Chapter 58: Impartial

Xiao Haonü was hauled off to the Punishment Hall.

Under the Xuanyuan Guard’s airtight defense, public order in Zhaoge was excellent. The cases handled by the Punishment Hall were all minor matters like throwing trash on the ground or neighbors squabbling with each other, so theft had become a rare major case.

Lu Wuxing sat in the hall. The moment he saw Xiao Haonü being brought in, he frowned.

Xiao Haonü was still struggling, yelling that he had not stolen anything and had been framed, but he currently had no cultivation. How could he possibly struggle free of the Xuanyuan Guard? In no more than a few moves, he was pressed down and forced to kneel on the cold stone tiles of the punishment platform.

Beside him were the Wei brothers. Wei Huo said to Lu Wuxing in the hall, “Hall Master Lu, when this thief passed by me, he pretended to fall. In truth, he used the chance to steal my money pouch. If I had not always been quick-witted, he would already have escaped.”

Xiao Haonü said furiously, “Bullshit! You were clearly the one who tripped me and stuffed the money pouch in yourself!”

Wei Huo dodged the spit Xiao Haonü sprayed at him and said with perfect composure, “You and I neither know each other nor have any grudge between us. Besides, I am a mid-level practitioner with a promising future. What would be the point of bullying a useless person with no cultivation like you?”

A few steps behind him, the common people of Zhaoge had packed the entrance so tightly that not even water could pass through. They were all chattering at once.

“Whoa, isn’t that Long Tianhu? I didn’t expect it to be him!”

“Hmph, he used to be a bandit, and now he’s a petty thief. A dog can’t change its habit of eating filth.”

“If you ask me, they should beat him with a few hundred strokes and see whether he still dares to do evil in the future!”

Xiao Haonü abruptly turned his head and roared, “I didn’t steal anything!”

He was a tall, burly man. Even forced to kneel on the ground, he was still taller than some shorter people standing upright. When he turned back and let out that thunderous furious roar, his booming voice, his red and widened eyes, and his savage, frenzied expression startled everyone.

The voices of the onlookers went quiet for a moment. Someone said softly, “Seeing how angry he is, could he really have been wronged?”

They were immediately refuted by someone else. “An evil man like him deserves it even if he was wronged!”

“That’s right! He should suffer a little. Ha, who knows, maybe he wronged other people before. Now he’s getting instant karma.”

Xiao Haonü’s fists clenched so tightly that his voice trembled with rage. “All of you are full of shit! I used to do evil openly and honorably. I never used low-class tricks like framing and slander!”

Wei Huo stared at him coldly and was just about to speak.

Suddenly, a trembling voice rang out from the crowd. “What happened? Why has my shop hand been hauled here?” It was an old woman with a cane. She wore a half-worn indigo-blue shirt, and her graying hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin. The finest thing on her entire body was the pair of shoes on her feet, made from brand-new blue cloth and embroidered with white curling-cloud patterns.

Lu Wuxing, who had been watching the show from the hall, saw her and stood up. “Granny Mo, why have you come?” He hurriedly instructed those around him, “Quick, bring Granny Mo a seat.”

The guards in the Punishment Hall hurriedly found a stool for Granny Mo to sit on.

Granny Mo was Mo Linglan’s grandmother, and Mo Linglan was one of the ten odd-job workers who had originally reached the Boss’s side together with Lu Wuxing and the others. They had all shared bonds of life and death, so Lu Wuxing was very respectful toward Granny Mo.

Granny Mo looked at Wei Huo, then at Xiao Haonü, who was kneeling in the hall. She was not muddleheaded with age, and immediately understood some of what was going on. She said to Lu Wuxing, “Lord Lu, this young man is good at heart and diligent in his work. Many of the shoes in my shop were made by him. He’s an honest man. Could there be some misunderstanding?”

“What? Long Tianhu is an honest man? Isn’t that an insult to honest people?”

“He even knows how to make shoes? Don’t tell me he’s tricking the old lady because her eyesight is poor.”

