Since TianXing was in a wheelchair, it made cutting through the running crowds much easier and in minutes, they arrived at the concourse square.
“...!”
Once they emerged from the masses, the group was soon greeted with a scene they never expected. ShiYan nearly threw up in sight of it. Eddisson recalled his memories of his days at the brothel, whimpering in his legs; while ReZhui felt his heart beating rapidly. He clenched his fist and his face was a raging mess.
ReZhui saw people gathering together, forming a ring around the scene. Those in front shoved the others backwards and the people at the back rushed forward to better observe what’s going on. Many threw curses and pointing fingers. Others picked up random stuff and started to hurl them onto the open stage, but they barely reached them.
Nine bodies laid lifelessly in a pool of blood atop the platform with visible lacerations all over their unarmed bodies. Several bodyguards, armed with swords dripping blood, stood across its borders and swung their blades violently towards the people, signalling their warning to anyone that got close.
“HELP, ANYONE! SOMEONE!”
An extremely alluring dancer, earlier dressed in the finest of robes and colourful ribbons, had the ends of her glittery hair tugged on mercilessly by a hand, ruining it into an appalling mess. Her legs were severely beaten, frailing about as she slid across the wooden surface in her torn dress. Beside her, the other dancers remained on the ground in distress. Some were kowtowing down to the assailant that harassed their coworker, while the rest clung desperately to her feet, pleading him to stop the act.
“That’s enough, love! Let…GO OF HER!”
“AAAAAAHH!”
“LORD, GREAT LORD, HAVE MERCY!”
“Please spare Sister Yan!”
A burly, fat man of prestige tossed those feeble dancers off to the side with a clumsy kick and continued to drag the dancer off the stage.
“That’s…”
ReZhui recognised him. The silky layers of scarlet and shiny bronze. His multiple necklaces, beaded with shimmering pearls, and his jewelry encrusted rings of the finest metallurgy. The signature jade belt sewn with tiger hide that barely held on from his immensely plump frame. It was the mayor of Luo ChengShi, Sun QuanYong.
“Hey-!”
“Shut it, ReZhui.”
“...!” TianXing extended her arm out, halting ReZhui’s frustration.
However, unlike before, ReZhui didn't object to the person’s demands as he was aware that she was more experienced. His blind justice would only reap more sorrow, and he knew very well what might happen otherwise.
“ReZhui, Eddisson, ShiYan, remember well, it may be hard to get adjusted to the sight of unalived bodies, but trust me, lashing out or cowering down in fear is a dead man’s play.”
“Mrs He…”
ReZhui also realised how calm she was compared to everyone here, including himself, in a very similar manner to his master. She held an expressionless face with steady eyes. Her arms were relaxed and she breathed normally. This was already commonplace to the poor lady who survived the horrors of ShanWei. One that she might have actually felt a little nostalgia for. Witnessing and experiencing all those tense moments in her life, her current stay at the Xu residence was like heaven and earth, and this exact scenario has once more brought out that raging fire from within her, which she desired to share with all of them what that warmth felt like.
“Moreso, children, when you have to be prepared to kill someone for your own sake. For your own survival.”
That blazing night where she was trapped in that smelting furnace. To protect her infant child and to preserve all the oxygen she had left, TianXing reminisced the moments before she fired that concealed pistol.
“Your first kill is your worst experience yet, and it gets more numb from that point on, hence, you must never look back!”
“...!”
“And be glad you lived to see another day.”
“U-understood…”
“Eddisson.”
“Y-yes, Mother?”
“Push me closer.”
“...”
Hesitating initially, Eddisson gathered the strength to advance forward.
TianXing’s eyes craned upwards as they approached closer until she was in the line of sight of the mayor. The endless cries that berated him continued to rain down relentlessly. In spite of that, the mayor continued his agenda in ignorance.
TianXing breathed in deeply. What she said next silenced the scene.
“Hey manwhore, go fuck yourself in your grandmother’s casket!”
Her mature voice sounded loud and clear. This alien language, never heard by anyone in the vicinity, drew all their attention to the woman in the wheelchair and the three children. Heads turned back towards them and they immediately made way for her. Even the Mayor heard it right and glared frustratingly in her direction.
“Who said that?! Show yourself!”
