The Celestial Fox Royal Family?

Su Bai had absorbed the memories of many criminals, so he had heard a little about this book.

It was basically a story about an exiled member of the Celestial Fox Royal Family who, after being ostracized by their clan, slowly grew to become the Celestial Fox Race Leader!

"Is this the kind of book you usually read?"

Su Bai asked, pointing at the book with a strange look on his face.

The Ninth Prince, Jiang Guanshui, looked startled for a moment before quickly pulling another book from the wooden cabinet.

"There’s also this one!"

Su Bai took a closer look.

Good heavens!

Great Xia Cuisine Atlas

A cookbook!

"Aside from your required studies, you only read these two books in your spare time?"

"Just these two."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

A look of pity immediately appeared on Su Bai’s face.

’This poor kid!’

Even though he was a Great Xia Prince of noble status, he was stuck in this gloomy prison all day long. Not only had he lost his freedom...

...his only form of daily entertainment was reading these two "extracurricular" books!

’How tragic!’

However, Jiang Guanshui didn’t notice the strange look in Su Bai’s eyes. He excitedly took out a chessboard and invited him to play with a broad smile.

"Brother Xu Qing! How about a game of chess?"

"Alright."

Su Bai thought for a moment and decided not to refuse the poor kid.

Upon hearing Su Bai’s answer, the joy in Jiang Guanshui’s eyes nearly overflowed.

He was as happy as a child.

...

Outside the grand hall, Longbo Hai, who had vanished in a flash earlier, now stood beside the Grand Director of the Demon-slaying Bureau, Chen Feixue!

Their gazes pierced through the Sealing Array and the isolation Array inside the hall, landing in the center of the room.

They focused on the two figures playing chess.

Chen Feixue gazed at the indistinct Divine Thought Incarnation, lost in thought.

"Grand Director, this Great Venerable senior..."

Longbo Hai began hesitantly, his expression uncertain.

Chen Feixue waved his hand casually. "Let him be!"

"If this senior wants to spend time with the Ninth Prince, just let him do as he pleases."

"But... I am worried that if this continues!"

"The Ninth Prince’s secret might be exposed and discovered by this Great Venerable."

Longbo Hai said, a hint of anxiety in his expression.

Chen Feixue, however, revealed a warm smile and said, "I, for one, hope this senior discovers the Ninth Prince’s secret!"

"When that time comes, if someone in the court wants to make a move against the Ninth Prince, do you think this senior will just stand by and do nothing?"

After speaking, a glint of cunning flashed in Grand Director Chen Feixue’s eyes!

Longbo Hai, standing to the side, had his eyes light up in sudden understanding!

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.

"The Grand Director is truly insi... I mean, thorough!"

Chen Feixue paid it no mind. He slowly withdrew his gaze, then turned and left with a flick of his sleeve.

"Do not disturb me unless it is important!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

Since he started playing chess with the Ninth Prince, another activity was added to Su Bai’s otherwise mundane daily life.

Over the next few days, aside from his routine patrols...

...Su Bai would use his free time to split off a Divine Thought Incarnation and travel to the prison’s depths to check on the Prison Suppression Bureau’s Martial Artists.

He wanted to see if they could pry open the mouth of that Qi Sea Realm criminal!

Afterward, he would enter the grand hall to play some chess and sip some tea with the Ninth Prince.

When night fell, Su Bai would transform into one of the Heroes of Great Xia, capturing unruly criminals and Demon Beasts!

He would also use his Divine Thoughts to listen in on the "radio broadcasts" of the entire Great Xia Imperial City!

He’d see if any of the "Xiaohanzi" had slipped up.

If he found any, he would personally take action, capture them, and toss them into the Great Xia Prison!

And ever since Su Bai, this "Night Hero," appeared, the Martial Artists of the Prison Suppression Bureau would scramble to the prison entrance whenever they were on the late-night shift.

They were waiting for the "shipment" to arrive!

The higher-ups at the Prison Suppression Bureau were also very perceptive!

They had personally ordered that whenever someone went to receive the criminals, they had to cover their eyes with black silk scarves to avoid seeing the senior’s true face!

