Pleasant Sea Villa was a sprawling complex of seaside villas, its single-story buildings scattered like little islands.
The execution site had been set just outside the Bluestone House where Ren Tao had once stayed. The wooden table at which the Golden Iron Triangle sat was none other than the one where Ren Tao had met Dai Delong and Wei Xili.
Those two, however, each had their own connections and had vanished without a trace several days earlier.
Now only Pleasant Sea Villa's owner, staff, and pretty waitresses remained, bound to posts along both sides of the boardwalk. From the entrance to the central platform, there were more than twenty of them.
The outer wooden gate had been dismantled, and a squad of Soul Masters from the Heaven Dou Empire guarded the entrance. Beyond them, spectators who had come to watch the execution shouted furious denunciations.
But some were whispering among themselves.
"How can so many people all be spies?"
"I know that waitress. She's a girl from the neighboring village. There's no way she's a spy!"
"You can't tell just by looking. You may know someone's face, but you don't know their heart. They've been through rounds of joint hearings, and Emperor Xue Beng personally approved the verdicts. How could there be a mistake?"
Seated at the table, Yu Xiaogang also noticed what was happening outside. He frowned and decided not to delay any longer. Taking out a token that represented his authority, he slammed it onto the table.
"I am the Blue Lightning King, personally appointed by His Majesty! These people colluded with foreign powers and leaked vital secrets of our Heaven Dou Empire. Under the guise of running an inn, they plotted treason and sold out their country. The facts are established, and the evidence is conclusive. Under