The So-Called Confidants

Back at the small courtyard, Fang Mo didn't rest right away.

He dragged a dust-covered wooden chest out from under the bed and began packing his belongings.

Since Lei Heng had told him to report tomorrow, he had to at least make a show of it.

A few changes of clothes, several well-thumbed storybooks, and the pouch he used to store silver—though now it was practically bulging.

After packing, Fang Mo sat at the rickety wooden table and poured himself a cup of cold tea.

The tea was bitter, but it cleared his head.

The people Wang Youan had recommended were supposedly meant to help repay a debt, but Fang Mo knew the fatty was paving the way for him.

In a den of wolves like the Punishment Department, without a few people he could trust, he couldn't even sleep with both eyes closed, let alone investigate cases.

Still, Fatty Wang's people alone wouldn't be enough.

They were his public-facing staff, there to handle assignments and keep up appearances.

When it came down to life and death, he would still have to rely on his own private army.

"Ergou. Gu Yichuan."

At a thought from Fang Mo, his consciousness sank into Prison Suppressor.

Beneath the Blood Colored Sky, Gu Yichuan, who was overseeing the laborers, and Wang Ergou, who was sweating buckets as he worked, immediately dropped what they were doing and scampered over, kneeling to await orders.

"Tomorrow I'm taking up my post at the Punishment Department." Fang Mo's voice echoed through the space.

Gu Yichuan's body jolted. He abruptly raised his head, and his ghostly face showed a trace of nostalgia and complicated emotion.

The Punishment Department—that was where he had struggled all his life, and where he had eventually died.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Master!" Wang Ergou had no idea what the Punishment Department did, but a little flattery never hurt.

Gu Yichuan also snapped to attention and hurriedly kowtowed. "Your might is divine, Master! Though the Punishment Department is a perilous place, with your abilities, you'll surely have it wrapped around your little finger."

"Enough with the flattery," Fang Mo said mildly. "Gu Yichuan, you know the Punishment Department best. Put together everything about how it works, especially the background of that old coot Lei Heng and the factional ties among the Junior Officers and Hundred Households. I want to see it tonight."

"Yes, sir!" Gu Yichuan accepted the order. This was his old specialty.

He had spent years working his way through the Punishment Department. Though it had ultimately been the death of him, he knew all its twists and turns—who was involved with whom, who had taken whose dirty money. He knew it all by heart.

"One more thing." Fang Mo looked at Wang Ergou. "We've got more people now, and our ranks have grown. That old, simple way of managing them won't do. Starting today, whip these Ghost Soldiers into shape for me."

"Drill them?" Wang Ergou looked bewildered.

"That's right. Drill them." A glint of cold light flashed in Fang Mo's eyes. "They can't just swing their clubs around wildly. They need to learn formations, coordination, and how to make an enemy's soul crumble in the shortest time possible."

"Especially that new Bloodthirsty Rakshasa. I devoured his authority, and he fused with that bald donkey Yuanjue, losing some of his memories, but there's bound to be more knowledge rattling around in that old bastard's belly. Squeeze every last bit out of him."

"Understood!" Wang Ergou rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Once he had taken care of things in Prison Suppressor, Fang Mo withdrew from the space of consciousness.

He took the Black Iron Token that marked his rank as a Junior Officer from his robes and studied it closely in the lamplight.

The token was cold to the touch, and the Bi'an carved on its back looked ferocious and terrifying.

"Junior Officer..."

Fang Mo gave a derisive laugh and tossed the token onto the table.

The next morning.

Fang Mo stood at the entrance to White Tiger Hall of the Punishment Department in Wannian County, carrying an enormous bundle.

The place was far grander than the Heavenly Prison, but it also felt more sinister.

The two stone lions at the entrance had been stained dark red with blood. It was hard to tell whether it was decoration or real blood.

"Is that the new Captain Fang?"

"He still looks like he hasn't been weaned. Can he really fill Gu Yichuan's shoes?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. I heard Lord Lei personally picked him, and that he's got connections at the Heavenly Prison."

Several guards at the entrance whispered among themselves, their eyes filled mostly with disdain and curiosity.

Fang Mo acted as though he hadn't heard them. He plunked his bundle on the ground and called out brazenly to the clerk registering visitors at the entrance, "Excuse me! Fang Mo, newly appointed Seventh Squad captain of White Tiger Hall, reporting for duty!"

His voice was booming, startling the clerk, who had been dozing off.

"What are you shouting for? Don't you know the rules?" The clerk raised his head, annoyed, and was just about to put on airs when he saw a harmless-looking smile and a small piece of silver being discreetly offered to him.

"You've worked hard, big brother. I'm new here, so I hope you'll look after me." Fang Mo winked.

The clerk's hand moved with astonishing smoothness, whisking the silver into his sleeve in an instant. His sour expression blossomed like a chrysanthemum. "Oh! So you're Lord Fang! I've heard so much about you! Lord Lei gave the orders. Your office is in the western courtyard. I'll take you there right away."

That was what they meant when they said the King of Hell was easy to see, but the little demons were hard to deal with. Fang Mo had never been stingy with small change.

Following the clerk through the corridors, Fang Mo quietly surveyed the terrain on the western side.

The western courtyard was rather remote. Its walls were mottled, and weeds filled the place. It looked like a forgotten corner.

"Lord Fang, this is the Seventh Squad's barracks." The clerk gestured toward a few dilapidated tiled buildings and smiled awkwardly. "After Lord Gu left, the people here either scattered or died... Ahem. At present, it's just an empty shell. But Lord Lei said you can recruit your own people."