Chapter 33: The Resurrected Grievance

Once Song Ming emerged from the side gate, accompanied by Master Yang, the crowd erupted into another commotion, and amidst their agitation, shouts of curses even reached their ears.

“You’re no son of man!”

“How could such an ungrateful wretch like you appear?”

“Tsk, the county magistrate is still with him. It’s best for everyone to speak less.”

“If you ask me, they’re all cut from the same cloth!”

Many more unsavory remarks were uttered, causing Qíngyǔ to frown. With a snap of her fingers, she cast a spell over the Little Girl’s ears, effectively filtering out the offensive words.

The Little Girl, noticing the change, merely blinked curiously and tugged on Qíngyǔ’s hand.

“Little ones shouldn’t listen to such talk; it’ll corrupt them.”

“Mm!”

Through her ink-wash vision, Qíngyǔ gazed at the crowd, where streaks of crimson intertwined, manifesting as shapes resembling both spiders and wolves, as drops of scarlet liquid dissolved the black and white hues.

“Silence!” Song Ming, having exited the rear courtyard, naturally bore an air of authority on his face. Stepping onto a raised platform, he declared loudly,

“Any grievances will be thoroughly investigated by this official. What kind of decorum is this, gathering here? I urge everyone to disperse at once!”

His voice boomed like a great bell, commanding respect without needing to show anger.

The common folk surrounding them, hearing his words and seeing the armed officers on either side, found it difficult to object.

The onlookers stirred for a moment, then dispersed in small groups, until soon only Qin Si remained, still clutching the wooden frame of the grievance drum.

Qíngyǔ had not yet dispelled her ink-wash vision. In her perception, as the people scattered, the malevolent entity, a confluence of crimson, resentfully licked its sharp claws, then fixed a covetous, drooling gaze upon Master Yang, before dissolving back into a mere expanse of red.

She could, of course, seek out each individual and help them dispel the malevolent energy, but doing so would only address the symptoms, not the root cause.

This vibrant crimson almost entirely enveloped the county town. Indeed, if she didn’t know how to sever the malevolent energy’s spread, any attempts at remedy would be like trying to extinguish a fire by adding fuel.

As for precisely how to stop the malevolent energy’s spread, she only had a nascent understanding at this moment.

If her cultivation could advance even a little further at this moment, she would likely be able to discern the intricate connections, and perhaps even capture the mastermind behind it all in one fell swoop.

Alas, that was not possible now.

***

“Please follow this official inside. Whatever your grievance, state it before the court.”

Song Ming patiently persuaded Qin Si, then gestured to his subordinates to open the county yamen’s (TL Note: A government office in ancient China) main gate.

Qin Si, sniffling and teary-eyed, trembled as he stood, and only with the support of an officer beside him did he reluctantly follow the others into the official residence.

‘Hm?’

‘Isn’t this the Second Young Master of the Qin family?’

At this moment, Qíngyǔ finally had the chance to behold Qin Si’s appearance, and couldn’t help but frown.

In her memories, he had long since hanged himself in his room, a tragedy that had led to her own expulsion from home as an ill omen. So how could he possibly be here now, seeking justice?

Following behind, Qíngyǔ seized the opportunity to send a tracking talisman (TL Note: A magical charm used for tracking) to land on his shoulder, then led the Little Girl to stand to one side and observe the court proceedings.

Officers stood at attention on both sides, and everyone took their places.

Song Ming sat on the dais, noting that Master Yang and Jí Yào, who stood behind him, remained silent and unresponsive. He then reached out and slammed down his gavel (TL Note: A wooden block and mallet used by a judge to call for order in court).

The crisp sound echoed through the hall, causing Qin Si to jolt violently.

“Who stands before the court to seek justice?”

Magistrate Song cleared his throat, and spoke as was customary.

“Your… your humble servant, Qin Si of the Qin family, to… today I am here to seek justice for my steward!”

“Wasn’t the Qin family’s steward already transformed into a demonic entity, causing havoc? With witnesses and physical evidence present that day, what grievance could there possibly be to state?”

“No… no! Your Honor! Please investigate thoroughly!”

Upon hearing these words, Qin Si reacted as if he had been provoked, quickly scrambling forward on all fours.

“The matter of that demonic entity was clearly a frame-up,” he claimed, casting a furtive, fearful glance at Master Yang.

“My Qin family is honest and upright, and every servant within our gates has an unblemished background. How could a demonic entity possibly be hidden among us!”

“How can this official believe your one-sided account?”

“Your… your humble servant has joint guarantees from neighbors both near and far! This matter of the demonic entity definitely has nothing to do with my family!”

Qíngyǔ listened in silence, again sensing something amiss. Logically, the government would not want matters involving demonic entities to become widely known.

This much was evident from Song Ming and Master Yang’s hesitation in reporting the incident.

She had always believed that matters of gods and ghosts in this world were mostly legends. Yet, to her surprise, this “resurrected” Qin Si could even find guarantors for such a claim.

Qin Si tremblingly took a document from his sleeve and presented it. On the gleaming xuan paper (TL Note: A type of paper originating in ancient China, known for its softness and fine texture, often used for traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy) were densely written names, each bearing a crimson thumbprint.