“Old lady, you moved here later, didn’t you? This Long Tianhu is no good person. Back then, he bullied people!”

“Old lady, you don’t know. His Dragon-Tiger Gang committed every evil imaginable. They specialized in burning, killing, and looting. They were rotten to the core!”

Among the onlookers, many were among the first residents of the valley. Back then, they had also been filled with righteous indignation and joined in beating up the members of the Dragon-Tiger Gang. Even now, when they recalled what had happened, they could not help getting angry. They had come so close, so very close, to having their home forcibly seized by this man.

Granny Mo had never heard of these things before. She looked at Xiao Haonü in shock, only to see him hanging his head, utterly listless and wilted. This made Granny Mo think of her own son, who had died young. Granny Mo opened her mouth, but still said, “Although he did bad things in the past, that does not prove he did bad things today. Shouldn’t it still be investigated?”

Xiao Haonü’s shoulders shook. Only then did he finally dare raise his head and look at Granny Mo, while Granny Mo was gazing earnestly at Lu Wuxing. Her appearance was so much like the mother in his memories.

Xiao Haonü’s throat suddenly choked up, and an unprecedented sense of grievance rose in his heart.

Seeing this, Wei Huo waved a hand and said, “The money pouch has already been recovered. I think we can let this matter go. He does seem rather pitiful.”

Wei Hai said from the side, “Brother, you truly are kind. If it were me, I would have cut off this thief’s hand long ago.”

Wei Huo’s face was full of righteousness. “Since this old lady speaks on his behalf, I suppose he truly does intend to turn over a new leaf. Perhaps today was only a momentary lapse in judgment. What harm is there in forgiving him this once? I only hope he will thoroughly repent in the future, conduct himself properly, and stop making mistakes.”

After hearing such magnanimous words, the onlookers immediately developed a favorable impression of this man.

“You really wouldn’t expect it. This person actually has a kind heart!”

“He must be a practitioner too. Look at him, and then look at Long Tianhu. Truly, they are worlds apart.”

“Our City Lord is also this kind-hearted. This practitioner must have been influenced by our City Lord, which is why he’s become a great benevolent person just like our City Lord!”

Amid this praise, Wei Huo began to feel light and buoyant. He thought that all his effort these past few days had truly not been wasted.

After experiencing a setback, Wei Huo no longer dared look down on the people of Zhaoge. He had done some investigation over the past few days and was astonished to discover that Zhaoge was no ordinary place.

Whether residents or the Xuanyuan Guard, they were extraordinarily united. Their feelings toward that Perfected One were not the ordinary fear mortals had toward cultivators, but reverence mixed with admiration. Moreover, the Xuanyuan Guard also had the Jade Dragon Platform for their cultivation. It was said that there was a spiritual-gathering array personally inscribed there by a Golden Core Perfected One. Cultivating there was more than twice as fast as cultivating outside.

The more Wei Huo looked, the more envious he became, almost to the point of drooling. He also changed his initial view. Although he had not yet completely figured out that Perfected One’s thoughts, he had already seen how much effort Perfected Chi had poured into Zhaoge.

So he changed tactics and decided to establish an image of himself as kind and tolerant, using this to draw closer to Zhaoge. As long as he obtained the support of Zhaoge’s people, would he still need to fear that he could not become close with Guo Qianshan and the others in the future, or serve before Perfected Chi?

And if he wanted to highlight his outstanding virtue, naturally he needed an ugly clown to set him off. Long Tianhu was the clown he had carefully selected.

He had already investigated Long Tianhu. He was a criminal detained by Zhaoge and kept here to work, and his cultivation had been sealed by that Perfected One. More than that, this man was hated by the valley’s residents. Even if he cried injustice, no one would believe him. Could there be a softer persimmon to squeeze?

A single small money pouch had accomplished the matter. Wei Huo was smug inside. Hearing that the onlookers were still scolding Xiao Haonü, he even generously stopped them a little. “Sigh, I imagine he was only momentarily muddled. He surely will not make the same mistake again in the future.”

