Nightfall

The quiet front yard became even quieter. No one answered Ning Que’s question. An official failed to grip his pen and it fell slightly to the ground into the rain water.

In the human world, killing captives was a very serious issue. Human beings had walked away from bloody massacres ever since the end of the primitive times. Throughout the Tang history, no one except for Xiahou had ever done so.

Even the virtueless Shangguan Yangyu found Ning Que’s words absurd and hard to swallow. He seemed pale and could not help showing his disagreement.

The autumn rain was still pattering and the peculiar silence remained. It was an irritating silence so Ning Que broke it.

“Why so serious? Is that so hard to decide? Then I’ll make the decision myself.” He looked at Shangguan and said, “Ask the prefectures to kill one third and see how it goes.”

In the war years ago, the Tang army captured over 30 thousand enemies. They released some of them during the previous peace talk. But there were still a lot of captives imprisoned in the mine. Killing one third of them meant that the mine would be flooded with blood and the pit would be filled with bones.

“It is not auspicious to kill the captives. Heaven will be enraged. Mr. Thirteen, please reconsider,” an official said hoarsely. Nowadays, no one within the imperial court would dare to question the Academy, not to mention opposing it. But in certain circumstances, there were brave ones.

Ning Que did not look at the brave official. Instead, he looked above at the grey sky. There was no trace of heavenly anger but only continuous autumn rain coming down.

To kill the captives would enrage Heaven? What is Heaven? The one who is aloof at whatever happens in the human world? Or the one who upholds the heavenly rules in the cyclic existence? Either way, it is Haotian.

Then it was just a joke. He laughed at it, but said nothing or recalled the order.

Shangguan Yangyu said obscurely, “I’m afraid it cannot be executed…”

Killing the captives was something contradictory to the Tang people’s mentality and their aesthetics. That was his concern or excuse.

Ning Que questioned, “Why can’t it be executed?”

Shangguan Yangyu said, “We need people to do it. And I’m afraid no one is willing to.”

Ning Que laughed and said, “If no one is willing to, then you can do it.”

Shangguan Yangyu was a Grand Secretary of the imperial court and was fully supported by the Academy and the imperial family. If he were to drive the execution, it would never be hard to kill the captives. However, could he afford that notoriety?

He sighed. “No wonder you wanted me here today.”

Ning Que said, “There are a few people who could carry it out nicely. There are even fewer who has the guts. In terms of not worrying about notoriety, you are probably the only one.”

Shangguan Yangyu laughed bitterly. “How could I not be worried? That’s insane.”

Ning Que frowned. “Are you scolding me?”

Shangguan Yangyu sighed, “In that case I should at least get something in return. Shouldn’t I?”

Ning Que said, “As long as the Academy exists, I’ll make sure your family is safe and sound for ten generations.”

Shangguan Yangyu was a bit excited and confirmed, “I’ll do it then.”

He was after all a Grand Secretary and would never chop people’s heads off by himself. He made orders and asked Ning Que again, “Would you like to pile up the heads or bones?”

When killing captives, people would do it to the extreme. They would either keep it extremely secretive so that the enemy would not know and they would not earn themselves eternal infamy. Or they would do it extravagantly so that everyone would know and they would not care about any infamy in the history.

He had such a discussion with Ning Que previously. The Tang Empire wanted to kill so that the Divine Halls of West-Hill would be overwhelmed with sorrow. So they must not only conduct the killing, but also expose it to their enemy as well as to the entire world. Only with this could they showcase their determination to kill and make the enemy afraid. Therefore they had to choose the latter extremity.

As for the hundreds of cultivators and traitors’ families who were already killed, and the thousands of captives to be killed in a few days, how should they be exposed to the human world?

“We are not like those grassland barbarians. Besides, how or where can we pile up so many heads? On the Vermilion Bird Street or in front of the Wanyan Tower? What if some head falls down and scares the kids?”

Ning Que looked at him and scolded, “That’s too bloody and too cruel!”

Shangguan Yangyu found himself to be innocent. However, recalling that many innocent people were already killed today, he chose not to defend himself and listened humbly.

“I knew what you meant. As I mentioned, justice has to be fulfilled and showcased, and so does the killing. We should indeed let them see this. Let the Divine Halls see this. But we don’t need to scare our own people. There has to be another way.”

Ning Que turned to the man sitting on the chair next to him and said, “I suppose the Divine Halls will see it clearly and understand what it means. What do you think?”

The courtyard was a scene of slaughter. Above the rock stairs was the best place to watch it. No one noticed since when two wooden chairs were placed there. Ning Que was sitting on one, and a white haired man was on the other.

The man looked exhausted. Despite the white hair, he did not seem very old or young. He was Cheng Lixue, the head of Revelation Institute.

Upon hearing Ning Que’s words, Cheng Lixue said, “The Divine Halls should be aware of it. But I wonder if you are aware of what you’re doing.”

He was sent to stay in Chang’an by the Divine Halls to take charge of everything here. It seemed like an important position. Yet everyone knew he was disgraced and expelled to the most dangerous place.

Ning Que said, “You know clearly what I’m doing. Then of course I know what I’m doing. But I need you to tell me whether or not it will work.”

Cheng Lixue said, “I’m after all a member of the Divine Halls of West-Hill.”

Ning Que watched the falling autumn rain in the courtyard and said, “The former Great Divine Priest is dead. The Divine Halls are now occupied by the South Sea people. And you are expelled from Peach Mountain. Hence you are no longer one of them.”

Cheng Lixue laughed and asked, “What do you want me to say?”

Ning Que asked, “I want to know whose order the Drunkard follows.”

Cheng Lixue said, “Of course it’s Haotian’s.”

Ning Que stared at him calmly and continued, “Haotian is not in the human world now. Then who is the messenger for the Drunkard? It was the Revelation Institute previously. But who is it now?”