Chapter Forty-One: Killing

That noon, Duàn Yì obtained a letter from Bái Xī Wén and left the Golden Cauldron Sect on Shalu Mountain. He then used the light-body martial arts of King Yue's Divine Arrow to rush towards Daming County town at the foot of the mountain.

When Duàn Yì had traveled from the county town to Shalu Mountain before, he walked. He had set out before dawn and only reached the mountain after noon. Now, for the same distance, it took him less than an hour, which showed his footwork had greatly improved.

Upon entering the town, Duàn Yì went straight to the Daming County Magistrate's office. He presented the letter from Bái Xī Wén and was quickly welcomed by the gatekeepers into the back hall of the office. Amidst the curling sandalwood incense, he met two middle-aged men dressed in casual clothes.

These two men seemed to be drinking tea and chatting in the back hall. One was older, with a refined and elegant demeanor, and gentle, spirited eyes that gave him an impressive air. This was Magistrate Hu of Daming County.

Bái Xī Wén had mentioned that this man was quite wise, judged cases justly, and was beloved by the county's residents.

Accompanying Magistrate Hu, and slightly younger, was Magistrate Hu's secretary. After introductions, Duàn Yì learned his surname was Li, and thus called him Secretary Li.

The Golden Cauldron Sect had considerable influence in Wei Prefecture, with connections in both legitimate and underworld circles. Bái Xī Wén was also a highly respected figure in the sect. Therefore, Duàn Yì, holding the letter, received a warm welcome from Magistrate Hu and Secretary Li, who showed him no disrespect or neglect due to his age.

They readily agreed to the request in Bái Xī Wén's letter. Secretary Li said, fanning himself with a paper fan, "It is truly fortunate that young hero Duàn has arrived at such a timely moment.

In our Great Xia, executions can be broadly divided into two types.

One is immediate execution. Such villains are heinous and have incurred the great wrath of the populace. They are usually taken to the execution platform at the east end of the marketplace to be beheaded, to appease public anger.

The other is execution in autumn. This means waiting until after the Autumnal Equinox before carrying out the sentence, as things are born in spring and die in autumn, following the principles of the Heavenly Way.

Fortunately, our Daming County office has just sentenced a death row inmate, but the execution has not yet taken place. Otherwise, this matter would have been difficult to handle."

Duàn Yì appeared very polite in front of the two scholars, speaking softly and sitting upright with a dignified posture. These were habits ingrained since childhood by Father Duàn, and they greatly impressed Magistrate Hu and Secretary Li.

He was very curious about this death row inmate and, wanting to solidify his resolve to kill, inquired about the man's specific situation. After explanations from Magistrate Hu and Secretary Li, Duàn Yì learned the details.

This man was originally an ordinary resident of Daming County, but he was naturally prone to gambling. He came from a prosperous family, but he squandered it all, much to everyone's regret.

Moreover, whenever he lost money, he would go on a drinking binge. Upon returning home, he would beat his wife and children to vent his frustrations. Eventually, his wife could no longer bear the humiliation and divorced him, taking their son back to her parents' home.

Despite this, the man remained unrepentant. Three nights ago, after getting drunk, he followed a respectable woman and assaulted her. Afterward, fearing identification, he strangled the woman to death. He committed a grave crime, was arrested, confessed to the murder, and was sentenced to beheading.

Everything was very clear. According to the laws of Great Xia, this man deserved to die.

He was originally scheduled to be executed tomorrow on the execution platform in the central marketplace. However, since Duàn Yì had arrived today, and Magistrate Hu was willing to do Bái Xī Wén a favor, the execution could be handed over to Duàn Yì, who could act at any time. It was merely a matter of simplifying the procedures, with no significant impact.

Upon hearing this, Duàn Yì did not want to waste any more time. He cupped his hands in thanks to the two men and proposed to proceed immediately.

His battle with Lín Bó Huī was imminent, the situation was critical, and his opponent exerted immense pressure on him. Not a moment could be wasted.

Besides, he had other matters to attend to.

The two men were also straightforward. They issued the order, stamped it with their seals, and sent someone to bring the death row inmate out of the prison and to the marketplace for the execution. As for the executioner, Duàn Yì would take the place of the regular executioner.

Duàn Yì bowed his thanks again and followed an yamen runner to change his clothes.

He wore a red kerchief on his head, a sleeveless shirt on his upper body, and tight-fitting long pants on his lower body, embodying the essence of modern clothing.

When he arrived at the execution platform on the east side of the marketplace, about a few dozen scattered onlookers had gathered around the perimeter. Most were young men, with few women and children. They pointed at the death row inmate kneeling at the execution stake on the platform, showing looks of disdain and contempt.

