Chapter 514: Beheading

The next morning, in Laizhou City.

"Senior brother, come back to your senses."

The Huanhua Sword Sect youth's eyes refocused, his body shook, and he saw his junior sister's worried expression, but he had no heart to comfort her, only raising his hand to cover his face and sighing longly.

"Sigh..."

"Junior sister, how many people haven't left?"

The woman bit her lip.

"Five, all *jianghu* wanderers with no family. The others with families or sects have already left, preparing to sell their property and flee for their lives."

The youth nodded.

"That's fine, what about the remaining five?"

The woman replied softly.

"They are waiting for your decision, senior brother... if you decide to leave, they will leave; if you still want to do something, they will do it together... so I came to ask you."

The youth gave a bitter laugh.

"Do something, what else can be done?"

"A show of strength, implicating Brother Li, implicating the sect. Unloyal, unfilial, unjust, and unwise—all gathered together; I can neither advance nor retreat, and I don't even know whether I should pay for this life to Brother Li first, or to Commander An first... how can I have any ideas?"

"What about you, junior sister, what do you want to do?"

The woman was silent for a while, pulled a package from behind her, placed it on the table, and unfolded it, revealing all kinds of bottles and jars inside.

"These are things for disguise, I bought them secretly this morning."

"I want to go see, see the result."

"The execution ground for General Qi has already been set up, just outside Laizhou City; the commoners have already gone there after receiving the news, and he will be beheaded at noon... I want to go see."

The youth was also silent.

After a long while, he stood up, picked up a bottle, took out a little brown pigment, smeared it on his face, and said softly.

"That's fine."

"We should, see the result."

The two silently disguised themselves, took their weapons, came out of the room, told the remaining five *jianghu* people of their plans, and received their silent agreement.

So half an hour later, the seven merged into the crowd and headed outside the city.

The execution ground was not far.

Not far from Laizhou City, and not far from the seaside.

As the sound of the waves rolling became clearer, the group finally arrived at their destination.

This was an open space.

On the east side was a raised cliff, and the sound of waves kept rolling up below the cliff. On the west side was a dense forest, with the official road running north and south.

On the open space stood a wooden platform half a *zhang* high and ten *zhang* in circumference, surrounded by cloth to block the hollow space beneath the platform. On the platform was a tree stump, and beside the stump stood a ghost-head blade, the blade thick and heavy, its edge gleaming with cold light.

The youth was pushed to the bottom of the platform by the crowd, looking up toward the back of the platform.

A shed had been set up there.

On both sides of the shed, several Embroidered Uniform Guards were guarding.

Inside the shed, two people were sitting opposite each other drinking tea.

The wind rolled up the curtain, letting him see the face of one of them—An Ziyang.

His complexion was still as pale as last night, but there was not a single wound, and he was chatting and laughing.

The youth's heart turned cold.

"Brother Li, in the end, still lost last night..."

Regret, pain, and confusion swallowed his heart instantly, making him fail to see who was sitting opposite An Ziyang.

The woman beside him tugged at his sleeve.

"Senior brother, over there."

He raised his head, looked in the direction indicated by the woman, and almost couldn't help but shed tears.

On one side of the shed, there was a cage.

A person in rags, covered in wounds, was curled up in a corner, motionless.

The commoners beside him began to cry in low voices.

"General Qi..."

"General Qi..."

The youth clenched his hands, biting his lips until they bled.

He almost couldn't help but rush over.

The woman still forcibly held him back.

"Senior brother, don't be impulsive."

"See General Qi off on his final journey."

The youth nodded reluctantly, forcibly shifting his gaze.

Turning his head, he discovered that not far away, there was another youth with eyes as red as his, almost rushing out, held back by his female companion.

That youth looked young, with a Japanese sword hanging at his waist.

His female companion looked pretty, slightly older, with a cold expression, holding an infant in her arms, speaking to him in a low voice.

"Wu Mingxiao, don't move."

"Things are not as you think; wait and see, there will definitely be changes."

The youth turned his head, looking at his companion with red eyes.

"Miss Zhao, there is only half an hour left before the Assistant Commissioner is beheaded; how can you convince me not to move? What changes, who will change it, what exactly do you know!"

The companion shook her head.

"I don't know anything, but I know that since that person gave you a promise, he will definitely fulfill it... you just have to wait."

The youth struggled a few times, but in the end, he gave up.

The Huanhua Sword Sect youth gave a bitter laugh.

"Changes?"

"Who can change the mind of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, who can save the person An Ziyang wants to kill?"

"It's just... wishful thinking."

He was already disheartened, waiting only to see the result and give up completely.

The sun shifted.

The commoners gathered more and more, surrounding the execution platform, leaving only the direction where the shed on the east side was empty.

And as more and more people came, some emotions gradually accumulated, and bit by bit, they squeezed open the lid of reason, spilling some out.

"General Qi... shouldn't die..."

"My wife, my child, were all saved by General Qi, my life is General Qi's... let me die instead..."

"Damn heavens! Dog-shit court! Blind!"

Public grievance boiled over.

But facing the snow-white blades of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, no one dared to move in the end. ===== CHAPTER 515 =====