Facing off in Court

Silence fell outside the Spring Breeze Restaurant.

Some townsfolk hurriedly cleared a path for the three bailiffs to enter.

Everyone wondered why the bailiffs had suddenly come.

"Oh, Constable Ji! What brings you to my Spring Breeze Restaurant?"

The proprietor narrowed his eyes, then hurried forward with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

He had broken no laws, so naturally, he had no reason to fear the authorities.

More importantly, as the owner of Little River Town's largest restaurant, he regularly gave the Town Lord a generous share of his profits.

With that connection, he was all the more composed.

The burly middle-aged man leading the three bailiffs was Ji Ba, Little River Town's head constable.

"Heh, don't worry, proprietor. We aren't here about the Spring Breeze Restaurant. Someone just reported that a man named Chen Xun stole their black tiger. We've come to ask him to accompany us to the courtroom and face the three accusers."

Ji Ba spoke calmly.

His words sent another stir through the crowd outside the Spring Breeze Restaurant. People looked at Chen Xun in shock and uncertainty.

The black tiger... was stolen?

Some could not help gloating inwardly. Good, good! As long as it was stolen!

What a scare. Chen Xun and Old Li's family nearly struck it rich.

Quite a few people cast mocking looks at him.

Their expressions seemed to say that, young as he was, he could have done anything-yet he had chosen such a contemptible trade.

He had even invented a story about an Immortal killing the black tiger...

The proprietor was taken aback as well. He gave Chen Xun a doubtful glance and quietly put the money pouch away for the time being.

Through it all, Chen Xun's expression remained unchanged.

"You're Chen Xun?"

Ji Ba looked at him.

In truth, Ji Ba already knew the answer and was merely following procedure. Given Chen Xun's peculiar circumstances, there were very few people in Little River Town who did not know him.

Chen Xun replied, "Yes."

Ji Ba nodded and waved his hand. "Shackle him. Take him away."

"Yes, chief!"

The two constables immediately stepped forward to put Chen Xun in shackles.

But Chen Xun said, "Don't shackle me. I'll walk myself."

The two constables paused and looked at Ji Ba.

Hmm?

Ji Ba gave Chen Xun a long, searching look.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense. Just as everyone thought Chen Xun was about to anger Ji Ba and suffer for it...

Ji Ba said, "All right."

Everyone stared, dumbfounded.

Why had the normally fierce Constable Ji Ba suddenly become so accommodating today?

Little did they know that Ji Ba was simply following his instincts.

He had been watching Chen Xun for some time, yet the young man had remained composed from beginning to end. There was not the slightest sign of someone who had committed a crime.

And people who were falsely accused usually grew anxious too, but Chen Xun was different.

That demeanor made Ji Ba regard him in a new light.

After so many years as head constable, Ji Ba had already sensed that perhaps those three hunters were the villains crying thief first...

Still, suspicions aside, procedure required him to take Chen Xun in.

And so Chen Xun was led away, while the constables hauled the black tiger's carcass along to the yamen.

Seeing this, the townsfolk surged toward the yamen in a great crowd.

On the way, Chen Xun encountered Old Li and Li Yuan, who had rushed over.

The sight left both Old Li and Li Yuan stunned.

"Ch-Chen Xun, what happened?"

Old Li's voice trembled with anxiety.

Li Yuan's eyes were red as well.

For ordinary folk like them, nothing was more frightening than the authorities.

Chen Xun smiled and reassured them. "It's nothing serious. I'm just taking a stroll through the yamen. Grandpa Li, Yuanyuan, go home first. I'll be back soon."

With that, he went on with Ji Ba and the others.

But how could Old Li and Li Yuan believe nothing was wrong? They anxiously followed, asking the people around them what had happened. Only then did they learn that someone had reported Chen Xun for stealing their black tiger.

Old Li and Li Yuan were instantly consumed by anxiety, but there was nothing they could do.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

As the drumbeats faded, the courtroom fell silent.

Presiding over the court was Little River Town's Town Lord, Ji Bochang.

Below him, bailiffs stood on either side, while the black tiger's carcass lay on a handcart in the center.

Chen Xun stood straight-backed to the left of the carcass, while Da Wei, Xu Qiang, and Skinny Monkey stood to its right.

The townsfolk who had come to watch stood outside the courtroom. Only Old Li and Li Yuan watched with tense expressions.

Skinny Monkey gave Chen Xun a provocative look, his manner declaring that since Chen Xun had dared to steal the black tiger, he could look forward to rotting in jail.

Da Wei and Xu Qiang, on the other hand, kept their heads slightly lowered, uneasy with the guilt of villains accusing their victim first.

Bang!

Ji Bochang glanced at the black tiger's carcass, then struck his gavel and said calmly, "Who stands before the court? Who filed the complaint?"

Normally, minor cases did not require Ji Bochang, the Town Lord, to preside in person. He was not that idle. But today's case was different: the sum involved was enormous.

Da Wei and his two companions abruptly dropped to their knees and bowed low!

Skinny Monkey spoke bitterly. "My lord, we filed the complaint. Today, the three of us brothers went hunting on Little River Peak. After enduring a thousand hardships, we finally killed the black tiger. Just when our bitter toil was about to bear sweet fruit and make us rich, disaster struck! We worked so hard to carry the tiger back to Little River Town, but when we stepped away to relieve ourselves, its carcass was stolen!"

"In our panic, we immediately entered town, only to discover that Chen Xun was the thief! He even told everyone some nonsense about an Immortal giving it to him. Lie after lie-utterly despicable!"

As his words fell, the watching townsfolk burst into a babble of discussion.

"Silence!"

Bang!

Ji Bochang struck his gavel again, and the courtroom instantly fell silent. The townsfolk hardly dared to breathe. Old Li and Li Yuan could only watch helplessly, their faces pale.

Off to one side, Ji Ba watched the three men with a cold sneer.

Their story was riddled with holes.

How could something like that be stolen?

Were they saying they left such a valuable black tiger carcass unattended while all three went to relieve themselves?

Could they be any more ridiculous? Wouldn't they leave at least one person to watch it?

Ji Bochang nodded slightly, then looked at Chen Xun. "These three say you stole their black tiger. What do you have to say?"

Chen Xun cupped his hands toward Ji Bochang, then turned to the three men and said:

"If you three hunted and killed the black tiger, then tell me: where is its fatal wound?"

Seeing how unruffled Chen Xun was, and that he did not even kneel before him, Ji Bochang felt a flicker of displeasure.

Quite a bold one.

Naturally, Ji Bochang knew Chen Xun. He had heard that the young man had previously been mad and only recently recovered his senses. But judging by this, could it be that Chen Xun had yet to recover completely?

At Chen Xun's question, all three men jolted, panic stirring within them. They hurriedly raised their heads a little to inspect the black tiger's carcass.

Its back faced them. The fur on the back of its head and along its spine was neat, without the slightest trace of blood.

When they first saw the black tiger, their instincts as hunters had prompted them to inspect its other side for injuries as well. Neither its belly nor its neck had been wounded.

Since the carcass lay on its side, the only blind spot they had not inspected was the underside of its flank!

The fatal wound had to be there!

The three brothers exchanged brief sidelong glances and reached a decision.

Da Wei immediately gritted his teeth and said, "Its flank! The fatal wound is on the side it's lying on!"