Chapter 551: Drowning in a Pig Cage

The riverside in the distance was bursting with noise and excitement. Human voices rose and fell like crashing waves, while the thunderous beating of gongs and drums echoed nonstop through the air. Nearly the entire village had gathered along the riverbank, crowding so densely together that Zhu Ping’an’s view was completely blocked. From where he stood, he could not see what exactly was happening—only hear the deafening clamor and the uproar of countless voices.

At first glance, it seemed somewhat like a river sacrifice ritual.

Yet… it also did not feel like one.

The atmosphere was wrong.

Zhu Ping’an saw no incense altar, no offerings, no ceremonial scriptures, no villagers kneeling in worship.

Then—

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A string of firecrackers exploded loudly, sounding almost like Lunar New Year celebrations. The already chaotic atmosphere at the riverside instantly surged to an even greater frenzy. Amid the drifting smoke of gunpowder came the loud cries and shouts of the gathered villagers.

And somewhere within that uproar, Zhu Ping’an vaguely caught what sounded like furious cursing.

That only deepened his curiosity.

What exactly were these villagers doing by the river?

With a slight squeeze of his legs against the horse’s flanks, Zhu Ping’an urged his mount forward at a quicker pace.

Before long, he arrived at the scene.

After tying his horse to a nearby tree, Zhu Ping’an pushed his way into the crowd alone.

The villagers surrounding the riverbank were all worked into a state of righteous fury. Every pair of eyes was fixed toward the water’s edge, so focused that almost no one noticed Zhu Ping’an forcing his way into the crowd.

More accurately, everyone’s attention was centered on two people by the river.

The moment Zhu Ping’an saw them clearly, he nearly cursed aloud.

Holy hell.

This was no river sacrifice.

This was clearly a drowning execution.

A lynching.

The sight before him was utterly horrifying.

Beside the deep waters of the river stood two cages woven from fresh bamboo strips. The bamboo used was thick and sturdy, obviously prepared with care and without sparing expense. Each cage was over a meter long and roughly half a meter tall, cylindrical in shape with a wider opening at one end while the bottom was tightly woven shut.

Strong.

Solid.

Impossible to break apart easily.

The cages looked exactly like the pig cages used in Xiahe Village for transporting hogs to market.

The only difference…

Was that these cages held human beings instead of pigs.

Inside the cages were a man and a woman.

Both were covered in injuries.

The man had been beaten so severely his face resembled a swollen pig’s head. He was barely recognizable as human anymore. His clothes had been shredded into strips by whipping, and blood covered nearly every inch of his body.

The woman’s condition was slightly better.

Although her clothes were stained heavily with blood and crumpled in disarray, at least they still managed to cover her body.

Despite the bruises and cuts on her face, it was still possible to tell that she had once been quite beautiful. She appeared to be in her early thirties—the age when a woman bloomed like a flower at its fullest.

Though smeared with dirt and blood, her garments were clearly made from fine expensive fabric. Pearl earrings hung from her ears, and a jade bracelet of exceptional quality circled her wrist.

At a glance, one could tell she came from a wealthy household.

As for the man, his features were too swollen to distinguish properly. Judging from the outline of his face, he was likely long-faced and probably not unattractive under normal circumstances.

But now?

Now he looked like little more than a mangled animal.

His clothing was far inferior to the woman’s—ordinary cotton cloth, though now torn into ragged strips from the beating. Even so, the style suggested he was likely a steward, overseer, or household guard of some standing within a wealthy family.

At this moment, strips of white cloth had been stuffed tightly into both their mouths, preventing them from speaking. All they could produce were muffled groans and desperate whimpers.

And that was not all.

Heavy iron chains had been wrapped around their bodies.

Their wrists and ankles had been especially secured, bound tightly and locked together with thick iron restraints.

The village itself was surrounded by mountains and waterways. Before the village flowed a large river, which curved sharply into a broad U-shape because of the mountain ridge ahead, wrapping around the settlement like a giant belt of water.

The river carried a powerful current, especially at the bend, where the waters deepened into a massive whirlpool-filled basin.

Even from shore, one could clearly see the swirling currents within the dark waters.

Dangerous.

Treacherous.

Deadly.

There was no doubt whatsoever.

These two people were about to be thrown into that deep pool and drowned alive.

The surrounding villagers cursed furiously at the pair in the cages. From time to time, they hurled rotten eggs, spoiled vegetables, and even stones at them.

Standing at the center of the crowd were several elderly men.

At the very center stood an old man with a white beard.

His hair was gray-white, his back slightly stooped, yet his spirit remained vigorous. Deep-set eyes rested beneath wrinkled brows, carrying an aged but penetrating sharpness. His weathered face was carved with the marks of countless years of hardship and windblown toil.

