Chapter 251: Carnival
In the marketplace not far from Dai Mu Institute.
A tall, one-eyed man walked leisurely down the street with his hands in his pockets, occasionally glancing around as if searching for something. Passersby on both sides of the street avoided him as they saw him coming.
This man was a notorious bully in the area, who often found strange reasons to confront the locals with violence, seemingly taking pleasure in it. Extortion was a common occurrence, and anyone who didn’t comply with his wishes couldn’t run their business peacefully. Most of the time, the locals could only endure in silence.
Whether it was intentional on his part or not, he never demanded too much money at once, so the locals treated it as a minor loss to avoid greater trouble.
Additionally, since he usually preyed on the weak and feared the strong, and understood how to adjust his behavior to suit those around him, he had never been caught by the guarding Longxiang Army Armor Soldiers, and managed to run rampant in the marketplace for quite a while.
Since the God Realm Yumen was sealed, it had been some time since this man appeared on the streets. The locals thought he had died in the chaos, but unexpectedly, he appeared again.
“d*mn it, you ran fast; otherwise, I’d have flayed you alive!”
Seeing a half-grown child flee in panic, the man cursed, lowered his half-raised fist, and murmured, “Tch, let that little brat slip away; now where should I find some fun?”
A hundred days prior, the Shaman Queen had besieged the city, and the Yumen Pass was sealed. A small number of wandering tribal warriors had entered the city and caused chaos. Fearing for his safety, he had hidden in a house in the northern part of the city, and hadn’t been on the streets for quite a while.
During his time away, he had grown increasingly restless.
However, due to the tight control exercised by the Longxiang Army in the city recently, he planned to wait for the storm to pass before resuming his old ways. But today, for some unknown reason, the weather in the city was oppressively hot, making it uncomfortable to lie down or sit, amplifying his pent-up frustration.
Thus, he could no longer contain his agitation and took to the streets, seeking two unfortunate souls to beat up to relieve his displeasure.
For instance…
His gaze drifted towards the spice shop on the side of the street, landing on a girl at the entrance who was sorting spices, and he squinted his eyes.
That annoying woman! I’ll make you my target!
He recognized the girl as the spice shop owner’s mistress. The last time he visited the spice shop to get something for free, she had bitten him, and he still bore the scar on his arm.
Now, there was only the girl in the spice shop; it was the perfect moment to take revenge for that bite!
Moreover, the spice shop owner was an easily manipulated softie. If he beat up his mistress, there would be no worries…
Thinking this, his uncontrollable anger flared up like it had been doused with oil, and he took three or four steps forward, kicking the bamboo basket out of the girl’s hands and slapping her face hard.
“Smack!” Five deep, dark purple fingerprints immediately appeared on the girl’s fair face.
In that instant, he felt an inexplicable thrill surge from his feet all the way to the crown of his head, making him feel as if he could float away.
“Stupid woman, do you still remember your grandfather?” the man said fiercely. “The scar you left me from that bite still hasn’t healed. How do you plan to make it up to me?”
He expected that after this kick and slap, the girl would be frightened and trembling in fear… In fact, most people on the street would be scared to see him. Those who had been beaten by him could only grit their teeth and endure. Even this girl had run home trembling after biting him last time and stayed hidden for several days.
What he didn’t expect was that after being knocked to the ground by the slap, the girl immediately got up, screamed, and lunged at him, attacking him with punches and kicks like a madwoman.
What’s going on? Is the world upside down?
Although the girl’s punches and kicks lacked strength, he still felt a wave of irritation rising within him, followed closely by a thought that quietly surfaced in his mind—k*ll this stupid woman!
Once the thought of m*rder appeared, it became increasingly intense, and he suddenly reached out, grabbing the girl’s neck, lifting her up like a chick.
Seeing the girl’s face turn red from lack of breath and display pain, the one-eyed man’s heart filled with wild joy. Just then, he noticed the girl’s gaze drifting past him and looking behind him, where a look of delight appeared in her eyes.
