Chapter 374: Secret Execution

Willow and Doorman, also promoted to the Gale Army, were naturally He Lingchuan's core team members. Hu Min's squad had been reduced in number during the last mission, and their captain had been transferred for other duties. So, Hu Min simply came to join He Lingchuan, bringing Ah Luo with him.

The Gale Army's combat formation was quite flexible; a squad consisted of five to ten people, determined by the captain, and could also include temporary members. Thus, the current team composition was temporarily settled. There were actually only three new members, and all were to execute a mission today.

Soon, He Lingchuan rendezvoused with Willow and Doorman, and they were ordered to proceed to the prison.

Coiling Dragon City had three major prisons. The highest-grade and most heavily guarded one, named "Tiger's Maw," was located in the north of the city, not far from the North Gate. They were heading to Tiger's Maw Prison today, where security was extremely tight. Not only did they need to present a State Decree, but relevant documents also had to be verified.

The secret order He Lingchuan handed over contained only two sentences:"Prisoner No. 27, execute Resolution No. 1." It was signed by Vice-Commander Zhao Xianhe, with his seal affixed.

To be honest, He Lingchuan was surprised when he saw who had issued the secret order. Zhao Xianhe—not long ago, the Skinny One had gossiped that this Vice-Commander had not appeared for a long time, and even the routine inspections of the Martial Arts Hall were handled by Wen Daolun, fearing he might be involved in something significant. He hadn't expected his first official mission after promotion to come from this Vice-Commander. Did that mean Zhao Xianhe was alright?

The guard took the secret order, scrutinized every word, and then said, "Wait outside the gate."

He Lingchuan and his two companions waited outside the gate for over a quarter of an hour. Three carriages drove out of the prison, each identical in appearance: wooden box-carts pulled by two horses, without any markings, and tightly covered with grey tarpaulins, preventing outsiders from seeing inside. In fact, they were much like the ordinary carriages seen everywhere on the streets, so plain that one might not remember their appearance even after seeing them multiple times.

Then another carriage emerged, and the prison guard said to He Lingchuan, "It's your turn. Get in."

He Lingchuan and Doorman tied their horses to the back of the carriage, then jumped into the front seats. Willow lifted the curtain and slipped into the carriage compartment, and the carriage slowly started moving.

They left Coiling Dragon City through the North Gate, heading as instructed to the Divinity Altar on the northwestern highlands.

Divinity Day had already passed, and the Divinity Altar once again became sparsely visited. If it were within Coiling Dragon City, perhaps people would still visit occasionally to pay respects, but dozens of miles north of the city, only mountain winds and dense forests were its constant companions. For the living, livelihood always remained the most important thing.

The three members of the squad remained quiet throughout the journey, as per instructions from above. Therefore, He Lingchuan didn't know what was inside the carriage. As long as Willow remained silent, everything inside the carriage was fine. He could only occasionally hear clanging sounds from inside the carriage, like metal objects striking each other.

Upon reaching the Divinity Altar, the wind grew stronger. The place was extremely vast and open; anyone approaching could be seen immediately.

Doorman pulled back the fabric curtain, and Willow led a person out of the carriage. This person's hands and feet were bound by chains, making each step extremely heavy and noisy. The metallic sounds He Lingchuan had heard likely originated from these chains. Dark red runes flowed on the chains, making them difficult to open without the correct method. This person also wore a black hood, so he couldn't see others, nor could others see him.

It was then that He Lingchuan took out the second secret order. This was a small, green jade bamboo tube sealed with wax. He Lingchuan now knew it was the exclusive packaging for chewing tobacco from the Beijia Kingdom. He really didn't understand the humor of Coiling Dragon City's high-ranking officials. But a container for a secret order certainly didn't need to be conspicuous.

He tore open the wax seal and poured out a note and a small scroll from inside. The three of them, with six eyes, crowded together to look. The note contained only eight simple red characters:"Kneel before the Divinity Pillar, execute on the spot!"

Their first mission after becoming official members was actually to secretly execute a prisoner? This was no joke, as the bottom of the note again bore Zhao Xianhe's signature and seal. The other scroll was a portrait, used to verify the prisoner's appearance and prevent errors.

He Lingchuan looked up at the Divinity Pillar. It pointed directly to the high heavens, as spotless as ever.

Doorman, being strong, hoisted the man, chains and all, in front of the Divinity Pillar, then kicked him behind the knees. With a thud, the prisoner knelt down with both legs facing the pillar.

Doorman looked at He Lingchuan and asked, "Broken Blade?"

He Lingchuan nodded, and Doorman ripped off the prisoner's black hood. This was a man in his mid-twenties, with a scruffy beard and bloodshot eyes. Although his clothes were quite dirty, the material was excellent, a rare and valuable fabric that commoners in Coiling Dragon City couldn't afford.

Willow compared the portrait with the prisoner, confirmed it was correct, and then said:"Let's give him a quick end."

Upon hearing this, the prisoner frantically shook his head and let out muffled cries, as if hoarse. With a "plop," the gag in his mouth fell out.

"You've executed the wrong person!" the man shouted. "I am Zhao Rong! My father is Vice-Commander Zhao Xianhe!"

All three were startled. This prisoner was actually Zhao Xianhe's son?

"This is a huge misunderstanding! Tiger's Maw Prison made a mistake!" Zhao Rong quickly blurted out, seizing the limited time. "Don't kill me. Go give a message to Lord Zhao first; he can clear up this misunderstanding. It'll only take you half a day, and I promise each of you a Golden Mansion afterward!"

