Chapter 445

The thousand-odd people gradually fell silent, then dropped to their knees at the barked commands.

"Arrest everyone carrying weapons or inciting unrest." Qi Hongxin gave a savage smile. "No interrogation is necessary. Execute them all on the spot."

Strangely enough, once their passions cooled, even as the soldiers hauled out dozens of them like chicks and executed them before everyone's eyes, the commoners only trembled all the harder. Heads fell one after another, and blood formed little streams, yet even those dragged out to be beheaded submitted as meekly as chickens and ducks.

The unrest had been quelled.

"A truly outstanding man!" Watching from a corner, Su Ziji could not help sighing.

Whatever enmity lay between them, seeing Qi Hongxin so swiftly and decisively resolve an incident that might have plunged the entire prefecture into revolt filled Su Ziji with admiration. He turned to Cen Rubai and asked, "Have your contacts in the martial world gotten a clear picture of the situation in the prefecture?"

Cen Rubai, too, had watched in a daze, his face deathly pale. Only at the question did he come back to himself. "They've sent word. They say they're nearly done and should have a clear picture within the next few days."

Su Ziji nodded. "Good."

There was still enough time.

Then his gaze returned to the dark, lean man whose back remained perfectly straight, and he could not help sighing inwardly.

Qi Hongxin is a good official, after all. What a pity...

Qi Hongxin did not implicate the remaining commoners further. The chief offenders had already been executed, after all. His expression remained unchanged as the commandant counted the bodies and reported that fifty-three people had been killed.

"Though these fifty-three were guilty, allow their families to collect their bodies."

"Also, though the chief offenders