"Punish on Heaven's Behalf, the Punishment of Righteousness?"
Zhang San savored these words. Although the Heavenly Punishment Sect was called the Demon Sect, the more he contemplated their doctrine, the more he felt it resembled the philosophy of the Town Martial Office.
The philosophy of the Town Martial Office was, "Serve the Emperor, pacify all martial artists, dare to act for the good of all under heaven!"
And wasn't the Heavenly Punishment Sect's Punish on Heaven's Behalf, the Punishment of Righteousness, another form of "dare to act for the good of all under heaven"?
The only difference was that the justice of the Town Martial Office was endorsed by the Emperor, while the Heavenly Punishment Sect relied entirely on themselves.
The more Zhang San thought about it, the more he found the relationship between the Heavenly Punishment Sect and the Town Martial Office interesting.
Seeing Zhang San's mouth curling into a smile, the four people eating were all confused, not understanding what was going on with this person who came to interrogate them. He had actually given them food, and now he was laughing foolishly. They had no idea what was amusing him.
At that moment, Zhang San bowed with his hands clasped toward the four men.
"Thank you for telling me all this. With this information, I can fulfill my duties."
The four looked at Zhang San, their faces full of astonishment.
Han Baiwen couldn't help but speak up, "Aren't these things that your Town Martial Office should already know?"
Zhang San was taken aback, turning his head to look at Wei, who was standing at the door.
Seeing Wei close his eyes in resignation and nod, Zhang San realized that all he had asked earlier was already known to the Town Martial Office.
But it didn't matter, for the main event was about to begin.
"No worries, no worries. It's an honor that the four of you are willing to talk to me. With this, I can respond to my superiors. It's just that the simple meals we've provided are really insufficient for all of you."
"Come, let me treat you all to something better."
As he spoke, Zhang San turned his head and glanced at Wei, "Let them come in."
Immediately, Wei opened the large door of the prison cell and several martial artists walked in, carrying a large pot and an iron stove, with fire burning underneath and a pot of clear broth simmering on top, sprinkled with some seasonings and side ingredients, but it was unclear what sort of soup it was.
At this time, Wang Ziteng and many other curious members of the Town Martial Office were also eavesdropping outside the cell.
They were all curious about how Zhang San intended to conduct the interrogation.
But to everyone's surprise, Zhang San had actually offered food to the other party.
Do you think we haven't provided benefits before? However, these Demon Cult Followers are all tight-lipped. How could they confess everything just for a little food?
Just as many were doubtful of Zhang San's approach, they suddenly heard him say from inside the cell: "I'm inviting the four of you to enjoy beef hot pot, how about it?"
Among the four, the three underlings were very happy.
Beef was a rare delicacy, and it would naturally be wonderful to have some.
However, Han Baiwen's brow furrowed and he quickly asked, "According to the Kaihuang Law, privately slaughtering cattle and horses is against the law!"
Zhang San thought for a moment, realizing that he had also heard in ancient times that killing cattle was illegal; it seemed that even in the Great Sui Dynasty he had traveled to, this was the case.
"No problem, since all of you have taken care of me, I cannot fail to return the favor. We might as well be friends. What does it matter if I break the law?"
As he spoke, Zhang San began to stir the large iron pot that had already been heated.
The pot bubbled and gurgled, but after stirring a few times, Zhang San slapped his forehead.
"Oh no, no, no! Look at my memory, there's no beef!"
The expressions of the four from the Heavenly Punishment Sect turned cold, all this fuss and no beef after all!
"No matter, this gentleman is my uncle, my very own uncle!"
"My uncle has a unique skill that can turn a person into a cow. So the four of you..."
Zhang San spoke, his eyes gleefully fixed on the four members of the Heavenly Punishment Sect before him.
"Who... would make the sacrifice?"
As soon as Zhang San finished speaking, he reached out and grabbed Han Baiwen, who was the leader of the four.
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Although Zhang San did not know the names of these four men, their actions and expressions clearly indicated that he was the leader among them.
It was him!
As Zhang San picked up Han Baiwen, Wei immediately came over to help.
However, for some reason, the previously nonchalant Wei now felt the atmosphere in the cell was rather tense and frightening.
Technique!
Wei suddenly realized that it must have been a technique Zhang San used, which at first made everyone around him feel relaxed and extremely trusting of Zhang San.
But just then, Zhang San seemed to have switched techniques.
This occurred after Wei dragged Han Baiwen to a corner of the cell and tied him to a rack, after which Zhang San executed his technique.
With Han Baiwen turned into a flailing ox, the other three men in the cell were terrified.
Wei turned to look at Zhang San and noticed his eyes were pitch-black.
Name Punishment Technique: Black Eyes of Fear.
Wei had seen this technique before; it was created by the Legalists and exerted immense psychological pressure. Just being seen by the caster could instill deep fear inside someone.
And if you made eye contact, the fear in your heart would multiply many times over.
Before, Zhang San had deliberately used his technique to relax the four men, otherwise they would not have sat down to eat the food he offered.
After all, if Zhang San had poisoned them, they would not have been able to resist, and under the agony of poison, it would have been hard not to confess.
But Zhang San did not poison them. Instead, through good food, casual conversation, and his technique, he gradually made them let down their guard.
Now, using Black Eyes of Fear, he had abruptly plunged them from the blissful heights of heaven into the unfathomable depths of hell.
Especially with an ox beside them continuously bellowing in misery.
Zhang San gestured to Wei, then pointed to the door. Wei immediately went out and brought back a sharp knife for cutting meat, along with a whetstone.
These were all things Zhang San had asked other martial artists to prepare earlier.
"As for beef, naturally, it must be fresh. Gentlemen, which part do you prefer?"
As Zhang San spoke, he approached Han Baiwen, who had been turned into an ox. The tip of the knife traced Han Baiwen's bovine face, slowly moving down to his neck, then inching further down.
"The neck meat is firm and lean, it's actually suitable for making soup and can also be made into meatballs. Would you fancy some meatballs?"
The three men were so scared that they shook their heads repeatedly, sweating profusely.
Han Baiwen, transformed into an ox, was bellowing in panic.
Zhang San's knife continued down to Han Baiwen's back.
"The flesh near the back of the neck is called the 'upper brain,' which is tender with interlacing layers of fat and lean meat. It's excellent for hot pot. How about some?"
"Actually, the meat of the inner skirt is also not bad, the muscle from the flank. It's lean with a richer taste..."
As Zhang San spoke, his mind was already filled with the image of thin slices of meat turning from red to white in the pot, being dipped in sauce, causing him to involuntarily swallow his saliva.
The three men from the Heavenly Punishment Sect looked horrified as Zhang San jabbed the knife into Han Baiwen's back.
The sound of the calf's pained bellowing echoed through the cell, along with the noise of Zhang San swallowing his saliva at the thought of beef hot pot.
This guy wouldn't really eat a person, would he!?
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[Note 10] Citation explanation
The "Kaihuang Law" was the first codified legal text of the Sui Dynasty, which summarized and developed legislative experiences from previous dynasties in aspects of content and structure, provided a direct model for the typical representative of the Chinese legal system—the Tang Law, and served as a template for future legislation. The "Kaihuang Law" represented the pinnacle of legislative achievements during the Sui Dynasty and is a representative codified legal text in the history of Chinese law.
Since this book borrows heavily from the context of the Sui and Tang periods, the current emperor's era is referred to as Kaihuang; consequently, the "Kaihuang Law" is also the legal code during the protagonist's time.
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