Great Hero, Part One

2024-07-31

Great Hero, Part One

[Today's Evaluation: A meaningful day, Lifespan +1, obtained the limited-time status 'Heaven Rewards Diligence']

Today, he had dutifully completed the prisoner escort mission, worked hard, and practiced martial arts diligently. As expected, he had refreshed a good status.

After drinking with Liang Chuanshan and helping him ease his frustrations, Song Changming returned home to rest.

Thinking back on the daytime battle, Song Changming was quite satisfied with how he had wielded his saber. It was precisely because he had honed his saber techniques day and night that he could stand firm atop that prison cart and repel enemies from every direction.

The Soul Severing Saber at the Major Accomplishment stage was astonishingly powerful.

It was just that his Body Refinement Cultivation was still far too shallow. Otherwise, when facing those jianghu men, he would not merely have driven them back—he would have killed them on the spot, leaving them no room to escape.

In a few more days, it would be time for another Annual Evaluation. Perhaps then he could gain another wave of Body Refinement Cultivation experience.

The next day, Liang Chuanshan received a clear assignment as well: at a quarter past noon, escort four major criminals to the Execution Platform at the bustling street intersection, where they would be beheaded in public!

The four selected major criminals had all come from official families. Having committed grave crimes, their homes had been confiscated, and they themselves could not escape the death penalty.

As for Liu Xiangnan, the Great Hero who had triggered yesterday's prison break, his name did not appear on today's execution list.

Perhaps the higher-ups had other arrangements.

And for the execution of these four criminal officials, even the Director, who was about to retire, had come personally to oversee matters, lest yesterday's prison break happen again.

Though the old Director was advanced in years, his personal martial prowess was still formidable.

His Qi and Blood might have declined, no longer matching the height of his prime, but in terms of martial attainment, the longer one practiced, the more refined it became.

Throughout the territory under the Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters, not a single Patrol Captain dared claim he could surpass the old Director in martial strength, despite the old man's age of over seventy.

In the past, they had all basically been taught a lesson by the old Director himself. The impression had run deep, and none of them dared show him the slightest disrespect.

This time, although the main headquarters had also made preparations for the beheadings at the Execution Platform, no more prison-breakers appeared until the executions were complete.

Instead, someone had struck from an unexpected angle, trying to force their way into the Patrol Guard Headquarters' prison.

Fortunately, the prison had always been heavily guarded, and the intruders did not succeed.

On the contrary, several more people were captured alive on the spot.

Upon questioning, they turned out to be jianghu people again, coming to rescue Liu Xiangnan after receiving favors from him.

It had to be said that this Great Hero truly possessed tremendous personal charisma, able to make so many unrelated people cast away their heads and spill their blood for him.

Of course, breaking into a prison was an outrageously serious matter. To prevent any mishap, the old Director immediately issued another order: every night, additional patrol guards would be assigned to keep watch over the prison, specifically guarding Liu Xiangnan until the day he was executed.

And because of the prison break, Liu Xiangnan's deeds spread throughout the entire Patrol Guard Headquarters.

The county magistrate he had killed had actually been a great corrupt official who preyed upon the people, leaving the locals under his rule already unable to survive.

Unable to stomach the magistrate's wicked deeds, Liu Xiangnan had finally drawn his sword in a burst of fury and killed him.

Though he had been somewhat impulsive, people all said that what he had done was a good deed.

The Patrol Guard Headquarters' prison was cold and damp, with an inescapable stench of rot hanging in the air.

Being assigned to guard the prison at night was absolutely a miserable job.

Tonight, it was the Patrol Guard Team Song Changming belonged to that had drawn the duty.

"Captain Song."

The two patrol guards dozing in the corner immediately rose when they saw Song Changming enter.

"Go outside and get some air. I'll take over for a while," Song Changming said, waving a hand without pursuing the matter of them slacking off on duty.

"Got it! Captain Song, call us anytime if you need anything." The two patrol guards immediately withdrew.

Compared to watching a group of lifeless prisoners in this underground prison, the outside of the prison was practically heaven. Song Changming said nothing, his gaze sweeping across the cells holding prisoners one after another.

After being locked up for too long, most prisoners became muddleheaded. Quite a few lay motionless like dried corpses, and very few still had any liveliness left in them.

Song Changming's gaze finally settled on one of the cells.

The person imprisoned inside was Liu Xiangnan.

At this moment, Liu Xiangnan had long since lost the graceful gentlemanly bearing spoken of outside. He merely leaned against the wall, head tilted back, hands hanging limply at his sides, his vacant eyes fixed on a small iron window high in the wall.

A few strands of moonlight shone through it, falling across him.

This was his only connection to the outside world.

Perhaps hearing approaching footsteps, Liu Xiangnan turned his gaze toward Song Changming.

He remembered this young patrol guard. Earlier, atop the prison cart, Song Changming had displayed considerable skill, stopping all those who had tried to rescue him beneath the cart.

Song Changming held a bowl of water and placed it inside the cell.

Liu Xiangnan bent down and bit the rim of the bowl to drink.

Song Changming noticed that Liu Xiangnan's hands seemed to have been crippled; he could not even perform such a simple action as holding a bowl.

"When will I be executed?" Liu Xiangnan finally asked after drinking.

"There has been no notice yet," Song Changming replied.

Liu Xiangnan closed his eyes and fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I have a request."

Song Changming did not respond.

"I do not want to harm any more people. Before I am executed, kill me." More pain appeared on Liu Xiangnan's face as he murmured.

"If a more powerful jianghu master comes to help you at the execution ground, perhaps you may still keep your life. Why not wait a little longer?" Song Changming said.

Better a miserable life than a good death. In the entire prison, with so many prisoners, if they were given even the slightest hope of living, they would not choose death.

Liu Xiangnan shook his head faintly, looking at his hands. "I am no longer myself. Dying now would be a release for me."

Song Changming could more or less see how Liu Xiangnan felt at this moment.

He was now worse off than dead. Both body and mind were in pain, and even living was a torment.

It was precisely because he knew that when he was taken to the execution ground, someone might once again throw themselves into danger to save him and die because of him that he wanted Song Changming to send him on his way before his execution.

Everything had begun because of him. No more people should die because of him.

Otherwise, what meaning had there been in his killing that dog of an official?

"Sorry. Without an order from above, I can't help you either." Song Changming hesitated for a moment before ultimately shaking his head.

In truth, after learning of Liu Xiangnan's deeds, Song Changming also felt some admiration for a hero like him. After all, this was something Song Changming knew he himself could not do.

How many people could truly devote themselves wholeheartedly to others?

While guarding the prison, he could make Liu Xiangnan's days a little easier. That was already the limit of what he could do.

Anything further would exceed the bounds of his authority and would very likely bring trouble down upon himself.

Seeing that even death was beyond his reach, Liu Xiangnan closed his eyes again and spoke no more.

Song Changming placed a serving of meat porridge in Liu Xiangnan's cell. Seeing that he would not eat it, Song Changming simply went to a corner of the prison and focused on practicing his saber.

Such precious time could not be wasted for nothing in prison.