Soon enough, he made eye contact with that said woman and she returned him with a stoic stare of her own, seeping out her fuming hatred.
“W-who-How dare you?! What the fuck did you say to this great one! I will not tolerate any insults conveyed behind my back! Out with it!”
“...”
TianXing replied amused.
“Mayor Sun, I truly am impressed. I had never expected a nobleman like yourself to be this illiterate. Why are you so hot-headed? Impulsive like a mad dog, yet furious at the disrespect of your subjects.”
“...!”
The mayor felt his veins rupturing. From the defiance of this rebellious dancer to the intervention of the public, there was now the belittlement from a disabled mother of three. He raised his hand, targeting her.
“Guards, yank that bitch’s tongue out and sell her off to the dens at this very instant!! I shall not withstand such hostility against me!!!!”
“...!” Right as the guards turned their way, ReZhui and ShiYan quickly braced themselves while Eddisson reached out for his pockets. They immediately expected a fight to protect her.
However, TianXing acted before anyone could move a muscle.
“QuanYong!”
“...?!”
Unbelievable.
Everyone thought in unison.
No one would ever dare addressing a stranger on a first name basis, especially the mayor of a castle city. Although they all wholeheartedly resented him, he still was a man of power, and courtesy must be practiced regardless to maintain self discipline. Unbeknownst to most of them, TianXing once held monopoly over the millions of the common populace of ShanWei through White Ink. There’s no way a man, who oversaw an ever increasingly defiant trend in his region of influence, could ever stand a chance against TianXing in her prime, and that perspective carried over to this confrontation. She pressed forward confidently.
“Do you apparently have no shame resorting to violence when the very reason you could even hire such a force was through your late father’s handling?”
“...!”
Moreso with that disclosure, the mayor has never received this level of scorn or resistance, even from his own parents and advisors. ReZhui was also taken aback at how bold his teacher was. However, unlike his amateurish approach, she had the knowhow and, shockingly, the intel to back her methods.
‘Is this what my master meant by my naivety?’ ReZhui was reaching an epiphany.
His answer.
“...” Meanwhile, the mayor clenched his fist. He really wanted to go down there and personally ruin her with his bare hands. A petite woman like her stood no chance against him. Evenso, she had struck him where it hurt the most.
HIs pride.
In his reckless state of mind, the mayor’s endless egotistical tendencies overridden this flaming temperament, resulting in him finally setting down his anger with a deep sigh. He had to play it cool like he always did in the past. His hands massaged his temples, but TianXing was not going to let him off easily.
“Mayor Sun, for what was the need to order bloodshed?”
“...!” The mayor had to win this. “Listen up, madam, they attacked my men.”
“That doesn’t fulfil the urgency to slaughter them in cold blood, don’t you think?”
“Defiance against me is regarded as an act of treason, you know. They deserve it.”
He defended back with such child-like passion.
“Ha!”
“...?”
“...Ha..haha…hahaha…hahahaha….hahahahaha!”
“...?!”
In bewilderment, everyone heard TianXing’s gleeful laughter. It was maniacal. Many even feared her sadistic voice full of pleasure.
“B-bitch! What’s that act for huh!”
While he still vividly remembered those horrid emotions from what the mayor lectured him that day, ReZhui genuinely felt in that moment and forever more, he could no longer be subdued by the mayor’s distorted view of the world, reality and himself. Truthfully, a thought passed by, asking himself how his past self a few months back could be so disgustingly weak. Then, he recalled all his experiences since then. From Teacher Woo and Brother MianJu, to Mr Xu and finally, Mrs He, she was the final piece. Her efforts really showed in his current outlook and moreso, TianXing herself.
She was having the time of her life.
Somehow, her sincerest joy from watching the mayor’s abysmal play of framing his antics in a light of innocence and godsent will, has invigorated his true feelings, breaking his go-to act. In her eyes, it was a relatively thin veil of falsehoods. He was, once more, nothing against the masked monsters that lurked within ShanWei’s walls. He was the kindergartener who said he was the talk of the school and TianXing was his teacher.
“Hahaaa…Mayor Sun, you’re delusional, do you know that?”
She declared nonchalantly while wiping the tears out of her eyes.
