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

The old woman led the way.

Zhou Qingfeng led a group of people to follow behind, walking for about half an hour until they arrived at the old woman's doorstep.

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Jin Wei, you come in with me. The rest of you wait outside."

"Yes, Commander Zhou." Ten black-clad guards stood at the door, swords at their sides.

Xiao Qi Jinwei followed Zhou Qingfeng into the old woman's house. The old woman led Zhou Qingfeng to his son's room and pointed to the room, saying, "Chief Zhou, this is my son's bedroom."

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hand on his knife and said calmly, "Jin Wei, investigate the scene."

Xiao Qi Jinwei clasped his hands in greeting, bowed, and quickly stepped forward to check.

Zhou Qingfeng had no intention of personally inspecting the scene. On the one hand, he was not an expert in investigating cases and catching criminals; on the other hand, with his professional subordinates, he didn't need to instruct an expert.

We'll have the results soon if there are any problems.

After waiting a moment, Junior Flag Officer Jin Wei clasped his hands and reported, "Commander Zhou, we have made a discovery."

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Speak."

Xiao Qi Jinwei said, "The owner of this place should be a woodcarver. There are various wood carvings in the room, and the craftsmanship looks extremely exquisite. In addition, we found a half-carved Bodhisattva covering its face under the table."

"Although there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, but..."

There was a pause.

Zhou Qingfeng frowned and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

After carefully choosing his words, Xiao Qi Jin Wei said, "In my opinion, this person has probably really been kidnapped."

Zhou Qingfeng asked casually, "Approximately? What's the basis for that?"

Junior Flag Officer Jin Wei presented the Buddha statue with its face covered: "Chief Flag Officer, please take a look. The last cut on this Buddha statue is clearly off-center. It's unlikely that a skilled woodcarver would make such a basic, apprentice-level mistake."

"Unless the person was suddenly interrupted during the carving process."

"He didn't have time to sheathe his knife, thus damaging the Bodhisattva statue with its face covered."

"Furthermore, the discovery of this wooden carving under the table is highly unusual. I have reason to believe that someone kidnapped him in an instant, causing the carving to fall from his hands and land under the table."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng cast a look of verification at the old woman.

Upon seeing this, the old woman said, "Yes, yes, my son is indeed a very good woodcarver. Many woodworking shops in the city are vying to offer him high prices to become their master craftsman, but he refuses to go."

"He said he felt disgusted by the sight of people, saying that people were not even as good as wood, and that he loved wood carving his whole life, regarding his wood carvings as treasures. He would never throw his carved wood carvings on the ground."

“When he’s carving wood at home, he doesn’t let anyone in. He’s busy sometimes all day long and hardly ever socializes. Even if he goes out, he’ll tell me first. He would never disappear for two days like he does now.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng seemed to be deep in thought: "Let me double-check, has anyone asked you for ransom?"

The old woman shook her head: "No."

"That's strange. Why kidnap someone and not ask for a ransom? Is it for revenge?"

“My son rarely even has social engagements, so where would he get any enemies?”

"Not necessarily. Until the person is found, anything is possible."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and immediately ordered: "Jin Wei, I observe that the households here are mostly familiar faces, and there are few strangers visiting. If a stranger does come here, someone will surely remember him."

"First, send someone to visit the surrounding neighbors to confirm whether they have seen any strangers recently."

"A wild goose leaves a trace as it flies by; it will definitely leave a mark if it comes here."

"Also, could you check... um, ma'am, what's your son's name?"

The old woman said, "Mu Zi Li."

"Hmm, check if Mu Zili owes money, has any grudges against anyone, or has an affair with someone else's wife. In the past month, find out where he has been and who he has met. Give me a definite answer before dawn tomorrow."

Jin Wei was stunned for a moment, his face turning red with embarrassment, and he said aggrievedly, "This subordinate cannot do it."

Zhou Qingfeng said coldly, "The person has been missing for two days. The longer it drags on, the harder it will be to find them."

"I will provide you with manpower, as many as you need. You can command any number of the miscellaneous servants and strongmen within the department."

"This is the first case since I took office. If I mess it up, you'd better think about the consequences."

"I won't say more. You're a smart person, you should know what to do."

Jin Wei broke out in a cold sweat, suddenly feeling a suffocating sense of oppression emanating from Zhou Qingfeng.

That was suppression based on power and status, not on combat strength.

Jin Wei is a cultivator at the Food Disaster Realm, while Zhou Qingfeng is just a novice at the Food Turbidity Realm. Jin Wei could easily crush Zhou Qingfeng with a single finger, but even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare.

"Yes, Commander Zhou, Jin Wei will do his best." Jin Wei clasped his hands and bowed, then ran out quickly, shouting at the black-clad strongmen outside the courtyard, "Investigate for me! Anyone who gets in my way today, I'll chop them to pieces!"

Zhou Qingfeng's expression softened slightly, and he smiled at the old woman: "Don't worry, everyone in Sword Tower City is the city lord's precious property. Anyone who dares to kidnap Mu Zili is stealing the city lord's property, and this matter cannot be tolerated!"

"No matter what, I will find Mu Zili for you. I will find him alive or dead. As for the person who kidnapped Mu Zili, I will make him regret ever being born."

The old woman burst into tears, feeling for the first time that the voice of a commoner like herself was being taken seriously: "Thank you, City Lord, thank you, Commander Zhou."

Zhou Qingfeng patted the old woman's hand to comfort her. Looking at her tearful face, he couldn't help but think of his own parents, who were probably suffering terribly because of his mysterious disappearance.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qingfeng's mood became heavy, and he had no mood to have any further conversation with the old woman. He turned around, picked up his knife, and left to personally visit various places and investigate clues.

He had a vague feeling that Mu Zili's disappearance was not simple. Considering that the Night Patrol Division did not handle missing persons cases and there were no unsolved cases in the archives, Mu Zili's kidnapping and disappearance might have some unknown connection.

All of this seems normal, but it is actually an abnormal phenomenon. Perhaps only a thorough investigation can reveal the truth.

Today, the people of Sword Tower City only saw the Night Patrol officers running around investigating and arresting people.

The servants, strongmen, and flag bearers almost all came out, creating a spectacle of unprecedented scale.

The people were terrified when they saw it, thinking that some terrible disaster had occurred.

They all asked the Night Patrol Division what had happened and whether they should pack their things and run.

The Night Patrol officers followed Zhou Qingfeng's instructions to clarify the situation and avoid causing panic among the people or creating any major disturbance: "By order of Commander Zhou, we are investigating the case of the disappearance and kidnapping of woodcarver Mu Zili from Yangjiao Lane. Please do not panic."

"A reward of a thousand coins will be given to anyone who can provide valuable information."

"The reward money will be paid out of Zhou Zongqi's own pocket, and he guarantees it with his personal reputation, and will never go back on his word."

"So that's how it is! That scared me to death!" The people of Sword Tower felt a little relieved after learning the truth, but then they started thinking about the reward money. Providing a piece of information would earn them a thousand coins, which was just the right amount to tempt their greed.

Moreover, you can get paid just by talking, with no cost or risk whatsoever.