Volume 2 Chapter 18: Rainwater (Part 2)
Scholar Kobayashi had lived for several decades, but he had never thought that one day he would see a person being skinned alive… But unexpectedly, leaning against the wall, witnessing this typical beastly behavior, listening to the screams that were not like human voices, this Yutang scholar who came from a family of poetry and literature and experienced almost the entire "Fengheng Yuda" era, did not lose control unexpectedly.
If I must give a reason, I can only say that in the previous half year, this scholar of Yutang, who was born rich and prosperous, had already had a vague but not yet completely clear idea, and it was this idea that made him mentally prepared enough - the chaotic times described in history books where beasts eat people have really come, and it is impossible for him, Lin Jingmo, to avoid it just because he has a good family background and a high official position!
In fact, since Caizhou, Bachelor Xiaolin has volunteered three times... The first time he volunteered to go to Wuguan was actually a misunderstanding. He had noticed that the government seemed to be particularly attentive to Niu Gao, so he wanted to ask for permission to go to Ruzhou. It's just that he reacted a little slow, and in the end he followed Liu Yan to Wuguan by accident.
However, the failed operation brought a great shock to Lin Jingmo. Because he was separated from the main force and the imperial court, he witnessed the tragic scenes of war that were far beyond Emperor Zhao's imagination. He was confused and out of control for a while, and was laughed at by the soldiers and even given a nickname by General Han.
However, he finally got over the anger. Later, this scholar Lin volunteered to go down to the city to appease Zhai Chong. When that failed, he volunteered to come to Xiangzhou three times a few days ago. However, he had made up his mind long ago and it was not a coincidence.
The sky was dark, the rain was pouring down, and the soldiers carrying out the executions gradually became flustered amid the screams - even though they were used to matters of life and death and were professional killers, how could they have ever experienced something like this?
Doesn't skinning require skills and experience?
There were countless people around who were frightened to the point of being pale, some even covering their faces and mouths, but didn’t the executioners feel horrified?
When the skin was peeled off below the chest, one of the tooth generals twisted his hand, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, he directly cut the throat of the humanoid creature in front of him, making it impossible for the latter to make a sound.
There were no more screams, and the rain was pouring outside the hall, but the atmosphere inside the hall became even more eerie.
When Fan Qiong saw this scene, he was about to get angry, but as soon as he stood up and looked around, he saw that everyone was looking at him in silence, and he suddenly felt a chill in his heart and panic for no reason... In the end, Fan Baochen took advantage of the situation and ordered the execution of this man, and then left in a huff.
After Fan Qiong left, the whole room was in a mess. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they were still horrified.
However, although the execution was over, it was already evening when Scholar Xiaolin and Wang Jun met again... This was mainly because Fan Qiongfu summoned Wang Jun, Han Li, and several key military officers to the backyard of the provincial government, treated them to wine and food, and gave them gold and silver rewards.
But just in case, the former was sent back early by Wang Jun.
"The Maester is a true husband."
The sky was completely dark, and the rain was still falling outside. Wang Jun entered the dormitory with a strong smell of alcohol and dampness. He was startled to see that Master Lin was still reading calmly, and then he bowed his hands sincerely and sighed. "But please forgive me, Master. I really ..."
"Is that so?" Scholar Xiao Lin was lying on the couch, staring at the book in his hand, not even bothering to look at the other person. "I just discovered today that Commander Wang is so familiar with your general Fan's guards... Maybe you really don't know, but if someone else knows about what happened today, you must be the first one to know, right?"
Wang Jun opened his mouth, revealing two gaps between his teeth, but he could not refute. He paused for a long time before finding a stool in front of the couch and carefully sat down with his hands clasped together: "Master, I have no choice but to do what you said... But I was really scared today. Sitting here now, I can only praise you for being a real man."
"What is a real husband?"
Scholar Kobayashi turned a page of the book and continued reading while answering. "I also vomited after I came back... but it was not fear, but nausea."
"It's really disgusting." Wang Jun echoed half of the sentence.
"However, if you think I have never seen a dead person, and that you are using Fan Qiong to scare me to the point of losing my mind and then manipulate and deceive me, then don't think too much about it." Scholar Xiao Lin looked at the book calmly and said, "For me... think of Liu Guangshi of Bagong Mountain and Ding Jin of Huaixi. When they were alive, they had tens of thousands of soldiers and were arrogant. When they died, they were just a pile of rotten meat. Don't you think I haven't seen it with my own eyes? As for what happened in the hall today... think of the escapee as not a vicious person. Killing people is killing people, but what's the point of skinning them? Does your General Fan think that he can escape with his life in a few days by doing this?"
Wang Jun was silent for a moment, but still nodded and said, "The Master is right."
"And if today's incident really has some consequences, I would say it's not a good one." Scholar Xiaolin continued casually. "Buddhism says karma will come true, Taoism says blessings and disasters are caused by one's own actions. This General Fan is being skinned alive today, and when he dies, no one will say what punishment the government will use... Don't you think so?"
"You are a great scholar, so your reasoning is certainly correct." Wang Jun pursed his lips and spoke carefully. "But no matter what, you should have seen the ferocity of General Fan today... You may not be afraid, but I am a little scared of this. I hope you can understand that even if I have the intention, I dare not act rashly and be the one who stands out."
"I'm not saying he's vicious. Today I only saw that your General Fan is fierce on the outside but weak on the inside, and he's disloyal." Scholar Xiaolin finally put down his book, and then looked at the person in front of the couch. "General Wang, I don't want to say anything more to you... Today I'll just tell you one more reason and one explanation, you can listen if you want, otherwise don't regret it in the future."
Wang Jun opened his mouth to speak, but finally stood up, like a student listening to a lecture.
"Speaking of reason, now that Fan Qiong has gone to such an extent, you can't delay any longer, because you, a loach, can't be as slippery as a reasonable person like me, but you can't continue to be slippery with a madman holding a knife. Today he skinned people alive for no reason, will he go crazy and chop you and Han Li to pieces tomorrow?" Scholar Xiaolin stared at the man in front of him coldly. "And give me an explanation, I just realized today that you were not half-hearted these days, but wanted to bargain, but now, I already hate you, so the previous words of retaining your position and military power are no longer valid..."
Wang Jun was suddenly startled and looked up suddenly.
"And today I will not allow you to raise troops to capture Fan Qiong. You only need to promise to open the city gates once the imperial army arrives..." Scholar Xiao Lin picked up the book again and said, "Under this lamp, if you agree, I will protect the lives and property of your entire family. If you don't agree, please leave. I am powerless and will never go out to look for Han Li and others. But when the royal division arrives, I will not even protect the lives of your entire family! That's it!"
Wang Jun stood there in silence for a long time, feeling panic, anger, helplessness, and regret. All kinds of emotions were intertwined. But after a long time, he saw the person in front of him continue to lie on the couch, holding the scroll with the same grace, but finally his momentum gradually faded, and then he prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly:
"Thank you, Master, for leaving me a way out... Please give me a token, and I will send someone out of the city to Nanyang to pass on the message!"
