Chapter 107: Self-Awareness, Heads Roll, and Heroes of the Jiang Hu (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"Scatter! Scatter! Don't block the way!"

"Ah! Are you blind, you dead beggar!"

"Stop! You can't get away!"

On the street, two beggars in tattered clothes and disheveled hair were fleeing through the crowd with terrified expressions.

Behind them, two black-robed, white-faced Jing'an Guards pursued them relentlessly, their feet moving like the wind, their figures like ghosts.

Suddenly, one of them leaped onto a rooftop, and while in hot pursuit, loaded a bolt onto a Broken Gang Crossbow and pulled the trigger.

Whoosh!

A crossbow bolt flew out, instantly piercing the throat of one of the beggars, causing them to fall to the ground and die on the spot.

The other beggar was stunned for a moment at the sight.

It was precisely this moment of distraction that allowed the Jing'an Guards behind to catch up, forcing them—who had been focused solely on fleeing—to bite the bullet and fight back.

The two began to brawl on the street.

Passersby all around screamed and fled to hide.

The Jing'an Guard on the roof jumped down to join the fray.

In the end, the beggar was defeated, had a leg snapped on the spot, and was dragged along the ground like a dead dog by the two Jing'an Guards toward the Hundred-Household Office.

"What's going on? Why is the Jing'an Guard suddenly taking action against the Beggar Sect?" In a restaurant facing the street, a group of martial artists eating and drinking discussed the scene.

"Hmph! What else could it be? This bunch of low-lifes only does things that leave them without descendants."

"It's nothing more than child-snatching. Bah! They even have the nerve to call themselves martial artists; I am ashamed to be associated with them!"

"These beggars are truly bold. Yesterday at the inn, I encountered my father's killer, yet I didn't dare make a move in the city due to the Great Zhou Law, but they have no such scruples."

The martial artists either mocked and ridiculed, watched with cold eyes, or felt a sense of shared sorrow, yet not one of them acted righteously to help fight the Jing'an Guard.

The Jing'an Guard poured out in full force; with the city sealed, it was like closing the gate to beat the dogs. By nightfall, regardless of age or gender, whether disabled or whole, every beggar who survived was locked in the Hundred-Household Office prison.

In the past at this hour, Pei Shaoqing would have long been at home cuddling with Zhao Zhilan or Xie Qingwu.

But today, he was still working overtime.

Inside the office, behind the desk, he sat quietly in his black robes, his face as calm as water; the orange candlelight flickered, making his expression appear alternately bright and dark.

Ye Hanshuang stood quietly behind him, clutching her sword.

"Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!"

A burst of footsteps broke the silence.

Sun Youliang walked in quickly to report: "Reporting to you, sir, all the beggars have been interrogated. Only a small portion are genuine beggars; most, whether disabled or whole, are young beggars controlled by the Beggar Sect.

In two days, they abducted five children and one adult woman in Tongzhou. They have confessed the locations where they were held, and people have already been sent there. They specifically brought a batch of young beggars from neighboring Bazhou yesterday to lure children, and originally intended to stop after today.

The women they abducted would first be violated, then sold to brothels to entertain guests. Good-looking young girls would also be sold to brothels or as maids and child brides for families. Some of the young boys would have their limbs broken and be poisoned deaf and mute to beg, while a small portion would be kept specifically to lure other children. They do this everywhere they go."

Sun Youliang had naturally heard of the Beggar Sect's conduct, but when such things happened right under his own nose, it was a different feeling entirely.

There was a fire burning in his heart now.

"How many people does the Beggar Sect have?" Pei Shaoqing leaned forward slightly, resting both hands on his legs for support.

Sun Youliang replied: "There are 37 official Beggar Sect disciples, all from the Shuzhou branch. The branch Helmsman who brought them here went to Zhaixing Mountain today, having agreed to meet them after the birthday celebration ends tomorrow."

"Have those 37 beheaded tomorrow morning; I will carry out the execution myself. After the execution, go to Zhaixing Mountain and cut off that Helmsman's head. I govern Tongzhou, and there shall be no air for the Beggar Sect to breathe in Tongzhou," Pei Shaoqing said coldly.

