Chapter 118: Slay Them All
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Yu Zhi Yi and her group entered the city and began wandering aimlessly through its streets. This was Gaoliang County, a relatively prosperous locale. Although it couldn’t rival the splendor of the Sheng Capital, it was wealthier than most counties and even outshone some remote prefecture cities in liveliness.
As they walked, murmurs broke out among the crowd:
“Weren’t they here to save someone? Why are they just strolling around?”
“I told you, this woman is just putting on a show.”
“Ah, if I had known, I would’ve left with the princess. Now I’ve offended her and didn’t even get to see any excitement. What a loss.”
Voices rose one after another, their tones neither soft nor subtle. Naturally, Yu Zhi Yi could hear them clearly, but she remained unbothered.
Suddenly, she stopped. Her companions followed her gaze, and their expressions shifted. Some even covered their mouths, overcome with a twinge of pity.
Ahead, a beggar lay motionless on the roadside. His ragged clothing hung loosely over his skeletal frame, and his body barely moved as if he were dead. Beside his head sat a chipped bowl, holding a small pile of copper coins. However, he showed no interest in the money and remained as still as a corpse. Even after Yu Zhi Yi’s group had walked dozens of steps closer, the beggar didn’t stir.
Most disturbingly, the beggar had no hands or feet—the stumps where they once were were now empty.
When they were less than three meters away, Yu Zhi Yi spoke up. “Old Zhang, this poor man… should we give him some money?”
Old Man Zhang froze, looking at Yu Zhi Yi with confusion. She knew full well that he had no money to spare. Yet, because she had saved his life and was now helping him find his son, he couldn’t refuse outright. Embarrassed, he stammered, “Could you… lend me some? You can deduct it from my charity fund later.”
As soon as he spoke, the beggar’s head jerked up, revealing a dirt-smeared face, unrecognizable beneath the grime. Old Man Zhang jumped, startled, but quickly looked again.
Then, as though struck by lightning, he cried out, “Tu Wa?!”
The beggar let out a guttural sound and struggled to crawl toward Old Man Zhang. With no hands or feet, he couldn’t rise to his knees, let alone stand. Even sitting upright required tremendous effort. But now, he flung himself forward with wild desperation, heedless of his broken body’s limits.
Old Man Zhang, leaning on his crutch, hobbled forward to meet him. As soon as he reached his son, he tossed the crutch aside, trembling as he caught the frail figure in his arms. Tears streamed down his face as he used his sleeve to wipe away the grime covering Tu Wa’s face.
Their companions stood dumbfounded. Only moments ago, they’d scorned Yu Zhi Yi’s meddling. When she’d asked Old Man Zhang to give money, a particularly arrogant young master had been about to mock her again. But this shocking reunion left him speechless. The words froze in his throat and never made it out.
Yu Zhi Yi’s gaze, however, was not on the pitiable father and son. Instead, her eyes turned toward a middle-aged man in the distance.
The blue-robed maiden in their group followed her gaze and frowned. She rarely used the phrase “sly-looking” to describe someone, finding it unnecessarily harsh. But the man in question embodied the term.
As soon as the man realized he was being watched, he turned and bolted.
Yu Zhi Yi sprang into motion. She instructed the coachman to stay behind and look after Old Man Zhang and his son, then set off in pursuit of the fleeing man. Yet her pace was unhurried, almost leisurely, as if she weren’t chasing anyone at all.
The arrogant young master couldn’t hold back. “Hey! What are you doing? If you don’t hurry, he’ll get away!”
Yu Zhi Yi replied calmly, “If you think I’m too slow, you can stay behind. Wait for us to bring back good news.”
The young master was stunned. “…”
What kind of response was that? Shouldn’t she have said, “If you think I’m too slow, go chase him yourself”?
Despite his frustration, he held his tongue. Seeing that the blue-robed maiden didn’t question Yu Zhi Yi’s decision, he reluctantly swallowed his anger and followed along.
Meanwhile, the sly-looking man weaved through narrow alleyways, dashing toward a nondescript courtyard. The building appeared utterly ordinary, indistinguishable from a common family home. Yet, curiously, all the surrounding residences were abandoned.
If anyone lived nearby, they would have noticed the strange noises emanating from the courtyard—screams, cries of pain from young boys and girls, and at times, malicious laughter.
The man knocked on the door in a peculiar rhythm: three long taps followed by one short.
After a moment, a hushed voice answered from within. “Heavenly King.”
“Earthly Tiger,” the man replied.
The door opened, and he slipped inside. “Trouble. A pig’s family has come looking for them, and they’ve brought a group of nobles with them.”
“These people are decked in gold and silver, with an air about them that’s anything but ordinary. If they act, not even our leader can protect us.”
The gatekeeper frowned. “Are you sure?”
“I’m certain!” the man exclaimed. “We need to leave before they track us down.”
The gatekeeper cursed under his breath. “Damn it. Fine, let’s move quickly.”
He barked orders at two old women to keep watch outside while they packed up their things and “goods.”
Inside the courtyard, numerous individuals lay scattered—all grievously disabled, each missing different limbs. Some lacked an arm; others a leg. Yet none were as pitiful as Tu Wa, who had lost both hands and feet. To add to their misery, they had all been rendered mute.
Upon hearing that influential people were nearby and might discover their plight, a glimmer of hope flickered in their eyes. However, when the captors began preparing to flee, their hopes were crushed once more.
Suddenly, one of the old women burst in, panicking. “Something’s wrong! Two men are going door-to-door asking for water. They’ve already reached the next street. They don’t look like they’re thirsty; they must be the nobles’ men.”
The sly-looking man clenched his fists in frustration. “So soon?!”
His gaze swept across the yard of disabled captives, his expression turning cold. “It seems… we can’t take these pigs with us.”
The leader of the group, the gatekeeper, frowned. “You mean… kill them all?”
The sly-looking man nodded. “What else? Even if they can’t speak, they’ve seen our faces. Their ears still work. If they escape, they could expose us. It’s cleaner this way.”
The other captors agreed without hesitation.
Not one of them thought twice about the morality of slaughtering helpless victims. To them, it was merely a matter of efficiency. Each captor grabbed a weapon, ready to commit their gruesome task without remorse.