Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

“Director Jin, I have never seen the criminal, let alone helped him smuggle himself across the border.”

“Minister Jin, I’ve been in the Sword Tower for so long, I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”

"Director Jin, I haven't helped people smuggle themselves out of the country for a long time."

Thirteen gang leaders all made statements, implying that they had never seen the perpetrator, let alone helped him smuggle out of the city. They spoke with such sincerity that it was almost believable.

However, Jin Wei did not give up.

If these people think they can fool him so easily, then they are treating Jin Wei like a pushover.

These gang bosses are the type who won't act until they see results, and they won't shed tears until they see the coffin. It's not that easy to pry information about the criminals out of them.

Jin Wei glanced around and said calmly, "Since you gang leaders have put me in such a difficult position, there's nothing I can do. Men, please invite all the big shots back to the Fifth Bureau to drink our refreshing tea and help them remember things."

Upon hearing this, Zhiqi stepped forward in an official manner and said, "We now suspect that you are assisting the murderers in the case of killing officials and plotting rebellion to escape from the city. You would better cooperate with the investigation, otherwise you will all be treated as traitors and your entire families will be exterminated."

The two teams of Plum Blossom Guards immediately stepped forward. They didn't use any force, but simply stood politely behind these gang leaders. However, the pressure emanating from the Plum Blossom Guards had already made the group of people sweat profusely.

The thirteen gang leaders' expressions changed drastically, and they all raised their hands, shouting, "Wait! Wait!!!"

Jin Wei, who was about to leave, paused, turned back to look at the group of gang leaders, and said calmly, "What's wrong? Did you gang leaders suddenly remember something?"

A gang leader said, "I really haven't seen it, but maybe the criminal asked one of my men to help him smuggle himself out. I'm not lying to you, Jin. How could I possibly do something as trivial as smuggling myself?"

Another gang leader quickly said, "Director Jin, let's talk this out. It's fine to chat here, there's no need to go back to the Fifth Bureau. If you're looking for the culprit, I'll try to ask around, maybe I'll have some information."

Other gang leaders chimed in, saying they could help contact gang members to ask.

Jin Wei crossed his arms and slowly said, "I'll wait for you for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"Yes, yes, yes..." The gang leaders nodded in unison, not daring to hesitate. They immediately took out various communication devices to contact their subordinates, asking if they had seen the criminal or helped him smuggle out of the city.

These thirteen big shots are all the new generation leaders of their respective gangs. They are all cultivators at the Food Fiend Realm and are all prominent figures in the dock area, each controlling one or more docks.

To outsiders, they are powerful, wealthy, and domineering, enjoying immense prestige and surrounded by a large following. No one in the dock area dares to mess with them. But in the end, they are nothing more than vicious dogs kept by the big bosses behind the scenes.

If they were indeed brought to the Fifth Division of the Censorate for the murder of an official and treason, they would inevitably suffer torture. After all, they were not officials and had no special privileges. Once inside, they would certainly be subjected to various forms of severe torture and interrogation.

If, during the interrogation, it is found that they did indeed participate in criminal activities, whether it was assisting the perpetrator to escape or other illegal acts, they will face corresponding legal penalties.

Even if no conclusive evidence is ultimately found to prove their connection to the perpetrators, the very act of being taken away by five authorities could damage their status and business.

They weren't afraid, because they had people backing them up.

If Jin Wei can bring them in, the powerful figures behind them can find someone to bail them out. The key is that if they don't cooperate, they won't get any benefits and will only get themselves into trouble.

A moment later, the leader of the Chaoyong Gang said, "Mr. Jin, it's true that one of our gang's smugglers saw the criminal. I've already sent men to arrest him."

Jin Wei calmly said, "How long?"

The leader of the Chaoyong Gang said, "A cup of tea."

After a short while, two members of the Chaoyong Gang escorted a henchman to the warehouse. They skillfully kicked the henchman in the back of the knee, and the henchman immediately knelt on the ground, looking around at the gang leaders in terror.

Finally, the underling's gaze settled on the leader of the Tide Surge Gang. He crawled on his knees to the leader's front, hugged his legs, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down his face: "Leader, spare my life, spare my life!"

The leader of the Tide Surge Gang coldly stared at his underling and kicked him away: "What are you howling about? If you want to live, tell us everything you know. If you dare to omit or conceal anything, I'll chop you up and feed you to the fish."

The younger brother was kicked to the ground and immediately fell silent in fright.

The leader of the Tide Surge Gang faced Jin Wei, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This man is called Zamao. Director Jin, please ask whatever you want."

Jin Wei walked up to the scraggly man, put his hands behind his back, bent down, and stared into his eyes: "Have you seen the criminal?"

The scruffy-haired henchman knelt down, nodding in terror, "I've met you before."

Jin Wei asked again, "Has the person been sent out of the city?"

The scruffy-haired man shook his head repeatedly and said, "Not yet."

