Chapter 116 - 54: Slaughter (2)

Chapter 116: Chapter 54: Slaughter (2)

"Yes!"

"Well done!"

"Serves him right! It’s payback!"

...

The faces of the onlookers were flushed as they pumped their fists and roared their approval.

The crowd was incensed.

If they’d had rotten eggs or spoiled vegetables on hand, they probably would have pelted him with everything they had.

’The tables have turned. Just two days ago, Yan Song was strutting around like a tyrant, bullying men and women, acting like he was untouchable... and now look at him.’

’And that Third Young Master Lin, he was so proud and haughty, always looking down his nose at everyone. He must be terrified right now...’

Fang Rui sighed internally. ’In these tumultuous, dog-eat-dog times, you certainly see some interesting things!’

...

Sun Sheng kept cutting.

"This cut is for the able-bodied men you forcibly conscripted!"

"AHH!"

"This cut is for the young maiden you defiled!"

"AHH!"

...

Sun Sheng grew more and more excited with every swing. Eventually, he stopped bothering with reasons. His face was flushed as he gripped the blade with both hands, hacking away relentlessly, seeming to live only for the sound of Yan Song’s screams.

Worse still, his blade wasn’t sharp enough and he lacked the strength to sever a limb in a single blow. So he just kept hacking away at the arms and legs, like someone butchering ribs.

Like a madman.

Amidst the bloodcurdling screams, Sun Sheng delivered dozens of cuts, turning Yan Song into a human torso. Since none of the blows were to vital areas, Yan Song didn’t die right away. He lay face down, his back to the crowd, looking like little more than a twitching mass of bright red flesh.

Blood splattered a ten-foot radius, filling the air with the cloying, sweet stench of gore. The scene was utterly gruesome.

The cheers from the neighbors had long since dwindled to hushed murmurs. They looked at Sun Sheng as if he were a stranger, subconsciously backing away to put some distance between them.

’This isn’t serving justice or getting revenge anymore. This is just torture!’

Fang Rui watched it all with a detached expression. ’Yan Song was certainly no saint, but I doubt Sun Sheng is a good man, either.’

He looked at Sun Sheng, whose face was twisted into a bloodthirsty smile and who radiated a palpable Evil Qi. ’This man,’ he thought, ’is probably a psychopath at heart.’

In the end, it was Old Sun who couldn’t stand to watch any longer. He stepped forward to intervene, and only then did Sun Sheng finally bring his blade down and give Yan Song a quick death.

"Good!"

The crowd’s final cheer was dry and listless.

「Afterward.」

The crowd quickly dispersed. No one stayed behind to ask Sun Sheng about their own children or the city’s current situation. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to—it was that they didn’t dare.

"Martial Artist Fang,"

Sun Sheng stepped forward with a smile, but to the eyes of a veteran actor like Fang Rui, it was obviously forced.

"Martial Artist Fang, you live next door, right? They say a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. We should get to know each other better... I hope you don’t mind if I call you Younger Brother Fang... You’re already an Entry Grade Martial Artist at such a young age. Your future is truly boundless..."

After all the flattery and attempts to build rapport, Sun Sheng finally revealed his true intentions. "Younger Brother Fang, would you be willing to accept my invitation and join the Rebel Army?"

"No thank you. I’m too timid for all this fighting and killing..." Fang Rui refused flatly.

If he had really wanted to join the Taiping Bandits, wouldn’t accepting Jiang Ping’an’s offer to become a Chief Constable have been a much better deal? Why would he need an introduction from Sun Sheng?

He frowned. ’More importantly, this man gives me a bad feeling. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s a faint, hidden malice about him...’

Fang Rui was determined not to be swayed. He refused to take the bait, no matter what Sun Sheng said. After a few cursory replies, he simply left.

"This guy..."

Sun Sheng watched Fang Rui’s retreating back, his eyes narrowing. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

...

On the way back, Fang Rui overheard snippets of the neighbors’ hushed conversations.

"The Sun Family’s eldest was always such an honest boy. How did he end up like this...?" someone sighed.

"I know! He’s so ruthless now. Watching him cut like that... GAG!" The person had clearly been holding back their nausea until now.

"He’s changed, they’ve all changed! There’s no going back!" A hunchbacked old man shook his head as he turned to go home.

...

’So Sun Sheng used to be an honest man?’

’Was he just hiding his true nature all along, or is this a case of an honest man turning bad?’

Fang Rui had no way of knowing. All he knew was that the Sun Sheng of today was ruthless, audacious, and had learned to wear a mask...

"He’s already a seasoned bandit... no, a seasoned member of the Rebel Army."

"It’s true that one’s environment can completely change a person. It can either unleash the devil within, or force them to grow..."

...

Back in the house, Fang Rui told them what had happened at Old Sun’s.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family shot to her feet, instantly excited. "Brother Rui, does that mean your father is back, too?!"

She paced back and forth, muttering to herself, "I wonder if your father’s been hurt, or if he’s lost weight... He’s always so careless..."

"That’s right, we have to go back. I’ll go pack our things..."

The news was clearly such a shock that Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was thrown into a fluster.

"Mother, calm down!"

Fang Rui took her by the arm. "Even though some order has been restored to the city, it’s still chaotic out there. Let’s wait until morning..."

There was another reason he didn’t mention: Sun Sheng was a treacherous man, and Fang Rui wanted to observe him for a while to make sure he wouldn’t become a future threat.

"Auntie, you should listen to Brother Rui. Get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll head back first thing in the morning..."

"That’s right, it’s the middle of the night... One night won’t make a difference..."

With both Third Lady and Sister-in-law Jiang persuading her, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family gradually calmed down.

「Afterward.」

Fang Rui insisted that Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, and the two little girls, Nannan and Fang Ling, go back and get some more sleep. Sister-in-law Jiang also took Niu Dun and Xiaodouya back to their respective rooms.