Chapter 39 A new storm Ⅷ

　　After the trial session, Zhou Ge inquired about Huang Xiaoer from those around him. Combined with his understanding of He Chong, he knew what had happened without needing a judgment. However, trials cannot rely on speculation; they must have concrete evidence. Without evidence, trust is futile.

　　Huang's question was valid. If he was accused of stealing, where was the evidence?

　　Zhou Ge lightly tapped the gavel and asked, "He Chong, what proof do you have?"

　　He Chong stumbled because the seven silver coins that were stolen had been recovered in full, leaving no evidence.

　　"Uh... well..."

　　"Inquisitor, he's framing me!" Huang Xiaoer shouted.

　　"You scoundrel, biting back. I should have beaten you to death earlier. Inquisitor, the craftsmen's items were also swapped. You can ask them!"

　　"Craftsmen? Did they see it with their own eyes or catch me in the act? You old fool, abusing your power as a servant of the Prefect's Mansion to bully a small-time citizen like me. Is this what your Miss allows?"

　　"Yo he! Frame our Miss and see if I can beat you. " He raised his right hand as he spoke.

　　"Assault! Assault! A servant of the Prefect's Mansion is attacking people. Everyone, come and see..."

　　Zhou Ge repeatedly tapped the gavel. "Silence! Silence!" He pondered the matter carefully, guessing that it wasn't Qing Hu who was behind it. No matter what, the other party was the grandson of the third disciple of the West Peak Holy Monarch. Could he really be associating with ruffians? It must be someone else causing trouble.

　　He wasn't sure who it was, but he decided to give this person a warning shot.

　　"One of you is accusing the other of stealing money, and the other is accusing the other of assault. One of these accusations must be true, and the other false. Well, I have a technique that can help us distinguish."

　　These words caused a stir among those present, as no one had heard that the new inquisitor knew sorcery before. Many were now impressed with He Muxian's wise choice of personnel.

　　His words piqued everyone's curiosity, and they all wanted to see this sorcery that could discern truth from falsehood.

　　Zhou Ge took out two bronze mirrors and placed them on the table. He whispered the incantation, "Beasts obey the law."

　　After the command, a spectral dog appeared, barking a few times before sitting down.

　　The crowd reacted with mixed emotions: some stepped backward, some rubbed their eyes, and others pinched their companions to ask if they were seeing things clearly.

　　Zhou Ge smiled. "This is the Spectral Beast Summoning Technique using mirrors. This spectral beast is extremely intelligent and can discern truth from falsehood. He Chong, why don't you try it out?"

　　He Chong , shrinking his neck and swallowing a few mouthfuls of saliva, approached. "Inquisitor, how do I do it?"

　　"I'll ask you a question. What's your name?"

　　"He Chong."

　　The spectral beast remained unmoving.

　　"How old are you?"

　　"Still young, just forty-three."

　　Again, the spectral beast didn't react.

　　"Did you assault someone?"

　　"Yes."

　　"That's the truth. Now, how many wives and concubines do you have?"

　　"Just one wife."

　　The spectral beast bared its teeth and lunged at his thigh, biting down. To He Guanjia, it felt like he had been bitten by a real dog, leaving distinct tooth marks and causing him pain.

　　"One wife, one concubine... I have another concubine, another concubine..."

　　Zhou Ge didn't inflict serious harm but smiled inwardly. He had learned this information through casual chatter among the servants of the Prefect's Mansion.

　　He Chong and the others were baffled by what had happened, but they were impressed by the technique's apparent effectiveness.

　　Zhou Ge turned to Huang. "Your turn, Huang Xiaoer."

　　Huang trembled as he approached. "Inquisitor, what should I say?"

　　"Let's start with your name."

　　"My name is Huang Xiaoer." After answering, he stole a glance at the spectral dog, which remained unmoving.

　　"How old are you?"

　　"Twenty-five, twenty-five years old."

　　"They say you stole something. Did you?"