Jin Wei breathed a slight sigh of relief, knowing that the task of sending him out of the city could still continue: "You scoundrel, don't be nervous. I am a clerk in the Plum Blossom Division of the Fifth Bureau of the Censorate."

"On the orders of Deputy Commander Zhou, I was specifically tasked with apprehending the criminal."

"Now I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Just tell us your entire story of your contact with the criminal and help us catch him. Afterwards, I'll put in a good word for you with Deputy Commander Zhou, and I'll make sure you live and your family is safe."

Upon hearing that he wouldn't be killed or his clan wiped out, and could even atone for his crimes, the scraggly underling's fear and unease were immediately soothed. He then nodded happily and said, "Thank you, Director Jin, for sparing my life. I will certainly atone for my crimes through meritorious service."

Jin Wei gave a soft "hmm": "Go ahead and say it."

The scruffy-haired underling organized his thoughts and said, "That man calls himself Gong Yuluo."

I don't know your real name or your pseudonym.

"At first I really didn't know. He was hiding his face and acting mysteriously, but I didn't pay attention. After all, most people who smuggle themselves out of the city are in trouble and have to run away, so it's normal for them to hide their faces."

"So I accepted 10 yuan in legal fees from him, as is customary in the trade."

"Later, I saw the portrait on the city-wide wanted poster and was afraid that I would get into big trouble. After all, although it was illegal for me to make this money, if I got caught, I would only be imprisoned for a few years at most. But if I got involved in the murder of an official and treason case, my whole family would be gone."

"So I was careful and made him show his face to me, saying that I needed to have an artist make a portrait to prepare a fake travel document. Only then did he show it to me, and that's when I realized that the other party was the criminal on the wanted poster."

“I wanted to back out at the time, but… the other party was willing to pay more, up to 350,000 yuan. I had no choice, the other party was offering too much, and I couldn’t resist my greed and agreed. But I wanted to see the cash.”

“Yesterday he said he didn’t have that much cash on hand and needed three days to prepare, so I gave him three days. We agreed to meet at Pier 6 at 3:45 AM three days later, and I wouldn’t wait up if he was late.”

Jin Wei quickly wrote down what the rascal said in black and white, confirming that it was accurate. Then he took out a box of red clay and made the rascal sign it on the spot.

Seeing this, the leader of the Chaoyong Gang was so angry that he kicked him: "You dare to swindle any kind of money, you want to die? Take your whole family and jump into the river, you son of a bitch, are you trying to kill me too? I'll kill you first!"

The scraggly man crawled on the ground, begging for mercy, "Master, spare me! Spare me!"

Seeing this, Jin Wei continued writing with his brush, reciting as he wrote: "The Chaoyong Gang assisted the rebels in escaping the city. After the incident, the gang leader killed people in public to silence them, attempting to kill the witnesses."

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Chaoyong Gang, forgetting to reprimand his underlings, was immediately terrified. He hurriedly ran to Jin Wei and frantically reached out to snatch the notebook, but dared not, jumping up and down in a panic.

"Minister Jin, Minister Jin, oh my god, I've cooperated with everything I was supposed to, and I've handed over the people you wanted. You can't just abandon me after you've served your purpose. Please, have mercy and let me go."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei remained unmoved and said indifferently, "The difference between assisting a rebel to escape as an individual and assisting a rebel to escape as a group is like heaven and earth. I am currently in need of merit for promotion, so I will borrow the heads of the entire Chao Yong Gang."

The leader of the Chaoyong Gang turned pale with fright. The other twelve gang leaders present all looked at Jin Wei with fear and shock, never expecting him to be so ruthless, cunning, and cold-blooded.

Jin Wei suddenly smiled, facing the leader of the Tide Surge Gang, he reached out and tore off a page he had just written, releasing cyan magic power from his palm that instantly pulverized the page: "Don't be nervous, I was just joking with you."

“We are friends. If you help me once, I will help you once.”

"Don't worry, this matter will stop here and won't escalate any further."

"Hey, look how scared you are." Jin Wei laughed and patted the face of the Chaoyong Gang leader. He then turned and beckoned to Zhiqi, "Let's call it a day. We lowly servants shouldn't bother you big shots."

Zhiqi grabbed Zamao's shoulder, half-lifting and half-pushing him back. The two teams of Plum Blossom Guards silently and neatly returned to their positions, quickly leaving the warehouse behind Zhiqi.

The gang leaders present fell silent. The leader of the Tide Surge Gang wiped his sweat. The feeling of surviving a disaster made him realize what it meant to be alive, and what it meant to go from heaven to hell in an instant.

Jin Wei is not a troublemaker. He will not make enemies for the young master. Unless he wants to bring down the mastermind behind the Chao Yong Gang, there is no need to continue to expand the results and turn an individual case into a group case.