As Duàn Yì ascended the platform, holding a large, blood-red bladed saber, his heart was far from calm. In fact, a tempest raged within him, and even his usually steady breathing grew rapid.

He saw the prisoner with disheveled hair, wearing a white prisoner's robe, kneeling with his hands tied behind his back. A sign with the character "Execute" was inserted diagonally into the collar of his robe. The prisoner was muttering pleas for mercy, appearing desolate and helpless. Duàn Yì asked himself, "This person has no enmity with me. He is a living human life. Can I truly bring myself to do it?"

In his past life, Duàn Yì was a shut-in writer. He hadn't killed anything, let alone a person, not even a chicken. He was not only weak-handed but also soft-hearted.

Perhaps due to practicing martial arts in this life, his will was stronger, and his disposition more stable, but he had not yet reached the point of viewing life as worthless.

Especially looking at this man, Duàn Yì couldn't help but think of his own choices. After killing this person, he would truly have stepped into the Jianghu and would henceforth face all sorts of dangers.

For instance, Lín Bó Huī, whom he was to duel soon, wielded the seventy-two forms of Bixie Swordplay with immense power. Perhaps there were flaws and hidden dangers, but that didn't mean he was guaranteed to win.

Then there were also experts even more powerful than Lín Bó Huī, who might become his enemies in the future. Could he handle them?

He even thought that just as he was beheading this person today, someone might behead him tomorrow. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

Conflicting thoughts surged like a tide, or a tangled mess, making his head spin.

However, as the yamen runner next to him loudly proclaimed the charges, Duàn Yì's expression turned serious. Listening to the death row inmate's misdeeds, he felt his hesitation and reluctance gradually peel away, and a surge of anger built within him.

His eyes shot out with sharp light. Although the Ice True Qi flowed within him, it could not extinguish the killing intent born from his righteous fury.

When the yamen runner finished reading, Duàn Yì, holding the execution saber in his right hand, strode behind the prisoner with resounding steps, his movements sharp and decisive.

With his left hand, he removed the "Execution" sign from the prisoner's back and tossed it aside. He kicked the prisoner's legs, forcing him down onto the execution stake.

There was no preamble, nor did he raise the saber high as depicted in television dramas.

With a mere flick of his wrist, a flash of the blade, and a large head tumbled to the ground. Blood spurted out like a fountain, splashing a bloom of red. Many of the onlookers below cried out in alarm, seemingly excited by the stimulating spectacle.

Even many of the yamen runners watching were astonished. This young man, despite his age, wielded a saber with remarkable speed and considerable strength. After the decapitation, the blood from the neck sprayed out only after a slight delay, indicating the speed of his strike.

On the platform, Duàn Yì, having beheaded the prisoner, felt dazed. His handsome face flushed with heat, and he sensed subtle changes within his heart.

His feelings were not like the nausea or guilt described in novels after killing someone, nor the internal struggle and pain, as if he had developed some psychological disorder.

On the contrary, he felt incredibly relaxed and exhilarated, even a rush of hot blood, as if he were high. He even felt an urge to kill again, to quench the killing intent in his heart with more blood.

This realization made him understand that he was perhaps not entirely normal. At least compared to ordinary people, he seemed to accept blood and killing more readily.

Returning to the county office, he changed his clothes and declined the dinner invitation from Magistrate Hu and Secretary Li. Duàn Yì walked out of the county office gate, facing the setting sun.

He walked to a deserted dead-end alley nearby before drawing the Ten Refinements Sword he held and practicing, sensing subtle changes as he swung it.

"Indeed, Bai Xiwen's words make a lot of sense. The feeling of holding this sword is truly different now.

My hands are stronger and steadier. I believe my sword strikes will be more decisive and filled with killing intent, increasing the power of my swordplay by another notch. This is a transformation.

A swordsman who has killed and one who hasn't are truly two different kinds of swordsmen.

As I am now, I have the combat power to contend with swordsmen like Huang Jing. As for fighting Lin Bohui, I should still be a bit short."

Duàn Yì's eyes gleamed, his features and demeanor unchanged from before, yet an aura of sharp, piercing intensity now emanated from him. It was as if the Ten Refinements Sword in his hand had a blade that pressed upon others, his spirit soaring.

"Next, I should go to the Fragrant Courtyard to see and listen."

Although Duàn Yì had killed and now possessed killing intent, making his sword strikes more potent, it wasn't enough to defeat Lin Bohui. He needed to make further preparations.