A journal written by the Village Head! This was crucial evidence indeed.

"He writes that he had asked a Taoist brother who was passing by the village to get rid of a flower demon. The demon was causing havoc to his people in retaliation to his lack of action and leadership. He regrets not tying to solve the problem when she first approached him all those months ago. Then it would not have escalated."

"He goes on to say that he acknowledges the whole mess could have been avoided if only he and the villages had taken proactive measures to discipline their children. He regretted his decision to rid the village of the demon instead of punishing and teaching their children to respect others. If their children had not disturbed the demon then she would not retaliated."

Lifen looked up and inhaled sharply. Really? The human wrote that? Did they finally admit the truth?

"He justified it by writing there was never any trouble with the demon before the incident although they were aware of her existence. They had seen her around occasionally but did not know where she resided."

Senior Ching took a deep breath and continued.

"After she was gone, the village enjoyed a few months of peace which they used to rebuild their lives. Then, it was disrupted again. This time by random demons causing havoc on the people. They taunted and wrecked their belongings indiscriminately since no one could stop them anymore. Only then did the Head realize that the flower demon he had gotten rid of was actually protecting their village from other demons."

"Is this true?" asked Senior Liu skeptically addressing Lifen directly.

"I was not protecting them intentionally. The village just happened to be in my territory," answered Lifen truthfully.

A few members of the Council nodded their heads. That was more believable than if she had claimed to be a righteous protector.

"What happened then?"

"Well, they endured the occasional harassment throughout the years until a certain young passionate demon hunter sought them out," laughed Senior Ching. "Young Kai here caught the demon who was tormenting them on one of his trips."

"We should have known that Kai would be actively looking for the site of his obsession and all things related instead of just passively checking the possessed scrolls that came in," quipped someone teasingly.

"After that, Kai kept the demons at bay by his frequent visits. Any he found were quickly caught and the village enjoyed peace again."

"Over the years the journal outlining what really happened was updated with current events and passed down. The Head's family was tasked with one job," said Senior Ching and caught Lifen's gaze. "This mission was to apologize and obtain the flower demon's forgiveness if any of the descendants ever met her again."

Lifen's hand flew to her mouth. "Really? They said that?" she gasped in disbelief. She had not expected the humans to ever admit their fault.

"Yes, Lifen. It says so here in black and white," said Senior Ching holding up the journal.

"It seems there was much more than we originally thought," concluded Senior Liu. "Is there anything else we should know regarding this case?"

Kai spoke up.

"Senior, I have one more thing to add. Please take into consideration that Lifen helped me recapture two of the three demons released by the current Head's son. She even eliminated one to protect me, a human. Even after I was injured and passed out, she took me to safety and stayed by my side. She did not turn on the villagers who cause her imprisonment all these years."

"As Lifen said, she prefers peace and by her actions has proven that she is not interested in revenge."

"Of course Kai, we will take all evidence and testimonies into consideration." Senior Ching stood up, "Now, we the Council will discuss the matter and come to a judgement. All are dismissed."

"Kai, as you know Lifen should be in the holding chambers until the judgement," he instructed. "It wont take long."

-----

Judgement came swiftly after only a few hours of deliberation. Everyone knew the case well and the Council had a set of criteria to determine a demon's innocence which made it easy.

When the gong sounded, everyone gathered again. After careful consideration of all the evidence and testimonies, it was judged that Lifen, the flower demon was innocent.

It was clear that the villagers were at fault. By their own admission via the journal, they admitted to their mistakes and sought forgiveness. Lifen's story and Lin's records were also corroborated by the journal confirming the full sequence of events which transpired.

Therefore, it shall be recorded that Lifen was only defending herself since her survival (food source) was destroyed repeatedly despite numerous pleas. Her peaceful attempts to reason with the villagers were ignored causing her retaliation. Also, no humans were ever killed, injured or harmed physically. Her 'revenge' consisted mainly of bluffs. Although she did destroy fields and livestock enough to make the humans hungry and forced them to ration their food, but there was no danger of starvation.

Thus, the flower demon was to be released and her bind to the painting severed.

The Council stood witness as Kai recited the complicated spell to free Lifen. A soft white light bathed the demon for a moment. When it faded, Lifen cried in joy, a huge smile on her radiant face.

"Go Nightshade, you are now free. Be well and live a life of peace as you wish," said Senior Ching.

"I will! Thank you!!" Lifen dissolved into bluish purple motes. The dense cloud swished and danced around the chamber several times then went to swirl happily around Kai.

"Thank you, demon hunter!" came Lifen's soft voice. "I will always remember you, Kai!"

She went to the painting one last time, enveloping the scroll which had been her home for decades. The parchment lifted gently then fluttered back onto the table when Lifen finally flew out the open doors.