Chapter 186: It suddenly became extreme!

Western Wasteland, Zhao Family Village.

Today, a major incident occurred in the village:

An eight-year-old child with an outside surname actually poisoned his granduncle; the poor old man had no suspicion, ate half a biscuit he gave him two days ago, and died that very day!

The old man lived alone, with hardly anyone at home; his death went unnoticed until a neighbor, not seeing him for two days, went to check.

As a result, they discovered in shock that he had been dead for quite a while!

Originally they couldn't find the culprit, but fortunately a neighbor remembered that the boy had visited his granduncle's house two days earlier, and the biscuit was also from him.

Now it's serious: the villagers, over thirty of them left, all came out, seized the boy, and dragged him to the village entrance.

After all, this is poisoning, plus a junior harming an elder, adding the charge of unfilial conduct, which made the villagers even more furious:

Upon investigation, it was indeed so!

The outsider-surname boy's home still had many of those poisoned biscuits; feeding them to a dog killed the dog too—this really sealed the deal!

"Throw him into the pond!"

"Bury him alive! This damned thing!"

"……"

Amid the villagers' shouts, the boy tied at the village entrance panicked, insisting he had not poisoned anyone.

But it was useless.

He bore the surname Xue; in Zhao Family Village he was originally an outsider-surname, and his parents insisted on leaving—not only because this year's crops would surely drop sharply, but also because they could not tolerate the villagers' discrimination against outsider surnames.

Even trivial matters usually earned strict punishment; now it's poisoning and murder, naturally even more severe!

Seeing everyone shout "throw him in the pond!" and "bury him alive!", the Xue-surnamed boy, though precocious, was terrified—his legs trembled like sifting chaff, his face turned ashen.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I'd have been better off following my parents to seek an immortal…

"No! It's precisely because of that immortal!"

Xue Xiaohei wore a sorrowful expression:

His biscuit was actually given by that immortal!

That immortal harbored ill intent; outwardly compassionate, seeing he wouldn't go to the immortal realm, he gave him some biscuits as a gift.

In fact those biscuits were outright poisonous; the immortal simply wanted to poison this troublesome child!

As it turned out, who would have thought that after three days of cultivation practice, though he hadn't developed any magical power, he achieved the effect of grain avoidance, so he ate nothing for three days.

And unfortunately, earlier he had sent a biscuit to his granduncle as a gift while asking about the Heavenly Court…

Now his granduncle has been poisoned to death; he fears he too won't survive!

Thinking of this, Xue Xiaohei couldn't help but burst into tears.

【"Xue Xiaohei! I ask you, where did this biscuit come from!"】

【The venerable Village Chief Zhao questioned you sternly about the biscuit's origin.】

【You cried while recounting what happened those nights: seeing an immortal, the immortal giving you biscuits……】

【As soon as you said that, many people were outright stunned!】

【Because those who fled the village a few days ago are all acquainted; they know about the plan to escape to the immortal realm to enjoy blessings, and the reason they didn't join is simply that they distrust this grandiose, wishful thinking.】

【Everyone knows those who left are likely to meet misfortune, yet no one imagined that the immortal who escorted them would deliberately give poisoned biscuits to a child!】

【With such wicked conduct, would that immortal really bring mortals to the immortal realm to live well?】

【From this, it seems those who left have probably already met with disaster……】

【Many of the relatives present had also left a few days ago; upon hearing about the poisoned biscuits, their hearts sank instantly.】

【You hoped Village Chief Zhao would let you off because of this, after all you are truly young and ignorant, unaware of the poisoned biscuit matter……】

【But your hope came to nothing.】

【The old Village Chief frowned, pondering for a long time; although he also thought you were innocent through ignorance, the fact remains that someone died in the village, and the charge of unfilial conduct still stands.】

【Moreover, just a few days ago the village lost a batch of people who fled, leaving the Village Chief embarrassed; thus he must uphold his authority, and conveniently you are an outsider-surname—if you die, no one will speak for you……】

【Slap!】

【With a bang, the old Village Chief declared: although you are young and ignorant, and did not intentionally kill an elder, your act still violates filial piety; as the saying goes, a life for a life, a debt must be repaid—you must today pay with your life!】

【Upon hearing the verdict, your head buzzed and you went completely dumb……】

【After careful consideration, the old Village Chief thought drowning would be too cruel for you, so he sentenced you to be buried alive!】

【Two sturdy youths who had been waiting nearby leapt out, in front of the whole village they seized your dazed self and took you to a distant open space, then on the spot dug a pit—one smooth, flowing operation……】

"……"

Zhao Si stared, dumbfounded:

Is this a private criminal court?

"No way—besides the fact that the protagonist is just an eight-year-old child, even this unintentional crime by itself should merit a light sentence; the distinction between unintentional and intentional is still significant, right?"

"Furthermore, what authority does a village head have to decide a person's life or death?"

