Judgment!

Residents of Holy Soul Village and other villages, along with some Soul Master who came because of its reputation, gathered together on the open ground outside Hope Primary School.

In the very center of the open space, a boy was pinned to the ground by two strong young men from Holy Soul Village, his eyes filled with resentment.

In front of the Hope Primary School, a temporary Village Court was set up, consisting of three long tables and chairs. Zhou Qing was the presiding judge, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and Romantina were the judges and clerks, and Old Jack, as the village representative of Holy Soul Village, jointly tried the case in public.

In rural areas, unless there is a large-scale armed conflict or a heinous incident such as a massacre of a village, city officials generally do not get involved in cases.

Therefore, the villagers can solve the problem entirely on their own.

"That's— Lu Yixin!?" Hu Liena pushed through the crowd and saw the captured person; her pupils dilated more than tenfold.

In her memory, Lu Yixin was one of the team members representing the Spirit Hall in this battle!

However, after the conclusion of this year's Continental Elite Tournament, none of the seven members of the Spirit Hall Team returned to Spirit City. Hu Liena did not dare to ask Bibi Dong directly, but she wanted to ask the other Red Cardinal in private, but they all remained silent.

"His Holiness the Pope instructed us that if we encountered members of the Spirit Hall Team, no matter what happened, we should not interfere," Xie Yue whispered. "Perhaps these seven have betrayed the Spirit Hall!"

Yan sneered, "Now look what's happened, this bastard has completely disgraced the Spirit Hall! We can only be thankful that not many people here know he's from the Spirit Hall."

Lu Yixin was in a terrible state, his face bruised and swollen, his clothes torn, his skin covered in bruises, his dantian shattered, and all his Soul Power dissipated.

Recover?

It can indeed be restored.

However, every time Lu Yixin recovered, Tang San would destroy him again. The pain of his shattered dantian made him afraid to recover in front of Tang San.

"Quiet!"

Zhou Qing picked up a gavel and tapped it on the table; the sound wasn't loud.

In an instant, all the residents of Holy Soul Village fell silent, and the Soul Master who had come to Holy Soul Village, sensing the solemn atmosphere, dared not make any more noise.

"Plaintiff, please come to the stage."

Zhou Qing spoke up.

Uncle Wang, Uncle Li, and the other farmers whose fields had been burned all walked to the open space, knelt down, and said, "Your Honor, please do justice for us!"

"Hey, Uncle Wang, you don't need to kneel."

Zhou Qing's eye twitched. He called to Tang San and the others to help them up, and then asked Xiaolan and the other students to bring chairs from the classroom and invite them to sit down. "Sit down and talk."

When Lu Yixin saw that there was an extra chair behind him, he was about to stand up when Zhou Qing ordered the strong men from the village to force him to kneel on the ground.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Lu Yixin glared at Zhou Qing, "Even prisoners have human rights!"

"Here, because the laws are flawed and you have incurred public wrath, prisoners have no human rights," Tang San continued, gesturing to Xiaolan, who immediately understood and moved the extra chair back into the academy.

Lu Yixin's attitude also drew contempt from the villagers and Soul Master watching.

Prisoners also want human rights?

Is this guy some kind of idiot?

Even the three members of the Golden Generation doubted whether this person was really Lu Yixin, and how could he say such outrageous things.

"Please state your case, plaintiff."

After returning to the judge's seat, Zhou Qing looked at Uncle Wang.

Uncle Wang immediately stood up from his chair and said, "This afternoon, just an hour ago, my wife, son, and I were harvesting rice in the field when we suddenly smelled something burning. When we looked up, we saw thick smoke billowing from the east. My three mu of land had been burned..."

After Uncle Wang, it was Uncle Li, then Auntie Lin Sister Lu... After they had all finished their introductions, the Soul Master on the periphery were somewhat puzzled.

Judging from the villagers' statements, it seems they didn't see who started the fire at all. How can the defendant be held guilty?

Many undercover agents believe that Zhou Qing and his group are simply trying to use this opportunity to establish their prestige and make an example of someone to deter others from causing trouble.

But most of the undercover agents thought it was good, since a stable environment would help them uncover more of Zhou Qing's secrets and trump cards.

If someone deliberately causes trouble, adhering to the idea, attitude, and principle of "if I can't have it, no one else can either," then it's best to eliminate this kind of madman's mole first.

"The plaintiff has finished stating his case. Now, it is Grandpa Jack... oh no, the village chief of Holy Soul Village, to give his opinion. What kind of punishment do you hope the arsonist will receive?" Zhou Qing looked at Old Jack.

Old Jack cleared his throat, stood up from his chair, and instead of speaking immediately, asked, "This kid is Soul Master. If you punish him, won't you be held accountable by his sect or family?"

Lu Yixin, his face bruised and swollen. "... Do they look like they're afraid of me?"

"Quiet!"

Xiao Wu grabbed the gavel and threw it at Lu Yixin's forehead.

Thump!

The gavel was made of iron, and a gash appeared on Lu Yixin's head, from which blood trickled down.

This action can be seen as a way of telling Old Jack the answer through concrete actions:

No problem!

"No," Zhou Qing reassured Old Jack. "Even if he had connections, he would still be punished for setting fire to the rice paddies."

Old Jack was relieved and said, "In that case, I hope he will compensate for the corresponding losses."

"Okay, this will definitely be added."

Zhou Qing nodded vigorously, took the calculated losses from Tang San, the temporary clerk, and then began to pronounce the verdict. "Lu Yixin, you set fire to the grain, causing the harvest of thirty households in the village to be destroyed. Wang Ming's family lost three mu of fertile land; Li Dong's family lost two mu of fertile land; Mei Ji's family lost four mu of fertile land... In addition, more than a hundred villagers, including Liniang, Mei Xi, and Liu Gou, helped put out the fire, missing a day of harvest time, and more than thirty villagers were burned in the process of fighting the fire—"

"Therefore, this judge announces the verdict: Lu Yixin is sentenced to life imprisonment, that is, to serve 30 years in prison, and to compensate the farmers who lost their farmland, calculated at 20 Gold Soul Coin per mu of land, including the cost of planting grain, labor costs, and compensation for mental distress, etc."

Compensation for lost wages for firefighters will be calculated at one Gold Soul Coin per person.

Those firefighters who are burned by the flames must also compensate for corresponding medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and mental distress damages, determined based on the severity of the burns, but no less than eight Silver Soul Coin.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Lu Yixin glared at Zhou Qing, "What evidence do you have that I set the fire? I was just taking a dump in the field, not setting a fire, and that big-breasted woman next to you knocked me unconscious... You've arrested an innocent person!"

"Then I'll give you the proof— Romantina!"

"Exist."

Romantina stood up, her Martial Soul Possession, and activated her Spiritual Sharing skill. The Spiritual Power of everyone present was forcibly connected to Romantina, allowing them to witness Lu Yixin setting the fire.

Lu Yixin held a small, ignitable Soul Tool and set the ripe rice stalks ablaze...