The Revenge Severance Law was a very distinctive feature of Radiance's legal system. It was also a major concession the law made to the strong, allowing them a certain right to exact revenge.
Criminals being punished was perfectly normal. Even powerful Awakened had no legal immunity: if they deserved to die, they were killed; if they deserved imprisonment, they were imprisoned. But there was another situation: the criminal's relatives or friends were powerful.
Different societies naturally gave birth to different social customs and public sentiments. On Earth, the relatives of criminals rarely carried out extreme acts of revenge, because individual strength was far inferior to the collective, and there was not much difference between individuals.
But Radiance was different. Powerful Awakened could crush ordinary people, and the strong possessed extraordinarily powerful survival abilities. History had seen wrongful convictions lead a criminal's enraged relatives to ambush and kill everyone involved, including the nobles who had framed the criminal and the officials who had issued the verdict. They had remained at large until the Court redressed the wrongful case, at which point the powerful individual finally stopped. As for whether it had truly been a wrongful conviction, no one knew.
Although even the strong could never stand against an army head-on, if one of them waged guerrilla warfare in a city, killing one person from a thousand miles away and leaving no trace within ten paces, the Court would have great difficulty dealing with them.
Moreover, such peerless powerhouses were not actually the main problem. There were not many of them, and most were recruited by the Court. The real trouble came from the countless ordinary Awakened who trained in combat arts. Martial culture ran deep among them, and most were unyielding hard cases. For them, risking everything to avenge their relatives and friends was practically a matter of course.
Sure, my dad/uncle/grandpa/best friend did something wrong, but he's dead, and I can't accept that. I'm going to beat you to death!
This way of thinking had widespread support. After all, the Radiant Court could not guarantee that it was always fair and incorruptible. To ordinary people, supporting these "avengers of justice" meant reducing the chances of the Court creating wrongful convictions. No one's loyalties were misplaced, and the culture of "revenge" naturally grew more and more intense.
But it was no solution for Court officials to keep being targeted by such revenge. Thus, the Court compromised—or, more accurately, took advantage of the situation to employ an open strategy: the Revenge Severance Law.
Under the Revenge Severance Law, a criminal's relatives could publicly challenge their "enemy" to a duel. They were limited to one challenge, against one person only. The "enemy" could surrender, but would then have to offer compensation or an apology. Life and death were left to the duel, and afterward the grudge was considered settled. Anyone who violated the law would be hunted down by the Court.
It sounded unbelievable. How could the Court encourage criminals' relatives to take revenge on officials?
But legal interests formed the basis for declaring someone guilty, while ethics provided the grounds for acquittal. In a society where the strong existed, ethics and legal interests would naturally change.
The introduction of the Revenge Severance Law greatly reduced the harmful effects of popular revenge. Since one could take revenge only against the "enemy" and involve no one else, it gained public acceptance. Acts like massacring an entire family in revenge would naturally no longer receive support, but instead be scorned by the masses.
Moreover, the law required revenge severance to take place in public, turning secret "revenge" into an open "severance." No matter what happened, the authorities could quickly grasp the situation, rather than having an entire family murdered without even knowing whom they had offended.
More importantly, the Revenge Severance Law shifted the conflict from the people versus the Court to the avenger versus the enemy.
Whether the enemy was beaten to death by the avenger or surrendered and paid compensation, it had nothing to do with the Court. It was merely the enemy losing face, with no connection to the Court's reputation.
The facts proved that the Revenge Severance Law had completely transformed social customs. Since the Court itself supported one's pursuit of righteous revenge, secretly carrying out an assassination would naturally earn no praise from bystanders.
The Court would also frequently publicize "positive examples." For instance, an avenger from one commandery defeated their enemy, and the case was redressed. Or an avenger from one county was no match for their enemy, but the enemy voluntarily knelt and admitted fault. The avenger also realized that their relative had been in the wrong, and the two reconciled...
In short, taking revenge openly and honorably not only won public approval—even the Court encouraged it!
"Someone's carrying out revenge severance over there!"
"That person's from the Statistics Department!"
"What? Someone's finally challenging someone from the Statistics Department to revenge severance?"
The lecture square was at its liveliest in the morning. Merchants had set up stalls, and children were waiting for the lectures to begin. As soon as news of the revenge severance spread, it passed from ten people to a hundred, and the entire square erupted into an uproar.
