The Dominance of Martial Arts: Starting from the Tiger Roaring Golden Bell

Chapter 24 Chaos
Yamen, wing rooms.

After hearing Bai Yunguang's words, the old coroner bent down, lowered his head and said nothing, clenching his fists.

"Why? You don't want to live?"

"No, I would like to live just..."

The Fanhai Gang and the Jingtao Gang are the two largest gangs in Chaolan County, and the majority of their members are laborers from all over the country.

Petty thieves, gangsters, gamblers, poor people, and even wanted criminals may be mixed in.

They can stay at the dock with peace of mind because they have work to do and can earn money.

Once the two gangs go to war, these mostly strong men will suddenly turn into wanton thugs.

The extensive ports will also be shut down as a result.

Innocent people in Chaolan County, including vendors, merchants, peddlers, street vendors, and traveling merchants, will lose their livelihoods in an instant.

If the people only lost their property, they could endure it by gritting their teeth.

But in that situation, the lives of the entire family would be in danger.

How could this make the old coroner, who is a commoner, not feel panicked?
Seeing the hesitant old coroner, Bai Yunguang looked displeased.

"Don't be ungrateful! I'm sure your family is still waiting for you to reunite, right?"

These words made the old coroner make up his mind.

He clasped his fists and bowed.

"Everything is subject to your orders."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Si time (9:11 a.m. to : a.m.).

The morning mist dissipated and the sun was high in the sky.

The county magistrate was wearing official uniform and sitting at a desk.

Behind the desk hangs a painting titled "Sea Water and Rising Sun".

It symbolizes that officials are "clear as sea water and bright as the sun and the moon."

In front of the desk, there are "Silence" and "Avoid" signs on both sides.

Black Impermanence Nie Hongshen and White Impermanence Yan Dongsheng stood on both sides of the sign.

Under the case, yamen runners holding water and fire sticks stood on both sides.

There were three people standing between them.

Two of them were Hong Gong and Chang Anhe.

Another person was actually an old Taoist priest wearing a green Taoist robe and a jade crescent crown on his head, and was extremely skinny.

Behind the three people were countless men, women, old and young, standing in front of the red fence, looking inside.

Jingtao Black Bear, Fanhai Blood Dragon, and Qin Zhiming were also among them.

At this time, the county magistrate at the desk asked the old Taoist with a smile on his face.

"Master Peng, I am sorry to bother you today."

"I am a person who lives outside the world and I don't care about worldly affairs.

I am here purely to protect the lives of millions of people in Chaolan.

Hong Jinlu, Chang Anhe, the two of you are martial artists who practice marrow training.

No matter what happens today, you two must not take action.

Otherwise, I will have to break the precept of killing."

As soon as these words were spoken, Hong Gong and Chang Anhe immediately clasped their fists and bowed.

"I will follow the Taoist order."

Taoist Master Peng ignored the two of them and sat there in meditation with his eyes closed, completely ignoring his surroundings.

Seeing that everyone around him seemed to be accustomed to this matter, Qin Zhiming outside the fence was a little surprised.

He only knew that people in this world respected spiritual practitioners such as Taoists and monks, and they also liked to worship gods.

For example, their Fanhai Gang built a statue of the Dragon King at every dock.

Some gang members even kowtow and worship every day, praying for the Dragon King's blessing.

Over time, many boatmen and people who made a living at the docks developed the habit of daily worship through what they heard and saw.

When speaking, the names of gods are often mentioned.

It’s very similar to Qin Zhiming’s previous life, when people would say “Oh God” or “God is above”, with this kind of meaning.

I heard that the Jingtao Gang is the same. The people living near their territory seem to worship a god named Yu Bo.

However, the most famous deity in Chaolan County and the one with the most followers are the gods in the Taoist temple on Linchao Mountain.

I originally thought that people respected those who practiced spiritual cultivation only because they were always around the statues of gods.

Unexpectedly, these practitioners are so powerful that the government even invites them to come and maintain order.

It seems that I have to visit the Taoist temple in Chaolan County when I have time.

Just as Qin Zhiming was thinking.

Bang! The county magistrate on the case slammed the gavel down hard, starting today's lawsuit.

