Chapter 44

In the dimly lit hall, the firelight flickered incessantly with the cold breeze that blew from all sides.

At this moment, a stout figure walked in from outside. When the firelight illuminated his face, it was revealed to be the abbot of Longshan Temple, Fangzhang Yuantong.

Yuantong strode into the hall and bowed slightly to the seated Judge Lu, saying, "Amitabha, this matter has been resolved with great merit!"

Before Judge Lu, who was seated behind the table, could speak, Niu Tou burst out laughing, "I told you Brother Ye is wise and resourceful, Uncle! This time, you saw it with your own eyes, not just my exaggeration!"

As Niu Tou spoke, he really took off the large ox head, revealing a human head, which was none other than the chief of Yushan Mountain, Li Dayin.

At this moment, Ma Mian also removed his headgear, revealing a beautiful woman's face, which was Li Dayin's sister, Li Ping'er.

She smiled and called out to Abbot Yuantong, "Uncle!"

"Brother Li, you flatter me. If it weren't for the master's assistance, we might not have succeeded today! I thank you, Master!" Ye Yu had already taken off his crimson official robes and removed his beard, then bowed to Abbot Yuantong.

Abbot Yuantong stroked his belly and smiled, then praised, "Brother Ye, you need not be so modest. To use the method of the boundary between yin and yang to make Lu Kun write his own confession, this is something I have never heard of before! To remove a scourge for the people is also a great merit! I have already sent someone down the mountain to inform the county magistrate, and they should be on their way up! Please handle things here quickly, and I will go ahead!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Ye Yu watched Abbot Yuantong's figure as he left gracefully, thinking that such a stout body could move so lightly, indicating that his lightness kung fu was not ordinary.

He then instructed the gang members who were pretending to be ghosts to dismantle the temporary hall built on the top of the back mountain.

In fact, this so-called hall was just a simple structure supported by a few wooden pillars, surrounded by red and black cloth.

Lu Kun climbed the mountain in the afternoon, but Ye Yu still arranged the performance for the evening, as this would create a natural effect. Even if Lu Kun chose to climb in the morning, he would have been delayed until the evening by the refusal to see visitors.

The cloth walls, swaying with the cold wind on the mountain top, created an illusory environment, and the cold wind made Lu Kun, who had been drugged, even more terrified, believing he had entered the underworld.

This made Lu Kun, in a state of hopelessness, write down all the crimes he had committed in his life.

As for the so-called scroll of rebirth and the claim that Lu Kun was a distant relative of Judge Lu, these were all lies fabricated by Ye Yu to deceive Lu Kun into confessing.

The black and white guardians who escorted Lu Kun away were actually Guo Xiaotian and She Tongcheng in disguise.

She Tongcheng, disguised as the black guardian, seeing his enemy right in front of him, would have probably lost control and killed Lu Kun if not for Ye Yu's instructions. However, he still held back and only used the soul-guiding rod to beat Lu Kun severely as a form of personal revenge.

As for who the itinerant monk Zhiyuan was, and why Lu Kun, who was clearly stabbed, was unharmed, all of this was part of Ye Yu's plan.

The rumor that Zhiyuan could treat difficult diseases was spread by Ye Yu. He knew that Lu Zheng's opium addiction would sometimes flare up, and Lu Kun and his wife would seek medical help in desperation.

This method of treating opium addiction, even in the modern world, cannot be completely cured.

Ye Yu predicted that in this situation, Lu Kun would definitely go to Longshan Temple for treatment. Once Lu Kun left the county, he would be like a fish out of water, making it easier for Ye Yu to set his trap.

To make Lu Kun believe that Zhiyuan could cure his son's illness, Ye Yu specially prepared a detoxification pill.

When Lu Kun entered the Zen room, the incense containing opium had already been lit. After inhaling the incense, Lu Kun would inevitably experience a hazy hallucination.

At this moment, Guo Xiaotian suddenly appeared in the room and stabbed Lu Kun in the abdomen with a dagger.

In fact, this dagger was a trick used by street performers, with a retractable blade. When it was stabbed into Lu Kun's abdomen, the blade had already retracted into the handle.

The blood Lu Kun saw was just a blood bag that had been punctured beforehand.

The intense pain and difficulty breathing that Lu Kun felt in his abdomen were due to Guo Xiaotian's acupressure technique.

Guo Xiaotian was skilled in acupressure, and Ye Yu learned from him that the Zhongwan point on the Conception Vessel could not only cause the above sensations but also make a person faint or lose consciousness due to strong nerve reflexes.

Therefore, Ye Yu had Guo Xiaotian stab Lu Kun with the dagger while simultaneously pressing the Zhongwan point. Afterward, he changed Lu Kun into the original clothes, so when Lu Kun woke up, he would not see any blood or wounds.

