Chapter 194: Slow Slicing

Today at the execution ground, there was only one prisoner: Wang Shuner.

The surroundings were packed with people looking for excitement.

Slow slicing hadn't been seen for many years, so everyone came to watch. The wealthy booked the nearby restaurants and teahouses, taking window seats on the second floor to look down from above—they could see everything clearly.

Those without money squeezed through the crowd, not minding the heat or the strong odors.

In this scorching heat, even the wild dogs were panting with their tongues out, lying on the ground, unwilling to move. Yet the onlookers were all exceptionally excited, as if they were witnessing a grand spectacle of the prosperous age.

Chen Guanlou silently escorted Wang Shuner to the execution ground, took him out of the prisoner cart, and handed him over to the execution official for identity verification.

Today's official overseeing the execution was a eunuch from the palace.

Chen Guanlou heard the people around him discussing it and only then realized it was the person most trusted by the old Emperor, Eunuch Qiu Defu.

He clicked his tongue in secret and looked up to take a glance. The eunuch from the palace was actually also a martial artist—a Seventh Rank martial artist at that.

Today was truly a remarkable day; the notable martial arts experts of the capital were appearing one after another. On ordinary days, one couldn't even see a Fifth Rank martial artist, but today, he had seen a Ninth Rank powerhouse and a Seventh Rank martial artist in one go. The rest, at the Fifth or Sixth Rank, weren't even significant enough.

This showed that the old Emperor hated Wang Shuner and the Jinzhou rebels to the bone; he had to strip their skin and dismantle their bones to vent the hatred in his heart.

The Son of Heaven's hatred was so intense, so cold. Imperial power would not tolerate any provocation.

Supreme imperial power—you ants, why don't you kneel quickly and honestly serve as beasts of burden for generation after generation? If you dare to resist, this is the end!

Wang Shuner's clothes were stripped off, leaving only his underpants, and he was tied to a wooden stake in the shape of the character "big." A fishing net covered his body, signifying that the slow slicing was about to begin.

Suddenly, a small knife emitting a chilling cold air appeared in Old Zhang Tou's hand. One didn't need to test it to know that this knife was extremely sharp; it could not only shave off flesh but also dismantle bones.

The surrounding crowd consciously quieted down, waiting for Old Zhang Tou to make the first cut.

The first cut—at the heart!

A piece of flesh the size of a thumbprint—Old Zhang Tou moved lightly, and it was shaved off without even a few drops of blood flowing. The executioners watching from the side were so excited they couldn't control themselves. This was live teaching!

Chen Guanlou took a glance, then turned his head away as if nothing had happened, observing the surrounding crowd and acting as if he were on guard. After all, he wasn't a native of this era; his knowledge from the future made him reject torture—he found it disgusting.

Killing is just a matter of a head falling to the ground!

Oh!

Ah!

Boom!

The crowd of onlookers followed Old Zhang Tou's knife, watching the pieces of flesh being shaved off, emitting various exclamations—both excited and fearful.

From beginning to end, Wang Shuner didn't let out even a single scream, which made the official overseeing the execution, Eunuch Qiu Defu, extremely dissatisfied.

"I cannot fulfill my duty!"

Once these words were spoken, the surrounding officials all became nervous.

Someone immediately notified Old Zhang Tou that he must bring out his true skills. The Son of Heaven wanted to see Wang Shuner screaming and regretting; what was the meaning of him not making a sound?

Was it not painful?

Or was Old Zhang Tou not trying his best, sympathizing with Wang Shuner? Could it be that Old Zhang Tou was also a rebel?

Old Zhang Tou:...

Even if ten thousand grass-mud horses were galloping in his heart, he could only obey orders.

The slow slicing originally concentrated on the left hand was paused. Old Zhang Tou's knife was aimed at Wang Shuner's face, and he whispered, "I'm sorry. You might as well scream a few times; at least everyone can fulfill their duty, and you can suffer a little less."

The left hand, already shaved down to dry bone, didn't have a single thread of flesh left on the bone—it was clean. Wang Shuner gritted his teeth, lowered his head to look at his left hand turned into dry bone, and laughed. "Old man, do your worst. If I scream even once, I am not Wang Shuner."

"But the people above want to hear you scream; the Son of Heaven wants you to scream. If you don't scream, not only will you suffer, but your family will also suffer along with you. You wouldn't want them to receive extra cuts when they are beheaded, would you? You wouldn't want the women in your family to be humiliated, would you?"

Old Zhang Tou persuaded him earnestly, speaking from the bottom of his heart. If Wang Shuner couldn't satisfy the requirements from above, then the Wang family would have to suffer for him.

Wang Shuner's expression clearly stiffened.

Old Zhang Tou slowly changed his position to give Wang Shuner a little more time to consider. "You are a hero, a good man. But your family is so innocent. They are implicated by you and are going to be beheaded. Being beheaded is one thing, but they will also suffer abuse before they die—how can you bear it? Chen Tou instructed me before to take care of you. If you don't listen to advice, even if I want to take care of you, I can't make a meal without rice."

Wang Shuner cried.

He had been captured, his bones broken, his shoulder blades pierced, his martial pulse sealed, and he had encountered betrayal by his brothers and schemes by villains—yet he hadn't cried.

But at this very moment, tears welled up in his eyes.

He had failed his family, his clan, and the women and children in his home.

He was guilty!

He deserved to die!

He was a person with a bottom line, which was why he felt pain. If he could be a pure villain, a selfish person, he wouldn't have been captured, let alone cry.

At this moment, a small eunuch saw this scene and shouted, "Reporting to Eunuch, Wang Shuner is crying!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Defu was greatly satisfied. "Good! Very good!"

He even ignored the heat, walked out of the sunshade, came to the execution ground, watched Wang Shuner crying and shedding tears from close range, and let out a satisfied laugh. He praised Old Zhang Tou on the spot, "Good technique, you will be heavily rewarded!"

"Thank you for the reward, Eunuch!"

Old Zhang Tou secretly let out a sigh of relief. Did this count as fulfilling the duty? There were no screams, but there were tears; he imagined it could also win the favor of the old Emperor.

For the subsequent execution, Qiu Defu didn't express any more dissatisfaction and left the scene early. With enough material to fulfill his duty, there was no need for him to watch the whole process; there were plenty of things waiting for him to handle in the palace.

Once he left, the officials present all let out a sigh of relief, and even the speed of Old Zhang Tou's knife increased.

Wang Shuner never let out the screams that were expected. He looked ahead with a heart like dead ashes, looking at the sky, as if his soul and body had already separated, his soul having already drifted far away.

When the slow slicing exceeded two hundred cuts, Chen Guanlou also relaxed.

He imagined that the appearance of the Ninth Rank martial artist was perhaps really just to watch the excitement. After all, this was slow slicing; who knew how many years one would have to wait to see it again.

Just as he was drinking water and relaxing, he suddenly sensed a monstrous pressure rushing toward him from afar. Subconsciously, he was about to draw his sword, but he suddenly came to his senses, silently released the hilt of the sword at his waist, pretended to know nothing, and silently put down his teacup.

It's here!

The appearance of the Ninth Rank martial artist was indeed not just to watch the excitement.

It's here!

Today's big BOSS had finally appeared.

He kept warning himself: You are just a prison guard, an ordinary prison guard who only knows a few roadside martial arts moves. ===== CHAPTER 195 =====