I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 8 Qu Chou

"Who is in the hall and what is going on?"

"Qingcheng Sect disciple Ji Zhongxuan escorts criminal Li Erniu here for trial."

What a handsome young swordsman!

Upon hearing the clear and melodious voice, Jia Shidao, the prefect of Nanxuan City, looked closely. The person speaking below the stage was as upright as a pine tree, with red lips and a jade-like face. Although he had feminine features, his sharp facial features carried a wild and unruly arrogance, making him appear exceptionally handsome.

The dashing young swordsman, with his sharp and righteous spirit, impressed even Jia Shidao, who usually looked down on people in the martial arts world. He couldn't help but secretly applaud the handsome and resolute young man.

After hearing his reply, Jia Shidao slammed his gavel and asked again:

"What crime has the criminal committed? Is there any evidence?"

"Murder of his wife! This is the testimony of Li Erniu's neighbors. Li Erniu has signed and confessed. This man beat his wife to death, and his crime deserves to be punished by death!"

"Your Honor, I... I am innocent!"

Upon hearing the word "death," Li the Lazybones was so terrified he wet himself. Forgetting all about ghosts or vengeful spirits, he immediately began to plead his case in court.

"You audacious scoundrel! Now that you have signed and confessed, how can I tolerate your fickle behavior and childishness in the courtroom!"

"Your Honor! I am truly innocent! These young men tortured me so severely that I had no choice but to sign and confess. I did hit my wife, but what man hasn't hit a woman? I really don't know how my wife died. It's not uncommon for江湖人 (jianghu people) to kill unarmed civilians for their own gain. My wife died unjustly. I beg you, Your Honor, to do me justice!"

Li Lanhan's dramatic and moving lament resonated with the onlookers in the hall. Even those who had personally heard him confess were affected by his words and began to doubt whether Li Lanhan had truly been wronged.

"You! How dare you slander our Qingcheng Sect?"

Most of the teenagers were encountering petty people for the first time, and their infuriating behavior of blaming others for their own misdeeds made them speak out against them.

"No noise is allowed in the courtroom!"

Seeing Li Lanhan trembling with fear under the accusations, Jia Shidao began to believe him to some extent. Looking at the Jianghu people he despised, his tone turned colder.

"Young Master Ji, the laws of this dynasty repeatedly emphasize that it is forbidden to kill or injure civilians, let alone to coerce, bribe, or torture them into confessing. If any of you knowingly violate the law, once this official verifies the facts, he will not tolerate it!"

"Lord Jia, people can lie, but corpses don't."

A sweet and clear voice rang out from outside the lobby, and a pretty young woman helped an elderly man with a wrinkled face but a sprightly spirit walk in.

"Who are you?"

"I am Fei Xi, a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. I wonder if Lord Jia has ever heard of the coroner Shi, who redresses grievances, suppresses violence, and rectifies right and wrong?"

The person who came was Fei Xi. When she was about to reach the west gate of the government office, she pulled her junior brother Ji Zhongxuan aside and whispered a few words of advice to him before leaving the group and disappearing without a trace.

"Are you talking about the venerable Shi Yishi, who resolved many wrongful convictions in Hubei and Hunan provinces and exonerated the innocent?"

Lord Jia couldn't help but stand up and look at the old man below the hall in surprise.

"Senior, Lord Jia recognizes you."

"Girl, is this the corpse you were talking about?"

The old man asked casually, ignoring the exchange above. He lifted the white sheet and immediately took out his tools to examine the corpse before him closely.

"Lord Jia, Senior Shi is currently performing an autopsy. Before the conclusion is reached, please allow me to ask the criminal Li Erniu a few questions."

Jia Shidao hadn't expected Shi Yi to reside within his jurisdiction; he hadn't heard a word of it beforehand. For such a small case, the other party had managed to get Shi Yi involved—the Qingcheng Sect…it seemed they weren't pushovers to be trifled with.

Seeing that things were not so simple, and considering the important person behind the hall, Jia Shidao dared not make a judgment on his own. After pondering for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

Fei Xi bowed and calmly walked to Li Lanhan. She knew all too well that petty people in the marketplace were most prone to fickleness and eloquent sophistry. Even with irrefutable evidence, they could turn around and accuse her at any moment. The Qingcheng Sect had no powerful backing; all they could rely on was absolute evidence to silence anyone who wanted to question them.

So before arriving at the yamen, she specially invited the senior Shi Yi. Others might question her, a young girl who had just entered the martial arts world, but they wouldn't doubt the autopsy results of senior Shi Yi.

