254: Chapter 253: Clearing Up Old Cases 254: Chapter 253: Clearing Up Old Cases Several days after the notice was posted, not a single victim came forward, and everyone was watching, wondering if such a proclamation was merely for show, like the façade maintained by mortals whenever a Shangguan came to inspect, all talk but perhaps without real action?
Hou Niao was not in a hurry, knowing someone would eventually come to try it, for some pains, even if it’s death, would never be forgotten.
The new year in Xionger Town continued with its usual bustle, agricultural work resting for a while and commercial activities gradually picking up.
With extra money in hand, people began to ponder how to treat themselves and their families after a year’s hard work with some additional acquisitions.
As in previous years, no different; it was only when people walked past the government office’s main gate that they would pretend to glance quickly and inadvertently, to see if the grand government hall and the usual way of things would be any different?
Hou Niao, like others untroubled, was self-absorbed in cultivation, making various preparations for the breakthrough; but such preparations were difficult to quantify precisely—with what degree of readiness?
Under which conditions?
What was needed was an opportunity, a stroke of Qi Fortune, a flash of inspiration; currently, there wasn’t the slightest clue.
Five days later, a neatly dressed old woman with white hair and beard, but with not a single hair out of place, stood resolutely in front of the government office’s main gate, gazing up at the bell above it as if weighing the consequences of taking the next step.
Mortals suing, especially against a cultivational being capable of flying and escaping, could not expect to do so without cost; although the process wouldn’t be as dark as being made to roll in nail boards, the expenses from top to bottom could drain a family of modest means to ruin.
Winning might provide a moment’s satisfaction, but no expectation of proper compensation because of the imbalance; losing would not only leave grievances unresolved but bring new woes.
This did not include the difficulties they might face even after winning the suit.
Cultivators certainly would not stoop to such direct confrontations; they were not so petty, yet this world was never short of sycophants and flatterers, dogs that barked even louder than their masters and were often harder to deal with.
After watching for a long while, she took a deep breath and made her decision.
Without hesitation, she strode forward and rang the bell in front of several officials.
The old woman’s strength was not great, and the bell’s sound was not very loud nor did it carry far, but it still resonated genuinely and clearly through the streets; in the pubs and tea houses, bookstores and grain shops, countless people perked up their ears.
This was the sound they had long been waiting for, and although it arrived belatedly, it had finally come.
It’s not that the majority of people here had suffered such wrongs, but as average mortals, they felt a shared empathy.
Inside the hall of the government office, the official spoke warmly, “Who is it below?
What grievance do you have?
Against whom do you lodge your complaint?”
After some initial hesitation, the old woman had completely calmed down.
“I am Qian Jiangshi, residing in the back alley of Front Street.
I accuse a monk of Jianjia Temple, located outside the town, of keeping a demon fox that has bewitched my son without cause!”
Upon hearing this, the official had an inkling – this was in response to that notice.
It was not something that us mere mortals could resolve; to be honest, he had mixed feelings about the new warden from Shan Country.
He was worried that escalating conflicts might disturb the hard-won tranquility of this area, yet hoped that the cultivator would provide the mortals with some explanation for such godly or demonic events.
No matter what, this warden from Shan Country seemed a determined soul, but whether he truly had the capability, whether he could accomplish anything, that remained to be seen.
As a quintessential bureaucrat, he certainly knew what he should do now.
“Hold on, Widow Qian, please wait; since it involves cultivation, it should be decided by the Master.”
As he sat there with closed eyes, resting his spirit, sipping tea endlessly, someone had already gone to find the Master.
Who exactly initiated this?
And who would resolve the issue?
How could these mortals dare to investigate the various affairs of a cultivator?
Madam Qian didn’t dare say much, merely waiting quietly below the hall.
Fortunately, she did not have to kneel while waiting; the official was a wily old fox who had even thoughtfully prepared a small stool for her.
To sit in that position, who wasn’t shrewd?
Who would dare to seek trouble for themselves by throwing their weight around in front of their superiors?
After a short wait, Hou Niao walked in.
Madam Qian hurried to kneel to pay her respects but was swiftly supported,
“Elder, there’s no need for such formalities, we cultivators do not adhere to such customs; just consider it a casual chat.
Simply describe the facts, and we will see if there is a solution?”
Madam Qian was immensely grateful, but she was used to being respectful in front of officials.
Facing this young superior who seemed younger than her son, she felt somewhat, well, unreliable?
But at this point, what reason was there to shrink back?
“Master, I have the honor to report, my family lives in an alley off the front street, a heritage of literature and integrity, a household of propriety, where we never stir troubles.
Yet who could predict that calamity would fall from the sky, leaving my Qian family—a widow and an orphan—to endure this ordeal…
My late husband passed away early, leaving us, a widow and an orphan, to rely on each other for life, barely surviving day by day on several dozen mu of paddy fields outside the city.
Heaven had pity on us, and altogether, I was able to raise my child into adulthood.
Seeing him come of age, he intended to go to Wei Country to pursue official certification.”
In this world, the threshold for cultivation was too high, not everyone was qualified; most people’s survival still required certain skills.
Relatively speaking, studying was also a very good path, though it did not reach the realm of ‘In books, one finds houses of gold,’ but an illiterate person could only engage in the lowest level of physical labor; this was the case in any country.
Studying allowed one to take the exams, to become an official.
At worst, one could go into business or open a school; there were many options, and it was the most chosen path for most families who had the conditions to cultivate their children.
The old woman spoke in a clear and organized manner, while Hou Niao just listened quietly, not interrupting her.
“Just last month, ten days before the New Year, my son went out with several classmates for a trip, a poetry and literature gathering, but unexpectedly something happened.
According to those who returned, they encountered a young woman visiting a grave alone, who seduced my son…”
The next day, my son returned home and lost his appetite for food and drink; his literary thoughts vanished, and he became delusional, bewildered.
I sought many doctors, but none could determine a cause, all saying my son had fallen ill with unrequited love, bewitched by that woman.
A woman who visits graves alone, where could we find her afterward?
We inquired around all the nearby households, but no one had heard of such a woman; we thought it might improve after some time when his feelings faded, but who knew my son’s condition would worsen.
As time went on, he could no longer compose poetry, could not write prose, and even began to forget some characters!
Over ten years of hard study by the cold window and under the lamp, only for it to vanish overnight; I am already old with not many days left ahead, how could I have the strength to sustain this family again, to re-raise my son…”
Hou Niao listened to her intermittent sobs, gradually understanding her point, but,
“Elder, how are you so certain that your son was harmed by the Demon Fox from Jianjia Temple?
Without evidence, it’s not good to make unfounded accusations, is it?”
Madam Qian exclaimed in protest, “Master, in our Xionger Town similar cases aren’t isolated to my son alone; these occurrences have happened time and again over the years.
The suspicion that Demon Foxes disguised as humans are bewitching people is not my sole conjecture but a common suspicion accumulated over several years!”