From a humble farmer to a great martial arts master

26. Do things perfectly

—This man was begging to live, and although he mentioned the Demon Suppression Bureau as his backer in his words, he dared not presume to attach himself to it, lest he cause trouble in the future.

Ren Qingshan noticed the subtle nuances in his thoughts and chuckled inwardly.

This person is involved in organized crime, but even in the darkest of cases, he fears the Demon Suppression Division.

Tsk.

The Demon Suppression Bureau is terrifying beyond belief!

Right now, killing someone isn't difficult for me, but I need to avoid leaving any trouble and make things run smoothly.

Thinking this, Ren Qingshan first questioned him about his background: "In previous years, which member of the Demon Suppression Division came to you to collect monkey wine?"

The man licked his lips, his sharp Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a word.

I wonder what the identity of this silver-blooded warrior is...

But how could I dare to utter that person's name?

He clenched his teeth and remained silent.

"You're quite loyal, aren't you? Could it be Li Xuanqing? That's why you don't even dare to say his name?"

Li Xuanqing is the head of the Demon Suppression Division of Huaiyin County, a martial artist at the Jade Marrow Realm.

Ren Qingshan showed absolutely no respect for "Li Xuanqing" in his tone, treating him as an equal.

Upon hearing this, the man trembled violently, his eyes filled with horror, and he shook his head frantically.

No, it's not.

"No, that's really not the case."

"Lord Li is of extremely high status; how could someone as insignificant as me possibly catch his eye?"

My heart pounded with shock. Who exactly was this person in front of me?

Why? Why does it seem like you don't even respect Lord Li?

"Is that Liu Yunfei?"

"Still Liang Gubo?"

"Or perhaps Zhang Chongyang?"

These past few days, while chatting with Hu Xiaofeng, Ren Qingshan spoke with great familiarity about everyone in the Demon Suppression Division.

These three were all Silver-Blood Warriors in the Demon Suppression Division, and Li Xuanqing's three capable subordinates.

The man gritted his teeth and lowered his head deeply.

A sense of despair began to rise in my heart.

The person before me, who knows so much about the Demon Suppression Division, must be of noble or wealthy status.

Today is miserable!

Even so, no matter how much he kills or tortures me, I must never speak out!

Seeing his stubborn resistance, Ren Qingshan had a vague idea in his mind. This kind of person, who couldn't be pried open at this point, couldn't possibly be loyal. Besides fear, there was probably something more important at stake.

"You have offspring who work in the Demon Suppression Division?"

The most likely explanation for this is that it could make a man so stubborn.

The man suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open, his face showing a look of utter disbelief, but he desperately shook his head in denial.

"No!"

Absolutely not!

Seeing his flustered rebuttal, Ren Qingshan, instead of doubting him, asked with a half-smile, "Is it that you didn't do it, or that you dare not admit it? Or is it that you're doing these shady things that you don't even dare tell your own son, lest he be implicated and stripped of his official position?"

If one wants to pass the martial arts examination and obtain an official position, one must absolutely not have any stains on one's face.

Even the big shots in the county, when they want to commit murder or arson, usually hire a middleman, someone from a gang, to do it for them.

Upon hearing this...

The man's bare upper body was drenched in sweat, his heart completely consumed by despair and fear.

Unexpectedly, the person before me is so intelligent that he's almost demonic!

What should I do?

In their current predicament, they are truly caught between a choice between life and death.

Even if he were to atone with his death, his son's identity would be easily discovered once the investigation was conducted.

My son is foolish and hot-tempered, lacking in cunning. What if he gets angry and, overestimating his abilities, seeks revenge?

It's a dead end...

"My lord, my lord, let's talk this over. I am useful, very useful!"

"I will spare your life and do my utmost to serve you!"

The man was terrified and pleaded desperately.

At this moment.

This is the only way to survive.

……

"What use would I have for a thief like you?"

"Tell me all the cases you've committed while running this shady business over the years, one by one."

Ren Qingshan had him completely under his control and questioned him with a cold laugh.

With a light flick of his toes, he picked up the bundle that had fallen to the ground and took it in his hand.

