After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 372: Chapter 371: Land of Divine Favor

”He cheated divine grace. Got off easy.” The execution supervisor snorted. After climbing out of the dirt pit, he said to the two tiger mimics, ”Please, carry out the sentence!”

The tiger mimics, long since impatient, charged the unconscious prisoner and took a huge bite.

SQUELCH. Blood sprayed three feet into the air.

The man awoke to excruciating pain. By the time he let out a bloodcurdling scream, a large chunk of flesh had been torn from his stomach, ripping his abdominal cavity open.

He struggled desperately, of course, but a human’s strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree. One tiger mimic pinned him with a paw and began to feast on his internal organs.

The innards are the most delicious and nutritious parts; lions and tigers always eat in this order.

Not to be outdone, the other tiger mimic joined the fray. But after failing to snatch a few bites for itself, it furiously snapped the prisoner’s thighbone in two.

For a moment, the air was filled with the roars of the tigers and the screams of the man—a chaotic din. The foreign merchants seeing such a scene for the first time all turned pale.

Hee Lingchuan finally understood where the stains on the sunken execution platform came from.

The local townsfolk watched without blinking. The little girl craned her neck, trying to get a better view. But soon she complained, ”Adong lied! The pit is so deep the blood can’t even splash out!”

After only a dozen breaths or so, the prisoner fell silent as the two tiger mimics fought over his body.

While one continued to devour its delicacy, the other simply turned to find the dead prisoner who had smashed his head against the pillar.

Such a delicious treat couldn’t be wasted. It was a reward they had earned with great difficulty.

The CRUNCH of sharp teeth gnawing on bone terrified many of the outsiders.

At this point, a constable brought out a massive black cloth and covered the entire execution platform. He announced to the crowd, ”The execution is over. Everyone, disperse.” With both prisoners dead and the tiger mimics wishing to eat undisturbed, the townsfolk finally, reluctantly, began to disperse.

Shi Congshui was also watching, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He asked Hee Lingchuan, ”Well? Still have the stomach for a drink?”

Hee Lingchuan had seen all sorts of bizarre scenes of Demons devouring people, many far more gruesome than this. But seeing Shi Congshui swallowing hard, clearly fighting down an upset stomach while trying to appear calm, he stretched languidly. ”No, I’m a bit tired. I think I’ll head back to the inn and rest.”

Shi Congshui breathed a secret sigh of relief. ”Good, good. An early night is a good idea.”

Passing by an alley, the oily fragrance of a street stall wafted over. Hee Lingchuan’s stomach rumbled, so he went over and bought a few flatbreads.

He was just biting into his second flatbread when he saw a constable turn into the small alley, followed by another person whose eyes were red as if they had just been crying, sniffling as they walked.

Chewing on his flatbread, Hee Lingchuan ambled over and stood by the base of a wall.

With his hearing, eavesdropping on the conversation in the alley from here was a simple matter.

But the first thing he heard was the jingle of Copper Plates clinking together, as if the constable was weighing them in his hand. Then the constable said, ”Alright. Wait until the two tiger gentlemen have finished their meal, then you can go collect the body. Hmm... in an hour at most.”

The person thanked him profusely for letting his son suffer less.

The constable quickly shushed him. ”Go on, go on. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Hearing this, Hee Lingchuan understood. The condemned man’s sudden head-bashing against the pillar wasn’t due to the constable’s negligence, but because the constable had accepted a bribe.

The other condemned man, either too naive or too poor, could only endure the Devouring Punishment and die.

Two lives were gone, but the townsfolk didn’t care in the slightest, continuing on with their own small lives.

Hee Lingchuan didn’t go back right away, instead wandering idly through the small town.

The sky gradually darkened. Lights came on in every home, filling the air with the warm bustle of daily life.

Demons and humans lived together in this town, getting along peacefully. Hee Lingchuan even saw a Cat Demon using its paw to help someone count money.

The townsfolk were also friendly to outsiders. When they learned Hee Lingchuan was a guest from the south, they enthusiastically gave him directions.

It seemed the only thing peculiar about these people was their taste in entertainment.

A woman selling handmade goods smiled at him. ”Old Cai’s Wonton Soup, the tenth stall from the left in the market, has the best wontons around here. If you go now, they should still be open.” By this time, the market had already cleared out.

Hee Lingchuan thanked her. Noticing she was also selling masks—a long, colorful row of them—he casually picked one up to look at it. ”What’s this?”

”It’s a Nuo Opera Mask. The Nuo Dance Festival is in ten days. Everyone here, adults and children alike, wears one to ward off evil and misfortune.”

”Is this a Ghost Head Mask?” The design on the mask was a ferocious, cyan ghost head. ’Or maybe it’s a beast’s head?’

’Fighting ghosts with ghosts?’

”Oh no,” the woman laughed. ”That’s Qing Yao, the mount of the Tunai Heavenly God. It specializes in eating ghosts.”

Hee Lingchuan thought of the Red General’s mask and, on a playful impulse, put two Copper Plates down. ”I’ll take this one, then.”

It was very light in his hand, made of some unknown wood. It would be a nice little curio to have.

Just then, a little girl ran over, and he remembered that this mother and daughter had also been at the execution platform earlier.

The little girl’s name was Ayan.

He asked Ayan, ”Weren’t you scared watching the prisoner being punished?”

”Why should I be?” Ayan’s eyes were large and clear. ”Bad people aren’t considered human. They received the judgment of divine grace. Only by being punished this way can they wash away their sins.”

”Then do you know what crime they committed?”

”They set fire to the military granary. A lot of people are going to go hungry this summer because of them.”

Just then, the two tiger mimics walked down the street, heading out of town.