Sun Youliang cupped his hands and replied: "This subordinate obeys."

Pei Shaoqing stood up, strode past Sun Youliang, and took Ye Hanshuang home.

Upon arriving home, he first went to bathe, and while sitting in the tub, he told Xie Qingwu about today's events and tomorrow's arrangements.

Xie Qingwu gently scrubbed his back while saying softly: "I told you long ago that you haven't lost your conscience."

"I think it's more that I'm not completely rotten," Pei Shaoqing exhaled, summarizing himself.

He never considered himself a good person.

Nor did he think he had any conscience.

It was just that when his own interests weren't affected, he couldn't stand to see certain things, so he wanted to manage them.

It just so happened that this was also within his duties.

It would help with the year-end performance review.

Xie Qingwu smiled, not arguing with him, and brought up the Beggar Sect: "I haven't had contact with beggars, but I've read about these practices of theirs in books. I didn't expect that after so many years, they would still be doing these things."

"A dog can't stop eating excrement; they've formed a path dependency over thousands of years. If I were in charge, such things wouldn't exist," Pei Shaoqing said, closing his eyes.

Xie Qingwu spoke in a soft, gentle voice: "Because you would benefit the common people, so that there would be no more beggars in this world, and naturally there would be no soil for the Beggar Sect to survive, right?"

"My lady overestimates me; I don't have that ability," Pei Shaoqing shook his head, squinting his eyes as he said: "Compared to that, I have an easier method: kill every single member of the Beggar Sect. As long as there is one, I will kill one, until no one dares to do such things."

……………………………

The next morning.

The Jing'an Guard walked through the streets and alleys, beating gongs and drums.

They loudly proclaimed the evil deeds the Beggar Sect had committed in the city over the past two days, and that they were about to be beheaded at the city gate.

This attracted countless commoners to come and watch.

The 37 Beggar Sect disciples were escorted to the execution ground; the surrounding commoners were filled with righteous indignation and threw stones at them.

Vegetable leaves and eggs were impossible to come by.

So many people couldn't even afford to eat.

"Smash them to death! Smash these sons of bitches!"

"My son was snatched by them! Thanks to Magistrate Pei, thanks to the Jing'an Guard!"

"A bunch of wretches who deserve to be struck by lightning! They weren't even raised by their own parents! Only doing such wicked things!"

By the time they were put on the execution platform, the 37 people were already bruised and bleeding from being pelted, and with their tattered clothes, they all looked pitiful.

Pei Shaoqing, who had specifically donned his Qilin Robe, casually snatched the saber from Song Youcai's waist, walked with long, swift strides onto the execution platform with a cold face, arrived before the first person, ignored their terrified gaze, raised the saber, and brought it down decisively.

Puchi!

A head fell to the ground, and fresh blood gushed out.

Pei Shaoqing's face and body were splattered with blood.

"Good!"

"Well killed, Officer Pei!"

The commoners applauded one after another, cheering thunderously.

No martial arts practitioners were watching the spectacle, because the latest ones had already set off for Zhaixing Mountain this morning to offer birthday congratulations.

"Don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

"Spare me, Officer Pei! I'll pay taxes! I'm willing to pay one hundred taels! Are those children really worth that much?"

"I beg you, don't kill me..."

The remaining people were all panicking and begging for mercy.

Pei Shaoqing turned a deaf ear, holding the saber as if chopping melons and vegetables, his hand rising and falling, one after another.

Head after head rolled to the ground.

Every swing of the blade was like opening a faucet valve, only what was released was blood.

By the time all 37 were dead, 37 headless corpses fell forward, and their heads all rolled to the bottom of the execution platform.

The expressions on their faces were either terrified or despairing.

Pei Shaoqing held the saber in one hand, bathed in blood, looking like a god of slaughter, stunning the crowd of commoners into silence.

Especially the Qilin on his body; after being covered in blood, it looked as if it had come to life, soul-stirring.

He tossed the saber to Song Youcai, wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve, took a look at the dense crowd, and said to Chen Zhongyi, "Take the heads of those bastards on the ground, and set off for Zhaixing Mountain."

