The male supporting character was actually myself.

The crowd outside the county government office was buzzing with discussion. Jiang Chen was very satisfied with the public opinion effect. He slammed his gavel and said, "Since the old man has sued his servant, guards, bring Mu Bai to the main hall for a face-to-face confrontation!"

When the governor heard about the case, he was also curious to see how the magistrate would decide it, so he sat in the side hall and listened carefully.

Lin Mubai never expected that these two old people would actually travel all the way from the depths of the mountains to Lugu County to find him.

He was immediately filled with anger.

When you were young, you were willing to leave your remote mountain village, but your descendants are living like this?

He used to only care about his own comfort and happiness, without considering his descendants. Now he's worried about not having a son to support him in his old age, and he's come all this way to complain!

You guys have the nerve to do that!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Filling the Gaps (Part Two)

Although he thought this way, Lin Mubai did not dare to say it when he entered the main hall.

So he insisted that his family was too poor to survive and had no choice but to sell himself into slavery. He also asked someone to write a letter about this and have a traveling merchant take it back with him. Since there was no evidence to corroborate his story, even if the county magistrate wanted to help the old couple, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Host, there's no physical evidence or witnesses, are we just going to let him go like this?"

The little white cat, furious, put its hands on its hips and cursed, "You took over someone else's son's body and then turned around and abandoned all his family! How can you be so shameless!"

"Snapped!"

Jiang Chen slammed his gavel and declared, "Since both sides have their own version of events, I, the official, will speak the truth."

The elderly couple sued their son simply because they felt he was unfilial and had sold his wife and children into slavery without their consent.

Mu Bai argued that the journey was too long to inform him in time, and that selling himself into slavery was a last resort due to the difficulty of making a living. He also claimed that his wife, Lin Zhangshi, initiated the divorce, a point that this official can testify to.

In that case, the elderly couple might as well withdraw their lawsuit.

Mu Bai was not unfilial; he was simply forced by circumstances.

"Why not return the money he was paid to the Xue family for selling himself into servitude, and I'll strip him of his slave status and grant him his freedom? He can then serve you both in your old age. What do you think?"

The elderly couple had traveled such a long way just to find their son. Upon hearing that the county magistrate was willing to release him, they hurriedly kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Lin Mubai had no choice but to accept it, but being able to get rid of his slave status through this opportunity was a good thing.

Once we get out, I'll sell two of the antiques to stabilize things and improve my luck before making any further moves.

He had just knelt down to express his gratitude when he heard the magistrate say unhurriedly, "Lin Mubai, although I have not sentenced you for the serious crime of filial impiety and imprisoned you."

But you have indeed caused the elderly couple to lose their virtuous daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, and made them travel such a long distance to find you at such an advanced age.

The crime may be forgiven, but punishment is inevitable.

This judge hereby orders you to personally wash and bathe your parents, and attend to their medicines without leaving their side, so as to ease the old couple's longing for their son.

Anyone who disobeys will face imprisonment!

The gavel slammed down to deliver the verdict, and the onlookers and the governor applauded and cheered.

Anyone could see that the elderly couple couldn't bear to see their son actually go to jail; they just wanted to find someone to help them bring their son back to their side.

The magistrate's punishment was clever; even the most unfilial son would have to think twice before facing imprisonment. Regardless of Lin Mubai's sincerity, at least for now, the elderly couple can enjoy their twilight years in peace.

After settling his wages and reward money and redeeming himself, Lin Mubai bid farewell to the Xue family and stood on the street, followed by the old couple and the supervising yamen runners. He only had two taels of silver left.

Unable to leave Lugu County without permission while under supervision, he had no choice but to rent a small courtyard and temporarily live there with the elderly couple.

Otherwise, if the yamen runners report him, he could be thrown into jail!

Lin Mubai knew without a doubt that he absolutely could not go to prison. Otherwise, the terrible environment would be secondary; eating rotten food and being beaten every day would be an inhuman place.

He forced himself to wash the feet of the old man and woman, who reeked of sour stench, and boiled bathwater. Not wanting to stay a second longer, he made an excuse and ran far away.

"Our son seems like a different person; he's not close to us at all anymore."

"Sigh, they probably think we're too old."

"No! I know very well what's wrong with the baby I'm carrying!"

"You're overthinking it again. It's still the same person; how could their soul be replaced?"

The old lady didn't reply, but she took the old man's words to heart.

His sudden change in attitude and behavior suggests that his son might be possessed by evil spirits or bewitched by some fox spirit. Otherwise, why would he suddenly abandon his parents, wife, and children?

But things changed after I fell seriously ill!

When a person is sick, their body is weak and their soul is feeble, making them extremely susceptible to being bewitched.

As she thought this, she began to recall various details.

From the way he walks to his tone of voice and manner of speaking, the more I think about it, the more something seems off. Apart from his appearance not changing, he's practically a stranger...

"Finally escaped!" Lin Mubai used the excuse of buying something, and once on the street, he used a trick to shake off the supervising yamen runners and ran to the most bustling street.

After all, I need to find a reliable shop to sell an antique first, so that I at least have some money to spend.

Once the guards relax their vigilance, they can find a way to leave Lugu County to enjoy wealth and prosperity while recuperating.

