Chapter 6

After a good night's sleep, the next morning, Xu Yinglong arrived at the old market in the north gate of Qingcheng's old city. This place was a famous antique market in the northern region, and Xu Yinglong pinned his hopes on finding a rhinoceros horn here.

Rhinoceros horns were indeed rare as medicinal ingredients, but there were many used as art pieces. Xu Yinglong easily bought a rhinoceros horn carving weighing four taels.

He had bought the two medicinal ingredients he needed, but his wallet was now empty. The four-tael rhinoceros horn alone cost him a million yuan, and almost all the money he had "earned" over the years behind his family's back was spent. If it weren't for the wild ginseng being free, he wouldn't have had enough money.

This made Xu Yinglong realize the importance of making money. In the Nine Heavens Immortal World, there was a saying: "Wealth, Dharma, Companion, and Land." To achieve success in cultivation, one needed substantial wealth, high-level cultivation techniques, a talented companion, and a place rich in spiritual energy. Wealth was ranked first, highlighting its importance.

Although this place had become Earth, some things remained unchanged. As the popular saying on Earth goes, "Money is not everything, but without money, nothing is possible."

Without money, you can't buy precious medicinal ingredients, and without good medicinal ingredients, you can't refine high-level elixirs, making it difficult to improve your cultivation. These things are all interconnected, and any weak link will affect the final cultivation.

Making money is very important, but what Xu Yinglong needed most urgently now was to clear his name. Otherwise, everything would be like a moon in the water or a flower in the mirror.

There were only three days left until the trial. Xu Yinglong knew that every second was precious to him, so after buying the wild ginseng and the rhinoceros horn, he immediately returned to Lucheng.

At home, Xu Yinglong bought an electric clay pot from a hardware store for decocting medicine. He then followed the prescription, put all the ingredients for the Cistanche Pill into the pot, and began the process of decocting the medicine.

Xu Yinglong would have liked to refine these ingredients into an elixir, but refining elixirs required a certain level of cultivation, at least reaching the Xiantian realm, to emit the alchemical fire needed for refining. Now, Xu Yinglong was just an ordinary person with a wealth of experience, unable to refine elixirs, so he could only decoct them into a liquid.

The main difference between refining elixirs and decocting medicine is the degree of absorption of the medicinal properties. For a single herb, if refined into an elixir, its medicinal properties can be absorbed at over 80%, while decocting it into a liquid allows for about 50% absorption. If the herb is consumed directly, only about 30% can be absorbed.

Decocting medicine is a meticulous task. After more than three hours of slow simmering, a bowl of fragrant liquid was ready. After the liquid cooled to a warm temperature, Xu Yinglong picked up the bowl and drank it in one gulp.

After drinking the liquid, Xu Yinglong felt a warm sensation throughout his body, and the previously rigid qi point began to loosen slightly. Xu Yinglong quickly sat down in the room, silently recited the cultivation technique, and began to absorb the medicinal power.

The Cistanche Pill, while primarily effective for consolidating essence and locking yang, also had the effect of strengthening the body and stimulating qi points. It was usually a necessary medicine for children just beginning their cultivation.

Originally, one pill of Cistanche Pill would have been enough to meet Xu Yinglong's needs, but now that it was a liquid, he estimated he would need at least three doses. Therefore, over the next two days, Xu Yinglong decocted two more doses.

Three days later, Xu Yinglong's essence was firmly consolidated, and his lower body was limp and lifeless, showing no reaction even to aphrodisiacs. During this period, Xu Yinglong went to the hospital, ostensibly for a follow-up and to have his stitches removed, but in reality, to find a board to slap in the face.

With everything prepared, the day of the trial was approaching.

The day of the trial finally arrived. Early in the morning, a police car arrived at the Huadu Liyuan residential area where the Xu family lived. Following the procedure, two court officers handcuffed Xu Yinglong and escorted him to the Hedong Court.

At 9:00 AM, the police car arrived at the Hedong Court. As soon as Xu Yinglong got out of the car, dozens of media outlets swarmed him, snapping photos and recording videos.

Due to the influence of Yang Ling's backers, Xu Yinglong's case had caused a huge stir online, and he had been portrayed as a lawless second-generation official. Adding to this, his father had been investigated for corruption and had committed suicide out of fear of punishment. The Xu family had become the largest tumor in the northern region, and the uninformed netizens were calling for his execution. Therefore, Xu Yinglong's trial attracted a large number of media.

