Chapter 279 - 38: Two Years Later, Another Class Change

Chapter 279: Chapter 38: Two Years Later, Another Class Change

On the other side of the square, a haggard figure was staring intently at the execution platform.

It was Xiao Hongye.

She wanted to see the murderer’s head roll with her own eyes.

"Noon has arrived! Bring out the prisoner!"

Following the Executioner’s loud cry, the clamor in the square instantly died down.

All eyes turned in unison toward the execution platform.

Two tall disciples from Celestial Sword Manor emerged from backstage, dragging a man whose limbs were bound in iron chains and whose body was covered in blood.

The man wore tattered prison robes, and a hood covered most of his face. He seemed to have completely lost consciousness, dragged along like a living corpse, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.

The Executioner stepped forward, took out a scroll, and loudly proclaimed Chen Ye’s crimes.

It was nothing more than boilerplate accusations, such as slaughtering his fellow cultivators, committing heinous sins, and deserving a death more than earned.

After finishing the proclamation, the Executioner ripped the tattered cloth hood from the prisoner’s head.

A web of crisscrossing scars covered his entire face. His eyes were vacant, and drool trickled from the corner of his mouth—the very picture of a witless fool.

"Is that Chen Ye? How did he end up beaten like this?"

"Looks like he was heavily tortured. He’s not even lucid anymore."

"Celestial Sword Manor’s methods are truly vicious!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

The Executioner didn’t give the crowd much time to talk. He barked coldly, "Execute him!"

An executioner holding a Ghost Head Saber strode forward, sprayed a mouthful of strong liquor onto the blade, and then raised the long saber high.

In the sunlight, the blade flashed with a deathly cold glint.

"Behead him!"

The blade flashed!

SQUELCH!

A head flew high into the air, tracing a crimson arc before landing heavily on the ground, where it rolled a few times before stopping.

The headless body spewed a fountain of blood before crashing to the ground.

The entire process was clean and swift, so fast it was dazzling.

Most of the onlookers erupted in satisfied cheers.

Meanwhile, in a tavern, Xue Shan couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. He raised his wine cup, poured its contents onto the ground before him, and murmured, "Brother Chen, may you have a safe journey."

But some of the more sharp-witted Cultivators noticed that something was amiss.

For example, why was the execution so rushed? From verifying the identity to the beheading, it took no more than a few dozen breaths—so fast it seemed they were in a hurry to get it over with.

Furthermore, the prisoner’s face was so covered in blood and scars that his features were completely obscured.

Most importantly, from start to finish, he never struggled or let out a single scream. He was just dragged onto the platform in a witless daze and had his head chopped off.

’Is this... really normal?’

Of course, they only dared to harbor these doubts in their hearts; no one dared to voice them.

After all, questioning Celestial Sword Manor in Qingzhou City was no different from seeking death.

Just then, near the edge of the execution ground, a young woman in a bamboo hat let out a soft laugh, her round face filled with relief.

"To think I rushed all this way for nothing. It was a fake after all. I knew it. You’re as cunning as a fox; there’s no way you’d die so easily."

After muttering these words, the young woman silently left the execution ground and vanished into a nearby alley.

And so, the public execution that had shaken all of Qingzhou came to a hasty and somewhat bizarre conclusion.

The clamor of Qingzhou Prefecture City gradually subsided with time.

The farcical public execution, after being the talk of the town for a few days, was gradually replaced by new topics of conversation.

Celestial Sword Manor’s authority had been upheld, Jian Wuchen’s prestige reached its peak, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

No one gave another thought to the beheaded Chen Ye. He was like a stone tossed into a lake, causing a few ripples before sinking to the bottom, never to be heard from again.

But far from all this clamor, deep within the Southern Wilderness Mountain Range, in Kawa Village...

When Chen Ye learned from Shan that people from Celestial Sword Manor had come and been sent away with just a few words from the old chieftain, his admiration for the profoundly skilled old man grew even deeper.

At the same time, Chen Ye was finally able to put his mind at ease.

With such a powerful Mountain God and a group of fierce mountain folk as neighbors, this place was safer than any Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

So, Chen Ye began his Cultivation here with peace of mind.

Spring passed and autumn came; winter yielded to summer.

「In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.」

Two years is not a short time for a mortal, but for a Cultivator, it’s merely the snap of a finger.

In those two years, Chen Ye’s life was peaceful and fulfilling.

He had completely integrated into Kawa Village.

He was no longer an outside guest, but Brother Chen, accepted and acknowledged by all the mountain folk.

He followed Niu’s Hunting Team, traversing every corner of this mountain range, hunting the fiercest beasts and gathering the rarest herbs.

Chen Ye’s formidable strength and rich combat experience made him the most reliable asset on the Hunting Team.

He drank the strongest liquor with Shan and shared his deepest thoughts.

They became brothers who could trust each other with their lives.

He would sit in the old chieftain’s stone house, listening to the elder recount ancient legends about the Mountain God and this mountain range, and his understanding of the world became more three-dimensional and profound.

The village children loved to follow him around, pestering him to teach them a few real martial arts moves.

And the simple fighting techniques he taught caused the brawling skills of these adolescents to skyrocket, earning him their adoration.