Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 227 - 224: Black Law Judge, An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter 227: Chapter 224: Black Law Judge, An Unexpected Surprise

The sky quickly brightened and then dimmed again, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the night of the following day.

County Magistrate Hu of Yunhe County only returned to the county government from Shanyang City at noon.

Simply because he was too exhausted from staying up all night at the Xue Mansion the evening before, he slept straight through to the evening upon his return.

After waking up, this white-haired old man stroked his fine beard beneath his lips, a look of relish on his face:

"Tsk tsk, that beauty Huaiyu is tender and supple, truly a delightful experience.

It’s a pity that with over a dozen people of rank higher than a county magistrate to share with, it was impossible to fully indulge.

In front of that beauty, I, an old man beyond my sixtieth year, seemed to return to the vigorous prime of my eighteenth year.

Just to enjoy the company of this beauty a few more times, serving as a door dog for the Xue family is definitely worth it.

If the Xue Mansion needs tribute or respect, this old man only needs to exert a bit more of my hidden techniques to squeeze it out of those peasants.

In any case, this business won’t fall upon this old master’s head."

However, he was completely unaware that as various malevolent thoughts churned in his heart, his eyes were flickering with a ghostly green light.

Thump thump thump...

Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of a grievance drum being beaten outside the county government, his spirits immediately lifted:

"Business has arrived! Quick, help this old master change into my official robe. Assemble the court, assemble the court!"

After a short while, County Magistrate Hu, the steward, and the government officials of both ranks were all seated in the main hall, and a group of one old man and three youths, four in total, entered the eerily dark hall.

The three young men appeared half-asleep and dazed, looking somewhat muddled.

But the white-haired scholar pulling the three young men in had eyes that were bright and piercing, as if charged with electricity.

He surveyed the public hall, adorned with the plaque "Bright Mirror Hung High," as though the one responsible for judging criminals wasn’t the county official sitting on the platform but himself.

When the old scholar handed over the petition, County Magistrate Hu frowned as he sized up the group.

He felt that the people in front of him looked very familiar, yet he couldn’t recall where he had seen them. He temporarily set this aside and asked the old scholar:

"The petition states that these three men jointly raped and murdered your daughter?"

The old scholar, Zeng Wentai, remembered the command of the Divine Lord Living Yama, striving to suppress the hatred swirling in his heart, and simply responded:

"Indeed!"

County Magistrate Hu then turned towards the three young men and asked with a frown:

"Did you commit such heinous acts?"

The three youths, who looked rather muddled, admitted nonchalantly without any defense:

"We killed that girl."

"In Yunhe County, we have dishonored countless women; one more makes no difference."

"A mere peasant girl is lucky to catch our eye. To dare resist is to deserve death!"

After hearing the statements from both parties.

Although the case was already crystal clear and both parties had no dispute over the facts, County Magistrate Hu did not rush to declare judgment.

Instead, he surreptitiously signaled to the steward by his side:

"Judging by the clothing on these youths, they are either rich or noble. Has someone managed to arrange a deal in advance?"

Such was always the way of the county government.

According to the Great Yan Law, murder was a serious crime. Yet when the government dealt with such cases, it was also an opportunity to profit extravagantly.

If the criminals were sons of familiar officials, they’d be discreetly let off completely to save face.

If the criminals were from influential locals like scholars, gentlemen, or landowners, a bit of extra silver would be taken—good for them, good for us.

If the criminals had no strong connections and were merely merchants or commoners, both victim and perpetrator were sucked dry to the bone and wrung out completely before the matter was considered settled.

There’s a saying, "The gates of justice swing wide open, with reason but no money, do not bother stepping inside," referring to this very principle.

But under the lamplight, the somewhat shifty-eyed steward shook his head:

"My lord, there has been no word of anyone coming in advance to grease the wheels. Perhaps they are people from outside our region?"

Just then, the old scholar stepped forward, slapping a stack of Treasure Banknotes on the table from his bosom, and said with bitter hate:

"My Lord! I understand the rules, and of course, I will offer my respect to you.

Here are precisely three thousand taels of Treasure Banknotes, one thousand per head. All I ask is for these three beastly scoundrels to be sentenced to a swift death!"

The sight of the Treasure Banknotes made County Magistrate Hu and the steward smile from ear to ear.

"Good, I like people like you who follow the rules.

Since the evidence is conclusive, execute these three vile miscreants immediately with due process!"

The three laughed with each other, but in the eyes of the old scholar, there was only cold mockery.

In just a short time, a special exception was made, and the three young men received a swift blade, sending their souls to the netherworld.

With money paving the way, from the county magistrate to the executioner, who cared if it was day or night at the moment? Whether there were decrees from the Ministry of Justice or whether it was after the autumn when executions were sanctioned?

"Take care, sir! If you’d like to execute someone else next time, just send them to Yunhe County Government.

I guarantee that across the nine counties and one prefecture of Dengzhou, no place offers fairer prices than mine!"

Just as County Magistrate Hu was about to see the old scholar out of the government office, Zeng Wentai suddenly turned back and said with a smirk:

"That’s very kind of you, Lord Hu. I will come again tomorrow to handle some old cases, and I hope you will be as fair as you were today."

In a daze, County Magistrate Hu seemed to see his face turning as black as the bottom of a pot and his scholar’s robe transforming into a pitch-black official robe.

The patch on it was the symbol of justice—the divine beast Xiezhi.

It was as though he was facing a stern, incorruptible judge!

Roar!

A majestic beast’s roar suddenly resounded in County Magistrate Hu’s ears.

His body shivered, and then suddenly... he woke up from the bed.

He felt the cold sweat on his forehead, taking a while to recover from that incredibly vivid dream realm.