Before he could enjoy everyone’s praise, he heard a furious voice ring out.

“Listen to you standing there letting out fake-ass farts!” Xiao Haonü, as it turned out, could endure no more. He suddenly exploded, breaking free from the Xuanyuan Guards suppressing him. The veins on both his hands bulged as he charged over and smashed a fist toward Wei Huo.

Wei Huo had calculated everything, but he had not calculated that Xiao Haonü’s temper would be this violent. He narrowly dodged aside, startled by the sharp rush of wind that brushed past his ear. Hadn’t they said this man’s cultivation had been sealed? How did he still have this much strength?

The Punishment Hall instantly fell into chaos. Xiao Haonü chased Wei Huo all over the place, cursing him as a cheap wretch again and again, spewing enough insults to fill a basket. In order to establish his generous and kind image, Wei Huo desperately endured and did not dare fight back. He could only dodge from east to west, then run from west to east.

Lu Wuxing was afraid Granny Mo would get caught in the mess, so he hurried over in a few steps and helped the old woman hide behind the table. At the same time, he slapped the startling block and cursed, “Stop! Stop right now!”

Xiao Haonü did not listen at all and did not stop.

With a whoosh, the onlookers scattered far away, yet they still stretched their heads out to watch the excitement.

Lu Wuxing shouted sternly, “If you don’t stop, I’m grabbing the broom!”

As Xiao Haonü chased, he cursed, “This cheap wretch stained my innocence! I’ll fight you to the death!”

As Wei Huo ran, he shouted, “Where is the Xuanyuan Guard? Someone! A thief is bullying a good man!”

The onlookers cried, “Run faster, run faster!”

Several Xuanyuan Guards were so anxious they jumped in place. “Someone come! We don’t have enough people!”

Even phrases like chickens flying and dogs jumping, no peace among chickens and dogs, or ghosts wailing and wolves howling were not enough to describe the scene at that moment.

Lu Wuxing had been humiliated like this in the Punishment Hall under his own supervision, so he was angry too. He pulled out a broom and swung it toward Xiao Haonü, but he had not expected the two people in the chase to suddenly switch positions. That burst of broom-wind failed to strike Xiao Haonü and instead landed on Wei Huo. As a result, Wei Huo, who should have been able to dodge, suddenly froze for a moment. In that instant of distraction, Xiao Haonü’s fist smashed right into the left side of his face.

With a bang, the thin Wei Huo was sent flying by that punch. He only stopped after crashing into the plump Wei Hai. His mind buzzed, and the left side of his face went numb. He had never imagined that he would actually be hit!

Lu Wuxing was also embarrassed when he saw this. He quickly directed the Xuanyuan Guards who had come as reinforcements to hold Xiao Haonü down. The disorderly Punishment Hall finally recovered its order.

“Long Tianhu, you truly have become lawless!” Lu Wuxing was just about to have Xiao Haonü beaten with a few hundred strokes when he heard someone beside him say, “Hall Master, could he really have been wronged?”

The speaker was Xu Chengmei. She was a third-level practitioner. When she first entered Zhaoge, she had been assigned to work at the construction site. After passing the observation period, she was assigned to work in the Punishment Hall.

Xu Chengmei said softly, “There is something strange about this matter. Wei Huo is a mid-level practitioner. How could Long Tianhu casually steal his money pouch? If Long Tianhu really wanted to steal money, wouldn’t stealing from any other household be easier than stealing from Wei Huo?”

It was not that Lu Wuxing had not considered this, but he had a prejudice against Long Tianhu. The moment he saw it was him, he first assigned him seventy percent suspicion. Besides, Wei Huo had just helped the Boss accomplish something. Why would he frame him for no reason?

At this time, Ma Hongxuan arrived with the Book of Truth. Originally, everyone had arranged a meal today to celebrate Wan Tianyou’s advancement to the middle stage of Qi Refining. But when noon came and Lu Wuxing did not arrive, they heard that he was trying a case here and the place was blocked with people, so they came over to have a look.