"Li Erniu, you keep saying that our Qingcheng Sect tortured you to extract a confession. How did our Qingcheng Sect torture you when you were wailing with a strong voice and without any injuries?"

Seeing the demon return, Li Lanhan trembled even more violently. He collapsed to the ground, his face filled with terror.

"Don't come any closer! Don't look for me, I didn't kill you!"

"Ha, even a three-year-old knows that if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Lord Jia, please hear me out... Five days ago, around 5 PM, at least three neighbors heard Cui Niang's screams, and they haven't seen her since. We have testimonies to prove this. From the wounds on Cui Niang's body, the cause of death, and the time of death, we can see the brutal torture she suffered before her death. A hardworking, frail woman, just because Li Erniu was her husband, could he so easily insult and beat her to death? These wicked people don't know the Emperor's justice! According to the laws of this dynasty, a husband who beats his wife to death shall be hanged!"

"No, no, no, I didn't mean it! Please spare my life, sir!"

"Wait a minute!"

Dongfang Rui entered through a side door and greeted everyone. Maintaining a refined and gentle demeanor, he looked at the young woman before him and said softly:

"The Emperor is wise and loves his people like his own children. Miss Fei, you may not know this, but although killing one's wife is heinous, it is not a deliberate act of killing one's relatives. Therefore, you may be treated leniently."

"Oh, Brother Dongfang, what insightful opinion do you have?"

Upon seeing the visitor, Fei Xi smiled and returned their gaze, appearing fully attentive.

The young girl smiled broadly and spoke gently. Dongfang Rui secretly felt pleased. Although this girl wasn't as beautiful as her junior sister, she now seemed to have a gentle and charming side. However, such assertiveness was truly inappropriate. As a woman, she should have married and served her husband as soon as possible, instead of showing her face in public and mingling in the martial world, fighting and killing.

“Killing someone without cause is called premeditated murder. Li Erniu got into an argument with his wife over a trivial matter and accidentally beat her to death; this is not premeditated murder. Furthermore, unless the woman did something wrong, what man would beat his wife for no reason…”

"Bullshit! The person has been beaten to death, and you're here defending the wicked? How disgusting!"

Before Dongfang Rui could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Tie Yi, the young master of Thunderbolt Fortress.

That's absolutely disgusting!

When Tie Yi heard similar words from someone else, he felt a sharp pain in his face.

He was shocked to realize how easily he had believed Li Erniu, that despicable man. He had genuinely thought Li Erniu was an honest man grieving over his wife's disappearance. But this scoundrel not only committed murder without remorse but also repeatedly lied to his face in an attempt to evade punishment.

Now there's this clown trying to defend this villain. They're all birds of a feather, shameless!

“Young Master Tie, everything I have said is based on verifiable evidence and is not just idle talk. As a man, Young Master Tie should understand the difficulties men face.”

Taking two steps forward, she blocked Tie Yi, who was about to unleash a torrent of abuse. Fei Xi turned back and smiled slightly at the upright young man, making a gesture of covering her lips with her finger. Then, a slight smile played on her lips as she looked at Dongfang Rui:

“Killing someone without cause is intentional killing. If I kill you because of a reason, I believe Brother Dongfang can forgive my unintentional killing.”

After saying that, Fei Xi clapped her hands in a mock cheerful manner, and continued innocently:

"Everyone in the world has a reason to kill, and it's not intentional, so wouldn't everyone be given a lenient sentence? Oh dear, now everyone can kill at will, right?"

"You...you! Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with!"

Ignoring the other party's exasperation, Fei Xi turned to her junior sister with a serious expression and said:

“Junior Sister Mu, there are two kinds of men in this world. One kind is the gentleman who can discuss matters objectively with everyone; the other kind is the man who says ‘Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with’ every time he is in the wrong.”

"Hahahahaha..."

As soon as Fei Xi finished speaking, a hearty laugh came from the back of the hall.

A man dressed in a flying fish robe emerged from within. His features were delicate and feminine, making it difficult to determine his age at a glance. Contrasting with his appearance was his imposing presence. His sharp eyes, resolute expression, and overwhelming aura caused all the martial arts practitioners in the hall to clench their fists involuntarily.

Upon seeing him emerge, Jia Shidao quickly rose, intending to invite the man to take a seat. The man gave him a warning glance, and Jia Shidao, startled, half-sat back down.

The man walked up to Fei Xi, stared at her for a moment, and then spoke. His rough, hoarse voice was like sandpaper rubbing against the ears, making it unpleasant to listen to:

"Are you a disciple of Master Wei? Please give my regards to him and tell him that my old friend Cui Chou will definitely pay him a visit someday."