"Hong Jinlu, I will give you another chance. What exactly happened to Chang Renzai's death?"

Hong Gong looked calm as he turned to Chang Anhe. "Boss Chang, I'll say it again, your son's death has nothing to do with me."

Chang Anhe said nothing and turned to look at the county magistrate.

His eyes were empty and lifeless, like a bottomless abyss, which made Bai Yunguang feel uneasy.

But now that things have come to this, we can only move on.

"I think you won't cry until you see the coffin. Call the coroner!"

Soon, the old coroner was brought up by a yamen runner.

He used to kneel when he saw an official, but today he didn't show any expression.

He glanced outside the fence and then stood there motionless.

Bai Yunguang frowned slightly and slammed the gavel.

"Coroner, tell me about your autopsy."

The old coroner looked at Chang Anhe.

"Boss Chang, three bodies.

One was suspected to have been killed by hard Qigong.

One was suspected to have been killed by a grappling technique.

Your son drowned, but I couldn't find any dirty water in his throat or lungs. I only found a few hidden weapons in his heart, lungs, and liver."

As he was speaking, a bailiff walked into the courtroom from outside the fence and came to Bai Yunguang.

Looking at the bailiff shaking his head, Bai Yunguang felt more and more uneasy.

Before going to court, in order to threaten the old coroner to be obedient, he sent the yamen runners to invite the old coroner and his family to come and watch.

Now the bailiff returned alone and shook his head at him, which meant that something unexpected had happened.

Thinking of this, Bai Yunguang hurriedly interrupted the old coroner and reminded him to tell the most important thing.

"Okay, there's no need to say anything else, just tell me your inference."

The old coroner repeated what the county magistrate had taught him while looking outside the fence and smiling. His old and young were not there.

"...What I just said were all lies that the county governor told me to say. Now I want to tell the truth."

The old coroner suddenly changed the subject, straightened his back which had been bent all his life, puffed out his chest, and looked the county magistrate in the eye.

The people outside the fence immediately started talking and the noise was deafening.

The black bear grabbed the fence in amazement, while the blood dragon crossed his arms and said nothing.

"What nonsense are you talking about!!"

The old coroner turned a deaf ear to Bai Yunguang's angry rebuke.

His eyes moved back and forth between Chang An and Hong Gong.

"Iron gate, killing stick, blazing iron hand, Hades needle.

The cause of death of the three corpses is most likely related to these four skills.

The sheriff wants you two to help... "

"Kill him!!! This lawless coroner!!"

Bai Yunguang suddenly stood up and pointed at the old coroner.

Nie Hongshen drew his sword and turned into a black wind, rushing towards him.

Along with it came several silver lights shot out as Yan Dongsheng waved his hand.

Mr. Hong sighed and stretched out one hand.

In an instant, Nie Hongshen's wrist was firmly grasped by him and he was unable to move.

The silver light was caught by Chang Anhe.

Playing with the sharp flying knife in his hand, Chang Anhe looked at the county magistrate with a smile.

"Coroner, please continue."

The old coroner pointed at Bai Yunguang, who had a gloomy face, and cursed.

"Bai Yunguang! You violate the king's laws! You disrupt the administration of officials! You are a wolf to the people!
You don't care about the safety of the people! You want to stir up a fight between the two gangs and profit from the chaos! You are unworthy of being the county governor!
Today, I, an old man, sacrificed one person in exchange for the safety of thousands of families. It was worth it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old coroner swallowed the black pill hidden in his mouth in one gulp.

As his body fell to the ground.

Outside the fence, the discussions, curses, and accusations became louder and louder, and some people even began to shake the fence despite the yamen runners' attempts to stop them.

Listening to the dirty talk not far away.

Bai Yunguang was so angry that he was shaking. He had not expected that an inconspicuous coroner would dare to be so bold.

"Master Bai?"

When I came back to my senses, Chang Anhe, like a ghost, had floated to the side of the desk.

Yan Dongsheng wanted to stop him, but when he saw Chang Anhe's eyes, he stopped moving.

Otherwise, Chang An He Zhen would make him bleed to death on the spot.

Chang Anhe smiled and bent down to move his head closer to Bai Yunguang.

"May I ask, is what the coroner said true or false?"

(End of this chapter)