72 In One Fell Swoop
It was snowing heavily, and the year was coming to an end.
The north of the country of Yan was in chaos. The Green Mountain Army was like a swarm of locusts—burning, killing, pillaging, and wreaking havoc everywhere they went. Countless people lost their homes and froze to death in the wind and snow.
On the tenth day of the new year, a vanguard of hundreds of people from the Imperial Army arrived at the Great Cloud City and took over the city effortlessly. They caught a large number of people on the same day and pushed them directly to the guillotine. Heads rolled on the ground and blood flowed like a river.
“This is not to punish, but to establish our might!”
An old beggar who was staggering along among the crowd looked at the “rebels” who were tied up on the guillotine and sighed internally.
Some of the people who had been beheaded had indeed colluded with the Green Mountain Army, but most of them seemed to be shop owners and workers, martial artists from martial arts dojos, and even coolies at the docks. They were completely unrelated to the Green Mountain Army.
However, the Imperial Army did not even bother to think about the evidence. As long as they had any suspicions, or even if they did not see eye to eye, they would behead them!
They were all treated as traitors of the Green Mountain Army!
Some people shouted that they were wronged, but no one paid any attention to them.
The Imperial Army was ruthless as they beheaded them row by row, and even the edge of their guillotine blades had been bent.
As for the commoners who were watching, their eyes were numb, and they had no sympathy for this scene. Some people even took out snacks from their pockets and ate them while watching.
This was also one of the few moments of entertainment for ordinary people.
Every time a head fell to the ground and blood splattered, the crowd would shout, “Good kill!”
“Good, these evil people deserve it.”
As for how good or evil they were, almost no one cared. Now that the Imperial Army was in power, the Imperial Army was good, and the people they killed were bad.
Jiang Ming, who was disguised as an old beggar, looked at the scene for a moment, then turned around and left.
He begged all the way through the streets and alleys, and finally, with a tired look, he curled up in a corner against the wind and warmed up with a few of his peers.
From this place, he could see the Shi family’s courtyard.
Ever since the Green Mountain Army crossed the border and fled to the north, Great Cloud City had fallen into a short period of peace. Jiang Ming took the opportunity to sneak in. Every few days, he would disguise himself as a different person and secretly watch the Shi family.
“After the Green Mountain Army’s defeat, the Shi family can be considered to have suffered a great loss.”
Jiang Ming squinted. Since the news of the master of the Shi family being seriously injured came out, the door of the Shi family manor had been closed. No one could enter or leave. No one knew what the situation was inside.
Jiang Ming guessed that the Shi family had the intention to escape, but they did not dare.
The Shi family had made countless enemies in the past few years. When the news of the defeat of the Green Mountain Army had spread, the Shi family sent a group of family members to sneak out of the city to leave a way out for the Shi family.
However, as soon as the group of family members left the city, they were all killed by the mysterious man on the official road outside the city. Even the second-class martial artist who led the group died a violent death. This made the Shi family’s already poor number of experts even worse.
Since then, the Shi family did not dare act rashly and could only hide in the city, hoping to use the power of the Shi family master as a first-class martial artist to intimidate the weaker people. Now, they had completely sealed the door, not giving the outside world a chance to spy on them.
“However, this is only a slow death. When the top experts of the Imperial Army arrive at Great Cloud City, the Shi family’s fate will only be worse!” Jiang Ming muttered to himself.
The head of the Imperial Army who entered the city was only a second-class martial artist. He would not dare touch the Shi family yet, but it might not be the case in a few days. He was sure that the Shi family would make a move in the short term.
* * *
“What?” An old beggar’s ears twitched, and he suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at the stone mansion in the distance.
He got up quietly, and his figure flashed. He climbed up a big tree and stood on the treetop to look down.
In the dark night, a group of people suddenly rushed out of the Shi family’s gate. More than a dozen people were riding fast horses along the street and rushing towards the city gate.
Then, the second team and a third team joined them. Some of them were traveling on foot, while others were driving their carriages. They looked like they were running for their lives. In an instant, they scattered in all directions and fled.
Around the Shi family, there was a commotion. One figure after another rushed out and followed the Shi family.
Obviously, Jiang Ming was not the only one who was waiting for the Shi family.
“You finally can’t take it anymore? You want to split up and escape to fight for a chance of survival?” Jiang Ming’s eyes were calm, but he did not move with the people who escaped.
With the Shi family’s reputation, those people were probably just cannon fodder who could be casually thrown away. With just a dozen or so groups of people, it was estimated that more than half of them would not be able to escape from the city before they were completely annihilated. Their remaining chances of survival would not be much greater.
“These are all acts. The Shi family’s direct descendants must still be waiting for an opportunity or looking for a way out… What?”
Jiang Ming’s mind suddenly felt a little uneasy. His heart moved, and he did not hesitate to trigger his heightened perception.
“There!”
In his state of heightened perception, Jiang Ming seemed to be one with the universe. His gaze was locked on a remote courtyard in the distance. It was hidden in a narrow alley behind the street and was unassuming.
“Could it be that there are people or things related to the Shi family there?” Jiang Ming’s mind was spinning.
His heightened perception had become more and more sensitive. Not only could he trigger it twice a day, but even during normal times, he would occasionally feel something.
Now, Jiang Ming was most concerned about the Shi family.
His eyes flickered, and he left without hesitation. He flew toward the courtyard that he sensed with his heightened perception.
* * *
A moment later, Jiang Ming hid behind a house and stared at the courtyard more than a hundred meters away in front of him, revealing a look of shock.
“That’s…”
The moonlight shone on the white snow, reflecting the scene in the courtyard. A figure was quietly climbing out of a dry well.
“Shi Junming, Shi Junwei, and Shi Quantang… Also, the head of the Shi family, Shi Jintai, seems to have been seriously injured.”
Jiang Ming took in the faces of these people one by one, focusing on the white-haired old man who was being supported by someone. He muttered to himself, “Everyone from the Shi family’s third generation is all here. This is catching them all in one fell swoop.”
In order to deal with the Shi family, Jiang Ming had already spent time getting information about the direct descendants of the Shi family, but he did not expect to see almost all of them today.
He could not help but have a strange look in his eyes. He did not know if the Shi family was stupid or greedy. They let the cannon fodder attract the attention and then all the direct descendants gathered together to dig a tunnel in an attempt to escape!
If it was successful, naturally everyone would be happy, and maybe they could rise again.
However, if they were discovered, they would all be annihilated.
Alas, this was also in line with the Shi family’s style of doing things. They were greedy and arrogant, but they never knew how to give and take.
“However, if I didn’t trigger my heightened perception, they might have really escaped. Alas, since I’ve discovered you, I can only send you all on your way!”
Jiang Ming stared at the group of sneaky men leaving the courtyard and followed them unhurriedly.
“This debt can finally be settled.”