After the person left, Yang Yan sat at the desk with a frown, taking the tea handed to him by Wei Yuan but not drinking it for a long time.

Nangong Qianrou rolled her eyes and asked on his behalf, "Father, do you really want to kill that kid?"

Yang Yan immediately looked at Wei Yuan.

"Is my punishment wrong?" Wei Yuan asked back.

Nangong Qianrou and Yang Yan shook their heads at the same time. The former smiled playfully, "It's right, but Father, are you willing to kill him?"

Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and sighed, "I once said that he was born to be a warrior, that kind of spirit is rare."

He had only just entered the Qi Refining Realm, how long had it been since he had cut the Silver Gongs of the Divine Refining Realm with one slash?

There was admiration in Wei Yuan's smile, but more satisfaction.

...

Spring Breeze Hall.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao followed Li Yuchun back with a depressed look on their faces. Spring Brother was extremely silent all the way.

He had been waiting downstairs before, waiting for the result of the punishment, and received news that Xu Qi'an would be executed in seven days.

Li Yuchun didn't say a word and came back with his two subordinates.

"Have a drink with me. I know you two have been secretly drinking while on duty," Li Yuchun's voice was emotionless and frighteningly calm.

Song Tingfeng opened his mouth and said two words, "Okay."

Li Yuchun was a rigid and paranoid person. Familiar Silver Gongs said he was stuck in his ways, while unfamiliar ones teased him for being inflexible.

But no matter whether they were familiar or not, no one in the yamen really looked down on him. On the contrary, they all admired him, even though they wouldn't say it out loud.

Li Yuchun's rigidity was evident in every aspect, such as never drinking while on duty.

Song Tingfeng took out his own hidden wine from the side hall, three porcelain bowls, one of which was originally Xu Qi'an's.

Li Yuchun drank slowly, but one bowl after another, without saying a word.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao silently drank with him.

A jar of wine was quickly finished. Li Yuchun, under the influence of alcohol, said, "I know Wei Gong has his difficulties, and Xu Qi'an did make a mistake."

"What's wrong with insulting the wife of a criminal official? It's not worth killing him. He's a stupid fool who almost killed someone, and with a Silver Gong at that."

Li Yuchun opened his mouth and chattered, "I thought I was stupid enough, but I didn't expect this guy to be even more stupid. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have taken him in. It's annoying."

"What can Wei Gong do? Even if his aptitude... is better, with such a big incident, everyone in the yamen is watching. Can he openly favor Xu Qi'an? Where is Wei Gong's prestige? It takes years to build up a good reputation, but it only takes a moment to destroy it. Now one is demoted and the other is executed. Justice is served. Hehehe."

"For a long time to come, everyone in the yamen will be well-behaved. Xu Qi'an's death is not unjust. It was worth it."

Li Yuchun handed the bowl back to Song Tingfeng and cursed, "What a broken bowl, the blue and white patterns are not symmetrical."

Song Tingfeng took a closer look and found that the blue and white patterns on the bowl he had been drinking from for over half a year were indeed not symmetrical.

The wine was finished, and they were not in the mood to continue chatting. Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao silently returned to the side hall.

In the quiet Spring Breeze Hall, Li Yuchun sat still for a long time, slowly got up, walked to the corner, picked up a feather duster, and wiped every dusty corner of the hall.

He repeated the process of straightening books, vases, tables and chairs, making them neat and symmetrical.

Then, he took off his waist badge and sword, and took off his Nightwatcher uniform.The uniform was neatly folded, with the sword and waist pendant placed on top. Li Yuchun held them and walked out of the Chunfeng Hall, heading towards the Haoqi Building.

Along the way, he attracted the attention of many Nightwatchers, who pointed and whispered about him.

Some of them had heard of Xu Qi'an's beheading of Zhu Chengzhu, while others were curious and clueless.

"What's going on?"

"Haven't you heard? Zhu Yinquan was almost chopped by a Nightwatcher. The one who did it was Xu Qi'an, Li Yinquan's subordinate."

