Zhang San, please behave yourself!

Yu Daorong had gone completely dumb after being seized.

Especially since that wet, fishy thing had been shoved straight into his mouth, and he couldn't even cry out in injustice.

"Magistrate Long, the criminal is rendered speechless in the face of his crimes!"

The government official who had just carried out the punishment came to report.

The more Magistrate Long thought about last night's events, the angrier he became. If it weren't for you, would the Heavenly Punishment Sect have gotten wind of my affairs?

"If it weren't for this bastard, where would the incident of beating the drum to appeal for injustice last night have come from? Bring someone here, give him twenty beatings first!"

Upon hearing that Yu Daorong was related to the drum appeal from last night, a government official with a bruised forehead stepped forward voluntarily.

"County Magistrate, let me do this! No need for others, I can handle it alone!"

The government official glared furiously at Yu Daorong, who was being held down on the ground.

In his heart, he cursed: You fucking—, if it weren't for you, you fucking—, could I have fucking—, fucking—, you fucking—, fucking—…

The government official cursed in his heart while exerting force on his hands.

Bang!

Crack!

As the stick in the hands of the government official smashed down—yes, not just struck, but he leaped up and smashed down as if cleaving—

The entire stick was broken!

"County Magistrate, the stick is broken; does this first strike not count and must I start over?"

The government official, paying no heed to the astonished looks of the other officials, picked up a second stick and continued to smash down with force.

After breaking over twenty sticks, the government official finally stopped.

Someone else used cold water to douse Yu Daorong awake.

Magistrate Long slapped the sounding block and shouted at Yu Daorong, who was lying below, "How did your brother die?"

Yu Daorong looked bewildered, thinking wasn't this settled when I gave you the money?

Magistrate Long, what are you talking about?

"My brother was eaten by a Tiger Demon."

Bang!

Magistrate Long slapped the sounding block and angrily said, "Your brother was eaten by the Tiger Demon, how would you know? Did you witness it yourself, or did the Tiger Demon tell you after it finished eating?"

Yu Daorong was sweating profusely, whether it was because of the pain in his body or from Magistrate Long's questioning.

"It's true, even last night, my brother appeared in my dream, warning me not to seek revenge in Mingzhi Mountain!"

Your brother appeared to you in dreams, but do you think I don't know what he did last night?

Magistrate Long wanted to order the government official to give Yu Daorong another twenty heavy beatings, but he was afraid he might kill him.

"Take him away and bring the criminal Yu Zhen up here!"

Soon, government officials brought the widow Yu Zhen up.

"Criminal Yu Zhen, do you admit to your crimes?"

"I don't know of any crimes," she replied.

Magistrate Long was inclined to have this woman also receive twenty beatings, but on one hand, he was worried about the officials being too heavy-handed and killing her; on the other hand, the Government Office was running out of sticks and could not continue this wastefulness.

But without beatings...

How could the trial of criminals proceed without beatings?

Just as Magistrate Long faced this dilemma, suddenly, a figure leaped into the courtyard outside the hall.

"Hearing of a Tiger Demon causing trouble in the area, I, the Taoist, have come with my disciple for an investigation. I hope the County Magistrate will permit me and my disciple to enter the hall."

Looking outside, Magistrate Long almost fell to his knees.

Isn't that the patriarch of the Heavenly Punishment Sect, and why has he brought another Taoist with him?

The arrivals were none other than Zhang San and Xu, whom Zhang San had called over.

Zhang San was also dressed in a blue coarse cloth Taoist robe today.

Magistrate Long immediately invited both persons to come in.

Outside the county government office, many locals gathered to watch the excitement, among them was Zhao Siyang who had been drinking with Zhang San the previous night.

In fact, Zhao Siyang wanted to go inside as well, but after drinking with Zhang San last night, he had been plagued by a headache that hadn't subsided even after a night's sleep.

So now he could only stand outside and watch.

