Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 1860: Chapter 1399: Cleared of Suspicion

“Is there something wrong with what I said? Ever since I entered this yamen, I haven’t even spoken a word, and I’ve already been declared guilty by you, sir. In that case, what do I have left to argue?”

Li Zhirui retorted without backing down, not merely to vent the pent-up frustration since entering the Daqian territory but also to assert his own justified innocence.

Bang!

The Shock Court Wood was once again slammed heavily on the desk by the official, his face flushed with anger, eyes glaring as he growled, “When did I ever convict you?! That was just to intimidate your mind!”

As a disciple of the Legalist faction, he relied on a strict and fair heart to judge cases. If it were as Li Zhirui said, it would surely backfire on him.

So even if he had indeed harbored the thought of direct judgment, having been exposed, he had no choice but to change his tone and make amends for himself.

Otherwise, if word got out, not only would he lose face, but if he also damaged the reputation of the Legalist faction, he would truly become the sinner.

“Heh!”

In response, Li Zhirui merely gave a cold laugh. Didn’t he know what the other party was thinking?

However, completely tearing at each other’s throats wouldn’t benefit him, so he pulled back at the right moment. After all, under the eaves of this place, he had to bow his head — this was indeed the domain of the Human Dao empire.

The official, seeing this, could only grit his teeth and continue the interrogation, snapping coldly, “Where were you last night? What were you doing? Is there anyone who can vouch for you?”

“Yesterday, after wandering around the city for a while, I went to the Five Blessings Tavern, planning to rest for the night before continuing my journey to the heart of Daqian.”

“Can anyone vouch for what you said?”

“There is a night attendant in the tavern who can prove that I didn’t leave the tavern last night.”

When Li Zhirui initially chose this tavern, he focused on this point, which could testify that he had nothing to do with the junior official’s death.

“Someone come! Summon the shopkeeper and the attendant of the Five Blessings Tavern for questioning!”

While waiting for the two to arrive, Li Zhirui stood calmly by the side, exuding an air of confidence that made others instinctively trust that he had nothing to do with the case.

Two quarters of an hour later, the round-faced shopkeeper and a nervous attendant came to the yamen.

“I wonder what business the master has with the two of us? The Five Blessings Tavern has always abided by the law and never committed any offense.” The shopkeeper, being a merchant’s disciple with backing, wasn’t particularly afraid of the official in court.

The Master beside them immediately explained the reason for summoning the two.

After listening, the shopkeeper glanced at Li Zhirui and then said, “Is it this cultivator? He didn’t leave the tavern last night.”

“How can you be so sure? Were you, by chance, on night duty as well?” The official frowned and asked in a not very good tone.

Even though they were both Human Dao Hundred Schools disciples, merchant disciples were never well-regarded, with commerce often called a lowly occupation, so his attitude towards the shopkeeper was also poor.

“The tavern has a dedicated booklet to record guests who leave at night, but last night’s page was blank, so naturally, no one left.” The shopkeeper’s plump face was filled with a smile, not caring about the other’s disdain.

“Speak! Did you see anyone leave the tavern last night?”

The attendant, being a true commoner, trembled and answered the question, “Reporting to the master, I didn’t see anyone leave.”

“Are you sure?”

“There really wasn’t anyone, master.”

“Do you know what the consequences of lying are?”

The attendant was bombarded with questions, and the official even employed Legalist tactics, subtly hinting at severe penalties. A mere commoner, how could he withstand such methods? His entire body started to tremble.

Seeing this, Li Zhirui frowned and was about to step forward to shield him from the pressure when he saw the shopkeeper step up, a Copper Coin appearing in his hand as he played with it, smiling leisurely, “Master, this approach isn’t proper.”

“Hmph!” The official, seeing this, also withdrew his pressure accordingly.

“Master, since there are people who can prove that I didn’t leave the tavern last night, isn’t it evident that this matter has nothing to do with me? Can I leave now?” Li Zhirui seized the opportunity to speak.

The official, already with a gloomy face, suddenly looked extremely unpleasant, and with a stiff tone, he said, “Hmm, you can go back for now, but if we find any clues related to you, we may summon you at any time. So, for the short term, you’re not allowed to leave the city! Otherwise, I’ll declare you guilty of fleeing!”

“Thank you for the advice, master. I will remember it!”

He bowed and then slowly turned to leave.

“Master, since this matter has nothing to do with our Five Blessings Tavern, I’ll take my attendant and leave as well.” The shopkeeper helped the attendant up from the ground and walked out of the yamen.

The official furiously stood up, his face darkened as he strode towards the rear courtyard. With a bang, a vase by the roadside was instantly smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

After a while, he calmed his mental state and shouted, “Someone come! Please invite the Masters!”

He invited a total of five Masters to assist him in governing this place, and they began to arrive one after another.

“I can be certain that the junior official named Wang Jianyi was killed by Wang Qinghe! He must have used some means to secretly murder him!”

The official seemed to be so infuriated now that he was talking without evidence, relying entirely on his own speculation and imagination.

These words left the five Masters looking troubled and awkward. Even though a cultivator’s status in Daqian was low, they couldn’t just arrest people at will.