The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Judging from the situation, it was already dead when they pulled it out of the water."

"What a pity, he was such a good person."

"Hey? Hey? Isn't that him?"

"I think I saw this person too. I thought he was a new worker. I didn't notice him wandering around like that."

……

The people watched this amazing scene, pointing and discussing it animatedly.

One good thing about people these days is that they blame everything they can't figure out on God.

Since the Taoist priest said that the heavenly curtain had been opened, it must be that the gods in charge of this matter in heaven opened the door to make things convenient for everyone to see what exactly happened.

Aside from admiration, the people of Lugu County are already used to this unheard-of sight.

After all, they are people who have experienced the rapid development of technology and seen the world in just half a year.

Based on the timeline of Lin Mubai's escape yesterday, the little white cat quickly adjusted the timeline to before the incident.

A furtive figure appeared in the frame, and after a moment, he looked around, revealing his true face to everyone.

"Lin Mubai!" The governor recognized him at a glance.

Then, taking advantage of the others' inattention, Lin Mubai untied the wire binding the cables and even kicked some of them towards the riverbank!

"Who exactly is this fellow?"

"To do something so harmful to others and oneself is truly despicable!"

"We thought it was a natural disaster, but it turned out to be a man-made one!"

"Your Excellency is wise! This scoundrel must be dragged out, convicted, and executed to appease our anger!"

……

Amidst widespread condemnation, Jiang Chen ordered a city-wide manhunt for Lin Mubai.

The grieving relatives and coworkers of the deceased rushed into the county town, searching everywhere for the man's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Lin Mubai, who was eager to use the seal to free the head manager from the control of the Xue family and then share the profits with him, was smugly pleased with himself.

He found the offer too tempting; no businessman would give up such a good opportunity!

Therefore, when the head manager asked him to authenticate the product, Lin Mubai had no doubts and boarded the carriage prepared by the manager.

Then the wheels rolled on, and when he lifted the curtain to get off, he realized that he had been dragged to the gate of the county government office!

"You scoundrel, how dare you take advantage of my master's serious illness to deceive your master and others, and forge seals in an attempt to seize the Xue family's property! I'll sue you for three major crimes!" The head manager roared, and the servants stepped forward to seize the bewildered Lin Mubai.

Upon hearing that the culprit had been brought to the county government office and accused of three major crimes—deceiving his master, forgery, and fraud—angry citizens flocked to the scene, petitioning for severe punishment and doubled penalties as a warning to others.

Jiang Chen took the court again, and the governor was on high alert, ready to listen in.

After the witnesses provided their testimonies, the bailiffs presented the physical evidence.

"Your Excellency is wise. The seal of the Xue family is carved from the finest Hetian jade. The characters and patterns were personally designed and carved by the contemporary calligraphy master Wu Songzi. It is not something that can be imitated by ordinary people." The head manager said firmly, "Your Excellency can refer to the marks left on our annual accounts. They are slightly different from the seal that this fellow brought."

"Please search this fellow's person and home. Since he claimed he had the opportunity to deceive my master into believing he had seen the genuine seal, there's a strong possibility he has other forgeries!"

Jiang Chen waved his hand, and the constables quickly found the small cloth bag on Lin Mubai, whose face was pale.

Besides the fake antiques, there was also a jade thumb ring that looked remarkably real at first glance.

"Well, no wonder you were willing to sell yourself into slavery to get into the Xue family." Dressed in official robes and with a dignified expression, Jiang Chen carefully examined the fake jade thumb ring. "So it was because you were eyeing my father, who was old and vulnerable, and me, who was seriously ill and bedridden at the time."

You deceived your master's family, taking the opportunity to see the real seal and heirloom, and then had someone forge them.

The purpose was to wait until I died of illness and my father became old and senile so that they could jump out and seize the family property.

Lin Mubai, you're so cunning!

"I'm innocent, I didn't..." Lin Mubai knelt down in the hall, unable to utter a word of explanation, his face pale and his whole body trembling.

