Chapter 126

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Chapter 126: The Dream of Becoming a Taoist

The executioner raised his knife and a big head flew up, with fresh blood spurting out, staining the yellow soil beneath their feet.

The headless body sat slumped on the ground, but didn’t fall over.

Both of his knees had broken bones, and the stubs were already stained red with blood. He stubbornly supported himself on those broken knees, not falling down, still standing there.

This sight of death was truly horrifying. Even people from the Imperial Capital who were used to seeing executions at the market were amazed and speechless.

After the admiration, there was a rush and scramble, with the crowd pushing forward eagerly to dip into the blood.

Storyteller Jiang Chen, behind the crowd, silently watched this scene, feeling a bit melancholic in his heart.

He was a person saved by Qiao’s family, so his emotions were in turmoil at the moment, making him feel a bit uneasy.

As for the martial artists hidden in the crowd, their eyes were dull and they silently began to leave.

Among them, some people came because of the Martial Saint.

Some martial artists saw the Martial Saint as their last hope, even though they knew the Martial Saint had already died under the Heavenly Thunder. They still believed that the Martial Saint might have some last resort, perhaps it would fall onto Qiao Zhong, who witnessed the event firsthand.

But now, their hopes have completely been dashed.

Dao Zhen also noticed the changes in the expressions of the martial artists in the crowd. He glanced at the body sitting on the ground, supported by the broken knees, and felt a hint of intrigue in his heart.

“Could they not have died with dignity and without suffering? Why must they struggle like this, ending up like this?”

“However, it is because of this, because of their weakness and pain, that the resilience of ordinary people can be shown.”

Dao Zhen sat at the entrance of a tea house facing the street, watching this scene in awe, without passing judgment.

“This trip to the market was worth it.”

“As for Qiao Zhong personally, his attitude before dying was no different from his past deeds, but unfortunately…”

Dao Zhen glanced at the bustling crowd around him.

In front of the crowd, the hunchbacked old man finally picked up the bread from the ground. He carefully tore off the dirty parts on the surface, wiped it with his sleeve, and looked at the bloodstains on it, finally sighing in relief.

“Unfortunately, his death was of no benefit to the country or the people. The so-called bravery of an ordinary man is nothing more than that.”

“Breaking a statue, thinking that one can kill an immortal?”

“One moment of passion and hot-bloodedness, only to gain a topic for people’s idle talk after meals.”

“Even this topic of conversation is just temporary,” Dao Zhen continued sipping tea, making judgements to himself.

It’s just that his attitude of guiding the country has long been heard by others.

“If one believes that the deaths of a few heroes can change the course of the world, that is too arrogant.”

“But even so, their deaths are not meaningless.”

A voice sounded from the side.

Dao Zhen turned his head and saw a person dressed as a swordsman in green attire, who was none other than Storyteller Jiang Chen.

He witnessed the deaths of the Qiao family again, and his emotions couldn’t help but stir.

He was someone who had been saved by the Qiao family, and the words of this masked guest made him feel a little uneasy, with a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind.

Throughout history, whenever a dynasty changes, there will always be rebellions.

And the earliest rebels only earned a posthumous reputation, ending in a tragic death. They often faced the full force of the entire dynasty, just like a mere stepping stone or two.

So in his eyes, Qiao’s family were just a few stepping stones.

“A giant tree grows from a tiny seed; a tower rises from a pile of soil.”

“A seed doesn’t instantly grow into a towering tree. It takes years of nurturing to grow, definitely not something that happens overnight,” he angrily said.

“If you see a tiny seed just breaking through the soil and expect it to become a towering tree, saying that the seed can’t provide shade, that would be ignorant and arrogant.”

“Even if it’s as small as a couple of stepping stones, it’s not without meaning.”

In the past, Guo Yan and his family ruled over Yan City without any rivals. He was particularly cunning and experienced.

Therefore, despite Childe Guo’s arrogance and unruly behavior, no one dared to challenge him because the difference in strength was too vast. He wasn’t a target that ordinary martial artists like Jiang Chen could handle.

And so the days passed one after another, with the Guo family growing stronger and turning Yan City into their territory. Gradually, people stopped speaking up, at most only daring to mention how Guo Yan excessively spoiled his young son.

Until a stubborn stone died in Guo Yan’ hands.

Then came the second, the third…

For Jiang Chen, who had witnessed the collapse of the former City Lord Guo Yan’s high-rise, he could empathize and his emotions were stirred.

Because he was a person who had been moved by witnessing the tragic deaths of Qiao’s family.

“So, you mean… Qiao Zhong is a stepping stone for a mortal to climb to the clouds and defy immortals?” Dao Zhen squinted his eyes, but didn’t get angry.

The sharp words of mortals, in his view, were like a naughty little puppy barking at people. He didn’t feel angry at all, but rather found it somewhat interesting.

“….” Jiang Chen opened his mouth, but this time he didn’t respond.

“Stop talking and let’s go.” However, Clairaudience next to him suddenly changed his expression and pulled him out.