After hearing what they said, Ma Hongxuan wrote Xiao Haonü’s and Wei Huo’s earlier statements into the Book of Truth. The result was astonishing.

Ma Hongxuan looked at Xiao Haonü in the hall, whose eyes were wide as a mad bull’s as he tried to keep charging at Wei Huo, then looked at Wei Huo, who was holding his face and sighing, saying that he would not argue with Xiao Haonü. He fell into a moment of silence.

Ma Hongxuan said, “This case—hurry up and judge it!”

But Lu Wuxing pulled him aside and said in a low voice, “That Wei Huo is about to advance to the sixth level. The Boss also summoned him twice.”

Ma Hongxuan looked at him.

Lu Wuxing continued, “His life-bound artifact is rather special. I think he should be useful to the Boss. As for Long Tianhu, he is only a criminal. I think we should just let this pass!”

Ma Hongxuan understood what he meant and showed a disapproving expression. “You’re being… unfair.”

Lu Wuxing said, “Where is there any fairness in this world? If Wei Huo ends up with a reputation for framing and slander, how will the Boss use him in the future? Would that not affect the people’s morale in the valley?”

Ma Hongxuan fell silent.

Lu Wuxing continued, “That Long Tianhu is also someone who hides his own schemes. He secretly earned money behind our backs, and no one discovered it for so long. He is clearly deep-minded. It would be better to take this chance to get rid of him than to leave behind a future disaster who hates Zhaoge.”

After Lu Wuxing finished speaking, he was about to go handle the matter, but Ma Hongxuan caught hold of him. Under Lu Wuxing’s puzzled gaze, Ma Hongxuan said with difficulty, “Wuxing, I understand what you mean, but… we cannot do things this way. One matter is one matter. If you judge it this way, it truly is unjust.”

Lu Wuxing looked at him as if he had seen a ghost, and dissatisfaction rose in his heart. “Are you trying to protect Long Tianhu?”

Ma Hongxuan said, seeking truth from facts, “I am not protecting him. I am only speaking for justice.”

Lu Wuxing said sarcastically, “Then I’m afraid the people harmed by the Dragon-Tiger Gang in the past will be moved to tears.”

Ma Hongxuan frowned. “How can you…”

Lu Wuxing pulled his hand back. “Yes, yes, yes. You talk about justice, so you can go judge it. In any case, I help my own, not reason. I don’t care whether he was wronged or not. I only know that this man once insulted our Boss. He deserves ten thousand deaths to begin with!”

With that, he flung his sleeve and left.

Ma Hongxuan silently watched his angry departing back for a moment, then walked over and said to the bewildered Xu Chengmei, “He has a temporary matter to attend to. I will judge the case.”

“Oh, all right.” Xu Chengmei hurriedly stepped aside to make way.

Ma Hongxuan unfurled the contents of the Book of Truth on the spot and pronounced that Xiao Haonü had been wronged and that Wei Huo had deliberately framed him.

Seeing this result, the onlookers were dumbstruck. Wei Huo’s eyes widened, and he nearly fainted. Xiao Haonü also could not believe it and stared at Ma Hongxuan in the hall.

Ma Hongxuan was also looking at Xiao Haonü.

He gave several quiet instructions, and soon someone brought over two account books. One recorded how many jin of firewood Xiao Haonü had chopped each day, how many cartloads of stone he had hauled, and how many mu of land he had reclaimed during the time he had been detained in Zhaoge. The other recorded how much property Xiao Haonü had damaged when he first entered Zhaoge.

The first book clearly had many more pages and was several cun thick. The second had fewer pages, looking to be less than one-tenth the size of the first.

However, when Ma Hongxuan took out his life-bound artifact—a scale—and placed the two account books on it to weigh them, their weights were actually equal!

Ma Hongxuan’s brow relaxed. He said, “According to Zhaoge’s rules, Xiao Haonü, also known as Long Tianhu, has already redeemed his crimes. From today onward, whether you want to earn money or leave Zhaoge, you may do so. No one in Zhaoge will stop you.”

