Chapter 605: This Is Heaven's Justice

In the midst of this quiet, peaceful scene, suddenly, from some direction in the city, rose the sound of ghostly wails and wolfish howls. One could hear people crying out, begging for mercy, screaming in pain, as if being cruelly tortured. How could such a thing happen in broad daylight? Everyone who heard the sounds was terrified and uneasy, yet their nature to watch the excitement remained; they all waited by the roadside to see exactly what was happening.

Not long after, riders came on horseback. Tied by ropes behind the horses, people were being dragged along. The horses were not running fast, but the people on the ground could only roll and wail miserably, unable to even stand, just dragged forward like that. Looking closely, one could see that the shoulders of those being dragged by the horses were hooked through with iron hooks, making escape utterly impossible, and trails of blood could be seen behind them.

This was far too brutal, the methods far too vicious. Everyone by the roadside felt their eyelids twitch uncontrollably; the faint-hearted even shut their eyes.

The riders arrogantly parading and dragging people on horseback were all strangers to everyone, but there were those who recognized them, or could guess from their manner. Word spread that this was that group of Xuzhou men—something called the Cloud Mountain Firm, something called the Zhao Character Camp. In the present-day Qingjiangpu, only this gang dared to be so brazen.

As soon as this talk spread, the crowd was instantly roused to indignation. Everyone was discussing it now: these outsiders had come to our Qingjiangpu, to Huai'an Prefecture, to Shanyang County, to run wild. Earlier, it was said they had rules, but how was this any semblance of having rules? This was clearly unbridled lawlessness. These Xuzhou barbarians, in broad daylight, showed such disregard for the law, treating people with such cruelty. If this went on, what would become of things? Would there be any way left for the people to live?

Because they wanted more people to see, the galloping horses were not moving fast. Those being dragged still had the strength left to cry out in agony and for help, and with those wounds dripping fresh blood, it was even harder to bear watching. Some could no longer hold back their curses, but fearing the might of the Zhao Character Camp, they dared not raise their voices. Some even went to report it to the authorities—even if you were the most cowardly, with such outrageous deeds happening right before your eyes, you couldn't just ignore it...

One team of riders after another appeared, each horse dragging behind it a person struggling and wailing in pain. The bodies of those people were already smeared thick with a grimy mixture of blood and dust, their features unrecognizable. Outsiders could only see grievously wounded, pitiful wretches in utter misery.

So many people were being dragged along—what exactly did this gang of Xuzhou barbarians intend to do? To inflict such cruel punishment on these dozens of people in broad daylight—what would come next? After lesson upon lesson, now that everyone knew the fearsome power of the Zhao Character Camp, for the first time, a feeling of shared hatred and common purpose arose among them.

Right there under the watchful eyes of the crowd, from the direction the Xuzhou horse team was heading toward, the sound of hoofbeats rang out again. Could there be more people being dragged along? Looking in the direction the hoofbeats came from, they saw a young man riding in from the city gate. Quite a few of the common folk recognized this young man; they all knew he was Meng Chao, a constable from the yamen's arrest bureau. They also knew he was a good, warm-hearted young fellow. Unlike other government runners and yamen bailiffs, not only did he lack the evil habit of extortion, but he actually enjoyed helping the elderly and the young and giving alms to the poor. Many people remembered his kindness, and even though he was dressed in an odd mishmash of civilian clothes, he was still recognized at a glance by many.

This young man had a chivalrous heart; he surely couldn't stand to see the Xuzhou barbarians so rampant. But with so many Xuzhou thugs, if he tried to intervene alone, he would certainly suffer for it. Should we all help him?

Thoughts churned below. Many wagged their tongues, but not a single person stepped forward to act. The hearts of the city's residents were left hanging. What no one expected was that the chivalrous Meng Chao did not block the street. Instead, he turned his horse and followed behind. From the look of it, he seemed to be staring intently at the people being dragged on the ground.

He followed for just a few steps, and those close enough could see Meng Chao's face flush red, looking utterly agitated. Indeed, he should be filled with righteous indignation—with such a brutal scene in broad daylight, how could this chivalrous constable not be furious? The crowd, too, was affected by this change in his expression; each of them clenched their fists. If there had been hesitation and fear before, it was different now.

Everyone watched as Meng Chao opened his mouth, but what came out, to everyone's surprise, was not a furious shout to stop them, but laughter—hearty, utterly gratified laughter. The people on the street fell silent as the grave. Those nearby were all dumbfounded. What was going on? Had Constable Meng lost his mind?

"Retribution! Retribution! This is all retribution! Niu Shengjie, your day has come! Look up at the sky—are the lives you trampled and ruined watching you now?!" Meng Chao roared, his face flushed crimson.

He shouted himself hoarse. Niu Shengjie, who was being dragged, had no strength left to pay attention to anything else, but upon hearing these words, he let out a shriek, his voice filled with terror. His dragged body convulsed and trembled. When a person is in such desperate straits, on the brink of death, it is said that many uncontrollable hallucinations appear. It must have been that at this moment, all those he had recklessly harmed and trampled upon were surfacing before his eyes. The cries and despair that Niu Shengjie had once taken as pleasure and amusement, which he had watched with delight and interest back then, had now become a terrifying and horrifying sight.

