Chapter 81

Wei Xing, Lu Yu, and Chai Yujing decided the fate of those on the execution platform with just a few words. Although Bu Ye's sudden appearance did cause some impact, it wasn't significant.

The reason was simple: Bu Ye was just a mountain villager.

Originally, they planned to execute ten people, but now only five would be killed. This wasn't for Bu Ye's benefit, but for the onlookers. They wanted to show that they weren't completely heartless. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Water is pressed by the boat, but if you press too hard, it will sink.

After a brief ten minutes, Chai Yujing wrote another proclamation, listing Bu Ye's old and new crimes, and stated that the villagers of Dongmang might have been coerced by Bu Ye. They decided to spare half of the people, waiting to capture Bu Ye before making a final decision. The remaining five were deeply connected to Bu Ye and "deserved to die."

These five were Gao Qun, Chen Qingyan, two other young men from the village, and an elderly villager. As for Luo Xiu, she was spared because of her gender, as they believed she was more likely to be coerced by Bu Ye. Chai Yujing specifically suggested sparing Luo Xiu, not because he was attracted to her, but because he knew that a beautiful woman like her would evoke more sympathy. If Luo Xiu were included, the public discussion would likely last longer.

After all the commotion, the execution was scheduled for the afternoon.

Luo Xiu, along with three other elderly people and Chai Wangming, were guarded by several soldiers and were about to witness the entire execution process.

Luo Xiu was already in tears. She wasn't necessarily close to the five on the execution platform, but at that moment, she just wanted to cry and didn't want them to die.

Chai Wangming's face showed no relief at being spared. He just stared blankly, as if his mind was elsewhere.

One of the other three elderly people was crying, while the other two were listless. For them, the events in Muyuan City were even more bizarre than the attack by the Mang Mountain bandits. Throughout their lives, they had heard some similar stories, but they never believed them to be true. Now, they realized that when such things really happened and they became part of the unfortunate few, they were utterly helpless and powerless.

On the execution platform, Chen Qingyan, the one on the far east, smiled and whispered, "A head cut off is just a big scar. Hey, if it weren't for Ye, we would have died on Dongmang Mountain long ago."

"Still, it's infuriating," Gao Qun said. "Those bastards! That Lu guy grabbed Ye without any reason, and he deserved to die. And these corrupt officials are just like Lu Qi, trying to save face without considering right or wrong, and they're taking it out on us!"

"Ye will definitely avenge us," Chen Qingyan said with certainty.

"Ha... If my life can exchange for that magistrate's, it would be worth it."

"Alright, the magistrate is yours, and the clerk is mine. I've wanted to beat him up since the first time I saw him, heh," Chen Qingyan said with a low laugh.

...

When the executioner's blade fell, Luo Xiu fainted.

When she woke up, she felt a weight on her body. Opening her eyes, she saw Sheng'er sleeping on her.

She first hugged Sheng'er tightly, then silently shed tears.

All women are the same; once they recognize someone, they feel that everything that person does is right.

She even saw herself as Bu Ye's woman and viewed everything that happened from that perspective: even if the conflict was started by Lu Qi, Bu Ye ultimately controlled the entire situation, so she felt very guilty.

No one knew her relationship with Bu Ye, so this guilt could only be buried in her heart.

Luo Xiu turned her head and saw that she was back in the room of the small courtyard where they had lived. Perhaps she could finally have a peaceful life, but somehow, this peace was no longer what she wanted.

...

In the evening, Bu Ye, with his red cloud hidden, his face blackened, and more beard stuck on, appeared in a small town seventy miles from Muyuan.

He sold the game to a restaurant as a hunter, then ordered some food and listened to the guests' conversations.

The events outside Muyuan City had already spread, but this was his first chance to hear about them.

When he heard a guest say, "Only five out of ten were killed," he only slightly paused, then laughed silently.

Today, he knew he couldn't take anyone away, and what he could do was just that.

He had already considered that Lu Yu and the others might still kill people.

Ten minutes later, Bu Ye stood up, paid the bill, and left the restaurant.

He quickly left the town, summoned his red cloud, and galloped into the night.

However, his direction was not Muyuan.

About forty minutes later, Bu Ye arrived at another town eighty miles away.

Xiao Kingdom implemented a county-city system, with each county having five to twenty cities, each city having several towns, and each town having several villages. Muyuan was one of the sixteen cities under the Dongping County of Xiao Kingdom, and it had thirty-three towns and over two hundred villages.

The town Bu Ye just arrived at was called Wenyu Town, known for its precious jade, and was one of the wealthier towns in Muyuan.

However, Bu Ye didn't come here for the jade, but because Lu Yu's hometown was here.

The town's commerce was very developed, with many merchants from other places. Even though it was nearly two hours past nightfall, the two main streets were still bustling.

Bu Ye entered a busy small restaurant, drank alone for a while, then stood up, took a wine pot, and sat at a table with three other people, ordering more wine and dishes to share with them.

The three were also rough men and quickly accepted Bu Ye.

Half an hour later, Bu Ye left the restaurant, and the three still seemed reluctant to part.

Another hour later, Bu Ye left another clothing store, walked a few steps, and casually threw away the clothes he had just bought.

