Chapter 626: Chapter 626: Lady Ling
The next morning, Gu Jin went to file the case.
Because of the attention from the media and the huge wave of international interest, the court accepted the case almost immediately.
Within a day, the new hearings began.
The courtroom was packed.
This time, Maria once again stood as Gu Jin’s lawyer.
On the opposite side, the same offense lawyer, Arnold, adjusted his glasses and smirked calmly.
The moment he saw Gu Jin, his eyes narrowed.
But instead of the hatred he showed before, his face now carried a look of fresh confidence.
The judge entered, and the gavel struck. "Court is in session."
The hearing began.
The arguments continued day after day.
The debates grew heated. Sometimes, both sides repeated the same points, dragging the case on.
Gu Jin sat calmly through it all. During the time the case is going on, no necromancers will be executed.
Every word, every counter, every argument was planting seeds in the minds of the council and the public.
The hearings stretched for an entire week.
Day after day, the judge listened. Day after day, the courtroom filled with tension.
By the end of the seventh day, even the judge looked exhausted. He rubbed his forehead, sighing heavily.
The judge leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.
"This cannot go on like this," he said finally.
His voice was calm, but everyone could hear the exhaustion behind it.
The room went silent. Maria and Arnold, who had been arguing for hours, stopped talking at once.
"For seven days," the judge continued,
"I have listened to history and fear, and I have listened to hope and possibility. One side speaks of the past. The other side speaks of the future. Yet neither of you has shown me proof that will truly answer the question."
Maria frowned slightly. "Your Honor, what are you suggesting?"
The judge looked at her and then at Arnold.
"The only way to know if necromancers deserve a chance is to see what they become when they have real power. If they surpass others and still use that power with control and responsibility, then perhaps they deserve that chance. If they do not, then we will know the truth."
Arnold’s eyes widened. "That is insane!" he shouted, slamming his hand on the table.
"What if they become too powerful? What if they destroy everything? Are you telling us to hand the world over to necromancers and hope for the best?"
The judge sighed deeply.
"I did not say it would be without control. There is a way to do this safely."
Everyone in the courtroom leaned forward.
Murmurs spread like waves across the seats. Maria glanced at Gu Jin, who remained calm, her hands folded neatly on the table.
"What way?" Maria asked carefully.
The judge’s eyes drifted to a woman sitting quietly at the far end of the courtroom. She wore pure white robes and a thin white veil that covered her hair.
Her presence was so calm and still that most people had not even noticed her until now.
But the judge had noticed her the moment she walked in.
"Lady Ling," he said softly.
Gasps spread through the hall. Even Maria’s calm expression morphed into shock. Arnold’s face turned pale.
"Lady Ling... the guardian of the God of Mage world?" he whispered.
The judge nodded. "Yes. The protector of Chang Yin himself."
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Lady Ling had not appeared in public for more than fifty years.
The judge straightened his robes.
"Lady Ling and I spoke privately yesterday. She believes this conflict, if left unresolved, could lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of mages. And so, she has offered a solution."
He looked at Gu Jin.
"Gu Jin, you will serve under Lady Ling for one year. During that year, she will observe you. She will study your actions, your choices, and your nature. At the end of that year, if you pass her evaluation, necromancers will be declared innocent. They will no longer be executed simply for being born with that element."
The courtroom exploded into chaos.
People stood and shouted.
Some cheered. Others protested. Even Arnold was speechless for a moment before he finally managed to speak.
"This is ridiculous!" he shouted.
"Why would Lady Ling even agree to this? And how can one necromancer’s actions speak for all necromancers? What if she is pretending? What if she behaves perfectly for a year and then destroys the world after that?"
The judge looked at him calmly.
"Lady Ling does not make mistakes. She is not only a guardian. She is also a seer. If she spends a year observing someone closely, she can predict their future choices with incredible accuracy. If she believes Gu Jin is not a threat, then she will never become one."
Arnold clenched his fists.
"But that is not fair. One person cannot represent the entire necromancer race!"
Gu Jin, who had been silent until now, let out a soft chuckle.
"How strange," she said, her voice calm.
"You were ready to execute me based on the actions of a few necromancers in the past. Now that I have a chance to prove the opposite, suddenly one necromancer is not enough."
The courtroom quieted again. Gu Jin’s words were a tight slap to Arnold’s face.
Arnold’s face turned red.
"You do not understand!" he snapped.
"This is bigger than you. Necromancy is a threat to the entire world. The fate of millions cannot rest on your behavior."
"Yet you were willing to decide the fate of millions based on fear," Gu Jin replied coolly.
"You used examples of evil necromancers to justify killing innocent ones. If fear is enough to judge, then so is proof."
The judge watched silently as the two argued.
Finally, he raised his hand, and the room fell silent again.
"Arnold," he said firmly,
"Lady Ling’s power is beyond question. If she believes she can predict the future of necromancy through Gu Jin, then that is the best solution we have. This is not about pretending. This is about understanding. And Lady Ling is the only person in this world who can give us that understanding."
Arnold bit his lip. He wanted to argue more, but deep down, he knew the judge was right.
Lady Ling’s abilities were unmatched. If she agreed to this plan, then no court, no council, and no nation would dare question it.
The judge took a deep breath and finally spoke again.
"The decision is final," he said firmly. "There will be no further changes or objections. The court accepts Lady Ling’s proposal."
Arnold’s mouth opened like he still wanted to argue, but the judge raised his hand.
"Enough. This is the only way forward. Case closed."
The gavel struck, and the sound echoed through the courtroom.
The Gu family, sitting in the front row, immediately stood up. Mr. Gu’s face was pale, and Mrs. Gu’s hands were shaking.
"Wait!" she shouted. "We cannot just accept this! Our daughter is being sent to a place no one returns from!"
Before she could speak further, Long Yifan stepped in front of them.
"Don’t," he said calmly, his voice steady. "Don’t say anything more."
Mr. Gu’s eyes narrowed. "Why not?" he demanded.
"Do you even understand what this means? Lady Ling is not just a mage. She is the guardian of the balance itself. She opens and closes portals between worlds. Even at Transcendental Stage 10, she struggles to hold everything together. And our Jin’er... she’s only Heaven Rank in most of her elements. This isn’t training. This is throwing her into the mouth of death!"
Mrs. Gu grabbed Long Yifan’s sleeve, her eyes filled with tears. "She just came back to us," she whispered.
"We just got her back. And now they want to take her away again. How can we stay quiet?"
Long Yifan looked at them, his expression serious but gentle.
"I know," he said softly. "But I also know something you don’t. I will go with her."
The Gu family froze. "What?" Mr. Gu asked, stunned.
"I will go with her," Long Yifan repeated.
"I have already reached Transcendental Stage 3. I can protect her. And..." He took a deep breath before continuing.
"I spoke with Lady Ling before this hearing. If we want Gu Jin to win this case, if we want the necromancers to have a future, then we must accept this. There is no other way."
Mr. and Mrs. Gu stared at him, and slowly, all the strength seemed to drain from their bodies.
They sank back into their seats, pale and exhausted.
Mrs. Gu covered her mouth. "We just found her..." she whispered again, her voice breaking. "And now we have to let her go."
Mr. Gu placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder, his face filled with pain.
"We don’t have a choice," he said quietly.
When the decision was officially announced, Gu Jin stood up slowly.
She looked at the judge with a calm expression before turning her eyes to her family.
For a moment, something soft stirred in her chest.
’They’re scared for me,’ she thought. ’They love me.’