A world without glitz
In the small square courtyard behind the high threshold, people's attention has long shifted from fighting to manslaughter. They are not used to the raging blood and piling up of corpses, so these ignorant people are so excited at this moment.
Jingbai was practically being held captive as he advanced, while Shen Qingzhu followed closely behind the body of her eldest sister, Shen Qingmei. Shen Qingmei's face was covered with a white cloth, and the pearl hairpin on her head had fallen carelessly. She was truly lifeless.
Although Qi Yiwen had previously warned Xixi that Luo'an Town might be busier than usual, she had never anticipated such a serious incident involving a loss of life. The Water Mirror had caused a huge misunderstanding after thousands of years of peace, which was completely beyond her control.
However, out of consideration for maintaining the sect's reputation, Xixi still sat in the lobby, diligently following the instructions of her younger brother Xiyou, trying her best to put on the majestic appearance of a sect leader. Even though she had only taken over this position for a short day.
Beneath her tie-dyed blue skirt, Xixi's feet shifted restlessly, the soles of her shoes rubbing against the bluestones, one, two... The anxiety and helplessness she felt were beyond words. Before her parents left, they hadn't explained how to handle situations like this. What if the person was killing for revenge, or if it was unintentional?
"Axi, if someone kills someone, he should pay with his life. You should just sentence him to death." Chongchi's voice came from the green jade bracelet on Xixi's wrist. Usually when he had nothing to do, he would split a wisp of his soul and attach it to this green jade bracelet, acting as a companion to chat with Xixi.
"The Mountain God is a spiritual beast that protects the region. Why are all your words about war and killing uttered from your lips? Haven't you changed your bad habits after thousands of years?" Xixi and Chongchi had formed this spiritual cultivation contract a thousand years ago. Chongchi had chosen her out of compulsion. His mother held a heavy sword over his head, offering him two choices: eternal suppression in the dense southwestern forests, or a spiritual cultivation contract with me, to cultivate together. Though this was a blatant act of taking advantage of someone's misfortune, she and Chongchi seemed like a natural spiritual pair. Within a century, she had become a spiritual genius comparable to Qi Yiwen, earning the title of Mountain God.
Chongchi kept his mouth shut, and the faint glow of the jade bracelet had long since disappeared.
Meanwhile, Jingbai, despite his own grievances, finally felt a sense of relief when he saw the witch following him into the meeting hall. He could still argue clearly about things he hadn't done, but if he angered a madman, he wouldn't even have the right to speak.
However, Luoan Town's meeting hall had indeed not been open to the public for over a hundred years. This was the first time in a thousand years that it had been opened to the public because of him. And the person sitting in the hall at this moment must be Xi Xi, the Young Master of the West Mansion—a genius on par with Qi Yiwen.
However, due to the ancestral precepts of Xifu, Xixi could never leave the southwestern forests for his entire life and could only guard the spiritual beasts in these forests from generation to generation.
In this solemn scene, the prisoner knelt on his knees, his body trembling slightly; a corpse lay quietly on the ground, as if lifeless; and the witness stood upright, stating the facts with an expressionless face. However, in stark contrast to this solemn atmosphere, the young master was leisurely pondering which fine wine to taste tonight.
Xixi's thoughts drifted elsewhere. She remembered the sanctimonious immortal who had brought her the supposedly fine wine from the Great Illusionary Realm. Xixi opened each bottle and examined it, discovering that each one was a rare delicacy. In comparison, how could these present worries compare?
Perhaps because the silence lasted too long, or perhaps because it was truly terrifying, a bitter, sour smell quickly permeated the entire meeting hall. And the one who suffered the most from this smell was undoubtedly Jingbai, who was kneeling on the ground.
Shen Qingzhu hadn't wanted to be the first to speak out, but she was the victim after all, and now that she had arrived at the meeting hall, it was natural for her to pour out her suffering. So, without hesitation, she began a series of performances—faking a fall, twisting her waist, covering her face. Each movement was as natural as flowing water, leaving no trace of any connection. The bitter taste of the bitter water flowed like a clear spring, accompanied by the victim's miserable cries, which were so sore and plaintive that it made people feel pity. The sound seemed to have some kind of magical power, which made people's hearts tremble. Even the usually calm Shaofuzhu Xixi was attracted by the crying and his thoughts gradually returned to the right track.
It wasn't that Xi Xi didn't want to solve the case, but the deceased had a unique identity: a trial-taker. The cultivator had been the cause of this whole mess, and now he had vanished without a trace, clearly unwilling to intervene. And why would she, the Young Master of the West Palace, who had nothing to do with it, bother with this?
So, if this case could be outsourced, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? It would prevent me from getting involved in unnecessary trouble, while also giving the victim an explanation.
The two things that the masters and ladies of Luoan Town like to do most on weekdays are: first, gathering around the stone axis in the evening every day, singing and dancing together and enjoying a happy time; second, whenever there is something exciting to watch, they will gather together without any prior arrangement and talk about it in a buzzing manner.
Not to mention the council hall, which is only open to the public once every thousand years—it's a rare place. The bluestone slabs before the high threshold, uneven and undulating, seem to tell of the vicissitudes of time. And the crowd gathered there is also high and low, bustling and bustling.