All these arrangements were to make Lu Kun believe he was dead. With the desire to survive, Lu Kun would write down his crimes without hesitation.

To keep Lu Kun in a hallucinatory state and prevent him from realizing the hall was fake, he was continuously exposed to the opium-laced incense throughout the process.

However, one thing surprised Ye Yu: the deep relationship between the Li siblings and the abbot of Longshan Temple.

He originally planned to set the trap elsewhere, but Li Dayin suggested Longshan Temple. Although Ye Yu did not know why Li Dayin and Yuantong were uncle and nephew, the abbot had indeed been a great help in this plan.

...

"Brother Ye, do you have something to ask me?" Li Dayin, with his arms crossed, asked Ye Yu while the others were cleaning up.

Ye Yu remained calm, "Everyone has their own secrets, and I don't have the habit of prying into others' privacy! If you want to tell me, you will do so. Why ask?"

Li Dayin looked at Ye Yu, then sat on a large stone, picking up a pebble and weighing it in his hand. He then said, "Since I let you set up the trap here, I have nothing to hide! Master Yuantong of Longshan Temple is a life-long friend of my father. They followed General Yue Fei in battles both north and south.

Twenty years ago, General Yue Fei was persecuted and killed by the traitor Qin Hui at the Wind and Waves Pavilion. My father and he lost interest in military service and retired to farming. My father, unwilling to see his brothers-in-arms idle, occupied Yushan Mountain and became a bandit chief! My uncle, however, became a monk at Longshan Temple, not far from Yushan Mountain."

Listening to Li Dayin's story, Ye Yu felt a deep sense of emotion. He did not expect Li Dayin's background to be so tumultuous.

Although Li Dayin did not elaborate, Ye Yu understood that retiring to farming was more like fleeing from Qin Hui's persecution.

How many of the generals in Yue Fei's army had a good end? This was likely the true reason why Li Dayin's father became a bandit and Yuantong became a monk under a pseudonym.

"My father, though retired to Yushan Mountain, was always worried about the corrupt officials in the court and died of depression fifteen years ago..."

At this point, Li Dayin became sad, and the pebble in his hand stopped moving, tightly clutched in his fist.

Fifteen years ago! Ye Yu looked at the man in his thirties, thinking that he was only fourteen or fifteen at that time. How did a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy survive with his young sister in the bandit camp?

The bandits were a place where the strong ruled. While Li Dayin's father could control them, who would take two children seriously after his death?

The fact that Li Dayin could now sit confidently as the chief of the bandit camp showed that he had gone through many hardships.

Ye Yu patted Li Dayin's shoulder and comforted him, "Brother Li, don't talk about it. I can understand the bitterness! Although our paths are different, the hardships we've faced are similar!"

"I know a bit about your story. I, Li Dayin, admire those who face adversity and strive to overcome it. You, with a disabled body, have achieved so much in a short time, and I truly admire you. That's why when the scoundrel Lu Kun wanted me to kill you, I struggled for a long time..."

Ye Yu took a deep breath and said, "We may not meet again for a long time, Brother Li. Take care! If I have the chance, I will visit you and we will drink until we are drunk!"

Although he was smiling, his voice carried a hint of reluctance. Though their time together was short, it had made him feel the camaraderie of his old military days.

Perhaps this was the bond between men, a deep connection that was hard to sever. Though they had to part, their paths were different.

Perhaps in the future, their paths might converge, but that was for later.

In this scheme against Lu Kun, although Li Dayin was involved, Ye Yu did not want Liu Yuanshan to see him. Officially, the meeting of an official and a bandit would lead to conflict, which would contradict the peaceful resolution of Lu Kun. Personally, Ye Yu did not want their relationship to be known, as it would affect his reputation in business.

Although Li Dayin sometimes acted rashly, he knew what was important at critical moments. He understood Ye Yu's concerns and regretfully said, "Working with you, Brother Ye, was very enjoyable. It's a pity you canceled the third step, or I could have had some exercise! We will meet again, and my Qingfeng Fort will always welcome you!"

Speaking of the third step against Lu Kun, Ye Yu shook his head in helplessness. Perhaps he was too soft-hearted. The county magistrate's crime should be reported to the state capital, and the local county office did not have the authority to handle it. Therefore, the third step was to eliminate Lu Kun during the escort to Lian'an Prefecture, as the political connections were too deep, and even with solid evidence, it would be hard to enforce the law. So Ye Yu originally planned to eliminate him to prevent future trouble.

However, Ye Yu finally felt it was too arbitrary. Where would the law be if he did this? Although the law was unfair due to some people, rules must be followed. The crimes Lu Kun confessed to on the scroll were heinous, and even dying multiple times would not atone for them. But seeing his son Lu Zheng in such a state, Ye Yu felt it was enough. This was also a way to show mercy to Lu Kun, sparing his life for the sake of Lu Zheng.