The Jiang Family acted swiftly. In just half a night, they cleaned that space spotless, then spent another two days and two nights checking it over and over, confirming they had left behind no loose ends. Only then did they leisurely inform City Lord Zeng that court could be convened again for a retrial.
Things unfolded exactly as the Jiang Clan Leader had expected. With no evidence, the two of them could not stir up any waves. City Lord Zeng could openly cover for the Jiang Family, claiming that the evidence was insufficient to establish Jiang Yixing's guilt. He even intended to hold Jiang Li and Yuan Wu Xing responsible for deliberately injuring Jiang Yixing.
The one thing the Jiang Clan Leader had not anticipated was that their Old Ancestor, Jiang Yixing, remained unconscious to this day. Even after physicians examined him, none could identify the cause.
"This official rules that Jiang Yixing is not guilty. If you two refuse to accept this ruling, you may appeal to the prefect within fifteen days from today."
Jiang Li stepped forward and handed City Lord Zeng a sheet of paper, as though he had been waiting for this very moment.
"This is the petition."
Seeing Jiang Li's calm expression, City Lord Zeng felt deeply displeased. Seeing him pull out a petition right there in court displeased him even more.
Clearly, Jiang Li had anticipated this outcome long before court was convened and had prepared the petition in advance.
But so what? The prefect who would handle this case had also risen from the position of Qing City Lord, and had likewise helped the Jiang Family cover up the infant theft.
Besides, even if the prefect were an upright man, without any evidence, what could these two fellows who did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth possibly use to win? Their thick skulls?...
The Great Zhou Dynasty was divided into twenty-six prefectures, each governing dozens of major cities. Green City was now one such major city, under Tianqing Prefecture's jurisdiction. Naturally, the petition had to be submitted to Gong Peng, the prefect of Tianqing Prefecture.
After Prefect Gong received the petition, he summoned the Jiang Clan Leader and City Lord Zeng. Once he had questioned them in detail about the events, his heart settled completely.
"Zhang Li, Yuan Wu Xing, before court begins, I must inform you that this official's ruling shall be final. Unless new evidence emerges that could overturn the original ruling, neither of you may appeal further. Do you understand?"
Prefect Gong sat at the center of the court hall. Zhang Li and Yuan Wu Xing stood to one side, while the Jiang Clan Leader stood on the other. Jiang Yixing was still unconscious, so there was no point bringing him here.
Though the Jiang Clan Leader remained as expressionless as ever, Yuan Wu Xing was certain he was secretly laughing inside.
Outside the court hall stood a sparse crowd of several dozen people, far fewer than before. After all, everyone knew the evidence was insufficient. Jiang Li and Yuan Wu Xing could not win this case. City Lord Zeng stood among them, ready to watch the show.
"Understood," Jiang Li replied loudly. Yuan Wu Xing followed with an acknowledgment as well.
"However, before court begins, I wish to add one more defendant."
"You may. But this official's ruling in this case shall still be final. You may not use the addition of a defendant as grounds for another appeal."
Jiang Li nodded to show he understood. He lifted his chin slightly, stood with his hands behind his back, and said, "I accuse Qing City Lord Zeng of abusing his authority and using power for personal gain during his tenure, concealing Jiang Yixing's theft of infants and destroying crucial evidence. I request Prefect Gong's ruling!"
The Jiang Clan Leader's heart thudded. He immediately sensed trouble. To bring charges against a city lord, the official accepting the case had to be at least third rank. Prefect Gong was indeed a third-rank official, so this was lawful. But he could not understand what Jiang Li was trying to do. Could adding one more city lord as a defendant somehow help him win?
He felt as though he had forgotten something.
The Jiang Clan Leader was unfamiliar with the law and did not understand Jiang Li's aim, but City Lord Zeng and Prefect Gong understood it at once. The backs of the two Nascent Soul Cultivators, unaffected by cold and heat, instantly broke out in a dense layer of cold sweat.
