I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"..."

Like an elderly person, Xi Wei slowly and deliberately chewed her food, raising her eyes slightly, her calm gaze revealing no emotion.

"Sir, what did you think of that box of peach shortbread from yesterday? I'll bring you some more when I come back."

The peach shortbread that Bai Zhou bought to sample yesterday was all eaten by Xi, who seemed quite satisfied, so he plans to buy some more to keep as snacks for Xi.

"It's alright. Do you have any apricots?"

Rather than sweet peach shortbread, Xi wanted something sweet and sour, like apricots, apricots, apricots and the like.

"Hmm, then I'll buy you some dried fruit. They have all kinds of fruit."

"Then I'll be going, sir. Please take care and get some rest. I'll be back before lunch."

By day, he packed up the painting containing Xiao Zizai, bid farewell to Xi, and then hurried to the Boyun Prefecture government office, which he had agreed to meet the day before.

###

When Bai arrived at the yamen with three boxes of fruit pastries, Du Heng was waiting for him at the door. Upon seeing him arrive, she waved to him.

"Brother Bai, you've arrived. You must have had a hard night."

"I can't say I did a lot of hard work. I only did a small thing. The ones who really worked hard were the constables who chased down the criminals, and Brother Du and you guys."

During the day, he did not take credit for anything and his humble demeanor made the two constables standing guard next to him look at him much better.

"Alright, Brother Bai, don't be so modest. Without your help and your risking your life, we wouldn't have been able to capture him so easily."

Du Heng chuckled and patted Bai Zhou on the shoulder.

"Alright, come in quickly, Prefect Lu has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Alright, Brother Du, let's go in quickly. We can't keep Lord Lu waiting."

The two entered the yamen together and headed to the courtroom, where they met Lu Boyun and Meng Li, who were talking. The registrar and many constables were also standing nearby.

"Brother Lu... Brother Lu."

Just as Bai Zhou was about to address him as "Sir" and pay his respects, he was startled by Lu Boyun's squinting eyes and smiling expression and changed his words.

"That's right, Brother Bai, don't keep calling me 'Sir,' it makes me sound like I'm some big shot."

Seemingly because the case had made progress, Lu Boyun was in a very good mood and spoke very cheerfully.

"That being said, Your Excellency, please pay attention to official etiquette and do not lose your dignity in the eyes of the people, lest they misunderstand you as unreliable."

The old clerk, Feng Ti, offered some advice, which made Lu Boyun's face fall.

“I remember, Grandpa Huang, I remember.”

Despite being the prefect of a prefecture, Lu Boyun couldn't even utter a word of argument when faced with the old clerk who had taken care of him since childhood, and could only keep backing down.

The constables standing nearby watched as their boss was being admonished but still seemed unable to resist, all looking away with smiles on their lips.

After coughing twice, Lu Boyun, regaining his composure, introduced the old man to Bai Zhou.

"Young Master Bai, let me introduce you. This is Huang Wen'an, the registrar of Boyun Prefecture. He is not only my father's capable assistant but also my mentor. He has been in charge of the investigation into the murderer this time."

"I met with Mr. Huang during the day."

"Get up, good child. Don't call me 'old man.' I'm just an ordinary person who has read a few more books."

Huang Wen'an had previously warned Lu Boyun to be mindful of his official dignity, but when people spoke to him, he also indicated that neither party needed to be too concerned about their status.

“Grandpa Huang, you’re criticizing me, aren’t you the same… Alright, alright, I understand. I’m the prefect, I need to watch my words and actions.”

Lu Boyun was about to speak when the old registrar glared at him, shutting him up.

"By the way, Mr. Huang, Brother Lu, what's the situation with that thug? Has he revealed the real killer behind him?"

After Bai Zhou asked the question, the room fell silent.

The group looked at each other, their faces showing a sense of helplessness.

"not yet."

Finally, Lu Boyun spoke.

"That guy was as hard as a rock. We tried all sorts of torture and interrogation on him, but he just wouldn't confess. I really don't know what kind of spell the murderer cast on him."

Lu Boyun's words were filled with anger. If Bai Zhou hadn't been so young, he probably wouldn't have even needed to change his words; he would have just started spewing profanities.

Return to the Twenty-Four Punishments

"Why won't the prisoner talk?"

