Zhang San, please behave yourself!

"Tiger Brother, I thank you for collecting my bones and not letting me lie exposed in the wilderness, becoming a lonely ghost,"

The Tiger Demon pondered for a moment.

"Strictly speaking, you are still a lonely ghost right now."

Hunter: ...

"But no worries, you have been nominally buried, which counts as resting in peace. Though keeping the bones in my cave isn't ideal, and I can't overlook the person who caused your death. I have a solution!"

As the Tiger Demon spoke, he pulled out a golden, amber-like transparent bead from his bosom.

"When I was younger... ahem... I'm still young now, but back when I first was young, there was a problem with my cultivation, and I transformed one of my innate abilities into a tangible object."

"I once lent this thing to an old friend of mine, and it was a great help to him. Today, I'm lending it to you. With this bead, you will be protected from other ghosts and spirits, and even if you encounter some reckless Taoists, it can shield you from them."

The hunter, formed from condensed smoke, reached out and could actually grasp the tangible golden bead.

"Many thanks, Tiger Brother. Isn't this thing rather valuable, though?"

"It's definitely valuable, but we are good friends, after all!"

The Tiger Demon watched as the hunter's shadowy figure became more solid and stable, and laughed heartily.

"Back then, so many people saw me and thought I was terrifying, all ran away, but you just sat there, motionless. Only you understood the kindness in my nature!"

The hunter had always wanted to tell the Tiger Demon that he was just sitting on the stump because he had been so scared that his legs had gone weak and he couldn't run away.

Who would have thought that a Tiger Demon running towards a group of humans was actually trying to find someone to pull a fish bone stuck in his throat?

What are you doing eating fish, you Tiger Demon?

"Thanks a lot, Tiger Brother. But what exactly is this thing?"

The hunter looked at the amber-colored bead in his hand, inscribed with a black "king" character, curious.

"Tiger's Might, with this, it's as if I myself have descended. Take my Tiger's Might and go to the county government office to beat the drum and cry for justice! If that damn County Magistrate refuses to administer justice, I will eat him and have the Imperial Court appoint another who can."

The hunter was somewhat worried, especially since Magistrate Long's reputation was essentially nonexistent.

"But what if the magistrates appointed keep failing to administer justice?"

The Tiger Demon sneered, "As long as the Town Demon Office doesn't show up, I can keep doing this until the Great Sui Dynasty collapses! Don't worry, I've got your back!"

The hunter was normally timid, but he thought to himself that he was already dead, so why worry about these things!

Thus, the hunter grasped the Tiger's Might Treasure Pearl and left Mingzhi Mountain, heading straight for the county government office of Jingyang County.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

In the dead of night, the drum outside the county government office suddenly began to sound.

The entire Great Sui had a curfew, no one was allowed out at night.

So, who the hell is beating the drum at midnight?

Immediately, a Government Official put on his clothes and rushed to the front door to check.

No one.

In the disheveled wind, there was only the disheveled Government Official, not fully dressed.

"Don't [beep—] let me [beep—] find out who [beep—] did this, or I'll [beep—] kill you!"

After the angry official roared, he closed the big doors of the county government office.

As for the County Magistrate, who had just cuddled up with his concubine, he was just settling his nerves when he heard someone beating the drum outside.

Forget it, there's nothing more important right now than the interrogation of Yu Daoning tomorrow, as that's the task assigned by the Heavenly Punishment Sect.

Therefore, in order to prosecute successfully tomorrow, he needed to rest and conserve energy now. Getting back to sleep with the concubine provided the perfect opportunity.

However, the thumping noise soon started up again.

This time, the Government Official, carrying a knife, went to the front door, looked at the nearby drum, and saw neither man nor ghost.

"Forget it, I have class, I won't curse. But if I catch you, I'll set fire to you!"

The Government Official gritted his teeth and closed the door again.

But this time, he didn't leave; he just waited inside the door.