They slowly and methodically disassembled and examined the parts.

The bundle jingled and rattled, revealing quite a few items inside.

A dozen or so pieces of silver, roughly thirty taels in total.

Several hundred copper coins.

Three jade pendants and one gold hairpin.

Seven land deeds, a packet of sleeping pills, a bottle of sleeping potion, and a blowgun.

A book of martial arts secrets.

Murder and arson bring wealth and honor.

This road is actually the fastest way to make money.

Ren Qingshan thought to himself as he casually flipped through the martial arts manual.

It is an introductory leg technique, "Chasing Wind Leg".

Although it is not particularly profound, it has its merits and can make up for some of the shortcomings of the Mountain-Opening Palm.

The man was quite distressed, but having his weakness exposed, he had no choice but to confess, though he downplayed the seriousness of the matter: "Actually, I didn't do many. I'm already extremely lucky if I can do two or three a month."

"We dare not work with local merchants who have established connections, nor with large caravans, and even less so with those protected by bodyguards."

"Only those traveling alone, or business travelers from out of town... especially those lecherous men who are easily swayed by beauty, can be ripped off."

Ren Qingshan naturally did not believe these words.

"Yes, you won't participate in the caravan trade, but you'll inform the bandits in the mountains so they can rob you, right... and you won't get a share of the profits?"

The man gave a wry smile.

The more she thought about Ren Qingshan's identity, the more alarmed she became.

Could it be someone sent by the imperial court to secretly investigate this matter?

If that's the case, then the entire landscape of Huaiyin County will change drastically!

"My lord, I had no choice."

"The bandits in the mountains also have their own powerful backers."

"This gang of bandits roams around when there's nothing to do, but they only come up in a big way when trouble arises. The leader is the brother-in-law of Li, the garrison commander of the county town; the second leader is a distant relative of Zhang, the head constable of the yamen; and the third leader is from the local prominent Pang family... I can't afford to offend any of them."

Ren Qingshan looked at him indifferently, his face as calm as a mountain.

This pool of water is indeed quite deep.

Pulling out the radish brings out the mud along with it.

A tangled web of snakes and rats.

"Let's go back inside."

"Write these details down for me on a piece of paper and press your fingerprint on it."

"Let's consider this as you redeeming yourself through meritorious service."

Ren Qingshan said in a deep voice, "Take him down completely."

……

At dawn.

Inside the room.

Ren Qingshan interrogated the three men in turn and obtained their confessions. The man, Huang Youcai, the old man, Huang Shuisheng, and the woman, Meiniang, all pressed their fingerprints. The three men were completely wilted, like eggplants after a frost.

Ren Qingshan folded the paper neatly and put it into his arms.

"Today, I'll spare your three lives. Keep an eye on those bandits, and record any moves they make."

"Let's consider it as you three redeeming yourselves through meritorious service."

"clear?"

The three men were overjoyed and nodded vigorously, like pecking at rice.

The silver-blooded warrior before them truly possessed an aura of authority; he was both powerful and cunning, much like those high-ranking adults.

"What's your son's name?"

"If you do things for me, I will take good care of him if I have the opportunity in the future."

Before leaving, Ren Qingshan asked one last question.

Huang Youcai glanced at his father, and just as he was hesitating, he heard Meiniang say, "My lord, his name is Huang Yulang. He works as an executioner in the torture chamber of the Demon Suppression Bureau."

He fell silent, lowered his head, and sighed deeply.

Yulang was the eldest son of his first wife, who had passed away. This Meiniang was a former prostitute who had reformed. Although she had given birth to a son for him, she was ultimately a slut with her own agenda.

A torture chamber?

Punisher?

It's a place that produces great people...

Ren Qingshan shook his head and smiled.

"Keep today's events a secret for now, and pretend nothing happened. From now on, I will come once a month."

He left those words behind, then strode out the door and headed into the mountains.

Seeing that the evil star had completely left, the three of them breathed a long sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and all looked worried.

Good news: He's still alive.

Bad news: All the money is gone!

……

……