Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)

“My mouth is stiff at the moment. I’ll send a representative.” Long Chen couldn’t be bothered to talk about such things.

“Outrageous! You have repeatedly insulted this trial, completely ignoring the academy’s laws! Do you really need to be punished before you’ll start acting properly?!” shouted the magistrate that had previously apologized to Long Chen.

Long Chen looked at him and curled his mouth. “According to the academy’s own laws, the sixth chapter of the trial section, third clause, fifth paragraph, someone in a trial who is unwell, not in a good mental state, or other reasons that affect their narrative ability, can assign someone else as a representative. Oh, great magistrate, you don’t even know about this law? Do you really feel good sitting in that position? Do you even care about your butt?”

Long Chen gazed at him disdainfully. This fellow really was an idiot. Long Chen didn’t know if he had just forgotten all the laws he was supposed to know or if he just thought that Long Chen wouldn’t know this one.

“You dare to insult me? You don’t place any of these traditions in your eyes! The High Firmament Academy’s laws are not to be disgraced by you!” shouted the magistrate.

“How did I insult you? We’ve discussed it before. The butt is just part of the body. It doesn’t count as an insult. Even the dean didn’t quibble over this matter, so why are you shouting? What? Do you think that your butt is even bigger than the deans?” sneered Long Chen.

Even the head judge frowned. How was it that they somehow ended up looping back to this topic? Long Chen once more managed to pull in the dean, as well as the butt.

“Silence! You may not bring up the dean’s name another time. This is a kind of disrespect to his old face,” said the head judge.

“Alright, I admit I used the wrong word just now. I switched the face with the butt. Furthermore, facing a magistrate, I should use the proper honorifics.” Long Chen cupped his fists toward the magistrate. “Great respected magistrate, you don’t even know about this law? Do you really feel good sitting in that position? Do you even care about your face?”

The magistrate quivered with fury and wanted to claw Long Chen, but his claw had struck an iron nail. Long Chen was too familiar with the laws of the academy. It seemed that he was even more familiar with them than the magistrate was.

The magistrate shouted, “This clause is correct, but you’re perfectly fine. Why aren’t you able to testify yourself?”

“I was perfectly fine before, but then I encountered someone with a disagreeable mouth. The crap he spouted injured me deeply, so I will have my friend take my place. How did that become looking down on the court and the High Firmament Academy's laws? You’re once more accusing me of crazy things. Sorry, but I’m not able to accept such accusations. I need to rest. What’s wrong with having someone who witnessed everything testify in my place? Great magistrate, if there is a problem, please tell us all. If such a thing truly constitutes looking down on the academy’s laws, I am willing to submit to my punishment. Please, start your performance.” Long Chen gestured to the magistrate, indicating for him to start.

“You…!”

The magistrate couldn’t say a word back, so he furiously gnashed his teeth. Long Chen’s tongue was a weapon in its own right. The magistrate already felt like he had been slashed by a thousand sabers, his body covered in wounds.

“According to the law, Long Chen has the right to have someone speak for him. However, Long Chen, you only get one chance to testify. Once you’re done telling your side, you won’t be qualified to interject in someone else’s testimony of your own accord, nor will you have a chance to add anything,” warned the head judge.

“That’s fine. I, Long Chen, have never done anything that cannot be spoken of. I also disdain lying,” said Long Chen indifferently.

“Alright, then you can start,” said the head judge.

Long Chen looked back. Luo Bing, Luo Ning, and Mu Qingyun instantly tensed, especially Luo Ning. She didn’t know whether or not Long Chen would pick her.

“You.”

Long Chen then pointed at her, causing her heart to clench. It was fine for her to talk in her normal manner at other times, but in this situation, she felt like her throat had closed. The world was spinning around her, so she clenched her teeth and slowly stood.

“I’m not talking about you. With your clumsy mouth and how you treat me, who knows whether or not you’ll sell me out? I’m talking about the one behind you,” said Long Chen, pointing behind Luo Ning.

Luo Ning turned around to see Li Cai. Li Cai’s jaw dropped, and he couldn’t believe his own ears. Long Chen was actually calling on him to testify.

Li Cai nervously stood up, his forehead already shiny with sweat. He had never been in such a situation.

“How long are you planning on shaking? You aren’t even capable of lying in this kind of situation. Just answer whatever they ask. No one is interested in all the immoral things you did before.” Long Chen kicked him in the butt, sending him forward. Li Cai stumbled onto the stand.

“What’s your name?” demanded the scarred magistrate.

“Guess…” Li Cai’s voice shuddered. This time, Long Chen didn’t mishear. In his nervousness, Li Cai wasn’t able to pronounce his own name properly just like when he had introduced himself to Long Chen.

“Brazen!”

The scarred magistrate was enraged. Long Chen was already so arrogant, but now his subordinate actually dared to challenge him as well?! Even the others were astonished. Were all of Long Chen’s subordinates so brave?

“I… I… I’m surnamed Li… my given name is Cai… Together, it’s Li Cai.” Li Cai was so nervous that he had even forgotten how he had said that he would report his name with the characters separate in the future. Otherwise, it sounded like a provocation.

Li Cai almost wept. This elder’s rage was terrifying to him. He had a new understanding of how frightening Long Chen was. He was able to point and curse at this terrifying existence while surrounded by thousands of other powerful experts. That didn’t require just bravery to do.

The scarred magistrate barked, “Enunciate properly! Start your testimony. Tell us what happened from start to end.”

“Yes… On that day, boss San told us to go out for training. He told us to eat more for breakfast and hone our weapons…” Li Cai began to stumble through his testimony.

“Get to the main point,” ordered the magistrate.

“The swords had main points and some beast piercing arrows. But no others,” said Li Cai, bewildered.

Long Chen laughed. This fellow was so nervous that it was perfect.

The magistrate was ashen with fury, but Li Cai’s quivering appearance did not appear like he was playing with them, so the magistrate couldn’t punish him. He couldn’t bother to ask anything.

The more questions he asked, the more nervous Li Cai became. On the other hand, the head judge simply listened without interjecting.

Li Cai then spent a full hour explaining how Long Chen had brought them out, how they had trained, and how they had awoken and seen a volcanic eruption.

“Isn’t there a part missing in the middle?” The scarred elder had run into the iron nail known as Long Chen repeatedly. Now, it was the turn of the other magistrate.

“Miss Luo Bing can give the accounting for the missing portion. By having two viewpoints of testimony at the same time, the story will be even clearer,” said Long Chen.