Just as he was dragged into the main hall, he panicked and tried to escape, but a bailiff struck him on the back with a stern rod, making him gasp in pain as if his bones were broken.

In addition, he really didn't know how to refute it. One second he was dreaming about how to spend his huge fortune, and the next second he was dragged to the hall for interrogation. The contrast was too great, and he was still stunned and hadn't reacted.

"My lord! My lord, please do justice for this humble subject!"

A woman emerged from the chaotic crowd. Zhang Qingzhu rushed into the hall, knelt down, and pleaded, "Your Honor, please see the truth! I, Zhang Qingzhu, am Lin Mubai's ex-wife. Because of his drastic change in temperament, he sold my mother and me into slavery. I divorced him and am now struggling to make a living with my two young children."

I just ran into my ex-parents who were out looking for their son on the street. After we confirmed each other's identities, I, a humble citizen, have the audacity to come to the court and ask Your Honor to thoroughly investigate this person!

Now I have ample reason to suspect that Lin Mubai, who infiltrated the Xue residence with ill intentions, has already been possessed by an evil spirit. I beg you, my lord, to exorcise the evil spirit and restore my husband's innocence!

The little white cat stared in disbelief, "Host, was this also a trap you set up?"

“No, it really isn’t.” Jiang Chen shook his head and said softly, “I originally thought that even if his crime wasn’t serious enough to warrant execution, I could still put him in jail and sentence him to life imprisonment. I didn’t expect this to happen.”

When the matter involved supernatural beings, Jiang Chen privately discussed it with the governor and then slammed his gavel, indicating that Lin Mubai was indeed suspicious and that the verdict would be handed down after the truth was found.

three days later.

"My lord," the Taoist priest said anxiously, pacing back and forth in the room, "I'll deal with my ancestor first. If I feel confident, I'll call you out. If not, you can just say you're unwell and have the clerk from the government office represent you." He muttered to himself and made hand gestures, probably trying to determine if there was any danger.

Jiang Chen calmly sipped his tea and chuckled, "What? The governor personally invited your ancestor to come out of seclusion. Are you afraid he'll banish me as well?"

"That's right!" the Taoist priest slapped his thigh. "How was I supposed to know that a high-ranking governor would be so superstitious? And to make matters worse, he even knows my ancestor! This is quite something!"

If it were any other monk or Taoist priest, I might have been able to stop them.

But... I can't betray my master and ancestors, can I?

I can't hit him, and I can't say anything to him. I'm in a real dilemma!

"No, no, I can't calculate that. They're probably almost there. I'll go meet them outside the city gate first. You must act according to the situation!"

After the Taoist priest had run off into the distance, the little white cat licked its paws and asked curiously, "Master, can that old Taoist priest really expel you?"

"You're an auxiliary system, why are you asking me?"

"Oh... I reported to the main system but it didn't respond. I'm very worried."

"What are you afraid of? You should have some confidence in the main system."

"Uh, well, I still have some faith in the host!"

Lugu County was bustling with activity that day.

We often hear rumors about being possessed by evil spirits, but very few people have actually witnessed it with their own eyes.

The county magistrate, while investigating the case, unexpectedly discovered that evil spirits were causing trouble.

Because the Taoist priest in the county had suffered too much damage from opening the celestial curtain and was unable to expel the evil spirits, the governor personally invited the old Taoist priest from Chongnan Mountain to come out of the mountain. It is said that the old Taoist priest was over a hundred years old, and was sharp of hearing and sight, and even stronger than a young man.

However, he usually stays in seclusion and rarely comes out, so ordinary people rarely see him.

The people gathered in front of the government office, waiting for the results.

Around noon, a slender, white-bearded Taoist priest rode a large white horse down the official road, looking radiant and with bright eyes.

"Amitabha! Nanyang respectfully invites the Ancestor to grace us with his presence!" Upon seeing this, the Taoist priest hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

The old Taoist priest, curiously observing the various novel sights he had never seen before, waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for such formalities. "I heard that you invited some deity to revive Lugu County?"

