294. He must die.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Wenling drew his sword from his side with his right hand. With a flash of light, the villager fell straight down in the snow and lay motionless.
The whole process was clean and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.
The elderly couple were stunned for a moment, but didn't say much. They just hugged the little girl tighter so she wouldn't see what was happening.
They all knew that the villager had sold them out.
The elderly couple spoke a few more words to the little girl, asking if she had been cold or had eaten enough in the mountains, and the little girl answered obediently.
But as they talked, the old man started coughing, his face grew paler and paler, and he lost the strength to speak. The old woman couldn't hold on any longer either, and leaned against the old man, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.
"Grandpa! Grandma!" The little dumpling panicked immediately, grabbing their arms tightly with her little hands.
Xie Wenling immediately stepped forward and carefully helped the old man up, and then asked the guards next to him to help the old woman up as well.
He was extremely careful in his movements, afraid of hurting the two elderly people, and he spoke very politely: "Grandpa and Grandma, hang in there. I'll take you to the back now so the doctor can treat your injuries. You'll be fine soon."
Then he lowered his head and said to the little dumpling, "Princess, why don't you go to the rear with Grandpa and Grandma? I'll come find you after I've finished dealing with things here, okay?"
The little girl nodded vigorously, her tiny hand gripping her grandmother's hand tightly: "Okay, Yue'er will be good. Grandpa and Grandma, you must take good care of yourselves."
-
After settling the little dumpling and the two elderly people, Xie Wenling turned to look at the chaotic army.
Qu Zijin was wielding his sword, fighting with the Prince of Zhennan.
Qu Zijin, usually gentle and refined, now wielded a sword with a hand accustomed to holding a pen. His movements were not very skillful, his outer robe was stained with blood, and his hair was a little disheveled, but he still refused to back down.
The sword strike aimed straight at the Prince of Zhennan, and it looked like it was about to pierce the Prince's chest.
The Prince of Zhennan turned deathly pale with fright, nearly dropping his sword as he retreated repeatedly, shouting, "Quickly! Protect me! Whoever protects me will be richly rewarded!"
Several guards from the Prince's Palace suddenly rushed out from the chaos of the army, holding shields and standing firmly in front of the Prince of Zhennan, before lunging at Qu Zijin's sword.
Even when they were cut by swords, these men refused to let go, stubbornly blocking a way out for the Prince of Zhennan.
"Damn it!" Qu Zijin gritted his teeth, wanting to chase after them, but was held back by the guards.
He could only watch as the Prince of Zhennan scrambled away into the distance, quickly disappearing into the chaotic ranks without a trace.
Qin Fengsong also rushed forward to cover his retreat.
Qu Zijin, panting heavily, looked in the direction the Prince of Zhennan had fled, his brows furrowed tightly.
His sword fell limply, clearly indicating that he was exhausted.
Xie Wenling strode over and, unusually, asked with concern, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Qu Zijin shook his head and took a breath: "It's nothing, it's just a pity that he got away."
“He won’t be able to run for long,” Xie Wenling said coldly. “His men have already been defeated, and his advisors have been captured alive. He can’t hide forever. Once we return to the capital, there will be plenty of opportunities to punish him.”
As they were talking, two guards escorted Sun Weicai over.
Sun Weicai was no longer as arrogant as before. His long robe was torn to shreds, his face was covered in dust and snow, his hair was disheveled, and he was slumped in the arms of the guards, unable to even stand up.
He knew something was terribly wrong, and as soon as he saw Xie Wenling and Qu Zijin, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
His forehead slammed into the snow with a thud, utterly devoid of dignity.
"Lord Xie! Grand Tutor Qu! Spare my life!" Sun Weicai's voice was filled with fear and trembled with sobs. "It was all Prince Zhennan's doing! He made me stop you and plunder the people's wealth. I had no choice! Please spare my life. I'll tell you everything!"
His forehead was red from kowtowing, and tears and snot were streaming down his face. He was no longer the arrogant man he had been before; he looked like a stray dog.
