Chapter 176: Chapter 172: Turning the Tide, the Holy Blood Sect’s Name Works Like a Charm
On the day of the execution, as Yang Wenwan and the three hundred eighty-four men of his clan knelt on the execution grounds in thin prison robes, a heavy snow began to fall unexpectedly.
In the Han Kingdom, such a sight was a once-in-a-century wonder.
The Han Kingdom had a hot climate, especially around the Capital City, where snowless winters were the norm.
Even when it did snow, it was just a light, sand-like powder.
But now, in just a few moments, a thick blanket of snow covered the prisoners, the headsmen, and the Executioners. No one present had ever witnessed such a thing.
The watching crowd buzzed with discussion.
"They say Yang the Thief’s crimes are monstrous. I was skeptical at first, since his reputation has been pretty good these last few years. But now I’m sure he’s getting what he deserves. Even Heaven can’t bear to watch, sending this snow to make his final moments miserable!"
"Exactly. The man’s a total hypocrite. He was in charge of the Garrison in the Northern Three States for sixty years—who knows how much evil he did in that time."
"Hey, even if he did some bad things, he also held back the Jin Kingdom’s armies for sixty years."
"Merits and crimes don’t cancel each other out! For his merits, the Emperor rewarded him. He had fine clothes, exquisite food, mansions as numerous as clouds, and concubines as common as rain. For his faults, he must naturally face the executioner’s block!"
Some of the townsfolk, filled with righteous indignation, even started throwing rotten eggs, rotting vegetables, and clumps of mud they’d hastily packed together at the kneeling figures on the execution grounds.
~~~~~~~
In a private room of a distant tavern, two women gazed out at the execution grounds. Though dressed as men, they could not conceal their feminine charm.
One sat with a leisurely air; the other stood, looking somewhat constrained.
"How goes the task I gave you?" the seated woman asked. "Do the people hate him yet?"
The standing woman answered respectfully, "Reporting to Martial Uncle Gong, this junior has spread the news far and wide. It’s not just the Capital City now—the whole world hates Yang Wenwan to the bone."
"Well done!" The seated woman nodded in satisfaction. "Once Senior Sister Lin’s Demon Artifact is complete, I’ll see you’re rewarded for this. Heh heh. A loyal official and brilliant general, framed and sentenced to death... all that resentment and indignation can be refined into a superb Demon Artifact! The hatred and curses of the entire world, the condemnation of millions... that overwhelming enmity can be refined into another fine Demon Artifact."
She paused, then added with a smile, "In a year or so, arrange for more rumors to be spread. Let the world know that Yang Wenwan was framed. Have that Emperor issue an edict of self-blame and chop off a few heads. Then, the people will be filled with regret, pity, and a thousand other feelings. Such complex emotions could also be refined into a Demon Artifact, though with the emotions being so muddled, its quality probably wouldn’t be very high."
The standing woman said respectfully, "With three Demon Artifacts to protect her, Martial Uncle Lin will surely achieve Core Formation, become a grandmaster, and protect our Sect for another five hundred years."
The seated woman’s beautiful face suddenly twisted. "When Senior Sister Lin reaches Core Formation, I’m going to beg her to help me kill that bitch, Chen Yingzhi. My Hundred Ghosts Banner is still missing a primary soul from the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!"
~~~~~~~~~
Yang Wenwan tilted his head back, squinting his swollen eyes at the falling snow. He made no move to dodge the rotten eggs and clumps of mud being thrown at him.
Though he couldn’t muster his True Qi, his physical conditioning remained.
The chatter of the crowd reached his ears.
’Is that so?’
’So this is how they see me.’
’I’ve spent a lifetime at war, pouring my heart and soul into the Northern Three States, fighting the Jin Kingdom barbarians for sixty years.’
’And this... is the end I receive in return.’
’This snow blanketing the sky... is it Heaven punishing me?’
’Or is it weeping for my injustice?’
He looked back at his kinsmen.
Many of them, he couldn’t even name, having never even met them before.
But they were all going to die because of him.
And his wives, concubines, daughters, and granddaughters... all would be sent to the Music Bureau. They would go from noble ladies of a great house to slaves that even the lowest peddler or soldier could defile at will.
As the "mastermind" behind it all, he too would receive special treatment.
The others would be beheaded and granted a quick death.
He alone would be sentenced to death by a thousand cuts.
’Death by a thousand cuts must be painful... but he wasn’t afraid.’
Throughout his life of campaigning, he had been injured many times, especially in his youth before his Martial Arts had reached Great Success.
He had suffered no fewer than a hundred wounds all over his body.
How could the pain of a blade slicing flesh compare to the anguish in his heart?
Yang Wenwan, a man proud his entire life, lowered his white-haired head. Two streaks of tears traced paths down his filthy, wrinkled old face.
Ah, the wretched Governor Yang, today you will meet your end—
Huh?
The frantic sound of hoofbeats thundered onto the execution grounds. Who would dare gallop so recklessly through the city?
The voice arrived before the rider.
A powerful voice boomed across the grounds, "By order of the Emperor, the execution is stayed! The case of the former Governor of Three States, Yang Wenwan, is to be returned to the Ministry of Justice for a retrial!"
The members of the Yang family, snatched from the jaws of death, reacted in different ways. Some looked to the sky and wept with joy. Others slammed their heads against the ground, laughing and crying at once. And a few maintained their composure, an unflagging smile on their faces.
Only Yang Wenwan remained impassive, his heart like dead embers, his eyes dim.
’He had already been betrayed, already been broken.’
’Does the Emperor admitting his mistake now mean that none of this ever happened?’
