Overseeing the Execution, East Street Execution Ground

"Going to take on a bounty?"

Liang Qisheng barely had to think before he was ready to act.

Bounty hunters came and went freely—by day, they could tear down imperial notices and hunt criminals for the court.

By night, they could turn into bandits, killing and looting.

Liang Qisheng wouldn't touch a trade with risks that high.

His purpose in coming to Blade-Casting Town was to learn martial skills and advance his realm.

Spending time on bounties would drain his energy and clash with his original plans.

"If I want to earn Merit Points legitimately, there's only one path left—becoming a real executioner."

"...Executing condemned criminals—that's the biggest source of income."

Liang Qisheng had joined the Decapitation Blade Sect from the very start with this goal in mind.

Otherwise, even if he wanted to learn weapon techniques, joining Yama Gate wasn't his only option.

But he hadn't been with Yama Gate long, and truly becoming an executioner—getting a chance at beheading—wasn't easy.

A few days ago, he'd slipped some benefits to the senior disciple in charge, but he had no idea when a reply would come.

"Liang Qisheng! Liang Qisheng! There's a task—report to the main hall to receive it!"

Just as Liang Qisheng was fretting, a shout rang out from a distance, and his spirits lifted.

"On my way!"

Liang Qisheng answered, a smile spreading across his face.

He knew the silver he'd spent earlier had done its work.

The task assigned at the main hall was beheading heads at East Street Execution Ground.

According to Decapitation Blade Sect rules, the sect took the lion's share of the execution fee.

Sixty percent went to the higher-ups, leaving him with only forty.

But Liang Qisheng didn't care.

To him, criminals bore sins, and killing them earned Merit Points—that was what truly mattered.

This was undoubtedly a case of advancing on one path while secretly taking another.

With a steady source of Merit Points, his cultivation speed could shoot up like a rocket.

East Street Execution Ground.

Executions were held twice a month, mid-month and month-end.

On those days, the entire street became packed and lively.

Crowds of commoners came to watch, as if it were a grand festival.

Another mid-month execution day.

East Street Execution Ground buzzed with activity once more.

Daylight had barely broken, and the execution was still hours away, but the streets were already thronged with people.

Coupled with the shouts of vendors hawking their wares, the whole street was in chaotic uproar.

Voices clamored, people surged back and forth, an endless stream!

For the folk of Blade-Casting Town, starved for entertainment, the executions at East Street Execution Ground were nothing less than a spectacular, grand performance.

Not only did ordinary citizens come to watch, but the surrounding taverns were packed with guests, a gathering of patrons.

On the second floor of a tavern not far from the execution grounds, the street-facing windows were thrown open.

A few young men dressed like dandies were drinking and laughing, making quite a racket.

"Have you all heard?"

"The executioner this time is a rookie, and a young one at that."

A youth in white robes, affecting an air of elegance, shook his folding fan and spoke with a smile.

Before an execution, the executioner's identity was kept secret, recorded only by the authorities.

That this man knew such information clearly meant he had some connections in official circles.

His words carried a hint of showing off, but they piqued everyone's interest, and they pressed him for details.

"Second Young Master Zhao, impressive—you can even dig up inside info. Let's all toast him."

Someone proposed, and the others raised their cups and drained them in one gulp.

Then, another person nearby picked up the thread.

"Another newbie? Then we're in luck this time."

"Three months ago, there was also a newbie doing the chopping—hands shaking so bad he could barely hold the blade, but he still managed two clean cuts. Pity I had business that day and missed the excitement."

"...Just so happens they're using a newcomer today. Might stir up some other trouble."

"Brother Zhang speaks true. Last time, the newbie caused no small ruckus, nearly ruined the Decapitation Blade Sect's reputation."

"Wonder what they're thinking today, daring to use a newbie again. Will it cause some chaos for us to witness firsthand, haha..."

The topic spread, and everyone on the second floor took it as conversation, using it to wash down their wine.

The blazing sun climbed higher, the sky shifting.

The yamen's procession arrived in succession, and even the prisoners were escorted up to the high platform, kneeling there with execution orders stuck behind their necks.

"Look quick, the executioner's coming!"

A figure shrouded in a black robe appeared in the procession.

With the Ghost Head Blade strapped to his back, he ascended the stairs step by step onto the execution ground.

Since executioners belonged to Yama Gate disciples and only cooperated with the government, not being part of it themselves, they weren't subject to official deployment.

The executioner only needed to show up before the beheading; the authorities had no other demands of them.

No one knew who had leaked the news this time, but rumors that the executioner was a newcomer had already spread across the execution ground.

A crowd of commoners craned their necks, straining to get a look at him.

With so many people, the jostling pushed the yamen runners maintaining order stumbling left and right.

The scene fell into chaos.

This immediately angered the supervising official.

He slammed his palm onto the table, his roar shaking the heavens:

"This is an execution ground! Who dares to make noise here!"

The crowd in the square seemed to have their throats gripped, hurriedly shutting their mouths.

Those who had pressed forward retreated back, and the crowd calmed down.

"Everywhere you go, there's always someone looking for a spectacle."

"The Decapitation Blade Sect isn't peaceful either. Someone deliberately leaked the news, wanting to see me make a fool of myself..."

Liang Qisheng, wrapped entirely in his black robe, stood silently on the high platform, taking the Ghost Head Blade from his back.

He planted both hands on the ground, his eyes sweeping over the crowd below—a sharp gaze that made no one dare meet it.

Yet inwardly, he let out a cold laugh.

Where there are people, there is the jianghu; where there is the jianghu, there are conflicts.

He had put no small effort into securing this executioner role.

Those who could learn of this news in advance were inevitably from the same Decapitation Blade Sect lineage.

Likely someone who couldn't stand the sight of him and wanted to trip him up in secret.

If this beheading went poorly, then from now on, he'd have no face to stay.

This executioner position would also be unstable.

He never thought he'd become the target of others' amusement.

But Liang Qisheng didn't care about the thoughts of the onlooking crowd.

His focus was fixed on the few prisoners kneeling on the ground.

In his eyes, these weren't criminals—they were Merit Points.

By his judgment, these prisoners had clearly suffered plenty before this.

Many had undergone severe torture, leaving marks on their bodies—wounds split open, flesh and blood mangled.

Even after enduring harsh interrogations, these prisoners still had ample qi and blood, good bone structure—clearly all trained in martial arts.

As the sun climbed higher, the temperature on the field began to rise.

The once-lively execution ground grew quieter under the oppressive heat.