17: I will make the decisions for you.

The moment Gu Jixiao spoke, the two soldiers froze in place.

But City Lord Qin Yuan looked displeasedly toward the newcomer.

“Who are you to disrupt the court proceedings? Guards, seize him and exile him to Lingnan along with the others!”

Clearly, being merely a City Lord, he had not recognized Gu Jixiao's true identity.

Xu An, standing nearby, looked on with amusement, certain that Gu Jixiao would meet a miserable end.

Seeing Qin Yuan issue the order, the two soldiers stepped forward to apprehend Gu Jixiao.

However, Gu Jixiao let out a cold snort, and a powerful aura immediately pressed the two soldiers flat onto the ground, unable to move.

This sudden turn of events momentarily panicked Qin Yuan.

But he quickly regained his composure; he was an official appointed by the Imperial Dynasty, and if Gu Jixiao dared to lay a hand on him, it would mean becoming an enemy of the entire Ancient Heavenly Dynasty!

Having thought this through, Qin Yuan stood up, slammed the desk, and roared.

“How dare you disrupt the court! Do you intend to become an enemy of the Ancient Heavenly Dynasty?”

“This City Lord advises you to surrender now, or don't blame me for reporting this to Your Majesty; you will face eternal damnation!”

Hearing Qin Yuan's words, Gu Jixiao sneered.

“Oh? Aren't you worried that Your Majesty will find out about today's events and punish you?”

“Hmph, Wugui City is my territory. How could any news of this possibly get out?”

Qin Yuan's expression showed disdain.

He had tyrannized Wugui City for many years, relying on his strict control.

Absolutely no unfavorable news regarding him would ever leave Wugui City.

Hearing this, Gu Jixiao's face darkened, and he angrily declared.

“Qin Yuan, you audacious dog! To act so recklessly in My domain—you are simply asking to die!”

As the words fell, the aura of Void Refining Peak instantly erupted, suppressing Qin Yuan until he knelt on the ground, unable to move.

Qin Yuan was about to become enraged, but upon hearing Gu Jixiao's self-address, he was instantly struck with immense terror.

Straining with all his might, he lifted his head to look at Gu Jixiao, asking in disbelief.

“You are?”

“I am the Emperor, Gu Jixiao!”

Gu Jixiao's eyes were filled with killing intent. No wonder his prestige value was so low; it turned out there were too many local corrupt officials.

He walked step by step to the back of the official dais, sat down, and then looked toward the assembled citizens.

“I am the current Emperor, Gu Jixiao. I came to Wugui City to see how my subjects are living.”

“But the situation has greatly disappointed Me.”

“Today, I preside over this court. Anyone who has grievances or dissatisfaction with the City Lord may step forward and speak. I will uphold justice for you!”

Hearing Gu Jixiao’s words, the common people outside the hall exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

Having been oppressed by Qin Yuan for years, they now dared not hold onto any hope, fearing that Gu Jixiao and Qin Yuan were birds of a feather.

Qin Yuan, who was being suppressed, changed his expression drastically and quickly spoke up.

“Your Majesty, I didn't! I haven't acted recklessly!”

“Silence! Whether it is good or evil, I shall judge!”

Gu Jixiao raised his hand and silenced Qin Yuan, then looked back toward the citizens in the hall.

Yet, not one of them spoke, as their ingrained perceptions held them back.

As for Xu An, he was trembling with fear and dared not utter a word.

At this moment, Butcher, who was lying on the ground, finally reacted and began kowtowing desperately to Gu Jixiao.

“Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to bring justice for me!”

“My son was clearly beaten to death by Young Master Xu An of the Xu family; he died unjustly!”

Hearing Butcher speak, Xu An could no longer remain seated. He forced down his fear of Gu Jixiao and spoke up.

“Your Majesty, Butcher is just a commoner! I only ordered my men to administer a slight punishment to Lin Kun; I certainly did not beat him to death!”

“This Butcher is just trying to extort money from me using Lin Kun! I implore Your Majesty to judge fairly!”

After speaking, Xu An also began kowtowing repeatedly to Gu Jixiao.

Playing the victim, who couldn't do that?

He refused to believe that the current Emperor would truly stand up for a mere commoner.

But clearly, the result was not what he had anticipated.

Gu Jixiao chuckled lightly and looked at Xu An.

“Interesting. In that case, I shall have you beaten by the same extent that you ordered your men to beat Lin Kun. If you survive, then it is not your responsibility.”

“But conversely, if you die, it will count as one life paying for one life.”

Hearing this, Xu An's face changed drastically. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Gu Jixiao extend a hand and grab him across the distance.

Xu An was just a spoiled rich kid with low talent; he had only reached the Spirit Gathering Peak, and was utterly unable to resist the Void Refining Peak strength of Gu Jixiao.

Gu Jixiao performed a soul search on him and immediately projected the scene of Xu An ordering his men to beat Lin Kun.

“Guards, beat Xu An to this extent. If he doesn't die, then it won't be your fault,”

Gu Jixiao instructed the two soldiers.

When Xu An heard Gu Jixiao’s words, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that since Lin Kun was just a Mortal, being beaten to the same extent would certainly not be fatal for him.

But the next moment, he heard Gu Jixiao continue speaking.

“Oh right, Lin Kun was a Mortal, so crippling you would be more appropriate.”

As the words fell, Gu Jixiao crippled Xu An with a flick of his finger.

It was far too easy for someone at Void Refining Peak to cripple someone at Spirit Gathering Peak.

After finishing this, Gu Jixiao tossed him over to the two soldiers.

The two soldiers dared not disobey Gu Jixiao’s command and obediently began beating Xu An according to the severity Xu An remembered inflicting upon Lin Kun.

Before long, Xu An, unable to endure the beating, breathed his last.

Looking at Xu An's corpse, Gu Jixiao shook his head slightly, feeling a bit disappointed.

“So fragile?”

“The situation is now clear: Lin Kun was beaten to death under Xu An's orders. Do any of you have objections?”

At this point, Qin Yuan, who was still restrained, felt utterly disheartened.

It was over.

He could only pray that Your Majesty hadn't uncovered anything else, or his death would be certain.

But the situation was clearly not developing as he had predicted.

After dealing with this, Gu Jixiao looked towards the citizens in the hall and spoke again.

“Everyone, I can guarantee you that I will be absolutely fair and just.”

“If you have any unjust matters, you can tell Me, and I will resolve them for you one by one today!”

Hearing Gu Jixiao's words, and having witnessed the scene just now, some people's hearts began to waver.

Soon, someone stepped forward.

It was an old man who immediately knelt before Gu Jixiao without a word and cried out his plight.

“I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for me! My daughter was taken into the City Lord's Manor by that beast Qin Yuan to be his concubine, but she died shortly after.”

“When they sent her back, they claimed it was an accidental death, but my poor daughter's body was covered in wounds—how could that possibly be an accident!”

Someone recognized the old man's identity.

Old Man Qin; his daughter, Qin Ruhua, was targeted by Qin Yuan because of her beauty, and she was forcibly taken to the City Lord's Manor through coercion and temptation.

She died not long after.

This incident had caused a huge stir in Wugui City at the time, but it was quickly suppressed by Qin Yuan.

After Old Man Qin spoke, everyone else remembered the matter.

With one person speaking up, there was a second, and soon, more people stepped forward.

The entire court was suddenly filled with accusations against Qin Yuan.

Qin Yuan, who was still being suppressed, stared blankly, with only one thought in his mind: everything was finished.