The River Deity then laughed, "Since that's the case, I shall lend you a helping hand. This way, the River Deity will be able to judge the case."
"You all should join in as well. This way, you will have a clear conscience in your dreams."
The Registrar Keeper naturally understood his intentions. Although it had been a fake trial in the past, as long as he participated in a crucial battle, it would be a real trial in the real trial. The projection of the Registrar Keeper became much clearer, and he bowed to the outside world.
The Infernal Judge and Emissaries entered the hall as well. The River Deity smiled. In the next moment, he was already seated on the main seat. The entire projection was clear, solemn and dignified.
Even the sizzling sounds of oil and the screams of pain became real.
At this point, the River Deity sat high up on the throne and slammed down on the wooden block. Everyone turned to look at Bai Ceng. All of them were Infernal Judges, and some of them were monsters.
"Hm, if you refuse to confess, your punishment will be reduced." The River Deity looked at Bai Ceng coldly as he slammed down on the wooden block again.
Within the hall, the sound of flowing water could be heard. Bai Ceng had just been shocked. Although he was still trembling in fear, his heart was filled with regret. It was as if he had been deceived. At this point, the wooden block was slammed down, and the River Deity spoke coldly. It carried with it a bone-piercing pressure. Just listening to it made one feel as if their entire body was frozen.
Bai Ceng's entire body was covered in cold sweat. The courage he had just now was gone. He didn't know why, but he spoke out in a daze, "Master River Deity, please spare me. All the bad things I did were ordered by my master. I had no choice but to obey, your excellency."
Bai Ceng still wanted to explain himself.
Hearing these words, the River Deity cleared his throat. The Registrar Keeper looked at Bai Ceng and said, "Then why don't you confess?"
"Yes, your excellency River Deity. Eighteen years ago, the magistrate was a High Scholar of the previous dynasty. During the chaotic times of war, when he was still a student, he was kidnapped by bandits. After that, he was saved by a martial artist. He swore that he would repay the favor.
"It's just that the previous dynasty had collapsed and there was chaos and chaos. This martial artist had disappeared for a long time. Master thought that he had been transferred to another place by the imperial court or that he had died in battle."
"In order to deal with this situation, Master also gathered dozens of servants to guard the courtyard and the fields. One day, this martial artist suddenly brought a dozen people to visit, saying that he had encountered a chaotic army and wanted to rest for a while."
"When night fell, Old Master was already a High Scholar. He served him wine and food. In the end, this martial artist drank too much and revealed his identity. It turns out that a few years ago, this martial artist had pledged his allegiance to the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor was still a volunteer army and gave him a military post. This martial artist fought against the Imperial Army and won many battles.
"It's just that our infiltration failed and we were scattered. We wanted to seek refuge with Master and return to the Revolutionary Army after resting for a few days. We also leaked the news that we were wanted in the prefecture city."
"Old Master took note of this and ordered us to scout the city. He heard that as long as we beheaded this martial artist, we would be rewarded with a Seventh Rank position. Hence, Old Master summoned me in the middle of the night and added poison to the hangover medicine."
"That very night, I received orders to deliver the medicine one by one. Most of them were poisoned to death. Only one or two who were more alert were hacked to death."
"We wanted to cut off their heads and present them to Old Master. However, the next day, we received news that the Revolutionary Army had destroyed the city. Old Master was shocked and hurriedly buried the corpses."
"Due to the chaos and chaos of the war, and the frequent battles, coupled with the fact that General You Ji had snuck in secretly, no one knew about this. The Revolutionary Army had to be deployed to battle soon. After searching for a while, they didn't find anything and assumed that he had been killed in battle."
"We were afraid for a few years. When the current dynasty was founded, we realized that no one knew about this. Old Master then became a High Scholar. Due to the scarcity of talents, he quickly became the County Magistrate. Now, he's the Magistrate of a prefecture."
"Your excellency River Deity, I was just a servant back then. Although Old Master promoted me to the position of Assistant Housekeeper, I wasn't the main culprit." Bai Ceng knelt on the ground and begged, "Your excellency River Deity, you should know that I'm just a servant. If I didn't obey orders, I would have been beaten to death. No one would have stood up for me."
"Your excellency, your excellency, I've been wronged!"
Pei Zi Yun looked at the copper mirror and heard these words. He then laughed out loud, "If it's anything else, it's fine. But the blood debt of the current dynasty is a huge crime. I didn't expect the Magistrate to have such a past!"
"Quick, ask for his name and address. The Magistrate is done for."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, the River Deity slammed his gavel once more, "You've been honest. You've been very honest. As for who killed him and where he's buried, why don't you tell me the truth?"
This was the most crucial part of the interrogation. Although Bai Ceng was terrified, he felt that something was amiss. However, he didn't know what to say. Just as he was hesitating, the River Deity slammed his gavel on the table once more.
As soon as the gavel hit the ground, Bai Ceng felt a sense of dread. His mind was in a state of chaos.
The River Deity waved a hand, "You're still unwilling to confess? Drag him away and cook him. "
The entire hall was immediately filled with a bone-piercing chill. Two Messengers of Hell came forward and wrapped their ice-cold chains around his neck. Bai Ceng felt a rush of blood rush to his head, and he was stunned for a moment. Just as the chains wrapped around his neck, he couldn't breathe and struggled with all his might.