Soon, the banging noise was heard again.

I just knew it, I freaking knew it!

The Government Official suddenly opened the door, leaping out like a cheetah, heading straight for the drum for justice.

"Who the f*** is [beep—][beep—][beep—][beep—], I will [beep—][beep—][beep—][beep—] your ashes, you are Yu... aaaah—"

Thud—

This time, the government official finally saw in front of the complaint drum, the ghost with only half of its body floating was Yu Daoning, who had just been buried that day!

Then, the government official fainted from fright.

Every time after beating the drum, Yu Daoning would hide inside if he felt the wind was strong outside, but he ended up being blocked by the complaint drum.

This time he was finally seen, he was just about to ask how to get to the county magistrate's room, but the other party kneeled down and smashed his head hard on the ground.

Why did you know to boss us common folks around when you were alive?

Now you see me dead, and you show such great respect upon meeting.

Pah!

Too bad, ghosts don't have saliva.

Yu Daoning groped his way towards the inside of the county government office.

The county magistrate in the concubine's room, angered by the sound of the drum being beaten thrice outside, was also very annoyed.

What I do with my concubine, do you need to beat a drum outside to cheer us on?

As they say, the first drum impels courage, the second drains strength, the third exhausts it.

Don't you understand such a simple concept?

Beating it three times in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and now it ends so abruptly, am I to blame?

Just as the county magistrate was furiously indignant, he heard someone knocking on the door.

He put on a pair of pants and rushed out.

"Who is... aaaah—"

Thud—

The county magistrate knelt on the ground from fright.

Because floating in front of him was the ghost of Yu Daoning.

"County Magistrate, you must ensure justice for me..."

"Alright! Alright! Anything!" If Magistrate Long hadn't just been scared by Zhang San's side, which gave him some resistance, he might have fainted right then and there.

"Dao Rong killed me... Dao Rong killed me... Dao Rong killed me..."

The ghost screamed three times, then turned into a golden bead and fell in front of Magistrate Long.

Magistrate Long carefully picked up the bead, only to see a character for "wronged" written on it.

Magistrate Long was dumbfounded.

What's wrong with you people from Heavenly Punishment Sect?

I clearly agreed to your terms, why are you still using intimidation?

Although this tactic indeed works, but... but have you ever considered the feelings of my pants?

The next morning, before the sun was up, Magistrate Long got up.

He directly called the head of the government officials to "invite" Dao Rong and Yu Zhen over.

Meanwhile, Dao Rong, who was holding his wife in his former brother's room, suddenly heard the government official knocking at the door, got scared, and immediately grabbed the clothes beside him, dressing and jumping out of the back window, heading straight towards his room.

His agility was heartbreaking.

Upon arriving at the county government office, Dao Rong was utterly confused; I clearly paid a bribe before, what's with the county magistrate?

The residents of Jingyang County were also curious, as Magistrate Long normally wouldn't start a session without a bribe. Was someone giving gifts in the middle of the night? Why is he starting a session so early today?

In the great hall, under a plaque reading "The mirror of Qin hangs on high," Magistrate Long, with dark circles under his eyes, glared angrily at Dao Rong, who was brought in.[Note 12]

"My lord, are we starting the court session now?"

"Not in a hurry. First, go to my room and bring that soaking wet pair of white pants, stuff them in his mouth!"

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[Note 12]Reference explanation

The Mirror of Qin, cited from "Xi Jing Zaji": "There is a mirror square four feet, nine feet high with clarity on both sides. When people stand straight and look into it, the reflection appears inverted. If one touches his heart and then comes before it, his intestines and the five organs can be seen very clearly... Qin Shi Huang used it to inspect his attendants, and those whose hearts palpitated with fear were killed."

Because the worldview of this book is a fantasy world, the impact of magical treasures crafted by the Thousand Mechanisms Path on the world should be greater, thus the term Mirror of Qin was chosen.