’And what about the Immortal Sect that gave the Emperor the poison? Would they really let him go?’
~~~~~~~~~~
High above the execution grounds, a figure in white, ethereal as an immortal, stood poised on a sword, silently watching the farce unfold below.
In Du Youqian’s eyes, Yang Wenwan was no saint.
’Judged by the modern moral standards of Earth,’ Du Youqian mused, ’Yang Wenwan is a bona fide villain, deserving of the death penalty ten times over.’
’But in this society, in this world that’s a race to the bottom, Yang Wenwan is practically a moral paragon.’
’He did build up his own army, but it was for the good of the nation.’
’He did abduct women, but he paid them off in the end, so it was as if he’d just bought a new concubine.’
’He did levy crushing taxes, but not for personal gain—it was to prop up the teetering finances of the Three States.’
’He did slaughter the innocent... He let his soldiers massacre villages in the Jin Kingdom... He even buried surrendered enemy soldiers alive.’
’Back on modern Earth, any one of those would be grounds for a death sentence.’
’But here, in the Nine Countries of Momenan Desert, you probably couldn’t find a single powerful official who could hold a candle to Yang Wenwan’s morality.’
’Otherwise, why would so many talented scholars and fierce warriors be willing to lay down their lives and spill their blood for him?’
’Unfortunately, Yang Wenwan’s years of heroic sacrifice and his current tragic plight were all meaningless.’
’From a higher perspective, Yang Wenwan’s sixty years of sacrifice were utterly laughable.’
’He thought he was the one holding back the Jin Kingdom’s armies.’
’That he had saved the Han Kingdom from annihilation.’
’The entire court of the Han Kingdom, civil and military officials alike, and even the common people all believed it.’
’Even the officials of the Jin Kingdom thought so.’
’But what was the reality?’
’The Jin Kingdom’s hostility toward the Han Kingdom was secretly instigated by a few Demon Children, all so they could refine their Demon Artifacts.’
’But all they could do was provoke continuous, small-scale, low-intensity conflicts to meet the refinement requirements.’
’They could never truly launch a war of annihilation.’
’Even if there were no Yang Wenwan.’
’Even if the Three States were completely undefended.’
’Even if the Han Kingdom stored away its weapons and put its warhorses out to pasture.’
’The Jin Kingdom still couldn’t have just charged over and destroyed the Han Kingdom!’
’At most, they could have rushed in to plunder for a while before being forced to withdraw under strict orders from the Immortal Sect backing them.’
’Otherwise...’
’If the Han Kingdom were destroyed today...’
’...tomorrow, the sect backing the Jin Kingdom would have its gates smashed in and its entire membership annihilated.’
’The Heavenly Emotions and Oceanic Resentments Sect would also be held strictly accountable, suffering a Demotion in status.’
’And the Han Kingdom would be quickly restored with the backing of the sects within its own borders.’
’The defensive line of the Three States, sixty years of conflict and slaughter, Governor Yang Wenwan’s lifetime of painstaking effort...’
’...the blood spilled by three generations of mortals, the millions of bones piled high, the noble sacrifices of countless heroes...’
’...it was all, in the end... just a little farce, orchestrated by a few rogue cultivators from the Immortal Sects to enhance their own power.’
’If Yang Wenwan knew the truth, it would probably be more painful for him than death by a thousand cuts!’
Du Youqian didn’t know which faction was behind Yang Wenwan’s current downfall.
Nor did he need to.
Now, he was determined to protect Yang Wenwan.
It wouldn’t matter even if the Taihe Sect showed up. He had made up his mind.
~~~~~~~
A figure, like a wisp of green smoke, drifted over the palace’s many security measures and past countless guards, both seen and unseen. Without alerting a single mortal, it slipped deep into the Imperial Palace, right to the residence of the Immortal Master.
A woman’s cold voice rang out. "You brat from the Zhongxuan Sect. You dare ruin my plans? Are you tired of living?"
Guo Mingsheng cursed his luck. The woman was cautious, standing just outside the hall to avoid stepping into his Array.
But her unconcealed Foundation Establishment aura was so oppressive he could barely breathe.
He wanted nothing more than to kneel and beg for mercy, but as a representative of the Zhongxuan Sect, he couldn’t bring shame upon his Sect.
Otherwise, he would face certain punishment upon returning to the Sect.
After gritting his teeth and holding on for a moment, Guo Mingsheng finally managed to muster his True Qi and shout, "May I ask which sect this senior hails from? I am Shen Miao, a Guardian Disciple of the Zhongxuan Sect! My grandmaster is the Hall Master of the Pill Furnace Hall, and my master is a True Inheritor of the Sect! He has a close friend, Lord Yu, the Guardian Envoy from the Holy Blood Sect stationed here in the Han Kingdom!"
"Hmph!" The woman snorted but didn’t reply.
Guo Mingsheng continued his bluff. "Senior, when you said I ruined your plans, were you referring to Yang Wenwan? If so, then I’m afraid I can’t apologize. You see, Yang Wenwan was an old friend of my master’s. Out of respect for that old friendship, Guardian Envoy Lord Yu personally ordered me to see Yang Wenwan’s name cleared. Surely you don’t intend to go against Lord Yu, do you? I advise you to think carefully. Leave now, and I, Shen Miao, swear on my life I’ll pretend this conversation never happened!"
"Hmph!" This time, her snort was forceful enough to nearly make Guo Mingsheng vomit blood.
He staggered. By the time he looked up again, the woman was gone.
"The name of the Holy Blood Sect really works wonders!"
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