The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 113 The Villain is Judged

In less than two days, Attorney Chu experienced the highs and lows of life.

The soldiers who used to extort and bully others were all arrested by the deputy general of the Ministry of War, including both Zhao Laosi and Wang Touzi.

He was arrested for causing heavy casualties among his soldiers during non-official military operations due to his unauthorized actions, which was a serious crime committed by the Ministry of War. He was dragged out of the medical tent before his injuries had even fully healed.

Fei Xuange, sword in hand, set up a public trial platform in front of the main camp, in front of the wandering cultivators and the city's residents. A group of soldiers formed a circle around the person involved, leaving an opening for the public to witness.

After being relieved of the torture, Attorney Chu's hunched back straightened instantly, while the two leaders opposite him could not stand up straight no matter what. In the Ministry of War, Vice General Fei was known for his decisiveness and youth. He didn't have much human interaction with these old soldiers. It would be better for him to be caught by anyone else than by him. Why did he have to come back today?

The two racked their brains, trying to find a glimmer of hope in this dead end, but they failed to reflect on their own actions.

Fei Xuange glanced left and right, his completely different confidence making the trial a foregone conclusion. What Wang Touzi and his gang did was not secretive. The darkness under the lamp was something that was right under their noses. Once investigated, there would be traces and flaws everywhere. Moreover, most of the victims were present today, providing ample witness testimony. With some physical evidence, the evidence would be conclusive, leaving no room for denial.

Not to mention the most serious crime of unauthorized trials; compared to this, their past offenses are nothing but trifles.

"Zhao Laosi," Fei Xuange announced.

"exist--"

"You have repeatedly violated official laws, and your daily extortion and blackmail have severely damaged the image and reputation of the Ministry of War and even Emerald City. Now, all your weapons and armor are confiscated, you are sentenced to three years of hard labor, and then you are expelled from the Ministry of War, stripped of your military achievements, and demoted to a commoner!"

"Thank you, Deputy General Fei—" Zhao Laosi felt like he had escaped a disaster, but Wang Touzi beside him was not so lucky.

Fei Xuange's gaze shifted to the head of the Wang family standing to the side. Seeing the head of the Wang family covered in bandages, he felt no sympathy whatsoever.

"Wang Wuhe!"

Hearing the heavy tone of the voice, Chief Wang trembled and felt utterly hopeless.

Fei Xuange didn't immediately pronounce the verdict, but instead angrily shouted, "Chief Wang! The old general took pity on you because you were a long-time veteran who followed him, letting you stay in the city to train the new recruits. Look at what you've done! You've turned the soldiers who were supposed to protect the city's people into thugs who oppress the populace. Now, because of your personal desires, several soldiers have died. They didn't die on the battlefield; they died at your hands, do you understand?!"

"I—I—know." Chief Wang knelt on the ground, his head bowed as low as it could go.

Fei Xuange wasn't the only one criticizing him; the general public did too—now that his power had waned, those who had previously disliked him were now taking the opportunity to hurl insults at him.

"I understand, that's good." Fei Xuange took a deep breath and announced, "Wang Wuhe, take away all your weapons and armor, strip him of his military achievements, sentence him to five years of hard labor, and after completing his service, demote him to a vagrant and expel him from Emerald City."

"Thank you for sparing our lives, Vice General Fei." Chief Wang kowtowed, and two soldiers came up behind him and carried the two away.

One was a commoner, the other a vagrant. Compared to the other, Zhao Laosi's fate was relatively good. Wang Wuhe's demotion to vagrant meant that he would have to live outside the city for the rest of his life and would not be allowed to enter the city.

Originally, the two of them could have lived a peaceful old age in Emerald City thanks to their lifetime of military achievements. But now, they are left with nothing, as if they had nothing for most of their lives. In their old age, they can only eke out a living outside. I wonder how miserable they will be.

They really brought this on themselves.

Fang Shi and his fellow disciples stood together, watching the drama unfold. Upon hearing the result, they felt it was nothing special. Having read too many novels in their previous lives, they always got the impression that people in this ancient-style setting were just casual and carefree.

Besides, given their cultivation levels, these two would probably live a more comfortable life than the average person.

Hearing his mutterings, Qu Mei said, "This result is about right. Those two guys are only soldiers at their age, so their aptitude must be very poor. The reason they have such cultivation is because of the Ministry of War's training and the soldiers' rations, as well as their large numbers. Now they are expelled alone, without good weapons or rations. After a few years of hard labor, when they are released, their cultivation will be almost completely gone, and they will be burdened with various hidden injuries from years of military service. They definitely won't be able to recover."

"Oh—that's alright." Fang Shi nodded upon hearing this.

Then, Fei Xuange immediately declared Attorney Chu not guilty and personally went over to say, "Don't worry, the Ministry of War will take care of your injuries."

Not only that, Fei Xuange also seemed to have seen Chu Dazhuang's potential: "I just heard that you are a rogue cultivator. You are only in your early twenties and you have already reached the third level? You are a good prospect. If you want to join the army, just tell me and I will let you work under me. As long as you do well, I guarantee you will become a team leader in less than a year."

Wow—everyone around was in an uproar. This team leader's position was a level higher than the two soldiers who had just been taken away.

But Attorney Chu shook his head repeatedly, looking embarrassed, and apologized, "Deputy General Fei, I have no ability to lead troops into battle. I'd better just forget it—I'll just stay here in Emerald City and be a rogue cultivator."

These events over the years have left him with a very poor impression of the Ministry of War. Although he is not afraid of hardship, he also dislikes being too restrained. The Ministry of War has too many rules and regulations, and his status as a rogue cultivator is more suitable for him.

He was different from other cultivators. He had little knowledge and a narrow perspective. He didn't understand the vastness of the path of cultivation, nor did he understand others' obsession with achieving immortality over thousands of years.

His reason for cultivating immortality was simply that he felt he needed to develop a skill to make a living in the world. He believed that as long as he did his best, he could cultivate to the extent he could, and that would be enough.

"Very well." Fei Xuange, being of a certain status, naturally stopped his invitation there, but added, "If you change your mind in the future, you can still come to the Ministry of War to find me."

"Hey, thank you, General." Attorney Chu thanked him repeatedly.

In any case, having a backup plan is always a good thing.

In this way, the matter can be considered settled.

Afterwards, Attorney Chu thanked his fellow Daoists and then sought out Fang Shi privately, repeatedly offering to treat him to food and drinks, but Fang Shi refused each time.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, do you still remember your heavy sword that fell into the lava along with the stone monster?"

Attorney Chu shook his head: "Of course I remember, but it was just an ordinary heavy sword. It's fine, I'll just buy another one."

Fang Shi smiled upon hearing this: "I'm afraid Fellow Daoist Chu is currently short of money."

"That's true."

"Then I'll keep my promise. Yesterday I dug up some good stuff in that secret cave, and there's one that should be perfect for you to forge a sword."

"Oh, this—I've already received so much help from you, Brother Fang, how can I possibly accept this—"

Before Attorney Chu could finish speaking, Fang Shi took out a rather heavy cloth bag from his ring, smashed it on the ground, and left an imprint on the stone brick floor.