"What does Li Yinquan want?"

"I don't know. Let's follow and see."

Three, five, seven, eight... more and more Nightwatchers followed Li Yuchun, forming a sizable crowd.

They arrived at the Haoqi Building.

Li Yuchun stopped at the entrance, under the vigilant and warning eyes of the guards. He held the uniform, waist pendant, and sword in his hands, ignoring the followers behind him.

"I am Li Yuchun, who joined the yamen in the 20th year of the Yuanjing era. I have always been diligent and responsible, with the belief of eradicating corrupt officials and serving the country as my goal."

"For sixteen years, I have never violated the law, taken bribes, or oppressed the innocent. I thought my passion and hard work could bring about a better world."

"However, I have witnessed many colleagues extorting the people and merchants, stealing money and property during searches, and even committing adultery with officials' wives. I can no longer bear to turn a blind eye to this."

"If I cannot uphold the law, how can I expect others to do so? Today, Li Yuchun resigns and can also be beheaded."

With these words, he threw the uniform, sword, and waist pendant on the ground, like worn-out shoes.

Li Yuchun, who publicly slapped Wei Yuan in the Haoqi Building, turned and left. Dozens of Nightwatchers did not stop him or say a word.

"Should we stop him?" someone whispered.

The Nightwatchers around them stared coldly at him.

...

Xu Qi'an, wearing a prisoner's uniform, sat in the Nightwatcher yamen's cell with his back against the wall, smelling the unique damp and musty odor of the cell.

"I've been to the palace three times. In my previous life, I was a policeman, and in this life, I've become a frequent visitor to the prison." Xu Qi'an laughed at himself, feeling the fickleness of fate.

The cell was silent, with occasional cursing from the neighboring prisoners. Most of them remained silent.

The vast majority of the prisoners locked up here were on death row, feeling hopeless and despondent. At first, they would plead their innocence and curse their mothers, but after friendly conversations with the guards, they learned to remain quiet in public.

No one wants to suffer inhumane torture before they die.

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, pondering if he still had a chance to survive.

"The great scholars of the Yunlu Academy may come to cause trouble, but they have no official status and cannot use official channels. Physics is also not an option, as this is the Nightwatcher yamen."

"The sorcerers of the S天监 will certainly try to save me, but unless the supervisor intervenes, they cannot save me. And to make the supervisor appear, my identity is not enough... Xu Qi'an, have you forgotten the coldness of society after experiencing the warmth of Naizi from Fu Xiang? It's been two months, and you still haven't seduced Chu Caiwei into bed.""The fragment of the earth book has also been searched, otherwise I can try to let Number One save me, I don't know if their level is enough..."

As he thought about it, he fell asleep. When he woke up, the prison cell was silent, and outside the small window was the dark night.

Sleep replenished the energy Xu Qi'an had lost from using the "Heaven and Earth One Sword Slash," but the cost was hunger.

By the dim oil lamp in the corridor, Xu Qi'an saw a bowl of white rice and two fat mice eating it with relish.

"Damn it, Shukebeta, you son of a bitch, stole my food."

Xu Qi'an cursed angrily.

With no food to eat, he had to sit cross-legged and meditate to regulate his breathing.

He didn't know how long it had been when it became daylight.

Footsteps came from the dark corridor, and two jailers walked over and opened the cell door.

Xu Qi'an opened his eyes.

"Come out." The jailer ordered.

To read the uncut version, go to [p𝘢wread.com].

With handcuffs and shackles on his feet, Xu Qi'an was taken to the torture room.

Sunlight penetrated through the air vents in the wall, dispelling the darkness in the torture room, but not the coldness.

Two young men sat at the interrogation table. One had phoenix eyes and willow eyebrows, and delicate features. The other had red lips and white teeth, and was exceptionally handsome.

Two hares running side by side, how can you tell which is male and which is female?

Nangong Qianrou sneered, "Oily face and powdered hair."

He didn't like the attitude of this scholar. Since he entered the yamen, he had always held his head high and looked down on people with his nose, which made people dislike him. He was the same as the scholars of Yunlu Academy and the white-clothed scholars of the Heavenly Observatory.