The two sides of the street remained silent. Only the sound of hoofbeats and Niu Shengjie's screams and shrieks, each one weaker than the last, could be heard. At that moment, the sun shone on the street, yet in a daze, everyone felt a chill rising in their hearts, their entire bodies creeping with dread. But they quickly came to their senses, and someone immediately mustered the courage to ask, "Master Meng, is that the Bull Demon King being dragged along?"

The tone of the question was full of doubt, as if they thought it couldn't possibly be true.

"It's that bastard who deserves to die a thousand cuts!" Meng Chao's voice was somewhat distorted. He was overwhelmed with emotion and savage satisfaction, and his shouted answer came out twisted.

"... It's actually the Bull Demon King..."

"That animal Niu Shengjie has finally met his retribution..."

"Heaven has opened its eyes! Heaven has opened its eyes! Let these Xuzhou heroes come and deal with him!"

As soon as Meng Chao's answering voice fell, a buzzing clamor of discussion erupted on the street. The Xuzhou barbarians who had just been called lawless were now Xuzhou heroes acting righteously to eliminate a scourge.

Someone was the first to react and began chasing after the horse team ahead. The Xuzhou horse team was not moving fast. Who wouldn't want to chase after them and see Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao, those scourges of the common people? To see their miserable state, to see that the two scourges, the Bull Demon King and the Red Boy, had finally met their day—it would surely be a satisfying sight. As people ran, some casually picked up clods of dirt and stones from the ground. They quickly caught up from the front and hurled the dirt and stones in their hands hard onto the bloodied, mangled bodies, all the while cursing loudly and without pause.

The news spread with incredible speed. Starting from the route the horse team took, it quickly passed from the front to the back. Those who heard it were at first incredulous, then their faces filled with surprise and delight. At first, everyone had been cursing the Xuzhou barbarians for their lawlessness, but now everyone was running along. The Niu family gang had been preying on the common people for far too long. The officials, the jianghu, and the common folk of Qingjiangpu had all been helpless against them. People had even grown accustomed to being victimized by them, accustomed to keeping their distance, thinking such days would continue for who knew how many more years. No one had ever imagined they would see them punished, and in such a satisfying manner at that.

The common folk following the horse team shouted curses and threw bricks and clods of dirt. Some even ran up to kick them or beat them with wooden clubs.

The leaders, Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao, and their gang were physically weak. Being dragged along like this, they were already drawing breath far less often than they were expelling it. On top of that, being beaten to vent the crowd's fury, they simply couldn't endure it. However, the Zhao Character Camp's horse team offered these two a bit of protection. Seeing the crowd coming to pelt them, they deliberately sped up. The iron hooks tugged at their wounds, causing pain that tore at heart and lung. The clothes on their bodies had long been shredded to tatters by the road surface, and their mangled, bloody flesh still scraped along the ground—an even crueler torture.

"Scum like this—how can we let them die too easily!" Cheng Dahu said with a chuckle from atop his horse.

The entire city of Shanyang, the seat of Huai'an Prefecture, was in an uproar. Word spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred. Those chasing and watching on the streets told those at home. In no time, the streets were lined with a sea of people on both sides. Some shouted curses, some cheered—only the curses were directed at those Niu family villains, while the cheers were for the Zhao Character Camp.

The news had long since reached the county and prefectural yamens. Inside, from the clerks to the runners, everyone remained utterly indifferent. Inflicting such cruel punishment in broad daylight was indeed a violation of the law, but why should they intervene? Had anyone come to file a complaint or report the crime? You say there were people—where are they? Haven't they all run back to watch the excitement?

To begin with, no one could afford to offend the fierce men of the Zhao Character Camp. Besides, everyone living in this prefectural city saw Niu Shengjie and Guan Tao commit their utterly conscienceless acts every day. It wasn't possible that they felt no indignation in their hearts. Extortion and bullying on the usual days was one thing, but everyone still had a human conscience. Being powerless to stop such evil deeds was, after all, a source of shame. Now that someone was taking action, it was too late to cheer, let alone interfere. Going to see it was the real thing to do.

The Niu family had run rampant everywhere, committing countless evils, and they didn't even care much for the authorities, let alone show them any communication or respect. For people like this to die was a tremendous good thing for the authorities as well. Some clerks and runners even directly requested leave and went to the streets to watch the excitement.

As for the prefect and the county magistrate, the most important thing in the current situation was to pretend to be deaf and mute. They hadn't interfered with all the many things the Xuzhou Zhao Character Camp had done, so why would they interfere with this good deed of ridding the people of a scourge?

The horse team made a circuit within the city and then headed back out along the same route. Before they even reached the city gate, someone suddenly dashed out quickly from the roadside. The riders immediately went on alert, hands pressing down on their sword hilts. Even within the crowd, some reached into their bosoms. Although the scene was lively, the men of the Zhao Character Camp remained extremely cautious and vigilant. "Every person could be an enemy"—this was the instruction from their leaders. The riders had already touched their weapons.

Unexpectedly, the person who dashed out did not approach any closer. Instead, they directly knelt down and kowtowed several times to the horse team with loud thumps, then wiped away tears and retreated. Others simply cupped their hands and bowed deeply by the roadside. Even more people, their faces full of savage satisfaction and delight, shouted loudly there: "The Bull Demon King has suffered heaven's punishment! The Bull Demon King has been dealt with!" Some even ran alongside the horse team, shouting as they ran, laughing as they listened to the miserable howls of the Niu family gang, as if the sound were incomparably pleasing to the ear.

Thank you, everyone.