Chapter 10: Tracing Back Time
The Jiang Family acted swiftly. In just half a night, they completely cleaned up the spatial node, and over the next two days and nights, they meticulously inspected the site to ensure that no evidence remained. Only then did they leisurely inform City Lord Zeng that the trial could proceed.
As Clan Leader Jiang had predicted, without evidence, Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing were no longer a threat. City Lord Zeng could now openly cover for the Jiang Family, claiming that there was insufficient evidence to convict Jiang Yixing. He even planned to charge Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing with intentional assault.
The only unexpected variable was Jiang Yixing himself—he was still unconscious, and even physicians couldn’t explain why.
“This court declares Jiang Yixing not guilty. If you two are dissatisfied with the ruling, you may submit an appeal to the prefectural office within fifteen days.”
Jiang Li stepped forward and handed City Lord Zeng a piece of paper, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“This is our appeal.”
City Lord Zeng’s face darkened. He was already irritated by Jiang Li’s calm demeanor, but seeing him pull out an appeal petition on the spot made him even more annoyed.
Clearly, Jiang Li had anticipated this outcome long before the trial even began and had prepared the petition in advance.
But so what? The prefect handling this case had also served as the City Lord of Qing City in the past. He had also helped cover up the Jiang Family’s child kidnappings.
Even if the prefect was an impartial man, what could these two nobodies accomplish without evidence? What did they plan to rely on—sheer stubbornness?
The Great Zhou Dynasty was divided into twenty-six prefectures, with each prefecture governing dozens of major cities. Qing City was one such major city, under the jurisdiction of Tianqing Prefecture.
Thus, the appeal petition was sent to Prefect Gong Peng, who, after reading it, summoned Clan Leader Jiang and City Lord Zeng for questioning. Once he heard the full story, he felt completely at ease.
“Zhang Li, Yuan Wuxing, before we proceed, you must understand—this court’s ruling will be final. Unless you provide new evidence that can overturn the previous verdict, you may not appeal again. Do you understand?”
Prefect Gong Peng sat in the center of the hall. Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing stood on one side, while Clan Leader Jiang stood on the other. Jiang Yixing was still unconscious, so bringing him to court would have been pointless.
Though Clan Leader Jiang maintained his usual blank expression, Yuan Wuxing could tell that, deep inside, the old man was probably laughing to himself.
Outside the courtroom, only a few dozen people had gathered—far fewer than before. Everyone already knew that without evidence, Jiang Li and Yuan Wuxing would lose. Among the crowd, City Lord Zeng stood watching, ready to enjoy the spectacle.
“Understood.” Jiang Li replied loudly.
Yuan Wuxing also echoed, “Understood.”
“However, before we begin, I would like to add another defendant.”
“That is allowed, but this ruling will still be final. You may not use the addition of a new defendant as grounds for another appeal.”
Jiang Li nodded slightly and then raised his chin, standing with his hands behind his back.
“I accuse City Lord Zeng of abusing his power, covering up Jiang Yixing’s child kidnappings, and destroying key evidence. I request that Prefect Gong rule on this matter!”
Clan Leader Jiang’s heart skipped a beat. Something felt off.
To accuse a city lord, the presiding official needed to be at least a third-rank official—and Prefect Gong Peng happened to be one. Jiang Li’s accusation was legally valid. But how did that help him? Did he think adding a city lord as a defendant would change the outcome?
He felt like he was forgetting something important.
City Lord Zeng and Prefect Gong immediately realized Jiang Li’s true intent.
In an instant, both of these Peak Nascent Soul Stage cultivators broke out in a cold sweat.
“I suspect that the most crucial piece of evidence in this case—the spatial node where the infants were sacrificed—was destroyed by City Lord Zeng. I request that Prefect Gong submit this case to the imperial court and apply for time reversal, restoring the crime scene!”
Jiang Li’s words shattered their last shred of hope.
He was escalating this to the imperial court!
They had no powerful backers in the imperial government to protect them!
Among the Nine Great Dynasties, only the Great Zhou Dynasty dared to govern by law, and only Great Zhou had the ability to do so.
The reason?
The Great Zhou Imperial Family had mastered the Dao of Time—they could reverse the flow of time itself.
However, time magic carried heavy karmic consequences and could not be used lightly. The empire had strict regulations limiting its use, including:
Cases that had a nationwide impact.
Cases involving corruption among officials of seventh rank or higher.
And City Lord Zeng was a fifth-rank official.
“You slanderous bastard!” City Lord Zeng completely lost his composure and roared furiously.
He genuinely wanted to protest his innocence—he hadn’t destroyed the spatial node himself; the Jiang Family had!
At most, he had just been a witness.
But Jiang Li ignored him.
Whether or not City Lord Zeng had personally destroyed the spatial node was irrelevant. What mattered was that he was now a defendant in this case.
“Zhang Li, are you truly requesting an imperial time reversal?” Prefect Gong fixed Jiang Li with an icy gaze. He realized he had been outmaneuvered.
Worse still, if the time reversal was approved, not only would they see the Jiang Family destroying the spatial node, but they would also see Jiang Yixing practicing demonic cultivation!
If Jiang Yixing was exposed, then every Qing City lord in history would be investigated by the imperial court. None of them would escape scrutiny.
Yuan Wuxing finally understood why Jiang Li had allowed the Jiang Family to destroy the evidence. This was the real trap.
“I confirm my request.”
“Do you truly want to proceed with this request?” Prefect Gong asked again, his voice cold and measured.
The Peak Nascent Soul Stage aura he released was suffocating, like a roaring beast. The court officials collapsed to their knees, trembling. Even Clan Leader Jiang and Yuan Wuxing struggled to remain standing.
“I confirm my request.” Jiang Li remained unfazed. He even pulled out a petition for time reversal—already written, its ink still drying—as he placed it on the judge’s desk.
Seeing the fresh ink, Prefect Gong nearly lost control and killed Jiang Li on the spot.
But he didn’t dare.
If he acted now, they would all be finished.
“Zhang Li, very well. Very well indeed!” Prefect Gong slammed his hand against the judge’s desk, splitting it apart before storming out.
Clan Leader Jiang and City Lord Zeng abandoned their pretense of indifference, following closely behind with grim expressions.
As they left, the oppressive killing intent in the hall gradually dissipated. Yuan Wuxing, regaining some strength, staggered to his feet.
“Prefect Gong didn’t even attack you. He only released his aura, and you nearly collapsed. How embarrassing—you’re a Peak Golden Core cultivator!” Jiang Li smirked in disappointment.
Yuan Wuxing gave a bitter laugh. “Senior Zhang, that was a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator. Golden Core cultivators can’t withstand that kind of pressure.”
Jiang Li scoffed. “Excuses. I killed a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator when I was at Peak Golden Core.”
Yuan Wuxing blinked in shock before awkwardly muttering, “Senior has impressive skills.”
He was genuinely impressed.
Jiang Li, as a Dao Sect Envoy, outranked even the emperor’s sons. Yet, instead of relying on his status, he had meticulously used Great Zhou’s laws to systematically crush the Jiang Family.
Brilliant.