Chapter 23: The Twelve Perfected Ones
“Your Honor!” The short, thin man stepped forward, raising his hands and presenting a badge. “I am Yuan Jia, a field agent of the Six Gates, specializing in undercover work, reconnaissance, and gathering intelligence among the lower classes.
“Recently, I was ordered to investigate the abduction and trafficking of children. I tracked those villains for several nights, finally locating one of their bases on Mount Fused Serpent in the northwest. Last night, while investigating further, I was discovered by their leader, who attempted to silence me.
“Fortunately, I possess some supernatural abilities. Although injured, I managed to escape with my life.”
Qiu Jiangping said, “Yuan Jia, look around the courtroom. Is the villain who tried to kill you here?”
Yuan Jia pointed at Shi Hao, “Your Honor, that’s him.”
An uproar erupted from the crowd at the entrance.
Qiu Jiangping said, “Yuan Jia, show everyone your wound.”
Yuan Jia ripped open his collar, revealing a sword wound on his shoulder.
Qiu Jiangping bowed towards the magistrate, “Your Honor, I’ve investigated. The wound on Yuan Jia’s shoulder matches the sword energy used by Shi Hao on Red Mountain, and it also matches the wounds on the bodies of our colleagues killed on Disordered Chess Mountain. Your Honor…”
He turned and pointed at Shi Hao, “This man is the murderer from Disordered Chess Mountain, and he is also the mastermind behind the recent case of child abduction and trafficking.”
He bowed again, “Your Honor, this is a major case, and the capital is also paying attention. Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, please pass judgment.”
Shi Yujun was aware of the importance of this case. Even Yue Ya’er, the daughter of the Yue Ke Tai family, had personally come to supervise the investigation with the Thunderclap Eighteen Riders. This case couldn’t be delayed; a swift resolution was needed!
He slammed the gavel and looked at the shackled Shi Hao, “Shi Hao, where were you last night?”
Shi Hao said slowly, “I was alone, camping in the mountains.”
Shi Yujun asked, “Can anyone testify for you?”
Shi Hao slowly shook his head.
Shi Yujun demanded, “Was the sword wound on Yuan Jia’s shoulder inflicted by you?”
Shi Hao’s expression remained unchanged. He shook his head, “No.”
Qiu Jiangping sneered, “Denial is useless. Yuan Jia saw you clearly last night.”
Shi Hao’s expression remained impassive, “He mistook me for someone else.”
Yuan Jia didn’t get angry but laughed instead, “I mistook you? You claim I mistook you?” He addressed the magistrate, “Your Honor, this man is a heinous criminal. He must not be spared.”
Qiu Jiangping also bowed towards the magistrate, “Your Honor, this Shi Hao secretly cultivated martial arts, but his background is unknown. Even if he practices Daoist internal energy cultivation, he is still unorthodox. I’ve sent people to investigate Small Han Mountain City. No one there knew he practiced martial arts.
“If he didn’t have ulterior motives and wasn’t plotting something illegal, why would he hide his martial arts training from everyone? Such unorthodox practices…”
Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside, “Who says he’s unorthodox?”
The crowd at the entrance turned and parted. The laughter, loud and powerful, filled the courtroom, impossible to ignore.
An old Daoist priest entered. He wore a disheveled blue robe and a crooked Daoist cap, his horsetail whisk hanging loosely. He looked rather unkempt.
However, his laughter alone demonstrated his considerable strength.
Everyone in the courtroom, including Shi Hao, felt the laughter reverberate through them, deafeningly loud.
Qiu Jiangping clearly recognized the newcomer. His face darkened, but he also looked puzzled, probably wondering why this person was interfering.
The old Daoist entered the courtroom, flicked his whisk, and bowed to Shi Yujun, “Greetings, Your Honor. I am Daoist Lan Ke of Ming Kun Monastery.”
Shi Yujun, a civil official and not a martial artist, turned to his clerk.
The clerk quickly approached and whispered, “My lord, this is Perfected Lan Ke, one of the Twelve Perfected Ones of the Chongxian Sect and the senior brother of Ming Kun Monastery’s abbot.”
Shi Yujun suddenly understood. He nodded slightly and said to the old Daoist, “There’s no need for formalities, Perfected One. May I ask what brings you here?”
The old Daoist pointed at the shackled Shi Hao and smiled, “Constable Qiu claims his background is unknown and that he is unorthodox. I’ve come to clarify. Shi Hao’s martial arts were taught by me. In other words, he is an outer disciple of our Chongxian Sect.”