All of a sudden, the cold chains loosened. Bai Ceng's face turned red as he fell to his knees and cried, "I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything! Your excellency, please reincarnate, please reincarnate …. "
Bai Ceng collapsed onto the ground, "The name of the You Ji General was Gao Chang Yi. He was buried under the peach tree in the Magistrate's mansion. His head was buried under a pavilion five miles away from the city."
"Has the corpse been touched?"
"Your excellency River Deity, it hasn't been touched. It's been buried there all this time."
"Did something bad happen?"
"Your excellency, yes, yes. The Magistrate ordered me to kill a minor official who refused to marry his daughter off as a concubine. He said that he had blackmailed him for two thousand taels of silver, and forced him to beg for mercy, so that he would marry his daughter off as a concubine."
"Also, I helped my brother-in-law to arrest the owner of a textile factory, and took over his business."
Bai Ceng had followed the Magistrate for a long time. At this point, he had already told Pei Zi Yun everything that he knew.
Hearing this, Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly. The Magistrate was indeed not clean. Everything else was a small matter, but the fact that he had killed You Ji General Gao Chang Yi was enough to infuriate the Emperor. Gao Chang Yi was a fifth ranked official, but the most important thing now was to hand over all the evidence.
"He deserves it." Pei Zi Yun said as he ignored Bai Ceng. Instead, he turned to the Sect Leader and asked, "Which official does the Magistrate have a feud with? Who are his political enemies? Do you have any information? "
The Sect Leader thought for a moment before replying, "Yes!"
"Chen Yuan Zhi is now a Prefectural Official. He has been promoted but has been demoted. He is in charge of the irrigation works, but is a fourth ranked official. He is currently patrolling the neighboring prefecture."
Pei Zi Yun nodded his head and walked back to the altar. He lit up a stick of incense and bowed before taking a step back. He then turned around and looked at the darkening sky. He then smiled, "Send these people back at night. I'm sure they're treating this as a nightmare."
"Yes!" Several Daoists acknowledged before dispelling their powers. They then drugged them so that they wouldn't wake up. They then dragged them onto the ox-cart and dismantled the altar.
Magistrate's Yamen
It was late at night, and not a single person could be seen on the streets. Rain was falling from the sky, and the entire place was eerie. The night watchman had to wear a raincoat and carry a lantern, as he knocked on the gong.
The wind blew on the leafless trees, making a strange sound. Somewhere along the street, the sound of an ox-cart could be heard, breaking the silence of the night.
Several shadows approached the walls of the Magistrate's Yamen. A black robed man climbed up the walls and scanned the area for a long time. Seeing that it was safe, he flew into the backyard.
As he neared, Pei Zi Yun frowned and said, "Everyone, don't use your powers. Continue to seal the spiritual light. Find a room and send these people to their beds."
"Although it doesn't matter if the Magistrate is alerted, since we have the evidence in our hands, it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble. It's best if the Magistrate doesn't even know what happened when he dies."
"Yes!" Seeing that they were about to succeed, everyone was extremely cautious. After some time, the few of them came out, "Everything went smoothly."
Pei Zi Yun looked around the backyard and said, "Let's go. We shall look for the Advisor and report this to him. I'm sure he will be very happy to know about the Magistrate's dark history."
Magistrate's Yamen
The sky was getting brighter, and the few servants had woken up. Bai Ceng had woken up, and was still in a daze. He felt a sharp pain on his neck, and hurriedly stood up. He looked into the mirror and realized that there was no scar on his neck.
"Was the dream at the River Deity Temple real?" Bai Ceng thought to himself, and was secretly shocked. It was a dream, so be it. But the pain couldn't be faked. He started pacing around the room.
"Supervisor!" A voice startled him. He turned around and saw a servant serving a bowl of noodles, "I'm here to serve you."
Bai Ceng picked up the bowl of noodles and smelled a fragrant aroma. There was a huge piece of meat inside, and it was cooked in chicken soup. This was a very tasteless dish. Just as he was feeling helpless, a servant came to the door and shouted, "Supervisor, my master has ordered me to call you."
Bai Ceng felt dizzy, and his face turned pale. He placed his chopsticks down and hurried away. Seeing the Magistrate bowing to him, the magistrate looked at Bai Ceng and felt a sense of disgust. He then asked, "You look like this. What did you do last night? You look like you didn't sleep well. "
"My master is right." Bai Ceng didn't dare to argue and replied.
The Magistrate sat down, and his expression didn't look too good. After some time, he then said, "Continue to torture those female Daoists. You must get them to confess. Tell them that not only did they seduce the students around them, they were also the ones who pulled the strings. Find a few headless murder cases and pin them on them. I'm worried about those constables, and they might have some sort of connection with True Element Sect. Go and supervise them, and make sure this case is irrefutable!"
"Hm, it's just a mere True Element Sect. Even if they have some abilities, I shall let them know that the hearts of the people are as hard as steel, and the laws of the government are as hard as a furnace!" The Magistrate laughed as he gave the order.
When Bai Ceng heard this, he didn't know why, but he started to panic. His face turned pale. Seeing the Magistrate looking at him, he hurriedly replied, "Yes!"
As soon as he replied, he thought back to the dream he had yesterday. He couldn't help but feel shocked. Was it a dream, or was it not?
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