Chapter 122: Mercy Where Mercy Is Due

Hmph!

The Vice Magistrate stared at Li Lin, not even a flicker in his eyelids.

It seemed a wave of presence emanated from his body.

Quite a few government office Runners instinctively retreated two steps.

Li Lin looked at him quietly, a faint smile on his face.

After the two stared at each other for a while, the Vice Magistrate withdrew his gaze and said, "Young man, mercy where mercy is due will only benefit you."

"Some people refuse to show mercy, so why should I spare them?"

The Vice Magistrate frowned.

Li Lin turned back, pointed at the maimed women, and asked, "Vice Magistrate, do you think any of them were ever shown mercy, looking the way they do?"

The Vice Magistrate stared at Li Lin for a while, an expression in his eyes as if he had been insulted.

Then he turned and walked away.

Li Lin watched him leave and snorted.

The headcount was tallied quickly: one hundred and thirty-three women.

And every single one of them was maimed, without exception.

Li Lin looked for a moment, then said, "Captain Yan, go and check whether in recent years anyone has reported to the authorities a missing daughter or sister."

Captain Yan cupped his fist and turned to leave.

Then Li Lin looked at the surrounding government office Runners and said, "I know full well that some of you are aware of certain inside matters, and may even have taken part. Confess now, and I can still grant you lenient treatment according to the circumstances. Otherwise…"

The government office Runners were silent for a while, then someone cupped his fist and said, "County Lieutenant, we do indeed know a bit about this, but we never took part. Otherwise we wouldn't be earning only a handful of copper coins every month."

"Best be so." Li Lin nodded. "Otherwise once I dig it out, I won't be so easy to talk to."

The government office Runners cupped their fists.

"The women are to be sent first to the Anji Hospice for treatment, then to the Futian Court for resettlement."

The government office Runners immediately sprang into action.

It was still early in the day, so Li Lin returned to the barracks.

Yu Tong sat in a corner of the yard, looking utterly haggard.

Li Lin walked over and asked, "Speak. Where did you abduct so many women from, and how did you control them into selling their bodies?"

Yu Tong looked at Li Lin and sighed, "Why don't you suspect Captain Yan at all?"

In truth, if they had been given one more day, they could have transferred all the women away, dumped them in the wilds to be devoured by the wild ghosts, and then there would have been nothing—no evidence, no witnesses.

"Why should I suspect him? Just because of a piece of paper?"

"Why do you suspect me?" Yu Tong's eyes were full of confusion. "I thought I hid myself very well."

"I never suspected you either. I suspected the Vice Magistrate from the start."

Yu Tong looked at Li Lin and sighed again, "The people great clans raise really are different. If I had your background and family, I would certainly be no worse than you."

"Indeed!" Bai Bufan, who was guarding him nearby, said, "Brother Li, do you know how outrageous his Brothel Ghost is? He actually raised it himself—unbelievable."

"Ghost-Rearing Art?"

"Right."

Yu Tong said, "After I became a government office Runner and had a little money, I only then hired someone to teach me to read. By chance I met a Daoist priest and learned the Ghost-Rearing Art from him. He couldn't even rear a female ghost, but I succeeded. I don't think I'm any worse than you Spirit Hunters."

"If you're so capable, why not become a Spirit Hunter?"

Yu Tong was instantly at a loss for words.

"You can rear ghosts, yet you can't learn yin-type techniques?" Li Lin laughed. "You're so badly lopsided, and you still dare claim you're better than us?"

Spirit Hunters may not outmatch martial men at killing people, but whether killing people or killing ghosts, they are no slouches—balanced development.

Yu Tong snorted, "Fine, I admit I can't match you… I just want to ask, can I live?"

"That depends on what you confess, and what those Green Skins confess."

Yu Tong was silent for a while, then said, "I never killed a single hidden prostitute, and I didn't capture the women either. I was only responsible for watching the place for someone."

"For whom?"

"The Vice Magistrate."

