Chapter 10: Trial of River God I (2/2)

Looking at each other, Zhao Hu and Zhao Long had no trouble answering her question. “We all belong to the same village. How can we be against our folks for these worldly things? We pretended to receive her bribe as evidence.”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Xie Mengxuan could not help applauding. When everyone was attracted by her, she said, “If so, I’m really guilty.”

“Have you received the money? Did you all hide the money in the same place? There are so many families. Even if my leg had recovered, how could I, a weak woman, not be tired after sneaking into that many houses in a night?”

“What an eloquent speaker! You must have another accomplice!”

Xie Mengxuan wore a faint smile. “If I really had an accomplice, how could you still live in peace?”

Someone chimed in to help Aunt Cui. “How unreasonable you are! There are both the witness and the material evidence. How dare you deny it? Let’s bind her and hand her over to the River God.”

This suggestion immediately got the support of everyone. They all shouted in unison: “Yes! Hand her over to the River God!”

Handing her over to the River God, in other words, was directly binding her to a stone and throwing her into the river so that she would drown to death. They called this in a disguised manner, but actually, they wanted her to die!

Geng Zhishan was really anxious. In front of so many people, it wasn’t easy for him to save Xie Mengxuan without being exposed. But if the people he had secretly arranged saved her, they would directly send her back. His pretending all those days will be in vain if it really happened.

Geng Zhishan stepped forward and reproached, “How dare you!”

The honest and simple man was filled with indignation at this moment. He went half a step forward while full of momentum. He no longer looked like a common farmer.

The villagers had never seen Geng Zhishan behave in this way, and they were shocked at the moment.

Xie Mengxuan slightly narrowed her eyes and became even surer that this man was absolutely not ordinary.

“Geng Zhishan! What are you doing? Are you scaring us?”

Different from others, Zhao Long and Zhao Hu regained their thoughts and took the lead in regaining their thoughts to reproach.

This yell made others quickly react. Immediately, Geng Zhishan became the target of public criticism and was blamed by everyone, but he stood in front of Xie Mengxuan without retreating. Whatever they said, he didn’t recede.

“If you want to kill my wife, kill me first!”

Although the villagers were domineering, they had never thought of killing Geng Zhishan. After all, they all belonged to the same village.

Aunt Cui was also a bit timid, but when she thought of the large sum of money, she went one step further and said, “Geng Zhishan, we will hand this girl over to the River God according to the rules of the village. If she comes back safely, it means the River God has judged her not guilty. Then we will never find faults with this girl in the future but help you hold the marriage banquet instead! This solution is fair and just. What do you think?”

“No! My wife can’t swim. Even if the River God forgives her, she can't live in the deep water. At that time, you’ll find whatever excuse you like.” Geng Zhishan refused.

What he said scared Xie Mengxuan. She could not swim, but only a handful of people knew this. It seemed that this man was not only extraordinary but also clear about her.

The eyes of Xie Mengxuan fell on Geng Zhishan and slightly narrowed.

Geng Zhishan felt her eyes pierce his back like a needle. He also knew that he had said he should not have in a hurry, but his back remained straight and still.

“Are you willing to accept the trial of the River God?” Aunt Cui suddenly turned to Xie Mengxuan.

Xie Mengxuan combed her hair with her fingers and said, “Okay.”

Aunt Cui showed a faint smile of victory, while Geng Zhishan looked incredulous with his eyes opened wide.