He paused for a moment and turned to look behind him, only to see the spice shop’s owner’s son, holding a chopping kn*fe, staring darkly at him with bloodshot eyes.
Ha! What’s this? This softie dares to wield a kn*fe? the man thought mockingly.
In the next second, sharp pain suddenly struck his chest.
————
Long Bang exited the Dai Mu Institute, carrying a heavy iron box on his way to the County Prince’s Mansion, recalling the flames on the small Shen girl just moments ago, still feeling a lingering dread.
That dazzling crimson flame couldn’t be extinguished, couldn’t be put out; even the spell formula had little effect. He and Big Shen girl worked hard for quite a while, but all was in vain; it burned for quite some time before gradually dissipating.
That small Shen girl was undeniably tough; burning for that long would have cooked a lamb, yet she remained dazed and unaware, making Long Bang involuntarily break into a cold sweat for her.
However, it was odd that such a large fire, burning for quite some time, didn’t harm anyone, and even the bed remained unscathed, just leaving a few burn marks on the small Shen girl’s clothes.
Big Shen girl explained that “little sister is too mischievous and always careless during her training; perhaps something went wrong.”
Long Bang felt this explanation made sense. Among the soldiers of the Longxiang Army who had mastered control of spirit energy, although not as severe as the small Shen girl, there had been instances of “going astray.”
Before leaving, he kindly gave them the unique alchemical incense of the Long clan. To him, Big and small Shen girls’ affiliation with Dachunyang Palace was something he had never heard of; it likely wasn’t terribly impressive and treating out-of-control spirit energy was probably still something their prominent families could handle better.
However, when Big Shen girl took the calming method from him, there was a subtle look in her eyes, perhaps due to gratitude?
Then…
He was driven out by Big Shen girl, who coldly said, “Long Bang, you should do what you need to do! I need to help my little sister change clothes.”
That appearance made it look like she found him a nuisance. But before he could walk far, Big Shen girl chased after him, handing him a letter that was left for him by his brother.
Now, the letter was in his pocket. He planned to wait until he reached the County Prince’s Mansion to find a deserted place to read it slowly.
Of course, he had to find a deserted place!
He was a dignified Longxiang Army officer; if he happened to cry while reading the letter, and others saw him, wouldn’t that ruin his dignity? How could he mix in the Yumen Pass after that?
“Oh, the thoughts of girls are really hard to understand,” Long Bang sighed, shaking his head. Just as he regained his focus to continue walking, he heard a commotion not far ahead.
What… someone is causing trouble again?
Long Bang frowned and looked in the direction of the noise. Before he could locate the source, he saw a bloodied man running towards him in panic, calling out with a trembling voice.
“k*ll… they’re killing!”
“Help!”
The man, covered in bl**d, stumbled along the long street, with bl**d gushing from deep bone-visible wounds on his chest and thigh, spilling everywhere.
However, on both sides of the street, the sparse onlookers showed no response to the man’s cries for help. Their eyes gleamed with strange excitement, and a flicker of a smirk appeared at the corners of their mouths.
Then, a hurried sound of footsteps accompanied by an angry shout came from ahead.
A disheveled young man, wielding a bloodied chopping kn*fe, sprinted toward them, catching up with the panicking man and slashing down with his kn*fe. The man scampered and rolled, desperately trying to evade.
This isn’t good; someone’s going to d*e! Long Bang’s heart raced as he swiftly drew his sword.
Although he was well aware that a strange agitation had swept over the entire Yumen Pass in recent days, with everyone seemingly holding anger that had nowhere to be released, leading to frequent altercations, he never expected it would turn to bloodshed.
As a Longxiang Army officer, how could he ignore such a scene?
However, when he stepped forward with his sword and recognized the chaotic face of the kn*fe-wielding youth, he froze for a moment.
Hmm? Isn’t this Xie Erlang from the spice shop?
