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

In the end... after Cai Nianxiong's desperate pleas, the demon was spared his life for the time being and escorted back to Cai Guozhong to clean up the mess his son had made. Zhou Qingfeng didn't want to clean up Cai Nianxiong's mess, after all, he wasn't toilet paper.

The problem is, after cleaning up the mess, you still get resentful. What's the point?

Cai Nianxiong now regards Zhong Yue and the others as his brothers.

Regardless of the consequences, directly killing Zhong Yue and the others will surely incur their hatred.

If hatred is allowed to fester, it may become a major threat in the future.

Letting Zhong Yue and the others off the hook is impossible.

If you let him off the hook today, and then let someone else off the hook tomorrow, Zhou Qingfeng might as well switch careers and become a horse herder.

Cai Nianxiong caused this mess, so let his father clean it up. Whatever the blame, it's on his father. It has nothing to do with Zhou Qingfeng. Anyway, Cai Guozhong brought the person back, so it's up to you, as his father, to clean up the mess.

Zhou Qingfeng always knows how to strike a good balance in his conduct and actions.

But if it involves close family members, that's a different story.

Soon, the group returned to Ravencrest.

In the courtyard of the Baron's mansion, Zhou Qingfeng briefly explained the situation to Cai Guozhong and handed Cai Nianxiong over to him. Zhong Yue and his group stood in a row in the courtyard, waiting for Cai Guozhong to handle the matter.

Cai Guozhong sat steadily on the stone chair and said, "Mr. Jiang, let me take care of some family matters first, and we'll talk later."

"Please go ahead." Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly, then stepped aside and waited patiently.

Cai Guozhong nodded with a smile, then looked at Cai Nianxiong, who was standing there with his head down and not saying a word. His smile instantly turned into an extremely stern expression, and he pointed at Cai Nianxiong and said sternly, "You brat, why don't you come over here? What are you standing there for?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Nianxiong, looking completely unconcerned, swaggered over and gave a perfunctory bow, saying, "Father."

Cai Guozhong rebuked, "Do you know your mistake?!"

Cai Nianxiong said, "I don't know where I went wrong."

Seeing Cai Nianxiong's unrepentant attitude, Cai Guozhong suddenly flew into a rage, stood up and slapped Cai Nianxiong on the head: "Damn it, I am a dignified baron, the supreme commander of the Hell Legion, and you ran off to become a thief, mixing with a bunch of cultists to rebel against your father, what a fucking idiot, people will laugh their heads off if word gets out, you've made me lose all face!"

Cai Nianxiong let Cai Guozhong slap and shake him without resisting. He was already used to his father's simple and brutal education. Anyway, his father would not kill his only son. He would just get a beating and vent his anger.

Cai Guozhong grew increasingly annoyed when he couldn't get a word out, and slapped him: "Speak up, why aren't you saying anything?"

Cai Nianxiong lowered his head and muttered in a low voice, "I just want to find my mother. You won't help me, fine, but when I asked for help, you sent people to arrest me. You're being unreasonable, you old bastard."

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong put his hands on his hips and pointed at Cai Nianxiong: "Say it again if you dare, and say it louder!"

Cai Nianxiong pursed his lips, mustered his courage, and looked at his father loudly, saying, "I said, if my mother were here, you wouldn't dare to hit me. Now that I've found my mother's whereabouts and am almost done with it, you sent people to stop me, abandoning my mother and ignoring her. You're even gloating over what you call Hellboy, patting yourself on the back. You don't even care whether my mother lives or dies, you old bastard!"

Cai Guozhong was slightly taken aback, his beard trembling with anger. He stared at Cai Nianxiong in disbelief, then paced back and forth, pointing at Cai Nianxiong repeatedly. Finally, he roared, "I'll beat you to death today, you dog! Men, bring the family discipline!"

Upon hearing this, the servants in the courtyard quickly brought out sticks and whips of different sizes and respectfully presented them with both hands.

Cai Guozhong first picked up a stick as thick as his arm, weighed it in his hand, and felt that the force would kill his son, so he put it down and picked a slightly thinner one. He found that even the thinner stick would cripple his son, so he changed to an even thinner stick.

"Damn it, why did you bring that knife up here?!"

When Cai Guozhong saw a servant handing him a knife, he angrily swept it aside.

After switching between them, Cai Guozhong picked the thinnest rattan cane and angrily pointed it at Cai Nianxiong: "Kneel down!"

Cai Nianxiong knelt down without hesitation: "Come on, hit me! My mother is here, how dare you hit me? Who told me I don't have a mother? I deserve to be beaten."

"You unfilial son!" Cai Guozhong held a rattan cane and lashed Cai Nianxiong's back again and again: "Do you know how much trouble you've caused me? Do you think people are really helping you? They've sold you out, and you're still counting the money for them, you idiot!"

Cai Nianxiong grunted, braced himself with his hands on the ground, and gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

"You beast, you unfilial son!" Cai Guozhong continued to whip him, leaving bloody welts on Cai Nianxiong's back through his clothes: "Those rebels plotted to kill your father, but you sided with them. I'd rather beat you to death than be killed by you, you unfilial son!"

"Ah~~~" Cai Nianxiong finally couldn't bear the pain anymore and unleashed his strongest move, lying on the ground and wailing loudly, frantically calling for his mother: "Mother, do you see? A child with a mother is like a treasure, a child without a mother is like a piece of trash. I'm so miserable. That old bastard is going to beat your son to death."

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong was so angry that he jumped up and down. He pointed the rattan cane at Cai Nianxiong, puffed out his beard and glared at him. Looking around, he felt guilty. Thinking of his deceased wife, he was filled with remorse and could no longer swing the rattan cane. He had no choice but to give up.

"Hmph!" Cai Guozhong threw down the rattan cane, pointed at Cai Nianxiong and said, "Stop shouting, get up. I just hit you a few times, it's not like I'll kill you. You always complain to your mother, what's the point of this?"

Cai Nianxiong slowly stood up, grimacing and gasping for breath, thinking to himself, "Easy for you to say, but it'll hurt a few hits!"

Cai Guozhong put his hands on his hips, took a deep breath, and suppressed his anger: "Let's drop this matter for now. I'll punish you with a three-year house arrest. Do you accept it?"

Cai Nianxiong stubbornly said, "I won't accept it. I'm going to find my mother. She's in the Badger's Labyrinth."

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong's anger flared up again, and he raised his hand to strike: "You dare to mention it again? If your mother were still alive, I would have rescued her long ago. Would I need you, kid? Someone is setting you up. Don't you see that?"

Cai Nianxiong said, "Dad, you're the stubborn one, clinging to the wishful thinking that my mother is dead."

"You believe that an enemy is bewitching me in my dreams, luring me into a trap."

"But why didn't you think about what if it were true? You're not even willing to verify it, and you think it's a waste of time."

“I had Uncle Zhong examine the dream, and he confirmed that the dream was real. My mother really was calling for help in the dream, waiting for me to come and save her.”

"This is absolutely true; she is in the Guanju Labyrinth."

Upon hearing this, Cai Guozhong grinned, furious at his son's lack of self-control, and slapped his thigh repeatedly: "Oh dear~~~ Oh dear~~~ How could I have given birth to such a brainless idiot like you? Those so-called 'visionary demons' are trying to bewitch you! How can you believe them? You might as well believe a dog!"