He looked around the street, quickly determined his location, and walked forward with a clear goal.

Ten minutes later, Bu Ye arrived on the east side of the town's main east-west street, stopping in front of a grand courtyard with two stone beasts at the gate.

"What are you doing here? Get lost!" Two guards were at the gate, and the one on the right, with a scarred face, shouted.

Bu Ye indeed walked faster, but directly toward the gate.

"What are you doing?!!" The two guards approached, and the one on the right shouted again.

"Are you Liang Si?" Bu Ye asked.

"Do you know me?" The scarred guard stopped, puzzled.

But Bu Ye didn't stop, taking two steps to the guards. The Moonzi Sword was now at his left waist. Bu Ye's right hand gripped the hilt and pulled it up!

A cold light flashed!

Liang Si froze, and the guard on the left was completely stunned. Then, with a "swoosh," a blood line appeared on Liang Si's neck, and his head rolled off.

Bu Ye's left hand quickly grabbed the collar of the terrified guard on the left. "Follow me, and answer my questions."

"Ahh..." The guard was almost scared stiff and didn't even hear what Bu Ye said.

But Bu Ye didn't care, activating his Heart Cloud Ten Stars, he easily dragged the guard to the gate.

The gate was not locked, and Bu Ye pushed it open with the hilt of his sword, stepping inside.

Inside was a large courtyard, clearly divided into front and back sections, stretching out of sight.

"Where is Zhou the Steward?" Bu Ye asked.

"Zhou... Zhou..."

"Point it out directly."

The guard was too scared to speak, but his hand trembled and pointed to the right front.

It was a long row of houses, about forty meters away, running north-south, with the doors facing them, and all the lights were on.

Bu Ye frowned, dragging the guard quickly toward the houses.

As they got closer, Bu Ye smelled the aroma of food and heard voices inside.

"Hurry up! Old Wei, today the master is entertaining a distinguished guest from Muyuan, so make sure your skills are top-notch! Old Woman Wang, don't get in the way, go to Yingjiang Tower and get two more fish! Little Yan, be careful on the road, don't spill the soup..."

Bu Ye walked quickly, but the voice inside was even faster. It was hard to imagine someone could speak so fast and clearly if you didn't hear it yourself.

"Is that the one speaking?" Bu Ye asked.

"Yes..."

At this moment, Bu Ye had already dragged the guard to the door, just as a fat old woman was rushing out, probably Old Woman Wang.

Old Woman Wang almost bumped into someone, saw her guard, and was about to complain when she noticed the unfamiliar face next to him.

"You..."

Bu Ye didn't listen to her, dropped the guard, and said, "Don't move," then stepped inside.

Inside was a large kitchen, with at least twenty people working busily, including chefs, helpers, and maids waiting to serve the dishes.

Not far from the door, a man in his fifties stood by a long table, wearing a brocade robe, with a ruddy complexion, looking very prosperous. His left hand was behind his back, and his right hand was reaching out to the right, rubbing a young maid's buttocks. The maid tried to stop him, but he only moved more vigorously, and throughout the process, his expression remained indifferent, clearly used to it.

Bu Ye walked in like the wind, finally catching the attention of some people. The old man turned to look at Bu Ye.

"Who are you?" The old man frowned, his tone displeased. It was clear that if Bu Ye couldn't give a good reason, he would be in trouble.

"Zhou the Steward?"

"That's me," the old man said proudly.

Bu Ye didn't stop talking, and was already very close to Zhou the Steward. At this point, Zhou the Steward finally noticed the long sword in Bu Ye's right hand, pressed against his thigh.

"You!" Zhou the Steward's face changed, and he instinctively stepped back, but he bumped into the maid and didn't move far.

Bu Ye took another step, grabbed Zhou the Steward's collar with his left hand, and said coldly, "I'm here to arrange a meeting for the Zhong family from the southern city."

"Ah!" Hearing "Zhong Fang," Zhou the Steward's eyes widened, and at that moment, Bu Ye's hand started to apply force.

Bu Ye pulled hard with his left hand and stepped aside, causing Zhou the Steward to fall to the ground. Before he hit the ground, Bu Ye turned to the right, swung the Moonzi Sword with his right hand, and it swept across Zhou the Steward's neck. When Zhou the Steward hit the ground, his head rolled forward.

"Ahhh!!!" The kitchen erupted in screams.

Old Woman Wang, who had witnessed everything at the door, was completely stunned and met Bu Ye's gaze.

"Thump!"

Old Woman Wang fainted on the spot.

...

About three hours later, the heavily guarded Muyuan government office suddenly fell into chaos.

"Sir! Sir! It's bad!!"

Lu Yu, still in disheveled clothes, almost fainted when he received the news. In Wenyu Town, Bu Ye had almost wiped out his only brother's entire family! Only the women, children, and his disabled third nephew survived.

It didn't stop there. Chai Yujing's family was also visited by Bu Ye, but at the Chai family, Bu Ye only killed Chai Yujing's sister-in-law and two nephews before leaving.

The message Bu Ye left was: "The magistrate governs the world, I govern the magistrate's family."