　　Huang hesitated. This was the crucial moment. Did this technique really work, or was it just a gimmick?

　　"Well... I..."

　　"Did you steal or not?"

　　Gathering his courage, he said slowly, "No..."

　　The spectral dog lunged at his calf, biting down. Perhaps because his calf was thinner, it was easier to bite, and blood started trickling out, causing him to roll on the ground in pain.

　　Zhou Ge reset the gavel. "Did you steal or not?"

　　"I did, I did steal..."

　　"How did you do it?"

　　"Using the Deception Talisman... the Deception Talisman..."

　　After hearing this, Zhou Ge withdrew the technique. "What's the Deception Talisman?"

　　Huang, still holding his calf, recounted the previous events.

　　On the morning after the storm, while fretting over the damaged walls and cursing inwardly, a man approached his home, offering him a chance to make some easy money if he allowed them to use his backyard for a few days. There wouldn't be any other use for it, just two people staying there temporarily.

　　Huang agreed without hesitation and asked how he could make money.

　　The man drew five Deception Talismans for him, explaining that by burning the talismans, he could swap items or downgrade their quality, but he couldn't move too far away.

　　At first, he didn't believe it, but he decided to try it out when the craftsmen arrived to repair his house. He used an old tiling knife to swap for a new one and then used a piece of paper to swap for a few copper coins. After succeeding, he was overjoyed.

　　He tried it two more times and succeeded each time.

　　However, because he was too obvious, the craftsmen became suspicious. Fortunately, the people hiding in his backyard hadn't been discovered.

　　When He Chong arrived, he decided to use his last Deception Talisman. He successfully obtained seven silver coins and was so happy that he jumped for joy.

　　He went to buy wine and meat nearby, but before he could finish eating, servants from the Prefect's Mansion arrived and beat him up.

　　He went to the backyard to ask for help, and one of them gave him an idea: to file a complaint at the Tribunal.

　　After hearing the whole story, He Chong felt even more angry.

　　Zhou Ge pondered for a moment and asked, "Who was the man who approached you? What was his name?"

　　"I... I don't know..."

　　"Do you want to try the spectral beast again?"

　　"No, no, I really don't know..."

　　"I'll ask you this. Did the people in your backyard leave?"

　　"One of them left, but I'm not sure about the other. He said he had something else to do."

　　After hearing the follows-up, Zhou Ge sent someone to search the area, but as expected, they didn't find a trace of the man. In the end, Huang was given twenty lashes and sent home.

　　The trial concluded, and everyone dispersed from the trial hall.

　　Later, He Chong returned to the mansion with a sombre expression and locked himself in his room, refusing to meet anyone.

　　Five days later, in the morning, Ji Yanshi and Shen Huan returned together.

　　The group exchanged information and recounted their experiences.

　　After hearing Zhou Ge's side of the story, the other two didn't seem too concerned.

　　Ji Yanshi said, "We have identified the woman. She is from the Zhuanyou Mountain in Yue Region and goes by the name of Xia Yue. She is Qing Hu's mistress."

　　The mention of Zhuanyou Mountain caused everyone to look puzzled, as none of them had heard of it before, let alone Xia Yue from Zhuanyou Mountain.

　　Shen Huan quickly added, "There's a new trouble at Hutou Mountain. This person goes by the name of Yu Pingnian. We're not sure where he's from, but he has two personal attendants who are brothers. The older brother is called Song Chang, and the younger brother is called Song Kai. Song Chang is skilled in drawing Deception Talismans, while Song Kai is proficient in casting the Five-Legged Insect Talisman."

　　Zhou Ge felt puzzled. "Are they also affiliated with Qing Hu?"

　　"Absolutely not. Ji Yanshi and I have checked, the Song brothers are weak in martial arts, his Five-Legged Insect Talisman is not enough to hurt people, Yu Pingnian martial arts even worse; It's just a little strange, and Ji Yanshi and I can't figure it out."

　　"What point?"

　　"Qing Hu treats him as a guest."