Chapter 1379: Chapter 622: The Enlightenment Tide, Judgment of All Beings (Part 2)
There were four pillars at the corners of the platform, holding up a canopy. On the canopy facing Leiyin Temple, nine large black characters were written:
"Pharmacist City Public Trial Assembly"
The Pharmacist Bodhisattva felt a chill in his heart. Clearly, this was just an ordinary stone platform, but it carried an inexplicable aura of malice, discouraging any further inquiry.
The two of them waited beside the high platform.
Soon, residents from all corners of the city began to gather.
Gu Liuniang was among them, feeling anxious and helpless like everyone else.
She had spent the day learning weaving at the vocational college and had just returned home when someone knocked on the door.
Opening the door, she found it was a monk from the Great Leiyin Temple.
This monk seemed to specifically oversee her street and said that she was required to attend some sort of assembly.
Gu Liuniang was a bit worried about her daughter, but the monk assured her that the elementary school would release the children later today and that they would be fed and practicing martial arts at the school, so she need not worry.
That’s why Gu Liuniang came.
Upon stepping out, she realized that not only her street but the entire city had been summoned by the Great Leiyin Temple.
Everyone seemed scared, yet dared not resist, only gazing at the high platform in the center of the square.
Gu Liuniang, who was literate, could of course see the characters on the canopy. She couldn’t help but wonder—who was being judged?
She would soon find out.
A disciple from the Great Leiyin Temple stepped onto the stage, and with a wave of his hand, four giant screens appeared in the sky, facing four directions.
The scenes on the giant screens mirrored those on the high platform.
The disciple announced:
"This public trial assembly is our Great Leiyin Temple’s open judgment of those rife with evil deeds in the Paradise Fragrance incident in Pharmacist City."
"This trial is based on the ’Nine Mountain Punishment Regulations.’ It follows the principle of open evidence presentation and proportionality of crime and punishment."
"For each person being judged, we will use the three-step process of public prosecution by the Great Leiyin Temple, listening to testimonies from the people of Pharmacist City, and pronouncing judgment."
"If anyone is dissatisfied, they may file an appeal on the spot, and all of you may decide whether to overturn the judgment."
"After the trial, execution will be carried out on the spot!"
The Pharmacist Bodhisattva’s heart skipped a beat. The Great Leiyin Temple, or even Zheng Fa, had never used such a murderous approach.
Cheng Yun watched the high platform in silence.
Initially, using such methods had faced some opposition within the Great Leiyin Temple.
But Qingnv had suggested that with so many deaths in West Continent, although the primary responsibility lay with the Jile Heavenly Girl, many people in the city and even Leiyin Temple should bear responsibility and pay the price for it.
On the other hand, it was undoubtedly to quickly and thoroughly win the people’s hearts.
For the Great Leiyin Temple, investigating the case was simple; the public trial was essentially for the people to see.
For the children, using the ’Great Leiyin Temple Buddhism Simplified Meaning’ to slowly ’brainwash’ them was more than sufficient.
But for adults who had endured so much hardship, even lost families, education now played a small role and could not alleviate their sadness and pain. What could achieve that was the justice of blood for blood.
They initially gained much public favor by distributing food and providing medical treatment, but the people of West Continent had suffered too greatly. Many were now like frightened birds, still distrusting the Great Leiyin Temple.
They could only administer a strong remedy.
A disciple on the high platform shouted, "Bring the first group of defendants!"
Two men were brought onto the high platform, their heads lowered, timidly, sensing impending doom.
Whispers began spreading below the stage, as people seemed to recognize them.
"These two men..."
The face of the Pharmacist Bodhisattva turned extremely unpleasant. He turned to Cheng Yun, angrily asking, "What is the Great Leiyin Temple doing?"
Cheng Yun remained silent but shook his head, signaling him to keep listening.
"Chen Wenting, male, forty-six years old, Chen Weimo, male, thirty years old, these two are father and son, residents of Pharmacist City, with Chen Wenting being the patriarch of the Chen family in Pharmacist City."
"According to investigations, the Chen family is the descendant of a Nascent Soul cultivator from Leiyin Temple. Their family has been established in Pharmacist City for eight generations, possessing numerous lands..."