In this way, Su Bai and the Prison Suppression Bureau reached a tacit understanding!

The two parties silently divided the labor, each minding their own business.

「A few days later.」

Su Bai’s Divine Thought Incarnation withdrew from the grand hall deep within the prison.

He looked at the Ninth Prince, who was all alone in the palace, and sighed.

’All I can really do is chat and play chess with you.’

’There’s not much else I can do.’

He had once secretly activated the Purification Tripod and discovered that the Ninth Prince had not a single trace of karmic sin.

He was like a blank sheet of paper!

In their subsequent conversations, Su Bai also learned that Jiang Guanshui had lived in this palace for as long as he could remember.

Since childhood, he’d had no freedom and no playmates.

Before meeting Su Bai, he had never even seen an ant with his own eyes!

Since obtaining the Purification Tripod, Su Bai had seen too much of the world’s ugliness.

Someone like Jiang Guanshui, who was utterly without sin, was instead locked up in a prison.

Su Bai couldn’t help but feel a sliver of sympathy.

After returning from his visit with Jiang Guanshui, Su Bai began to wander around the B-Class Prison.

It looked like a patrol, but in reality, he was just slacking off!

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in a corridor of the B-Class Prison.

"Huh? What’s Elder Qing doing here?"

Su Bai was a little surprised to see the stooped old man walking toward him.

Elder Qing was an old colleague from the Red District whom Su Bai had spent many days with before.

Beside him was a man in an official’s robe, escorting a criminal.

It was none other than Ning Fengyun!

"Take care, Lord Ning..."

As Ning Fengyun locked the captured criminal in the cell, Elder Qing, who was standing to the side, spoke with a smile.

"Lord Ning!"

Su Bai walked up and called out.

Ning Fengyun, his expression serious, gave a slight nod and then turned to leave.

After Ning Fengyun had gone, Su Bai approached Elder Qing.

"This humble one greets Lord Su!"

Elder Qing said with a grin, bowing to Su Bai.

"Elder Qing! Calling me ’Lord Su’ like that will shorten my life by three years!"

Su Bai joked with a wry smile.

"Pah, pah, pah! What kind of talk is that!"

Elder Qing immediately shot back with a playful curse, his expression visibly relaxing!

Back when Su Bai was "interning" in the Red District, he, Elder Qing, and Elder Yan...

...had a good relationship and got along quite well.

After Su Bai became a Martial Artist of the Prison Suppression Bureau, he would still occasionally visit the Red District to catch up with the two elders!

He hadn’t let their friendship fade.

"Elder Qing, did you get a promotion?"

Su Bai couldn’t help but ask when he saw that Elder Qing was wearing a new uniform.

"How could this be considered a promotion..."

Elder Qing shook his head. "The Red District recently received several high-profile criminals, and the higher-ups assigned two Prison Suppression Bureau Martial Artists to guard them personally!"

"Yan Wuming, that old coot, and I were finally relieved of duty!"

"He went home to rest, but I couldn’t stand being idle, so I asked the higher-ups for an easier job, managing the miscellaneous affairs in the B-Class Prison."

That was what he said, but Su Bai knew the truth.

Elder Yan went back home.

That was because he had his wife and young grandson to keep him company!

If Elder Qing went back home...

...the house would be empty, with no one there.

’When you have no one, your heart feels empty, too!’

An old man staying home alone would naturally be bored.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Su Bai shrewdly avoided the topic.

The two chatted for a little while longer before getting to the main point.

"The criminal Lord Ning just escorted, was he a scholar?"

"He sure was! I heard he was spouting nonsense about court politics and had thoughts of rebellion!"

"And so... he was caught in the act and sent here!"

Elder Qing said, clicking his tongue.

"Oh, right, and another thing! I heard the higher-ups at the Prison Suppression Bureau have decided to stop the interrogations and execute a batch of high-profile criminals!"

"Why is that?"

Elder Qing clasped his hands behind his back and said slowly, "If we don’t execute a batch of criminals!"

"I’m afraid this prison won’t be able to hold any more!"

Su Bai froze.

’Well, I’ll be!’

’So...’

’The "main culprit"!’

’...was actually me?’