Another uproar came from the crowd at the entrance. Qiu Jiangping hurriedly stepped forward, “Perfected One! If he is an outer disciple of the Chongxian Sect, why didn’t Recluse Zhuo recognize him at the Marquis’ residence? Even in terms of martial arts, she only recognized his Daoist internal energy but couldn’t identify his sect.”
Daoist Lan Ke flicked his whisk again and smiled, “Is this the first time you’ve met me, Chief Constable Qiu? I do things as I please. Last year, in the mountains, I encountered this young man. I saw his talent and his respectful demeanor towards me, so on a whim, I taught him internal energy cultivation, gave him a profound external elixir, and established his martial arts foundation.
“As for his martial arts techniques, heh, our Chongxian Sect is the leader of all Daoist sects. We have countless techniques, and Junior Sister Zhuo can’t possibly know them all. I gave him a rare and unique sword manual, a secret technique of mine. It’s not surprising that Junior Sister Zhuo didn’t recognize it.”
Qiu Jiangping stammered, “But…”
He couldn’t understand. Shi Hao, whose background had no connection to the Chongxian Sect, had suddenly become their outer disciple?
He gritted his teeth and said coldly, “Even if he is your disciple, Perfected One, he has committed a serious crime. Is the Chongxian Sect going to protect him?”
Daoist Lan Ke said, “If he truly committed this crime, I naturally wouldn’t condone or protect him. But if someone is trying to frame my disciple, I won’t let them get away with it.”
Qiu Jiangping said, “We have both physical evidence and witnesses…”
Daoist Lan Ke said, “The so-called physical evidence is the coroner’s report? You claim that those who died on Disordered Chess Mountain were killed by sword-like finger strikes with a freezing aura. Heh, take me to see the bodies. I can tell whether it’s true or not with a single glance.”
Qiu Jiangping’s expression remained unchanged, “The bodies were cremated several days ago.”
The crowd at the entrance erupted in commotion. Daoist Lan Ke sneered, “Cremated? Since when do we have such a custom in West Shu?”
Qiu Jiangping said, “Most of those men weren’t from this prefecture. After their deaths, we had to send their remains back to their hometowns. Cremating them and placing their ashes in urns made it easier to transport them.”
Daoist Lan Ke sneered, “Transporting corpses over long distances isn’t a new practice. The Corpse Walker Sect and the Witchcraft Cult both offer such services. A person’s body is a gift from their parents. How can you cremate them without the consent of their families? Is this the way the Six Gates operates? Or are you afraid of someone examining the bodies?”
The crowd outside grew louder, and even Shi Yujun glanced at Qiu Jiangping, frowning.
It wasn’t that they didn’t trust the Six Gates, but the Six Gates’ habit of framing innocent people was well-known.
Qiu Jiangping’s expression remained impassive. He didn’t argue. Since the bodies had been cremated, no matter how much others questioned it, the coroner’s report remained the only evidence.
Shi Yujun said, “Even if the coroner’s report is insufficient as evidence, someone witnessed Shi Hao with the child abductors last night, and he even attempted to silence the witness. We have a credible eyewitness.”
Yuan Jia shouted, “That’s right! I saw him with my own eyes! He even injured me. I barely escaped with my life.”
A sharp, girlish voice came from outside, “That’s impossible.”
The crowd at the entrance parted, and a young woman floated in. She wore a peach-colored Daoist robe with a cloud pattern, her appearance delicate and beautiful, a sword at her waist.
Shi Yujun asked, “Who is this young lady?”
The girl bowed towards the magistrate, “I am Du Yuejiao of Ming Kun Monastery. Shi Hao was with me all last night. I can testify that he had nothing to do with the child abductions.”
Qiu Jiangping said, “Miss Du, you didn’t recognize him at the Marquis’ residence last time.”
Du Yuejiao said sharply, “Aren’t you the chief constable? How can you be so dim-witted? Of course, I didn’t recognize him before we met at the Marquis’ residence. But since we met there, I naturally recognize him now.”
Her sharp words, and her naturally sarcastic tone, made the crowd chuckle.
Qiu Jiangping’s face flushed red, then white, with anger. “You weren’t very friendly towards him back then.”
Du Yuejiao snorted, “I didn’t know he was my uncle’s disciple back then. Why should I have been friendly? After returning to the monastery and learning he’s a fellow disciple, why would I treat him poorly?