"I suspect that City Lord Zeng was responsible for destroying the space where the blood-sacrificed infants were kept, the most important evidence in this case. I request that Prefect Gong submit a memorial to the Imperial Court and apply to Trace Time, restoring the scene!"
Jiang Li's words shattered the last scrap of luck the two men had been clinging to.
This matter was going to reach the Imperial Court! They had no towering patron in the court capable of blotting out the sky! Of the nine Imperial Dynasties, only the Great Zhou Dynasty dared to found its nation upon law, and only the Great Zhou Dynasty possessed the ability to govern through law. The root of it lay in the Great Zhou imperial clan's mastery of the Time Dao, allowing them to travel upstream against the river of time!
However, the Time Dao carried immense karmic consequences and could not be used lightly. Thus, Great Zhou had stipulated several special circumstances in which it could be invoked—for example, when a case had an enormous nationwide impact, or when it involved the integrity of an official of seventh rank or above...
And City Lord Zeng was a fifth-rank official.
"You are spouting bloody lies!" City Lord Zeng forgot all decorum and burst into furious curses.
City Lord Zeng truly wanted to cry injustice. It was the Jiang Family that had destroyed that space. At most, he was a witness—how had it become his doing in this brat's mouth? Jiang Li turned a deaf ear.
Whether City Lord Zeng had gone to destroy the space was not important. What mattered was that his position in this case was that of a defendant.
"Zhang Li, do you truly intend to apply for the Imperial Court to Trace Time?" Prefect Gong stared at Jiang Li with icy eyes. He felt that Jiang Li had plotted against him.
More importantly, through tracing time, they would not only see the Jiang Family members destroying the Space Node—they would also see Jiang Yixing cultivating the Demonic Path in that space!
Once Jiang Yixing's cultivation of the Demonic Path was exposed, the Imperial Court would investigate every person who had served as Qing City Lord. When that happened, none of them would escape! Yuan Wu Xing also realized why Jiang Li had allowed the Jiang Family to destroy the Space Node. So this was where he had been waiting for them.
"I am certain."
"You... truly... intend... to... apply?" Prefect Gong repeated the question, one word at a time. The aura of a Nascent Soul Peak Cultivator burst forth like a roaring tiger. The constables' legs trembled first; unable to bear it, they dropped to their knees. Next came the Jiang Clan Leader and Yuan Wu Xing.
"I am certain." Jiang Li remained as calm as ever, as though he had not seen Prefect Gong's killing intent at all. He even took the already-prepared Petition from his sleeve and placed it before Prefect Gong.
At the sight of the Petition, whose ink had not yet dried, Prefect Gong nearly failed to restrain himself from killing Jiang Li right there in court! Yet in the end, he still dared not make a move.
If he acted now, then it truly would all be over.
"Zhang Li, is it? Very good. You are very good indeed!" Prefect Gong smashed the judge's desk apart with one palm and left in fury. The Jiang Clan Leader and City Lord Zeng no longer bothered to avoid suspicion, following behind him with dark faces.
As Prefect Gong moved farther away, the killing intent filling the air gradually faded. Only then did Yuan Wu Xing regain a little strength and stagger to his feet.
"Prefect Gong did not even make a move. His killing intent alone frightened you into this state. You are at least at Golden Core Peak—aren't you ashamed?" Jiang Li laughed as he scolded him, like iron that refused to become steel.
Yuan Wu Xing smiled bitterly. "Senior Zhang, Prefect Gong is at Nascent Soul Peak. A Golden Core Stage cultivator simply cannot withstand killing intent of that level."
Jiang Li curled his lip. "Excuses. When I was at Golden Core Peak, I killed a Nascent Soul Peak Cultivator."
Yuan Wu Xing froze. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out one sentence. "Senior, your skills are remarkable."
Yuan Wu Xing truly admired Jiang Li. Look at him—he was a Dao Sect Emissary. In terms of status, he even stood half a notch above a Great Zhou prince. Officials of first or second rank would greet him with smiling faces, yet he stubbornly refused to use that identity. Instead, he followed the Great Zhou Law step by step, driving the Jiang Family toward their deaths! Incredible!