In Coiling Dragon City, luxury houses were categorized into four grades: Jade, Emerald, Vermilion, and Gold. The entry-level luxury house was a "Golden Mansion," and it was the only type of house that could be freely traded within the city. Its price was imaginable.

Willow brought the secret order close to his face: "No need for a message. This is Lord Zhao's personal order."

Zhao Rong's eyes nearly popped out when he saw it, and his body involuntarily trembled: "No, it can't be, impossible!"

Willow then showed him the portrait: "If this isn't you, then is it your twin brother?" Truth be told, the portrait was quite similar to Zhao Rong himself, perfectly capturing his essence, making him instantly recognizable.

He Lingchuan grabbed him by the back of his neck, forcing him to bow his head towards the Divinity Pillar: "Time is short. Repent well." What did the secret order mean by having the prisoner kneel before the pillar? Of course, it meant for him to repent. Otherwise, why send him to the Divinity Altar just to be summarily beheaded somewhere else? His technique was precise; pressing a large tendon at the back of the neck paralyzed the prisoner entirely, leaving only his mouth able to move.

"My father would never want me dead!" He suddenly broke down, screaming hysterically, "Someone is trying to harm me, someone is trying to harm Lord Zhao! Believe me, don't kill me..." He still tried to struggle, but deep down, he knew his end was near. He writhed and twisted, refusing to kneel properly.

Willow suddenly said, "He peed." Both of them looked and saw that the prisoner's pants were indeed wet. All three were somewhat speechless. Lord Zhao's son was such a coward?

Zhao Rong screamed again, "All the weapons and armor in the city are supplied by my father! I brought the formula for the White Bin Spears from Fuhe Stronghold! The son repays the father's debts, the son inherits the father's merits. We have rendered great service; what's wrong with enjoying some benefits? My father and I have done so much for Coiling Dragon City! Otherwise, how could everyone in the city have such good lives now?" He spat wildly, then surprisingly turned to try and bite He Lingchuan's hand. "You scoundrels, ungrateful wretches! I curse you to die horrible deaths!" The fear of death completely overwhelmed him, and all the words inside him poured out.

"Great service?" He Lingchuan suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and shoved his face against the pillar. "This is what 'great service' truly means! Are the merits yours? Were they not earned by the 400,000 heroes who lie eternally in the wasteland? What's so great about you father and son? Just because you survived till the end, you dare to claim all the credit for yourselves?"

With each sentence He Lingchuan uttered, he slammed the prisoner's head against the pillar once. Each word was spoken unhurriedly, but the force of the impact against the pillar grew stronger each time. Zhao Rong's face was covered in blood from the impacts, and he screamed repeatedly.

Willow and Doorman exchanged glances. They felt their blood boil and their eyes sting, yet they were also startled by the extreme malice and fury contained within He Lingchuan's actions. Broken Blade had never been so furious.

"We..." Willow was about to ask further when He Lingchuan casually drew his blade and plunged it into Zhao Rong's heart from behind. The Ephemeral Blade was too sharp. Zhao Rong was halfway through his incoherent rambling when he saw a section of the gleaming blade tip emerge from his chest, and he instantly froze in shock. He Lingchuan gripped the blade and twisted it to the left. Zhao tried to say something, but blood choked his mouth. Doorman counted silently twice, and the prisoner stopped breathing.

He Lingchuan pulled out the long blade and said calmly, "He wouldn't have repented properly anyway. Let's not waste any more time." He wiped the blood from the prisoner's back and returned the blade to its sheath.

Doorman shrugged: "You even left him with an intact body."

"We don't have a personal grudge," He Lingchuan replied. A quick death was the greatest mercy he could offer.

With the execution completed without incident, the three of them moved the body onto the carriage. He Lingchuan reminded them, "This matter must be kept secret. It must rot in our stomachs." Doorman and Willow both replied, "We understand."

The squad then drove the carriage slowly down the mountain. Someone was already waiting down the mountain. The leader was in his fifties, with white hair, craning his neck. He Lingchuan's squad unhitched their own mounts, handed the carriage over to them, and then left. These must have been people from the Zhao family, because they hadn't walked many yards before they heard cries from behind them.

Willow gently let out a breath.

However, the white-haired old man soon galloped up, stopped them, and demanded, "Why is our young master's face covered in blood and his forehead injured? Did you...?" Zhao Rong's forehead was so swollen from the impacts that it couldn't be hidden.

He Lingchuan said calmly, "Young Master Zhao knelt before the Divinity Pillar and repeatedly banged his head against it, weeping bitterly. I believe his repentance was very profound."

The old man was furious: "You... you dared to inflict cruel torture!"

"We strictly followed Lord Zhao's orders, meticulously." He Lingchuan unfurled Zhao Xianhe's note in front of the old man, his tone grim. "If you have any objections, take them up with General Hong."

Mission accomplished.

On both sides of their return path, wild flowers bloomed all over the hillsides. Bees flew, butterflies fluttered, and a gentle breeze blew, creating a peaceful and serene world. In a nearby village, children played in the fields, their faces full of innocent joy.

He Lingchuan gazed at the vibrant colors, lost in thought. For many years, people had been secretly mining gold in the Red Peak Mine, and Village Chief Hu had chosen to conceal it. The one in charge of mountains, rivers, and mineral resources in Coiling Dragon City was Vice-Commander Zhao Xianhe. A while ago, Zhao Xianhe seemed to have vanished. Today, Lord Zhao suddenly issued a secret order, sending his son to the Divinity Pillar for immediate execution. Zhao Rong's death, without even a public trial or conviction, was carried out secretly by them.