Xixi has always hated being praised highly by others, whether it was her parents or those people outside the door. It always seemed that they would only feel satisfied if they let her get involved in this mess.
She coughed helplessly a few times, lowered her head and cleared her throat. The silver chain around her neck swayed gently with her movements, making a crisp sound. The silver chain rose and fell, as if deliberately covering up her uneasy eyebrows.
After calming down for a moment, Xi Xi lowered his voice and asked in a stern tone, "Who is standing in the hall? Why are you crying?"
"Sir, this is the man!" Shen Qingmei suddenly stood up from the ground, as if she had exhausted all her strength. She didn't even bother to hide her face. She pointed directly at Jingbai and cursed angrily, "He kicked my eldest sister to death in the street! The neighbors around here can testify for me! It was he who did it!"
Jingbai naturally felt deeply wronged upon hearing this. He secretly groaned inwardly, wondering if he had any Foshan Shadowless Kick skills, how could he possibly kill someone with a single kick? But now, he was being forced to keep the secret, and he couldn't even speak to defend himself. He could only bark at Shen Qingzhu like a puppy, barking at her.
Shen Qingzhu, unaware that this guest could transform into a barking wild dog, retreated in terror, his steps stomping on his overly long dress. Xixi, who had come to inspect the body, had to quickly catch Shen Qingzhu as she retreated. After stabilizing the woman in his hands, Xixi lifted the white cloth covering her face. The woman was pale and showed no obvious injuries, so Xixi quickly ruled out the possibility of her being kicked to death. He looked at the complaining woman. While her clothing wasn't fancy, it wasn't shabby either. Why would she deceive this small tailor shop owner?
"She has no external injuries, so she must not have been kicked to death by this person. She should have died before this person did anything, but the specific cause of death..." Xixi was speechless for a moment. Without external injuries, she could only check if there was a problem with her spiritual power, but this was her forte, what Chongchi was best at. "When Qi is accumulated, there is nothing, but when there is spirit, there is always emotion." This person did not have a trace of spiritual power, but even prisoners who had never practiced cultivation were not as clean as her. Xixi realized that this was not an ordinary murder case. How should she get rid of this hot potato?
The system had long since informed Chen Ye that the identity of the head of the Council Hall meant he was another powerful figure worthy of ceremonial attention, independent of the Demon Cult and the Immortal Sect, and possessing the strength to rival the male protagonist, Qi Yiwen. Wasn't this exactly the person they needed to curry favor with? However, she hadn't noticed that the number on her bracelet was silently increasing in the dark after she said, "I am willing to help the head of the Council Hall catch the true murderer and bring justice to these three people." Meimei was still a little hesitant about whether to take on this hot potato, but she didn't expect her henchman to rush to take it with his face.
However, Meimei vaguely felt that this must be related to the trial rules. The appearance of Xixi further confirmed her guess. How could a big boss appear just to show his face?
Seeing that the difficult potato had been settled, Xi Xi leisurely returned to the hall, continuing her airs as the Young Master. "Thank you very much, both of you. Please try to find the murderer within three days. The Council will reward you handsomely. If the murderer is not found within three days, let the deceased rest in peace." The stench of the corpse had already been spreading secretly, gradually rising to the surface.
"Ah Xi, stay away from that woman in red. She's not ordinary." Chongchi's voice was intermittent. Was it a trembling of fear or some other reason? Xixi didn't know. But no matter how hard she looked, she looked like just another arrogant Trial-taker, nothing special. Could it be that this playboy Chongchi had taken a fancy to that girl? His sarcastic remarks were just sour grapes.
"What about this stalker?" Chen Ye watched as the once arrogant Xiao Xinshui wilted and stood in the corner after Meimei arrived. Her awkward stance and her frail, dependent demeanor were enough to make her act innocent. Chen Ye had truly learned something this time, and fortunately, Meimei didn't have time to pay attention to him. "She's truly my favorite heroine."
System: "This is a world of romance, forbidden..."
"System, what's going on in your human-machine brain? A true heroine like this is a role model for us. I just stole a peek at Meimei's bracelet and she's already ranked number one."
"Host, why don't you take a look at yourself."
"Take him to jail and await your punishment."
"Do you know who I am? I was clearly beaten, and now they're locking me up. Is there any justice, any law?" Xiao Xinshui wasn't like Jingbai, the mute, unable to express her pain. Her throat-rattling cries were overwhelming and shocking, but it was a pity no one here knew her. After all, mama's boys never leave their homes. Chen Ye watched Xiao Xinshui being detained, and it was no different from watching trash being thrown out the window.
Chen Ye shook her bodhi bracelet and realized she was second. "Luckily, if I had surpassed my boss, I'd have been harassed. System, can you instill spiritual knowledge directly into my brain so I can learn without a teacher?" She was ready to teach on her back, but Meimei pulled her over to the corpse.
Most of the people in the meeting hall had left, leaving only the released Jingbai, the two victims, and the spy's subordinates. Meimei whispered, "Have you discovered the rules of this trial?"
Chen Ye focused on examining the body, ignoring her immediate supervisor. She searched the body thoroughly, finding nothing unusual. Her delicate hands rested on her neck when she felt something prick her.
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