In the depths of the dungeon of Tiandou City.
It was dark, damp, and reeked of decay and blood.
"Squeak—"
The heavy prison door was pushed open.
A fat figure walked in with a gloating expression.
It was Ma Hongjun.
He looked at Ning Lin, who was chained to the wall and dressed in rags, and his small eyes were full of pleasure.
"Oh, isn't this our just, honest, and benevolent Lord Ning?"
Ma Hongjun spoke in a sarcastic tone, his ugly face appearing particularly distorted in the dim firelight.
"You are upright, you are honest and incorruptible in your official duties, you are diligent and conscientious, so what?"
He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and spoke in a malicious tone.
"Now, aren't you just locked up here like a dead dog?"
"Soon, you will be publicly tried, condemned by thousands, and infamous for eternity!"
Ning Lin slowly raised her eyelids, glanced at him, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.
That look was as if he were looking at a fly buzzing at his feet.
Disdain.
Utterly disdainful.
Ma Hongjun broke down instantly.
What he hated most was Ning Lin's arrogant attitude!
"You fucking dare to laugh!"
He flew into a rage, raised his fist, and was about to smash it into Ning Lin's face!
"Fatty, stop."
A calm voice came from the doorway.
Tang San walked in slowly and stopped Ma Hongjun.
"Third Brother!"
Upon seeing Tang San, Ma Hongjun immediately dropped his fierce demeanor and put on a fawning smile.
"This kid is too arrogant! I can't help but want to teach him a lesson!"
Tang San's gaze remained calm, and he didn't even glance at Ning Lin.
He said calmly, "No rush."
"After the trial concludes in three days and he is convicted, you can do whatever you want with him."
"Hehe, it's all thanks to Third Brother for thinking so thoroughly!"
Ma Hongjun rubbed his hands together, his smile incredibly lewd.
"When the time comes, I'll definitely make him taste what it means to wish he were dead!"
Tang San nodded slightly, his expression proud.
To him, Ning Lin was already a sitting duck, a dead man, not worth his time or effort.
Just then, another figure appeared at the prison gate.
Yu Xiaogang.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his expression arrogant, his gaze sweeping across the dimly lit dungeon before finally settling on Ning Lin.
When Yu Xiaogang saw Ning Lin's face clearly, he was taken aback.
This name...this face...
He remembered!
Back in the Spirit Hall, the man who snatched Bibi Dong from his hands!
Yu Xiaogang was unaware of what happened in the secret chamber later. In his memory, Ning Lin was only humiliated by Qian Xunji and then driven out of the Spirit Hall.
In an instant, all the humiliation and resentment of the past surged into his heart.
Looking at Ning Lin's current disheveled state, he felt a morbid sense of pleasure and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ning Lin! It was you!"
Yu Xiaogang stepped forward slowly, looking down at Ning Lin with a mocking expression on his face.
"I really didn't expect that after all these years, you've turned out like this!"
He deliberately straightened his chest and adjusted the robe he was wearing, which symbolized his status as an imperial advisor.
You probably don't know this yet, do you?
"I am now the Blue Lightning King, personally appointed by the Heaven Dou Empire. Throughout the empire, no one fails to show me respect!"
He pointed to Tang San beside him and boasted.
"See this? This is my personal disciple, Tang San! The most outstanding genius in the world today, a future god!"
And what about you?
Yu Xiaogang's tone suddenly turned harsh and vicious.
"A corrupt official who evades taxes and enriches himself! A traitor who colludes with foreign enemies and sells military intelligence! A beast who assaults a female Soul Master in the street!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, weren't you very proud of yourself when you snatched Bibi Dong away from me back then?"
"What, it's one thing to be doing badly, but now you've become a prisoner that everyone wants to kill?"
"What karma!"
Upon hearing these words, a hint of curiosity flashed in Tang San's eyes.
He looked at Yu Xiaogang and asked, "Teacher, do you know this person?"
"It's more than just knowing each other!"
Yu Xiaogang snorted coldly and immediately embellished the story, telling Tang San his fabricated and distorted version of events.
According to him, he and Bibi Dong were a match made in heaven, deeply in love and devoted to each other.
Ning Lin, on the other hand, was a despicable and shameless third party who used sweet words to deceive the young and naive Bibi Dong, breaking up this ill-fated couple.
He portrayed himself as a heartbroken romantic who left in despair.
Ning Lin, on the other hand, is a complete scoundrel.
After hearing this, Tang San smiled knowingly.
His gaze toward Ning Lin held an even stronger hint of disdain.
It turns out that this person was not only a criminal, but also a shameless scoundrel with such low moral character.
He patted Yu Xiaogang on the shoulder and comforted him.
"Teacher, don't worry."
"This kind of person isn't worth getting angry at."
"This time, he's doomed."
Tang San turned around and finally looked directly at Ning Lin.
His eyes were calm, yet they carried a confidence that indicated he was in complete control.
"Ning Lin".
He spoke slowly.
"You may feel wronged, but that's just how the world is."
"You blocked the fat man's way and also brought shame to my teacher."
"So, for my brothers, for my teacher."
"The only thing we can ask of you, Lord City, is to die."
In his view, all the chains of evidence, all the witnesses and physical evidence, had been laid out flawlessly.
He personally designed this scheme.
Ning Lin has absolutely no chance of turning the tide.
After saying that, he prepared to turn and leave, not wanting to look at the dying man again.
However.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Ning Lin, who was repeatedly humiliated by everyone, showed no anger or fear whatsoever.
He simply watched these clowns in front of him with a calm expression.
There was even a playful smile on his face, which was stained with some dirt.
His gaze was so calm, as if he weren't a prisoner, but a spectator sitting in a theater, enjoying a farcical spectacle.
Tang San flicked his sleeves and left, his back view lofty and solitary.
Yu Xiaogang followed closely behind, his face smug and triumphant. As he passed Ning Lin, he didn't forget to cast a disdainful glance at him.
Ma Hongjun walked at the back, chuckled, made a throat-slitting gesture at Ning Lin, and then followed with satisfaction.
"Squeak—"
The heavy prison doors slammed shut once more.
The dungeon returned to deathly silence.
The farce that just happened didn't seem to stir up the slightest ripple in Ning Lin's heart.
The playful smile on his face never faded from beginning to end.
A clown.
That's all.
He slowly closed his eyes, his mind sank into his body, and began to take stock of what he had gained from the trip.
Although this trip to the Spirit Hall in editing history was full of twists and turns, the gains far exceeded expectations.
(End of chapter)