Chapter 27

…

The weather turned cold, the sunlight was hazy, as if dark clouds were rolling in, and a light drizzle had already sprinkled over Black Mountain.

Bang!

In the drizzle, the massive wooden doors of the yamen, which were as tall as two men, were forcefully pulled open.

One by one, the constables and bailiffs filed out, lining up on both sides, with swords and crossbows, ready for action.

The empty street was filled with prisoners being escorted by the jailers, while on the other side of the yamen, prison carts were already prepared.

The final judgment was about to be read, and the prisoners would be taken to the execution ground.

Yang Yu stood to one side, looking at the group of condemned prisoners. Some had faces ashen, some were wildly screaming, and others were loudly crying for mercy.

A variety of reactions, each different.

"The first prisoner with disheveled hair is from the 'Sunken Mountain' bandits, 800 miles away from Black Mountain. Although not the ringleader, he is still to be executed according to the law."

A young constable named Wu Liu pointed to a man in tattered clothes and said.

Yang Yu, who had toured the prison, recognized this bandit. He was extremely vicious in the prison, always shouting and causing trouble.

Now, however, his face was pale, and he was trembling uncontrollably.

"The ones behind him are not much different. Look at the seventh prisoner."

Wu Liu's eyes flashed with disgust:

"Killing that scoundrel won't satisfy my hatred. According to the law, these scoundrels should be executed by slicing, but unfortunately, no one in Black Mountain except Old Wei has the skill to do it..."

"Spare my life, spare my life!"

The prisoner, more wretched than the bandits, wailed, almost collapsing in fear.

"Indeed, they deserve to die!"

Yang Yu's eyes turned cold.

According to the Great Ming Code, those who rebel, kill relatives, officials, or masters are to be executed by slicing.

And apart from those major crimes, those who commit "limb-breaking" (a form of torture) are also to be executed by slicing.

Unfortunately, slicing is a technical skill, and in the entire Black Mountain city, only Wei He has the skill to do it.

Yang Yu knew that with his current knife skills, he couldn't cut a person 3600 times without killing them.

The prisoners were one by one brought into the hall, and soon they were dragged onto the prison carts, awaiting transport to the execution ground.

Wu Liu clearly knew a lot about these people.

These condemned prisoners included bandits, those who committed "limb-breaking," and those who killed their husbands, wives, or mothers, which made Yang Yu's slight hesitation about personally executing them disappear.

These people truly deserved to die.

He also understood why Wu Liu had brought him here to explain everything, to eliminate his hesitation.

"Here he comes!"

Suddenly, Wu Liu's voice trembled and became low.

"Hmm?"

Yang Yu felt a sense of unease, noticing the tension among the constables and bailiffs. Many crossbows were almost fully drawn, ready to shoot the newcomer into a hedgehog at the slightest sign of trouble.

Thud~

Thud thud~

With a sound like a large stone falling, another condemned prisoner was driven towards the yamen.

This prisoner had disheveled hair, was shackled with heavy chains, and had iron rings through his shoulder blades. Behind him, he dragged a large iron block taller than a person.

Heavy chains, iron rings through the shoulder blades…

Yang Yu understood that this was the most dangerous prisoner caught by Wang Fobao, and the one who made all the bailiffs and constables on high alert.

"That's the one who killed the master's nephew."

Wu Liu pulled Yang Yu back a step and said in a low voice.

Yang Yu nodded, but felt something was off.

He had heard from the old jailer about the prisoner's brutality. It was said that he had gone mad from practicing martial arts and killed people without leaving a whole body.

However, in Wu Liu's words, his greatest crime was killing the nephew of "Liu Wenpeng."

"This man practices external martial arts, and ordinary weapons cannot harm him. When you execute him, do not hold back."

Wu Liu warned in a low voice:

"Try to cut off his head in three strikes!"

Yang Yu didn't speak, just nodded. At that moment, the shackled prisoner suddenly lifted his head, his eyes red under his disheveled hair.

He burst into a silent, maniacal laugh.

All the jailers and constables changed their expressions, retreating in fear.

"Iron Dragon!"

