Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Losing Face (1/2)
Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Losing Face
Translator: 549690339
“So, for your own personal gain, you would take an innocent life. Truly, your malicious intent is unforgivable!”
Ding Gaochang, his voice shaking with fury, commanded, “Arrest this brute and interrogate him thoroughly along with Qi Shen, and treat them harshly. Let them understand the consequence of harming others!”
“Yes!” The bailiffs and government officials readily responded.
During the whole Water Ghost fiasco, they had been held hostage by the cunning of these two men and had been unable to take any action against them. They felt utterly helpless, but now that the truth had been revealed they were eager to bring the deceivers to justice. The officials felt enormous relief, their pent-up resentment was finally vented. They seized Qi He and took him away.
The villagers, having witnessed this spectacle and Qi He’s confession, were left staring in stunned silence.
It was all a lie, a deception.
These two men were impostors.
The so-called true men they had been following simply turned out to be gamblers who had lost and were trying to swindle them of their money.
There was no Water Ghost nor was there any ghost claiming lives. All that existed were two fraudsters who had duped an entire village.
And they, the villagers, had been completely oblivious to all this. In their ignorance, they rallied behind the fraudsters to get the Government Office involved, accused the bailiffs, and abused the government officials. They had even accused Daya of being heartless for refusing to become the bride of the Water Ghost.
Weren’t they the epitome of those being sold gleefully count their very own losses without even noticing?
This…
This was utterly humiliating.
“As you all witnessed, this was nothing more than a deception by two tricksters to steal your money. There is no such thing as a Water Ghost, and the idea of a Water Ghost taking a wife is but an absurd tale,” Ding Gaochang declared before the crowd, “You need not live in fear of a Water Ghost. But in the future, you should be more discerning and be wary of such frauds.”
On hearing Ding’s words, the villagers – who already felt abashed – felt even more mortified. Their faces turned tomato-red, as if they were about to bleed.
“But…” A villager stood up to question, “earlier, that true man demonstrated the trick with copper coins in hot oil, drawing water with a bamboo basket, and standing chopsticks in water…”
“Are they all lies too and have nothing to do with his prowess? We all witnessed these things with our own eyes…”
“Indeed.”
“Indeed.”
There were a few who echoed, nodding in confusion. After all, they had seen these things with their own eyes; surely they could not have been mistaken.
Ding Gaochang raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.
As he had expected, the conversation inevitably led to this point. Fortunately, he was prepared for it.
“Be patient; allow this maiden to explain everything.”
Ding Gaochang nodded at Zhuang Qingning.
It was time for her to stage her performance.