"Host, you guessed right! The protagonist is planning to make some money to spend?" The little white cat perched on the host's shoulder, craning its little head to look down.

Jiang Chen, dressed in ordinary clothes, sat on the second floor of the teahouse, holding a teacup and saying softly, "The trap we've been digging for so long has finally come in handy. If Lin Mubai obediently sells off the goods, that's fine. But if he still has ulterior motives, this series of traps will definitely keep him locked up in jail!"

As he walked, Lin Mubai looked around anxiously.

The bright shop windows lining the bustling streets were just like those of my own time, yet I couldn't find a single antique shop to sell.

As he was walking, his eyes suddenly lit up!

Not far away was the headquarters of Xue's newly opened business!

Lin Mubai touched the small cloth bag in his arms, and his heart began to stir again.

While at the Xue residence, he was not idle. He inquired about various things and even caught a glimpse of the head manager from afar. Master Xue was naturally suspicious and had established a rule that he only recognized tokens and not people.

Moreover, I've heard that the head manager and Young Master Xue have clashed many times because of their differing views on the principle of low profit and high volume.

Now that I have the seal in my hand, can I take this opportunity to wade into troubled waters?

He couldn't sell the antiques he had; he also had two old men and government officials to appease at home.

After a moment of hesitation and struggle, Lin Mubai made up his mind to take a gamble!

Otherwise, having no money on him and having to personally serve those two old geezers would be utterly disgusting. He was, after all, a modern man who had studied the classics of Machiavellianism and psychology, and was well-versed in the essence of negotiation; he refused to believe that the head manager wouldn't be tempted by the high profits!

Before Jiang Chen had finished his tea, a servant came running to report that Lin Mubai had taken the bait.

The head steward temporarily appeased him by claiming to verify the authenticity of the seal and then tried to extract information about how he could obtain the wealth and power from Master Xue.

"Since he insists on jumping into the fire, let's grant his wish." Jiang Chen put down his teacup, paid for the tea, and had someone arrange the next major event.

Hydropower station construction site.

Yesterday, a sudden accident occurred, and a materials manager died in the line of duty.

Upon hearing that the county magistrate intended to thoroughly investigate the cause of the material damage and find out who was responsible, the onlookers began to discuss the matter animatedly.

"How do we investigate this?"

"Those who were there yesterday probably didn't know what happened either, right?"

"The county magistrate has clearly ordered that all items on the construction site be properly stored, but such valuable items got soaked in water and people even died. We definitely have to find out who did it!"

How do we identify the problems?

"Old Li, the foreman, drowned while trying to salvage supplies. Everyone wants to know what happened, but who knows?"

"If anyone had known, I would have told them yesterday!"

……

Everyone thought it was hopeless, and even the governor shook his head inwardly, thinking that his idea was good but impractical.

Such a large construction site has many people and a lot of work to do.

With an explosion preceding it and supplies falling into the water, it's unlikely any clues will be found.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Final Chapter

Jiang Chen gestured for everyone to be quiet, and the chatter quickly subsided.

"To comfort the souls of the deceased and to prevent innocent people from bearing the blame, I specially invited the Taoist Master to come out of seclusion. Today, right here, the Taoist Master will reveal the truth to the public!"

Upon hearing that the county magistrate had invited a Taoist priest, the crowd cheered.

The governor was also very curious when he saw this. Who exactly was this Taoist priest who was said to have been in seclusion for a long time?

Can it really bring the truth to light?

He's even more powerful than the old Taoist priest I've managed to meet by chance?

Amidst everyone's anticipation, a radiant and otherworldly Taoist priest slowly stepped forward, placed his whisk on his arm, and exclaimed "Amitabha!" He then declared in a loud voice: "This humble Taoist has paid the price for his actions by sacrificing his Taoist practice. For a long time to come, I will be unable to request the descent of immortals."

But in order to comfort the souls of the deceased and to find out the truth.

"This humble Taoist priest will do his utmost to show everyone what exactly happened here yesterday!"

After he finished speaking, the incense table and other items were brought up, and the Taoist priest chanted incantations and jumped around as he began to perform the ritual.

As he chanted the profound lines, he silently prayed in his heart, "My great immortal, you must succeed in casting the spell, otherwise I'll ruin my reputation by making such a boastful claim?"

The little white cat floated in mid-air, adjusting its position.

A moment later, the Taoist priest shouted, "Open the canopy!"

It hurriedly threw down the one-time C-level item "Yesterday Once More," and a huge projection screen controlled by the little white cat appeared in mid-air.

As everyone witnessed, a mirage-like scene of yesterday's bustling construction site actually appeared in the air above the incense table!

"Oh my, it really happened yesterday! Look, isn't that me? I was moving things when... I ran into Daliang and even said hello to him."

"My goodness, that Taoist priest is amazing! The one in the bottom right corner, punting the boat, is me. He looks quite energetic!"

"The power cord was still in its designated spot at that time, so it shouldn't have fallen down."

"Yes, it's clearly not a problem with the placement of materials; the people in charge shouldn't be held responsible."

"That was Brother Li Bao, the materials manager, just now. Sigh, it breaks my heart to see him now."