Dao Zhen was left sitting at the tea house entrance, continuing to drink tea. He saw the crowd at the market square gathering and dispersing, with only traces of blood remaining on the yellow ground in the execution ground.

…………

“Jiang Chen, you did something wrong this time.”

Clairaudience pulled Jiang Chen to a secluded place and sternly scolded the young disciple.

“Do you know who that person in the straw hat was?” he asked seriously.

“….Who is he? Does he have a powerful background?” Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat.

Still filled with a bit of fiery passion, Jiang Chen realized that arguing with a stranger in the market was indeed inappropriate.

This is the Imperial Capital, after all, and the bystanders on the street could very well be nobles or royalty.

Judging by the way he spoke, he definitely seemed arrogant and full of entitlement.

“How would I know?” Clairaudience shrugged confidently.

Jiang Chen：？

His heart was about to jump out, thinking that he offended some important person, you say you don’t know?

“You dare to speak like that without knowing who he is?” Clairaudience’s face turned serious.

“The way that man in the hat spoke was indeed somewhat extraordinary.”

“With that kind of tone, there are generally only two possibilities.”

“First, he could be a cultivator from the Immortal Gate,” he said.

“When they face ordinary people, they have an inherent arrogance, and the way that person spoke just now does indeed resemble that.”

Jiang Chen, who had just arrived at the Imperial Capital, got into a fight with someone who seemed to be a cultivator in the middle of the street?

Jiang Chen suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

“So, what about another possibility?” he asked again.

“Another possibility would be to become a corrupt ruler,” Clairaudience sneered.

“He laughs at the foolishness of the people who only know how to dip their mantou in blood. He laughs at Qiao Zhong who tries to shake a tree like a tiny insect. Little does he know that he himself is one of the common people, but he likes to stand in a high place and give orders.”

“There are many people like this in the Imperial Capital. Why bother paying attention to them?”

Jiang Chen：….

“In any case, you acted rashly in this matter. Don’t make the same mistake again in the future,” Clairaudience said while looking at this junior.

He was the guide for Jiang Chen to enter the Tide Listening Building, but in truth, they were not from the same faction within the building.

The storyteller who tells “true events” and “fantastic tales” may not clash like fire and water, but their ideas are vastly different.

And now he finally understood the difference between the two.

At the very least, Clairaudience would never engage in a debate with a passerby in the Imperial Capital’s market who appeared to be a cultivator.

………………….

The moon was shining dimly, and its soft light covered the vegetable market.

At this time, there were no pedestrians in the vegetable market anymore. The little traces of blood on the ground were covered with yellow soil by the officials, and only a deep dark red color remained on the soil.

Qiao Zhong’s headless body had already been taken away. After all, he was a 4th rank martial artist. If the body was not dealt with, it could attract bloodthirsty monsters.

Under the moonlight, Qiao Mu’s head was hung on a sharpened wooden stake, and the flowing blood stained the stake red.

The beheading at the vegetable market was a warning to others.

This is not an ordinary beheading. The head of the wicked criminal had to be hung on the wooden stake for the public to watch.

A tall and strong martial artist looked from afar at the head on the stake, picked up the wine bottle at his waist, and guzzled it down.

He is a tall martial artist who used to give way to the hunchbacked old man.

There are actually quite a few martial artists like him who disguise themselves and secretly observe executions. He is just one of them.

From the morning of the execution until now, there hasn’t been the turning point he imagined, which makes him resort to drinking to drown his sorrows.

“This Qiao Zhong guy, this Martial Saint guy, they are all just dust…”

He walked crookedly on the street and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

In front of him, there was an figure enveloped in a long robe.

“The former expert in spiritual refining, Sword Ghost, has now become a drunkard. So, do you really think the Martial Saint is the last hope for us martial artists? Now the martial arts ideals have collapsed,” the robed person said scornfully.

“What does it have to do with you? What does it have to do with me?” Sword Ghost, with drunken eyes, belched.

“Although the Martial Saint is dead, for hundreds of years, there has been a legend of martial artists following the path of martial arts enlightenment, led by the founder of Wudang, Zhang Zhenren,” the robed person said.

If Martial Saint is the last hope in the hearts of some martial artists, then the dream in the hearts of some martial artists is to enter the path through martial arts.

“Wake up, the Wuji Association has never been able to shoulder great responsibilities, while our Martial Arts League pursues entering the path through martial arts!”

“By entering the path through martial arts and cultivating the Martial Arts Golden Body, one becomes impervious to knives and spears, immune to fire and water, capable of destroying thousands of techniques with a single force, and fearless against inhuman!”

“…..”

Under the cover of night.

Wei En, dressed in a black night cloak, stood in the shadows, gazing into the distance at the robed figures engaged in conversation.

“Ever since Martial Saint’s death, all kinds of monsters and demons have emerged…” He swiftly disappeared into the darkness.

Translator: Vol 11 has been translated and published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/45DAze1).