Righteousness (Part 1)

Wild Goose Pagoda.

Zhang Rongfang watched as the second person was dragged up.

This time it was a tall, thin middle-aged man, covered in wounds, silent, but with a special kind of Essence, Qi, and Spirit in his eyes.

Like a burning flame, it releases a bright light.

His eyes were just as bright at that moment.

"Kill us, kill us, and more will come out. You can't kill them all! You can't."

With a swift stroke, Zhang Rongfang sliced through the air, and the head fell to the ground.

Then came the third and fourth. These were all key figures in the Rebel Alliance. None of them begged for mercy or struggled.

They were all staring at Zhang Rongfang with bright, unsettling eyes, and at everything below the tower.

That bright, almost blinding gaze made Zhang Rongfang even more silent.

He remained silent, continuing the executions in silence as well.

Soon, the first group of people all fell into Blood Pool.

"Bring up the second batch," Shang Dingye said loudly, glancing at Zhang Rongfang.

His attention was fixed on Zhang Rongfang, trying to observe every detail of his emotions and expressions.

He firmly believed that Zhang Rongfang was definitely connected with the Rebel Alliance.

Zhang Rongfang didn't even glance at him, simply standing calmly to the side, holding his blood-stained knife, watching the second batch of prisoners being slowly brought in.

The second batch consisted of twelve people.

People gradually walked out of the entrance.

"This group of people are members of the merchant alliance that has been operating in Ning An Prefecture for many years. Non-Self informant's tip, probably no one would have thought that these wealthy and powerful merchants were actually members of the Rebel Alliance." Shang Dingye explained while keeping an eye on Zhang Rongfang.

He can quickly seize the slightest emotional fluctuation in the other party and find their weakness! He was tripped up once before because he didn't take the other party seriously and underestimated them too much.

But he is a master, and he will never make the same mistake twice.

So this time, he was going to completely cripple Yue Dewen's disciple! One prisoner after another was brought up, until the last woman. Zhang Rongfang was sure that Zhang Xuan and the other two were not there, and he felt a little relieved.

But his expression remained unchanged, maintaining its previous coldness.

"Second round of executions! Begin! First one!"

The supervising officer shouted from the side. Someone was specifically tasked with signaling down the tower to coordinate the propaganda campaign against the prisoners.

This time, the first person was a little boy who was not even as tall as Zhang Rongfang's thigh.

He appeared calm. There seemed to be no fear in his eyes whatsoever.

As he was being led upstairs, Zhang Rongfang silently looked at the child, who was probably only seven or eight years old.

She has delicate features, fair skin, and looks like she comes from a good family.

"Uncle, could you cut faster in a bit? I'm a little afraid of getting hurt." After kneeling down, the boy suddenly turned his head back and smiled at Zhang Rongfang.

The smile was so natural, like a neighbor's child making a very polite request.

He seemed unafraid.

I'm really not afraid.

Zhang Rongfang paused, his knife momentarily still.

"Aren't you afraid?" he asked in a deep voice.

"It's alright. The main problem is I can't go on living," the boy laughed. "Living is so tiring. Maybe if I die, I can see my grandma, my parents, and my sister."

His smile grew even brighter.

"I promised them I wouldn't bring shame to the Qin Family."

"Begin the execution!" the supervising officer shouted as he received the signal to wave the flag from below the tower.

Zhang Rongfang remained silent; he hated it.

I hate pointless killing.

Just like now.

"Okay, I'll try to be as fast as I can," he replied softly.

"Thank you, Uncle." The boy gave a bright, sunny smile.

"That way, maybe after I go down there, the wound can be stitched up, and it won't be hard to tell."

Swoosh! A flash of light.

The boy fell to the ground, and indeed his head and body were not directly separated; only a red line of blood slowly seeped from his neck.

"Don't let these chaotic troops distract you," Ning Hongli warned worriedly from behind.

"I know, Senior Hongli." Zhang Rongfang nodded slightly.

He understood Shang Dingye's methods.

Even if there were no people he cared about here, as the executioner, he personally killed so many stalwarts of the Rebel Alliance.

No matter what happens in the future, he will always be a thorn in the side of the Rebel Alliance.

"Second place."

Soon, the prisoners were pulled up one by one.

Like the previous group, they were all silent, only their eyes were incredibly bright.

They seemed to be searching for something at the foot of the tower, and occasionally someone would show a relieved smile. No one knew what they were smiling about.

But everyone knew that they were not afraid of death.

The second batch was quickly wiped out.

Then came the third batch.

Zhang Rongfang kept his eyes fixed on the third batch of ten people as they went up the stairs.

He carefully scanned each person's face.

Until the last person.

No!

He breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Thankfully, my master and his men weren't there.

This third and final batch appears to have a higher status and position than the previous two batches.

Most of them were physically strong and showed signs of martial arts training.

These days, families that can afford to send their children to learn martial arts are generally well-off.

After all, aside from the military Imperial Court, it would be extremely costly for an ordinary family to support a military officer of a certain rank.

