Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Yes!"

"En!"

In the Chinese world, there is never a shortage of people who want to join in the fun. Even in this ancient world, when people learned that Zhou Wencong had killed his adoptive parents and was to be executed today, they couldn't help but come to watch.

The sun was blazing, but the crowd's enthusiasm remained undiminished. The Zhou couple were well-known in the area, and many people recognized them. Now that they had come back to life, some even thought they had seen ghosts.

Li Xiuyuan secretly walked away, after all, his identity was too conspicuous, just like a big star in the future. If he appeared in the crowd, it would naturally cause a great sensation.

As the crowd inquired, the Zhou couple explained that it was only through the intervention of the holy monk Daoji, who had a great supernatural being, that they were pulled back from the underworld.

Those who learned of these things were extremely surprised, and their admiration for Li Xiuyuan grew stronger.

After all, if even the dead can be brought back to life, what can't they do!

Li Xiuyuan knew that the Zhou couple had been resurrected, and he couldn't show himself again, otherwise things would definitely get chaotic. So he kept his presence hidden the whole way.

Outsiders couldn't sense anything amiss, but everyone held Guangliang and Biqing in great awe, since they were both from Lingyin Temple and might have some skills themselves!

At the same time, the county magistrate, seated high on his grand chair, saw that it was getting dark and shouted, "It's noon! Execute the execution!"

As he spoke, he tossed a token down from the pile.

The executioner, who was beheading someone, took a swig of strong liquor and spat it onto his steel blade. Zhou Wencong, who was below, was already trembling with fear and cried out, "No, I don't want to die."

The executioner ignored him and was about to behead Zhou Wencong when suddenly a cry came from the street: "My son! I'm sorry!"

However, Zhu Fengxian, who was standing nearby, rushed onto the execution platform after seeing Zhou Wencong about to be killed, and hugged her son, crying.

Chapter 349 The Imperial Envoy

In Zhu Fengxian's heart, if she hadn't entrusted Zhou Wencong to the Zhou family for upbringing, he probably wouldn't have ended up like this, and now she is filled with sorrow.

Hearing his mother's words, Zhou Wencong cried out, "Mother, I don't want to die! Save me... save me!"

As he spoke, he was utterly dejected. You see, Zhu Fengxian was just a wet nurse, and naturally she couldn't save anyone with her abilities. If she hadn't been desperate, she wouldn't have said such a thing.

"Guards, quickly pull the woman down, lest we be late."

The county magistrate, who had been sitting high on his armchair, felt disgusted when he saw the two men wailing and crying. He had seen this scene many times before.

After all, as the local official in charge of the people, the county magistrate was in charge of a large population, and people often committed capital crimes. However, the relatives of the criminals did not want him to die and cried out at the execution ground.

Upon hearing the magistrate's order, the officers who were standing immediately stepped forward and dragged Zhu Fengxian away.

The magistrate shouted, "Come here! Quickly carry out the execution!"

As he spoke, the executioner nodded hastily, looking at the snow-white steel blade, about to strike.

Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Wait! Wait!"

But then a fine horse galloped towards them, with an officer sitting on its back. The officer was about to strike with his steel sword when the horse shot an arrow that deflected the blow.

"The Imperial Envoy has ordered that there are still many doubts in this case, and the magistrate is urged to act quickly."

After saying this, the officer rushed over and took out a memorial from his pocket, which was written by the imperial envoy Li Wenrui himself.

Upon seeing the official seal, the county magistrate was secretly astonished. He knew who this imperial envoy was; it was sent by the imperial court to provide disaster relief after the Qiantang River flooded.

After receiving the imperial envoy's orders, the county magistrate had no choice but to listen.

Zhou Wencong, who was kneeling on the ground, was overjoyed. He hadn't expected that there would be a turn of events, as he had almost died just a second ago.

Thinking of this, Zhou Wencong, who had been frowning and dejected for the past few days, finally showed a smile, and he was secretly happy.

"The imperial envoy has arrived!"

As a chorus of shouts rang out, a man arrived, surrounded by soldiers. His procession was immense. Li Wenrui rode in a sedan chair, and from inside stepped a man in official robes. He was dignified and exuded an aura of authority.

However, the aura he had cultivated over many years as an official was quite extraordinary in the mundane world. At least ordinary people would involuntarily feel intimidated when they saw such a high-ranking official.

However, in Li Xiuyuan's eyes, he was still just like an ordinary person. The so-called imperial envoy could be killed by him with a simple wave of his hand.

"Greetings, His Excellency the Imperial Envoy!"

Upon seeing Li Wenrui approach, the magistrate immediately got off his armchair and knelt on the ground. Seeing that even the magistrate was kneeling, the other officials naturally followed suit.

As for the ordinary people on the field, there were too many of them, and they had come to watch the execution. However, since even the local officials knelt down, they also knelt down, with only a few people not kneeling.

For example, the Zhou couple, as well as Guangliang, Biqing, Ruping, Li Xiuyuan, and others.

The imperial envoy, Li Wenrui, didn't say much. He walked straight to the grand master's chair and sat down, saying calmly, "I've heard that there's a miscarriage of justice in this case, so I intend to retry it. I wonder if the magistrate would agree?"

