LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 56 - On the Execution Ground
Chapter 56: On the Execution Ground
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The capital, entrance to the market…
Zhou Shu mingled into the noisy crowd as he watched the heavily armed soldiers escort the prisoners into the execution ground.
Mi Ziwen was sitting on the execution platform in the middle of the execution ground, looking elegant and easygoing.
Behind him stood a row of soldiers wielding sabers. These soldiers were tall and muscular, looking extraordinarily mighty.
But in Great Xia, being a muscular man did not mean that he was strong. On the contrary, only those who didn’t look very strong, such as Mi Ziwen, were likely to be real experts.
“Stand in front of me.” Zhou Shu used his shoulder to block the people around him, giving Haitang space.
He now felt that the reason why Yin Wuyou sent Haitang to his side wasn’t for her to serve him but to find a master for me.
She didn’t know how to wash and cook, but she was still too young to warm the bed!
Yet no matter where he went, she had to follow him.
Most of the time, it was Zhou Shu who took care of her, just like now!
“I told you not to follow me. What’s there to see at an execution? When you see the beheadings later, be careful not to have nightmares at night!” Zhou Shu said angrily.
Haitang blinked and secretly rolled her eyes. It’s not like I haven’t killed anyone before. Why would I be afraid of beheading?
“Then, why are you still here?” Haitang asked. After spending a few days together, she gradually felt that Zhou Shu wasn’t a bad person. Many times, how should she put it? Yes, he was very gentlemanly…
“Am I the same as you? I’m a man, understand?” Zhou Shu glared at her. “Besides, my big brother is supervising the execution. Don’t I have to come support him?”
Haitang’s face darkened. Do you really need to come support Mi Ziwen in such a place?
“Haitang, do you think these people are all the spies that Great Wei planted in Great Xia?” Zhou Shu looked around the execution grounds. There were less than a hundred prisoners kneeling in rows, at most sixty to seventy.
This was fewer than Zhou Shu had imagined.
He had originally estimated that there would be at least a hundred people.
Right now, there were only sixty to seventy people. He didn’t know how much benefit they could bring him.
“Definitely not.” Haitang glanced at Zhou Shu as if he was an idiot. “How could the spies be cleaned up? There must be some who are hidden deeply and haven’t been discovered by the Divine Constable Bureau.”
Zhou Shu thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. Back then, there were only a few dozen spies recorded in the list. Even with the ones Great Xia had discovered without his help, it was impossible that they were all the spies of Great Wei.
“Haitang, let me ask you a question. Let’s see if you know,” Zhou Shu said.
“What?” Haitang said without turning her head, examining the spies with interest.
“Where do the ordinary executioner’s blades come from? Are they also from the Forging Division?” Zhou Shu asked. He realized that executioners probably killed the most frequently here. If he could forge a blade for them, wouldn’t it be faster for him to gain cultivation?
“They’re definitely from the Forging Division,” Haitang said. “All the weapons in Great Xia come from the Forging Division, and commoners are forbidden from privately forging weapons. However, I don’t know which workshop is providing them.”
Zhou Shu nodded. Just as he was about to ask something else, he suddenly heard Haitang speak excitedly.
“There’s actually a ranked martial artist captured!” She pointed at a prisoner from afar.
“Is that so?” Zhou Shu followed her finger and looked over. A man in his forties or fifties was kneeling there with his head lowered. His hair hung down and covered his face.
In fact, most of the prisoners on the field looked like him. He couldn’t even tell who was who.
Zhou Shu had originally not paid too much attention. But after being reminded by Haitang, he carefully observed and indeed noticed a surge of energy within the prisoner’s body.
But the power seemed to be restricted.
“Can’t a ranked martial artist be a spy?” Zhou Shu said.
“That’s not it.” Haitang shook her head. “It’s just that it’s not that easy to capture them alive. Even if they can’t escape, it’s easy for them to end their own lives.”
There’s nothing remarkable about being a ranked martial artist, Zhou Shu thought. It’s not like they’re high-ranked martial artists. Those eighth and ninth-rank martial artists are actually not that powerful.
At least, if he encountered a ninth-rank or eighth-rank martial artist, he had the confidence to capture them alive.
“Look, it’s starting!” Zhou Shu’s eyes lit up, and he said happily, “Big Brother Mi is indeed a trustworthy person!”
Haitang glanced at Zhou Shu in surprise, not knowing why he was so excited.
Aren’t they just using the Horse Slaying Sabers he forged to carry out the execution? Is there a need to be so happy?
Could it be that the sabers will become sharper after seeing blood like he said?
Haitang didn’t know much about forging, but even she knew that once a weapon was successfully forged and sharpened, it could only get damaged and wouldn’t become stronger.
… Unless they were divine armaments that could be nurtured by martial artists.
The Horse Slaying Saber is just a standard weapon. How could it become sharper just because of blood?