This outright burial-alive verdict is clearly wrong!

But… who let this be a feudal society? And moreover, it's a feudal society in the midst of chaotic times……

"It looks like it's over—the protagonist has just begun Qi Refining cultivation, hasn't achieved anything yet, and his body is merely that of an eight-year-old child… he simply has no capacity to resist."

Zhao Si felt somewhat helpless:

I originally thought that refusing the immortal who called himself of the Western Sect would get me killed once, but the immortal actually let me go.

And now, I thought everything would proceed smoothly, but instead I've capsized in a stinky ditch, haven't even cultivated any virtue yet, and the protagonist's first blood is about to be shed……

However, the ensuing developments caught Zhao Si somewhat off guard:

【You were trussed up and flung to the ground, your vacant gaze sweeping across the ever‑enlarging pit; once the pit is dug, your life will be over……】

【The two villagers digging the pit, you know them, but because you are an outsider‑surname they normally don't play with you, and sometimes even bully you and your younger brother, snatching your snacks.】

【Now, they are digging pits with all their strength, planning to bury you……】

【Old Village Chief, outwardly virtuous and prestigious, actually hypocritical; he has always been strict toward you outsiders, making a fuss over trivial matters, and has long been disliked by people.】

【You know, he does this solely to maintain his authority in the village, relying on the many people surnamed Zhao to suppress your Xue family and the other few minor outside surnames.】

【And now he has even set up a private judiciary, handing out harsh sentences, attempting to reestablish absolute authority with your life, to calm the unsettled hearts of villagers caused by those who have fled the village……】

【Those thirty-odd villagers are not innocent either; they not only fail to stop this lynching, but even hope you die.】

【Their thinking is much like the Old Village Chief's; they all want to use your life to settle their own minds, so they can continue to live peacefully in this broken mountain village……】

【All are evil people!】

【The dullness on your face gradually turns to indifference, your gaze also slowly changes, the childish innocence fades away, revealing instead the complex maturity you inherently possess……】

【Dad, Mom, younger brother……they probably aren't around either……】

【You slowly think, and in your mind appears the miserable death you imagined for them: deceived by that evil immortal, they surely cannot survive.】

【You have no attachments left……】

【"I can die."】

【You, lying on the ground, silently say to yourself.】

【"But you'd better not think you'll live either!"】

【Your fierce eyes reflect everything: the two youths digging the pit, the Old Village Chief hypocritically pronouncing the death sentence, and the all‑evil villagers watching……】

【Moreover, that evil immortal, the corrupt court officials, the troops suppressing rebels like lackeys, the dog‑emperor who only eats and sleeps, and the lavish wealthy merchant‑landlord……】

【Even……the long‑fallen mythical Heavenly Court, the last Xuan Du Heavenly Emperor, the second‑generation Jin Bing Heavenly Emperor, and the first‑generation Di Jun Heavenly Emperor……】

【Your thoughts grow ever more extreme, the scope of your hatred ever wider: you hate those who directly caused your family's ruin, you also hate those who indirectly caused it, and you even hate the gods and heavenly emperors of myth.】

【"Why don't you care about the human world? Why is the world utterly in ruins? Why do you leave humanity to suffer endlessly?"】

【"If you can save, why don't you? You claim to be benevolent and kind, yet one slogan outshouts another, and one boasts of boundless merit."】

【"Is it that you cannot save, or that you will not save? If you cannot save, why shout a slogan you cannot fulfill, giving people pointless hope? If you will not save, why then put on a hypocritical show?"】

【"If you really cannot save, then why not put an end to all of this? As long as there is no one left in the world……wouldn't that end all this suffering?"】

【Your life has come to its final moment; the two have already finished digging the pit.】

【They seize you, throw you into the deep pit, and begin to fill it shovelful by shovelful……】

【But even so, you remain unafraid, with only calm left in your heart.】

【"If you want me to die, I can certainly die……"】

【"And you, all of you, whether good or evil, sage or sinner……must die together with me!"】

【Breathing grows heavy, soil covers your body, making your limbs ever stiffer and weaker……while your mind, too, shifts from clarity to obsession.】

【Until the end, only a single, utterly one‑sided obsession remains……】

【Everything has become meaningless.】

【On the ground, the Old Village Chief repeatedly lectures about the importance of killing you, what great significance it holds, what fine spirit it will bring to the village, and how the future will head toward a wonderfully prosperous era: no more lack of clothing or food, everyone respecting the elderly and loving the young……】

【Yet no one noticed a beautiful seven‑colored little bird perched on a certain tree, preening its feathers, its posture like that of a real bird.】

【It is waiting for its master's command.】

【Thus, the first and also last command is conveyed from that fresh soil, carrying the master's lingering will.】

【"……"】

【The little bird tilts its head, then flaps its wings, flies into the air, and then dives……】

【Thought, suddenly it became extreme.】

……

(End of chapter)