Of the more than five hundred prisoners, the vast majority were ordinary people without any cultivation, their life experiences not particularly complex. Some could even be described as pampered, privileged types—chubby and pale, having never witnessed the scene in the Punishment Room.

Whatever they were asked, they told. Within just a few days, the once clamorous cell block was rendered completely silent.

Even more interesting, out of five hundred seventy-nine people, not a single one died after torture. It wasn’t that the torturers were all that skilled, but these people simply couldn’t stand pain and confessed too quickly.

This time, Wang Yiming was part of the substantive stage of the plan. So the first round of confessions extracted were all categorized and condensed by him before being submitted to Shen Hao. Through this, he was able to gain a glimpse into the true nature of the "Jingxi" operation and realized it was an immense, earth-shaking campaign.

Shen Hao hadn’t left the Black Banner Battalion quarters at the Thousand Households Station these days. Each time a confession was delivered, he would review and mark it.

But Shen Hao’s approach was completely different from Wang Yiming’s, who had been organizing the confessions earlier. Shen Hao had no intention of "killing chickens to scare the monkeys;" instead, he wanted to "eradicate weeds and eliminate the roots—leave none alive."

If the whole family could be confiscated, then the whole family would be; if they could be beheaded, there was no way they’d just be imprisoned; whoever could be dug out further would be, without exception.

What did "killing chickens to scare monkeys" mean? What did "striking only as needed" mean? What did "control the scope of the blows" mean?

This time, none of that mattered!

"According to the names listed in the confessions, send word down to all regional Hundred Households Stations and have them make the arrests. Except for principal offenders, who must be escorted to the Thousand Households Station for detention, all accomplices can be imprisoned locally. If anyone evades arrest, issue a pursuit decree at once.

Also, remember that this is a special situation. In all confiscation cases, not a single coin is to be embezzled by subordinates. All those so-called ’customs’ from before should be set aside; rewards will naturally be distributed later. If anyone disobeys and still tries to stick their hands in, don’t blame me if I cut them off without mercy."

Wang Yiming’s heart trembled, then immediately understood Shen Hao’s intent. This "Jingxi" operation was clearly tinged heavily with a campaign to rectify the social atmosphere, targeting those corrupt maggots who harmed the nation for selfish gain. If the Xuanqing Guard deducted a share as usual during the confiscation, wouldn’t they be the same as those maggots? If the Governor’s Office picked fault with them, it would be disastrous—absolutely not worth it.

"Understood, sir. I’ll make sure to warn them again and again. Do you want to issue another order as a formal reminder?" Wang Yiming didn’t dare take it all on himself. His gut told him that the habitual sticky fingers below wouldn’t be stopped by a few words from him.

Shen Hao did not object and allowed Wang Yiming to handle it as he saw fit.

Wang Yiming turned and hurried off. Half an hour later, two orders of urgent command were issued to all four major city Hundred Households Stations under Fengri City’s jurisdiction. This time, the orders were not just limited to the Black Banner Battalion, but requested "assistance" from the local Hundred Households Stations as well, with Wu Changhe’s signature at the head of the seal.

Wu Changhe didn’t want to get involved either, but he had no choice. Shen Hao was holding two command arrows issued by the Jingxi Governor’s Office and the Commander’s Office—there was no refusing him.

Thus, the crackdown that had already caused an uproar throughout Fengri City three days earlier now sparked new waves, this time implicating even more people.

What is "implication by association"?

As the name suggests, it means hacking off every part connected to the withered branch. Not just the immediate family—anyone who had facilitated or benefited, as long as mentioned in the confessions, would be implicated. At minimum, they were brought back to the Garrison for questioning and had their family assets searched. If confessions were corroborated, then their fate was sealed.

At first, plenty of people tried to rely on their official status and the long-standing adversarial stance of the Local Government Offices toward the Xuanqing Guard, clamoring for "release." But no matter how sharp the tongue, when swords and sabers were drawn, all they could do was shrink back from the edge.

That very day, the dungeons of the Xuanqing Guard everywhere gained many new guests. More than five hundred seventy-nine principal offenders implicated thousands, close to ten thousand more.

For a time, all of Fengri City was as silent as the grave. Everyone knew that once you entered the gates of the Xuanqing Guard’s dungeon, the idea of ever coming out again was little more than a madman’s dream.

All kinds of rumors and resentful glances now converged on the Xuanqing Guard Thousand Households Station at Fengri City. But allegedly, the mastermind behind the operation wasn’t Households Officer Wu Changhe, but rather Shen Hao, Centurion of the Black Banner Battalion.

The man surnamed Shen was already infamous as an evil star, and now his reputation was cemented. Who knew how many wished to feast on his flesh and drink his blood?

Yet, outsiders didn’t know that the evil star they cursed had already shifted his focus elsewhere.

...

Shen Hao’s public office was rarely filled with sandalwood incense, but now a cool, refreshing scent roused the mind and sharpened the senses. Xia Nu had seen some foreign merchants selling it at the market, bought a little out of curiosity, found it effective, and then brought some to the garrison for the attendants to light in Shen Hao’s office.

Shen Hao also felt its stimulant effects were decent, though the aroma grew stifling with time.

"How’s that thing I had you watch progressing?" Shen Hao set down his document and brush, leaned back, and massaged his temples. He hadn’t just been sleeping poorly in recent days—his mind had barely stopped turning, and he was dead tired.

The man standing before Shen Hao was Wang Jian, who was diligently refilling his teacup.

"Sir, there’s been progress."

"Oh? Tell me."

Wang Jian hadn’t brought a dossier this time, likely because this report was not suitable for official paperwork.

"Sir, after the raid on the thirteenth of August, word spread all over Fengri City on the fourteenth. The black market folk were so frightened that they all went into hiding, not daring to take on any business—everyone’s waiting to see what happens.

The city-wide crackdown over the past few days scared off a lot of old foxes—especially buyers. Even the peddlers of ’Hundred Beauty Discs’ dared not show their faces. The entire underground network in Fengri City has essentially been thrown into a deep freeze.

But that Ma San fellow still hasn’t sat still. Not only has he resurfaced, but he sought out Flying Dragon in person, hoping to have Flying Dragon help him secure shipments. Even just dribs and drabs over land routes will do—he’s offered triple the usual price."

Ma San?

Shen Hao perked up. This Ma San was the same middleman who’d previously helped the barbarian race hook up bulk supplies in the black market. Prior investigations had revealed that there was a mysterious group behind Ma San, actively helping the barbarian race with their schemes.

Regarding this group, Shen Hao had already sent in a memorandum hoping the Governor’s Office would pay it due attention. But Jiang Cheng hadn’t taken it seriously at all, thinking that pests showed up every year, and this year there merely happened to be more than usual—wipe them out in one sweep and things would stay quiet a while.

Standing from Jiang Cheng’s perspective, such handling didn’t seem wrong. Focusing on the big fish while letting the small fry go—in principle this was reasonable.

But Shen Hao didn’t agree. He believed that ordinary maggots were driven by money or resources, and for those you could focus efforts only on the major ones, since you’d never arrest them all. But Ma San’s gang was clearly not mere profit-seekers. They didn’t operate alone, and even if they collected huge fees for brokering deals, it could never be enough to divide among such a large group of cultivators.

"What goods does he want?"

"They know moving large shipments isn’t realistic right now, so what they want most is General Spirit Stone."