“In fact, I should apologize for my previous behavior!”
Yuan Jia shouted, “Even if you were together these past few days, I encountered this villain last night. He left secretly…”
Du Yuejiao said, “That’s impossible!”
Qiu Jiangping asked, “Why is that?”
Du Yuejiao pursed her lips, “We were together last night.”
Yuan Jia said, “It was the middle of the night.”
Du Yuejiao said, “We were together in the middle of the night.”
Qiu Jiangping asked, “Was anyone else with you?”
Du Yuejiao said, “Just the two of us. We were in the wilderness; there was no one else around.”
Qiu Jiangping said, “He could have left while you were asleep…”
Du Yuejiao said, “We weren’t asleep.”
Qiu Jiangping frowned, “The two of you, in the middle of the night, alone in the wilderness, and you weren’t asleep. What were you doing?”
The girl’s face flushed crimson. She stamped her foot and exclaimed, “None of your business!”
The crowd outside roared with laughter. Someone shouted, “A man and a woman, alone in the wilderness in the middle of the night, and they weren’t asleep. What do you think they were doing?”
The laughter grew louder, and someone even whistled. Another person shouted, “They were doing the wild thing!”
Shi Yujun banged his gavel repeatedly, “Order! Order!” But the courtroom remained chaotic.
Qiu Jiangping was speechless.
Shi Yujun frowned, glared at Qiu Jiangping, and, seeing the commotion outside, called his clerk over and whispered, “How should we handle this case?”
The clerk leaned in and said, “My lord, I don’t think the Six Gates’ evidence and witnesses are very credible. This Shi Hao saved the County Mistress. Small Han Mountain City is a prominent local family, and he now has connections to the Chongxian Sect. Based on this flimsy evidence…”
Shi Yujun knew the Six Gates were likely framing him.
But in the past, their victims had been powerless and unable to defend themselves. Their pleas of innocence had been ignored.
Frankly, if this young man were just the young master of Small Han Mountain City, wrongly accusing him wouldn’t be a big deal.
But now that the Chongxian Sect was involved, he didn’t want to antagonize such a powerful martial arts sect.
He slammed his gavel, “The evidence and witnesses in this case are unclear. Release the suspect! We will re-evaluate if new evidence emerges.”
Court guards removed Shi Hao’s shackles. Qiu Jiangping said urgently, “Your Honor…”
Shi Yujun glanced at him, “The case is closed. That’s final.” Although he didn’t know why the local Six Gates had a grudge against this young man, he didn’t want to get involved.
Helpless, Qiu Jiangping bowed and retreated.
Outside the courthouse, Shi Hao bowed to Daoist Lan Ke, “Thank you for your help, Senior.”
Daoist Lan Ke stroked his short beard and smiled, “Don’t thank me. My niece told me that if it weren’t for you, rescuing her from that demonic villain, she might have met a terrible fate. You saved my niece, so it was only right for me to help you.”
It turned out that Daoist Lan Ke’s surname was also Du. He was Du Yuejiao’s uncle in the Chongxian Sect and also her blood relative.
Du Yuejiao looked at Shi Hao and whispered, “You were with me last night. Why didn’t you say so in court and let me testify for you?”
Shi Hao hesitated, “Well…”
Du Yuejiao glanced at him, her heart softening. She whispered, “You…” She trailed off, lost in thought.
Qiu Jiangping approached them. Shi Hao sneered and walked towards him.
Qiu Jiangping’s eyes were sharp, but he forced a smile, “So, Young Master Shi is a disciple of Perfected Lan Ke of the Chongxian Sect. My apologies, my apologies!”
Shi Hao smiled faintly, “You’re too kind, Chief Constable.”
Qiu Jiangping stared at him, “Today’s events were a misunderstanding. Please don’t take it to heart, Young Master Shi. If we can put this behind us, should you ever need the assistance of the Six Gates, we will be at your service.”
Shi Hao smiled, “Of course, of course.”
They exchanged insincere bows, and Qiu Jiangping turned and left.
Shi Hao returned to Daoist Lan Ke and Du Yuejiao.
Du Yuejiao frowned and asked, puzzled, “Why would the Six Gates arrest you instead of pursuing the real criminals?”
Shi Hao sneered, “That constable called Yuan Jia is the supernatural ability user I encountered in the mountains last night.”
Du Yuejiao’s expression changed, “But that supernatural ability user is working with the child traffickers! Does that mean…”
Leave a Reply