"What the hell is going on?!"
Before Du Yu could recover his senses, all the words filling the sky vanished, and the party had already arrived before them.
"Get your weapons out," the Prefect said slowly. "Did everyone bring their red cloaks?"
The guards pulled weapons from the carriage and answered, "Yes!"
"Tie on your red cloaks to ward off evil." The Prefect glanced back at them as he spoke.
Puzzled, the fisherman asked with a smile, "My lord... what do you mean, ward off evil? Aren't you here to collect money and grain?"
"Fisherman, there's nothing more for you to do here. Leave," a guard said, stepping forward.
The fisherman froze for a moment. "Leave...? Where am I supposed to go?"
"Go home," the guard said impatiently, shoving him along. "We'll come find you afterward."
"No!" Growing anxious, the fisherman pushed the guard away and asked the Prefect, "My lord! That isn't what you promised me! You said that if you collected money and grain..."
The Prefect sighed and gave one of the guards a meaningful look.
The guard understood at once. Drawing his weapon and gritting his teeth, he slit the fisherman's throat with a single stroke.
The fisherman looked utterly stunned. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Clutching his neck, he slowly collapsed.
"Bury him with the others later," the Prefect said slowly. "The burden of slaughter today will surely be heavy. We'll have to rely on these red cloaks to veil some of the killing intent."
Once they had fastened their cloaks, the party entered Peach Haven Village one after another.
Du Yu's eyes remained wide open. Something seemed to dawn on him-was this a massacre?
But unlike what he had imagined, the Prefect was clearly highly experienced. With only a few dozen men,