Wu Liu stepped forward, shouting angrily: "At this moment, you still dare to act recklessly?!"

"Spit!"

In response, a mouthful of bloody phlegm was spat out:

"Scum like you, do you even deserve to shout in front of me?"

The prisoner glanced at the constables, ignoring Wu Liu's anger, and stepped into the yamen, entering the hall.

"Is this the source of the Iron Crotch technique?"

Yang Yu felt a sense of familiarity from the prisoner and moved a few steps forward, standing to one side, looking at the hall.

The hall was quite clean, with two rows of constables holding water and fire sticks on both sides. The clerks sat at the lower end, writing documents and making the prisoners sign them.

Under the plaque "Justice and Fairness," a scholar in his fifties, wearing a multicolored robe and a black hat with wings, had a gaunt face and a three-foot-long beard.

He looked quite impressive.

Yang Yu recognized him as Liu Wenpeng, the famous county magistrate known as "Three Feet of Heaven."

Just by his appearance, who would think he was a man who exploited the people?

However, Yang Yu was not surprised. Officials were very particular about their demeanor, and those with poor demeanor, even if they had talent, often did not get good positions.

Black Mountain City was a major county with tens of thousands of households and produced 100,000 stones of grain. Its remote location made it a desirable posting.

Bang!

The gavel was struck heavily.

Liu Wenpeng's eyebrows furrowed, and his tone was cold:

"Prisoner, how dare you not kneel before this magistrate?!"

"Ha ha~"

The prisoner laughed: "You think you can make me kneel?"

Despite being beaten by several constables with water and fire sticks, he stood firm like a rock.

"Enough!"

Liu Wenpeng glanced coldly, and the constables held his hands, making him sign the document.

The prisoner did not resist, but after glancing at the confession, he suddenly threw off the four constables holding him.

"Bold!"

Several constables stepped forward, and the crossbows made a "click" sound.

"Have the courage to kill but not to confess?"

Liu Wenpeng sneered:

"Typical scum, a cowardly ruffian."

"Grandpa laughs at you, the confession is wrong!"

The prisoner laughed and shook his head:

"In the summer of the sixth year of Ganheng, the bandit disguised himself and sneaked into the house at night, killing with a乱刀. There are two errors here. How can Grandpa sign it?"

Several constables and bailiffs pretended to be furious, as if ready to shoot him with their crossbows.

Liu Wenpeng waved his hand and asked:

"Where are the errors?"

"Let me tell you, Grandpa never kills secretly. I killed them all openly!"

The prisoner raised his head, a sinister smile flashing on his blood-stained face.

"Where is the second error?"

Liu Wenpeng became even colder.

The prisoner, held by the constables and bailiffs, laughed and turned, dragging the jailers towards the prison cart:

"One strike!"

"Grandpa kills with one strike!"

"Killing that dog, just one strike!"

The hall fell silent, and the constables and clerks watched Liu Wenpeng's iron-gray face, not daring to breathe.

"Good one strike, good one strike."

After a long pause, Liu Wenpeng sneered:

"Tell the executioner, no need to sharpen the dull knife! He kills with one strike? I will make him suffer a thousand cuts!"

…

Exiting the yamen, Yang Yu glanced at the prison cart in the drizzle, frowning: "This is not right..."

Is there anyone who is not afraid of death?

No!

Those who are not afraid of death either have a firm belief or are completely hopeless.

The prisoner clearly did not fit either category…

Could someone be planning to rescue him from the execution ground?

At this thought, Yang Yu's heart tightened.

"Damn heaven! I'm about to die, and you're still raining, still raining on me!"

On the prison cart, a prisoner wailed and cursed the sky.

"Shut up!"

A jailer with a dark face lashed out, making the prisoner howl in pain.

"What are you howling about? You're going, but I have to come back!"

"…"

The prisoner, silenced by the lash, hung his head in resignation.

"Yang Yu."

Wu Liu walked over and relayed the county magistrate's instructions.

Yang Yu nodded expressionlessly, excusing himself to change his clothes and get his knife, and hurried towards the small courtyard where Wei He lived.

This task, he couldn't take it...