Long Bang recognized the boy as the son of the spice shop owner next to the Dai Mu Institute.
The spice shop owner, now old, had early handed over the shop to his son. Long Bang had often purchased incense for the singers and dancers at the shop, so over time he had become familiar with the young owner.
Since they were acquaintances, he naturally knew a bit about each other’s temperaments. Upon recognizing the boy, a deep sense of confusion surged in Long Bang’s heart, causing him to slow his attack.
Xie Erlang was not only filial and helpful but also surprisingly gentle and kind. He had never been seen in conflict with anyone. Even when those cunning foreign merchants cheated and haggled over prices for good spices, he still welcomed them with a smile…
Who, among the customers who visited his shop or the neighborhood neighbors, wouldn’t give a thumbs up and say, “What a good lad!”?
Long Bang could hardly imagine that such a person would commit m*rder in the streets.
But at this moment, Xie Erlang had done just that.
He saw Xie Erlang catch up with the fleeing man, suddenly kicking him to the ground, his eyes red, mumbling crazily, “It’s you, it’s you!” as he raised the chopping kn*fe.
Long Bang shouted, “Stop! Xie Erlang, you stop!”
The bloodied kn*fe rose, splattering the bl**d it had collected into the air, tracing arcs above, and a faint metallic smell of bl**d filled the air.
On the sides of the street, the previously disinterested onlookers, seeing the bl**d and sniffing the scent of gore, seemed to awaken their hidden malice and rage, all at once becoming chaotic.
“b*stard, I’ve put up with you for a long time!” an angry shout rang out.
A man with a full beard picked up a nearby clay jar and smashed it over the head of a thin, tall man next to him. The jar shattered on impact, igniting the entire street.
Men shouted angrily, grappling with one another. Women disregarded their appearances, pulling each other’s hair and clothes, and even children spat saliva and threw stones at one another.
The sounds of smashing, screaming, roaring, and the muffled thuds of flesh colliding… Various sounds mingled together, buzzing in their ears.
Broken items were strewn across the ground, fruits and vegetables flew through the air.
Fury, irritability, chaos—the entire street was shrouded in a rising aura of violence, instantly turning into a battlefield.
A glance revealed that every face wore peculiar smiles, as if they were all partaking in a grand carnival.
Soon, more people, as if summoned, surged from the buildings and alleys on both sides.
Suddenly blocked by the crowd, Long Bang felt utterly helpless.
He couldn’t get closer to Xie Erlang; ahead of him was a mass of people, and amid the chaos, some even grabbed his arms and legs, seemingly wanting him to join this “carnival.”
He indeed held a sword, and as a spirit energy user, he could easily handle a dozen strong men, but…
These people involved in the riot were all civilians of the Yumen Pass. How could he possibly act against them?
The Longxiang Army had no tradition of using violence against civilians.
Just as Long Bang was momentarily stunned, the “carnival” reached its peak.
More and more people gathered in the street. Those who couldn’t find a way to vent their emotions rushed forward, helping Xie Erlang pin the fleeing man firmly to the ground.
“k*ll him, k*ll him!”
“Hehe, it’s time to see bl**d!”
“Come on, everyone’s helping you hold him down. If you can’t do it, let us!”
“…”
Their shouts were piercing, eyes red, resembling a pack of feral beasts.
Under their urging, Xie Erlang’s breathing quickly became rapid. After rolling up his sleeves, he raised the chopping kn*fe, aiming for the man’s nape.
“Thud—!”
With one stroke, he didn’t sever the man’s neck completely; flesh still connected to the body shook, and bl**d gushed forth, splattering onto everyone around.
Bathed in bl**d, Xie Erlang’s chopping kn*fe didn’t halt, continuing to rain blows on the man.
One chop, two chops, three chops…
Until the man’s head rolled away, most of his body was turned to mush, and Xie Erlang finally wore a satisfied smile.
Long Bang, blocked by the crowd, froze at the sight not far away, as if his soul had been lost. The sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
