Chapter 12 Interrogation

Inside the cold and damp dungeon, Yun Bai was in a closed compartment, unable to see the outside situation. He was tied to a chair, and from time to time, he could hear the painful wailing and screaming of others in his ears.

"So this is a cell?" Yun Bai looked curious and began to inspect the cell. After all, he had never been in one before, and he reckoned he would be staying here for a few days.

Tsk, this looked like special treatment—a pitch-black empty room where he couldn't see outside, with shrill screams echoing from time to time. Was this some kind of psychological warfare?

Unfortunately, on a psychological level, this so-called "Five Hearings and Three Interrogations" had already ended before it even began. A Cultivator who could pass the outer assessment of the State Religion would not fear these ordinary intimidation tactics due to their strong inner fortitude.

The "Five Hearings and Three Interrogations" was the standardized procedure for Human Race criminal trials.

"And then? What if the prisoner in the cell doesn't confess? Inducing a confession? Coercing a confession?" Yun Bai pondered the judicial interrogation of this world with great interest.

What Yun Bai did not know was that this room was equipped with a mysterious Formation that could present the situation inside the room in the form of sound and images on a bronze mirror. In other words, it was this world's "camera."

"Boss, why do you think this kid has no reaction at all? Usually, people can barely sit still for a quarter of an hour after going in. There have been many cases where people stayed for a few hours like him and suffered a mental breakdown," a young constable asked his boss in a low voice.

"Hmph, the household registration file has been pulled. This person is named Yun Bai, and he has a younger sister named Yun Qian. This kid has cultivation, recorded as First Realm Early Stage. Yet, he alone beat two other Cultivators with the same cultivation level to the point where they had no power to fight back, and even cut off their arms. Such a person is not simple," the head constable frowned and said.

"Was anything found on him? He is a registered mercenary Cultivator of the Northwest Army. Where is his nameplate?" the head constable asked with suspicion.

"Boss, besides that sword and scabbard, he only had that nameplate on him. I reckon his other belongings might be with his sister, Yun Qian."

"It is a fact that he isn't confessing! His violent act was undisguised, in broad daylight, and witnessed by many; it is indisputable. Let the formal trial be held the day after tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon." A voice suddenly came from behind the two, and they quickly turned around and bowed, "Magistrate Hu Qian."

"Are you sure there is no problem with this kid's identity?" Magistrate Hu Qian walked toward them with his belly protruding and his hands behind his back, taking steady, measured steps.

"Reporting to Magistrate Hu Qian, we haven't found anything yet." The head constable smiled obsequiously, "However... can you not trust me to handle things?"

"That is true. You have worked hard these years," Magistrate Hu Qian stroked his beard and smiled.

"Magistrate Hu Qian, I have some guesses. I just checked, and his identity nameplate matches: Initial Realm Late Stage." The head constable said, "But in my opinion, this kid acts decisively with strong killing intent. Judging from the wounds of those two injured people, his cultivation is likely not the Initial Realm Late Stage recorded in the file. Combined with his age of just eighteen, I suspect that he might be, uh, is he..."

"You go out." Magistrate Hu Qian shooed the young constable away, "You continue."

"I think, uh, has he... already had a Breakthrough to the First Realm?"

The head constable didn't dare to guess Yun Bai's cultivation too outrageously. In his view, an eighteen-year-old First Realm Early Stage Cultivator was rare among the so-called "Geniuses" he had encountered in his decades of service. As for an eighteen-year-old First Realm Mid-stage, he didn't dare to make such a bold guess in front of his superior.

"Hiss, Constable Zhang Jing, don't guess wildly," Magistrate Hu Qian said in surprise.

"I am just guessing. Think about it, this is a special period. The State Religion has come down from the Capital to our Northwest. Now, the forces of the military, civilians, officials, and the State Religion in our Chu Prefecture city are complex. The State Religion has now entered the city, recruiting Cultivators on a large scale, and controlling many matters related to eliminating demons and defending the Dao. This has already affected the interests within."

"Our government is the weakest party in this war-torn border city of Chu Prefecture compared to the Northwest Army and the State Religion. If we are not careful, it will be hard to handle the aftermath," Constable Zhang Jing, as a low-level official, had given some thought to the current situation.

"What do you mean?" Magistrate Hu Qian was not a fool; he narrowed his eyes.

"This person's cultivation and combat power are unusual. Whether he has passed the assessment to join the State Religion or is a member of the Northwest Army, it doesn't matter. Even if he isn't, we can say that we discovered a Genius and send him out," Constable Zhang Jing said slowly.

"Send him out?" Magistrate Hu Qian asked, "Then tell me, to whom should we send him?"

Constable Zhang Jing waved his hands repeatedly: "Magistrate Hu Qian, this is just my humble opinion; I dare not influence your decision. Whether you agree with my view or not, whatever you choose, I will do my best for you!"

"I am just suggesting that, at the very least, we should not be in a hurry to move against this Yun Bai. Anyway, it is no loss to you for the time being."

Magistrate Hu Qian nodded upon hearing this, patted Constable Zhang Jing on the shoulder, and left with his hands behind his back.

...

...

...

Li Pazi woke up the day after the incident. He opened his eyes with difficulty and found himself lying in a medical clinic, his right hand having been reattached, wrapped in a thick plaster cast.

The Human Race's medical skills had developed over thousands of years and were already very mature. Moreover, for the past hundred years, demons had been rampant, and Cultivators were constantly fighting, so broken arms and legs were common in medical clinics. This had also promoted rapid advancements in surgical skills, especially in this border city where the demand for such treatment was very high.

In short, the severed limbs of Chen Qiang and Li Pazi had already been reattached.

Li Pazi suddenly thought of something; his face turned pale, and he tried to touch down below with his trembling left hand.

"Don't touch it, it's gone." At this moment, Chen Qiang's voice came from the side. Chen Qiang had woken up half an hour earlier than Li Pazi and was staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Ah—" Upon hearing this, Li Pazi felt a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

Hatred, fear, loss, emptiness, pain...

"Yun Bai! Yun Bai!" Li Pazi was trembling all over.

"What are you doing! What are you doing! This is a medical clinic, no loud noises allowed! Whoever dares to shout loudly will be kicked out immediately! You can fend for yourselves!" Only an impatient voice could be heard scolding from outside the room.

The medical clinics in Chu Prefecture city were overcrowded all year round, mostly receiving Cultivators. Among the various types of Cultivators, there were many who relied on their cultivation to cause trouble, which caused the doctors in the clinics to have rather short tempers. One had to know that if the doctors spoke kindly, some people would think the clinic was easy to bully!

As someone who had been struggling in this area for many years, Li Pazi naturally knew these things. Frightened, he immediately fell silent, and the pent-up anger with nowhere to vent flushed his originally pale face red.

"Alright, stop yelling..." Chen Qiang said weakly, "I hate him too... I have been thinking just now about how to kill this kid."

When saying the words "kill him," Chen Qiang exuded a shocking killing intent, his teeth gnashing and clattering.

"If we go to the main hall, that Yun Bai will definitely say that we were the ones who broke into the private residence and bullied his sister. By then, even if he is sentenced, I reckon he won't die; at most, it will be imprisonment or exile."

"Exile? Hehehehahahaha." Hearing the word "exile," Li Pazi couldn't help but sneer uncontrollably, "Where is this? This is the Northwest border! Where else can one be exiled to? To the Capital? I want him to die! Die!"

Li Pazi's voice was hoarse, and he tried desperately to keep his volume down, but he could not suppress his hatred!