Zhao Xiu, utterly panicked and beside himself, was scared witless.
He regretted it so much he could have kicked himself a thousand times over, wishing he could butcher Zhao Bing, his nephew. Zhao Bing had previously told him there was no direct evidence in this case, and everyone had witnessed Zhou Nanfeng severely injure Fang Dagang.
By all accounts, the scales of justice were tipped in Fang Dagang's favor.
Most crucially, the other party had also given him a substantial amount of money, guaranteeing that a slight bias in court would suffice, which was not difficult for him.
However, he never could have anticipated such a turn of events.
Zhao Xiu, as if driven mad, knelt on the ground, furiously pointing at Zhao Bing.
"Fifth Councilor, it was him! He instructed me! I merely followed judicial procedures to deliver the verdict!"
"I am willing to bear responsibility for the flawed judgment, please show me leniency!"
The crowd below couldn't help but sneer at Zhao Xiu's pathetic state.
Could he really absolve himself by shifting all the blame? That was simply wishful thinking!
"Judge Zhao, you can deliver verdicts with your eyes closed in court, you must have taken quite a bit of money, right? Do you really expect anyone to believe you when you say that? I suggest you use that money to get your brain treated!"
Lin Yuansheng seized the opportunity, viciously spewing his anger.
Hearing Zhao Xiu completely push all the blame onto him, Zhao Bing also started to panic.
He was still very young, with a long road ahead of him. Fabricating false testimony would only lead to a few years in prison. At this moment, if he could push all the fault onto others, he might even receive a lighter sentence.
Zhao Bing roared, "Uncle! You were the one who judged this case! How can you shift all the responsibility to me!"
He abruptly turned his head to look at Fang Dagang.
"It was you! Your son caused the trouble, and you demanded the false testimony be fabricated! You are the mastermind!"
"I was merely forced!"
Fang Dagang was instantly enraged to the point of sputtering, but he was helplessly suspended in mid-air by Chen Fei, unable to break free.
Unexpectedly, at this very moment, he felt the vines suddenly loosen, and Fang Dagang instantly broke free.
Commanding his three-headed hellhound, he charged forward!
Under its master's command, the three-headed hellhound went berserk, tearing into Zhao Bing who was completely unprepared.
Instantly, Zhao Bing was torn to shreds, bleeding profusely.
A crisp sound of bone snapping echoed as the three-headed hellhound brutally tore off one of Zhao Bing's arms!
"Ah!!!"
Zhao Bing let out a piercing scream and passed out.
At this time, Chen Fei acted again, hoisting Zhao Bing back up.
"Well done!"
Zhou Nanfeng clapped his hands on the table, his expression ecstatic!
The other defendants felt the same way. Although the bloody scene was somewhat nauseating, it was incredibly satisfying!
After the commotion subsided, everyone's attention refocused on Fifth He.
It was his sudden appearance that completely turned the tide, and it was through the video evidence he brought that the conspiracy of Fang Dagang and the others was exposed.
But no one knew why this usually maverick, eccentric, and famously dubbed "madman" prominent figure from Wenmin City would suddenly appear here.
Fifth He slowly walked towards the crowd and waved at Chen Fei.
"Take them all away."
"Yes, teacher."
Immediately, several guards stepped forward and dragged away Zhao Xiu, Zhao Bing, Fang Dagang, and the others.
However, when they reached Fang Lin, and were about to carry him away as well, Fifth He stopped them.
"He'll wait for now."
"Yes!"
The guards retreated.
Fifth He slowly walked over to Fang Lin, who had wisely faked unconsciousness. At this moment, silence was the best course of action!
*Don't pay attention to me... don't pay attention to me...* Fang Lin chanted internally.
Fifth He spoke as if to himself:
"They will be handed over to the government for processing. As for you,"
"You violated the rules of the trial, so you naturally must be punished."
Behind Fifth He, a contracted beast slowly materialized. The moment it appeared, the atmosphere in the hall became heavy.
This was an invisible pressure!
This contracted beast had heavy makeup on its face, especially the prominent fiery red lips. Its ample bosom was high and full, exuding a sexy and alluring aura.
However, its lower body was like a wisp of smoke, floating in the air.
Lu Fei had seen this contracted beast before. When Fifth He had dragged Huangfu Chenyi to face a challenge, he had summoned it. At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now it evoked a completely different feeling.
"It's the [Ghostly Phantom]!"
Chen Zhanpeng immediately recognized the contracted beast. In the previous national beastmaster competition, Fifth He's feat of defeating three opponents consecutively with this [Ghostly Phantom] had left a deep impression on him.
Lin Yuansheng beside him frowned and murmured in a low voice:
"Why is he summoning this contracted beast now? That's no easy opponent."
Amidst everyone's confusion, the [Ghostly Phantom] behind Fifth He let out a charming laugh.
It exhaled a stream of purple smoke, which drifted slowly towards Fang Lin.
Chen Zhanpeng and Lin Yuansheng's eyes widened in unison.
"This is...!"
Suddenly, Fang Lin let out a pained scream!
He jumped up from the stretcher and fell heavily onto the ground. After a moment, he completely lost consciousness.
Experienced beastmasters like Chen Zhanpeng and Lin Yuansheng had already guessed what Fifth He had done to Fang Lin, while those like Lu Fei were seeing it for the first time.
Fifth He's cold voice rang out again.
"Fang Lin violated the trial rules. His spiritual core is now destroyed, as a form of punishment!"
His voice was not loud, but it resonated throughout the hall!
Having his spiritual core destroyed meant he would never be able to become a beastmaster again!
In this world where beastmastery was prevalent, it was equivalent to becoming a cripple, a fate worse than death!
*That looks so painful...* Cold sweat beaded on Lu Fei's forehead. He recalled Huangfu Chenyi, who had threatened to destroy his spiritual core at any moment, and shivered inwardly.
While Lu Fei was lost in thought, Fifth He had, at some unknown time, appeared beside him.
Their eyes met. Fifth He's gaze remained devoid of any emotion, while Lu Fei's expression was somewhat complex.
After a moment of silence, Lu Fei awkwardly greeted him:
"Fifth Councilor, long time no see. Are you in good health recently?"
Fifth He remained non-committal.
"Heh heh, I've repaid your favor today."
With that, he turned and left the courtroom.
Lu Fei watched his retreating back and only then realized that Fifth He had come for him.
After a prolonged moment of stunned silence, he let out a long sigh.
*He seems like a cool and aloof heartthrob with a warm interior...* Lu Fei mused inwardly.
What he didn't know was that after the trial ended that day, Fifth He personally led Chen Fei to the Great Ape territory to search for evidence.
Although the area had not been captured by the [Scouting Butterfly], Fifth He's trump contracted beast, [Dragon Mark], possessed a legendary skill.
This skill could predict the past and restore events that had occurred in a specific location within the past week.
It was with the help of this skill that Fifth He learned the truth of the matter.
Everyone left the courtroom, and night had fallen.
At this moment, Zhou Nanfeng walked up to Lu Fei and said with a chuckle, "We're really lucky to have you, young friend Lu Fei, today. Otherwise, this situation would have been difficult to handle!"
Chen Zhanpeng immediately glared at Zhou Nanfeng.
*I call him Elder Lu, and you call him young friend Lu Fei? What do you mean by that?*
"Heh heh, it's so late, it's hard to get a taxi. Why don't you ride with us?"
Chen Zhanpeng suggested.
Lu Fei hesitated for a moment, then a thought flashed through his mind, and he gladly accepted Chen Zhanpeng's kind invitation.