Choice and the Dark Side of Human Nature

To take him, or not to take him?

If she took the child, there was no way she could escape. His crying would draw not only Jason Lan's men, but also the constables. Whoever caught her, she’d be dead either way. But...

If she left the child behind, her conscience would never be at ease.

"What should I do?" Clara Phoenixfield asked herself in agony. At that moment, Jason Lan's men caught up: "Quick, they're just ahead! Move faster, bring her back."

"Yes!" The pursuers sped up. Clara could already see their shadows—only a few dozen meters separated them.

There was no more time.

Clara glanced at Little Feng Jin, gritted her teeth, and dashed into a nearby alley.

Little one, I’m sorry. I have no choice. That bastard won’t kill you. Wait for me... I swear I’ll come save you.

Leaving Little Feng Jin behind felt like someone had gouged out her heart—she was numb with pain, running blindly ahead and sobbing as she went...

No, no, I can’t abandon the little one—I have to save him. But... how? How can I possibly save him?" Clara stopped, covered her face with both hands, and squatted in the corner, silently sobbing.

She was so useless. If only she’d made up her mind earlier and carried the little one straight to Aunt Serena, Little Feng Jin wouldn’t have ended up in Jason’s hands again.

Clara was drowning in guilt, but no amount of regret could change the fact that she’d left Little Feng Jin behind.

No, I can’t just watch the little one get hurt. Clara wiped her face, stood up again, and this time headed straight for the main street instead of the alleys.

She’d overheard them say the constables were searching the city. If she went to the main road, she’d definitely run into them. With the authorities involved, the little one would be safe.

Clinging to that hope, Clara forced herself up again and dragged her exhausted body toward the main street.

Honestly, Serena’s five thousand taels were well spent. The Capital Prefecture constables had taken her silver and were working several times harder than usual—even patrolling this late at night. Clara soon spotted men in constable uniforms.

Clara didn’t care about her own fear. Just thinking of Little Feng Jin’s innocent, adorable face made her heart ache. Without hesitation, she rushed up to the constables and shouted, “The coffin shop ahead—the Feng family young master, the Feng clan’s little heir is there! Hurry, go save him, quick! If you’re late, they’ll get away!”

A person suddenly appearing at night made the constables jump, thinking it was a ghost. They relaxed only when their torchlight revealed it was a woman, but her words...

“What did you say?” One constable’s hand shook, overcome with excitement.

“Save him—save the Feng family young master!” By now, Clara was at her absolute limit, both physically and mentally. As soon as she finished speaking, she collapsed.

"Hey, wake up! Make it clear—is it Young Master Feng Jin? Where’s the coffin shop?" The constable squatted down and patted Clara’s face, but she didn’t respond at all.

"Enough, leave her. Finding the kid comes first." Another constable hurried forward.

"Right, right, finding him is what matters. Er Shizi, you take this woman back." The constable stood up, drew his sword, and rushed off in the direction Clara had come from.

Clara had run fast and hard, but hadn’t gotten far. With Jason Lan’s men still chasing, the constables quickly ran into them.

Running wild in the city in the middle of the night—no one would believe there wasn’t something shady going on. The constables didn’t bother with questions and went straight to grab them. Jason Lan’s men tried to escape, but after running most of the night, they were no match for the fresh constables, and were caught after just three streets.

"Tell me—where’s the coffin shop?" After catching them, the constables bound their hands and feet and dislocated their jaws to prevent suicide.

They were all experts at interrogation; just a few snaps and Jason Lan’s men were subdued.

Jason Lan’s men were tough—they didn’t talk even under torture. The Capital Prefecture constables grew impatient; these men were clearly up to no good and refused to crack, so one constable simply cut off a man’s genitals. The pain sent him rolling on the ground.

The constable snorted coldly, voice sinister: "Talk, or you’ll end up just like him."

Jason Lan’s men stayed silent. Once caught, they knew they were dead anyway—losing their manhood meant nothing now.

"So you want the hard way, huh? If you won't drink the wine, you'll taste the punishment. I won’t be polite—if you don’t want a quick death, I’ll give you all eighteen tortures, and you’ll learn what ‘wishing you were dead’ really means." With that, the constable swung his knife, slicing up another man’s limbs—blood pooled instantly on the ground.

"Aaaahhh..." Two men rolled on the ground, their agonized screams chilling to the bone.

After all that, someone finally broke: "I’ll talk, I’ll talk... just kill me quickly." Blood filled his mouth, his words muffled, eyes glazed, mind lost from the pain.

By now, he probably didn’t even know what he was doing. His companions didn’t stop him—they’d already passed out from the pain. These constables were worse than bandits.

Once they got the coffin shop’s address, the constables kept their promise and killed the man quickly. As for the others...

Sorry, as long as you’re still breathing, you’re coming back for a good, long interrogation. Maybe we’ll dig up something big.

With the address in hand, the Capital Prefecture constables quickly reached the place. But they didn’t rush in—they surrounded the shop and waited for reinforcements, sending men to search the area so no one could slip out with Feng Jin.

Soon, all nearby forces gathered outside the coffin shop. There were only about three hundred men, but that was more than enough to seal off the place—no one inside could possibly escape.

Once everyone was in position, the Capital Prefecture gave the order to attack. A hundred men charged in, but the result was disappointing: there were people inside, and they caught quite a few, but there was no sign of Feng Jin. The shop workers didn’t resist at all—they acted like model citizens.

"Where is he? Where’s the child you kidnapped?" The constables nearly exploded with rage, beating the shop workers savagely. But these men acted like fools—no matter how they were abused, they showed no reaction.

"Courting death." The constables lost their temper, slashing off half a man’s face. "Search everywhere—dig three feet down if you have to, but find Young Master Feng Jin!"

They’d searched the whole area, but found no trace of anyone. Still, he was certain—Young Master Feng Jin was still here!