Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Daughter Comes to the Rescue
Jiu Ya's explanation failed to convince Song Ping. This prefect had served as an official for over ten years and believed he had seen many eloquent criminals, but he rarely saw someone who could remain unfazed and sophistry even in the face of irrefutable evidence.
"Eloquent and deceitful!" Song Ping roared, slamming his gavel so hard that the ink and brushes on the table jumped. General Wang had clearly stated that when they were apprehended, the murder weapons in their hands were still dripping blood. The coroner sent to examine the scene had returned and reported that the bodies of the victims from last night were even more gruesome than those of the previous days. Before, they had been skinned and had their hearts ripped out, but at least they still resembled human beings. Now, this one was beyond human form, just a pile of minced flesh? What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive someone to commit such a heinous act?
Feeling deceived, the prefect decided to torture the three vicious murderers. He was not worried that they would not confess. He was sure that torture would not be able to pry their mouths open!
Then, just as the bailiffs stepped forward with the instruments of torture, an official rushed in, his voice tinged with surprise, "Sir, a woman has suddenly appeared outside the courtroom! She claims to have clues about the murderer!" The official added, "She just appeared out of nowhere; nobody saw how she got there..."
The suspect was right in front of the court, and witnesses had arrived. Everything was ready except for the final push. Although Song Ping felt something was amiss, he still ordered the officers to bring the person in quickly. He wanted to see what kind of character had arrived this time.
A young woman in a red dress slowly entered the courtroom. Morning light streamed through the doors, casting a pale golden glow around her, highlighting her fair skin and exquisite features. Her seemingly ordinary gait exuded an indescribable air of authority, causing everyone in the courtroom to stare in stunned silence, momentarily forgetting to reprimand her.
"Ranran?!" Jiu Ya was almost stunned when she saw a strange person following closely behind Rong Jiang.
Bai Yu was also surprised and exclaimed in a low voice, "Miss Rong?" Although Li Yue did not speak, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
“Ah Jiu.” Rong Jiang nodded and smiled, her gaze quickly sweeping over Jiu Ya and the other two, as well as the scene in the hall. She already understood. She thought to herself: What's going on with these three? Did they discover something about the Painted Skin Ghost and come to report it? But they seem to be treated as suspects. It seems she arrived just in time.
Seeing the reactions of Jiu Ya and the other two, Song Ping realized that they were all in cahoots. Judging from their surprised yet familiar expressions, they clearly knew each other! Alarm bells rang in his mind. Could they be here to coordinate their stories?
Song Ping composed himself, slammed his gavel, and tried to regain control, shouting, "What is the name of the woman below? Where is she from? Tell me immediately!" His voice was stern, but it lacked the confidence he had before.
The prefect's sudden questioning brought the officials and yamen runners, who had been watching intently, back to reality. They gripped their batons tightly, for the most important thing now was to interrogate the criminal.
"My surname is Rong." Rong Jiang raised an eyebrow, completely unconcerned about the grand display. "I am from Linzi."
"You've come to court, do you have any clues about a serial killer?" Song Ping's expression was cold and stern as he said in a solemn voice, "This is a courtroom, and not a single falsehood is permitted! If you make baseless accusations or disrupt the court proceedings, I will not let you off lightly!"
“Of course.” Rong Jiang gracefully and calmly flicked her sleeves. “That’s exactly why I came here.”
"Let me ask you first, do you know the three suspects beside you?" Song Ping stared intently at Rong Jiang, not missing a single change in her expression.
Rong Jiang answered frankly. Good, Jiu Ya is now a suspect. Excellent. "We know each other. These three are all my friends." She paused, then added, "We came from Linzi together."
"Do you know how these three committed their crimes? The suspects were cruel and vicious, taking dozens of lives in Changshao. I advise you not to protect such criminals, or the consequences will be dire." Lord Song took Rong Jiang's actions as upholding justice even against family ties. Did he know his friend had committed a crime and come to testify?
Song Ping didn't consider Rong Jiang a suspect because her appearance was highly deceptive. She looked to be fifteen or sixteen, slender, with a clean and refined air—the kind of pampered young lady from a wealthy family, the kind who never lifted a finger, delicate and frail, completely incompatible with the bloody and brutal word of murder. He even felt it was a sin to let such a girl witness a crime scene.
Hearing Song Ping's words, Jiu Ya couldn't help but laugh. Did they really think they were murderers? Was this supposed to be Rong Jiang's testimony? What a joke! The Underworld Emperor was to testify that the Demon Lord had committed murder? And even skin him alive and rip out his heart? My god, what a blunder!
Rong Jiang remained calm and composed, as if she hadn't heard Song Ping's accusations. "As far as I know, murders started happening in your area three months ago, while the four of us came from Linzi and arrived yesterday. The timing doesn't seem to match up. These murders probably have nothing to do with the three of them, right?" Her tone was calm, yet she pointed out the most crucial issue.
