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墨書 Inktalez
"That's not quite it; you just don't look like the immortal I imagined," Yun Yi continued to inquire, "What does your imagined immortal look like? Ethereal grace? White hair and youthful face?"
Although Gao Shun did not respond, his silence spoke volumes.
Yun Yi laughed heartily, suddenly feeling playful. "You're right; I'm definitely not an immortal. I'm just an ordinary person."
"What?"
Not only did Gao Shun fail to react immediately, but even Zhao Yun and Zhao An were left speechless.
"If you were an immortal, wouldn't that make us all mere vegetables?" Zhao Yun quickly interjected to lighten the mood.
He added, "As the saying goes, seeing is believing. How can we determine if you are truly an immortal based solely on our introductions?"
Yun Yi shook his head and turned to Gao Shun. "How about this? You follow me for a while and see for yourself whether I am a true immortal or just a pretender."
Gao Shun did not reply but simply nodded.
At that moment, deep down, he was leaning towards believing that Yun Yi was indeed a true immortal. After all, very few had truly encountered an immortal, and those so-called ethereal grace and youthful appearance were merely human imaginations. No one could dictate that an immortal must possess a certain appearance.
However, for him to fully accept this notion, it seemed he needed one last shred of certainty.
Yun Yi then shifted the topic and asked Zhao Yun, "What about that scoundrel who violated innocent women?"
Zhao Yun nodded in confirmation. "Yes, there is such a person. Please tell me the details."
Yun Yi continued.
Although he had agreed to let Zhao An use celestial magic to intimidate the wandering people, he still needed to fully understand the background of the incident before taking action. Zhao Yun nodded and replied, "This happened last night as darkness fell.
Due to the difficult circumstances, each household offered some rooms for them to stay temporarily. It was my turn to patrol last night. When I reached a small courtyard at the edge of the estate, I suddenly heard someone inside calling for help. Without thinking too much, I rushed in. Upon entering, I saw a man attempting to force himself on a woman."
As Zhao Yun finished speaking, Yun Yi furrowed his brows. Such a scene was hardly what one would expect from an ordinary housewife; it was clearly an attempted assault. However, he knew that listening to all sides would bring clarity, while blind trust could lead to darkness. He decided to investigate further.
To verify the situation, Yun Yi requested that Zhao An bring the woman who had been accused of being an ordinary housewife and the victim before him. Unexpectedly, as soon as they met, the victim glared at the man with red eyes, filled with hatred, as if she wanted to devour him whole.
Yun Yi asked the woman, "Was it this man who tried to assault you last night?"
Before he could finish his inquiry, the accused criminal had not yet managed to escape the village entrance when he was already beaten black and blue by the enraged refugees. If it weren't for the timely intervention of the Zhao Family Village members, he would have likely been stoned to death by them.
The reason for stopping this was that Yun Yi intended to personally pass judgment on him; he could not allow him to perish before an official interrogation. Upon learning that there would be further judicial proceedings, the criminal collapsed onto the ground, seemingly devoid of any strength left. If it weren't for someone supporting him nearby, he would have likely fallen long ago.
Finally, after displaying him to the crowd, the criminal was brought before Yun Yi at the village entrance.
As the clouds gathered ominously, Gao Shun took his own life.
At the newly constructed platform at the entrance of Zhao Family Village, Yun Yi stood silently with his hands clasped behind his back. Below him, a large crowd had gathered, consisting of both homeless refugees from various places and the villagers of Zhao Jia Zhuang.
The difference between the two groups was immediately apparent: the villagers were mostly well-dressed and clean-faced, while the refugees wore tattered clothes and bore grimy faces. However, compared to their initial state of despair upon arrival, these refugees now appeared more vibrant, with a glimmer of hope shining in their eyes.
At that moment, all eyes were fixed on the criminal slumped on the platform, their hearts filled with indignation. Despite being forced to leave their homes, these people had never harbored criminal intentions; the actions of this individual were utterly inhumane!
The criminal had already been frightened into unconsciousness by the atmosphere surrounding him. Yun Yi was determined not to let him off lightly and resolved to wake him for judgment. Soon after, a villager splashed a basin of cold water over the criminal, awakening him from his stupor as icy water drenched him from head to toe.
Seeing the criminal regain consciousness, Yun Yi pulled him to the edge of the platform and asked: "Do you acknowledge your crimes?"
The crowd below responded in unison: "We know! His crimes deserve punishment!"
"Indeed, he must be executed!"
Yun Yi nodded and continued: "What you say is true; this man's crimes are unforgivable. I will now act on behalf of heaven to deliver judgment upon him."
Turning to the criminal, he questioned: "You stand accused of attempting to defile virtuous women. Do you plead guilty?"
Faced with the righteous fury of the crowd below, the criminal's face turned pale. The instinct for survival compelled him to cry out: "I know I was wrong! Please forgive me! My family needs me! I am willing to atone for my sins!"
Yun Yi shook his head in response, refusing to grant any mercy. The so-called repentance before death was merely a fear of life's end.
"Since you have confessed," he declared, "let me announce your sentence: by acting on heavenly authority, your execution will be carried out immediately."
In a different era, this man's actions might not have warranted such a severe punishment; perhaps he would have faced only a few years in prison before being released. However, in the context of the late Eastern Han period, society's tolerance for crimes against women and children was far lower than it is today. Furthermore, he was the first among the refugees to commit such an offense; only by making an example of him could order and authority be maintained.
With that thought in mind, Yun Yi retrieved a long-handled trident from his backpack, raised it high, and swung it down with force.
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