Bai Zhou roughly understood, so he started to think of a solution.

"Yeah, that guy... he's an assassin, but he's pretty loyal... no, I should say he was assigned to this kind of job because he's too loyal."

Meng Li muttered to himself, looking bored.

Du Heng noticed that Bai Zhou seemed to be deep in thought, so he asked:

"Brother Bai, is there anything you'd like to say?"

"Brother Bai, you deserve some credit for catching the culprit. Why don't you give us some ideas on how to get the real killer's information out of him?"

Lu Boyun, in a joking manner, wanted to hear what Bai Zhou, this ambitious young man, had to say.

"I do have a few solutions."

Bai Zhou looked at them and said:

"I have three methods to get him to tell the truth."

"Oh? Which three? Little Brother Bai, tell me quickly."

Lu Boyun raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

He hadn't expected that Bai Zhou actually had an idea, and his curiosity was immediately piqued.

"This best strategy is both the simplest and the most difficult."

During the day, Bai Zhou looked at Grandpa Huang and respectfully asked:

"Old sir, do you know where in Boyun Prefecture there are Originium Arts practitioners who are skilled in ideological education?"

"Oh?"

Once Bai Zhou explained it, the others understood.

There are countless types of Originium Arts in the world, each with its own unique form. Among them are those Originium Arts related to the spiritual realm.

Generally speaking, large cities are equipped with several individuals with relevant abilities to handle truly difficult and complex cases.

But unfortunately...

"This is something that Boyun Prefecture truly doesn't have."

Old Fengti shook his head.

"Lord Lu Yun does have some knowledge of this, but he... sigh."

"No wonder Brother Bai said this is both the simplest and the most difficult."

Lu Boyun also sighed.

They had considered this point, but unfortunately, there wasn't a single Originium Arts user in the vast Boyun Prefecture who possessed the ability to educate and guide people.

Hmm, that's not right either.

"I have learned a few moves from my father, but unfortunately, I am not very talented. If I were to make a move, that villain would die a painful death."

"Well then, please listen to my middle-ground strategy."

Bai Zhou also said:

"I once heard of a form of torture where powder that Originium worms love to eat is sprinkled on the prisoner's body, along with a drug that stimulates their reproductive ability. Then the prisoner is placed in a large vat filled with Originium worms, which devour them to extract information. Such a torture... Hey? Gentlemen, what's wrong with you?"

As Bai Zhou was getting into the conversation, he noticed that the people opposite him had involuntarily bowed, so he asked them with a puzzled look.

"No, it's nothing. Brother Bai, please continue, please continue."

Meng Li looked at Bai Zhou with a fawning expression, as if Bai Zhou's words had refreshed his understanding as well.

"Ahem, this punishment is really quite good. It's very useful for dealing with those stubborn and incorrigible villains."

As the oldest and most composed elder, Huang Wen'an coughed, covering his face with his fist.

"But, young friend Bai, I would like to know who told you about this punishment."

Yup!

The others, still immersed in their disgust for the Originium Bugs, were jolted awake.

Which despicable person told this kind of thing to a child!

"Ah... this is a story my second uncle told me. He said he witnessed it himself."

Bai Zhou answered apologetically.

Actually, it was his second uncle who was bragging when he was drunk. He even said that the criminals who were watching at the time knelt down and begged for mercy, and he even clearly described what kind of underwear his ancestors wore and what they were buried with for eighteen generations.

"While punishment is a good thing, it's too early for children to know these things."

Lu Boyun secretly memorized this method, thinking that he would try to find the thug again after Bai Zhou had been sent away.

"By the way, Brother Bai, what's your worst option? Tell me about it."

Lu Boyun felt that this worst-case scenario might be even more explosive.

"That's a bad idea."

Bai Zhou, however, looked rather uninterested, which only fueled the others' curiosity about the plan.

"Speaking of which, there's something I forgot to tell you all."

Bai Zhou recounted the story of the lost service worker from the previous night to everyone.

“I suspect that person might have been hired by this thug to attract attention, or even be his accomplice.”

Bai Zhou also said:

"To be honest, I also have some knowledge of Originium Arts in the field of thought, and I can roughly sense the emotional changes of ordinary people. It is precisely because of this that I was able to discover the malice that the villain harbored towards me in time and come up with a way to fight back."