Chapter 91: Upholding Justice

For a moment, Magistrate Shi thought he had misheard.

After all, during these past few days together, he had more or less figured out Zhou You’s temperament.

Gentle. Friendly. Neither servile toward superiors nor impatient toward inferiors.

A person like that could get along anywhere.

Not only him, even the yamen runners in the county had developed a favorable impression of Zhou You.

And yet someone with such a personality had suddenly uttered those words.

Anyone would assume they had either misheard or that the other party was making a joke.

But Zhou You gave Magistrate Shi no time to react.

His lips parted slightly, and a single word rolled off his tongue.

“Om.”

In an instant, the river of blood flowed in reverse.

Magistrate Shi’s entire body froze in place.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhou You silently moved behind him, locked an arm around his thick neck, and then...

Slowly tightened.

A mere dozen or so seconds later, darkness swallowed Magistrate Shi’s vision.

Who knew how much time had passed before a thunderous sound exploded in his ears.

A body as obese as a pig demon twitched several times atop the bed. Layers of fat rippled like waves before finally...

Magistrate Shi abruptly opened his eyes.

He looked around in terror.

Then, to his shock, he discovered that he had been firmly bound to the bed.

He opened his mouth to cry for help, only to discover that his throat had been tightly stuffed shut.

Candlelight flickered throughout the room, casting a golden glow over the luxurious surroundings.

Yet the room was empty.

There was no one who could save him.

No, that wasn’t entirely correct.

There was someone.

Not far away, a face wearing a faint smile was watching him.

Without question, it was Zhou You.

The same Zhou You who, not long ago, had been calling him Old Brother Shi.

At this moment, Zhou You smiled and said,

“Old Brother Shi, what a wonderful nap. I wonder whether you slept well?”

The instant he heard those words, Magistrate Shi began struggling desperately.

But whatever method had been used to tie the ropes, no matter how hard he fought, he could not break free in the slightest.

Seeing this, Zhou You smiled.

“Don’t waste your effort. I’ve tested this binding method several times over the past while. Not a single one managed to escape. Even demons that had already become spirits couldn’t break free, much less someone with a body full of fat like yours, Old Brother Shi.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

Watching the obese body continue its futile resistance, Zhou You let out a helpless sigh.

“Old Brother Shi, why waste your strength? Besides, even if you’re begging for mercy, I can’t understand what you’re saying...”

“What he’s saying is: Little Brother Zhou You, what exactly are you trying to do?”

At that moment, a third voice sounded.

The voice was old and cold.

Yet if one listened carefully, there was also something reptilian within it, a chilling malice.

Magistrate Shi’s muffled cries abruptly halted.

Then he frantically twisted the only part of his body that could still move, his head, trying to locate the mysterious third speaker.

Unfortunately, after scanning every corner of the room, he still saw no one else.

Only Zhou You’s voice continued calmly.

“Master, his mouth is stuffed shut. How did you manage to understand what he was saying?”

The elderly voice immediately replied.

“That’s because you don’t understand. From a person’s expression, lip movements, and muscle twitches, you can roughly infer what they’re trying to say. Add in the surrounding circumstances, and even guessing will get you close enough.”

“...Your disciple is impressed. Since Master is so skilled, I’ll have to trouble you to serve as translator from now on.”

The conversation drifted into Magistrate Shi’s ears as casually as idle chatter.

Following the direction of the voices, his eyes slowly turned.

Eventually, he saw something sitting on a table.

It was a human head.

A human head without a body, yet still capable of speaking endlessly.

Magistrate Shi’s struggles immediately intensified.

The head glanced at him and said,

“Right now he’s saying: What the hell is that thing? Damn it, is that any way to greet someone?”

“Master, you could’ve left out the last part.”

Turning his head, Zhou You smiled and explained to Magistrate Shi,

“Let me introduce him, Old Brother Shi. This is my master. Although only his head remains now, his original self was extremely formidable. He was...”

But his introduction was interrupted by a cold snort.

“The things I say are nonsense, but the things you say aren’t? What’s the point of telling him all that? Get on with the important business already!”

“All right.”

Zhou You shrugged and turned back to Magistrate Shi.

“The reason I invited you here today isn’t anything special. It’s just that lately I’ve found many of the sights in this county rather unpleasant to look at, and I couldn’t think of any good solution...”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

“He’s saying: If you have something to discuss, let’s discuss it properly. Whatever you want, he can give it to you.”

Zhou You showed no reaction.

He simply continued speaking.

“So I started looking for ideas from you, Old Brother Shi. As the county magistrate, surely you...”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

“He’s saying: Money or people? He can give you anything. This is all just a misunderstanding!”

“Well, it isn’t exactly a misunderstanding. Earlier you mentioned several trusted subordinates who had disappeared. That was actually my doing.”

Magistrate Shi froze.

Then his movements immediately became even more frantic.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

“He’s saying: They’re only a few dogs. Killing them isn’t a big deal at all. There’s no need for things to escalate this far. Let him go and he’ll forget the entire matter immediately.”

Zhou You immediately burst into laughter and clapped his hands.

“As expected of Old Brother Shi. You truly have the bearing of a great tyrant. You can abandon loyal subordinates without a second thought. But actually, little brother has one more thing I’ve concealed from you.”

“Mmph?”

“That is...”

The smile on Zhou You’s face grew even brighter.

“Madam Bone was actually killed by me as well.”

Every trace of expression instantly froze.

Magistrate Shi stared blankly at Zhou You.

There was disbelief in his eyes.

And also a kind of indescribable confusion.

Only after a long while did he finally recover, anxiously crying out through the gag.

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

The old Daoist leisurely explained from the side,

“He’s saying: Fuck your mother.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!!”

“He added another sentence. Fuck your entire bloodline.”

“MMPH! MMPH! MMPH! MMPH! MMPH!!!”

“...Master, why do I feel like that isn’t what he’s saying?”

Looking at the terror-stricken magistrate, Zhou You quietly asked the old Daoist.

The latter immediately rolled his eyes.

“If you think it’s wrong, ask him yourself. As far as this old Daoist can tell, that’s exactly what he means. Believe it or don’t.”

With that, the old Daoist’s head closed its mouth and said no more.

Leaving Zhou You to smile bitterly.

In the end, he still shook his head and said to Magistrate Shi,

“Old Brother Shi, don’t think too much about it. Honestly, I don’t have any other motive.”

“I just feel that beneath this bright and open sky, someone ought to uphold justice.”

“That’s all.”