Although she didn’t believe it, Haitang still looked curiously at the Horse Slaying Sabers in the soldiers’ hands. She wanted to see if these sabers would change after killing someone.
She didn’t know if Mi Ziwen took Zhou Shu’s words to be true, but he was indeed prepared to use the Horse Slaying Sabers to carry out the execution.
Furthermore, he didn’t even use executioners this time. The executioners were members of the Horse Slaying Team he had just formed.
These soldiers were strong men that Mi Ziwen had specially selected from the Country Protector Army. He was preparing to form a Horse Slaying Team that would play a special role on the battlefield.
And their equipment would be Horse Slaying Sabers!
The reason he had arranged for these people to carry out the execution this time was firstly, he had promised Zhou Shu, and secondly, he wanted them to familiarize themselves with the Horse Slaying Sabers before they left for battle.
After all, the Horse Slaying Saber was a new weapon. They had never used such a weapon before.
Before going out to battle, they were told to use the Horse Slaying Sabers to kill people once and familiarize themselves with the weapon. They could also experience the bloodiness of the battlefield and not pee their pants in fear due to the cruelty of the battlefield.
Lines of soldiers marched onto the execution ground and stood behind the prisoners.
Their faces were expressionless as they gripped the long handles of the Horse Slaying Sabers with both hands. The blades gleamed coldly under the scorching sun.
The surrounding commoners had never seen the Horse Slaying Saber before. Now, they looked at the mighty blades and started discussing.
“Superintendent Zhou, be careful!” Haitang’s voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Shu’s ear. “If anything happens later, remember not to stray too far from me!”
Zhou Shu looked at Haitang in surprise, then looked around.
There’s nothing unusual going on.
Did Haitang discover something?
Zhou Shu wasn’t a slow-witted person. After so many days, he had long realized why Yin Wuyou had sent Haitang to his side.
He, Zhou Shu, was also a famous person on Great Wei’s elite assassination list. As the grand minister of the Forging Division, Yin Wuyou naturally couldn’t sit idly by.
She had most likely sent Haitang to his side to protect him!
This could be seen from Haitang, a maid who didn’t know how to do anything but had the cultivation of an eighth-rank martial artist.
How could Zhou Shu not suspect something after the person who was protecting him said that?
But even though he secretly sensed the surroundings, he still didn’t discover anything unusual.
Logically speaking, he was more powerful than Haitang.
Why is Haitang able to discover the abnormality but not me? Zhou Shu was somewhat uncertain and puzzled.
Haitang didn’t answer. Her petite face looked around warily, and her hands were already tucked into her sleeves.
Zhou Shu could faintly sense fierce cold qi coming from her sleeves. It turned out that her pair of daggers were hidden in her sleeves.
“This is the capital of Great Xia. Would anyone dare to raid the execution ground?” Zhou Shu said with a smile.
Before he could finish speaking, a ray of light appeared out of nowhere and landed on the execution ground.
This light shot toward Mi Ziwen.
“Big Brother!” Zhou Shu exclaimed.
Mi Ziwen seemed to hear Zhou Shu’s voice. He turned and smiled at Zhou Shu, then raised his hand and struck out.
Dazzling white light shot out from his palm like a sharp blade and collided with the other white light.
Boom!
Powerful qi flew in all directions and fell onto the surrounding crowd like sharp knives. The soldiers in charge of the execution, including the prisoners, all seemed to have been stabbed by countless sharp knives. Their clothes were torn, and blood flowed out from the wounds.
The prisoners screamed loudly, but the soldiers holding the sabers stood straight and motionless as if they were uninjured.
“It’s an assassination! Run!” someone suddenly shouted from the crowd around the execution ground.
The scene instantly became chaotic.
Zhou Shu felt the crowd surge toward him like a wave. He didn’t dare to exert too much force. In his daze, he was already pushed over the barricades by the crowd and landed in the execution ground.
“Superintendent Zhou!” Haitang let out a delicate cry and leaped into the air. Like an agile swallow, she rushed toward Zhou Shu.
At this moment, a black shadow darted out from the crowd and stabbed at Haitang with a sharp blade.
“Be careful, Haitang!” Zhou Shu yelled.
Two streaks of white light flew out from Haitang’s sleeves, and two crisp clangs rang out. She blocked the opponent’s attack. But at the same time, she also fell from the sky, unable to continue and unable to reach Zhou Shu’s side.
Amid the noisy crowd, a few shouts rang out once again. Countless hidden spies holding people as hostages rushed into the execution ground.
“Kill!” Mi Ziwen’s voice resounded throughout the area.
Without any hesitation, the soldiers raised their Horse Slaying Sabers and shouted, “Kill!”
The blades descended, followed by pillars of blood shooting into the sky.. Blood splattered across the entire execution ground.