As his voice fell, he leaped up, landed in the air on the back of Black General, took out the Faceless Mask from his bosom and put it on, then spurred the horse's belly with his legs and headed toward the city gate.

Only 37; he hadn't had his fill of killing yet.

"Giddyap!" "Giddyap!" "Giddyap!"

The seventy-plus people behind him all spurred their horses to follow.

"Long live Officer Pei!"

Someone in the crowd reacted and shouted.

"Long live!" "Long live!" "Long live!"

Everyone vied to echo the sentiment, the sound like a tidal wave, one surge higher than the next, lingering for a long time.

At the same time, the usually quiet Zhaixing Sect was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers today, with guests like clouds and a bustling atmosphere.

Inside the main hall, the birthday star Zhai Xing Laoren was wearing festive clothes and chatting with those who had come to offer birthday wishes.

Guests were gathered, but space in the hall was limited.

Therefore, those qualified to sit here were all people of some status among those present.

Or those who were on very good terms with Zhai Xing Laoren.

For example, Chen Qizhi, the Helmsman of the Beggar Sect's Shuzhou branch.

Chen Qizhi was in his early forties, wearing fine clothes that did not fit the Beggar Sect's corporate image; his figure looked short but sturdy, his skin was fair, and he wore a beard.

His left hand had only two fingers left.

"Helmsman Chen still has the leisure to taste tea, while your disciples have caused a huge disaster in Tongzhou City!" a martial artist who had only gone up the mountain this morning said with schadenfreude.

Once these words were spoken, the whole hall fell silent.

Chen Qizhi clearly recognized this person; his expression changed as he stood up and asked, "Brother Zhu, what do you mean by that?"

"Your people were kidnapping children in the city and were caught by the Jing'an Guard. Yesterday, the whole city was searched; your people were either killed or captured. Perhaps they will come up the mountain to find you today," the man surnamed Zhu said with a chuckle.

Whoosh! The whole hall was in an uproar, with people whispering to each other.

Chen Qizhi's face was extremely ugly, and he cursed in a rage, "Those bastards! I only left for two days, telling them to wait for me in the city, and they actually went behind my back to commit such evil deeds. This is truly outrageous!"

As his voice fell, he turned his head to look at Zhai Xing Laoren, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Zhao, the people of the Jing'an Guard have always been overbearing and unreasonable; they certainly won't listen to my explanation. Today is your happy occasion, so I won't bring those disasters here to spoil the mood. My heart has been conveyed, so I will take my leave first."

As his voice fell, he hurriedly made a move to leave.

"Brother Chen, wait." Zhai Xing Laoren, who was in his early sixties and glowing with health, stood up and said, "Since it was done privately by your subordinates, what does it have to do with you, Brother Chen? The Jing'an Guard is usually unreasonable, but today we have gathered so many martial arts heroes, they should be reasonable.

Besides, you traveled thousands of miles to wish me a happy birthday; if I cannot even protect a friend, what face would I have to invite everyone here? So, Brother Chen, please set your heart at ease."

"Well said! Damn it, the Jing'an Guard is arrogant. We are all here today; if they want to act recklessly, we aren't pushovers either!"

"Right! I've long been fed up with those imperial hounds! With so many of us here today, can we really be scared off by a mere Hundred-Household Office?"

"Helmsman Chen, what are you afraid of? You have us!"

Many people took the initiative to stand up, expressing their willingness to back Chen Qizhi and denouncing the imperial hounds.

But there were also some who remained silent.

"Many thanks, Brother Zhao, many thanks to all fellow practitioners! Since you all support me so much, I cannot just walk away, otherwise, it would make my Beggar Sect look cowardly," Chen Qizhi said with a face full of gratitude.

Zhai Xing Laoren laughed loudly, "Come, come, everyone continue to drink. Let's get drunk today. Never mind just the Jing'an Guard, even if the Emperor himself came, it would be useless."

"Well said! Drink!"

"Cheers!"

The crowd was filled with heroic spirit, unstoppable.

One of the most notable characteristics of a rabble is that as long as there are many people, everyone becomes full of courage.

At least, that is how it is until the moment arrives.

(End of this chapter)