Free Web NovelChapter 448: Chapter 169: Chaotic Heart Level 6, Beheading
"My apologies, I had some matters to attend to, so I’m late," Shen Bai said.
Dongfang Li smiled. "Lord Shen is new to Nanxing Prefecture, so it’s natural you have important business to handle. We all understand. Now that the appointed hour has arrived, let’s get down to business."
Business was more important right now. There was no need to reminisce, especially with a group of criminals kneeling below, about to be sent to the Yellow Springs.
Shen Bai looked at the token on the table and said, "Perhaps Lord Dongfang would like to be the one to throw this token?"
The fall of the token would signal the time for beheading. Shen Bai didn’t particularly want to do it himself, so he offered it to Dongfang Li as a favor.
After all, a task like this, big or small, was still considered a meritorious deed.
But Dongfang Li shook his head. "Lord Shen has just arrived in Nanxing Prefecture and has already rooted out so many major criminals. It is only natural that you perform this most crucial step. I am not one to covet credit. I appreciate the thought, Lord Shen, and I thank you for it."
The implication was that Dongfang Li had accepted the favor but didn’t need Shen Bai to go so far as to hand over the task itself.
Shen Bai smiled and nodded. "Very well, I’ll do it then."
As he spoke, he picked up a token from the table but did not throw it down.
A constable stepped forward from the side, holding a folded report. He opened it to a page and began to read aloud.
"Gao Yun, head of the Gao Family, colluded with the previous Prefecture Chief during his tenure and conspired with Demonic Forces. The sentence is death!"
This was part of the procedure. They couldn’t just start beheading people. It was necessary to let the common folk know what crimes these individuals had committed.
Gao Yun knelt on the ground, his face ashen. He stared at the dirt, as if his soul had already departed.
He was filled with regret. ’Why did I do those things back then?’ He never imagined that one day he would meet such an end.
After the constable finished reading, Shen Bai tossed the token in his hand to the ground.
The executioner, holding a Ghost Head Saber, took a swig of wine and sprayed it onto the blade. He removed the placard stuck to Gao Yun’s back and raised the saber high.
The Ghost Head Saber glinted blindingly under the sunlight.
As if sensing death’s arrival, Gao Yun jerked his head up and screamed, "Spare me! Spare me..."
Before he could finish, the blade fell.
With the fall of the Ghost Head Saber, a head flew into the air. Blood splattered as it rolled across the ground.
The crowd erupted in an uproar, a mix of tension and excitement.
Some of the commoners who had been oppressed by him even revealed smiles of satisfaction.
"A good kill!"
Following that one great shout, the crowd began to cheer in waves.
Shen Bai smiled slightly, then picked up another token.
The process that followed was the continuous rise and fall of the Ghost Head Saber.
Through this, Shen Bai witnessed the full spectrum of human nature.
Some were utterly despondent before death, others glared defiantly, and some were so frightened they wet themselves.
In the face of death, all living beings are equal.
Every strike of the blade took a life, yet every person who died deserved to die ten times over.
Beheading was a swift affair, but because each person’s crimes had to be announced before their execution, the entire process naturally took a long time.
By the time the last head hit the ground, it was already approaching afternoon.
The common folk had not dispersed. They watched the headless corpses with excitement.
Shen Bai withdrew his hand and said, "Lord Dongfang, since the matter is concluded, I’ll have to trouble the constables from the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office with the cleanup."
This matter had been initiated by Shen Bai, but the cleanup still had to be handled by the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office. After all, executions at the Vegetable Market were ultimately organized by them.
Dongfang Li nodded. "No problem, just leave it to me."
Shen Bai grunted in acknowledgment, planning to leave with Amber.
After tasting the benefits of a Sixth-level Divine Power, Shen Bai planned to continue grinding his other Divine Powers. Improving a few more would grant him an even greater boost, bringing him closer to the Unity Realm.
With his ability of Overcoming Adversity and Attacking Upward, he would then be able to firmly establish himself in Nanxing Prefecture.
Dongfang Li knew that Shen Bai, being new to Nanxing Prefecture, must have many things to do, so he had no objection to him leaving first.
After all, to have reached the position of Prefect, Dongfang Li naturally understood social etiquette. He offered some pleasantries.
"Lord Shen, if you have time in the future, you should visit the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office often. We can drink and reminisce. Relationships, of course, are built slowly over wine."
Dongfang Li had thoroughly studied the ways of officialdom. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have climbed all the way from the bottom to become the Prefect of a Prefecture-level City.
Shen Bai nodded. "If I have the time, I will certainly come to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office and drink with Lord Dongfang until dawn."
With that, he did not plan to stay any longer and turned to walk toward the Observatory.
Recently, he had been thinking about whether to purchase a house in Nanxing Prefecture.
After all, from the looks of it, he would be staying in Nanxing Prefecture for some time.
But after thinking it over, Shen Bai decided against it.
He had a place to live, and it was right inside the Observatory, which was very safe. There was no need to buy a place outside.
Although he had money, he didn’t need to be so wasteful.
Around them, the constables once again dispersed the crowd, clearing a path for Shen Bai and Amber to walk through.
The journey back was uneventful.
Shen Bai was planning to grab dinner on a street near the Observatory and then head back to grind all night.
But unexpectedly, before he even reached the street, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps.
Shen Bai turned around to see a member of the Observatory walking briskly toward him.
The Observatory member had an anxious look on his face. When he saw Shen Bai, his eyes immediately lit up, and he hurried closer.
Shen Bai rarely saw such anxiety. He frowned and spoke before the Observatory member had even reached him.
"What happened?"
He had once said that there was no need to report to him unless it was a major issue.
But from the looks of it now, something big must have happened.
Sure enough, the Observatory member wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Lord Shen, it’s bad! In one of the counties, for some unknown reason, a large number of disasters have suddenly broken out. Floods, fires, natural and man-made calamities... they’ve become extremely frequent."
"The County Magistrate was unable to handle it, so he reported it to the Observatory in the State-level City. They sent people to investigate but found nothing. It’s highly likely the work of Jianghu Demons. We sent our own people over, but there has been no news from them either, which is why I’ve come to consult with you, Lord Shen."
