Chapter 383 They're insane! They're all fucking lunatics!
Many of the villagers who were closer to Changshan and had seen what was happening turned around and vomited.
Behind him, a group of one or two hundred men remained, now completely silent. They were pale-faced and thin, supporting each other in twos and threes, their faces filled with fear and anxiety as they stared blankly at their leader.
"You're insane! You killed them all!"
Chi Heng's fingertips trembled, a wave of nausea surging from the depths of his heart, which he swallowed back down. He looked over in disbelief, and among the pile of heads lay the bearded man who had fought alongside him just days before. The bearded man's eyes were wide open in fury, filled with resentment, and blood crystals had formed at the corners of his mouth. The severed neck had been cleanly cut off, and splattered blood still clung to his face.
And the head of the man missing an eye—he must have been an advisor, someone of considerable status, probably their second-in-command, One-Eye.
"They're all insane, fucking insane!"
Chi Heng cursed and turned to Li Rong with a pale face.
On the high wall, Li Rong, his shoulders covered with a thin layer of snow, stared at Changshan's blood-stained robes, remaining silent for a long time.
Snowflakes fluttered down, already forming tiny ice crystals between his eyelashes, obscuring the emotions in his eyes.
Changshan bowed deeply, his hoarse voice repeating, "General, Changshan and his brothers have come to beg for forgiveness!"
That mournful voice struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer blow, making them tremble.
Changshan, his eyes vacant, murmured, "We knew this day would come when we defected from the camp. Today, Changshan has cleansed the ranks of us. I don't ask for the general's forgiveness, but only that the general let these people go home. They are just villagers. They were arrested for no reason and were just doing odd jobs with us brothers."
As Changshan spoke, his hands trembling, he took out a white cotton cloth stained with blood and placed it in front of him: "I also have a petition to present to the general. I am incompetent, controlled by others, trapped in my own heart, and punishing the people. My evil deeds are beyond measure. I have no face to show to the world. I beg the general to take care of himself and pretend that you have never met me."
Having said that, the carrying pole at his waist fell to the ground with a "thud".
The head he was carrying rolled all over him and onto the ground.
With some effort, he covered the blade with his hand and tried twice before finally pulling out the sword from his waist, which was now congealed with blood, and placed it against his neck.
"General, I am guilty of a crime committed in Changshan. This is our final farewell."
From beginning to end, Changshan's eyes were fixed on Li Rong's clothes, never once meeting the eyes of the person on the high wall. Even now, he didn't dare to look at him, and held his long sword horizontally, intending to slit his throat.
In a flash, Chi Heng threw the long fan in her hand straight over, hitting Changshan's elbow and barely cutting it open. Blood trickled from Changshan's throat, barely visible.
Seeing that the general hadn't made a move from beginning to end, he gave a wry smile. Yes, this was his general.
After speaking, he once again placed the longsword against his neck.
"Arong!" Chiheng shouted urgently, instinctively pulling out the iron spikes from the top of the wall and trying to throw them to stop Changshan's suicide.
Before he could throw it, his arm was grabbed by a large hand.
"Arong! Are you heartless? He's Changshan, a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside me for many years! Now, he seems to have regrets! If you do nothing, you'll regret it!"
As Chi Heng spoke, the soldiers who had been given gifts by General Wan to Li Rong earlier looked at Li Rong with complicated expressions, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing that Li Rong remained unmoved, Chi Heng resolutely shook off his hand and threw the iron spike in his hand.
However, it was too late.
When Chi Heng looked over again, Changshan's sword had already slit his throat. He slowly collapsed among the heads.
When Chi Heng met his eyes, the complex emotions in her heart faltered as she looked into his eyes.
He saw a hint of relief in those complex eyes.
The long sighs turned into wisps of white mist, dissipating into the cold, snowy landscape.
His death was like a boulder crashing into a calm lake, creating countless ripples.
The bandits behind him knelt down almost like dumplings being dropped into a pot, but bowed their heads and begged for mercy from Li Rong.
The snow fell even heavier, like goose feathers rustling down.
After a long while on the high wall, Li Rong finally leaped down, his black boots leaving marks on the snow with each step. Finally, he stopped at Changshan's corpse.
Amidst the howling north wind, a sigh seemed to appear and disappear, eventually vanishing without a trace.
Li Rong picked up the blood-stained petition, his gaze falling on Changshan. Finally, he bent down, placed his large hand on Changshan's face, and closed his wide-open eyes.
Behind him, a group of people knelt anxiously.
No one doubted Changshan's words. Before he killed them, he had said that if his general did not want them to live, then none of them would survive. Even in the snow, no one dared to move, all holding their breath and staring intently at Li Rong.
Li Rong leaped onto the high wall again, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice booming like a bell.
“You are bandits, and should be no different from Changshan. But Changshan begged for your life, so I will let you go home. If you do evil again, I will personally kill you.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd kowtowed repeatedly and fled in twos and threes, as if hiding from some raging flood or ferocious beast.
But the next second, Li Rong on the high wall suddenly drew his bow and shot an arrow. Two men were pierced through the chest by the arrow, and the blood that splattered out made the people around scream.
The two men who fell to the ground were still holding food they had just snatched from the villagers.
"If they dare to do evil again, I will take their dog's life, no matter where they are!"
Li Rong's voice was chillingly cold and carried immense pressure, sounding like a demonic chant to everyone's ears.
Those in the crowd with ulterior motives were terrified, their faces turning deathly pale. They kowtowed meekly to Li Rong and dispersed in the blink of an eye.
Even the villagers looked at Li Rong and his group differently than before, and no one dared to step forward from beginning to end.
"Clean it up and bury it."
Upon hearing Li Rong's instructions, the young soldiers exchanged glances.
The identities of Changshan and the others were self-evident, inevitably evoking a sense of shared sorrow.
They felt the general was heartless, but no one dared to question this war god. They could only silently collect the corpses, though their expressions were impossible to hide.
Chi Heng hesitated several times before finally putting it aside, and instead frowned and turned her head to look at Li Rong.
He stood expressionless in the snow, his brows, hair, and temples frosted with cold. Nothing seemed to disturb his heart or lungs; he was like a living Yama, cold-hearted and awe-inspiring.
The next second, Li Rong's iron-like figure swayed. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Red plum blossoms bloomed at the foot of the wall, dazzlingly bright. He collapsed like an old tree that had been felled.
Chi Heng's pupils suddenly contracted: "A Rong!"
She tried to grab him, but her grasp missed.
Standing beneath the wall, Jiang Nuanzhi, who had witnessed the entire event, managed to pull the person into her arms.
(End of this chapter)
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