Chapter 125

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Chapter 125: The Day the Head Fell

Ding ding ding.

The brave soldiers played the drums ahead to clear the way for the prisoner car in the middle.

The loud sound of the copper drums startled a large crowd of people around, making them scatter a little, but more people gathered from afar to watch the old man standing in the cage.

"Another beheading at the vegetable market!"

"Darling, come out and see the execution. I heard that only one person will lose their head this time. If you come out late, you’ll miss it!"

"No wonder the famous market in the Imperial Capital, known as the Imperial Market, is said to be the place where many high-ranking officials and nobles have lost their souls. We just arrived in the Imperial Capital and already encountered such an event… Come, let’s go and have a look."

"Is this old man named Qiao Zhong? He was quite famous recently. I heard the storyteller say that he dared to challenge the divine gods. But I can’t see anything special about him, he only has two eyes and a nose."

"I heard he witnessed the Martial Saint dying under the heavenly thunder. He is the only assassin who has not died yet. But it seems that today is the end of the line for him."

"This person shows no respect for gods and emperors. How can they live in this world without any dignity?"

"Today I had planned to go to theater in the east of the city to watch a play. Why did the government choose to execute someone at this moment?"

"What theater are you talking about? You can go to theater anytime. Beheading isn’t an everyday occurrence."

At the entrance of a tea house by the street, Jiang Chen looked at the crowd that had gathered around and felt a hint of bitterness in his heart.

"I thought that since the Imperial Capital is the capital of the Great Yan Imperial Court, the residents here might be different. It seems I was mistaken. Whether it’s the Nan Province or the Zhong Province, the Immortal Gate is above everything." Jiang Chen sighed inwardly.

After Emperor Yonghe worshiped the gods, Qiao Mu has been staying in the heavenly prison for about a month.

During this month, Qiao Mu and Hai Wuya discussed martial arts and the unfinished "Human Path Sutra" all day long, and time flew by without notice.

In the course of a month, the intelligence obtained from the Qiao family, interrogated by Condor Wei En, was not as expected.

Emperor Yonghe and the Immortal Gate gradually lost patience, and Emperor Yonghe finally ordered Qiao Mu’s execution.

And during this month, Jiang Chen traveled through mountains and rivers from Heyang Prefecture in Nan Province, and arrived in Zhong Province together with Clairaudience.

Where there are tide followers, there is the Tide Listening Building.

Inside the Tide Listening Building, there are many storytellers chasing the waves, especially Jiang Chen, who is interested in the Qiao family’s story.

"So, have you seen clearly? This Qiao Zhong’s face," Clairaudience asked.

"Yes, I have seen it clearly. It does have some similarities to the Qiao Sen father and son we encountered in Yan City, but obviously much older," Jiang Chen judged.

"Since Qiao Zhong has already entered the heavenly prison, he naturally can’t use any disguise technique to change his appearance. The face he has now is his true appearance."

"So, this Qiao Zhong is indeed a relative of Qiao Sen and his father, he is also a member of the Qiao’s family."

Along the way, he might have heard or witnessed some deeds of the Qiao’s family.

And now, he has come to Zhong Province to witness the death of a member of the Qiao’s family.

When he thought of this, he couldn’t help but feel sad.

What really made his emotions fluctuate was not Qiao Zhong’s death.

After all, he had already witnessed the death of Qiao’s family more than once.

Before becoming a storyteller, Jiang Chen was a wanderer in the martial arts world. He was used to killing people and risking his life.

What made his thoughts fluctuate were the onlookers at the nearby market.

Amongst the people, there were strong and fierce-looking martial artists, scholars in long robes, well-dressed wealthy families, and thin and pale commoners, including children.

The crowd was diverse, but they all came to watch the lively scene at the food market, creating a bustling atmosphere even more lively than usual.

………

The prison cart passing through the bustling market naturally caught the attention and following of many people.

When the prison cart arrived at the execution ground in the food market, a crowd had already gathered, making it even more lively than the market.

The people behind pushed and squeezed the people in front, and a tall and strong martial artist at the front frowned angrily and said:

"What are you pushing for? Hurrying to be born? If you want to be born, hurry up and go to the front!"

The tall man turned around and saw that the person pushing him was actually a short hunchbacked old man.

"Excuse me, please let me through. Someone in my family is sick." The hunchbacked old man held two or three slightly yellowed steamed buns in his hands and smiled apologetically at the big man.

The tall man seemed to understand something, and his slightly furrowed brows relaxed a bit. He showed a compassionate heart and moved aside a little, allowing the old man to step forward.

"Why let him do it? You don’t know who this hunchbacked Old Zhang is." A voice came from the crowd.

"There are no sick people in his family. Once this bun is dipped in blood, the price can immediately increase tenfold. He can easily sell it to desperate and poor people who are willing to try anything. Do you think you’re doing a good deed?"

As this voice sounded, the hunchbacked old man’s face changed suddenly, clearly being exposed on the spot.

"I’m just helping others by dipping some blood and making a little money. It also gives people a sense of peace. What’s wrong with that?" The old man stubbornly said.

"No mistakes, no mistakes. How much blood do you need? Will three buns be enough? If not, I can hold on a bit longer and spray more blood." Suddenly, a voice came from up front.

