Chapter 327 - 313: How Am I Disregarding Human Life?
’What’s going on? Is someone trying to cause trouble during the funeral? And they’re targeting the Li Family? Also, what the hell does "check the water meter" even mean?’
"We’ve received a report that someone here is treating human life like dirt and forcing the living to be buried with the dead! Stay put and don’t move!" Another booming shout came from outside, leaving the people in the inner hall stunned.
The commotion outside made the servant’s grip falter, and the white silk sash that had been pulled tight instantly loosened a bit.
But Li Hanlin’s heart sank. ’Something isn’t right. The practice of burying the living with the dead is permitted by the laws and rites of Daqian. It’s an unspoken rule among the gentry, one that has existed since ancient times. Even the common folk know about it. No matter how ignorant the new "City Guard" is, they couldn’t possibly be unaware of such common knowledge.’
’Could it be that they aren’t the real City Guard?! Or perhaps... someone bribed them to cause trouble?’
’The Zhang Family? The Wang Family? Or the Zhao Family?’
’But that doesn’t make sense... Making a scene during my father’s burial would be starting a feud to the death! Besides, this act is perfectly in accordance with the rites. They can’t convict me of any crime. What family would be so foolish?’
Then, with a loud CRASH, the wooden doors shattered, and the commotion from outside flooded in:
"Get the fuck out of the way! We’ve received a report! We’re the City Guard, conducting a routine inspection!"
"Stop! This is the inner hall of the Li residence, where we are paying respects to the master’s spirit! It is both lawful and proper! You vulgar louts are forbidden from trespassing! If you disturb the master’s rest, can you bear the consequences?!"
The servants grew frantic. This was the master’s ancestral hall! If they let this bunch of obvious troublemakers barge in and disturb the peace, the young master would surely blame them later. They might even be forced to be buried alongside the master themselves!
"Proper my ass! So the dead are what’s most important, huh? Do the lives of the living mean nothing?! Move, move, move!!! Ah Niu! This is it, right?"
"That’s right! This is the place!"
Amidst a chaotic clamor, several players with armbands bearing the character for "Patrol" swaggered in.
Trailing behind the fierce-looking players was a cowering figure, conspicuously dressed in the uniform of a government official! One of the servants even recognized him. Wasn’t that Mr. Zhao, the Chief Constable from the government office in charge of street patrols?!
[Yi Jian Ding Qiankun], apparently annoyed by his slowness, grabbed him from behind and dragged him forward. "Mr. Zhao, what are you spacing out for? This is a joint operation! Come on in with us!"
Mr. Zhao stumbled from being pulled. He looked at the main door, now reduced to splinters, and his face went pale with fright. ’Are you guys this reckless? You kicked down their door?! Maids and servants are their property, so it’s not entirely indefensible for the master to beat or kill them... I thought from how confident you were that you had some major case on your hands. Is this really it? Aren’t you overstepping your bounds?’
The moment Li Hanlin saw the official, his pupils constricted slightly, but the heavy weight in his heart lifted.
’Isn’t burying the living with the dead a tradition since ancient times? How could people from the government office not know this? What kind of riffraff has this Miss Su recruited? Daring to run around arresting people without understanding the most basic laws and rites?’
The ID of the player leading this operation was [Yi Jian Ding Qiankun]. He was at the first level of Qi Refining and on the verge of breaking through to the second.
He had chanced upon a fragmented Cultivation Technique, giving him a sliver of a connection to the immortal path. After much difficulty, he had finally made some progress, putting him far ahead of ordinary players who had yet to encounter such opportunities. However, he was plagued by a lack of resources, and his Cultivation was progressing at a snail’s pace. But this bounty offered Spirit Stones as a reward! He immediately realized his chance had come!
In his view, dealing with the small fry who short-changed customers and sold fake goods was quick and easy to farm early on, but the profits were too low—you only got a few copper coins. A major, life-and-death case like this, however, was a true elite mob that could drop a rare reward like Spirit Stones!
So, when Ah Niu tearfully told him about the horrifying situation at the Li residence, he immediately grabbed a Memory Stone, gathered a few players, and rushed straight here. The moment they stepped through the door, they witnessed the appalling scene in the inner hall.
Ah Niu immediately spotted the maid who had been strangled unconscious. His eyes turned crimson as he roared and charged forward. "Cui’er!!" He kicked away a servant who tried to step in his path and frantically fumbled with the white silk sash to untie it.
Meanwhile, [Yi Jian Ding Qiankun] and the others pinned down the remaining servants, their faces filled with the excitement of having cracked a major case.
"Holy shit! They’re actually fucking killing someone!"
"Fucking savages! Forcing people to be buried alive! Are you guys a bunch of Evil Cultivators?!"
"Damn! The evidence is irrefutable! Disregarding human life in broad daylight! I’ve already recorded it with a Memory Stone! This is in the bag!"
"Nobody move! We’re the Anhe City Guard! You are now suspected of intentional homicide. All of you, come with us to the government office!"
To the players, the scene before them was ironclad proof. Trying to strangle someone to death—if that wasn’t a callous disregard for human life, then what was? Physical hypnosis?
In their world, an act like this wouldn’t just land you in prison. You’d likely be taken down by Adam’s Heavy Hammer descending from the sky under the watch of countless surveillance cameras before you could even finish the act. Less severe cases would result in immediate incarceration for punishment and re-education. As for extremely heinous acts like this one, the perpetrator would be turned to paste on the spot.
[Yi Jian Ding Qiankun] rubbed his hands in excitement. He struck a pose before Li Hanlin and declared, "Nobody move! We are the Anhe City Guard! You are now suspected of mass intentional homicide. All of you, come with us to the government office!"
In his eyes, this was an open-and-shut case. The legendary Spirit Stone reward was practically waving at them.
However, Li Hanlin showed no sign of panic. Instead, he straightened his clothes, calmly walked forward, and looked at them as if they were country bumpkins. In a cold voice, he demanded:
"A disregard for human life? I’d like to ask you newly appointed ’officers’—how have I, Li Hanlin, disregarded human life?"
The moment he spoke, [Yi Jian Ding Qiankun] and his teammates were completely floored.
’Wait... dude, are you for real?’
[Yi Jian Ding Qiankun] almost thought he’d heard wrong. He instinctively glanced at the Memory Stone still recording in his hand, then at the maid who was being revived, and finally back at Li Hanlin, who wore an expression that said, "You’re making a scene for no reason." His brain felt like it was about to short-circuit.
’What is this situation?! We caught you red-handed, the evidence is irrefutable, and the murder weapon—the white silk sash—is still hanging around the victim’s neck! And you’re trying to get philosophical with me?!’
’You’re asking how you disregarded human life? Are your eyes just for show?! You nearly strangled a living person to death over there, and now you’re playing dumb with me?’