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“No, I’m not. I am the Mayor of Luo ChengShi. The most powerful man in this region of the Middle Kingdom and I rule-”
“You are no emperor.” She curtly interrupted with a grin that juxtaposed her condescending glare.
“W-”
“You are also no king, nor are you the absolute example of a mayor of the people. You are just a perverted manchild. The epitome of shamelessness!”
“YAHHHHH!!!”
“HEAR HER WORDS!”
“SHE’S RIGHT, MURDERER!!”
“...!?”
Suddenly, the shouts of the crowds roared wildly with newfound vigour. The shouts of affirmations and insults started once more, startling the mayor in his tracks. Broken past his very limit for the first time, the mayor erupted.
“WHAT NONSENSE ARE YOU SPOUTING, YOU BITCH! WHORE! WIDOWER! FOX DEVIL! AND FUCK YOU ALL! I’LL HAVE YOUR CHILDREN AND EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS ENTIRE VILLAGE FUCKING BUTCHERED TO BITS!!! AND YOU ARE GONNA WATCH IT ALL CRUMBLE DOWN FOR WHAT FILTH YOU BARKED!!!”
The mayor had numerous voice cracks in the midst of his pitiful comeback, and TianXing was not done yet, left completely unfazed.
“If you are blindingly aware, Mayor Sun, it is not us but you, who should be facing the consequences of your actions! Today, in the thick of your people’s most joyous celebration, you went about carrying out murder, battery and assault on multiple innocent peoples. That alone deserves a hearing in the Panel of Imperial Justice, and that’s not also accounting for all the other heinous crimes you committed over your employment for the last year.”
“Empty threats like these fall on deaf ears, bitch!!!” The mayor desperately tried to keep pace.
“And your mouth’s even more vulgar. Seriously, why can’t you do stuff in decency like…I hope you do, politely asking the dancer if she permits giving you her services for the night and if she rejects your ripe pig physique, raise the prices higher. You’re already a lenient investor with a failing track record and the owner of several properties and land sites before you took your position so I seriously doubt money was the issue.”
“...How…how did you-”
That comment caught him off-guard. This was something he spent a fortune silencing away. ‘How the fuck did she found out?!’
“In other words, the true young master of a falling family. I wonder how you could keep up this facade for so long? Honestly, Mayor Sun, I really admire your mental strength for deluding yourself.”
“...”
“To make things worse, you rely on us for funds, and increase our burden unilaterally! Our hard earned money was surely embezzled for god knows what in that belly of yours, and later, you might potentially reduce our manpower without even considering the repercussions for that decision nor make a proper solution that benefits both parties.”
“Woman.” The mayor growled.
“...?”
He sounded like a cornered predator, making a last stand to a human. There was no point in keeping ‘face’ anymore. She knew too much to just be a random commoner, so he simply asked her, “May I know your name?”
And she cheerfully smiled back.
“My name is He TianXing, a single mother and unemployed. A helpless peasant of a corrupt system that includes yours truly!”
“...!?”
“Why? Are you surprised at how immediate I was?”
No matter how much he tried to hide it, the mayor was stunned at her boldness, and he would make her pay once he forcibly checked her records.
“The He family, is that so?”
“You are correct!”
“...”
‘This woman!’
“ZaHaha! Enjoy your early victory, bitch!”
“Still delusional, aren’t we?”
“...!”
The mayor gritted his teeth.
“Be prepared for the turmoil your family will be facing because I swear to myself that I will make sure you will come crawling back to me in blood and agony, begging deep in tears for mercy! I shall assure you that!”
“So you rather wouldn’t at least reflect on what I just said for your sake…What an ungrateful animal you truly are.”
“Talk the talk, bitch. Even the Imperial Court of Governance would never find me guilty, I have the connections! Haha!”
“...”
“There is no such thing as a fair world order. What only matters is money and power, of which you have none but I am the definition of. So, deal with it! Accept your fate and wait in anticipation as I will return! Your stress and sorrow shall drain you whole.”
Despite his attempts to intimidate her, TianXing casually dismissed his threats.
“Do your best, manchild. Go preach, whine and cry out your insecurities to the Heavens for society’s sake. In the end, injustice always loses, but I digress. Would you now, so politefully so, let go of that woman and leave this venue of happiness at once? An hour as your companion is worth a decade of dharmic meditation. Do you not fear for your karma?”