Do you think you died a worthy death?

Just then, the first person in the third batch, an old man with white hair, was about to be sent forward for execution.

Shangguan Feihe slowly opened his mouth.

"Unfortunately, you think too highly of the Rebel Alliance. They are just using you. The so-called Rebel Alliance is nothing but a bunch of selfish, self-serving, disgusting parasites who stir up trouble everywhere to gain more benefits."

"So what?" The old man's expression remained unchanged. "From the beginning, we knew that we couldn't accomplish much on our own. You monsters need monsters to deal with you."

"Monsters? Heh." Shangguan Feihe stood up. "We are heavenly soldiers! If you hadn't caused chaos, how could so many towns have ended up like this!?"

He opened his arms.

"Our Great Ling now boasts an unprecedented territory and the strongest national power in history. Even our previously weak navy has rapidly improved and expanded. The Xi Yi Helan Sea was so powerful before, but what about now?"

His expression was indifferent.

"This magnificent era is the time for us to make a name for ourselves in history, achieve great deeds, expand our territory, and be ennobled as kings and marquises."

But you!

He pointed to the old man.

"What did you do?"

"The Ling Ting views all people as pigs and dogs, and we souls have suffered for too long. The Spirit Person and the Hu Xi People are superior to all other Human Seed. How many people have had their land seized because of fabricated charges?"

How many people are forced to sell their children because they can't survive! How many people are oppressed and tortured to death by Spirit Person simply for seeking a sliver of fairness and justice?

The old man laughed heartily.

"We're about to starve. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well do what we want and avoid putting up with this damn humiliation!"

"Absurd!" Shangguan Feihe roared. "The Great Ling Kingdom is rich and powerful, plundering countless resources from abroad. Even remote areas have a vast amount of seafood to share, and a large number of foreign laborers are available. Even if you are the lowest of the Man People, how could you possibly not survive?!"

"Are those ours?" the old man asked in return.

"Go and see how much of the land around Ning An Prefecture still belongs to us commoners?" He revealed a sarcastic smile.

Land consolidation!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rongfang understood the crux of the problem.

When ordinary people lost their land, they could only rely on renting land from large landowners to farm. In addition, there were various exorbitant taxes levied by the Imperial Court, as well as occasional forced labor.

It was difficult enough to support oneself throughout the year. You should know that various forms of forced labor could be fatal. Moreover, those who performed forced labor had to bring their own food and drink, as the Imperial Court did not provide for their basic needs, and there was no compensation whatsoever.

The Hu Xi People Spirit Person, being free from corvée labor, were able to evade Tax System through various religious methods.

But those at the bottom of society really have no choice. Looking into the old man's bright, fiery eyes, he suddenly understood.

"Execute him!" Shangguan Feihe roared.

With a hiss, Zhang Rongfang swung his blade, slicing across the old man's neck.

Even in death, the old man maintained that mocking expression.

One after another, people stepped forward and were beheaded.

Zhang Rongfang remained silent, while behind him, Shangguan Feihe's face was also terribly gloomy.

Soon, the last person was killed.

Zhang Rongfang put down the knife and let out a long breath.

The ground in front of him was already covered in blood.

The blood underneath had just congealed when fresh blood covered it up again.

"The execution is over for today," the supervising officer shouted.

"Etc!"

Suddenly Shang Dingye shouted, interrupting the supervisor's voice.

"I have a few more men here, they are Rebel Alliance Army whom I just captured. Let's kill them all."

His gaze was fixed on Zhang Rongfang, as if waiting for the other's emotions to shift.

Zhang Rongfang felt a chill run down his spine and stared intently at the man.

He never expected that this guy would cause such a commotion at such a crucial moment.

"Alright," Shangguan Feihe replied, seemingly still preoccupied with his conversation with the old man.

Soon.

Three more people were brought up one after another.

The three men had long hair that covered their faces, and none of them were tall or strong.

Zhang Rongfang's heart tightened, and he kept a close eye on the three people's figures and faces. He didn't know what he would do if he really encountered his master and the others.

But at this moment, he just hoped he wouldn't encounter it!

"First one, begin!"

The supervisor shouted.

Then, some basic facts about the prisoner were gradually told.

Fortunately, after hearing the first half, Zhang Rongfang understood that this person was not one of the three of them, including his master.

He immediately and cleanly beheaded the man.

Then came the second person.

The third person. Thankfully, none of the three were "execution over!"

With a loud shout, the execution at Wild Goose Pagoda finally came to a complete end.

This time, Zhang Rongfang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He sheathed his knife and gave Shang Dingye a serious look before leaving.

Shang Dingye sneered, not caring at all. If it weren't for Prefecture Lord Shangguan's presence, he could have crushed this kid with a single slap.

Everyone dispersed and got a few days off to rest.

As the main executioner, Zhang Rongfang was criticized for being released a few days longer.

With Ning An Prefecture as the final stop, this raid and extermination operation officially came to an end.

While Zhang Rongfang breathed a sigh of relief, he was also genuinely disgusted by Shang Dingye.