Xie Wenling stood aside, simply watching Sun Weicai quietly without saying a word, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
This made Sun Weicai feel uneasy, and he kowtowed even harder.
Qu Zijin recovered and frowned when he saw Sun Weicai's appearance, but still said to Xie Wenling, "Xie Wenling, spare his life."
"He is the most capable advisor to the Prince of Zhennan and knows a lot about him. Keeping him around so that he can confess in front of His Majesty after returning to the capital will more clearly confirm the Prince of Zhennan's crimes and leave him with no way to deny them."
"Killing him would mean losing an important witness."
Xie Wenling remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on Sun Weicai. Despite having a face that could easily make people lose their focus, Sun Weicai exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Sun Weicai panicked even more. He kowtowed so hard that his forehead was bleeding and blood mixed with snow water stuck to his face, but he didn't dare to stop for a moment. His voice was full of fawning humility: "Lord Xie, Grand Tutor Qu, I am really willing to confess!"
"I know everything about the Prince of Zhennan! As long as you spare my life, once we reach the capital, I will tell you everything in front of His Majesty without missing a single word!"
He spoke earnestly, but he was secretly plotting something.
As long as you can survive this moment, there will be plenty of opportunities to escape along the way.
Once we escape, we can try to contact the people in the Prince's Mansion. There might still be a way out, which is better than dying here now.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Xie Wenling slowly opened his mouth, his tone calm: "There's no need to wait until the capital."
He turned to the guards behind him, his eyes devoid of any emotion, and gave a clear and ruthless order: "Take a thick rope, tie him to the back of the horse, and drag him until he dies."
This is a common method of torture among nomadic peoples.
The characteristic is that humans cannot keep up with the speed of horses, so the horses will drag the humans forward.
The ground is uneven, with pebbles and various other things.
These rough materials can wear out people's clothes and skin.
The part of the person being dragged that is in contact with the ground will be mangled and bloody.
If you continue to drag it, the skin and flesh will be worn down layer by layer, and even the bones will be worn down.
Bloodstains, along with bits of flesh and bone, would meander across the ground.
Another characteristic of this punishment is that the person being dragged remains conscious and in pain. Even if they faint, they will be quickly awakened by the excruciating pain.
If you're lucky, a severe blow to the head will kill you relatively quickly.
If you're unlucky, you might have to wear down half your body before you die.
"W-what?" Sun Weicai froze on the spot, raising his head in disbelief. The color drained from his face instantly, and even his lips were trembling. "Lord Xie, you...you can't kill me! I can still confess, I'm still useful! Please spare me, I'm really willing to do anything!"
As he spoke, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
A warm liquid flowed down his trouser leg, spreading a small wet patch on the snow.
He was so scared that he peed himself.
He had lost all his previous arrogance, leaving only extreme fear.
Qu Zijin had no idea what the punishment actually looked like.
Seeing this, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Xie Wenling's arm: "Xie Wenling, don't be impulsive! I know you're angry that he aided and abetted evil, harmed innocent people, and even tried to hurt us."
But he really works!
"Keep him alive. When we get to the capital, he can be a witness and solidify the guilt of the Prince of Zhennan."
"Even if you want to kill him, wait until His Majesty has sentenced him. It's not too late to kill him then. There's no need to dirty your hands now."
Xie Wenling refused to take this suggestion, fearing that things might get complicated and Sun Weicai would inevitably die anyway: "We don't need him as a witness. Qin Fengsong and the guards can testify to the Prince of Zhennan's roadblocks, killings, harming civilians, and threatening us. Moreover, I have evidence against him that is sufficient to convict him. Keeping such a person around will only cause more trouble."
Qu Zijin frowned, looking at Xie Wenling with a mixture of belief and doubt.
He knew Xie Wenling was always prudent in his actions, but he never expected that Xie Wenling would have evidence in his possession.
But seeing Sun Weicai's terrified appearance, they thought that having another witness would be safer.
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