This was the reason the Pharmacist Bodhisattva’s face was so grim.
The Chen family was die-hard loyalists of Leiyin Temple, and some members still practiced faith in them, with some even residing in Leiyin Temple now.
He deeply doubted Cheng Yun’s intentions.
Cheng Yun glanced at him, then suddenly smiled and said, "Bodhisattva, it’s not us judging them, it’s... these mortals of Pharmacist City judging them."
"If they are good, naturally they will be unharmed."
"What are you afraid of?"
Pharmacist Bodhisattva remained silent.
The mortals below the stage were also afraid.
The Chen family was well-known in Pharmacist City, backed by a monk from Leiyin Temple, and were virtually untouchable.
Even as they stood on the stage being judged, they incited fear in people’s hearts.
An upper disciple from the Great Leiyin Temple was reading the indictment on stage.
"Chen Wenting and his son, along with the Guan family, both ran textile shops. There was always friction between the two families, so Chen Wenting and his son bore a grudge."
"Aware of the harm Paradise Fragrance posed to mortals, Chen Wenting clandestinely orchestrated for his family to lure the Guan family to Leiyin Temple, intoxicate them with Paradise Fragrance, and with the Guan family unable to resist, murdered them, discarding their bodies in the wild. In this manner, they killed the entire Guan family, totaling thirty-six people, and seized their family assets."
To be truthful, Leiyin Temple was not a sect that disrespected its followers — due to the Divine Dao Skill, while it might not cherish its people like children, it maintained some baseline.
Injustices were certainly present, but generally, things were bearable.
However, the period of the Paradise Fragrance disaster was different.
The upper echelon of Leiyin Temple lost restraint, allowing the various forces attached to it to act with impunity, necessitating a great reckoning.
"We found the Lei family’s bodies at a mass grave outside the city. They were tortured to death, and we found evidence of the Chen family members committing the crime on them."
"As for witnesses... there are no longer any witnesses for this case."
The stage and audience remained silent. The words ’no witnesses’ caused an inexplicable oppression.
"But the Chen father and son did not stop, convinced of their success, they continued their vile acts using Paradise Fragrance."
"A month later, Chen Weimo took a fancy to a young woman, and when she refused to succumb, he repeated his usual tactics, forcing the young woman to become his concubine."
At this point, the disciple looked up and said, "Bring the witness."
Everyone watched as a young woman was assisted up the stage.
She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, with a youthful face already showing beauty. Her most striking feature was her eyes.
Her gaze was filled with deathly quiet.
"Young lady," the disciple asked, "did you voluntarily become a witness?"
The young woman’s eyes moved slightly, seemingly coming back to life a little, she glanced at Chen Weimo, and then nodded, "Voluntarily."
"Are you willing to take responsibility for the truthfulness of your upcoming testimony?"
The woman became somewhat excited: "I am willing, if I tell a single lie, I..."
"Good, what is your relationship with Chen Weimo?"
"I am his seventh concubine."
"How did you two meet?"
"I don’t know how he met me, but I met him when he suddenly sent someone to say he wanted me as his concubine, I hadn’t seen him before then."
"Did you agree?"
"No, my parents also did not agree."
The disciple looked at Chen Weimo, then asked, "Why not?"
"I was already engaged with my wedding shoes embroidered, and my parents didn’t want me to be someone else’s concubine."
"Then why did you eventually agree?"
The woman turned her head, looking at Chen Weimo with hatred, saying, "That day, Chen Weimo suddenly came and took my father to Leiyin Temple. After returning, my father changed. He agreed with Chen Weimo, signed the contract, and no longer recognized me or my mother. Later, my mother also went to Leiyin Temple and changed."
"What about you, did you agree?"
"No!" The woman shook her head, "I went to my fiancé, to let him take me away, we agreed to elope."
"Then what happened?"
"He disappeared, I waited all night, but he never came."
The disciple on the high platform looked at her with pity, softly saying, "We found his body too... part of it."
The woman was stunned.
When she spoke of her parents selling her off, she didn’t cry; when she mentioned her fiancé leaving without a word, she didn’t cry, her body devoid of life.
This time, however, she suddenly burst into tears.
