Chapter 197 Little Ma Returns from the Execution Ground
Wan Qixi gripped his dagger tightly, taking advantage of the cover of night to approach the little girl step by step. The girl was completely unaware of the impending danger. Her clothes were tattered, and she appeared to be no more than ten years old, but her eyes shone with a resolute, warm light that moved people. She was actually several years older than she looked; she must have suffered greatly during the years she had followed Guan Xiaotian through hardship and displacement…
"How about..." Wan Qixi tried his best to convince himself, then looked down at the unsheathed dagger again. "How about I just consider it helping you get rid of this endless suffering? Guan family girl, you should thank me."
The girl's life hung by a thread. Suddenly, sparks flew like exploding beans onto her clothes as the fire ignited something. She jumped up and saw several charred holes in her old clothes. Instead of being angry, she casually blew away the ashes, skewered the cold steamed buns on a branch, and turned them over the fire to roast. When the buns developed a crispy crust, her eyes lit up with joy. Ignoring the heat, she quickly blew on them a few times and took a bite. Crispy crumbs tumbled into her skirt pocket.
The girl suddenly looked up, and Wan Qixi, who was staring intently at her, didn't have time to dodge. He could only lower the bamboo hat covering his face. In the pitch-black night, facing the girl by the fire, he was just a traveler passing through the alley, unaware of her origins.
"Are you hungry?" The girl picked up a freshly baked steamed bun and handed it to Wan Qixi. "Here you go."
This was what she intended to leave for her father. The girl happily chewed her food, and when she saw the newcomer silently looking at the empty wine jar lying to one side, she giggled and said, "You've come at the wrong time. My father has already drunk all the wine. If you don't mind, you can stay here for the night. Tomorrow morning, my father will buy another jar and we can drink together."
She didn't know that Guan Xiaotian would never wake up again. Wan Qixi, as if possessed, turned away, unable to look at the girl any longer. His palm, gripping the dagger, suddenly became soaked with sweat, almost slipping and falling to the ground. Wan Qixi sighed inwardly, realizing he couldn't kill everyone after all.
"father."
Wan Qixi, who had turned her back, heard Guan Ye's whisper. She said to the dying Guan Xiaotian, "Father, this person... is so strange."
This person is so strange...
"—Just this short sword?" Wan Qixi snatched his own item from Guan Ye's hand. "What, you want to storm the execution ground and rescue Ji Fang?"
Waiting for Guan Ye's reply, Wan Qixi mocked again, "So what if you saved Ji Fang? Can you still break into the Heavenly Prison and rescue everyone in Xingguo Ward? Guan girl, don't be foolish. You're already incredibly lucky to have saved your own life. No one is lucky every time."
Wan Qixi's mind flashed back to the deep alley scene from many years ago. Years had passed, and Guan Ye had grown taller and more beautiful. The skinny little girl from back then had grown into a tall and bright young woman. The only thing that hadn't changed was her eyes. As the years went by, the resilient and warm light in her eyes had actually become even stronger.
"What can you do with your old sword alone?" Guan Ye, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up. "You told me to leave and advised Wushuang to let go, but you didn't mention yourself. Wan Qixi? Or should I call you Young Master Lu? You still haven't said what your plans are?"
Perhaps not expecting Guan Ye to think of him, Wan Qixi was momentarily dazed. He looked up at the lonely stars and moon in the sky. The cold stars, which were sometimes bright and sometimes dim, were obscured by the clouds and mist the moment he looked up. Wan Qixi knew this was not a good omen, but a disdainful smile still appeared on his lips.
Seeing that no one was around and no soldiers were following him, Wan Qixi glanced at the girl in the night again. He suddenly felt regret. Everyone has to die. If he had known that the girl would end up like this, he would have killed her back then and avoided this torment.
Wanqi Xi sighed inwardly, shouldered his sword, and stepped into the unfathomable distance ahead, never looking back.
The next day, just past Chenshi (7-9 AM), a large crowd had already gathered at the Rongdu execution ground. Lingchi (death by a thousand cuts)? In the hundred-odd years since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, this was the first time such a method of death had been used. Everyone knew that this method was cruel. It was said that if the execution was carried out properly, even a hundred or so cuts might not be enough to kill the victim. A hundred or so cuts of flesh? Let alone seeing it with one's own eyes, just thinking about it made people tremble all over. Everyone was afraid, but even more so, they were curious. Some even secretly started betting on how many cuts the swordsmen of Xingguo Ward could withstand.