The Patrol Guards in the square pushed through the crowd and entered. When they saw Le Yu, their expressions changed. Although Qian Yuliu was not wearing an insignia vest, his Steel-soled Boots could not be faked. What was more, they recognized Le Yu. They had heard a little about the captain recently assigned to the Statistics Department who liked playing battle cards while arresting people.
"What are you all gathering here for? Disperse, disperse!" the Patrol Guards shouted. "Are you trying to cause a riot!?"
Causing a riot was a serious crime. One step further, and it became "gathering to rebel." But Lin Xue was not intimidated. She subtly infused her voice with Mental Power, and her words rang clearly across the square. "We wish to conduct revenge severance with Qian Yuliu. We ask the Patrol Guards to serve as witnesses."
"We ask the Patrol Guards to serve as witnesses!" the people nearby shouted in unison, their voices like thunder.
The Patrol Guards wore troubled expressions as they looked toward Le Yu, their eyes seeming to say, We've done all we can.
Le Yu raised his head and glanced at the Radiant Bell Tower. "Seventeen minutes."
He paused. "There are seventeen minutes until the Statistics Department begins work, and it takes me three minutes to walk there. One should be loyal to the duties that come with one's salary. I neither wish for others to break their agreements nor wish to break my agreements with others. So let's finish all this within the next fourteen minutes."
"Let's see what Mr. Lin's prized pupil can do." Le Yu spoke as calmly as a drifting cloud. "Are you coming at me together, or taking turns?"
There was one major loophole in the Revenge Severance Law. Although it limited an avenger to challenging only one person, it never specified how many avengers there could be. Yes, gang fights were also permitted under the Revenge Severance Law!
However, if the enemy saw that they could not win, they could simply surrender. At worst, they would apologize and pay compensation, while the avengers would lose their sole opportunity for righteous revenge.
Thus, the Revenge Severance Law was actually a law for gentlemen. It only held meaning when both sides were gentlemen who cared about their honor, allowing everyone to fight once and settle the grudge.
But if neither side had any shame, the Revenge Severance Law was meaningless. You dare gang up on me? I dare kneel down and beg for mercy.
I may lose face, but you've lost your father/grandfather/friend!
"Although I very much wish to be the one to wash away my father's disgrace..." Lin Xue took a deep breath. "But Qian Yuliu, you truly are a talented but immoral person. I don't dare claim that I can defeat you alone. Therefore, please allow me, Gao Jin, and Xia Lingo to take turns fighting you, and sever all ties and grudges!"
As she said this, Lin Xue's face revealed a trace of embarrassment and anger. She was ashamed of proposing a battle of attrition, and she hated Qian Yuliu, but above all, she hated her own inability!
If she could defeat Qian Yuliu alone, why would she need to request that three people take turns fighting him? But in order to inherit her father's dying wish, she could only commit this shameless act!
As for what price Qian Yuliu would have to pay after their victory, Lin Xue did not mention it at all. If they won, they would have plenty of time to berate Qian Yuliu. If they lost, the harsher her words were now, the more brutally she would be humiliated later.
Le Yu swept his gaze over the three people before him.
Lin Xue needed no introduction. She was Lin Jinyao's only daughter. Back when they were students, Qian Yuliu had treated Lin Xue as his younger sister. It turned out that every one of Qian Yuliu's younger sisters would eventually turn against him.
Gao Jin was also an old acquaintance—a foul-mouthed demon who spoke the loudest. Yet he had a respectable appearance, looking like a hot-blooded, sunny young man. He seemed to be the student council president at the military academy, and Lin Jinyao often praised this disciple to Qian Yuliu.
Xia Lingo was someone Le Yu had only noticed now. He had also been in the courtyard on the night of Lin Jinyao's death and had been taken away by the Statistics Department along with the others. But he had always been quiet and taciturn. Even when he was about to conduct revenge severance with Le Yu, he had not said a word, merely watching Le Yu in silence. He looked like a well-behaved young boy, but Le Yu could faintly sense the threat he posed.
Lin Xue, Gao Jin, Xia Lingo...
They really had come to conduct revenge severance with me.
That meant the White Night mole was one of the three of them!
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