Administering punishment

Fu Shaoping was utterly engrossed in what he read.

He ate only a quick bite for dinner before continuing his studies.

Before he knew it, the moon had risen above the treetops.

Tomorrow, he still had to administer punishments at the prison to test the [Mystic Mandate Codex]'s fate attributes.

That was the priority.

Only then did Fu Shaoping lie down fully clothed and sleep for an hour or two before getting up to set up the stall with Zhou Pan'er.

When they reached West Street.

Things were different from usual.

Today, customers streamed to the tofu stall without end.

Clearly, they had all come to show Fu Shaoping some respect. He hurriedly ate a bowl of tofu pudding, then headed for the Hundred Households Office.

He had memorized the layout yesterday, so today he easily made his way around to the rear compound. By the time he reached the prison's front hall, the other jailers had all arrived, though every jailer here held only the status of a menial runner.

Old Zhan was in charge of the prison.

Old Zhan had lost a leg on a mission. Although he had reached the sixth level of body tempering, refined his strength into his marrow, and produced an origin force seed, he lacked sufficient merit points and remained an ordinary Martial Guard.

Fu Shaoping had been there a little while.

Only then did the tap, tap, tap of a cane striking the ground come from behind him.

Fu Shaoping stepped forward to greet him.

"Uncle Zhan, I brought you some tofu pudding."

"From Zhou Pan'er's stall on West Street?"

"That's right."

Fu Shaoping smiled as he spoke.

Although Ye Xiaoqi had already made arrangements for him, this was Old Zhan's territory, after all. No one struck a smiling face.

After taking the seat at the head of the hall, Old Zhan slurped down the bowl of tofu pudding and wiped his mouth. Only then did he assign tasks to his men. Finally, he told Fu Shaoping:

"Go into the prison with them in a bit. If anyone needs punishing, you can do it yourself. Just don't beat anyone to death."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhan!"

Fu Shaoping breathed a sigh of relief. Old Zhan was easier to get along with than he had expected.

The prison gates slowly opened.

A long stone staircase led downward. They walked several hundred meters before reaching its end.

The prison was enormous.

It even had a dedicated torture chamber.

The instant the torture chamber opened, a pungent stench of blood assaulted their noses. All kinds of instruments of torture hung on its walls.

Old Qiu, the jailer who administered punishments, had a face covered in brutish folds of flesh. A flicker of surprise crossed it when he saw Fu Shaoping. He had not expected someone so young to have already become a Martial Guard. He cupped his hands and said:

"Sir, a prisoner in Block A is due to be castrated today. Would you like to do it yourself?"

The punishment meant removing his genitals.

Fu Shaoping asked:

"What crime did he commit?"

"Rape."

"Tell me more."

Old Qiu was dumbfounded.

Fu Shaoping coughed lightly. Realizing that the man had misunderstood, he quickly added:

"How many offenses? How old was the victim? Was she injured or disabled?"

"Reporting to you, sir, just one. He was caught in the act and brought to our Hundred Households Office. As for the victim... she was already sixty-two. Not long afterward, the old woman couldn't bear the villagers' gossip and threw herself down a well in the middle of the night."

That was a heinous crime!

Fu Shaoping frowned and immediately rolled up his sleeves.

"Bring him out!"

A rare look of excitement appeared on Fu Shaoping's usually composed face.

At last, it was time to test the [Mystic Mandate Codex]'s fate attributes.

Fu Shaoping offered a silent prayer, though he also braced himself for failure.

After asking Old Qiu how to perform the castration.

The jailers dragged a deathly pale youth into the torture chamber and bound him securely to an iron bed.

Old Qiu took a step back. "Sir, please!"

Fu Shaoping wasted no words.

After briefly circulating his cultivation technique, he raised the blade and brought it down.

With a smack.

A severed piece fell to the floor.

An agonized scream rang through the entire prison.

His movements were decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Even Old Qiu, a veteran of several decades, could not help feeling a surge of respect.

He had heard from his superiors that this young officer had come to steel his nerves. Yet the young man before him had not even changed expression. What nerves did he need to steel?

"Hum..."

At that moment, however, Fu Shaoping's attention was focused entirely on his sea of consciousness.

He saw the Mystic Mandate Codex tremble slightly.

A hazy yellow light shone.

A line of text appeared within the codex.

Body Tempering Realm, first level (1/100)

There was a brief pause.

The text flashed again, and the number within it had changed:

Body Tempering Realm, first level (6/100)

At the same time.

A wisp of energy that only Fu Shaoping could see rose from the prisoner and slowly settled into his own body.

A warm surge of blood and vital energy swiftly washed through his flesh.

Fu Shaoping instantly felt his strength increase noticeably.

It really worked!

Fu Shaoping's eyes shone.

He had thought it might have no effect.

After all, he had not captured this man himself. Administering the castration now was merely scooping up a leftover opportunity.

He had never expected to gain a whole five points. At that rate, wouldn't punishing twenty serious offenders let him advance smoothly to the Body Tempering Realm Second Level?

Fu Shaoping was in excellent spirits.

He intended to press on while his momentum held.

"Old Qiu, are there any other serious offenders in Block A awaiting punishment?"

"Reporting to you, sir, there are none left in Block A. But there's a man in Block C who abducted women. His mouth is sealed tight, and he refuses to confess where he hid them. Would you like to interrogate him yourself?"

"Of course! Abducting respectable women-how can that be tolerated? Hurry and bring him in."

As he spoke, Fu Shaoping walked over to the wall and began selecting instruments of torture.

If he could force out the abducted women's whereabouts, might the [Mystic Mandate Codex] award him an extra point?

Old Qiu had already tried all the usual methods of torture.

Since they had failed.

He could only bring out the big guns.

"Old Qiu, prepare a dozen or so sheets of mulberry-bark paper and a bottle of strong liquor."

What sort of punishment was this?

Old Qiu looked puzzled, but his curiosity was also piqued. He hurriedly ordered his men to fetch the supplies.

Meanwhile.

Two jailers escorted a filthy, disheveled man into the torture chamber. His body bore the marks of all kinds of torture, with not a single patch of uninjured flesh remaining, yet his eyes still gleamed.

As he passed Old Qiu.

He even opened his mouth and spat a glob of thick phlegm into Old Qiu's face.

"You ball-less bastard! You think bringing in help will make me confess? Dream on! I'll take those filthy bitches to the grave with me! Hahaha!"

Quite the swagger!

Fu Shaoping narrowed his eyes slightly.

A smile remained on his face.

He lifted a sheet of mulberry-bark paper and laid it over Chang Xiaotian's face, then took a mouthful of strong liquor and forcefully sprayed it into a fine mist. Dampened, the paper softened and clung to his face.

Chang Xiaotian's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

As sheet after sheet of mulberry-bark paper adhered to his face.

Chang Xiaotian began gasping for breath. But as time passed, he discovered that he could no longer breathe at all, and his bound hands and feet began struggling desperately.

Watching from the side, Old Qiu saw the sixth sheet of mulberry-bark paper settle onto Chang Xiaotian's face. Every contour of his features stood out distinctly, like the mask worn in the stage performance "Promotion to High Office." It was utterly horrifying!

At that moment.

Chang Xiaotian's struggling limbs slowly went limp and drooped.

Even Old Qiu, a seasoned veteran of administering punishments, felt that his eyes had been opened. He was impressed from the bottom of his heart by this youth who was not yet sixteen. His own hands also itched to try it, and he planned to practice on a few prisoners later.