Finally, Xu Qing looked at Zhao Zhonghe: "Chief Zhao, being a martial arts practitioner, should understand this better than a literary Scholar like me."
Zhao Zhonghe replied in a muffled voice, "Indeed, that’s true."
Chen Guangrui nodded and said, "This case has many doubts, but the killer must be another person. Until new witness testimonies are obtained or the real culprit is apprehended, this case will not be pursued further."
"Furthermore, anyone related to this case must temporarily reside within the city, ready to be summoned at any time and not allowed to leave the city without permission."
The onlookers outside the hall were noticeably dissatisfied. In their eyes, if severe punishment is not used to extract confessions or if the case is not solved on the spot, then it seems pointless.
But matters of justice and lawsuits are matters of life and death; how can one make rash judgments?
Xu Qing, however, didn’t see any problem. The saying goes, ’Adjudicating a case is like untangling silk, and using punishment is like cooking delicate fish.’ This newly appointed County Magistrate at least understands the word ’prudence,’ which is commendable.
After court was adjourned, Xu Qing was thinking about matters and was planning to leave when he was called to the back hall by the aide.
In the back hall, County Magistrate Chen Guangrui looked at Xu Qing and asked with a smile, "Do you still remember me?"
Xu Qing looked at the County Magistrate dressed in official robes, and a look of realization appeared: "I remember! Of course, I remember!"
"Aren’t you the County Magistrate who was just adjudicating the case in the courtroom? I surely remember!"
Chen Guangrui laughed, a little speechless.
"It’s normal if you don’t remember." Chen Guangrui’s gaze wandered over Xu Qing, clearly admiring him, and said, "When I first arrived in Linjiang County, I once saw you. There was a girl who fled from Yaozhou selling herself at the broker’s door because a family elder was suffering from an acute illness and urgently needed silver for treatment. Just as I was about to step forward, I saw you giving her silver coins, helping that little girl..."
Xu Qing, recalling carefully, seemed to remember such an incident. However, he had done so many good deeds that he paid little attention to helping those who sold themselves to bury their parents and conducting deferred funeral services.
Some came back to repay when they earned enough money, while others never returned. Xu Qing didn’t pay it any mind.
Chen Guangrui clearly appreciated Xu Qing, and his words hinted that he hoped Xu Qing would work in the Government Office.
Xu Qing pretended not to hear, as he was currently busy with affairs. Besides managing the funeral shop and the Cat Immortal Hall, he also needed to take time to patrol the Child-Giving Temple.
Thinking of that temple, Xu Qing’s gaze towards County Magistrate Chen changed.
"I heard that the Child-Giving Temple in Ziyun Mountain was built under your supervision?"
County Magistrate Chen was puzzled and didn’t understand why Xu Qing suddenly brought this up, but he responded, "Indeed, it was constructed under my supervision."
"This temple must have cost quite a bit of money, didn’t it?" Xu Qing seemed to ask casually.
"I’m not afraid of others laughing at me. The costs for constructing the temple were covered by selling off my wife’s dowry and gathering funds from various places. I have no spare funds to build a temple."
Xu Qing didn’t expect that the expenses for his temple came from the County Magistrate’s wife’s dowry money!
"County Magistrate, you spare the people from financial burden, which is truly admirable. But why did you build a temple for a goddess and erect a statue of a female Immortal? How can you assume the gender of an Immortal?"
Xu Qing’s three consecutive questions left the County Magistrate speechless.
Chen Guangrui, puzzled, said, "I’ve always heard that midwives are women. The Child-Giving Bodhisattva and the Child-Giving Goddess are also depicted as female. I cannot defy the natural order and build a Child-Giving Temple with a male statue, which would be too shocking."
Chen Guangrui paused and continued, "Moreover, deities are not constrained by forms; they are formless and shapeless, coming and going freely. I believe to them, physical form is but a fleeting cloud, and they only distinguish between good and evil."
As Xu Qing left the Government Office, he was still pondering over Chen Guangrui’s words.
Deities are not constrained by forms. If that is the case, then as a Zombie, he is compelled to perform deeds expected of deities.