Liang City Prefectural Yamen.
When Lin Ji entered the main hall, several constables of the city were already waiting.
"Lord Lin."
"Everyone is here, just stand aside and watch." Lin Ji smiled and nodded in greeting.
A chair was brought by the bailiffs, and Lin Ji sat on the high platform, not in the center, but on the right side.
The center was reserved for Zhan Chengfeng, even if Zhan was not present, Lin Ji could not overstep.
Sitting on the high hall, Lin Ji cleared his throat and looked at Zhou Ying, who had been waiting on the side.
"Bring in the prisoner."
Zhou Ying acknowledged and soon brought Tian Zechuan into the hall.
At this moment, Tian Zechuan, once the head of the Tian family, no longer exuded the dignity of a family head. His brocade robe was stained, his face was somewhat disheveled, and he emitted a foul odor.
Tian Zechuan had cultivation in his youth, but a mishap during cultivation led to demonic possession. Only by dispersing his cultivation could he save his life, thus becoming an ordinary person, solely managing the Tian family's external affairs.
Seeing Tian Zechuan in such a state, the expressions of the constables present varied.
Chu Qin remained expressionless, merely there to give face to Lin Ji, or rather, dared not to disrespect him.
Li Wushuang raised an eyebrow slightly, appearing somewhat surprised.
Sun Hai smiled bitterly.
Tian Jiufeng squinted slightly, looking at Lin Ji with obvious emotions.
At the same time, Tian Zechuan, upon entering the hall, glanced around before fixing his gaze on Lin Ji, snorting coldly.
"Hmph! The Chief Constable of the Sixth Rank of the Monitoring Bureau, such arrogance! Accusing someone without evidence, conducting a false case, and seeking personal revenge! If you don't explain today's matter, my Tian family will go to the capital to file a complaint and seek justice!"
Lin Ji was taken aback, evidently not expecting Tian Zechuan to launch into such a tirade upon arrival.
"Nice opening statement, did you spend a long time pondering in the cell last night?" Lin Ji curiously asked.
"Hmph!" Tian Zechuan snorted again, his expression somewhat unnatural.
However, Lin Ji paid no heed to this.
"Today, all the constables are here. Tian Zechuan, do you admit to instructing the spirit creature to harm the lives of the two elders of the Zheng family?" Lin Ji's voice suddenly rose.
"Nonsense!" Tian Zechuan sneered, "Such groundless accusations, don't embarrass yourself by bringing them up."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji turned to the other constables on the side.
No one interjected.
Lin Ji chuckled lightly, "Groundless? Chief Tian, the spirit creature I captured in the Zheng family's backyard, you personally admitted it belonged to your Tian family, didn't you?"
"That is true, but Lord Lin, I have also stated that the spirit creature ran away on its own." Tian Jiufeng remained composed.
Lin Ji nodded.
"Spirit creatures are not adept at combat, let alone breaking the restrictions on themselves." Lin Ji looked at Tian Jiufeng.
"In this vast world, there are always extraordinary things. That spirit creature has cultivation at the Third Realm."
"Haha, don't pretend you don't know. Spirit creatures use their cultivation to prolong their lives. What abilities can they have in a fight? Without hundreds of years of cultivation, how dare they cause trouble?"
In the eyes of cultivators, the cultivation of spirit creatures is the most nourishing.
In the mountains and forests, spirit creatures are not good at fighting but excel in hiding, with many strange abilities, making them quite troublesome.
Even Lin Ji, at the Fourth Realm, might not easily deal with the spirit creature he caught yesterday in the mountains.
But in the city, most of the spirit creature's abilities could not be utilized.
"Nevertheless, in this vast world, there are always wonders." Tian Jiufeng said.
"Alright, I came prepared." Lin Ji laughed twice, gesturing towards Tian Jiufeng.
Then he reached down and pulled out the spirit creature that had been hidden under the table from the beginning, making it visible to everyone.
Especially visible to the head of the Tian family.
"How did you tell me yesterday, now say it again in full." Lin Ji said to the spirit creature.
The spirit creature nodded repeatedly.
