House of Trials (4)

Although he had recently brought his name up, no one expected that Shui would reveal the Hundred Face Beggar as his next witness. This was partially because they didn't fully believe that Shui had discovered them, but mainly because a portion of their reputation came from their tight lips regarding any jobs they took. Therefore, if they really were relevant to the case, it was strange that the Hundred Face Beggar agreed to talk. 

However, the judges and those who had been involved with the scheme knew that if Shui really had found the Hundred Face Beggar, then it wasn't odd that they agreed to be a witness. After all, they had tried to kill them to get rid of external variables. As they had a good reputation for keeping secrets and this was planned to be a quick trial, there was originally no need to eliminate the Hundred Face Beggar, but at the last minute, when they had to pay them, someone ordered that it be done. It was a person with enough influence that even Alos couldn't confront him without good cause, but at this moment he really wished he could slap him.

"That's quite a bold claim, Mr. Shui. Do you mean to say that you were able to find this beggar and get him to be your witness?"

"Well, for the most part, yes. Is there a problem?"

Although the Hundred Face Beggar had managed to escape being killed, they were injured and needed to hide and recover. Their hiding spot was covered by a portable concealment array, but it wasn't enough to block Shui's perception, so he found them and gained their favour by healing them. If he hadn't been attacked, then even saving his life wouldn't have been enough to get him to talk, but as a member of the underground guild, he didn't take betrayal lightly, even when his opponents were much stronger.

"No, but are you going to have him take an oath? Otherwise, I don't believe the court will be able to believe what he says."

While Shui had managed to get Jaret to take an oath, doing the same with someone like the Hundred Face Beggar didn't seem very possible to Alos.

"There'll be no need for that. While they may be a witness, they'll only be present to provide me with a certain piece of evidence. It will be simple to verify the authenticity of the evidence, so you need not worry."

"Very well then, and where is he?"

Secretly harbouring killing intent, Alos swept his gaze across the courthouse interior.

"Just a moment."

Shui looked around the court before his eyes stopped at a spot on the wall to his right. As it was already a well-known fact that he was exceptional at spiritual techniques, Shui used mental control to pick up a space expansion bag that was on the ground. 

"This is the evidence."

"What?"

Alos found it hard to believe that a bag Shui seemed to have randomly picked had the evidence he got from the Hundred Face Beggar, but he was also sure that no such bag had been present at the start of the trial. 

"Please forgive Hundred Face for not showing themself. They're rather shy, so they disguised themself as a guard to get inside and then dropped this off."

Alos glared at the other guards, who hastily tried to find the imposter, but the only trace of his presence was the bag in Shui's hand. Some of them vaguely noticed that there might have been one extra guard, but not clearly enough that the additional guard could be recognised. Exasperated by their incompetence, Alos shook his head and returned his focus to Shui. 

"What evidence will you present before the court, Mr. Shui?"

"A contract that was signed between the Hundred Face Beggar and a third party. According to this contract, "

"That's enough! The smuggling can be considered a misunderstanding, and all suspects considered innocent, but how can you explain the murder?"

Blatantly disregarding the evidence Shui brought and skipping to the murder charge was basically an admission of guilt, but Alos didn't see any other choice. If the contract that Hundred Face Beggar brought was the one that he was thinking of, then it would be enough to launch a different trial that they wouldn't be able to control. He could label it irrelevant by settling the smuggling case, but if they couldn't punish Shui with the murder charge, then that contract would be a major threat. Determined to trap him, the judges decided to play their last card.

"Skipping ahead, are we? Very well, as for the murder, if the smuggling is a misunderstanding, how can my motive be explained?"

"That will be mentioned by the next set of witnesses. Also, considering the time, the judges have decided that this will be the last group of witnesses, and the trial will not continue after today."

"Those damn corrupt judges. Is this even legal?"

Kate almost felt like celebrating when she heard Alos give up on the smuggling charge, but it was clear the judges were now desperate to stop Shui from proving his innocence.

"I haven't memorised the rules of the House of Trials, but I think it barely counts as safe. I'm sure they want to convict him right this moment, but if they did that, then Master would be able to intervene."

"So they haven't completely lost their composure yet. Which means this last group of witnesses is probably in their pockets."

While Kate, Reinhart, and Luke worried over how Shui was going to overcome the next challenge, only Cassandra kept her gaze on Shui's expression. Regardless of the smuggling case being dismissed or the judges' foul play, he wasn't flustered in the slightest.

'Was even this part of his plan? It seems it was a good idea not to make a move this time.'

While the injustice was clear, Shui showed no frustration at the judges' decision. After all, the only group that the judges could possibly call had already been taken care of.

In accordance with the judges' instructions, a group of three inner-section disciples entered the court. They were the same disciples who had been on Shui's team and returned with him to the city. Lute and the other two entered the court with nervous expressions. After parting ways with Shui, the three were going to report the completion of their mission, but they were caught by guards from the court before they could. Before walking them to the House of Trials, the guards brought them to see someone who offered many rewards as long as they followed his script.

Once the three arrived, the judges began to relax while thinking that they could convict Shui once the three finished the story they were told to tell. And indeed, the three's testimony would be what ended the trial.

"Mr. Shui... innocent."