Chapter 304 The culprit is Zhao Shuning
"You can't even control a mere brat? What's the point of having you?"
The ghost officer knelt down and apologized, "The leading ghost is Gu Qishan. He protected the people of Xiping during his lifetime and had great merits. We cannot suppress him."
After hearing this, the King of Hell finally relented and let them come up.
When Gu Zhaolin heard this, his body began to tremble like a sieve. A stronger sense of fear came over him, causing his teeth to chatter.
He never thought that he would be able to meet his adoptive father in the underworld.
Soon, a group of wronged souls entered the hall.
They were wearing bloody battle robes, their heads and faces were covered in blood, their eyes were empty and dull, and they stared straight at Gu Zhaolin.
And the leader was Gu Qishan.
His armor was also stained with blood, and blood was flowing from the corners of his lips and eyes. Meeting his gaze, Gu Zhaolin instinctively began to tremble again.
And behind him were Ge Xubai and Xiao Yanci.
They died too.
"Yi, godfather..."
Gu Qishan spoke slowly, his voice filled with anger.
"Rebellious son! I treated you well, yet you colluded with the Qiangdi people and caused my death. You are truly a heartless person, worse than pigs and dogs!"
Ge Xubai also spoke quietly, "I treated you as a brother, but you regarded me as an enemy, sent people to plot against me, and killed me. I die with such resentment!"
Xiao Yanci also said, "I am the grandson of the emperor's son, and my status is beyond words. You are so audacious that you caused me to fall off a cliff and die. You deserve to die."
The wronged souls behind them spoke up one after another, accusing him of his crimes. Gu Zhaolin's ears were buzzing, his tongue was stiff, and he couldn't say a word to defend himself.
The King of Hell had a sullen expression, his aura of dominance overwhelming. "Gu Zhaolin, you are vicious and sinful beyond description! Come, take him away, and put him through a mountain of swords and a sea of fire. After he has been tortured ninety-nine times, he will be sent to the eighteen levels of hell, where he will never be reborn!"
Immediately, a ghost came forward, took him down from the pillar, and wanted to take him away.
Gu Zhaolin finally came to his senses and shouted, "Lord of Hell, spare my life! I, I am innocent. I didn't do any of these things!"
The King of Hell was furious and roared loudly.
"All your crimes during your lifetime are clearly recorded in this king's book of life and death. Do you still want to quibble? You are truly unrepentant!"
Gu Zhaolin burst into tears, "I didn't lie. I was instructed by someone to do this stupid thing. Even if I am guilty, I don't deserve to go to hell!"
He was completely frightened.
The current scene is already scary enough. What kind of torture will I have to endure in the eighteen levels of hell?
He couldn't even imagine it.
"Who ordered this?"
Gu Zhaolin's eyes were filled with hatred. "It was Zhao Shuning. She was the one who ordered everything! Back then, she arrived in Xiping, eager to quell the epidemic and make a contribution, but she didn't have a good remedy, so she came up with this perverse idea of witchcraft..."
"She was the one who said that those who were poisoned should be killed to silence them, so as to prevent the matter from being exposed. That's why I took advantage of the situation and eliminated those soldiers on the battlefield. Comrades, if you want to seek revenge, look for her. She is the culprit!"
"My adoptive father's death was also Zhao Shuning's idea. My adoptive father brought back a female doctor who threatened her interests. She wanted to get rid of the doctor, but was worried that my adoptive father would track her down. So she proposed to get rid of my adoptive father as well to eliminate the threat once and for all."
"Those ideas were all hers, godfather, you know me. I don't have the brains to come up with such ideas. They were all Zhao Shuning's ideas. I was bewildered for a moment, so I listened to her and did such a thing."
Ge Xubai looked at him coldly, "What about me? How are you going to explain my death?"
Gu Zhaolin quickly denied, "I didn't kill you. The head I brought back last time was actually a fake. I just found someone with a similar appearance and used this opportunity to make a name for myself. Your death really has nothing to do with me."
Ge Xubai said darkly, "I died on Broken Cloud Mountain. Someone shot an arrow in my back. The arrow was laced with Tendon-Eroding Soft Jade Powder. I was poisoned and became completely powerless, which is why I died. Wasn't that person who shot me in the back sent by you?"
Xiao Yanci also said, "I was also attacked by a hidden arrow from behind, and fell off a cliff to my death. Could it be that you had something to do with it?"
Gu Zhaolin shook his head repeatedly, "No, it wasn't me, I didn't arrange this, it was Chu Yian! He was the one who shot the arrow in the back. The tendon-eroding soft jade powder on his arrow was given by Zhao Shuning. She has a lot of these unorthodox things. Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor. This whole thing was done by the couple. If you want to take my life, go find them, don't look for me!"
Xiao Yanci didn't say anything else.
The King of Hell's majestic voice came again, "Do you have any evidence? If you can't produce any evidence, then it's slander, and the crime should be aggravated."
Gu Zhaolin thought about it carefully, and only then did he realize that he had no evidence at all.
Zhao Shuning acts cautiously and will not easily leave any handle.
His mind raced, and finally he came up with an idea.
"I remember now. I saw her Gu worm inside an emerald-green gemstone mechanism. Later, I saw her make a new hairpin, and the gemstones inlaid on it were exactly the same emerald-green color as the small mechanism that housed the Gu. She must have embedded the Gu worm inside. If we send someone to check her hairpin, we'll know for sure if it's real or not."
His mind had never been so clear.
The reason why he noticed Zhao Shuning's hairpin was that she always dressed simply and didn't wear many hair accessories, so Gu Zhaolin noticed it the first time she wore the hairpin.
But Gu Zhaolin thought the gem on the hairpin was too big and too tacky, so he made a new one for her and gave it to her, but Zhao Shuning politely declined.
She said: "This hairpin is very important to me, I will not take it off."
Gu Zhaolin was very unhappy when he heard this.
He thought it was a gift from Chu Yian, and after thinking hard, he finally came up with an association.
In fact, he still wasn't completely sure in his heart, but he spoke with certainty.
What if I really was right?
"Her maid must know the inside story. She recently recommended a businessman named Mr. Li to me. They're old friends, so maybe Mr. Li has something on her!"
Gu Zhaolin poured out everything he could think of.
The King of Hell interrogated him again, but Gu Zhaolin really couldn't say anything else useful, so he gave up.
Gu Zhaolin looked at the King of Hell with a pleading look on his face. "Everything I said just now is true. I am truly wronged. Please, King of Hell, have mercy on me and don't send me to the eighteen levels of hell. Even if you can, I will be reborn as an animal!"
In contrast to the harshness of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, Gu Zhaolin already felt that the animal realm was the best destination.
The King of Hell glanced at Gu Qishan, who nodded slightly at him before he spoke.
"Everyone present heard everything you just said. I have no right to decide your life or death. I will report everything to the Emperor and let him make the final decision."
Gu Zhaolin was stunned. Emperor? What emperor? Is there an emperor in Yama Palace?
Just as he was thinking this, the lights in the hall suddenly came on.
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