Chapter 685 - 211: Beheading, A Visitor from the Great Yue Country

Red Makeup cast a coquettish glance at Shen Bai and refilled his teacup.

Shen Bai swirled his teacup, the smile on his face deepening.

...

Time passed, and the morning slipped away.

In Lingyun Dao, countless commoners had put down their work and were all heading toward the Vegetable Market.

They had received news that Zhang Dao Ling would be publicly beheaded today.

He was the highest-ranking official in Lingyun Dao.

The commoners had never witnessed such a spectacle, so they all rushed over.

At the Vegetable Market in Lingyun Dao, Shen Bai sat in the seat of honor, flanked by Wang Teng and Ma Yuan.

Shen Bai looked at the kneeling Zhang Dao Ling and asked, "Do you have any last words?"

Zhang Dao Ling knelt on the platform, a Wood Token stuck in the back of his clothing.

His eyes were utterly lifeless. Upon hearing Shen Bai speak, he lifted his head and cracked a miserable smile.

"I thought about it all last night. The root cause of this affair is my failure to raise my son properly."

"I had hoped to realize my ambitions in Lingyun Dao, to ensure its people would live without want. But alas, I was cursed with such a rebellious son."

"If I had been more decisive, if I hadn’t spoiled him so, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation today."

He had spent the previous night sitting in his prison cell, reflecting on his life.

As the saying goes, a dying man’s words are true. Zhang Dao Ling was finally speaking from the heart.

He was filled with regret, but what’s done is done. Besides regret, he felt nothing else.

Shen Bai glanced at the sky, then lifted the Wood Token in his hand and threw it to the ground. "The hour has come. Carry out the execution."

He had nothing more to say; there was no need to waste words on a dead man.

Regret?

Regret was an emotion seen in every person facing the death penalty.

But in Shen Bai’s view, they weren’t truly regretful—they were just afraid of death.

Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Zhang Dao Ling’s regret was genuine.

But whether he was truly regretful or not didn’t matter. The matter was settled, and a head had to roll.

The moment Shen Bai threw the Token to the ground, the executioner snatched up a nearby bowl of wine, took a large mouthful, and sprayed it onto his Ghost Head Saber.

The Ghost Head Saber pulsed with a sharp surge of Qi.

Once the Qi circulated, the executioner’s eyes widened. With a fierce roar, he swung the blade, and in a single strike, sent Zhang Dao Ling’s head tumbling to the ground.

Blood sprayed through the air. Many of the commoners covered their eyes, unable to watch.

Shen Bai stood up and declared, "This matter is concluded. Take Zhang Dao Ling’s body back to the Observatory. When the next Daoist Order arrives, conduct a full handover of his affairs."

Everyone nodded in urgent agreement.

Shen Bai was about to head to the five-story tower to continue grinding his Skill Level.

But just then, his Void-breaking Red Eye swept over a corner and spotted a man whose attire was distinctly different from that of the Great Zhou Country.

The man appeared quite young, but he exuded the power of the Celestial Spirit Realm.

Judging by his clothes, he was from the Great Yue Country.

One could not, of course, judge a Cultivator’s age by their appearance.

With the power of the Celestial Spirit Realm, this man was certainly no junior.

As Shen Bai’s gaze fell upon him, the man looked back at Shen Bai and offered a friendly smile.

Ma Yuan and Wang Teng, who were preparing to leave with Shen Bai, saw his gaze lock onto something and instinctively followed his line of sight.

They saw the man smiling at Shen Bai.

Wang Teng frowned. "Cloud-Piercing Arrow Zhao Feng... What is he doing in Lingyun Dao?"

Lingyun Dao itself was a Border City, right next to the Great Yue Country.

Logically, it was perfectly normal for citizens of the Great Yue Country to be here.

Although relations between the nations were tense, it didn’t completely halt basic commerce.

However, under the circumstances—with Zhang Dao Ling having just been publicly executed—for a man from the Great Yue Country to suddenly appear...

Shen Bai felt there was something suspicious about it.

With this in mind, Shen Bai turned and asked.

"This Cloud-Piercing Arrow Zhao Feng... what’s his background?"

Wang Teng explained, "He is a Celestial Spirit Realm master from the Great Yue Country. However, he’s not from the Jianghu; he’s from Great Yue’s Evil Extermination Bureau."

"The Evil Extermination Bureau?"

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "I’ve heard of this organization. It seems similar to our Observatory."

"Correct," Wang Teng replied. "Their duties are identical to those of the Observatory. But why would he be here in Lingyun Dao?"

Shen Bai said, "He made it all the way to the Vegetable Market before I noticed him. I should be asking you—how did you let that happen?"

At these words, Wang Teng’s heart skipped a beat.

He could tell that Shen Bai was displeased.

In fact, such displeasure was completely understandable.

After all, they were members of the Lingyun Dao Observatory, yet they hadn’t even known that a man from the Great Yue Country had slipped in.

Any other director in this position would have reacted the same way.

Wang Teng immediately stepped forward. "Lord Shen, this humble subordinate will apprehend him at once and interrogate him thoroughly about his purpose in Lingyun Dao."

But before he could move, Shen Bai placed a hand on his shoulder.

Wang Teng was confused, not understanding Shen Bai’s intention.

Shen Bai said slowly, "For him to get past the eyes and ears of the Observatory and make it all the way here, he couldn’t have acted alone."

"The Marquis of Ren De likely played a role in this, so there’s no need to pursue it."

"Just continue your covert surveillance of the Marquis of Ren De."

Understanding dawned on Wang Teng. After a moment’s thought, he replied, "This subordinate obeys."

It was just as Shen Bai had said. For Cloud-Piercing Arrow Zhao Feng to bypass the eyes and ears of the Lingyun Dao Observatory, he must have had an inside man.