Chapter 28: This Lowly Official Was Foolish—Daoist Master, I Beg You to Punish Me!

Upon hearing the Magistrate’s thunderous command to execute, Wu the Headsman, clutching his heavy blade, immediately looked toward Qian Youcai, who remained upon the platform.

"Young Master Qian?"

Qian Youcai retreated behind Du Yuan, looking at Magistrate Fang on the inspection dais with absolute confidence. "That piece of scrap metal cannot harm the Daoist. I am standing right here, and I shall see if that corrupt official insists on his delusion when all is said and done!"

Seeing this, Wu the Headsman said no more. He raised his heavy blade, his gaze fixed on Du Yuan, who stood with his hands behind his back under the scorching sun. He did not ask why Du Yuan remained standing; instead, as if possessed, he blurted out, "Daoist, I am truly going to strike now!"

Du Yuan smiled confidently. "I have said it before: there is no blade in this world that can execute me."

The commoners already believed him, and he himself had tested it—why would he be afraid?

"Then, forgive me!"

At that moment, the crowd held their breath. In the rear courtyard of the county office, the sixteen-year-old maiden, revealed to be a black python, watched with a look of smug satisfaction.

If there was one thing she feared most in Qing County, it was not Magistrate Fang, who possessed the protection of official robes and the extension of national destiny. Having lived by his side for years, she had long since mastered how to manipulate him. The true object of her fear was this very Wu the Headsman, or rather, the executioner's blade in his hands.

The Wu family had been executioners for generations, and the blade had been passed down from father to son. Because Qing County had once been the wealthiest and best-equipped in the region, the imperial court had frequently sent death-row prisoners from neighboring counties to be executed here. Over the years, the blade had claimed countless lives of the wicked and depraved. To others, it was merely a fearsome weapon, but in her eyes, it was saturated with such baleful, malevolent energy that it could shatter evil spirits; even a distant glance made her eyes sting with pain.

Ordinarily, when she hunted martial artists, their weapons could not even pierce her protective black mist, let alone harm her flesh. Even the powerful crossbows forbidden by the imperial court were useless. But this blade was different. She calculated that if she were struck by it, she would surely die if beheaded and be grievously wounded if touched. Thus, she had spent an enormous amount of her vital essence to forcibly breach Magistrate Fang’s protection of national destiny, using his hand to wield this blade against the priest.

"Hahaha, priest, let’s see how long you can keep smiling!" The Immortal behind the tripod had said that the priest was nothing more than a minor mountain cultivator. With the heavens, the earth, and the people all aligned in her favor, what could he possibly do to fight her?

Her eerie laughter seemed to sweep across the office and descend upon the execution ground, falling directly into Du Yuan’s ears. In response, Du Yuan simply kept his hands behind his back. He, too, was curious to see what would come next.

"Forgive me!" With a roar from Wu the Headsman, the blade, thick with baleful energy, descended toward Du Yuan.

The commoners, the Magistrate, and the monster—every gaze was riveted to the blade. In a trance, they seemed to see countless vengeful spirits howling upon the steel. Yet, in another flicker of perception, they saw the stern dignity of law and the soaring power of national destiny, impenetrable to any demon or phantom.

"This is?!" Such a supernatural display was something they had never witnessed; they gasped in shock. But as they opened their mouths, they were stunned into silence.

They witnessed something even more startling. Wu the Headsman’s muscles bulged with effort, his blade stopping a mere three inches from Du Yuan, as if it had struck an impenetrable wall of iron and stone. A sound like shattered gold and cracked jade rang out, deafening those nearby.

On the platform, the clash of metal rang out. Below, the crowd was struck dumb. Wu the Headsman, having delivered the blow, recoiled in terror, scrambling backward. He knew better than anyone what he had just struck. It was a wall of gold and jade, a vast chasm between the mortal and the divine. How could a man like him bridge such a gap? Ignoring the blood spilling from his torn palms, and not even bothering to check if his blade had shattered, Wu the Headsman collapsed to his knees.

"Daoist, have mercy!"

On the inspection dais, Magistrate Fang rose in shock, not even realizing that his gavel had fallen to the floor. He cried out in disbelief, "How can this be?!"

This was the cry of the Magistrate, and it was also the cry of the monster. In the rear courtyard, she clawed at her disheveled hair, her face pale with terror. "How can it be? How is this possible?" Was he not just a minor mountain cultivator?

In Du Yuan’s eyes, he saw that the black mist clinging to Magistrate Fang’s forehead, though still present, now looked like rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly. Du Yuan spoke, "Have you not regained your senses yet?"

Magistrate Fang shuddered violently. The black mist above his head dissipated instantly, but the monster refused to give up. She struck her own chest, vomiting a mouthful of vital heart-blood. "Priest, it is not over yet!"

The dissipated mist seemed to flow backward, gathering once more upon the Magistrate’s forehead. With a violent shake of his head, Magistrate Fang’s eyes bloodshot, he roared, "Wu the Headsman! I saved your wife and children! Why do you repay kindness with enmity, siding with this demonic priest to deceive the people of Qing County?"

Wu the Headsman knocked his head against the ground in desperation. "It is not like that, Magistrate! The Daoist is truly a master! You... you have truly been blinded by a monster!"

Magistrate Fang could hear nothing. His mind was lost, his spirit clouded, leaving only a single, obsessively amplified obsession. Pushing aside the bailiffs, he stumbled onto the execution ground. He kicked Wu the Headsman aside and snatched up the executioner’s blade.

Du Yuan did not stop him. He stood with his hands behind his back, amidst the gloom and under the brilliant sun, and said to the Magistrate, "Still no return to your senses?"

"Demonic priest, cease your nonsense!" Magistrate Fang roared again. But this time, many heard a sharp, shrill female voice mixed within his own. The crowd’s expression toward the Magistrate began to change.

Oblivious, Magistrate Fang raised the blade with both hands and struck the table before him. With his immense, frantic strength, the heavy table was cleaved in two. Confirming the blade was intact, he pointed it at Du Yuan and shouted, "Demonic priest, you yourself said you would take three strikes. There are two left—do you dare receive them?"

"Indeed, I do." Having not feared the first, why would he fear the rest?

"Then take this!"

The blade fell once more, but this time, it was not wielded by Wu the Headsman, but by Magistrate Fang, draped in official robes and protected by national destiny. In the rear courtyard, the black python stood, raising her hands in a near-maniacal frenzy. The malevolent blade descended amidst her wild laughter. This time, she refused to believe it would not cleave him.

But as the sound of shattered gold and jade rang out again, she did not see the blade come within three inches of Du Yuan. Instead, she saw a burst of golden light strike straight toward the Magistrate’s crown.

In an instant, the monster in the rear courtyard was thrown backward, vomiting blood. The black mist surrounding the Magistrate was swept away completely. His official cap flew off, and the blade was shaken from his grip. He stood disheveled and bewildered.

The crowd was too stunned to speak. Only Qian Youcai trembled with excitement, thinking his life had been worth it just to witness this moment.

After a long silence, Du Yuan broke the stillness that none present would ever forget. He picked up the executioner’s blade and held it out to the Magistrate. "Magistrate Fang, there is one strike left. So, are you awake now?"

The voice pierced his ears and entered his soul. Magistrate Fang stared at Du Yuan, mouth agape, his mind blank. After a moment, he instinctively took the blade, then bowed low in a violent jolt of realization, presenting the weapon forward.

"This sinful official was blind. I beg the Daoist for punishment!"