Chapter 1314: Reciprocate the Same Treatment

"Yes, my soldiers ate your families! But didn't you also sell your children when you faced famine years? How much could a child be sold for? Ten taels? Fifteen taels?" Zhao Guangzhi pleaded. "Can't you just consider your children sold to me? Consider it an exorbitant price, enough for you to live a life of luxury and never suffer hunger or cold again!"

The Soul-Capturing Mirror exclaimed, "This guy is good; he almost convinced me."

Of course, its temptation was useless.

He Lingchuan gently patted it twice. Zhao Guangzhi was evil, not foolish; he knew well how to exploit human weaknesses. Otherwise, how could he have gathered an invincible army here, sweeping all before him? From a utilitarian perspective, his words seemed fine; even the mirror agreed.

He Lingchuan's gaze swept across the crowd, noticing several people with flickering eyes, showing hesitation. As Zhao Guangzhi said, selling children was not a shocking event; it merely bought a few meals. The people of Shanjin Plains had long learned to bow to reality. What was reality? Reality was that people had to fight with all their might to survive, prioritizing themselves. As the saying goes, "The dead are gone forever, but the living still have a future to pursue."

Zhao Guangzhi, keenly aware of the shift in the crowd, quickly added fuel to the fire: "I only ask for a quick death! I'm going to die anyway, and you will still have your revenge! What's wrong with getting money while taking revenge?!"

After he finished his last sentence, several shoulders in the crowd twitched, as if intending to raise their hands.

Dong Rui slightly turned to He Lingchuan and said, "Was that poorly thought out? Three is too few; you should have set the number at ten or more."

He Lingchuan simply replied, "Let's wait and see." Human nature is very complex.

As expected, an old woman in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Li the Monkey, are you trying to raise your hand?" The man beside her was gaunt and hunched, with arms so long they reached his knees; his posture indeed resembled a monkey. Li the Monkey, exposed by her, instantly panicked. The old woman glared at him, her eyes bloodshot: "You old bachelor, without family or roots, you just want to take this money, don't you? You don't care about other families' blood feuds, do you?!"

The villagers' gazes made Li the Monkey instinctively step back: "No such thing, I wasn't going to raise my hand!"

The old woman sternly declared: "This villain ate two of my grandsons, praising how tender they were while eating them! I tried to collect their bodies, but couldn't even distinguish the piles of bones! If you dare raise your hand and let this villain escape divine punishment, I, this old woman, will risk my life to burn down your house, ruin your fields, and beat your people!"

Her voice grew hoarse and strained as she continued, and her words incited widespread indignation. Some, unable to wait for the cannibal to be cooked, picked up stones from the ground and hurled them at Zhao Guangzhi.

Zhao Guangzhi, also seeing stars from the blows, angrily retorted, "Old hag, you're ruining my plans! What does it matter to you if others take the money?"

The old woman sneered, "When you seized my grandsons, I offered myself in their place, but you refused! Heh heh, if only you knew this day would come, you should have agreed then!"

Seeing the villagers repeatedly curse Zhao Guangzhi, those few individuals in the crowd dared not utter a sound.

The water in the pot began to bubble with "fish eyes," and Zhao Guangzhi screamed in agony from the heat: "Last chance! If no one intercedes, thirty thousand taels will be gone! You'll never see that much money again!"

The yellow-haired woman suddenly stood before him: "Do you really think the villagers are so easily fooled? Even if you have that much money, who would distribute it to them for you?"

Zhao Guangzhi suddenly faltered. That's right, he was about to die; who would retrieve the hundred thousand taels of silver for him and distribute it among the three who interceded? Who would be willing to do such a thing?

"I... I can tell these three people privately!"

"Privately?" The yellow-haired woman pointed to the brightly lit market entrance, then to He Lingchuan and the others. "Are you sure? Would these black-armored sirs agree?"

Everyone suddenly realized. That's right, these big black-armored men had been silent since the show began, but would they truly stand by and do nothing? A hundred thousand taels of silver, why wouldn't they take it themselves? Would they truly allow those three to get a hundred thousand taels of silver? What kind of world was this, who would believe such a fairy tale?

Anyone whose heart was stirring was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water, sobering them up. They wouldn't get it; Villain Zhao's money was empty talk, simply unattainable!

"Boil him!" someone yelled.

"Boil him! Boil him!"

"We don't want anything; we just want to eat his flesh and peel his skin!"

The villagers' roars echoed through the night sky.

He Lingchuan asked Dong Rui, "How about it?"

The latter grunted, "Alright, I see. You got your wish again."

Seeing no hope in inciting the villagers, Zhao Guangzhi immediately turned to beg the black-armored knights. He Lingchuan remained unmoved, and his subordinates, Wan Qifeng and others, naturally feigned deafness, standing like statues in the dark night.

The water in the pot was about to boil. Zhao Guangzhi wept and shrieked in agony, while also snotting and cursing vehemently. He cursed the Liuping villagers, cursed the black-armored knights, cursed unjust fate, using every malicious word he knew.

Dong Rui leaned over and glanced twice, then seriously stated, "His leg is cooked." This was because the water in the pot had already boiled.

Zhao Guangzhi's screams and wails echoed over Liuping. By this point, he had no strength left to curse; he merely pleaded with He Lingchuan to grant him death. The Liuping villagers had calmed down from their frenzy and were quietly observing the scene. As they watched, many people were moved to tears, for their devoured family members, and for the suffering they had endured. Vengeance, finally vengeance!

It was time. He Lingchuan gestured to Wan Qifeng. Two black-armored knights stepped forward, untied Zhao Guangzhi from the log, and pushed his entire body into the boiling water, leaving only his head exposed! Zhao Guangzhi let out a horrifying "Oww!" louder than an ape's cry.

"I curse you to a horrible death!" he hissed at He Lingchuan, his eyes bloodshot, using his last ounce of strength. "After I die, I'll become a ghost and never let you go..." Before he could finish, a mouthful of boiling water poured into his stomach. He could no longer speak. A few more breaths, and he stopped moving, his eyes wide, half-submerged and half-floating in the boiling water. This notorious cannibal had finally been cooked into a stew himself.

Upon seeing this, the black-armored leader tugged on his reins, and his horse slowly trotted to the large pot. Under everyone's gaze, he took out a Soul-Locking Chain and a Soul Casket from his chest and forcibly collected Zhao Guangzhi's soul. The light and shadow effects were still stunning. As Zhao Guangzhi's deceased soul was pulled out, the Liuping villagers watched intently, their gazes towards the black-armored leader now imbued with even more reverence and fear. Zhao Guangzhi had cursed him before dying, even wanting to become a vengeful spirit to seek revenge. Wasn't that ridiculous? After death, even his soul was taken away by someone else!

With a whoosh, Zhao Guangzhi's soul was sucked into the Soul Casket, and tranquility returned to the surroundings. Only then did the black-armored leader say, "Death does not absolve sin. Zhao Guangzhi's soul will continue to suffer in Chaos!"

The villagers didn't know what "Chaos" was, but hearing it made them feel at ease: It seemed like a place specifically for torturing villains.