"For the past three months, murders have been rampant, and everyone in Changshao City is living in fear." Song Ping's eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to maintain his composure. "How can we be sure they aren't itinerant criminals? Did they commit crimes elsewhere before only recently arriving in Changshao?" He reasoned logically. "These three suspects appeared in the streets and alleys at night, carrying weapons, and there are corpses nearby as evidence. The evidence is irrefutable; there's no room for sophistry! I'm letting you off the hook out of consideration for your youth and ignorance, but you can't fool me like this!" He slammed his gavel. "I allowed you to come to court to present clues about the murderers, not to use clever words to exonerate the suspects!"
Young and ignorant? Rong Jiang's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Having lived for countless years, this was the first time someone had described her like that. This was certainly a novel experience.
She said no more, her slender, jade-like fingers lightly tapping the air, and the power of the netherworld flowed out. The next moment, the painted-skin ghost, which Rong Jiang had restrained by her invisibility spell, revealed its true form before the mortals.
The Painted Skin Ghost's appearance was truly appalling. A layer of grayish, loose skin barely covered its bones, with no flesh or blood connecting them, making it horribly shriveled. Its form was even more ethereal and uncertain, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, with sunken eye sockets containing only two clusters of eerie green flames flickering within. In short, it looked nothing like a human, barely even a complete ghostly form.
What's more, this thing appeared out of nowhere in front of everyone. The officials in the courtroom were startled and retreated in fear, hastily drawing their swords to protect Song Ping, their voices trembling: "Sir, be careful! There's a monster!"
In an instant, the entire courtroom erupted into chaos. Exclamations, gasps, and the sound of weapons being drawn filled the air, turning the once solemn and dignified courtroom into utter pandemonium.
The remarkably calm Jiu Ya, Li Yue, Bai Yu, and the instigator Rong Jiang stood out amidst the chaos.
As soon as the Painted Skin Ghost appeared, Jiu Ya sensed its dense ghostly aura, confirming that it was a ghost. However, the ghost's appearance shocked Jiu Ya. It wasn't until the Painted Skin Ghost revealed itself in front of mortals that Jiu Ya couldn't help but ask, "Did this ghost starve to death? How come it's so thin, just skin and bones?"
“The Painted Skin Demon,” Rong Jiang confirmed succinctly.
"A Painted Skin Ghost?" Jiu Ya exclaimed in shock. In her mind, a beautiful painted skin ghost should be incomparably gorgeous. Her ideal image of a painted skin ghost had always been that of Mei San Niang, described in stories as either stunningly beautiful and charming, or Xiao Wei, innocent yet alluring. In short, a pretty and beautiful young lady! The painted skin ghost before her was utterly repulsive. Jiu Ya didn't really want to admit that this withered old man was actually the legendary Painted Skin Ghost!
Jiuya still tried to make a final attempt, pointing at the trembling painted-skin ghost, "He...he's actually a painted-skin ghost? Are you sure it's not a starving ghost or a hanged ghost?" This image really doesn't associate with the word "painted skin"!
"It is indeed a painted skin ghost without a doubt," Rong Jiang affirmed. She didn't quite understand why Jiu Ya looked so heartbroken, as if her dreams had been shattered. Ghosts and monsters come in all shapes and sizes and are not defined by human aesthetics.
Jiu Ya completely gave up struggling. Fine, this uncle had completely shattered the beautiful image of the painted skin in her mind. "Hehe, it's really not what I imagined..." Not just different, it was a complete and utter blow.
While Jiu Ya and Rong Jiang chatted in a relaxed (one-sided) atmosphere, Song Ping and the officials and yamen runners stared at the Painted Skin Ghost with tense expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
What's going on? What exactly happened? Lord Song Ping, who firmly believes in neither ghosts nor gods, felt his faith had been shaken like never before, his worldview teetering on the brink of collapse. What was that? A magical illusion? Or some new kind of magic trick? But what kind of magic trick could be so realistic, that eerie and terrifying aura almost solidified?
Fortunately, the terrifying ghostly figure remained motionless after appearing, which relieved Song Ping slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and ordered the constables to disperse, but kept his knife in his hand. Song Ping had a good memory; he clearly saw that this inhuman creature appeared only after the young girl surnamed Rong made a move. "You...what did you do?" his voice was hoarse. "In court, you can't fool people with these old tricks!"
Although Jiu Ya and Rong Jiang were talking about the ghost, Lord Song Ping refused to believe it, absolutely refused to believe it! "The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits!" How could someone who had studied the classics be misled by such superstitious tricks? He couldn't let these words shake his resolve! Ghosts and spirits were nothing but tricks to fool people; they didn't exist! Yes, that must be it!
Jiu Ya finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. This prefect was a bit funny. Seeing was believing, yet he still thought it was a magic trick? What, did this official believe in Marxism-Leninism, a staunch materialist? I didn't realize that people in ancient times didn't believe in this stuff. Didn't people in ancient times like to pray to gods and Buddhas?
Having transmigrated into a demon's body, Jiu had long since come to understand that not only ghosts existed in this world, but also gods, immortals, demons, and monsters—all were real. In this environment teeming with gods, demons, and monsters, those who resolutely refused to believe in their existence were a rare minority.
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