Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

Tian Jing was suspected of poisoning her husband but refused to plead guilty. The county magistrate was furious and ordered the bailiffs to torture Tian Jing.

Torture is the practice of pinching fingers. Women are weak and have tender hands, so once the torture is applied, their fingers may be seriously injured at best, or both hands may be disabled at worst. In addition, the five fingers are connected to the heart, so the pain is unbearable and extremely cruel.

Seeing the yamen runners coming with the tongs to torture him, Qiao Rui could no longer remain calm and shouted, "Your Excellency, please show mercy!"

The county magistrate looked up at the crowd and shouted, "Whoever is making noise, come out and speak!"

Qiao Rui pushed through the crowd and walked into the main hall, bowing to the county lord, "I am Qiao Rui, the owner of Yunlai Inn, and I am honored to meet the county lord!"

"Qiao Rui?" The county magistrate hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Qiao Rui was dressed like a gangster, he asked, "Is it Qiao Rui who captured and killed the rapist Yizhihongxing?"

"It's exactly me!" Qiao Rui answered loudly. Now was not the time to be humble. Having some fame might make things easier. He then had time to look down at Tian Jing who was kneeling beside him. He saw that Tian Jing's eyes were red and swollen, his eyes were dull, his face was haggard, and he looked distraught.

Feeling Qiao Rui coming, Tian Jing slowly turned her head and looked at Qiao Rui. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Her tears just kept flowing down. She looked so pitiful.

The county magistrate, sitting under a plaque hanging high above a bright mirror, looked at Qiao Rui in the hall. He saw that the boy had an upright figure, stern features and extraordinary bearing. He was indeed a promising young man. He admired the man who could capture and kill Yizhihongxing. The last time Yizhihongxing committed a crime in Longxing City, he was under a lot of pressure. This time, Yizhihongxing secretly came to Longxing City again. Fortunately, he was captured and killed. Otherwise, if he committed a crime in Longxing City again, his position as county magistrate would be over. He was scared just thinking about it. Although the rapist Yizhihongxing was a man of the underworld and was under the jurisdiction of the Qingtian Guard, he could not escape responsibility for the repeated accidents under his rule.

The county magistrate looked at Qiao Rui deeply and said sternly: "Although you have eliminated harm for the people, you have no merit and no official position. How dare you stop me from trying a case without reason!"

Qiao Rui clasped his fists and said, "Tian Jing is an old friend of mine. She also worked for me at Yunlai Inn before. I know her true nature. She is gentle, kind and intelligent. She would never do something like poisoning her husband. I hope you will understand!"

"How dare you!" The county magistrate said solemnly, "Qiao Rui, although I respect you for getting rid of harm for the people, the law is ruthless. This county is trying a case and the evidence is solid. How can you interfere without reason and make presumptuous guesses!"

"Sir, if Tian Jing really had ulterior motives, she would have abandoned him long ago. Why would she bear the name of murdering her husband?" Qiao Rui did not give in and continued to defend Tian Jing.

"How dare you! You have no evidence at all, only your own groundless guesses, yet you come here to interfere with the investigation in our county. Do you really take the laws of our country as a joke?" the county magistrate said angrily.

"grown ups......"

Qiao Rui wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the county magistrate. He slammed the gavel, his face livid, and angrily shouted, "How dare you! If you make any more noise, I will punish you for roaring in court!"

Seeing this, the people outside the hall were talking about it. Some people clapped their hands and praised: "Boss Qiao is so bold that he dared to contradict the county lord in the hall again and again..."

"This is what a real man does. Mr. Qiao got angry for the beauty he loves, which can be considered as a man of love and righteousness. I wonder if he has married and started a family. My precious daughter is still waiting to be married..." someone continued.

"Alas, even though Young Master Qiao is a man of unparalleled loyalty and righteousness, it is difficult for him to save his beloved this time. After all, the evidence is conclusive..." someone sighed.

People have different opinions, some praise, some admire, some regret, some sigh, and so on. There are all kinds of opinions!

Seeing the discussions outside the hall, Tian Jing seemed to sober up a little. She looked at Qiao Rui with her tearful and unfocused eyes. She was heartbroken at the moment, but she didn't want to drag Qiao Rui down. She stretched out her pale and slender little hand and pulled Qiao Rui's sleeve, saying woodenly: "Thank you! Brother Qiao, you can go now!"

Looking at Tian Jing, who looked dazed and depressed, Qiao Rui's heart twitched violently. He patted Tian Jing's thin shoulders and said softly, "Since you didn't kill Bi Yuntao, there must be other reasons. Don't you want to find out the truth?"

"But……"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything!" Qiao Rui interrupted Tian Jing softly, gave her a comforting smile, then turned to the county magistrate and bowed, "Sir, I have something here that may help to solve the case!" After that, he took out something from his arms and presented it to him.

The county magistrate took the item from the yamen runner and looked at it. His face changed immediately. He checked it again and again, worried. After a while, he looked at Qiao Rui with a complicated look and said, "There are still doubts in this case. The trial is suspended. Qiao Rui, follow me to the back hall for questioning!"

After saying that, the county magistrate stood up and went to the back hall of the county government office. Seeing this, Qiao Rui curled his lips slightly and whispered to Tian Jing, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon!" Then he quickly followed.

In the back hall, the county magistrate returned the item in his hand to Qiao Rui. It was a palm-sized plate, all golden in color, with five large characters "Daxia Qingtianwei" engraved on the front, and a mighty and unruly lone wolf on the back. It was the secret plate of Qiao Rui's identity as Qingtianwei.

"I didn't expect that you are a member of the Golden Seal Guard. I am so disrespectful!" The county magistrate bowed and said with some surprise.

Logically speaking, the Jinyin Qingtian Guards were only equivalent to county clerks, and their rank was lower than that of county magistrates. However, the Qingtian Guards had great power after all, and it was not easy for ordinary officials to offend them.

Qiao Rui put away the secret card, clasped his fists in return, and said, "Please keep this identity a secret for me, sir!"

The county lord nodded. Although he didn't want to offend the Sky Guards, he didn't like to get close to them either. He kept his distance. However, he wanted to be in control and didn't like the Sky Guards to interfere in the matter. So he asked, "Although this case involves human life, it is still an ordinary civil criminal case. Why did you, the Sky Guards, interfere?"

Qiao Rui smiled and did not intend to hide it. He said, "I did not report this matter to the Qingtian Guards. It was just my personal behavior. However, there are many doubts in this case. I hope you will give me a few days to re-examine it. I will give you an explanation then!"

Hearing that it was not the Sky Guards who interfered, the county magistrate secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface he said sternly: "After all, this case involves human life. Now the whole city is paying attention, and there is a lot of public opinion outside. It is better to try and close the case as soon as possible."

"Old fox!" Qiao Rui cursed inwardly, the smile on his face gradually cooled. "Tian Jing is a martial artist with third-rate strength, and can be considered a man of the world. Bi Yuntao was once a swordsman, but later he offended his enemies, which led to the loss of his martial arts. So I have reason to suspect that his death is related to the vendettas in the world... Naturally, I, the Qingtian Guard, will take care of this matter!" Although the reason was far-fetched, given the Qingtian Guard's domineering style, this possibility was not impossible.

"This..." The county magistrate looked embarrassed. Although he was unhappy in his heart, what Qiao Rui said was not impossible.