"Wang Yunxiao, heh, instead of diligently attending school, you've been goofing off on the streets again, completely hopeless. No worries though, if you don't like studying, you won't have to. Stay here for a couple of days to taste the jail food, and once this year's documents come through, we'll hit the road together!"
In the interrogation room, the veteran cop closed the transcript with a smirk that was anything but warm.
This was Wang Yunxiao's first visit to a police station of this era since his time-travel, and although he lacked memories, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The case officers all knew him, but he didn't recognize the veteran cop.
That certainly meant it wasn't his first time here.
The police uniforms in the police station were primarily black, but they differed significantly from those of the Republic of China Era he remembered, looking more like something from the Sherlock Holmes blockbusters he'd seen set in Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom.
In simple terms, the outfit consisted of a waist-length tunic with a cape, which seemed to be a Chinese-style mandarin jacket paired with a felt material flying saucer hat.
Wang Yunxiao couldn't make heads or tails of it, but he was profoundly shocked.
The attire of the common people outside was quite normal, basically matching what he remembered from Republic of China Era dramas.
So why does your police station go for a retro nostalgia?
Once the interrogation was complete, the police didn't say much else and led Wang Yunxiao and his gang members into the cell in grand fashion.
The cell was scrupulously clean, clearly having undergone a major cleanup last year, though it was still permeated with a stench of urine and feces.
Inside, there weren't many people, and by their looks, none seemed to be major villains or criminals—it was unlikely real heroes would have survived to this day.
When the inmates saw newcomers, they were initially restless, but as the door opened and more and more people were brought in, about a dozen or so—though mostly teenagers—together they had enough deterrent power to make the inmates follow their instincts and willingly give up the comfortable and clean spots.
The so-called good spots were those far away from the toilet.
Only an old man in tattered clothes with white hair lay motionless under the only window, sleeping like the dead, seemingly oblivious to the arrival of newcomers.
Wang Yunxiao sat on the ground, sighing inwardly as he watched his little brothers laugh and joke around, seemingly unfazed by fear.
Before the police arrived, Youtiao had already made a deal with the Du brothers.
The Tianmen City street loafers had their own Jianghu rules.
When someone opened a new business, the loafers would come to extort money without damaging or causing any trouble, simply lying down at the doorstep. They would protect their heads and faces and let you beat them; if you killed someone, you'd have to face legal consequences. If you didn't dare to be lethal, and the loafer didn't beg for mercy, in the end, you'd have to apologize, compensate for medical expenses, and continue to pay tribute during holidays.
When loafers fought, each side would pick someone to lie down and take a beating, and whoever begged for mercy first lost. But both sides agreed not to use weapons or strike vital points, and after the fight, they had to apologize to neighbors to calm their nerves.
Loafers, that's all they amounted to…
Of course, those were tales from the former dynasty.
Since the new government was established, they conducted two major crackdowns on crime per year, coming after old and young alike, expelling all manner of demons and ghosts and feeding them peanuts.
Without people, there is no Jianghu world, and the old rules naturally dissipate like smoke.
But the behavior of these Du brothers reeked of remnants from the former dynasty.
Wang Yunxiao couldn't understand it, looking at their strong physiques, how could they be mere rogues?
Youtiao, however, saw right through these two men.
No matter how tough they talked, the stubbornness of Tianmen people was actually a traditional local custom. Sometimes, even after a person is cremated, only their stubbornness remains as hard as ever.
According to old rules, during a fight, rogues shouldn't flash any weapons.
Like Wang Yunxiao and Guozi, uncivilized ruffians who brandish weapons without a second thought, are the ones rogues fear the most.
There's an old saying that goes, the soft fear the hard, the hard fear the ruthless, the ruthless fear those with nothing to lose, and those with nothing to lose fear the insane.
Reliant on their robust physiques, the Du brothers often intimidated others and were no strangers to brawling with bare fists. But having seen blood today, they realized Wang Yunxiao was no easy mark, and there was no logic in not making a quick escape.
The more experienced in the Jianghu World you are, the more you know not to mess with these teenage half-pints.
They were cold and ruthless, showing no restraint in their strikes.
Although they acted all tough, like a dead pig not fearing boiling water verbally, in reality they dared not fight back and could only just take the beating one-sidedly.
Once the other party had finished beating them and their anger had dissipated, gaining a little verbal advantage was a win-win situation for them.
While onlookers called the police, Youtiao squatted down to say a few words for the sake of appearance, giving the brothers an out, which they gratefully accepted.
An unspoken agreement was reached, and when faced with police interrogation, both sides claimed it was merely a verbal disagreement.
Matters of the Jianghu should not be meddled with by the Governmental Office, this was an unwritten rule among the Jianghu People.
Since it wasn't a big deal, as long as both sides gave a little ground, the Governmental Office wouldn't pursue the matter excessively.
The only pity was that they hadn't been able to reel in the financial backers behind them.
According to the old rules, once a grudge was settled by both parties, the police wouldn't even bother with it.
After all, it hadn't caused a severe social impact, and if it were any more serious, they would just inform the families of both parties at most.
But after several hours of waiting, there was still no sign of movement outside, and the brothers began to grow restless.
"Big brother, something doesn't seem quite right,"
Youtiao said nervously to Wang Yunxiao, "By all accounts this wasn't a big deal, we should have gone home after making our statements. Is it possible that those two brothers turned on us and are trying to blindside us?"
Normally, by the rules of the Jianghu, disputes should be settled within the Jianghu.
After a fight, and an agreement reached, isn't it outrageous to suddenly backtrack once you're inside the station? Jianghu People value their reputation most, so if you dare to do such a shameless thing, never mind how others will settle the score with you later, what kind of image will you have in others' eyes?
It seems unlikely under normal circumstances.
But you can't rule out those who are abnormal.
Moreover, step back and consider that it was Wang Yunxiao who pulled a knife first, breaking the rules of the Jianghu. It's not impossible that the others went back, pondered over it, got angrier and then decided to turn around and bite back.
But whether or not those brothers turned isn't really a concern, as Wang Yunxiao also had witnesses on his side to prove that they had acted like Rogues, which is a far more serious charge than simple assault and battery. They shouldn't fear an investigation, and if one really were to take place, it's uncertain who would suffer.
The problem is, it was nearly ten o'clock and there was still no sign of movement from the school.
Wang Yunxiao had arranged for someone to report back, yet Principal Zhou had not shown up.
Was he delayed by something, or...
Wang Yunxiao didn't like this feeling of the situation slipping out of his control. Locked up here, he had no idea what was happening outside.
Since that was the case, why not go out and see for himself?
With this thought, his gaze couldn't help but drift toward the door.
What a joke, how could I, a law-abiding good citizen, ever think of slipping out or picking locks...
Okay, fine, I picked up a little bit from watching some videos on that short video app Xiaobaike.