The crowd pointed at Jiang Ziya and discussed him animatedly. The little respect they had once held for him vanished completely, leaving only contempt and shock.
"Who would have thought? This old immortal who told fortunes and divined calamities was actually such a sanctimonious fraud!"
"He looked kind and benevolent, but his heart was crooked. To molest a woman in the street—what a disgrace to decency!"
"And we even called him Master. Turns out he was just a hypocritical old lecher!"
For a time, vile insults and rumors surged toward Jiang Ziya, surrounding him on all sides.
Just as the crowd clamored and rumors spread everywhere, the sounds of an official procession came from the end of the street.
Prime Minister Bi Gan happened to be passing by in his carriage. Seeing the street's center packed so tightly that not even water could pass through, with voices raised in chaos, he ordered the carriage to stop and looked toward the crowd, his brows carrying both doubt and authority.
The moment Jiang Ziya saw Bi Gan appear, it was as though he had grasped a lifeline. He immediately broke free from the surrounding accusations and cried out loudly to Bi Gan:
"Lord Bi Gan! This woman is no human. She is a mountain spirit that took human form, deliberately slandering me here to ruin my reputation!"
"My lord, I've been wronged! This old man..."
Hearing both sides insist on their own version, Bi Gan could not determine the truth for the moment. He was doubtful, but with his naked eyes alone, he truly could not tell whether this woman was human or demon.
He did not wish to make a rash judgment in the marketplace, lest he wrong an innocent person or let a demon go free. He immediately ordered his