Moreover, doing so completely severed any possibility of future cooperation, making it impossible to obtain the desired information or help find people from these gangsters entrenched at the docks, as is the case today.

So this matter can only end here, but we can't just end it so hastily.

Given that the group in front of us was not very cooperative and was quite perfunctory.

He had to let them know that he could easily destroy all these so-called gangster bosses if he wanted to. The reason he hadn't made them part of his success was because he, Jin Wei, was willing to befriend them, not because they had powerful backers.

A gang leader stood there for a long time, then slowly exhaled: "Jin Wei, the number one lackey of the Zhou family, lives up to his reputation. He is indeed terrifying. No wonder he is someone who can be trusted by Zhou Silang. Today I have witnessed it firsthand."

While Jin Wei, following Zhou Qingfeng's instructions, was making significant progress in apprehending the criminal and things were looking up, Yan Wenjiu was in dire straits.

"Stupid, do you have a pig's brain?"

"Yan Wenjiu, when did I tell you to kill Zhou Qingfeng?"

"How dare you assassinate the young master of the first family?"

"Touch your head and see if it's still on your neck."

In the Imperial Medical Academy, in a secluded courtyard, Luo Bingyi paced back and forth in the study, pointing at Yan Wenjiu and launching into a tirade of abuse. Zhai Xingyuan, standing nearby, listened with cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Yan Wenjiu stood up straight as he was being scolded, saying, "Teacher, Senior Brother Zhai told me to go and kill him."

"Shut up. Zhai Xingyuan told you to eat shit, but are you going to eat shit after that?"

"Teacher, Supervisor Zhai said this is your idea."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingyi angrily pointed to the door and said, "Get out! I don't want to see you right now."

Yan Wenjiu pursed his lips, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Yes, teacher."

"Don't call me teacher!"

"is teacher."

"Go away, go away, I get annoyed just looking at you."

Seeing this, Yan Wenjiu clasped his hands in a fist salute, took a few steps back, and turned to leave. He knew that he wouldn't be the one to take the blame for the assassination of Zhou Qingfeng, so he would leave Zhai Xingyuan to face the teacher's wrath alone.

Luo Bingyi picked up his teacup and took two sips, trying to suppress his inner shock and anger.

Zhai Xingyuan then spoke up, "Teacher, isn't it a bit too harsh on Wen Jiu to scold him like that?"

"Screw you!" Luo Bingyi, who had just calmed down, saw Zhai Xingyuan still speaking up for Yan Wenjiu and immediately smashed the teacup in his hand at Zhai Xingyuan's head. The teacup shattered on the spot, and Zhai Xingyuan was drenched in tea water.

Zhai Xingyuan didn't dare to dodge. He stood up straight to take the hit, otherwise the teacher's anger would not subside. After all, the teacher's anger always needs to be vented somewhere, and once he vented, everything would be fine. He couldn't really strangle the student.

Luo Bingyi paced back and forth, clutching his head and groaning in pain. Seeing this, Zhai Xingyuan quickly stepped forward and helped Luo Bingyi sit down in a chair: "Teacher, calm down. We did everything for your own good."

Looking at the students' concerned eyes, Luo Bingyi sighed inwardly.

Regardless of the extent of their previous conflicts with Zhou Qingfeng, both sides at least refrained from fighting and maintained restraint.

Zhou Qingfeng wanted to peacefully regain power and was willing to give Luo Bingyi a dignified retirement opportunity. Luo Bingyi felt deeply humiliated and was unwilling to retire just like that. He still wanted to fight with Zhou Qingfeng.

However, the fight was limited to fights within the rules; he didn't even dare to think about killing Zhou Qingfeng.

Now that the students are acting behind his back, it's fine if they succeed.

But now they have failed, and Zhou Qingfeng is very likely to suspect that he sent his students to do it.

This completely escalated the conflict between the two sides, and Zhou Qingfeng would inevitably launch a bloody and cruel revenge.

These students, they thought their teacher wasn't pitiful enough for being seriously ill, and wanted to skip the rescue step and send him directly to the crematorium to be burned: "Xingyuan, you're not doing this for my own good, you want me to die!"

Zhai Xingyuan was taken aback and quickly said, "Teacher, you are too kind. How could I dare to wish for your death? Such a rebellious thing is something I dare not even think about, much less do."

Luo Bingyi looked at Zhai Xingyuan with a complicated expression, patted the back of his hand, and gestured for him to sit down opposite him.

Seeing this, Zhai Xingyuan knew that his teacher had regained his senses, so he turned around and sat back down in the guest seat: "Teacher, I apologize and admit my mistake. I was rash this time and too eager for quick success. My actions were indeed inappropriate. I am willing to accept any punishment from you without any complaints."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingyi was furious at Zhai Xingyuan's lack of self-control and pointed at him, saying, "You're not just reckless, you're lawless!"

P.S.: Please give me a tip, a free gift, a good review, follow my updates, and subscribe.