Colluding With Demons!

Under normal circumstances, death sentences were extremely rare. Not to mention the town head's claim that Tang Tianhao would be beheaded in the street and displayed to the public two days later. This undoubtedly made Tang Jie immediately want to know what crime Tang Tianhao had committed.

The town head swallowed a mouthful of saliva. After coughing, he said, "I heard... it was something about colluding with demons."

"Colluding with demons?"

Tang Jie's body shuddered violently.

Demons were a type of creature that had existed since ancient times. It was said that during the primordial era, this land had been ruled by demons. Now, demons were the enemies of humankind, and every one of them was savage and vicious. Their favorite food was the hearts and brains of humans.

Every demon had committed sins that could be described as towering blood crimes. The moment traces of a demon were discovered, it would inevitably be killed and eradicated!

Yet demons could disguise themselves as humans, and it was impossible to tell from their appearance alone. Thus, demons posed an enormous threat to humankind. Anyone who dared collude with demons was committing a capital crime!

"My father couldn't possibly have colluded with demons!" Tang Jie gritted his teeth. He knew that Tang Tianhao was by no means some great philanthropist who loved accumulating virtue, but he had his own bottom line as a person. He definitely would not collude with demons. There had to be some misunderstanding!

Seeing Tang Jie's expression, the town head consoled him, "I've already asked True Person Heyun to go to Lingyue City. He's an immortal... He'll definitely be able to make himself heard."

Tang Tianhao was from Qingyuan Town and had lived there for twenty or thirty years, so after something happened to him, the town head immediately went to ask True Person Heyun for help.

After all, in the town head's eyes, True Person Heyun was an immortal-like transcendent expert. If he went to Lingyue City and clarified the situation, then if Tang Tianhao truly had been wronged, he might not be unable to save his life.

But Tang Jie knew perfectly well that since Tang Tianhao was already going to be beheaded and displayed to the public, it was impossible for one or two words from True Person Heyun to change anything.

Within the Great Xia Dynasty, the strongest force was not some cultivation sect, but the Great Xia Dynasty itself, which established the rules!

As for cultivators? The number of official cultivators in the Great Xia Dynasty was by no means small. Tang Jie had come into contact with some cultivators himself and knew that True Person Heyun was merely an ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator among them. He could not possibly influence the government's judgment.

"I understand. Town head, you should go back first. I want to be alone for a while." Tang Jie thought of many things. In the end, he maintained his composure and spoke to the town head.

"All right. Wait for news at home." The town head sighed and said no more before leaving Tang Jie's home.

The town head secretly shook his head. Tang Jie had always been extremely low-key, staying behind closed doors at home every day. Even the town head himself rarely saw him. Now that disaster had befallen Tang Jie's Household, all he could do was try his best to help.

After the town head left, Tang Jie quickly began making preparations. He went to the warehouse, awakened the two Corpse Puppets, Tie Yi and Tie Er, made some preparations, took his saber, and swiftly headed out of Qingyuan Town.

Light flickered in Tang Jie's eyes. He did not actually dare to completely deny that Tang Tianhao had colluded with demons. Tang Tianhao often traveled outside, and he had never told Tang Jie what he did while away. It was not impossible that his deeds had been anything but benevolent.

But taking a step back, even if Tang Tianhao truly had colluded with demons, and even if the officials of Lingyue City were going to behead him and display him to the public, Tang Jie could never stand by and watch!

"Father... I won't let you die." Tang Jie recalled the scene of Tang Tianhao taking him to visit True Person Heyun when he was little and teaching him martial arts. He spoke these words firmly in his heart.

Tang Jie hurried through the night and arrived at Lingyue City the next morning.

At the entrance of Lingyue City's government office, soldiers in full armor stood as straight as pine and cypress trees. The office gates stood wide open, while two enormous stone lions flanked the entrance, watching all who approached with imposing majesty.

Lingyue City was one of the 108 great cities of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the authority of its government office was even greater. It possessed the power to convict criminals and carry out executions.

