Who Could Lie in Front of Him?

Two days later, Qingzhou Prefecture's execution ground.

Before the third quarter of noon had even arrived, the area around the execution ground was already packed with commoners.

The one to be beheaded today was none other than the Flower Picking Bandit, Plum Blossom.

Su Fei stood on a raised platform at the edge of the execution ground, dressed in plain clothes as he calmly watched everything unfold.

"They're here! They're here!"

A sudden commotion broke out among the crowd.

A group of constables escorted a prison cart slowly forward. Standing inside it was Plum Blossom.

His flesh was split open, and his prison robes were mottled with blood.

His arms were locked in a heavy cangue, while iron chains tightly bound his legs. Restrained like this, no matter how exceptional his lightness skill was, he could not use it.

Perhaps he had suffered torture, perhaps he had lost his manhood. His face was pale as paper and his lips were cracked, yet his eyes still concealed a trace of venomous resentment.

"Flower Picking Thief Plum Blossom, you have this day too."

"You dared come to Qingzhou? May you die a miserable death."

Rotten eggs and spoiled vegetable leaves rained down on the prison cart, some smeared with mud. In an instant, Plum Blossom's face was splattered beyond recognition.

Yet he neither dodged nor flinched, merely letting out a strange, hoarse chuckle from his throat.

Seeing this, the commoners' rage was thoroughly ignited. If not for the constables holding them back, they would likely have rushed forward and torn him to pieces.

The prison cart was pushed onto the execution platform. Two constables stepped forward, dragged Plum Blossom down, and forced him to kneel at the chopping block.

The Execution Supervisor was Qingzhou Prefecture's judicial vice commissioner. He picked up the case file and declared in a ringing voice.

"Criminal Plum Blossom roamed through nine provinces, committing forty-seven offenses, raping and murdering forty-seven respectable women, slaughtering seventeen households, and causing the deaths of hundreds. His crimes are monstrous, intolerable to Heaven and earth. By imperial decree, he is to be beheaded immediately!"

The Execution Supervisor paused and looked toward Plum Blossom on the chopping block.

"Before you die, do you have any last words?"

Plum Blossom suddenly raised his head, venomous light bursting from his eyes. His voice abruptly rose, carrying the madness of a man on the brink of death.

"My master is the Vagrant Cloud Hermit. He taught me martial arts. If I die here today, once he receives word, he will never let this rest! Imperial Guard who captured me, just you wait! My master will definitely avenge me. I'll wait for you in the underworld!"

As soon as those words were spoken, murmurs immediately rose from the crowd.

Some of them had heard the Vagrant Cloud Hermit's name before.

He was an independent Grandmaster Realm martial artist skilled in leg techniques, fond of wandering throughout the Great Xuan.

Su Fei did not so much as furrow his brow upon hearing this.

So what if he is a Grandmaster Realm martial artist?

I am already at the second level of the Grandmaster Realm. Would I fear some wandering cultivator?

If he likes traveling, he can keep traveling outside.

I only hope he is not truly blind enough to come seek revenge on me. If he does, I will naturally send master and disciple to reunite.

The Execution Supervisor clearly did not take the threat to heart either. He did not care in the slightest about a Flower Picking Thief's dying clamor.

"Still barking when death is at your doorstep? The hour has come. Execute him."

Upon receiving the order, the executioner raised the demon-headed broadsword in his hand.

"Crack!"

A flash of cold light swept through the air.

Plum Blossom's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still wide open, as though he could not rest in death.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd as they celebrated the Flower Picking Bandit's death.

Su Fei turned and headed toward the Thousand Households Office.

The moment Su Fei entered the gates of the Thousand Households Office, he saw a strongman hurrying toward him.

"Officer Su, the commander is waiting for you in his office. He says he has urgent business with you."

Su Fei nodded and went to see Commander Feng.

"I have already reported your merits for capturing Plum Blossom. I called you here this time for another matter."

"Come with me to the Heavenly Prison. There has been movement on Zhao Feiying's side."

The second level of the Heavenly Prison, where major criminals were held.

As soon as they reached the innermost cell, they heard a piercing scream. Zhao Feiying hung from a torture pillar by iron chains, his entire body a bloody mess. Old wounds lay upon new ones, and in many places his flesh had peeled back and curled.

Captain Li was holding a whip soaked in salt water, continuously lashing Zhao Feiying. Hearing approaching footsteps—

When he saw the two men enter, Captain Li stopped whipping Zhao Feiying and cupped his hands.

"Commander."

Commander Feng nodded.

"Has he confessed? What did he say?"

Captain Li raised the whip and lashed Zhao Feiying across the chest.

"The commander is here. Speak!"

Zhao Feiying's body trembled. He struggled to open his eyes and spoke hoarsely.

"I'll confess. Stop hitting me. The abandoned kiln works west of the city are a White Lotus Sect stronghold."

"An abandoned stronghold? It is already abandoned. Why would I care about it?"

"What else? Is there anything else?"

"Yes, yes. The Mountain God Temple on the northern outskirts is also a White Lotus Sect stronghold."

Zhao Feiying's voice grew softer, and his gaze drifted.

Su Fei suddenly spoke.

"Zhao Feiying, you served in the military for many years. You should know the White Lotus Sect's way of doing things. How could they use a place like the Mountain God Temple, where people come and go and all manner of fish and dragons mingle, as a stronghold?"

At those words, Zhao Feiying's body stiffened. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he stammered without being able to say a word.

Captain Li grew anxious at once, immediately realizing that Zhao Feiying had deceived him. His whip cracked against the stone pillar beside him.

"Zhao Feiying, you dare lie to me? You damned dog!"

"You should know this Officer Su's investigative skills. No one should even think of lying in front of him."

"Looks like unless I let you have a taste of something fierce, you will not speak the truth."

As he spoke, he raised the whip again, about to lash Zhao Feiying.

Su Fei stopped Captain Li.

Zhao Feiying's martial path had been crippled by Su Fei, and his future in martial arts had been cut off. Zhao Feiying himself also knew that the White Lotus Sect could never come save him.

Moreover, his entire family would die after being implicated by him.

Under such circumstances, attacking his heart was the superior strategy. They had to give him a little hope.

"Zhao Feiying, colluding with the White Lotus Sect is a crime that warrants execution for the entire family. Your death is one thing, but your parents, wife, and children will all die miserably because of you."

"If you render meritorious service and reveal the White Lotus Sect's hidden strongholds in Qingzhou, I can decide not to kill your parents, wife, and children. They will only be exiled."

At those words, an inexplicable light flashed across Zhao Feiying's face.

He did not agree immediately. Instead, he first looked toward Commander Feng.

"Commander Feng, is what he said true? Does this count?"

Feng Changqing pondered for a moment, feeling that it was no great matter.

So long as they could find the White Lotus Sect's stronghold, Zhao Feiying's family could be dealt with leniently.

"What Su Fei says is my intention as well."

Hearing this, Zhao Feiying let out a long breath, and he seemed to age several years in an instant.

"The White Lotus Sect's true hiding place is Lijia Village, a hundred li east of the city. By now, the entire Lijia Village should have become White Lotus Sect territory. Everyone there is now a demonic follower of the White Lotus Sect, merely disguised as villagers."

"The original villagers were either killed by them or moved elsewhere."

"I discovered this secret by accident. Even the White Lotus envoy does not know that I know about this place. I originally intended to keep it as leverage, but now I have said everything. I beg you, my lord, spare my family."