Both Song Ming and Master Yang’s expressions darkened upon seeing the document.

If this matter was not handled properly, it was likely that someone would use it to cause a major stir.

“Then tell us, what is this grievance about?”

“Your humble servant wishes to accuse Master Yang of the Yang Manor! This matter of the demonic entity clearly originated because of him!”

Qin Si gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Master Yang, who was observing from the side, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“Your Honor, my family has long been at odds with the Yang family, and my servant suffered harm only after going near their residence. He must harbor resentment and intends to use this to tarnish my family’s good name!”

‘Your family has no good name to speak of.’

Qin Si’s baseless accusations made Song Ming’s mouth twitch, yet with the guarantee document sitting on the dais, he couldn’t easily dismiss the case.

“Then tell us, what witnesses or physical evidence do you possess?”

“The physical evidence is the demonic entity’s corpse. As for witnesses…” Qin Si glanced at Qíngyǔ, who was observing idly, and pointed a vicious finger at her. “It’s this ill omen, cast out from my family!”

Qíngyǔ, hearing these words, cast a placid gaze at her “second brother.” Her expressionless eyes, devoid of any emotion, nonetheless sent a sudden chill down his spine.

“Then…” Song Ming glanced at Qíngyǔ, seeing that she had already stepped forward to the front of the hall and bowed in greeting. He then cleared his throat and continued to ask, “Miss Qin, what do you make of Young Master Qin’s words?”

The moment she stood before the court, the hidden demonic entity indeed could not restrain itself. It instantly cast a spell, attempting to seize control of her mind, yet not even a trace of it could approach her.

When she tried to follow the crimson thread to grasp it, the faint connection was decisively severed by the entity.

How cunning.

This was already the second time the demonic entity had evaded her pursuit.

Although she was never proficient in tracking arts, being thwarted twice was starting to become irritating.

Qíngyǔ straightened her robes, then cast another disdainful glance at the dog-like Qin Si, before finally speaking: “Utter nonsense.”

“Yes, yes, that Yang…”

Qin Si, upon hearing her speak, initially rejoiced, and hastily continued to recite the script provided by “His Honor.”

As he spoke, he suddenly grasped the meaning of Qíngyǔ’s words, “utter nonsense,” and a cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

Stiffly turning his head, Qin Si saw the green-clad young woman’s abyssal gaze, which, though calm, now seemed to him almost mocking.

‘Your Honor! You’ve misled me!’

“In other words, you have neither witnesses nor physical evidence, do you?”

Qin Si stammered his reply, his head nearly touching the ground: “I… those two officers! Yes! Those two officers from that day can still vouch for me! Your Honor! Please investigate thoroughly!”

The two officers, who had visited that day, quickly distanced themselves.

“Nonsense!”

The two officers had been purged of malevolent energy by Qíngyǔ that very day, and had not been re-infected. Hearing this, they immediately spoke out in denial.

“Master Yang worries for the nation and its people. How dare someone like you slander him?”

Qin Si, scolded again by these two sly individuals, trembled like a sieve, his lips turning white, and he could no longer utter a word.

“Do you know what a grave crime false accusation is?”

“Your… your humble servant does not know…”

Song Ming sneered twice at him. Looking around and seeing no objections, he reached into the tube before him and flung out a command arrow (TL Note: A small wooden arrow or token used as a symbol of authority or to convey orders in ancient Chinese courts).

The wooden token clattered crisply as it hit the ground.

“Considering this is your first offense, you are sentenced to five strokes of the cane. Now, get out!”

Leaving aside the matter of the Second Young Master Qin howling from his beating, let us return to the three individuals within the hall.

“Teacher, how was my performance?”

Having shielded their surroundings, the group returned to the rear courtyard.

“If not for Miss Qing’s help, you would likely have met with disaster.”

Master Yang, who hadn’t had a chance to act, pursed his lips, choosing not to look at Song Ming, who was now acting smug after benefiting from the situation.

“That Qin Si is dead.”

Qíngyǔ mused for a long while, then suddenly uttered a chilling statement, startling the two men beside her.

“Are you concerned the punishment was too severe, Miss? I saw that he was frail, so I instructed them to be gentle, and they are all experienced clerks, so nothing untoward will happen.”

Song Ming wiped his sweat, following her words.

“No, that is not it. I mean that Qin Si was already dead. That day, when I heard the two officers mention him while inviting me, I found it somewhat strange.”

“I had also heard rumors of the Second Young Master Qin’s death before, but as no funeral was held, not many people knew.”

Master Yang also came to his senses at this point, and after much thought, he spoke.

“If you hadn’t brought it up just now, Miss, I would have almost forgotten about it.”

“You two must not scare me like this…”

Song Ming’s expression was grim. He took off his official hat and reached up to wipe the sweat from his temples.

“Actually, that uncle had no shadow just now, did he?”

The Little Girl, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interjected.

As her words left her lips, despite the fierce sun still shining, the temperature in the courtyard seemed to drop abruptly by several degrees.

Magistrate Song’s hands were now drenched in sweat.