The villagers treated these elders—especially the white-bearded old man—with obvious respect.

“The hour has arrived.”

No sooner had Zhu Ping’an pushed into the crowd than he heard the white-bearded elder speak.

The old man raised his head to glance at the sun overhead, then slammed the bottom of his cane hard against the ground.

His voice was low and solemn.

Beside him, another elder in his fifties stepped forward and nodded.

He cast a look of utter contempt toward the two people trapped in the cages before waving heavily toward the crowd.

“Cast them into the lake!”

His voice rang loudly through the riverbank.

“Whether they live or die shall be judged by the River God!”

The moment he finished speaking, the villagers roared in approval.

Eight sturdy young men immediately stepped forward from the crowd.

Bare-chested and muscular, they carried thick ropes and pole-sized wooden staffs as thick as thighs.

The youths walked up to the cages and tightly sealed the openings shut with rope. Then they wound more rope around the cages from head to tail before sliding the heavy carrying poles beneath them and lifting them onto their shoulders.

Inside the cages, the man and woman struggled frantically, making muffled cries through the cloth gags.

But with iron chains locking their limbs, no matter how desperately they fought, it was utterly useless.

Their eyes gradually filled with despair.

“One! Two! One! Two!”

The eight youths carried the cages to the riverbank.

They swung their arms rhythmically, rocking the cages back and forth to build momentum.

Swing.

Swing.

Swing.

The rhythm grew stronger and stronger.

And then—

Just as they were about to hurl the cages into the swirling river pool—

“Stop!”

A young voice suddenly rang out across the riverbank.

The eight young men froze mid-motion and turned their heads in surprise.

Not only them.

Every villager by the riverside, including the assembled elders, turned their gaze toward the youth who had shouted.

Naturally, it was Zhu Ping’an.

“Outsider,” the elder in his fifties stepped forward coldly, “the affairs of our Majia Village are not for you to interfere in.”

“You are abusing private punishment and taking lives outside the law.”

Zhu Ping’an shook his head slowly.

“Now that I have seen it, how can I stand by and ignore it?”

‘Whether they live or die shall be judged by the River God’?

What utter nonsense.

Their limbs were chained shut with iron. The cages had been sealed completely, and Zhu Ping’an could even see stones placed inside to weigh them down.

Thrown into that whirlpool-filled river basin, they would have absolutely no chance of survival.

What “judgment of the River God” was there to speak of?

This was simply murder under another name.

How could he possibly pretend not to see it?

“Abusing private punishment?”

The elder sneered coldly after hearing those words.

His gaze shifted from Zhu Ping’an to the two people in the cages.

“They deserve it.”

Then he waved his arm sharply toward the eight youths again.

“What are you all standing around for?”

“Throw these scourges into the river!”

Hearing the command, the eight young men once more began rocking the cages back and forth, preparing to hurl them into the river.

“Stop!”

Zhu Ping’an shouted again.

His face darkened with anger.

Treating human life as worthless grass!

He had long heard that in many villages, criminal disputes were not reported to county officials at all. Instead, clan heads, councils of elders, or respected village figures would privately pass judgment themselves.

Private punishment.

Mob justice.

Complete disregard for the authority of the state.

But these were two living human beings.

How could he simply watch them die?

“And what right does an outsider like you have to point fingers at the family affairs of Majia Village?”

The elder glared at Zhu Ping’an darkly before shouting toward the youths:

“Ignore his nonsense! Drown these two sinners!”

That’s right!

Why should they listen to some outsider?

The elder’s words instantly strengthened the youths’ resolve.

They tightened their grip on the poles and began swinging the cages once more.

Around them, the villagers erupted into furious support.

“An adulterous couple like them should’ve been drowned long ago!”

“They’ve disgraced the entire reputation of Majia Village! Only by drowning them can our village wash away this shame!”

“Exactly! Master Wang treated her so well! She never had to work in the fields again—fine food, fine clothes, luxurious living—and this is how she repays him? Being unfaithful and fooling around behind his back! A shameless harlot like her deserves death!”

“And that Steward Song deserves even worse! He was once a starving nobody with barely enough food to survive! Master Wang appreciated his talent, promoted him to steward, even helped him marry and establish a family! Yet this ungrateful beast eats Master Wang’s food, lives in Master Wang’s house, takes Master Wang’s salary—and then climbs into his mistress’s bed! Drowning him is already too merciful!”

“Drown them!”

“Drown them!”

“Drown them!”

The crowd’s shouts rose wave after wave, filled with righteous fury and bloodthirsty excitement.

Buy me a coffeeBecome a Patron!Buy me a coffee

Become a Patron!