Book 7 Chapter 1 - Places Sunlight Reaches and Places Where It Doesn’t

Midday in Yunqin, the sunlight today was the most intense.

Yunqin’s people believed that executing a criminal at this time was not only true justice and brilliance, revealing everything the criminal did under the sky, they also believed that all resentment and curses could no longer exist under this midday scorching sun.

Right now, at East Port Town’s outer crossing, the scorching flame-like sunlight shone on the kneeling Xu Chengfeng and the eleven other prisoners on the execution platform.

These people were normally extremely clean and neat, but right now, they were all in sorry states, most of them unable to even support themselves up, falling weak on the execution platform.

There were already countless civilians gathered under the platform, among them including the mother of Feng Zeyi, the corpse who floated down the river, ultimately triggering the Silver Hook Lane case. Right now, her hair was even more white than when she came to East Port Town to confirm the identity of the corpse, on her forehead was a small scar. Apart from her, the families of many girls who died in the Silver Hook Lane case were present.

The crowd in the surroundings moved aside on their own, allowing these individuals to reach the very front, allowing them to witness the fall of these beasts clearly.

Lin Xi, Jiang Wenhe, Du Weiqing, as well as Lu Mingyi who was now in charge of the Warden Office appeared on the platform. When she saw Lin Xi appear, Feng Zeyi’s mother knelt down in front of him, not saying anything, her grizzled hair falling heavily onto the ground again.

Silently, many people in the front row also knelt down, showing Lin Xi a great kowtow of respect.

In that instant, countless people gathered in front of the execution platform, yet it was completely silent, no excessive noises could be heard.

Judicial Sector’s officials sat behind a table on the execution platform. When they saw this scene, even these officials were a bit moved. After confirming that these were the criminals’ true bodies, when Lin Xi and the others all signed their names on the Ministry of Justice’s corresponding documents, a Judicial Sector major sixth rank execution official stood up, loudly declaring that there was no mistake with these people’s investigations, formally starting the execution.

A stopped gray-haired elder carrying a small metal case and an iron tower-like tall and sturdy dark faced man who had clearly drank too much strong alcohol walked onto the platform.

This Judicial Sector official’s expression became serious, releasing a loud and fierce ‘kill’ !’ shout. The tall and sturdy dark faced man released a fierce exhale, and then stepped up. He reached out his left hand, raised the nape of the criminal that was laying weak on the ground, and then following a loud roar, a blade flashed past, the thick backed executioner’s blade hacked into his cervical vertebra with great precision.

With a shua sound, that criminal’s head flew into the air, blood shooting out from his neck, splashing far into the distance.

With a hua noise, the civilians took a large step backwards in fright.

Hah!

Judicial Sector’s Executioner didn’t feel any hesitation. When the first criminal’s head was still rolling on the stage, he already delivered another blow. Blood radiance splashed into the sky, and then another head tumbled.

During the beheading process, the spectating civilliance thought about how wicked these people were, gradually becoming more courageous, cheers starting to sound. Moreover, the cheers became louder and louder, making the midday sunlight even more fiery.

When Xu Chengfeng was brought out, he was already limp on the stage. When the first criminal’s head fell, he already directly fainted from fear.

The stooped gray-haired elder with a small iron case on his back only narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at him without moving. Only when all of the other criminals' heads were removed, did he carefully move across the platform behind Xu Chengfeng. Then, he calmly opened the small iron case in his hands, first producing three fine silver needles.

Under everyone’s heavy breathing sounds, this stooped gray-haired elder, as if delivering acupuncture, stabbed the three needles into Xu Chengfeng’s scalp.

Xu Chengfeng suddenly released a groan, his entire body suddenly shaking.

The stooped gray-haired elder released a lightning fast strike against his spine, and then his originally weak and powerless body immediately straightened, moreover sitting perfectly straight without moving at all.

An extremely fine knife appeared in the old Judicial Sector Executioner’s hands. After a few strikes, Xu Chengfeng’s clothes were completely removed, leaving him almost naked, a fine layer of wire netting and a large case of ointment were produced from the Executioner’s iron case.

When he saw these two things from the corners of his eyes, Xu Chengfeng’s entire body wanted to frantically jump up from the ground. However, he couldn’t move at all, even his tongue was rigid, only able to release the more simple, ambiguous scream that sounded incredibly miserable.

His neck couldn’t move either, but the corners of his eyes were instead staring rigidly towards Lin Xi’s position, full of fear, despair and anger, as well as an expression of being lied to.

Lin Xi turned his head slightly to the side, he wasn’t that fond of bloody scenes. When he saw Xu Chengfeng’s current expression, he only indifferently thought… even though I agreed to let you pass on a bit easier, I never agreed to let you die without any pain right from the start.

“What method did you use to let him die a bit easier?”

Bian Linghan who was standing behind him sensed a rare hint of coldness appear on his face, asking by his ears with a voice only the two of them could hear right now.