He leaned down and asked in a low voice, "What kind of deity would bother with this? Tell me about it."

"Hehehe." The Taoist rubbed his hands and laughed awkwardly. "Ancestor, please don't expose my mistake. This is just giving people an empty reputation! Tell me, isn't making this kind of change beneficial to the people?"

Should we or shouldn't we?

good or not?

Is it about accumulating good deeds and doing good?

The old Taoist priest gave him a meaningful look, then urged his horse into the city, saying, "I'll see the magistrate first."

A moment later, in the back hall of the county government office, the old Taoist priest stared at Jiang Chen with sharp eyes, making him feel a little uneasy. He picked up his teacup and said, "Taoist priest, please try this year's new tea."

The old Taoist priest then withdrew his gaze, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

The Taoist priest stood behind him and asked in a low voice, "Ancestor, have you figured out what the Great Immortal's true form is?"

The old Taoist priest glared at him and said, “Stop talking nonsense! The magistrate is a perfectly good person who has accumulated virtue and done good deeds and is deeply loved by the people. Such a good official who is praised by everyone, how can a mere child like him be so rude!”

"Hehehe, you're absolutely right!" The Taoist priest finally breathed a sigh of relief, sat down to the side, picked up his tea, took a sip, and praised, "Excellent tea, excellent tea!"

“I have examined that demon.” The old Taoist priest put down his teacup and said, “It has been possessing a human body for more than a few months. According to the descriptions of his parents, wife and children, it should have been invaded during that serious illness.”

The original victim's soul was weak, and even if the evil spirits were expelled, it would likely be too late to save him.

The old Taoist priest had a detailed conversation with the victim's family. They preferred to let the victim rest in peace rather than allow evil spirits to possess his body and do evil.

Therefore, at noon, the old Taoist priest would set up an altar and perform a ritual to exorcise evil spirits!

"Thank you for your help, Daoist Master."

The old Taoist priest glanced at him, his eyes full of meaning, and continued, "Actually, whether it's the original owner or an evil spirit, as long as it occupies the body and doesn't want to be expelled and cause its soul to dissipate, there are still ways to deal with it."

"Huh? What did the old Taoist priest say?" The little white cat perked up and its ears twitched.

The Taoist priest standing nearby also pricked up his ears, waiting to hear.

Jiang Chen said respectfully, "Please enlighten me, Daoist Master."

The old Taoist priest gestured for him to come closer, then whispered a few words in Jiang Chen's ear. Pretending nothing had happened, he stroked his beard, pointed to the light bulb on the desk, and asked, "What is that? What kind of tree can bear such beautiful and strange fruit?"

It was noon.

After being flogged, Lin Mubai was dragged by the constables and tied to a wooden frame erected at the crossroads.

"Wasn't there supposed to be a retrial? How... how come he's going to be executed without even going to court?" Thirsty and hungry, Lin Mubai was too weak to struggle; he was terrified.

The thought of beheadings he had seen on TV made him tremble uncontrollably, and he regretted not eating a few bites of spoiled food to die a full death.

However, the onlookers pointed and whispered, and no one paid any attention to him.

"System, system, save me!"

A moment later, he was met with a cold notification: [The system has detected that the host is about to be completely destroyed. The soul power is insufficient to support the binding. The system is unbinding... 3, 2, 1. Goodbye forever.]

Lin Mubai: ━━∑(￣□￣*|||━━

With the incense table and other items prepared, the old Taoist priest, with his flowing white eyebrows and beard, held a peach wood sword and had a sharp gaze. "Demon, you have forcibly taken over a human body to commit evil deeds."

Using evil magic, he drained the lifespan of Zhang Daniu, the junior steward of the Xue family, and Li Bao, the material manager of the hydroelectric power station, intending to kill the young master Xue, deceive the elderly and senile master Xue, and seize the Xue family's property.