Xuanqing Guard

Time was running out, but Shen Hao did not press the interrogation team below, because those executioners at the front lines must have been exerting every ounce of strength they had, yet their subjects were stubborn beyond reason—what could be done?

So force would do no good. Naturally, Shen Hao would not sit and wait for death. After receiving the three copper rods, he immediately sent new orders to Wang Jian, instructing him to carry out a targeted screening of these ten tough individuals—from their backgrounds to personal relations, laying everything out for comparison to see what was worth analyzing.

The dossiers for these ten men were all laid out on Shen Hao’s desk, stamped copies from the Ministry of War, very detailed. Wang Jian had the same set of files.

Previously, Shen Hao had only skimmed their general records, without delving into their histories; his earlier intention was not to waste too much time and energy on this first batch of suspects. Now, however, things had changed.

"All veterans of the military."

These ten had all served a long time—the shortest tenure was twenty-five years, the longest forty-seven. Shen Hao noted that each file detailed solid military achievements. Those who had participated in the last major war against the Barbarian Race naturally had rich merits; those who hadn’t had amassed honors through bandit suppression and exterminating remnant barbarian forces. Calling them battle-hardened veterans would not be exaggerated.

He casually pulled out one dossier—Zhou Qing, thirty-one years in the army, served as Decurion, Captain, and Captain in the Jingxi Army’s Wind Howling Battalion. Later transferred to Zhuo Huo Pass for garrison duty, became Captain of the Vanguard Battalion, went beyond the pass to eliminate bandits and remnant barbarians thirty-nine times, wounded eleven times, earned military merit and was awarded the title of Sixth-Grade Viscount for his achievements. Currently stationed at Beach Stone as Assistant General, his Cultivation has reached Gathering Spirit Realm Ninth Layer...

This Zhou Qing nearly turned the tables on Chen Tianwen; now he had withstood all manner of harsh but nonfatal interrogation by the Xuanqing Guard, yet still refused to break. In the end, his mind became hazy, forcing a halt to the questioning.

He was a true hard bone.

Generally speaking, those with steadfast will must have something they are devoted to and hold fast—either someone dear in their hearts, or some spiritual ideal.

What Shen Hao couldn’t understand was that these men were clearly aiding the Barbarian Race, engaging in treacherous, traitorous activities; how could they have anything to persistently uphold? Had villainy itself become a spiritual pursuit?

Unless these people simply didn’t believe they were doing anything wrong.

Like some advanced Evil Cultivators: their deviation lay in the fact that they fundamentally never saw their actions as wrong; instead, they considered them justified, even willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit.

But these men weren’t Evil Cultivators—their records indicate normal minds. So, logically, it made no sense.

The rest were much like Zhou Qing.

"Sir!"

Just as Shen Hao was frowning in deep thought, the sound of running footsteps outside the Public Office was followed by Wang Jian’s voice, likely stopped at the entrance.

"Come in."

Just as Shen Hao finished speaking, he saw Wang Jian, his face slick with sweat, push open the door and enter, shutting it behind him. Fast-paced, he walked to Shen Hao’s desk and whispered urgently, "Sir, we’ve found something interesting."

"Speak!"

"Sir, I had the Little Ghost, Ghost Gate, and Judge sections repeatedly cross-check the ten men’s dossiers. Every single word has been reviewed more than ten times. We finally discovered something!

Please look..." As Wang Jian spoke, he drew a sheet from his chest, unfolding it to cover most of Shen Hao’s desk. It wasn’t a drawing, but covered in dense writing: a categorized summary of the ten hard bones’ file contents, grouped under various headings.

Wang Jian continued, "Sir, when you issued your instructions earlier, you mentioned that these people must have a tightly organized network, and that the higher up you go, the more likely there’s a binding link connecting them together.

At first, we assumed they were colluding for mutual benefit. But after much investigation, we could find no chain of interests connecting them: neither money, nor contacts through their posts, nor private interactions matched up. In fact, several among them were renowned for their integrity within the military. Yes—these few. Their annual official appraisals were either ’Middle’ or ’Excellent’."

If you had to find a common ground, it’s that all their official careers have basically reached their limits."

Shen Hao frowned and murmured in confirmation; he’d noticed this before during his review. Their ranks were not low, and their military achievements remarkable, but further promotion was nearly impossible—their Cultivation had reached its peak. This was due to natural limits, beyond human effort.

Wang Jian continued: "A group of people with no hope for advancement would typically lose their drive. Yet their appraisals don’t reflect this—they still maintain a high level of proactivity, earning merits at a pace no less than before reaching their current positions."

What’s the goal? There’s nowhere left to climb, anyway. We wondered: could it be they’re convinced that accumulating more achievements might yield further advancement someday? Otherwise their actions don’t make sense."

Later, a member from the Judge section offered a theory: Maybe these people were motivated by promotion, which drew them into the Ma San Case? They perform their duties well, constantly earning honors, so that when real war breaks out, even if their Cultivation falls short, extraordinary merit may get them promoted regardless!"

By now, Wang Jian’s expression showed he endorsed this hypothesis.

Shen Hao raised an eyebrow; he had to admit that this possibility had crossed his mind as well—it was indeed plausible.

By assisting the enemy, they help the Barbarian Race recover their Primordial Qi, stoking up war anew. Each is a seasoned commander; once hostilities begin, they’ll be sent to the frontlines. As long as they survive a battle, their achievements could be substantial; combined with their accumulated honors, it’s not inconceivable they might be promoted exceptionally.

Thus, a motive emerges—and similar reasoning might apply to others in the case with comparable circumstances.

Of course, small fry like Xie Kai don’t count; they’re mere cannon fodder, knowing little, and seduced only by petty profits.

"Any other discoveries?" Shen Hao’s mood brightened; he hadn’t expected Wang Jian’s team to deduce something concrete. This was far more efficient than solo speculation.

Wang Jian chuckled, "Yes, sir. Here, you see—we sorted these ten men’s resumes repeatedly, and found another interesting point: they all served in the Wind Howling Battalion of the Jingxi Army—either as Captains or Decurions. The longest tenure in the Wind Howling Battalion was eight years."

We did a thorough check on the Wind Howling Battalion through related military records, and discovered that it was the ’hero battalion’ in the last Barbarian war, which earned it its title. Its founder is the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Xu Hong."