“Limestone Ear… we studied it before in Toxicology, it isn’t normally considered a poison, instead bringing benefits when eaten. After losing large amounts of blood, it would easily allow one’s will to become numb.” Lin Xi quietly replied. “He will likely start feeling numb after a hundred cutsblades or so. Even though I agreed to let him die a bit easier, because of the injustice of those people… these one hundred cutsblades cannot be reduced.”

“You are still too merciful.” Bian Linghan released a cold snort, saying with disdain, “This type of person, even if he really was fooled, so what?”

“What you said makes sense.” Lin Xi nodded. After taking a deep breath, he then said, “However, I don’t want to think about these things anymore… I just did what I thought of at the time.”

Bian Linghan shook her head helplessly, inwardly thinking that it’s a good thing it was out of an unwillingness to think about it, treating this casually, not because of inflexibility. Otherwise, there would be much bitterness to experience in the future.

The fine wire netting tightly wrapped around Xu Chengfeng’s body, almost seemingly cutting him into many small pieces. Piece after piece of fair skin bulged from the netting. Xu Chengfeng’s fear became even greater, but his body still couldn’t move.

The civilians under the platform erupted into cheers one after another again.

Back then, countless people personally witnessed how Lin Xi judged the case, saw how arrogant this official’s son was, so right now, the more miserable he was, the more the resentment the civilians below felt was vented, this making them feel like the sky above East Port Town was more bright and just.

Shua!

The old Executioner gently brandished the blade in his hands, and then following a blood-curdling scream, a piece of flesh separated from Xu Chengfeng’s body, as if noodles were being shaved from a chunk of flowers.

A pu noise sounded.

Xu Chengfeng’s feces and urine flew everywhere, the stage becoming filthy.

All of the civilians below the stage covered their mouths and noses, looking at this official’s son who used this execution platform as a toilet after just a single cut with utter disgust. “Smells so bad!” Many people cursed out in disdain.

Lin Xi shook his head slightly, also walking a bit further.

While distancing himself from Xu Chengfeng whose entire body was covered in stink, Lin Xi recalled the elder who tried to scream with all his strength in Swallow Descent Town’s river dam, but in the end couldn’t release any noise.

When the dam reconstruction began, quite a few people from East Port and Swallow Descent already began to spontaneously raise money. In the future, a sculpture of the elder would tower on the tall mound where he was buried.

Everyone died eventually. However, some names would leave a mark for generations to come, while some would be hated for a long long time.

…

The midday sunshine scattered across Yunqin.

However, in the vast Yunqin Empire territory, there were some places even the sunlight couldn’t reach.

For example, many places in Dragon Snake Mountain Range.

For example, East Orchid Valley which seemed especially barren and inhospitable, yet in Dragon Snake Mountain Range, was extremely normal.

Dragon Snake Mountain Range was Yunqin’s easternmost area, still Yunqin territory. Meanwhile, Yunqin Empire recognized the Great Desolate Swamp as the cave barbarians’ territory.

Because of Great Desolate Swamp’s size… moreover this place being almost completely muddy marshland that might swallow people up at any time, stretching as far as the eye can see, not even the Green Luan Academy of Principal Zhang’s era had any cultivators who could traverse through this great swamp that stretched for who knew how many li. That is why regardless of whether it was Yunqin, Tangcang, or Great Mang, none of them knew just how massive this Great Desolate Swamp was, what exactly rested within. They only knew that many cave barbarians resided within this massive swamp.

Cave referred to cave dwellings.

Barbarians referred to those who were strong, but uncivilized.

Originally, Yunqin and the cave barbarians lived together in harmony, but as Yunqin Empire expanded their borders, when Yunqin’s exploration finally crossed Dragon Snake Mountain Range, when they wanted to try and expand further east, the pioneering caravans of Yunqin and the adventuring troops instead discovered these types of natives who lived in the swamp.

These natives lived in some wet and cold caves within the swamp’s mounds, extremely uncivilized. However, these people instead possessed extremely powerful physiques. These cave barbarians, on average, were at least half a head taller than normal Yunqin people, and they naturally possessed strength exceeding that of ordinary people. In a one on one situation, even ordinary soldiers who had experienced much training found it difficult to defeat a young, twenty something year old cave barbarian.

Yunqin Empire discovered that this Dragon Snake Mountain Range and Great Desolate Swamp had many resources the empire needed, especially medicinal goods that were useful for cultivators, as well as powerful vicious beasts that could be tamed and used in the military. Meanwhile, the cave barbarians also discovered that there was a different world behind Dragon Snake Mountain Range, having some food and new things they lacked.

Yunqin Empire who had a powerful military wanted to conquer this place, but these simple-minded cave barbarians only had the most basic principles flowing through their blood, what they wanted was to steal.

That was why war was inevitable.

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