Tang Tianhao would be beheaded and displayed to the public tomorrow. By now, he was surely being held in the prison beneath Lingyue City's government office. Tang Jie had come here to see Tang Tianhao and ask what had happened.

"Loiterers stop here!"

When several soldiers at the government office entrance saw Tang Jie approaching, one of them immediately shouted.

Tang Jie took a deep breath and said, "I'm here to visit a prisoner."

"Who are you here to see?"

A middle-aged man wearing bronze armor, seemingly the captain of the soldiers, asked him this upon hearing his words.

Tang Jie immediately replied, "I want to see Tang Tianhao. He should be locked up here, right?"

When the middle-aged man and the other soldiers heard this, cold expressions immediately appeared on their faces. The bronze-armored soldier captain said bluntly, "Tang Tianhao colluded with demons. No one is allowed to visit him. If you want to see him, you'll have the chance tomorrow at the execution grounds!"

Tang Jie clenched his fists but said nothing, striding toward the government office gates.

"Boy! Stop!"

The soldier captain shouted, but Tang Jie acted as though he had not heard him.

"Boy, are you planning to barge into the government office? Get out of here!"

Seeing this, cold light flashed in the soldier captain's eyes. He reached out with one hand and shoved at Tang Jie's shoulder, intending to push him outside.

Bang!

However, the moment the soldier captain's palm touched Tang Jie's shoulder, he felt an unresistable force surge from within Tang Jie's body. It shook him backward in uncontrolled staggered steps, nearly sending him sprawling onto the ground.

The soldier captain was both horrified and flushed red with anger. "You little bastard, you want to barge into the government office? Seize him!"

Clang!

A series of weapons being drawn rang out. The other soldiers pulled the weapons from their waists and fixed their eyes on Tang Jie.

Tang Jie swept his gaze around. His expression was icy. If he wanted to kill all these soldiers, it would take him no more than three seconds!

"This boy..."

Tang Jie's gaze carried a powerful pressure that made the soldiers feel a chill run down their spines, as though the other party could take their heads at any moment.

"Wait, wait!"

At that moment, a voice rang out from inside the county office.

"True Person Heyun?" Tang Jie looked up, somewhat surprised. He saw an old man in a long robe walking out of the government office. It was indeed True Person Heyun.

Tang Jie recalled what the town head had said earlier. True Person Heyun really had come to Lingyue City.

"Everyone... this is all a misunderstanding." True Person Heyun smiled apologetically at the soldiers who had drawn their weapons. Fighting these soldiers inside the county office was no trivial matter. It would be an affront to the majesty of the Great Xia Dynasty, and even a cultivator who dared do so would be hunted down!

Only then did the soldiers' expressions ease somewhat. They knew that the True Person Heyun before them was no ordinary person, but a cultivator.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a cultivator's identity and status were extraordinary.

"Come, let's discuss this somewhere else."

True Person Heyun pulled Tang Jie along. Tang Jie hesitated for a moment before following him away. He also understood that forcibly entering the government office had been somewhat rash; after all, he did not even know where Tang Tianhao was being held.

After they had gone a good distance from the government office, True Person Heyun said to Tang Jie, "Tang Jie, I've done everything I could. I can't save your father."

"You saw my father?" Tang Jie asked.

True Person Heyun nodded slightly. "There's a fellow senior disciple of mine in the Lingyue City government office. Because of his standing, I was able to see Tang Tianhao, who was being held there."

At this, True Person Heyun shook his head. "According to what I learned, your father had always been a member of a gang called the Six Peaks Gang. He was even the vice gang leader. The Six Peaks Gang dealt in nothing but gray-area businesses, which originally would not have warranted a death sentence."

His tone changed as True Person Heyun continued, "However, the leader of the Six Peaks Gang was actually a demon. When the government officials came after them, that demon sensed something was wrong and escaped, while your father was captured. Because he was the vice gang leader of the Six Peaks Gang, he was sentenced for colluding with demons. That isn't unjust in the slightest!"