Li Lin nodded and said, "If you tell us what these Green Skins did, and can identify him, I'll go and petition the County Magistrate to reduce your sentence."

"Just a reduced sentence? Not acquittal?"

Li Lin shook his head, "Of course not!"

"That'll have to do." Yu Tong rubbed his face and said, "If you want to arrest the Vice Magistrate, you'd better move now!"

"Why?"

"From what I know of the Vice Magistrate, he always plans things thoroughly." Yu Tong said with a bitter face, "He actually arranged for his family to leave Yulin County Town the night before last."

"Without an escort master or a Spirit Hunter to accompany them, how could his family leave?"

"What if his household also serves an ancestor ghost?"

Li Lin nodded, "That would indeed be possible."

Take the Qin family's ancestor ghost, for example—it's very powerful.

At night, it could escort an entire family away safely.

"Then why doesn't the Vice Magistrate leave?"

"He's already over fifty; even if he left, he wouldn't live many more years." Yu Tong said, a touch defiant, "Staying behind doesn't necessarily mean trouble, but if he left with them, his own family wouldn't survive either. If you were in his shoes, County Lieutenant, what would you choose?"

"I'd choose not to do evil."

Yu Tong was stung by the retort, yet could do nothing about it.

At that moment, a government office Runner came in from outside, cupped his fist, and said, "County Lieutenant, the County Magistrate is about to hold court. Please bring those witnesses over."

Li Lin nodded.

Bai Bufan said, "Then I will go watch the County Assistant so he cannot escape."

"Thank you."

Bai Bufan waved his hand: "What's there to be polite about?"

Li Lin arrived at the public hall; Yu Tong and the ruffians were naturally brought over as well.

Huang Yan sat in the public hall, nodded gently toward Li Lin, and then began the public trial.

Many commoners stood outside the hall, watching and listening.

When they heard Yu Tong admit that Xingzhuang held a large number of maimed women, who had been kidnapped from outside and deliberately injured to prevent their escape, the crowd erupted in fury.

At the same time, more than a dozen ruffians began accusing and exposing one another.

Yu Tong then identified the County Assistant as the mastermind behind this matter.

Upon hearing this, Huang Yan slammed the gavel heavily on the table: "Truly lawless! As an official of the imperial court, you broke the law you knew, adding to your guilt. Li County Lieutenant, lead your government office Runners to arrest the County Assistant and bring him here."

Li Lin clasped his fists and quickly departed.

Before, he had been unable to arrest the County Assistant because there was no evidence and no order from the Magistrate.

Now there was.

The group rushed to the County Assistant's door; Bai Liwei jumped down from the roof and said, "Bai Bufan is guarding the rear; rest assured, he cannot escape."

Li Lin nodded; more than a dozen government office Runners exerted force simultaneously, smashed open the main gate, and charged inside.

The residence was somewhat desolate, with only a few servants working.

Seeing the government office Runners storm in with fierce momentum, they were terrified and hid to the side.

The government office Runners broke into rooms within the house, searching for the County Assistant's whereabouts.

Shortly after, someone cried out in the rear courtyard: "County Lieutenant, come quickly; the County Assistant is here."

Hearing this, Li Lin went to the main hall in the rear courtyard.

There, a human figure hung, swaying slightly; looking closer, who else could the hanging person be but the County Assistant?

Li Lin walked over and then instinctively covered his nose.

A strong smell of feces and urine.

Beneath the County Assistant lay a pool of liquid.

A person who hangs themselves loses control of their bowels after death.

Li Lin said, "Send someone to report to the Magistrate that the County Assistant, fearing punishment, has hanged himself to death."

Li Lin thought for a moment and said, "Find the coroner to come over, let them do their work, and examine the body again. I want the County Assistant's true cause of death."

"Wasn't the County Assistant hanged?"

"Beneath his feet, there is no stool for him to stand on to hang himself; could an old man like him have jumped up?" Li Lin looked around and sneered: "It can only be that someone else hung him up."

(End of this chapter)