"What if he's still breathing after a hundred cuts?" someone asked.
"Then it'll just be a skeleton." The people around burst into laughter.
"Look, they're here!" someone exclaimed, pointing to the intersection.
Inside the prison cart, the young swordsman was still wearing the dark brocade robe with knife patterns from Xingguo Workshop. Blood had congealed into thick, black scars, which had dried and hardened on the wounds all over his body. His hair was disheveled, and stray hairs at his temples covered his face, with only a few pale skin marks appearing and disappearing as the prison cart swayed.
“It really is…him.” In the crowd, Mei Xiaoqing saw the swordsman’s face and hurriedly returned to the carriage parked at the alley entrance. She whispered against the curtain, “Cousin, I’ve seen Ji Fang before, it’s him.”
Mei Shiyu lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and glanced in the direction of Caishikou. "Have you noticed anyone else?"
Mei Xiaojing shook her head, "They are all onlookers. It's cold and they're all dressed up. They're all crowded together, so it's really hard to notice anything."
Mei Shiyu calmed his mind. He had a vague feeling that something would happen during today's execution, but what would happen... Mei Shiyu couldn't figure it out, nor did he dare to think about it. He was filled with worries and couldn't wait for news from outside. After thinking it over, he decided to come here in person.
Seeing her cousin's furrowed brows, Mei Xiaojing seemed to have noticed something and whispered, "You think... someone will try to storm the execution ground?" The words left her mouth made her tremble slightly. "There's hardly anyone left in Xingguo Ward. Guan Ye doesn't know martial arts, and the other swordsmen..." Mei Xiaojing's hair stood on end. "Cousin?"
"Let's wait and see," Mei Shiyu said, gesturing for his cousin to come to the carriage. "I hope I'm wrong."
Mei Xiaojing glanced at the execution ground again. Although she had only met Ji Fang a few times, the young man was handsome and clear-cut, unforgettable at first sight. The thought that such a person would suffer the pain of being torn to pieces made Mei Xiaojing feel unbearable. She lowered the carriage curtain and dared not look any further.
Upon seeing that the executioner today was none other than the Imperial Advisor Cui Jin, the surrounding crowd gasped in astonishment. A mere swordsman had actually received the Imperial Advisor's personal attention; it seemed that his crimes were no small matter and he certainly deserved to die.
Guan Ye also saw Ji Fang. Before she knew Ji Fang, she had heard rumors about him. Everyone said that Ji Fang was timid and would faint at the sight of blood. The person who was most afraid of blood was also the one who bled the most. Ji Fang should not die, and Guan Ye would not let him die like that.
On the execution ground, soldiers escorted Ji Fang to kneel on the platform. Ji Fang collapsed to the ground, only to be violently pulled up. Under his disheveled hair, he struggled to open his cloudy eyes, scanning the unfamiliar yet excited faces below the platform. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a certain spot, as if he had seen something impossible. His hands were clasped behind his back, preventing him from rubbing his eyes. He could only try his best to squeeze his sticky eyelids to see the scene more clearly.
Ji Fang suddenly burst into a deep, chilling laugh, startling Cui Jindu into turning his head to look. The laugh startled the black crows that had been watching the dead and their flesh from the rafters of the market. The crows let out a suppressed, terrifying cry, flapping their wings and circling above everyone's heads, like a large dark cloud pressing down on the world.
"He's laughing even when he's about to die?" someone whispered. "He's probably gone mad."
"Ji Fang," Cui Jin asked finally, "is there anything else you want to say? If you can remember anything, perhaps there's still a way out."
Ji Fang's eyes were contemptuous; he no longer wanted to waste his breath on anyone or anything. Cui Jin couldn't wait for his response. His one eye revealed a sinister glint, and he waved his black robe to signal the start of the execution.
Guan Ye subconsciously reached for the short sword in her bosom, when suddenly a figure appeared beside her as if from the sky, pressing a warm palm heavily against the back of her hand. "Are you crazy?"