Xu Yinglong was very composed, not hiding at all, but instead showing his handcuffed hands to all the reporters. The more he did this, the more public sympathy he would gain when the truth was revealed.

The trial was scheduled to start at 9:30 AM. At 9:00 AM, family members and others began to enter the courtroom. Xu Yinglong saw Xu Ying, accompanied by Ji Hanlei, in the family section. Seeing his sister's worried face, Xu Yinglong gave her a reassuring smile, signaling her to relax.

At 9:20 AM, the prosecutor and Yang Ling's legal team also arrived. The court clerk then checked if all the parties were present and announced the court rules. The judges entered, and everyone stood up. After sitting down, the presiding judge knocked the gavel and declared the trial open.

After the trial began, the prosecutor first briefly outlined the case. There were two prosecutors, one male and one female. The male prosecutor stood up and said, "Honorable judges, presiding judge: After investigation, it was found that on the morning of October 10, 2014, at around 10:00 AM, the suspect Xu Yinglong, at the invitation of the victim Yang Ling, went to room 608 of the Tianlu Hotel. When the suspect saw that the room contained only the victim, he developed the intention to rape her and proceeded to do so around 10:20 AM. During the crime, the victim screamed for help, which was heard by hotel staff, who then entered the room and subdued the suspect."

"The police collected a large amount of evidence at the crime scene, including the suspect's clothes and shoes left behind, as well as his semen. Additionally, multiple staff members of the Tianlu Hotel can testify, and the evidence is solid and complete. The suspect has confessed to his crimes. The evidence and witnesses will be presented to the court during the trial."

"The suspect's confession is consistent with the victim's statement and the testimonies of the witnesses, forming a complete chain of evidence, sufficient to prove his premeditated rape of the victim. The suspect's actions have violated the laws of China, and we are bringing a criminal lawsuit against him."

After the prosecutor finished the case statement, the female prosecutor introduced the judges and the presiding judge to Xu Yinglong and informed him of his rights, including the right to admit or deny the charges, the right to counter-sue, the right to appoint a lawyer, and the right to request a recusal if he believed any of the judges or court staff had a conflict of interest that could affect the fairness of the trial.

Xu Yinglong did not object to any of these and did not request any recusals. Although he suspected that the judges or the presiding judge might have been influenced by certain people, he had no evidence, and he did not believe that replacing them would ensure a fair trial. Therefore, he agreed to the current panel of judges, knowing that when he revealed the truth, those most involved would feel the most pain.

Since Xu Yinglong did not request a change in the judges or other court staff, the trial automatically entered the second stage, the court investigation phase.

According to the procedure, the prosecutor first read the indictment. The male prosecutor stood up and loudly read the indictment, which mentioned the solid evidence and clear facts. It also noted that Xu Yinglong had a poor attitude after his arrest and recommended a severe punishment.

The court then asked the prosecution to provide relevant evidence to confirm its authenticity.

The female prosecutor stood up and said, "The evidence collected by the police at the scene includes the victim's torn dress, the marks left by the suspect's injuries during the crime, and the suspect's semen."

"We have verified the evidence collected by the police. The fingerprints on the torn dress match the suspect's, and the semen found at the scene also matches the suspect. All evidence is legally valid."

"Besides the physical evidence, we have also found multiple witnesses. I now request that Witness No. 1 be called to testify."

After a brief discussion, the presiding judge said, "The court allows Witness No. 1 to testify."

Soon, a man in a security uniform was brought into the courtroom. The male prosecutor stood up and said, "Witness No. 1 is a staff member of the Tianlu Hotel and one of the heroes who subdued the suspect. Please have him describe the situation at the time."

"My name is Yang XX, male, Han nationality, born on XXXX year X month X day, a hotel security guard. On the morning of October 10, 2014, I was patrolling the sixth floor of the hotel as usual when I suddenly heard someone screaming for help. I identified the source as room 608, reported it to the front desk, and they used a spare key to open the door. We then rushed into the room and subdued the suspect!" the witness said.

"Can you describe what you saw when you entered the room and what the suspect was doing?" the prosecutor asked again.

"The suspect was tearing the victim's clothes and pressing her down on the bed, while the victim was struggling desperately!" Witness No. 1 said.

"Thank you for your testimony and for bravely subduing the suspect!"

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