The execution ground was located in the center of Shishui City.
This ancient structure had a long and storied past. It was said to have existed for as long as Shishui City itself, spanning an unknown number of millennia. The Lost Souls who had died here were beyond count.
The spectacle Hong Tiande created to avenge Hong Luàn was so imnse that it shook Shishui City to its core.
Everyone, from high officials and nobles to common peddlers and laborers, was talking about it.
As Hong Yu made his way through the streets, he occasionally overheard snippets of conversation...
"Hong Tiande's thods are just too brutal. I heard he's rounded up everyone who had any kind of conflict with Hong Luàn in the past four or five months!"
"Getting rounded up is the least of it. I heard Hong Tiande is dead set on finding the killer. He's going to execute anyone he deems suspicious as a sacrifice to his grandson."
"Isn't he afraid of causing a public outcry?"
"Public outcry? In Shishui City, who can do anything to the Hong Family?"
Squeezed in among the crowd, Hong Yu's gaze fell upon the solemn execution platform.
Eighteen people, all bound tightly, were tied to the posts on the execution platform. Every face was a mask of bitter resentnt and the terror of imminent death. Among them were Martial Dao masters, Hunters from the Underground Alliance, rchants, and commoners—there was even a boy of thirteen or fourteen.
Hong Yu frowned and asked an elderly man beside him, "Sir, what's the story with that child?"
"Sigh, it's a terrible injustice," the old man sighed. "A few days ago, that boy was struck by Hong Luàn's horse. His father went to confront him about it and was beaten to death by Hong Luàn's n. Now the poor kid is all alone. And since Hong Luàn is dead, the Hong Family Elder declared that anyone who ever had a conflict with him is a suspect..."
"What?"
Hong Yu felt a knot of resentnt tighten in his chest, a stifling mixture of frustration and rage.
'So Hong Luàn hits the boy, and not only does he not apologize, he has the boy's father beaten to death. And that wasn't enough? Now they've arrested this helpless child as a suspect?'
Hong Yu looked at the boy and saw that his gaze was perfectly clear. In those pitch-black eyes, there wasn't a trace of fear—only a profound, simring hatred.
'These people... it's all my fault,' Hong Yu thought, blaming himself.
'No. I can't let them die for nothing.'
Hong Yu gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way to save these innocent people.
But after thinking it through, he realized there was no way to save them unless he stepped forward and admitted to being Hong Luàn's killer.
But if he revealed his identity, he would never escape Hong Tiande's murderous wrath.
On one hand, the condemnation of his conscience.
On the other, the threat to his own life.
Hong Yu hesitated.
Just then, Hong Tiande, who was seated on the high platform, suddenly waved his hand. The executioner on the stage acknowledged the command and swung his cold, gleaming Big Saber. With a spray of blood, a head went flying. It belonged to a moderately well-known rchant. Rumor had it that Hong Luàn had recently tried to forcibly take a family heirloom from his shop, and the resulting conflict had led to the rchant's execution.
The pungent stench of blood filled the air, and Hong Yu's eyes blazed red.
From the high platform, Hong Tiande spoke, his voice cold. "This man had a conflict with my grandson, Hong Luàn, and was therefore a suspect. There are more than ten others on this platform, all suspected of killing my grandson. Today, I, Hong Tiande, will enact justice on behalf of the heavens and avenge my dear Luàn. I know the true killer may not be among them. But until the real culprit appears, I will adhere to the principle of killing the innocent rather than letting the guilty escape. To my grandson's murderer: if you have any conscience left, show yourself! Do not let other innocent people die in your place."
Hong Tiande spoke with an air of absolute righteousness, as if he were truly an agent of heaven's will.
But the tens of thousands watching in the execution ground sneered, wishing they could spit in his face.
Hong Yu's shoulders trembled as well, his rage boiling over.
'That old dog... he treats human lives like weeds, yet he dares to claim he's enacting justice for the heavens. He's utterly shaless.' Hong Yu clenched his fists. Seeing the executioner walk toward the young boy, he could no longer hold back and prepared to reveal himself.
But just then, the boy, his eyes filled with hatred, suddenly let out a piercing laugh.
For one so young, the laugh that erupted from his frail, skin-and-bones fra was as chilling as a winter wind. When he was done, he stared defiantly at Hong Tiande on the high platform. "Old dog! Your grandson was evil to the core and deserved his death. My only regret is that I wasn't strong enough to stop him. I could only watch as he had my father killed, powerless to take revenge myself. Now he's finally dead! *That* is justice from the heavens! *That* is proof that Cangtian is watching!"
"To the hero who killed that animal, Hong Luàn—I thank you for avenging my father! I can never repay this kindness in my lifeti. If I have the chance in the next, I will willingly serve you like a beast of burden." The boy laughed again, his voice sharp. "Hong Tiande, you old dog, just you wait! Those who commit endless evil are dood to destroy themselves! One day, the hero will avenge us!"
"You're courting death."
