Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade

Along the way, Su Bai saw some unfamiliar-looking Prison Guards.

They looked quite young, even a bit younger than him.

Their youthful faces held a faint look of anxiety.

’They must be newly recruited Prison Guards.’

Su Bai mused to himself but didn’t speak to them.

After a few twists and turns,

Su Bai arrived at Interrogation Room C-17.

The atmosphere inside the interrogation room was tense!

Murky water dripped from the walls, making a PITTER-PATTER sound.

Upon entering the room, Su Bai saw a middle-aged man tightly bound by crimson chains!

The man sat on a blood-stained iron chair.

He was silent, his expression vacant.

His face was gaunt and hollow, and his body was nothing but skin and bones. He was covered in black and blue bruises, his wounds festering and being gnawed on by maggots.

At his wrists, two long, thin chains—one black and one red—had pierced deep into his flesh and bone!

The chains extended up to his neck, tightly locked around his throat.

Blackish-red blood was splattered all over the floor—a gruesome sight!

"Uncle Da."

A few Prison Guards had already gathered in the interrogation room.

Su Bai found Li Da, walked over, and spoke softly.

Li Da nodded, gesturing for him to stand aside.

They were waiting for the Prison Chief.

A moment later, the portly Prison Chief walked in.

He carried a black torture device that Su Bai had never seen before.

Unexpectedly, the prisoner, who had been docile and silent,

immediately widened his eyes in fury upon seeing the Prison Chief. His expression turned savage as he roared, "Lackey!"

His fists clenched, dripping fresh red blood.

His voice was powerful, shaking the entire room!

The portly Prison Chief just smiled, unfazed.

"As expected of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, so famous in the Jianghu. Even after having your Blood Bone pierced by the Black Blood Chain, your strength has barely diminished!"

Then, he ordered the Prison Guards at his side.

"Men!"

"Let him have a taste of the new torture device Eunuch Chen just developed!"

As he finished speaking, two burly, fierce-looking Prison Guards immediately stepped forward.

With respectful expressions, they took the black device from the Prison Chief’s hands and closed in on Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade!

Because the scene was too bloody and the interrogation was expected to be long, the younger Prison Guards like Su Bai were all sent out.

So Su Bai didn’t see the specific details of the interrogation that followed.

He had just stepped out of the interrogation room when the curses and roars of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, erupted from within!

There weren’t many screams of pain, though.

But the grinding noises from inside, along with the distinct sound of torture being inflicted on flesh, sent a chill down Su Bai’s spine.

’I wonder what sins this man committed. This is brutal!’

Su Bai lamented inwardly.

Of course, he felt not a shred of sympathy for the man!

Generally, criminals who warranted a personal interrogation from the Prison Chief were those guilty of the most profound sins.

’I wonder if this interrogation counts as me participating?’ Su Bai thought.

Beside him stood a young Prison Guard with rather delicate-looking skin.

His face twitched, his eyes betrayed his terror, and his legs were trembling.

Hearing Li Mu’s screams, he seemed unable to bear it.

Su Bai grew curious and chatted with him for a moment.

He learned that the man’s name was Ye Qing. He was the wastrel son of an official.

Because he was extravagant, debauched, arrogant, and undisciplined,

his "dear" father had personally sent him to this prison to become a trainee Prison Guard.

The goal was to temper his character!

Clearly, the effect...

...was quite remarkable.

Su Bai waited outside for nearly two hours. His legs were going numb, and still, the Prison Chief had not emerged.

’This guy is a tough nut to crack,’ Su Bai thought in surprise.

An hour later, the portly Prison Chief finally walked out, his face grim.

Su Bai quickly straightened up and saw him off.

The next moment, Li Da and several other A-level Prison Guards emerged from the interrogation room, looking exhausted and grim-faced.

"Su Bai, you and Ye Qing, go in there and lock that man up in Cell C-19!"

Li Da walked to Su Bai’s side, tossed him a Copper Key, and waved his hand dismissively as he gave the order.

With that, he and the other veteran Prison Guards departed.

After acknowledging the order, Su Bai and Ye Qing stepped into the interrogation room.

The interrogation room was now filled with a foul, nauseating stench, mixed with the smell of something burning.

It was the smell of blackened pork being constantly roasted over a blazing fire. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Su Bai searched for a moment before spotting Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, curled up on the floor, his body twisted and mangled beyond human recognition.

Fighting the bile rising in their throats, Su Bai and Ye Qing dragged the man out and hastily threw him into Cell C-19.

After returning to his quarters, Su Bai immediately checked the Purification Tripod in his mind.

[Criminal: Li Mu]

[Sin Level: Two-Star]

[Strength: Tongxuan Ninth Layer]

[Status: Near Death (Imprisoned)]

[Suppression Involvement: 1%]

[Reward: 15 Experience Points/Shichen]

Next to the information on Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, was a column of shimmering silver icons.

After opening it, Su Bai finally understood the crimes he had committed,

and why he was called the "Shattered Flower Blade."

This man was bloodthirsty by nature. Relying on his considerable Cultivation, he had committed dozens of murders throughout the Great Xia Dynasty!

His victims were always beautiful, dignified, and gentle young ladies from noble families.

After raping them, he would brutally murder them!

The state of their corpses was horrific, as if they had been drawn and quartered!

"Fuck!"

Su Bai couldn’t help but curse aloud.

All he could say was, the punishment that *thing* just received...

...was far too light!

After composing himself, Su Bai glanced at the reward column.

The Cultivation of Li Mu, the Shattered Flower Blade, was higher than Lin Hu’s, so the reward he provided was naturally higher as well.

’My total Experience Points reward is now 20 points per shichen. At this rate, I’ll only need ten shichen to break through to the next Realm.’

A hint of joy appeared on Su Bai’s face after the quick calculation.

With the reward from Li Mu, the time needed for his next breakthrough was even shorter than before.

’I wonder... if I participate in interrogating criminals who are already locked up, can I still get rewards?’

This thought suddenly occurred to Su Bai.

Criminals already in custody were sometimes taken out for interrogation by the veteran Prison Guards to get key information.

And some of those old guards, lacking any other form of entertainment and spending all their time in the dark, damp prison,

had undergone... subtle changes in their mentality.

They might even take pleasure in torturing prisoners for fun!

If Su Bai could gain rewards this way, it would open up a whole new avenue for him.

He wouldn’t have to just focus on farming rewards from new criminals.

Afterward, Su Bai patrolled the prison with a few other guards.

Several shichen later, patrol duty ended, and Su Bai returned to his quarters.

It was already late. Su Bai washed up briefly, then collapsed into bed and slept.

The moment he woke up, he immediately checked the Purification Tripod.

He had already accumulated over two hundred Experience Points!

"Allocate points!"

Su Bai dumped all his Experience Points into his Realm in one go.

BOOM!

Just like the first time, a mysterious and profound energy flooded Su Bai’s body.

Once the energy dissipated,

Su Bai had successfully broken through to the Body Cultivation Second Layer!