Yun Ya continued: “My energy is somewhat depleted, and I need to rest and restore my vital essence. Please arrange accommodations for me.”

His complexion was indeed poor. Magistrate Xu also knew that performing this task would deplete one’s vital energy, so he repeatedly said: “Of course, please come with me.” He led him and Xiao Yan down from the hall to the rear quarters.

The others temporarily dispersed.

This wait lasted for a long four hours.

Yun Ya was resting with his eyes closed in the quarters prepared for him by Zi County. After nightfall, someone came to report:

“News has come from Dragon Rise Pool that the Giant Turtle has been dissected. Its eyes, heart, dorsal fin, and a three-zhang length of its spine are missing.”

“Oh?” Yun Ya’s face showed slight surprise. “So much has been taken away?”

“Yes.”

The Giant Turtle was enormous, and its body parts were likewise large. To move these things would either require an entire team of men or… In that case, were the entanglements in the local case and his hunting of the Giant Turtle merely coincidental events that happened on the same day, separated by just one hour?

Why did he still feel uneasy? Yun Ya’s gaze flickered as he fell into deep thought. The person outside the door tactfully withdrew silently.

￥￥￥￥￥

Feng Miao Jun didn’t know Yun Ya possessed this ability. She only learned after asking Peng Bai that according to legend, there was a secret soul-summoning technique. As long as the deceased’s soul had not dissipated and was still wandering nearby, it could be temporarily summoned through mystical means to identify the culprit.

This method was particularly effective for solving cases and finding murderers. But once a soul had passed the seventh day after death, it would enter the netherworld and could no longer be summoned. Feng Miao Jun wasn’t sure if Yun Ya’s claim of “borrowing a soul from the underworld” was true, but his ability to do what others could not have already exceeded normal capabilities.

Was it not enough for this man to be a warrior? Did he have to be a dual cultivator of both martial prowess and magical arts? However, upon hearing about this “soul recall testimony” method, she calmed down and accompanied Madam Xu to await the night’s judgment.

As everyone waited anxiously, the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) finally arrived.

The coffin placed in the yamen created an indescribably frightening atmosphere.

The various parties from the daytime court session had already taken their places. Yun Ya slowly opened his eyes and said softly: “The time has come.”

In the dim lamplight, his complexion appeared even more somber, and even his words carried a touch of yin energy, causing people to shiver involuntarily.

Others lamented that this young gentleman, though handsome, was too frail.

Yun Ya continued: “This is a place of profound prestige and virtue; lonely souls dare not approach.”

Magistrate Xu hesitated: “Should we change the location for the hearing?”

“That won’t be necessary—” Yun Ya covered his chest and coughed several times before taking out a short, thick white candle and handing it to a yamen runner: “Write Old Wang’s birth name on a white lantern and light this inside it. Stand at the entrance of the yamen. When the blue flame in the lantern suddenly flares up, carry it back here. Remember, move slowly.”

After the runner departed with these instructions, Yun Ya explained to everyone: “The candle will protect Old Wang’s soul until it extinguishes, allowing her to enter this place of official authority and intimidation.”

Indeed, not long after, the runner returned, but the lantern in his hand now emitted an eerie blue light. His back was ramrod straight, and Xiao Yan and others noticed that the veins on the back of his hand were bulging, showing he was using all his strength.

The paper lantern seemed to weigh thousands of pounds. Old Wang’s soul was curled up inside.

As they reached the courtyard where the coffin rested, a strange wind suddenly swirled around, tugging at the surrounding trees, making them sway repeatedly.

A ghost had arrived!

Even knowing a powerful expert was present, everyone couldn’t help but retreat in terror. Yun Ya, however, pointed at the coffin and shouted lightly: “Come! I’m only borrowing you for two quarter-hours, won’t you enter?”

The blue flame in the lantern fell at his command and changed back to a yellow glow.

Immediately after, scratching sounds came from the coffin.

This sound felt like it was scratching at everyone’s hearts. Including Feng Miao Jun, everyone was terrified.

After all, a corpse coming back to life was something most people wouldn’t witness in their lifetime.

Two brave yamen runners went to remove the coffin lid, and everyone saw a person standing rigidly upright in the coffin, eyes tightly closed!

Old Wang’s soul had returned to her body.

However, in this season, corpses couldn’t be kept for long. Old Wang had been dead for nine days, and her body was swollen and decomposing. The originally shriveled old woman was now bloated all over, with even her facial features distorted by the swelling.

The night wind blew, carrying the stench of the corpse more than ten zhang away.

Among the onlookers who knew the truth, some vomited uncontrollably, while others fainted on the spot. Feng Miao Jun had never seen such a horrifying sight in her life and trembled in her foster mother’s embrace.

No matter how brave she normally was, she was still a young woman who had never imagined she would witness such a shocking scene.

Madam Xu was equally frightened, her face as white as paper.

Only Yun Ya and Xiao Yan remained composed as if they couldn’t see Old Wang’s hideous state or smell the foul stench of the corpse. With one command of “Come out,” Yun Ya made Old Wang leap out of the coffin and stand in the center of the courtyard.

Her knees did not bend; her entire body was rigid, like a jiangshi (hopping vampire).

“She can nod but cannot shake her head, and can only answer the simplest questions,” Yun Ya turned to Magistrate Xu. “She barely remembers what happened in the half-hour before her death, and this has not changed. Now, you may question her.”

Magistrate Xu, despite his many years in office, had rarely examined dead bodies. He swallowed and pointed at Feng Miao Jun: “Did she kill you?”

Old Wang stood motionless, with no reaction.

But since Yun Ya had already said she couldn’t shake her head, perhaps not nodding meant denial?

With Young Master Yan present, Magistrate Xu quickly composed himself and asked a second question: “All the people from the Feng estate are here. Look, is the murderer among them?” Upon receiving news from Zi County, Madam Xu had brought nearly ten people from the entire estate.

Old Wang suddenly turned toward the Feng family, her eyes still closed, yet seemingly glaring viciously.

The spectators cried out in shock. Feng Miao Jun also felt her scalp tingle and nearly screamed.

This time, it was Madam Xu who couldn’t stop trembling.

Fortunately, after Old Wang stood still, she didn’t move or nod.

So that meant the murderer wasn’t among this group?

After the court had adjourned earlier, Feng Miao Jun had Peng Bai quickly educate her about the “soul recall technique,” so she was no longer completely ignorant. It turned out that after death, the soul drifts away and can no longer control its original body. However, the Celestial Masters of this world had researched an ability to press a deceased soul back into its corpse, though the time limit was extremely short, generally only a few dozen breaths or half a cup of tea’s worth of time. For Yun Ya to find Old Wang’s soul after she had already entered the underworld, and to allow her to stay in the mortal realm for two quarter-hours, was already in the realm of the miraculous.

Of course, during the soul recall period, conditions were quite different from being alive, with many limitations. For instance, after death, the joints stiffen, so a recalled corpse could only make small movements—the skull could only nod slightly up and down but couldn’t shake side to side. A newly deceased soul also only remembered what had happened in the last half-hour before death and had not regained normal consciousness, retaining only memories and instincts.

At this point, Yun Ya softly exclaimed: “Then let me ask differently—is the murderer present at this gathering today?”

His implied meaning…

As everyone pondered this question, they suddenly saw Old Wang nod!