C27 Nanzhao prisoner

Xu Dajiang was quick-witted and replied immediately, "I was careless just now and could not see the way. I accidentally fell and hit a rock."

"Very well, go." Hearing these words, Xu Dajiang heaved a sigh of relief. He hurriedly left the house, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

Yan Zhongshan squinted at the door that was shut again, thinking about something. After a while, his gaze shifted and landed on the Tian Ji Guard beside him. He slowly said, "Go and do something for me."

Except for the yearly sacrifice, the ancestral hall had never been as lively as it was today. Hundreds of villagers stood in front of the ancestral hall one by one, curiously looking at the dozens of people tied together like grasshoppers on a long rope.

Among them were men and women, the older ones already had white hair and beard, and the youngest one was a little girl about three or four years old, snuggling close to a girl about seven or eight years old.

These were the people of the Mu Clan that had been captured from all over the Southern Wasteland. In order to bring these people here before Mu Qianxue, Yan Zhongshan and the others had risked their lives. Seven or eight horses that travelled thousands of miles a day had died.

"Elder sister, I'm afraid." His sister looked at the gathering crowd, her large eyes filled with fear.

"Xiu'er is not afraid. Although Mom and Dad are both gone, there is still Big Sister. Big Sister will protect you." Although Sister Baining was very scared, she was still calm on the surface and comforted her sister who was frightened. Now, she was the one Xiu'er relied on.

He could clearly see every single person standing in front of the ancestral hall. He had thought of this village as a village chief for twelve years, and he knew every single person in the village. As long as someone who was not from the village showed up, they would not be able to escape his notice.

A lean man in his twenties noticed Xu Dajiang's red and swollen face and walked over and asked curiously, "Uncle, what's wrong with your face? It's the same face my brother was bitten by a hornet a few days ago."

Xu Dajiang said with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "Aren't you being a coward? If even your uncle dares to joke around, do you believe that I will throw you into the river?"

Upon hearing this, the man called Stone quickly said, "No no no, I was just concerned about uncle."

Xu Dajiang snorted coldly and said snappily, "I accidentally fell just now and got smacked in the face by a stinky and hard rock like you."

"Oh." Stone didn't quite believe him, but he didn't dare to ask any further. He pointed to the group of people that was tied up and asked, "Uncle, you said that they've already captured this person. Why are they still standing here?"

"How could you and I be able to guess the thoughts of those officials? Whatever they want us to do, we'll just do it. Don't make them unhappy, understand?"

"Uncle has said this many times already. I won't forget even if I fall asleep." Hearing this, Xu Dajiang relaxed. Seeing that he was about to leave, he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Don't go yet. Help uncle take a look and see if any of these people are not from our village. My eyes are dazzled by what I saw."

Stone was confused, "Why are you looking at this for no reason? Did another spy from the Qi Kingdom sneak in?" There had been cases of spies from the Qi nation sneaking into the village before, so when they heard that someone was not from their village, they immediately thought about it.

Xu Dajiang found it difficult to explain the matter with the Heavencraft Guard to him, so he said smoothly, "Yes, so you help me keep an eye on it. Also, do not tell anyone else. I won't forgive you if you alert me." He imitated Yan Zhongshan's way of speaking.

"Understood." Shi said half-jokingly. Then together with Xu Dajiang, they opened their eyes wide as they searched for strangers amongst the gathering villagers.

Even when their eyes started to tear up, they did not find anyone unfamiliar with the situation. Instead, a group of soldiers came. The one walking in front was a gloomy military general.

Xu Dajiang recognized him; he was the leader of the escort team for the appearance of the prisoners in South Zhao, vice president Shen Gang. He hastily pulled the stone over and asked in a fawning tone, "Senior Qian Hu, why are you here?"

Shen Gang glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes and said lightly, "What's wrong, can't I come?" He hated the word "vice" the most, so when he went out, he called himself "Qian Hu". Earlier, Shi Yan had been quick with his words and called Qian Hu "vice president"; he had suffered a lot.

"That is not what I meant. I was just thinking that if Senior Qian Hu has any business with me, you can just say the word. Why would I bother you to come over personally?" Xu Dajiang did not care about his disdain. In fact, in these people's eyes, he was just a small fry. Killing him was like stepping on an ant.

Shen Gang sneered. While Xu Dajiang was still wondering if his answer was satisfactory, he had already strode over to the group of criminals. After sweeping a glance, he said to the soldiers that came with him, "Go, hang them all."

At the entrance of the ancestral hall, there was a row of poles for a dozen people to hang on to. Although it was a bit difficult, it could still be endured.

"No, I don't want to tie it up, I don't want to!" Xiu'er hid behind her sister and refused to be tied up no matter what she said.

One month ago, she was still a pampered little miss in her clan. In the blink of an eye, she was captured and tied up, and suffered all the pain she shouldn't have at her age.

"Xiu'er is still young and cannot endure this kind of suffering. Please show mercy and don't tie her up. I guarantee that she will obediently stay here. She definitely won't run away." Baining spread her thin and weak arms like a little hen, protecting the little Xiu'er. Seeing that the soldier was not moved, she pulled Xiu'er to kneel down, kowtowing and begging.

The soldiers looked pitiful as they looked at Shen Gang hesitantly, "My lord, how about ?"

"Or what?" Shen Gang sinisterly interrupted him, "Do you want to hang her up?"

Seeing that Shen Gang didn't have any intention of giving them an excuse, the soldiers could only harden their hearts and forcefully carry their sister away. Under Xiu'er's sharp cries, they each hung up their sister and herself.

Xiu'er was hanging in the air with no place to place her feet. She was frightened to the point where her face was deathly pale. She kept crying, but no matter how her sister tried to coax her, it was to no avail.

Hearing this, Shen Gang became annoyed. He ordered his soldiers to bring the whips and viciously lashed on Xiu'er's body. His tattered clothes were torn, revealing a dark red bloodstain, "Shut up!"