“A-Jiu…” Guan Ye did not withdraw her hand. She had longed to hear this voice for a long time. Although less than two days had passed, it felt like an eternity.
I remember when the treasure ship first came to Canglang Island, Ajiu called out to me in the same way. Not only Ajiu, but also several unfamiliar young men in the crowd on the shore. They were about the same age as Ajiu, dressed in black robes and with headbands, with agile figures and calm faces. They were scattered in the crowd, their eyes fixed on the approaching treasure ship, just waiting for someone to give the order, and they would draw their swords and fight to protect the island.
But this time... it's just me and Ajiu.
Ajiu, wearing a bamboo hat that covered half of his face, held a sword in one hand and shielded Guan Ye behind him with the other. Guan Ye leaned against Ajiu's broad back and smelled the faint scent of wine on his clothes. Guan Ye felt relieved; in this time of crisis, Ajiu had not abandoned everyone.
"We must save that person," Ajiu said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go..."
"South alley, green-tiled houses, seventeen households facing north." A gray-clad figure limped up to the two men. "Take the people there to settle them first."
Guan Ye looked up at the sound, "Thirteen..."
Feng Shisan winked at Guan Ye, "Grandpa, I'm not that easy to kill. If you want to kill Ji Fang, kill me first."
Seeing Guan Ye's eyes brimming with tears, Feng Shisan nudged Ajiu with his elbow, "When it comes to charging into battle, I, Shisan Shao, am here. How can you let your woman cry?"
A-Jiu's hand twitched slightly. "If he dies..."
Feng Shisan limped forward a few more steps, "Death? To die on the same day, month, and year, is a terrible thing." He frowned as he spoke, "Ajiu, why are you saying that? You're the one among us who's least afraid of death."
The executioner, brandishing a short sword, approached Ji Fang, scrutinizing his body and searching for the spot where the first strike would land. As the sword was raised, the timid child covered his eyes. Feng Shisan leaped straight towards the execution ground with a light touch of his toes. The blade passed without leaving a trace, and an arc of light flashed through the child's fingers. Before the child could open his eyes, the people below the platform pointed at the fleeting figure and gasped in surprise.
With a clang, the executioner's dagger was knocked away by something. Feng Shisan looked at his sword in confusion; he hadn't even made a move yet, how could it have been done? He looked towards the platform, where the dagger was spinning rapidly, and beside it was a familiar object—a scabbard? The scabbard was still in his hand, so whose was this…?
"Someone's trying to break us out!" someone finally realized and shouted, pointing at the men in black who were falling from the sky.
"Is someone else coming?" Guan Ye tried to step forward to see what was going on, but before she could move, A Jiu pushed her back forcefully. "Go to the place Feng Shisan mentioned, rescue Ji Fang, and meet him there." Before she finished speaking, A Jiu drew her sword and followed closely behind Feng Shisan, unable to resist turning back to look at Guan Ye again.
At that glance, Guan Ye gasped. Ajiu? He... wasn't Ajiu. He was holding Ajiu's sword, but he... was Mu Chenbi.
Feng Shisan knocked the executioner down with an elbow, then raised his sword to cut the ropes binding Ji Fang. He scooped up Ji Fang's weak body and asked, "Can you still walk?"
Ji Fang propped up his drooping head. As if he had expected that he would not be abandoned, the corners of his lips turned up, and fresh blood seeped from his withered lips as he smiled. He had been tortured to the point of being unable to speak, but he could still walk.
The man in black thrust his sword at the swarming guards, then turned to look at Feng Shisan and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go."
"Let's go." Hearing that familiar voice, Feng Shisan roared and struggled to lift Ji Fang up, then slashed the guard's throat with his sword. "Let's go together."
Ji Fang was like a fallen leaf caught in a sandstorm, struggling to move forward. In the midst of his struggle and dodging, Ji Fang saw the black-clad man's sword style clearly. It was a move that Ji Fang was all too familiar with. In Pei Chong's old residence, they ate and lived together every day, practicing hard with Pei Bi. He and Pei Bi were the slowest learners. In competitions among their companions, they were often the losers. Yet, he was the one who won the only match for Xingguo Fang in front of the emperor.
"Little Ma..." Ji Fang wept bitterly. "You've come back after all."
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