Facing Xiao Haonü’s shocked expression, Ma Hongxuan’s look was not friendly. After all, he had never liked Xiao Haonü in the first place. He said, “You may leave.” Then he looked at Wei Huo. “As for you, you stirred up trouble without cause and disrupted Zhaoge’s public order. You are fined ten days of hard labor at the construction site.”

This result caused an uproar.

“They’re just… letting Long Tianhu go?”

“But Market Supervisor Ma said he has already redeemed his crimes.”

“Now that you mention it, I kind of remember. Back then, I think Long Tianhu was the one who chopped my family’s firewood.”

“Isn’t this a little hasty? He did quite a lot of bad things in the past!”

“How is this hasty? Did you see him do those bad things in the past? What he did before should be managed by the local officials of those places. It’s not as if he committed those crimes in our Zhaoge. Our Zhaoge is different from other places. Everyone has to follow the rules. Since he has already redeemed the crimes he committed in Zhaoge, letting him go is perfectly reasonable. What, did you want to keep him here as a slave for the rest of his life?”

At the word “slave,” the group of residents who had once been slaves fell silent for a moment.

Slowly, someone said, “That’s right. However great the crime, that’s how much he should redeem. Our Zhaoge is the most reasonable place.”

“Exactly. So what if he’s a mid-level practitioner? If he slanders someone, he still has to be punished, and punished harshly. Otherwise, if people like him can casually slander others in the future, how are ordinary people like us supposed to live?”

“That’s right! Market Supervisor Ma did well! Even when judging a criminal, he can remain impartial. With officials like this, we can live in peace!”

“That Wei Huo, you really couldn’t tell. He actually slandered someone. If Market Supervisor Ma had not enforced the law impartially, we would all have been fooled by him.”

“Hmph, with a case like this, let’s see whether any practitioners dare casually bully people with no cultivation in the future!”

…

Xiao Haonü walked out of the Punishment Hall somewhat dazed. Perhaps the sunlight outside was too dazzling, because it actually made tears glimmer at the corners of his eyes.

“Young man… wait…”

Xiao Haonü turned back. Granny Mo was slowly catching up with her cane. The old woman moved slowly. She took a money pouch from inside her clothes and stuffed it into his hand. “Whether you leave or not, these are the wages I should settle with you.” She patted his arm, her gaze benevolent. “In the future, hold your head up and conduct yourself properly. I know you are actually a good young man. The shoes you made for me are comfortable!”

Granny Mo tapped the shoes on her feet with her cane. After finishing her reminders, she slowly walked away again.

Xiao Haonü held the money pouch and lowered his head, no one knowing what he was thinking.

Not long after, he gathered together with the other Dragon-Tiger Gang underlings who had been released after serving their sentences. Everyone was discussing what they should do after leaving Zhaoge. When they saw him, they hurriedly crowded around and said, “Boss, you’re finally back. Once we get out this time, we must wash away our former humiliation and go settle accounts with the Chen clan…”

The underlings talked over each other for a while. Suddenly, an incredulous voice burst out. “What! You’re not leaving!”

The underlings were heartbroken. “Boss, we’re not even holding it against you for being called Xiao Haonü anymore! How can you betray our Dragon-Tiger Gang!”

…

Almost at the same time, inside the small residence, Ma Hongxuan bowed deeply toward Chi Yixuan.

Chi Yixuan was slightly surprised. “What? Have you come to ask forgiveness?”

But Ma Hongxuan said, “No. Everything today was judged according to the rules set down by the Boss. I consider myself without guilt.”

Chi Yixuan said, “No regrets?”

Ma Hongxuan was actually not as calm as he appeared. When he heard the Boss ask this, his mood became even more anxious. However, when he recalled the scene in the Punishment Hall, he still shook his head and said firmly, “No regrets.”

“Good!” Chi Yixuan rarely praised people, but this time he gave him a rare word of approval. “You did well.”

As Ma Hongxuan could not help revealing a smile, he said, “Go get ready. Call Mo Linglan, and come with me on a trip. We are going to Fengcheng.”

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