The old man looked up and saw that it was Qiao Mu, the recently released death row inmate. It seemed he had overheard their conversation. He forced himself to take a small step, and the heavy specially-made shackles on his feet made a clanging sound as he did. He was smiling at them.

"Uh…" The hunchbacked old man, who was eager to dip the blood, also froze and instinctively took two steps back.

It wasn’t his first time seeing a beheading, but it was the first time he had ever seen someone as calm and composed as the old man in front of him. It was as if he himself was the one about to be beheaded.

"Shut up! Who told you to speak?" immediately shouted the officers.

Because Qiao Mu’s meridians were severed, he became a useless person. Moreover, with Wei En’s instructions, he didn’t suffer much in heavenly prison during his time there.

He was simply brought into the cage at the prisoner’s wagon station near the execution day.

And when Qiao Mu faced the soldiers’ questions, he remained calm and cleared his throat to prepare for what comes next.

"As the saying goes, a dying man’s words are often wise."

"I, Qiao Zhong, am about to die, but there are a few things I still want to say…"

Qiao Mu was in a good mood, because he would soon meet his end.

He had been pondering a few lines in the heavenly prison, just for this moment.

What? An escape?

Since Qiao Mu entered the heavenly prison, he never thought about getting out alive. Even Jesus couldn’t save his life, he said it himself!

Facing the crowd, Qiao Mu boldly said:

"Do you want to know where the Martial Saint’s treasure is? If you want it, go and find it."

"Even though the Martial Saint is dead, the treasure trove of martial arts from all around the world still exists. The Martial Saint hid it deep in the mountains…"

"Shut up!" Suddenly, a thunderous shout burst out, completely drowning Qiao Mu’s voice. It made everyone’s ears ring so loudly that they couldn’t hear what Qiao Mu was saying.

The expert in spiritual refining, Qin Shiqing, was the judge presiding over the trial.

He knew very well that Qiao Mu had an extraordinary identity and that this execution should not be turned into a farce, especially when it involved the death of the Martial Saint.

"Do you have something to say?" Judge Qin Shiqing only sneered, showing no emotion in his gaze.

As the overseer of the heavenly prison, Qin Shiqing had long heard about the deeds of the notorious criminal Qiao Zhong. He naturally wouldn’t let any complications arise at this moment.

"Once you’re in court, you won’t have any say in it." Qin Shiqing said coldly.

"For committing the crimes of assassinating the emperor and insulting the gods, do you really think you have time to give your last words?"

"Save your words for the underworld, where you can speak to the Lord of the Underworld!"

"Why are you just standing there? Take action!" he shouted loudly.

The executioners in this place were big and strong men, wearing rough and red clothes, with a red headscarf wrapped around their heads.

Hearing Qin Shiqing’s command, they didn’t dare to delay and immediately approached.

"Kneel down!" the executioner ordered.

With an executioner pressing hard on Qiao Mu’s shoulder, trying to make him kneel down and be beheaded on the spot.

However, at this moment, Qiao Mu, who had been calm and smiling, suddenly stopped smiling, struggling fiercely.

"If I have to kneel down, I absolutely cannot!" Qiao Mu’s eyes were filled with seriousness.

He was already a disabled person with no pulse, with only a little strength left from a leftover 4th rank martial artist, and wearing specially made heavy shackles, his hands tied behind his back.

Struggling at this moment, his whole body made a clanging sound, preventing these strong executioners around him from approaching.

"Taking a life is as easy as turning the palm of your hand, and you have taken this life." Qiao Mu shouted loudly.

"But my knees are strong, and I won’t kneel down!"

The noise from the surrounding spectators grew louder, with several people in the front row even widening their eyes, afraid of missing any moment.

"Fight, fight! I want to see blood flowing like a river."

"I heard that this Qiao Zhong is also a skilled martial artist with strong internal strength. He shouldn’t just sit and wait for death!"

"I told you, beheading just isn’t exciting enough. Let’s make a scene."

The people wanted to see what was happening, but Qin Shiqing, who was in charge, couldn’t just ignore it.

He stood up and walked quickly towards Qiao Mu from behind.

"You keep acting up before you die? I guess you need some punishment."

Qin Shiqing swiftly kicked Qiao Mu’s leg behind the knee twice in a row.

Those kicks were quite powerful.

There was a loud snap, and Qiao Mu’s legs bent backwards from the knees, about to fall down.

However, at that moment, Qiao Mu twisted his waist and instead of falling forward, he sat sideways on the execution platform. His legs bent and twisted unnaturally, with bones breaking through the skin. The crowd gasped in horror at the gruesome sight.

"What are you waiting for? Cut him!" Qin Shiqing stood aside, urging the executioner again.

The executioner tightly gripped the executioner’s sword and with determination, struck a powerful blow.

A big head flew up into the sky, and blood splattered everywhere.

"Hmm, he’s dead!"

There was a noisy scene in front of the execution ground. The hunchbacked old man and a few others hurriedly dipped their bread into the blood. In the chaos, someone bumped into them and the bread fell to the ground. When they tried to pick it up, someone stepped on it, making the old man frustrated. All his efforts went to waste.

It was bustling and chaotic all around.