Enraged at being called an old dog again, a cold light flared in Hong Tiande's eyes. He flicked a finger, and a sharp blast of energy shot forth.
THWIP!
The energy blast buried itself in the boy's body. He stiffened, and then his entire fra began to swell. A web of bloody cracks spread across his skin, instantly turning him into a man of blood. It was clear he would explode and die within monts. But the boy showed no fear. Hot blood gushed from his mouth, yet his young voice was chillingly defiant. "Hahaha! Old dog, so I die by your hand today! But one day, the hero will surely avenge !"
BOOM!
The words had barely left his lips when the boy's body exploded, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.
"Kill them all!"
Hong Tiande flicked his sleeve and departed, drifting away.
He had intended to use this spectacle to force the true killer out of hiding. But after the boy's defiant display, he knew the killer probably wouldn't reveal himself now, even if he was in the crowd. There was no point in wasting any more ti.
The executioners swung their Big Sabers again and again, and a dozen more heads rolled to the ground.
A dozen more Vengeful Souls now road the world.
Standing in the crowd, Hong Yu found it hard to breathe. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. A mont before, he had been resolved to reveal his identity, but the boy's final words had shaken him to the core and extinguished that impulse.
'With Hong Tiande's cruelty, even if I had stepped forward, I couldn't have saved them.'
'It's better to train hard and one day kill that old dog to avenge them than to throw my own life away for nothing.'
'Rest easy,' he vowed. 'One day, I will kill that old dog Hong Tiande with my own hands and get vengeance for all of you.'
Just as Hong Yu was about to turn and leave, the voice of the Tower God, Little One, suddenly echoed from within him. "Hong Yu, wait!"
'Hmm?'
Hong Yu froze.
'I've been trying to contact Little One for days, but he's been completely ignoring . It's strange for him to show up on his own now.'
Little One said coolly, "Hong Yu, find a way to get that boy's corpse."
"What?"
Hong Yu was stunned.
Little One said, "Don't ask so many questions. I have a way to let him live on, in another form. However, there are conditions. You must obtain his flesh and blood, and you must break through to the Earth Soul Realm and open the First Layer of the Profound Celestial Tower within one month. Otherwise, it will all be for nothing."
Hong Yu's heart jolted.
'Live on in another form?'
He recalled the boy's powerful resentnt just before his death. A young man who should have been in the pri of his life was instead filled with a world-weary, monstrous hatred. It had left a deep impression. Hong Yu felt a great sense of guilt and helplessness over the boy's death. If there was a way for him to live on, he would naturally want to see it happen.
As for breaking through to the Earth Soul Realm within a month, it would be difficult, but not impossible.
He nodded. "I understand."
Getting the corpse from the execution ground wasn't hard. The real difficulty was Hong Tiande's determination to make an iron-fisted example of them; even in death, he wanted their bodies hung for all to see. Fortunately, the boy's remains were not intact, and even the execution ground guards didn't want to deal with them. After bribing a guard with a hundred or so Gold Coins, Hong Yu managed to secure the boy's remains.
"Little One, what do I do now?" Hong Yu asked.
"Don't call Little One. Call Tower God."
Little One grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Bring out the Profound Celestial Tower. I'll place his remains inside. Over the next month, you must break through to the Earth Soul Realm and obtain the items on this list. Otherwise, even I won't be able to save him."
Hong Yu looked at the list that appeared in his mind and was left speechless. "Three-Eyed Dragon Beard Grass, a Sun and Moon Lotus, Thousand-year-old Polygonum multiflorum, and a complete Tier Two Wild Beast carcass? Little One, I've never even heard of most of these things! Even the most common item, the Three-Eyed Dragon Beard Grass, costs hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins! How am I supposed to get all this?"
"That's not my problem. All right, I'm going to handle his body now. As for everything else, you're on your own!" Little One had all the makings of a boss who leaves all the work to others. With that parting shot, he vanished, ignoring all of Hong Yu's attempts to call him back.
'What a little con artist...'
Hong Yu grimaced, shaking his head with a wry smile. "I guess my only option is to try my luck at the Underground Alliance."
Shaking his head, Hong Yu mounted his horse and rode for ho.
When he got ho, he pushed the door open. "Yaoyao, I'm back!"
Hong Yu called out, then went to the well to draw a basin of water to wash his face. When he finished and Yun ngyao still hadn't appeared, he frowned. 'Is she not ho? No, that can't be right. She didn't have to go to her embroidery lesson today.'
"Nngh..."
Hong Yu's ear twitched. He heard a low, pained groan coming from inside the room.
'This is bad!'
Hong Yu's expression changed instantly.
He dropped the water ladle and bolted toward the inner room.
He burst through the door.
Inside, a young woman was lying in a large, steaming tub.
But Hong Yu had no mind for such things. He saw that Yun ngyao's lips were a dark purple, and a faint, bluish-purple tint was spreading across her skin. Her delicate body was trembling uncontrollably.
Hong Yu's expression shifted...
'Dammit, Yaoyao's illness is flaring up!'
User Comments
0 comments from readers