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

As the red-hot iron clamps swung back and forth across his lower body, the man named Bao Anxin was terrified. He twisted his hips from side to side, trying to escape the clamps' hold, and cried out in terror, "I remember now, sir, I remember now! Don't castrate me! Don't castrate me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

Suspects who are not officials have no human rights whatsoever.

Castrating a person's testicles is extremely cruel, brutal, bloody, and inhumane.

Very few suspects can withstand this wave of torture. Even if they can withstand this severe torture, it is far from over, because there will be more cruel, bloody and brutal methods to be used in turn, such as cutting off the waist, pulling out the tongue, gouging out the eyes, severing the intestines, skinning, and boiling in oil.

When a suspect is about to be killed, a medic will be on standby to save him.

In order to allow the suspect to fully experience the punishment, the doctor will even thoughtfully heal all the injuries so that all the punishments can be repeated.

No one can withstand severe torture. Once the punishment is inflicted, one is left wishing for death but unable to live. It is truly a hell on earth.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongyun gently patted the shoulder of the interrogation officer with his folding fan.

The junior official, understanding immediately, put away the red-hot iron tongs and stood aside.

"Speak, my patience is running out." Xiao Hongyun watched as the man named Bao Anxin was so frightened that he wet himself, the urine flowing down his thighs and spreading towards his feet. So, he moved his feet slightly to avoid the urine, his expression still showing a faint smile, as if everything was expected.

Zhou Qingfeng sat not far away, legs crossed, holding a plump orange in his hand, eating and watching silently, without saying a word.

The clerk, Bao Anxin, swallowed nervously and hurriedly said, "Li Xiangsi approached me on his own initiative. He asked me to help him find a house, so I recommended several houses in the bustling city center. Those were all good houses, with everything you could need for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and the supporting facilities were very complete. I personally took him to see them, but he was not satisfied with any of them. Later, he insisted on a house in Pomo Lane, saying that he liked it to be quiet with fewer people."

“Ever since someone died in Splashing Ink Lane, there have been far fewer tenants there. Most of them think it's unlucky that someone died there, and they worry that evil spirits will come out at night and harm people. So it has been difficult to rent out houses in Splashing Ink Lane. If this drags on for too long, I won't be able to explain it to Master Di.”

"Li Xiangsi wanted to rent this house, which solved my problem. So I signed the lease agreement with him on behalf of Master Di. I also checked his travel documents. He is from Yanwei and is a medicine merchant who came to Jianta to do business in medicinal herbs. He was accompanied by more than a dozen assistants. I thought that after he moved in, he would cause trouble for me because of the death in Pomo Lane. Businessmen all want to have good luck, but I didn't expect him to not come."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongyun frowned and asked, "Didn't Di Xinjian show up?"

The broker Bao Anxin said, "Master Di is busy with many affairs every day. Where would he have time to deal with such trivial matters? Master Di entrusted me to manage twenty private residences under his name. The residence in Pomo Lane is just one of them. I have signed an agency contract with Master Di. I can sign and decide who the house is rented to. Master Di doesn't care. Anyway, I take 10% of the rent collected after the house is rented out, and the rest goes to Master Di."

Xiao Hongyun narrowed his eyes: "Think about it again carefully, is there anything you've overlooked?"

Ya Renbao hung his head with a droop: "No, really no more."

Seeing this, Xiao Hongyun casually waved his hand, and the two Plum Blossom Guards standing guard immediately stepped forward to untie Ya Renbao and drag him to the cage to continue imprisoning him. Xiao Hongyun then walked back to Zhou Qingfeng's side, sat down, picked up the peanuts on the table, and began to peel and eat them.

“Bao Anxin is just an ordinary manor servant with no cultivation at all. He was already scared to death before he even faced severe torture. He has very poor mental fortitude and has never seen anything like this before. In his fear, he would confess to any crime, which is a normal reaction for an ordinary commoner.”

"These kinds of ordinary people can only resort to old tricks to cheat people, make some dirty money, and take advantage of others. They don't have the guts or the mental fortitude to do something as earth-shattering as colluding with others to cause trouble in the Sword Tower. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that their acting skills are so good that they can fool people."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng chewed on a segment of orange and hummed in agreement: "To be honest, based on Bao Anxin's performance just now, my suspicion of him is decreasing. However, we still need to rely on evidence. There is currently no evidence to prove that he is Li Xiangsi's accomplice, nor is there any evidence to prove that he is not Li Xiangsi's accomplice, so we cannot completely rule out his suspicion."

Xiao Hongyun peeled peanuts, nodded slightly, and didn't say much. After all, it was a matter of great importance concerning the safety of the Sword Tower. If there was even the slightest suspicion, no one could be released. Moreover, Bao Anxin did indeed personally rent the house to Li Xiangsi to hide in. No matter what, she couldn't escape the involvement. Unless evidence could be found that Bao Anxin and Li Xiangsi had no secret collusion, Bao Anxin could forget about leaving.

Two Plum Blossom Guards returned and brought Di Xinjian, who was in prison, to the torture chamber. However, this time they were much more polite in bringing him, at least they did not use force to drag or shove him, because Di Xinjian was a big businessman with money and power outside, and he was not a soft persimmon that could be easily bullied.

Di Xinjian was invited by the Plum Blossom Division for tea. On the surface, he remained calm and composed, seemingly not flustered at all. When he saw Zhou Qingfeng and Xiao Hongyun, he even politely clasped his hands in greeting: "I am Di Xinjian. Greetings, Protector Xiao and Admiral Zhou."

Xiao Hongyun said with a smile, "Oh, Master Di knows me and Admiral Zhou."

Di Xinjian bowed in response, remaining calm and composed, and smiled slightly: "I make a living in the Sword Tower, and I have a wide circle of friends and some connections. I always know who I can offend and who I cannot. Moreover, I have long admired the two of you, but I have never had the opportunity to meet you. I never expected to meet you in prison today."

Zhou Qingfeng said with a smile, "Master Di is a respectable man in the Sword Tower. It's unbecoming of him to make people stand while answering questions and not even be offered a cup of tea. Someone, bring tea and a seat. Let's sit down and talk slowly. Master Di, don't be afraid. I'll let you go once you've explained yourself clearly."

The Plum Blossom Guards standing guard nearby were about to move a chair, but Xiao Hongyun raised his hand to stop them first. He got up himself, moved the chair over, placed it next to Di Xinjian, and then chuckled as he reached out and pressed Di Xinjian's shoulders down, making him sit in the chair.

The Plum Blossom Guards brought over a table, placed it in front of Di Xinjian, and offered him a cup of cool tea: "Master Di, please have some tea."

Xiao Hongyun stood behind Di Xinjian, put his hands on his shoulders, and said with a smile, "Master Di, our Commander Zhou is a very hospitable, friendly and kind person. He specially invited you to assist in the investigation. Commander Zhou did not mean to make things difficult for you, Master Di. It's just that there is a group of thieves who intend to cause trouble in your house. So he asked you to come and explain in person. If you cooperate well, then we will all be happy."

"But if you can't explain yourself clearly and don't cooperate honestly with Admiral Zhou's investigation, I'll have to do some less respectable things to you, a respectable person. I'm saying this now, so you should consider it carefully. If I offend you later, I hope you'll forgive me, Master Di."