But unexpectedly, he heard someone outside the room shouting in panic:

"Master, it’s bad, very bad!"

County Magistrate Hu, his mind already disturbed by the nightmare, frowned deeply and scolded without anticipating such disturbance:

"Such panic and confusion, where is your decorum? Come in!"

A servant scrambled in on all fours, his face etched with panic as he reported:

"Master, just now the young master was drinking and enjoying the company of singers at the Ningxiang Restaurant with the county governor’s son and the chief clerk’s son when, for some unknown reason, they suddenly all fainted."

County Magistrate Hu leaped from the bed and demanded loudly:

"What? How are they now?!"

He had his son late in life and doted on him to the sky, spoiling him to the utmost extent.

He had been counting on this son to carry on the family line; how could he tolerate any mishap befalling him?

The terrified servant immediately knelt on the ground, trembling as he said:

"We were just trying to figure out how to wake the young master when he and the other two sons suddenly let out a scream in unison, and then...

And then... their heads just suddenly fell off!"

County Magistrate Hu’s head spun, nearly tumbling off the bed. Clutching his chest, he gasped for air to avoid passing out right then and there.

But he felt something odd inside his robe, and upon reaching in, he pulled out a stack of... paper money!

Hisss!

Throwing it away as if electrocuted, the paper money fluttered down, scattering all over the bedroom floor.

But in his mind once again surfaced the words of that dark-faced monster from his dream.

"A thousand taels of treasure banknotes for one human head, I just want these three full-of-sin beasts to die quickly!"

"Die quickly!"

"Quickly!"

He finally understood that, driven by his greed, he had personally beheaded his only son for a stack of paper money in his dream!

Suddenly overcome with intense emotion, he spewed a mouthful of fresh blood and cried out in sorrow:

"My son!!!"

...

Crack!

Wang Yuan, who had not gone anywhere and had been meditating with closed eyes, waiting for news by the Yunhe Bridge, suddenly heard a crisp sound next to his ear.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw that a small piece of the bridge’s pillar had crumbled away.

The remains of Zeng Wentai, which had been stuck there since the previous night, were freed and drifted along with the river towards the ocean.

At the same time, the thick evil aura on the Yunhe Bridge imperceptibly weakened a fraction, while Wang Yuan’s own Taoist skill improved slightly.

"Eh? Could it be that using the ’Living Yama’s’ ’Evil Punishment’ ability to let the resentful ghosts find release also brings about this unexpected delight?"

Wang Yuan’s vow came sincerely from the heart, not seeking any benefit from the multitude of ghosts.

However, as Zeng Wentai’s grievances as a fierce ghost caused by County Magistrate Hu were resolved,

Wang Yuan seemed to see a possibility to dissolve the Dragon-Breaking Gate without having to pay a heavy price.

It seemed that to break the formation, it might not be necessary to dismantle the Yunhe Bridge.

If he could resolve most of the grievances of the restless spirits and set their souls free, the formation would naturally collapse from within.

Those ghosts beneath the water likely wished even more fervently for the complete disappearance of this "Yunhe Bridge," which had abetted tyranny.

Woooo...

An unexpected chill winds blew in.

Zeng Wentai, dressed in a black judge’s robe with a face as dark as pitch, stepped out of the Yin Road and fell to his knees before Wang Yuan with a "plunk."

"The student humbly thanks the Divine Lord for bestowing upon me a divine technique to avenge my daughter. Now that I am free from all attachments, I only wish to follow the lord in my afterlife and serve as diligently as a dog or a horse!

I pray for the Divine Lord’s gracious permission!"

A gleam of hope filled his eyes as he looked at Wang Yuan, seeing him as the sole beacon of light in this murky world.

Some people who have suffered through hardships wish to drag others down, making them experience the same pain.

Some even wish to destroy the entire world, demanding it be the burial ground for their misfortune.

But others polish the little light in their hearts to shine even brighter after their hardships, willingly becoming lamp-bearers in the dark to save others from suffering as they did.

Without a doubt, Zeng Wentai was among the latter.

Born under the "Star of the Official entering the Tomb" configuration, born on Gui Day in Si Month, with the time approaching Wuchen. In life, he had no luck with officialdom and met an untimely end; in death, he found prominence.

As a fierce ghost, he was bestowed the "Earth Department Taoism - Black Law Judge Method," registered in the Book of Life and Death, and accepted as a Yin Official.

Black Law Judge: With a fearsome face but a just heart; amidst dark woods and moors, only your command prevails.

Precepts and Taboos:

[One, in the practice of public law enforcement, all actions must follow the "Yin Department Black Law," against those who violate the law, the power of Taoism doubles.

For the innocent, the power of Taoism halves.

Indiscriminately killing the good not only entangles one in debt but also leads to a rapid decline in Taoist skill until one’s cultivation is exhausted, and the soul scatters.]

[Two, impartial and removed from personal gain, with prolonged cultivation, appearance will tend to ugliness, but the heart will become ever brighter.

As one’s inner and outer self changes in opposite directions, once a certain point is reached in cultivation, it becomes irreversible, and one no longer has the choice to be a villain.

The uglier and more frightening a judge’s appearance, the higher their Taoist ability and the more upright and wise they become.]

[Three, requires a vast amount of Incense Fire Vow Power as "Earth Spirit Qi" to assist in cultivation, hence at the beginning of cultivation must "Borrow Technique" from someone who can come and go freely within the "Dragon Qi Prohibition."

Note: What is poison to others is sweet nectar to me.

If a human ghost is immersed in Incense Fire Vow Power, it will gradually turn into a clay and wood puppet that only mechanically responds to the ’Dragon Qi Prohibition,’ but if one cultivates this method, it can avoid calamities.

Truly achieving—A God within three feet above one’s head!]