A flicker of agreement crossed Dai Mubai's sinister eyes, and his lips curled upward. "Naturally. Anyone who dares stand in the way of us Shrek Seven Devils deserves this. Third Brother did nothing wrong."
Just as the uproar grew louder...
Creak—
At the entrance to the dungeon passage, the heavy iron door slowly opened.
Tang San appeared in the doorway, dressed in a fitted blue outfit.
His gaze passed through the dim corridor and settled on the tall figure standing with his hands behind his back.
Tang San's eyes were as calm as still water.
"It's time, Lord Ning."
"Please come."
Hearing him, Ning Lin slowly turned.
His expression remained composed, without the slightest dejection of a prisoner. Instead, he looked like an honored guest about to attend a banquet.
He stepped forward, walking toward Tang San of his own accord.
Two bailiffs, fierce as wolves and tigers, immediately approached to put his shackles back on.
Ning Lin offered no resistance and let them do as they wished.
Just then, Tang San suddenly stepped forward, blocking Ning Lin's path.
Wearing a gentle smile, he reached out and gave Ning Lin's shoulder a measured pat.
"Lord Ning, I'm afraid the journey ahead won't be peaceful."
Tang San kept his voice low, a vicious hint of amusement in it.
"Please don't take offense. This is merely a precaution."
A sinister, venomous surge of soul power slipped silently from his palm into Ning Lin's body!
It carried an exotic poison blended from dozens of deadly toxins. Once activated, it would seal a Soul Master's soul power and corrode their meridians, making life worse than death.
It would also turn Ning Lin into a mere echo of whatever he was told, eliminating any worry that he might say something out of turn.
This was his true contingency.
Ning Lin sneered inwardly.
Tang San, you're truly shameless to the bone.
Yet his face remained calm, and he even smiled at Tang San.
"Not at all."
The instant those words left his mouth, the Origin of Fire within him stirred faintly.
Before the poisonous soul power that had just invaded him could spread, an invisible flame enveloped it.
Sizzle—
An almost imperceptible sound rang out.
The poison was instantly burned away, transformed into the purest energy, and fed back into Ning Lin's body.
The Phoenix Undying Flame could burn all things to ash.
What could a little poison possibly amount to?
Seeing no reaction from Ning Lin, Tang San assumed his poison had taken effect. His mind settled, and a smug smile unconsciously rose to his lips.
He stepped back and gestured for Ning Lin to proceed.
Under countless watching eyes, the bailiffs escorted Ning Lin step by step onto the towering Judgment Platform.
"Kneel!"
A bailiff barked the command and pressed down hard on Ning Lin's shoulder, trying to force him to his knees.
Ning Lin swept a calm glance over them.
That single look frightened the two Soul Ancestor-level bailiffs into trembling all over, and they instinctively released their grip.
Ignoring them, Ning Lin looked around the familiar Judgment Platform.
He remembered the countless times he had struck the gavel here, passing judgment on criminals and wrongdoers.
He had never imagined that one day he would stand here himself as the one being judged.
How fickle the world truly is.
After that inward reflection, he actually bent his knees slowly, allowing the bailiffs to press him to the ground.
It wasn't that he couldn't resist.
There was simply no need.
This play needed an opening act.
Tang San took the presiding seat on the Judgment Platform and looked down at Ning Lin from above.
He cleared his throat and infused his voice with soul power, sending it across the entire Square.
"Silence!"
"The public trial of Ning Lin, former lord of Heaven Dou City, now begins!"
He picked up the case file and announced in a ringing voice.
"The accused, Ning Lin, evaded taxes and lined his own pockets during his tenure, embezzling tens of millions of Gold Soul Coins! This is the first charge!"
"The accused, Ning Lin, secretly colluded with the Spirit Hall Empire, sold Heaven Dou's military intelligence, and plotted to overthrow the empire! This is the second charge!"
"The accused, Ning Lin, is morally depraved and attempted to assault a female Soul Master in the street. Both witnesses and physical evidence are present! This is the third charge!"
"He shall be punished for all three crimes! His offenses are so numerous that all the bamboo in the world would not suffice to record them!"
Tang San's voice rang with force and righteous conviction.
The people below had already harbored suspicions about Ning Lin. Now, hearing these charges stated with such certainty, they erupted in outrage.
"So it was true! He's a beast in fine clothes!"
"Kill him! Scum like him doesn't deserve to live!"
"And I thought he was a good official! Pah!"
Curses and cries of contempt surged in from every direction like a tide, threatening to swallow Ning Lin on the platform.
He looked at the ignorant masses below, so easily incited, then at Tang San above, standing high and mighty as he played the champion of justice.
A cold smile slowly appeared on Ning Lin's face.
Next came the procedures of confirming his identity, summoning the "witnesses," and presenting the "physical evidence."
Everything proceeded seamlessly, without a single crack.
All the evidence pointed to one conclusion.
Guilty as charged.
Tang San was very satisfied with this outcome.
He set down the case file and fixed Ning Lin, kneeling on the ground, with a gaze like lightning.
At that moment, the entire Square fell silent.
Everyone knew the final verdict was about to be delivered.
"Ning Lin."
Tang San spoke slowly, his voice carrying the judgment of someone who held everything in his grasp.
"Now that both witnesses and physical evidence are present, do you plead guilty?"
Ning Lin slowly raised his head.
Mud and tangled hair obscured his face, making his expression impossible to read.
Yet at that moment, his eyes shone with startling brilliance.
Under the gaze of the crowd, he slowly straightened his shackled body and thrust out his chest!
An intangible aura of pride soared into the sky!
"I..."
His voice reached every person's ears clearly.
"Do not!"
"You don't?"
Tang San smiled, his lips curling with disdain.
At death's door, and still talking tough.
His gaze shifted, and he exerted a slight impulse of will.
Activate.
The exotic poison lurking within Ning Lin should have erupted instantly like maggots clinging to bone, sealing his soul power and corroding his meridians. This fool who knew nothing of life or death should have been howling in agony before thousands, reduced to a spectacle of humiliation!
And yet...
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths passed.
On the Judgment Platform, the shackled figure remained as straight and tall as a pine.
There were no howls, no convulsions, not even the slightest trace of pain on his face.
Ning Lin raised his eyes and calmly met Tang San's gaze. Deep within his eyes, there was even a hint of mockery.
He spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, yet it rose clearly above all the noise.
"The first charge, tax evasion—I deny it!"
"I, Ning Lin, governed Heaven Dou City for ten years. Throughout those ten years, the taxes remitted to the empire only increased, never decreased. Every account balanced to the last coin! Emperor Xue Ye may inspect them personally!"
"My own residence is so poor it might have been washed clean. Aside from gifts bestowed by His Majesty, I possess nothing of value! On what grounds do you claim I lined my own pockets?"
As his words fell, he turned his gaze toward Emperor Xue Ye on the High Platform.
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