Chapter 380: The Crime of Decapitation

"Mountain God Token?"

Zhang Chengze's face was full of puzzlement.

"The Mountain God Token has many unusual aspects!"

Wei Yuan said nothing, and Tang Anzhi, who was beside him, stepped forward and said:

"One of them is that a Mountain God in a certain place can manifest in broad daylight by means of the Mountain God Token. Your father obtained the token; he may not have refined it yet, but if it's just about manifestation, I think your father can manage it!"

At this point, Tang Anzhi paused, stared deeply at Zhang Chengze, making Zhang Chengze look rather uneasy, and said teasingly:

"Unless your father is not the Lion Ridge Mountain God appointed by the Underworld, even if he has obtained the Lion Ridge Mountain God Token, he cannot exert any effect of the token before refining it!"

"Lord Tang, how could that be? My father could not be anything other than a Lion Ridge Mountain God appointed by the Underworld; that is a position appointed by the Yama King!"

Zhang Chengze spoke subconsciously; as soon as the words left his mouth, he quickly realized that Wei Yuan's purpose this time was to test whether his father's Lion Ridge Mountain God status was genuine, and he forced a bitter smile, saying:

"County Magistrate, to be frank, yesterday you handed the Mountain God Token to us. We followed your orders and placed the token in my father's coffin. Unfortunately, misfortune struck our household; two brutes, under the pretext of guarding the spirit, stole the token. Therefore my father could not use the token to appear before you, County Magistrate!"

Wei Yuan said expressionlessly, "Zhang Liehu, do you think I'm a three‑year‑old child? The Mountain God Token is a treasure; it's not something you can just steal away by saying you want."

"Or are you saying that your father's so‑called Lion Ridge Mountain God status is false, that he cannot use the token's function, and thus he deliberately found an excuse in front of me?"

"County Magistrate..."

Zhang Chengze was about to argue a few sentences, but before he could finish, Tang Anzhi cut him off with a cold laugh:

"Kid, you might not know that the Mountain God Token is birthed from the will of mountains and rivers. For example, your Lion Ridge Mountain God Token, whether taken or stolen, cannot be carried away from Lion Ridge!"

Wei Yuan sneered, "Zhang Liehu, I don't care whether your father's Mountain God Token was truly stolen or not; according to what Imperial Attendant Tang said."

"Even if your father's piece of Lion Ridge Mountain God Token was stolen, I think it cannot leave Lion Ridge. Please send people to retrieve that person; I want to see who, with the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard, dared to steal the token!"

Zhang Chengze was also startled; he hadn't expected the Mountain God Token to have such a side effect.

Holding the Lion Ridge Mountain God Token, one cannot leave Lion Ridge.

He didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed...

No.

He should be glad; even if the Du family's pig‑dog father‑son pair, without any trap set by a mysterious cultivator, got lost in a ghost‑maze, relying on this piece of Lion Ridge Mountain God Token, they cannot escape Lion Ridge. Yet the entire Zhang Family from Zhang Family Village still managed to locate the Du father and son.

He truly couldn't understand; under these circumstances, the Du father‑son pair would have to have their heads caught in a door to dare commit theft.

"County Magistrate, Lord Tang, please follow me; I will take you to see those two audacious brutes who stole my father's Mountain God Token!"

Zhang Chengze said impatiently.

From Wei Yuan's and Tang Anzhi's attitudes, it seemed they had already concluded something—that his father might be a false envoy of the holy decree, and no matter how many times he explained, Wei Yuan and Tang Anzhi would not believe him.

He was too lazy to waste words!

As the saying goes: hearing is false, seeing is true.

"Fine, I do want to see who the audacious thief of the Mountain God Token is!"

Wei Yuan let out a cold laugh, followed Zhang Chengze, turned and left the hall, fearing that this dog‑like creature deliberately sought someone to toy with him, and threatened:

"Let me tell you, stealing the Mountain God Token is a serious crime; it warrants execution!"

"Really?"

Zhang Chengze halted, turned his head toward Wei Yuan, and his face and eyes were filled with unmistakable delight. Regarding the Du family's pig‑dog father‑son pair, he already harbored murderous intent; they dared to steal his father's Mountain God Token, harbored improper thoughts toward his father's Lion Ridge Mountain God, cared nothing about it, snatching away his father's Lion Ridge Mountain God position. He didn't care that his father's soul would be shattered, even losing any chance of reincarnation.

Only.

He had murderous intent toward the Du father and son, but he knew that killing them would be extremely difficult, not because he feared legal punishment.

Stealing, if discovered, can be beaten to death; the county office wouldn't intervene.

The Du father‑son pair aren't people with any lofty connections; if they commit a mess and are beaten to death, no one will stand up for them.

However.

He knew that if he truly wanted to kill the Du father‑son pair, his father would be the first to refuse, because those two brutes—one is his second aunt's husband, the other her son. Even if his second aunt had committed many misdeeds, she is his father's biological sister.

His father acted as both father and mother, raising his second aunt; his love for her was no less than anyone else's.

How could he possibly watch his second aunt suffer in silence?

"Could it be that I guessed wrong, and this guy isn't just making an excuse to fool me, but truly a reckless fool daring to steal the Mountain God Token?"

Wei Yuan looked at the unmistakable delight on Zhang Chengze's face, felt a shock in his heart, and couldn't help asking, "Zhang Liehu, do you know who the thief of your father's Mountain God Token is?"

This novel you...

"This, this, this..."

For a moment, Zhang Chengze stammered, not knowing how to answer.

Zhang Chengyong interjected, "County Magistrate, to be frank, the one who stole my father's Mountain God Token is me..."

"Chengyong!"

Li Ping barked coldly.

Although she also wished the Du father‑son pair would die, she knew that if those two brutes died, Zhang Guilian would be very sad, and if Zhang Guilian were sad, her husband would certainly worry.

Naturally she didn't want that; Zhang Chengyong revealed the Du father‑son pair's names to prevent Wei Yuan from immediately dragging them out for execution.

Zhang Chengze let out a slight sigh.

His mother suddenly scolded Zhang Chengyong; her attitude—actually, it was his father's attitude. Though his father didn't take his mother's side, his mother and father had been married for years, their hearts were in sync, so how could she not understand his father?

Zhang Chengze changed the subject, saying, "County Magistrate, aside from execution, are there any other punishments?"

He.

In the end, he didn't want to disappoint his father!

"It seems there's something here I don't know!"

Wei Yuan was still angry, wondering if Zhang Chengze was deliberately finding an excuse to placate him, but seeing the Zhang family's demeanor, which didn't seem like acting, he said sternly:

"Stealing is already a grave crime, especially the Mountain God Token, an object symbolizing the Mountain God's authority. Who knows the thief's intent? Not to mention execution, even being torn apart a thousand times would be deserved!"

(End of Chapter)