"Tian family members instructed me to stay in the Zheng family's garden, saying that when the officials arrived, I should take action to deal with them."
Lin Ji smiled as he looked at Tian Zechuan.
"What do you say?"
Tian Zechuan remained silent.
Tian Jiufeng interjected, "Different species have different intentions. Do you believe the words of a spirit creature, Lord? Perhaps the little one committed a mistake, knowing that it couldn't pass this test, so it implicated a few scapegoats."
"Quick to respond, seems like you had a script prepared." Lin Ji chuckled.
He could see through it. After capturing Tian Zechuan last night, the Tian family must have discussed it at home for a long time, preparing for many things.
Lin Ji looked at the spirit creature again.
"Tell me, who released the restrictions on you and sent you to the Zheng residence?"
"It was the steward of the Tian family, who usually oversees me and manages the Tian family's medicinal fields." The spirit creature truthfully replied.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji chuckled twice.
"Chief Tian, surely your steward hasn't disappeared, right?"
"In response to Lord's words, the steward of the mansion suddenly fell ill and has already left."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji glanced deeply at Tian Jiufeng.
"Quite ruthless."
Compared to Tian Jiufeng's evasiveness, Lin Ji had no intention of concealing anything from the start.
He never pretended to be ignorant. Every word he said was aimed at breaking through the window paper.
But Tian Jiufeng, until now, still pretended not to hear Lin Ji's sarcasm.
He had mastered the art of cultivating one's temperament deeply.
"The words of the spirit creature cannot be trusted, and the relevant individuals are already deceased. This case is indeed difficult to handle." Lin Ji rubbed his chin.
"What difficult case? It's clearly you causing trouble! If you don't give an explanation today, my Tian family will seek justice!" Feeling that Lin Ji seemed at a loss, Tian Zechuan suddenly became confident.
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji slapped his thigh.
"Well said! Zhou Ying, go and bring Zheng Yunxuan to me!"
After a moment, Zheng Yunxuan, who had been waiting in the yamen, quickly walked into the hall.
"Lord Lin, esteemed constables." Zheng Yunxuan greeted cautiously.
"Zheng Yunxuan, let me ask you! The spirit creature harmed people in your family's backyard. Did the Tian family conspire with you?" Lin Ji's voice turned cold.
"Why would you say that, Lord?" Zheng Yunxuan widened his eyes, looking confused.
"Lord Lin, my elderly parents were killed by that spirit creature. How could I have conspired in this matter?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji chuckled wryly.
"Master Zheng, were your parents truly killed by the spirit creature?"
"Absolutely."
"Then why did I hear that you forced your parents to stay in the backyard, not allowing them to leave, and deprived them of food, causing them to starve to death?!"
Zheng Yunxuan's face paled instantly.
Before he could speak, Lin Ji coldly continued, "Two servants from your mansion are waiting behind the yamen. Should I bring them in for questioning?"
"You can't hide this matter. Besides those two servants, I don't believe that no one else in your mansion knows!"
As his words fell, Lin Ji's gaze swept over the people in the hall.
Wherever his gaze landed, whoever it was, they subconsciously lowered their heads.
Lin Ji looked at Zheng Yunxuan.
Suddenly raising his voice, he said, "Zheng Yunxuan!"
"Was it the Tian family and you conspiring in the matter of the spirit creature, resulting in the death of your parents? Did you, in a fit of rage, come to the yamen to report and testify?"
With a change in tone and demeanor, he continued, "Or did you conspire with the Tian family, harboring intentions to curry favor with them, and in a heinous act, killed your own parents just to show the Tian family your dedication, hoping to gain more benefits in the future?"
"I ask you, which is it?!"
As his words fell, Lin Ji slammed the gavel on the desk.
Zheng Yunxuan's legs went weak, and he knelt down.
He looked at Tian Zechuan beside him, then at Tian Jiufeng standing in front.
Both of them had a strong sense of threat in their eyes.
But at this moment, he couldn't care about that. He dared not admit to plotting against his own parents.
"It's... it's the first one!"
(End of Chapter)