“Hmph…this conversation has made my dick go limp. You can keep this girl for all I care.” He then tossed aside the fatigued dancer. Thick strands of hair could be seen falling out of her in midair and she fell hard on the head with a thud. The mayor then scratched his neck, side eyeing TianXing one last time. “It’s no longer fun, you hear, with that attitude of yours.”
“...”
“However, I will not go home empty handed.”
He then signaled the guards to descend from the stage.
Swords brandished, wherever they swung, the crowd retreated in waves.
Mayor Sun walked down the steps and cracked his knuckles which were caked in blood.
“Mayor Sun, don’t tell me you’re gonna take out your anger on more civilians?”
He spread his arms out wide in a T pose.
“Yes I will. This is the start of your torturous present, woman.”
“...Unbelievable.”
Despite her best efforts, the extent to which one could control a situation via only dialogue relied on numerous factors. TianXing had the tools required so she won by a landslide, and by logic, the mayor must even be hesitant to touch the other residents. But, such persuasion concerning thoughts about ‘face’ and common sense to the mayor would only work if he was a sensible person. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. The sheer madness of his soul was something she could never quench if the madness never opened him up for civil conversations.
Realising this, ReZhui questioned her.
“Mrs He, what happens now?”
“Well, ReZhui, if talking never works out, you must be wise to always consider and reconsider using appropriate physical force to submit the outcome to your liking.”
“...”
“And that’s why my beloved Elder Brother’s right on time.”
---
“Alright, guards, let’s savor this moment, shall we? One silver for every dead man and one Gold tag for every child’s head.”
As if the guards were mindless puppets, their eyes were resolute and ready to pounce onto the masses. They cried, screamed and hurled objects as they backed away but the streets were tightly packed, creating bottlenecks and it left those with the best view first on the slaughter board. They shoved and crawled under. Compact like fish in a basket.
Some eventually gave in and knelt down, hoping the guards got them first and giving the rest much needed time to escape.
“Ready!”
They raised their blades.
“Set!”
They stepped forward.
“GO-”
“HALT YOURSELVES!”
“...!”
Suddenly, a much louder voice roared across the premises, overriding the mayor’s orders.
“...!” ReZhui instantly recognised it. Eyeing back at her, TianXing smirked cheekily.
“We’ve won.”
.
.
.
“No way, my treasured subordinate is here too? Oh what a wonderful surprise!”
Instead of being furious for interrupting him, the mayor gladly welcomed him with open arms. Although, his actions weren’t being reciprocated.
In his familiar scholarly qipao, he now wore a new one, dyed in maroon red, with highlights of gold and black lines. His buttons were engraved wood and the inner layer that reached his ankles had the lower skirt flaps coloured a matt black. Today in particular, he held a fan accessory in his left hand. He then swiped it open with one swift motion. It had a solid dark brown wooden frame and in between each branch, hard paper of the smoothest touch with written black calligraphy was attached. Its wingspan was large, providing ample wind to his face. Overall, it completed his appearance for this festival and his expression was just his typical.
A stern look with snake-like eyes.
“Mayor QuanYong, what brings you here to this humble festival hosted by backwater villages?”
“...!” Surprised by this opening, the mayor prayed it would not turn out how he feared it to be.
“What's the silence?”
“A-ah..haha…As a fellow friend, YaoMing, I am stupefied to see a studious individual such as yourself attend such festivities. I figured you will be slaving away in your office like you always do. That tax for this month is still not yet paid, you know.”
“That’s precisely why we ran this festival for your sake, Mayor, but why did you have to ruin it? And you never answered my previous question, why here of all places?”
This time, subtle disgust and frustration was felt from YaoMing’s words.
“...”
And that’s when the mayor decided there was no point playing around and dropped the act. The mayor replied, brooding helplessly.
“I’m disappointed in you, YaoMing.”
“Likewise, ever since you took control.”
“Still keeping this professional, huh? Backstabbing bastard…”
Closing his fan with a snap, YaoMing then waved it around over his head, signalling something.
“...?”
“I will, if you continue to obey that mother’s desires and leave at once.”
He pointed towards the entrance with grace.
