After Zhang San brought back Yu Daoning's coffin, the County Magistrate immediately ordered the coroner to examine the corpse.
Because the Tiger Demon used a technique to preserve the body, it looked as if it had just died recently, and the blood at the wound was even somewhat sticky.
After analysis and confirmation, it was determined to be Yu Daoning.
While the people outside the county government office were discussing animatedly, the government officials who went up the mountain with Xu also ran back, reporting that the Tiger Demon had eaten Yu Daorong.
At that moment, a golden bead flew out of Magistrate Long's embrace.
The bead drifted towards the corpse of Yu Daoning inside the coffin, and directly entered his forehead.
A moment later, the colorless face of Yu Daoning sat up from the coffin.
This action scared the government officials in the hall so much that they turned and ran.
One official, who already had a wound on his forehead, turned too swiftly and directly hit a pillar in the hall, fainting on the spot.
Magistrate Long was so frightened that he hid behind his desk, not daring to look up.
At that time, in the quiet hall, Yu Daoning's voice could be heard.
"Humble citizen Yu Daoning, pays respect to the County Magistrate."
"I am a simple hunter from Jingyang County, living by hunting, never harming anyone, abiding by the law, and being a good person."
"That day I returned home to find my wife's affair with my younger brother, Yu Daorong, so..."
"I left in anger."
Zhang San thought there would be some sensational plot twist, just this?
"After that, my brother Yu Daorong found me, asking for my forgiveness, saying it was their first time, just a momentary lapse. He asked me to teach him hunting, promising that after we split the family assets, he would stay away from my wife. Unexpectedly, the next day we went up Mingzhi Mountain, and he attacked me from behind with an axe... again and again..."
"I still remember, when my grandfather passed away in my childhood, he urged me to take care of my brother. I knew times were hard at home, I would let him drink the rice soup, and I would just drink some cool water from the well."
"I still remember being young and poor, when the winter winds blew snowflakes into our quilt, I would hold him and give him warmth…"
"What... what did I do wrong?"
Magistrate Long helplessly shook his head and ordered someone to bring Yu Zhen to the hall.
The moment Yu Zhen arrived in the hall and saw her husband had come back to life and was sitting on the ground, she let out a cry and fainted on the spot.
Zhang San looked at this unsympathetic woman and ridiculed, "Who's got yellow pee, wake her up with a splash?"
Xu frowned and turned to give Zhang San a glare.
Zhang San felt wronged, it's just a joke, wouldn't really someone not get that this is...
Wait a second!
Why are all these government officials taking off their pants?
Big Head Wang, why must you rush in here at the Government Office entrance saying you've been holding it in for so long?
Is that how I usually teach you?
Left with no choice, Magistrate Long ordered someone to pour cold water over Yu Zhen to wake her up.
The officials, too, had little sympathy for a woman who cuckolded her own husband.
All men aspire to stand tall and proud; no one wants to carry the earth on their head.
So, two government officials ran to the back courtyard and fetched some dirty water that hadn't yet been discarded after washing dishes, diluting it with some water from the fish pond before carrying back a large basin of it.
They pulled Yu Zhen up and splashed her face with the basin of dirty water.
Splash.
Her face covered with the white, dirty water and smelling fishy, Yu Zhen opened her eyes, shivered, licked her lips, and then looked around in astonishment. Only then did she remember where she was.
"Guilty woman Yu Zhen, this county magistrate asks you, how exactly did your husband die?"
Seeing her husband sitting on the ground beside her, Yu Zhen was completely terrified.
Though she didn't know how this dead man had come back to life, she had just heard the crowd went to Mingzhi Mountain to find her husband's body and that Yu Daorong had died, realizing that their secret had been exposed, she confessed straight away.
Because her husband could always hunt big game like leopards and wolves whenever he went hunting, the family became richer, making life better. She started to look down on her former man and rather fancied the young and strong Brother-in-Law Yu Daorong.
Especially with their current wealth, there was no need to keep her husband.
Particularly after her husband came back early that day and discovered her affair with Yu Daorong, she decided to kill her husband so that the property would belong to just the two of them.
Yu Daoning, who was sitting beside, shook his head helplessly after hearing this. He wanted to cry, but dead men do not weep.
"I was friends with the Tiger Demon of Mingzhi Mountain; each of my hunting trophies was actually a gift from him. I had thought about telling you the truth, but being friends with a Tiger Demon is truly horrifying, and I was afraid you would be too frightened, so I didn't tell you. But I didn't expect—ah—"
Magistrate Long had heard enough to understand everything and promptly slammed down the gavel.
"This case is clear! The guilty woman Yu Zhen and her brother-in-law Yu Daorong conspired in adultery and killed her husband, Yu Daoning. The evidence is conclusive. Yu Daorong was eaten by the Tiger Demon, which can be considered divine retribution. The guilty woman Yu Zhen is sentenced to death. Take her away and set a date for her execution!"
Hearing the county magistrate's words, Yu Zhen collapsed to the ground, her whole body seemed to lose all strength. Especially with the milky-white dirty water sliding down her forehead onto her cheeks, she looked even more wretched and pitiful.
At that moment, Yu Daoning sitting on the ground said, "Magistrate Long, my brother is dead, and I have no children. I wonder if you could spare my wife's life. It was my death alone, why should the whole family perish for it?"
Zhang San frowned slightly, feeling that these words sounded a bit too merciful, but upon deeper reflection, they also felt deeply sorrowful.
"A wife scheming to kill her husband is a heinous, unforgivable sin! Even the Kaihuang cannot pardon such actions, let alone me, how is it possible!?"
Zhang San also felt that such a grave crime of murder, especially motivated by such foolish desires, did not deserve sympathy.
However, Xu seemed to be somewhat touched by this.
After all, Xu has always been a kind-hearted good person.
"Magistrate Long, I know a technique that I can teach to Yu Daoning which will allow him to transform into the City God of this place. As the City God, having known the Tiger Demon of Mingzhi Mountain, he could then protect the peace and bring favorable weather to Jingyang County."
"In this way, although Yu Daoning is dead, he will also live on, and it cannot be counted as a murder by Yu Zhen. Just demote Yu Zhen to a low social class identity and have her clean the City God Temple for life to atone for her sin."
"The evil is punished, the sinner is penalized, and the good person becomes the City God, blessing the locality with peace and good weather—wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"
Magistrate Long never expected such a resolution to exist.
Although it was not possible according to the laws of the Imperial Court,
under his governance, it meant one less vicious murder case to report, and they would gain another City God to protect the locality, which could even justify a commendation report for himself.
What a profit!
A windfall indeed!
"In that case, I, Long, on behalf of the people of Jingyang County, offer my heartfelt thanks to the immortal master!"
Zhang San, however, was still contemplating Xu's words.
A dead man can become a deity?