Kongming pushed open the door and stepped inside, scanning the empty cell with a quick glance around. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary and turned to ask Chen Mo, but at that moment, he seemed to notice something strange about the walls around him.
The oil lamps on both sides of the passage had their own oil, and the dim light was scattered in the cell. Zhao Kongming leaned down gently and examined the walls of the cell. Many words were written densely on them.
"This... is..."
Zhao Kongming's eyes immediately widened, his face full of disbelief. The name written densely on the walls, wall after wall, was indeed his own name.
The words on the wall were somewhat messy, but one could still discern a touch of feminine elegance. A sudden thought flashed through Zhao Kongming's mind. He whipped his head around to look at Chen Mo. "It couldn't be..."
Chen Mo nodded slightly, saying nothing but seemingly conveying everything.
"Impossible, this cannot be true."
Zhao Kongming shook his head and vehemently denied the idea. How could he not have noticed if Bai Xihua had been there?
Moreover, from the script on the wall, it was clear that Bai Xihua must have been trapped here for a considerable amount of time.
If that's the case, how could he have no memory of it at all?
"Do you remember that Bai Xihua had left for a month before she committed suicide?"
Chen Mo asked.
Zhao Kongming nodded slightly, "Bai Xihua, despite being a descendant of a military family, had fallen on hard times by her generation. Her family had begun to engage in business, and Bai Xihua also possessed the talent for it. She often traveled around..."
"A month before Xihua's suicide, she told me she was going to the north for a business deal and would be back soon. I was worried about her safety and wanted to go with her, but she refused."
"However, I still wasn't completely reassured. So, I had some of our Zhao family's experts secretly protect her."
At this point, Chen Mo directly interrupted, "Bai Xihua was captured here during the month she was on her way north."
"This is impossible."
Zhao Kongming immediately contradicted, "The experts I sent out were all top-notch Zhao family members. With them around, Xihua was not in danger. Later, they even told me directly that everything was fine..."
"What if they turned on Xihua and stole her?"
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Kongming stared at Chen Mo with narrowed eyes and shouted.
"Take Bai Xihua back and the ones trapped here are the so-called top-notch Zhao family experts you mentioned."
"Impossible."
Zhao Kongming immediately denied, "This is impossible. They would never defy me, and they wouldn't dare to defy me."
"Then can you dare to have them come out and confront you?"
Chen Mo's words fell, and Zhao Kongming suddenly froze, his mouth opening, his face darkening. "They are all dead."
"Are you not aware of this, so you want to make it impossible for anyone to confront you?"
"If that's the case, how do you explain the Zhao family dungeon?"
"This, this..."
Zhao Kongming was stunned, he retreated two steps back, momentarily speechless, unable to say anything.
"Is there another place you'd like to see?"
Chen Mo pressed further.
Zhao Kongming gazed at his name written on the walls of the three cells, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva. His eyes flashed with fear as he feared seeing similar things, yet he was eager to uncover the truth.
"Where?"
Zhao Kongming rolled his throat and finally decided to go and see.
After pointing out a direction, the three of them set off again, heading towards the fourth underground layer. They all stopped in front of a hidden room at the entrance.
Just like the previous cell, the door was tightly locked by iron chains, as if to prevent anyone from entering.
Zhao Kongming was about to slash with his knife when a sharp voice suddenly echoed, "Stop!"