“...YaoMing-”
“I had enough of you, Mayor QuanYong. The only reason you are now still alive is because I am no tyrant ruler like yours truly. I prefer if we keep the peace.”
“...” The mayor fell speechless.
“So, behave.”
“...” How did things change so fast?
“And stay behind your damn city walls. We have enough of our problems to settle and we don’t welcome one more in the form of you. Wreck havoc against my people or any other resident of the Bai river basin once again…and I promise you wholeheartedly, I’ll kill you.”
“...” This was not how things were supposed to go.
Throughout this, the Mayor stood firm, flinched and perplexed. He hardly understands the hostility from a random citizen; moreso with a lower subordinate who has bowed down to him for their entire relationship, to now reprimanding him. The Mayor gave such an infuriating dumbfounded face that, when YaoMing expected him to comply with his declaration and he gave him that reaction in return, that was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
“LEAVE, YOU BASTARD!”
“...!!!”
“DID YOU NOT HEAR ME WELL? I’M DONE BEING PATIENT WITH YOU! GO HOME THIS VERY INSTANT OR ELSE!!!”
All that pent up rage, and his eventual outburst, built up over the countless lives he failed to save due to this manchild and the humiliation this equally prideful scholar went through for his mercy, reverberated intensely throughout the venue, sending waves of goosebumps into everyone that heard him. As for the mayor, he staggered backward in instinct, and his legs buckled under his massive pressure. That’s how serious YaoMing’s threat was, especially after seeing the massive number of injured and dead bodies right in front of him.
Per his morals, he would usually examine them first before dealing with the mayor, but not tonight. YaoMing held back his urges and channeled in the role of he always placed second. At the present time, he was the ruthless politician for the people, before the meticulous village doctor everyone knew him for.
“...Guards, is he not bluffing?”
The mayor held onto his last hope, and immediately, they all nodded in unison. Upon YaoMing’s arrival, they had already sensed multiple targets from each of the pagodas with a particularly intense one spotted far off into the nearby mountains, precisely blasting out their sheer intent for murder onto only the guards. The fear of that unknown predator alone already made them secretly loosened their bladder. Initially, they felt disturbed by a faint impulse over there for a long time, as if something was watching them purposefully, but they passed it off as being paranoid of their master’s safety. However, they now still believed their reason, but immensely regretted dismissing that sensation as useless intuition. Although, even without that presence, the number of YaoMing’s forces were larger and could potentially overwhelm them regardless. Hence, all of them knew retreating with the mayor was the best action.
“...fuck this…worthless, useless motherfuckers.” Mayor Sun grunted, stomping his foot. It seemed that there was no way out for more blood. Eyeing back the intimidating glare of YaoMing, the mayor shuddered before he finally answered.
“Guards!”
“...?!”
“We are heading back! Tch…”
Without a second glance back, the mayor walked away with his head held high and the crowds broke apart to let him past. Silence filled the venue and only the crunching of loud footsteps of a grumpy mayor could be heard.
The troublemaker of the Bai river basin has finally been repelled at last.
.
.
.
What ensued next was what one calls a true celebration.
This joyous occasion of the Spring Festival, reminiscent of when the thunderous boom of fireworks and the bold bright colours of red worn by the villagers chased away the mythical beast of the Nian, was now boosted tenfold by the fact that their villages had successfully got rid of the monster’s direct counterpart.
Unfortunately, it was not all sunshines and rainbows as there was a lot of blood spilt in doing so. The nine bodies were soon covered with pristine white blankets and immediate prayers were soon conducted to bless everyone by warding off evil spirits who would be drawn in by the deceased.
The dancers were immediately treated by a makeshift team organized by YaoMing and volunteers were given water buckets, brooms and cloth to clean the streets of the chaos. Once the dancers were administered with first-aid care, they were immediately sent to the nearest pharmacy in DongBu. As YaoMing’s place does not fit that criteria, he sadly never followed along.
Overall, the recovery process took hours before everything could barely return to normal, but everyone remained elated. After all, this inconvenience was largely inconsequential to the massive confidence they gained. At long last, the mayor’s iron grip on their communities weakened and the residents felt more secure than ever before.
Before long, the sun soon rose on a sunny, spring day.
It was a special day.
A day that marked a new beginning for the people of this humble river basin.
Their independence.