Xu Xinnian glanced at him and said lightly, "Only women and villains are hard to raise."

"Who are you calling a woman?" Nangong Qianrou laughed, his eyes flashing with dangerous light.

"I apologize for my rudeness." Xu Xinnian bowed, "May I know the lady's name?"

"..." Nangong Qianrou wanted to kill him.

Xu Xinnian, who had a skill in poisonous tongue, sneered and raised his head again.

Seeing this scene at the door and hearing their conversation, Xu Qi'an sweated for his younger cousin. He thought to himself, "Cijiu, this beautiful woman is a high-ranking warrior. You are only a low-ranking scholar. You should know how to bend and stretch."

Nangong Qianrou turned his head, glared at Xu Qi'an, and stood up, saying, "One incense stick's worth of time."

After speaking, he left.

Xu Xinnian stared at his cousin and remained silent.

"Why did you come, Cijiu? Aren't you studying at the academy?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Your colleague came to the house last night and told us about your situation. Father left the city overnight and rushed to Yunlu Academy to inform me." Xu Xinnian breathed a sigh of relief.

"I went back home last night and waited until the city gate opened this morning before coming in."

He had brought the letter from their teacher and his status as a juren to gain permission to visit.

"Everyone at home is very worried about you. Mother didn't sleep all night." Xu Xinnian said.

Xu Qi'an nodded.

"Lingyin is also very worried about you. She only drank a bowl of porridge this morning."

"I'm sorry for her." Xu Qi'an was moved.

Xu Xinnian nodded in agreement with his cousin's words and continued, "Teacher's suggestion is for me to ask Princess Chang, maybe she can save you. As for our teacher... Wei Yuan and the academy don't have a good relationship."

Xu Qi'an hesitated and asked, "Cijiu, don't you blame me?"Xu Xinnian said in a deep voice, "Big brother, your skills are not good enough. You didn't even manage to kill that scum."

Xu Qi'an laughed heartily, "This is what scholars are like..." As he laughed, he fell silent and said softly, "I'm sorry."

Xu Xinnian remained silent.

The interrogation room fell silent, and the two brothers didn't speak.

After a while, Xu Cijiu sighed, "I will save you."

Xu Qi'an nodded, pretending not to be moved, and said, "Since you're here, help me with something. Did Cijiu bring the money?"

"Of course I did." Xu Xinnian replied.

Why bother coming to the prison if you didn't bring money?

"Well, go find the jailer and tell him you want to retrieve something of mine, if it's still there. It's a small jade and stone mirror. Take the mirror and go to the health center in the east city to find a monk. Tell him to pass on the message that Number Three is imprisoned in the Nightwatcher dungeon and needs help. Xu Qi'an!"

After the fragment of the Earth Book was claimed by the owner, no one else could log into the chat, so Number Six was needed to pass on the message.

I believe that clever Number One, upon seeing the message, would know what to do. Because in the Earth Book chat group, in the capital, the only one with power is Number One.

Number One still owed him a debt.

Of course, Number One might choose not to help, but that's another matter.

In addition, Xu Qi'an asked Xu Xinnian to retrieve the fragment of the Earth Book as a test of Wei Yuan.

To test whether he really had murderous intent towards him.

Xu Xinnian stared at him for a moment and asked, "What if it's not there?"

"Then forget it."

Watching his cousin being led into a dark passage, Xu Xinnian left the interrogation room and found the jailer. He handed over thirty taels of silver and said, "I need to retrieve something of my cousin's."

The jailer naturally had no objection since everything could be solved with money.

He immediately led Xu Xinnian to the storeroom and took out a package containing something Xu Qi'an had taken off.

"You can't take the gong, waist tag, sword, or uniform." The jailer said.

These were all things belonging to the Nightwatcher organization.

Xu Xinnian simply searched through the package and found a small mirror made of jade and stone. The surface of the mirror was lightly engraved with strange patterns of bows and arrows, silver tickets, and other things.