His face changed faster than the flipping of a book. The elder was filled with fury inside, and his gaze seemed like he wished to cut Long Chen to pieces.
He had previously left an opening for Long Chen to grasp. Now that this matter was over, he returned to his normal appearance, pointing out Long Chenâs previous words.
Long Chen had grabbed hold of his slip-up and refused to let go. Now it was his turn. It was as if he personally wanted to whip Long Chen.
âI insulted the dean? Donât slander people. When did I insult the dean?â demanded Long Chen. That aggrieved expression looked so believable that people almost fell for it.
âYou⌠youâre absolutely shameless! Have you already forgotten what you just said?â The magistrate almost coughed up blood. Long Chenâs skill in playing the fool was actually quite high.
âWhat are you talking about?â asked Long Chen.
âThe deanâs butt is big!â shouted the magistrate.
âIs saying it an insult to the dean? You said it too just now. Are you also guilty?â retorted Long Chen disdainfully.
âYouâŚâ The elder almost coughed up blood again. He had once more fallen for Long Chenâs trap.
Zhong Ling and Zhong Xiu finally let out a laugh. The two of them had been holding back a long time, but they finally couldnât endure any longer. Seeing that elderâs infuriated appearance, their laughter escaped. The elderâs face was red and his neck was thick from anger.
Mu Qingyun immediately grabbed the two of them and covered their mouths. But their laughter had already escaped, so covering their mouths didnât stop that from ringing out.
Furthermore, some laughter continued to occasionally leak out from the gaps. This cover-up only made it worse. Seeing their bodies trembling with suppressed laughter, Mu Qingyun was angry, anxious, and embarrassed.
âRespected magistrate, they didnât do it on purpose.â Mu Qingyun hastily apologized upon seeing the elderâs reaction.
His face was black with rage. It actually looked like it was going to leak out of his skin. âLong Chen, donât play the fool. Answer my question directly.â
âThe answer is the answer. What about it? Again, I never insulted the great dean,â said Long Chen.
âThis reason is unable to convince anyone!â shouted the elder.
âYou want a reason? Itâs simple. Answer me directly, if I say that our deanâs chest is big, is that an insult?â asked Long Chen.
âOf course not!â
âWhat about his hands are big?â
âNo.â
âHis feet are big?â
âNo.â
âThen why would his butt being big count as an insult? The hands and feet are all parts of the body. The butt is the same. If the hands and feet donât count, then why would the butt count?â asked Long Chen.
Silence rang out. Luo Bing, Luo Ning, Mu Qingyun, and the others stared at Long Chen in wonder. Such an insult had actually been turned into nothing by his quibbling.
The elder was at a loss for words, not knowing how to reply. If he agreed, then there would be no way of punishing Long Chen. If he disagreed, then that would be slapping his own face. He had fallen for Long Chenâs trap once again.
Before he could think of what to say, Long Chen continued, âThe hands and feet donât count because they are always exposed. But you feel like the butt is insulting because our butts are always covered. Just due to this cover, its essence has changed in peopleâs minds, making people think that exposing it is something shameful. But if you were to wear your underwear anywhere else, its essence would also change over time. For example, some people act like emperors sitting far above people, looking proper, but constantly doing improper things just because they are wearing their underwear on their face, causing their eyes to turn red and their hearts to turn black. Then they become so foolish that they canât even differentiate between the face and the butt.â
These words might be crass, but they also had a deeper meaning. The onlookers were surprised that a youngster could have such insight. Not only did he easily escape the matter of the big butt, but he was clearly indicating that by targeting him, the magistrate had torn down his own facade, revealing his butt for all to see.
âYouâŚâ The magistrate quivered with rage, but his head was empty. He didnât know what to say.
As a magistrate, he was always the one asking questions, while others answered. It had been a long time since he had gone through verbal sparring.
As for Long Chen, he was skilled in all kinds of fighting. Fighting with fists, he could beat you until you knelt and begged for mercy. Fighting with words, he could curse you until you were lost and bewildered.
Li Cai and the others almost prostrated themselves toward him. The longer they knew him, the more they felt him to be worthy of worship.
They originally surrendered themselves to his terrifying combat power, but the longer they were with him, the more they found that any aspect of Long Chenâs would be enough for them to learn from for a lifetime. They realized that this was the definition of a genius.
Suddenly, clapping rang out from a corner of the hall. A white-haired elder with a straw hat covering his face was sitting there. Only his long facial hair was revealed.
Others started to clap along with him until the entire hall was filled with clapping. The two magistratesâ expressions grew exceedingly ugly.
The elder with the scar on his face slammed his gavel, shouting, âSilence!â
The hall gradually returned to calm. However, those two elders no longer possessed the air of magistrates. As for the head judge, he was sitting there as if nothing had happened.
Long Chen smiled. It seemed that everyone was at least somewhat aware of these two old fellowâs matters. That was why they encouraged him upon seeing how flustered they were. It seemed that the two of them had offended quite a few people.
âAlright, the discussion on Long Chenâs previous words ends here. Let us get to the main topic. Everyone stand. We are formally starting the trial,â announced the head judge solemnly.
As he stood, everyone else did as well, even all the onlookers. The atmosphere instantly grew serious.
Just at this moment, the two divine statuesâ runes slowly lit up. The entire trial hall was bathed in a sacred light.
At the same time, the position of the magistrates and head judge rose, forming an arched platform. A dignified air then settled throughout the hall.
The magistrates and the head judge bowed toward the two divine statues before slowly sitting back down in their positions.
The head judge solemnly shouted, âChu Kuang, Chu Yishan, Ye Ming, enter the trial hall.â