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned up, seemingly asking for the other person's opinion, but in reality, he had already made the decision.

After all, Li Wenrui had already taken up a chair, so it seemed he intended to reopen the case.

Moreover, Li Wenrui, being an imperial envoy, would not tolerate such behavior unjustly.

"This... Your Honor, the case is now clear. Zhou Wencong murdered his adoptive parents; his crime is unforgivable and he absolutely cannot be let go!"

As he spoke, the magistrate quickly said that, both morally and logically, Zhou Wencong could not be let go.

"Hmph, when will this case be resolved? I ask you, what crime has Zhou Wencong committed?"

With that, Li Wenrui gave a cold snort. The person tied up on the execution ground was his son, and with Zhu Fengxian's pleas, how could he let him die?

It turned out that Zhu Fengxian, seeing that the Zhou couple were unwilling to forgive their son, ran to Li Wenrui's side and told him about these things.

Normally, Zhu Fengxian would never have gone over, but since it concerned her son's death, only Li Wenrui could save him, so she went over to plead for him.

Upon hearing this, the magistrate replied without hesitation, "Zhou Wencong murdered his adoptive parents, which is an unforgivable crime, and everyone knows about it."

"Your Excellency, I'm innocent! I didn't kill my adoptive parents."

On the execution ground, Zhou Wencong, seeing that there was finally a chance for a turnaround, immediately cried out.

"Hmph, absurd. You say he killed his adoptive parents? Then let's ask the officials, who are those two people standing there? Aren't they Zhou Wencong's parents?"

As he spoke, Li Wenrui pointed in the direction where the Zhou couple were.

"This...this?"

The magistrate was shocked to see this. He hadn't expected the Zhou couple to be resurrected. It seemed that the Holy Monk Daoji had intervened and saved them.

"Hmph, now the case is clear. Zhou Wencong did not kill his adoptive parents, so he is completely innocent."

As he spoke, Li Wenrui smiled slightly, realizing that he was very grateful that the Zhou couple had been resurrected; otherwise, he would not have been able to do so easily.

“Your Excellency, this wicked son did indeed kill us twice, but fortunately, the Living Buddha of Lingyin Temple asked someone to intervene, and my wife and I were able to be resurrected.”

Master Zhou paused for a moment and then said, "This child murdered his parents, which is an unforgivable crime."

As he spoke, he pointed at Zhou Wencong, thinking that with his own testimony, the imperial envoy would surely believe him!

If Master Zhou had known the true feelings the two men had for each other, he wouldn't have thought that way.

Chapter 350 Acquittal

"Hmph, absurd! Murdering your parents! As far as I know, you are Zhou Wencong's adoptive father. Didn't you say you were killed? How come you're still alive?"

As he spoke, Li Wenrui chuckled. He still harbored resentment towards the Zhou couple, after all, they were his own son, yet he had been calling someone else's father for over twenty years.

"I...I was saved by someone."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou's face immediately turned red, and he responded repeatedly.

"Ha ha!"

"You think you can save him? Old man, you're overthinking it!"

"How can the dead come back to life!"

"Yes!"

"If you can really be resurrected, then die now and show us, and then immediately come back to life. Then everyone will believe you."

As they spoke, the crowd murmured amongst themselves. These were all people brought by Imperial Envoy Li Wenrui to surrender, and seeing that the Imperial Envoy was truly determined to save Zhou Wencong, they naturally stood by his side.

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits. I know you are a respected figure in this county, and I imagine you are well-educated. How can you not even understand such a principle? If you and your son have any conflicts, you can resolve them privately. There is no need to resort to such measures."

Li Wenrui smiled and reconciled, saying that although he disliked the Zhou couple, all he wanted to do now was rescue his son.

“This…this wicked son did kill me once. How could I joke about such a thing? Besides, Zhou Wencong is my adopted son. If he hadn’t done such a thing, why would I have wrongly sent him to the execution ground?”

As he spoke, Master Zhou, filled with anger and resentment, explained the reasoning behind his words.

"Yes!"

"As the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its cubs. This Zhou Wencong is, after all, the Zhou family's adopted son. If he hadn't done something absurd, why would they want to kill him?"

"Indeed, it seems that Zhou Wencong truly deserved his punishment."

..............................

The crowd below the execution ground, after listening to Master Zhou's words, felt that they made perfect sense; no parent would put their son to death.

Seeing that Dian Lun was siding with Master Zhou, Li Wenrui was naturally displeased and immediately began to reprimand him.

"Hmph, absurd. How can I allow you to spout nonsense here? The conflict between you and your son can be resolved in private, but now you're bringing it into the open."

Li Wenrui paused and then said, "If you cannot produce evidence, I will punish you."

As he spoke, he gave a loud shout.

Zhou Wencong, who was bound at the execution ground, was not surprised at all when he heard the imperial envoy speak to him, because he knew that the person above him was his biological father.

A few days ago, Imperial Envoy Li Wenrui had already visited him in the prison. In order to save his life, Zhou Wencong naturally begged this adoptive father. Now, he finally has a chance to save his life.