Chapter 151: I Am a Good Person

"My Lord, ahead lies Anzhou City, the Xichuan Zongfu. We shall arrive in less than half an hour!"

The rain was drizzling down, and the ground had been soaked by the previous downpour. Now, the rain had eased significantly; at the very least, one could see clearly within their line of sight.

A team of over a dozen people was riding through the rain, yet their bodies were completely untouched by the downpour.

It was not because their defenses were well-prepared, but because when the rain from the sky reached before them, it seemed as if it were blocked by a mysterious force, causing it to fall to the side instead.

It was precisely this eerie scene that made the Black-Clad Guards, including Liang Ruyue, realize just how terrifying this Lord Shen truly was.

Blocking rain outside was something Liang Ruyue himself could do. But to do it so silently, without even a trace of internal energy leaking out, making it impossible for anyone to detect anything unusual—that was terrifying.

It was as if the rain falling from the sky was not aimed at them at all, but was naturally falling to the side, as if the thunder and rain of the heavens were deliberately avoiding them.

To influence the heavens and earth with one's own power—to see the whole by observing a part—this was not something that could be summarized by a simple word like "terrifying."

It was precisely because of this that Liang Ruyue became increasingly cautious while staying by Shen Yu's side.

When Shen Yu came to Xichuan, he did not tear through space to arrive directly at Anzhou City, but chose to walk the entire way.

He wanted to see the most authentic situation in Xichuan, and at the same time, he was waiting for the Black-Clad Guards from various places to report what they had discovered.

During this period, he had killed many people and dealt with many more. Presumably, the news of his arrival was already known throughout Xichuan; one could only wonder what their faces looked like now, and what expressions they wore.

"Stop!"

Suddenly, Shen Yu seemed to have sensed something; he immediately halted the galloping group and then swept directly toward the distance.

Seeing this, Liang Ruyue immediately followed, though he could not help but feel some doubt in his heart: what could there be in this desolate wilderness worth Lord Shen's attention?

"This, this is..." Once Shen Yu stopped his steps, Liang Ruyue immediately caught up and naturally saw the thing beneath Shen Yu's feet.

It was a corpse, the corpse of a young girl. Her pale skin was covered in wounds, and those deep, bone-reaching lacerations were shocking to the eye; it was clear she had been tortured to death.

By the looks of it, this girl had likely been hastily buried here by someone.

The previous torrential rain had washed the ground open, revealing the girl from where she had been buried.

Shen Yu flicked his hand lightly, and the mud and water not far from his feet immediately shifted to the sides, revealing what had been hidden beneath.

Upon seeing the situation inside, Liang Ruyue's eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand gripping his blade tightened.

Inside the soil, besides this girl washed out by the rain, there were seven or eight other girls' corpses.

Their bodies were all covered in wounds just like the first girl; they had all likely been tortured to death.

Looking at them, these people were at most fourteen or fifteen years old, their faces full of youthfulness, yet at this moment, their faces were filled with terror and pain.

At this flower-like age, their lives had not yet fully bloomed to welcome their own spring and summer before they were hastily buried in the wilderness, ending their short lives.

Who knew when they might be dug up by wild beasts in the mountains and forests, treated as dinner, and left with nothing remaining.

"My Lord!" After a few subordinates went up to investigate, they reported: "These few girls were likely all tortured to death!"

As he spoke, he pointed to one of them and said, "This girl was whipped to death alive, this one was strangled, and that one was likely held down and forcibly drowned..."

"Moreover, the ages of these girls are all under fifteen." Speaking of this, the Black-Clad Guard who came to report could not help but show some anger on his face.

Attacking defenseless women and children was something that made everyone in the world despise them.

"These girls should have died at the hands of one person. This subordinate surmises that this person likely has some special fetish and enjoys torturing others."

"The most critical point is that the time of death for these girls is not far apart; they should all have been tortured to death recently."

"According to this deduction, I fear that every three to five days, another girl is killed by them!"

Having said this, he paused, then continued, "This subordinate does not know how long this person's special fetish has lasted, but I suspect the number of people who have died at their hands is far more than this."

"In other words, these are only a small portion!"

"How bold!" The anger on his face flashed and vanished, and the killing intent spilled out uncontrollably, causing the surrounding temperature to drop significantly.

These Black-Clad Guards, who were not weak in strength, all shivered in unison, and even their movements became much more cautious.

"Go and investigate carefully for this official. I want to know who did this. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must find them for me. I want them dead!"

"My Lord!" Just then, Liang Ruyue on the side whispered, "This, these should be women from a Brothel!"

"Women from a Brothel?" To be able to distinguish this just by looking at the corpses—what kind of skill must one have practiced after lingering among flowers for so many years?

It was hard to tell; Liang Ruyue usually appeared honest and simple, but in private, he was so wild.

"My Lord, please look. They all have a red string tied around their ankles. This is unique to women from a Brothel!"

"Poor families live in hardship, and due to the pressures of life or various other reasons, it is inevitable that some will choose to sell their sons and daughters."

"And these poor women sold into a Brothel, in order to retain a final shred of dignity, usually tie a red string around their ankles or waists."

"This way, even when they take off all their clothes to entertain guests, because they still have that red string on their bodies, they do not appear completely naked."

"And this red string is equivalent to the last piece of clothing on their bodies. This is the final dignity of these poor people, and also their final stubbornness."

"They cannot resist this World, so they can only silently endure while trying their best to leave behind a final bit of purity for themselves."

"If one day they are fortunate enough to escape the sea of bitterness, they will remove the red string from their bodies, which also represents that they have turned over a new leaf and discarded that scarred past."

Speaking of this, Liang Ruyue could not help but sigh softly, "These girls all have red strings tied to them, which means they are all poor women from a Brothel."

"Such people basically sell themselves to major Brothels, so even if their corpses are exposed in the wilderness, as long as those Brothels do not pursue it, no one will care."

"No one will care?" Silently taking a deep breath, Shen Yu beckoned lightly, and these poor women floated up from the large pit.

He took off his outer robe and draped it over one of them, covering her naked body, which was covered in wounds.

The Black-Clad Guards in front saw this and immediately took off their own outer robes, covering these people.

"Prepare a coffin for them and bury them all properly!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

Striding toward Anzhou City, looking at the magnificent city in the distance, Shen Yu murmured, "In the past, no one would care, but now that this official has come, someone will care!"