Xu walked in front, Zhang San followed; after entering, Xu, following the instructions Zhang San had given him earlier, went up to Magistrate Long and said.

"County Magistrate, my disciple and I have heard that this place is troubled by a Tiger Demon, which has even killed this family; Demons and Devils truly detestable."

"Today, my disciple and I are willing to ascend the mountain to capture this Tiger Demon, to rid the locals of this menace."

Magistrate Long was taken aback, don't you know that this damned case is a wrongful accusation, and Yu Daorong is the murderer?

Don't you two want to listen to what you're saying right now?

But Magistrate Long dared not refuse and immediately stood up, reverently and tremblingly replied, "Then I shall trouble the two immortals."

Zhang San smiled and waved his hand, "It's nothing! To eliminate evil and protect the Dao is what we have sought all our lives. However, my disciple and I are not familiar with the terrain on Mingzhi Mountain, so we need a government officer and the deceased's younger brother to show us the way. Only then can we find the deceased and that damned Tiger Demon."

Magistrate Long immediately ordered a government official to support Yu Daorong and follow Zhang San and the others to Mingzhi Mountain.

Quite a few people were very curious when they saw a Taoist had come to subdue the demon.

But they also knew that watching the subjugation of a demon was not something they could spectate.

If you watch two drunkards brawling in the street, at worst you get splattered with vomit.

But if you go to watch the excitement of subduing demons and exorcising evil, you might end up crushed to pieces.

Therefore, although everyone wanted to join in on the excitement, they only went to the foot of Mingzhi Mountain and did not dare to go up.

Only a few trembling government officials, leading along a limping Yu Daorong and two Taoists, one old and one young, ascended the mountain.

Xu whispered to Zhang San, "How do you plan to make Yu Daorong confess?"

Zhang San looked up at Xu with a puzzled face and said softly, "Isn't it to take him up the mountain and secretly dispose of him? Why need a confession?"

Xu glared, though he spoke softly, his tone was stern, "Don't forget who we are!"

Zhang San naturally knew that the Town Martial Office would definitely not kill the innocent, so he chuckled, "Just kidding, am I that sort of person who kills without reason? Just wait and see what I do later."

Xu looked at Zhang San's expression and guessed he must have been joking just now, after all, Zhang San had always been a kind kid.

The day he arranged for Wang Ziteng to work such that Wang Ziteng had no time for dinner, he even left his leftovers for Wang Ziteng.

Soon, halfway up the mountain, the group encountered a fork in the road with paths to the left and right.

"Yu Daorong, your brother was a hunter, so you should know the lay of the land here, right?"

Yu Daorong still couldn't understand why Magistrate Long took his money but didn't do his bidding.

But he dared not speak of this matter in public; saying nothing still left him a way out, but speaking out would ensure that the County Magistrate wouldn't let him live.

Now, when questioned by Zhang San, he was even more bewildered.

"My brother mentioned that the left leads to Tiger Leap Gorge, which is very dangerous. He said we must never go there, so I'm guessing my brother never went to that side. Therefore, we should take the right path."

Zhang San, master of deceit, instantly saw through Yu Daorong's lie; there must be something wrong with the left side.

It could either be the real lair of the Tiger Demon, or the true resting place of his brother.

"If that's the case, then you all take the right path. I'll go have a look on the left."

"Ah!?"

Everyone had heard that Tiger Leap Gorge on the left was very dangerous and thought to go to the right to look for Yu Daoning's remains. Thus, they were all astonished to hear Zhang San say he wanted to go left.

Zhang San chuckled and said, "You go to the right and search for Yu Daoning's remains; if found, my master can help perform the soul-calling ritual. As for me, I will head to the left; if by chance I encounter the Tiger Demon and it turns out to really hurt and kill people, I will persuade it to turn itself in."

The government officials gave Zhang San an awkward smile.

Believing that Zhang San could persuade a Tiger Demon to surrender was even less credible than believing all three of Magistrate Long's children were his own!