Evidence of Guilt

Lancheng has an extreme divide.

The people in the south are refined and elegant, while those in the north are utterly lawless.

In the south, there's Min Chen, an impartial warden. If even the Jade Emperor broke the law, he'd have him brought before him for questioning.

In the north, there's Yu Shao, who's had his hands on everything from treasures in the national treasury to the chickens people keep at home. To him, every criminal law is just another target.

Yu Shao is the thorn in Min Chen's side, the only blemish on his career.

For three whole years, whenever Min Chen reached a crime scene, all he could find were traces of Yu Shao's escape.

Then, on New Year's Eve of the fourth year, Min Chen finally saw Yu Shao in prison.

The prison was dim, and Yu Shao was bound in shackles, covered in blood and grime.

"If I'd known the warden looked like this," Yu Shao said, openly sizing up Min Chen. He blinked the blood from his lashes and gave a teasing smile. "I would've turned myself in sooner."

On the day Yu Shao was to be executed, the whole country celebrated. But the news that arrived instead left everyone stunned.

The warden, who had never made a mistake, had let Yu Shao escape.

Even more terrifying, the warden himself had disappeared.

Everyone in the north knows Yu Shao brought home a "little wife." Every night, people at the bar can hear Yu Shao bragging about how obedient his "good wife" is, and all the tricks he uses to attract him.

The people of North City haven't seen any of those tricks, only the increasingly dazzling treasures Yu Shao brings home and stuffs into the house.

In Yu Shao's den, Min Chen accepts a crown.

"What do you think?" Yu Shao slouches in a chair, crosses his legs, and wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Not bad, right?"

Min Chen's expression doesn't change. He takes a photo and uploads it to the cloud, adding the note: "Evidence of crime 053, Crown of the Ancient Wilderness."

Min Chen is the top, Yu Shao the bottom.

So what if we're a thousand miles apart? I'll make my way to you, one step at a time.

Theme: World peace