They had already cleaned their fur, but Hee Lingchuan could still smell the stench of blood on them. The pedestrians on the street kept walking and talking as if nothing was out of the ordinary; no one batted an eye.

The two tiger mimics strolling down the street seemed to be a part of daily life in this town.

Hee Lingchuan casually pointed toward their retreating figures. ”You’re not afraid of them either, hmm?”

”Nope!” Ayan said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ”They don’t hurt us. I’ve even ridden one before.”

”That impressive?”

Hee Lingchuan stood up and, following the woman’s directions, went to the market and had a bowl of large meat and vegetable wontons. As she’d said, they were surprisingly delicious.

When he returned to the inn, the door to Shi Congshan’s room was shut tight, and the lights were out.

The next morning, he went to find Shi Congshui to have his questions answered.

Today, Shi the Second was back to his usual self. Gulping down hot tea, he said:

”The Devouring Punishment is a tradition. The Northern Demon Kingdom stipulates that Demon Beasts cannot eat people at will, or they will be arrested. But nature and instinct are hard to suppress. It’s better to channel them than to block them completely. So, Beiga established this law: the criminal is punished, the Demon Beast satisfies its cravings. A perfect solution for both.”

’And that’s supposed to be reasonable?’ A new crewman who had joined the team couldn’t help but say, ”Shi the Second, isn’t that a bit too cruel?”

’Of course it is,’ Shi the Second thought. ’It’s absolutely terrifying.’ But on the surface, he had to remain calm and composed. ”Punishment is punishment. If you don’t make the criminal suffer, how can you achieve the ’punishment’ part? Tell me, which form of corporal punishment isn’t painful? Isn’t death by a thousand cuts brutal? Isn’t hanging brutal? Isn’t being torn apart by five horses brutal?”

”But this is just too scary,” the crewman said, confused. ”Aren’t the other people in town afraid when they see it?”

”Quite the opposite.” Shi Congshui waved his hand. ”It took me a long time to figure it out, too. With the Devouring Punishment in place, the Demon Beasts only eat condemned criminals. This actually makes the townsfolk feel much safer.”

”As long as you’re a good person who doesn’t do bad things or break the law, the Demon Beasts won’t eat you. See?” he said, full of self-righteous conviction. ”Conversely, these ferocious Demon Beasts are also a powerful tool for deterring criminals.”

Hee Lingchuan remembered what the little girl had said yesterday—that she had even ridden an adult tiger mimic.

For the common folk trying to get by, perhaps what they needed most was ”certainty.” Everything else was secondary. As long as they could live, the how didn’t matter.

He said lightly, ”So a single decree is passed, and truly no Demon Beast dares to eat people at will?”

’Human nature itself can’t withstand temptation, let alone the nature of a Demon Beast.’

He no longer had much faith in things that seemed as beautiful and perfect as ideals.

”We’re just here to do business,” Shi Congshui said with a laugh. ”Why get into the weeds? Though, I have heard of the occasional unsolved case here and there.”

”Right, I was wandering around town yesterday and discovered there are actually three Divine Temples here. People were inside each one, burning incense and prostrating themselves. I even saw them offer up raw sheep heads as Sacrificial Offerings.” Hee Lingchuan mentioned his new discovery from last night, sounding somewhat amazed. ”Where I come from, a town might not even have a single Divine Temple, and Sacrificial Offerings of blood and flesh are strictly forbidden.”

’Wasn’t the Hee Family’s downfall caused by being falsely accused of making offerings to the gods?’

”Oh yes, some countries strictly forbid making offerings to the gods.” Wu Jingsong happened to be walking back in from outside and chimed in after overhearing Hee Lingchuan. ”But in Beiga, every household does it. If you were to walk into any random townsfolk’s home right now, you’d definitely find a Spirit Shrine. They kowtow to it once in the morning and once at night, and on the first and fifteenth of the month, they find ways to make Sacrificial Offerings of blood and flesh.”

He then added with a smile, ”Beiga is known throughout the world as a nation favored by the heavens, a country looked upon with favor and protected by the Deities. The weather here is favorable for crops every year, with few disasters or calamities.”

His expression held a faint pride.

As Hee Lingchuan traveled with the merchant team, he had heard Shi Congshan say on several occasions that Beiga was a nation of divine grace, a nation favored by the heavens. Even its Capital City, Lingxu City, was named after the Celestial God, the Lingxu Saint Venerable.

Beiga’s Demon Emperor and Demon Kings must also be personally appointed and baptized by the Deities before they can take power and ascend to their thrones.

It has been this way for five or six hundred years.

Da Yuan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. From its very founding, it had taught its subjects that the Deities could not be trusted.

’It’s hard to say which of these two approaches is more practical.’ Hee Lingchuan recalled Second Madam Zhu, always sneering in the Demon Nest Swamp that the credulous never come to a good end.

’She really was a cynical Former Demon Immortal.’

And yet, Beiga’s dynasty had lasted for nearly six hundred years, watching as other small kingdoms underwent immense transformations, their rulers changing as frequently as figures on a revolving lantern.

’So what was one to make of that?’

* * *

「Three days later.」

The Stone Gate Merchant Team arrived at Fufeng City, the National Capital of the Treasure Tree Kingdom.

They had made such good time because the main roads were straight and wide, perfect for galloping horses. They had also passed only two toll checkpoints, and the fees had been remarkably low.

Throughout the Beiga Kingdom, commercial and carriage taxes were not high, yet the infrastructure was well-developed and the commercial regulations were comprehensive. As a result, trade and commerce flourished. Hee Lingchuan often noticed that merchants and travelers outnumbered the local townsfolk.

When Beiga was founded, it enfeoffed sixteen Demon Kings, and the King of Treasure Tree was one of them. However, over time, the number of Demon Kings fluctuated, at one point dropping to twelve. It wasn’t until a new king was added over a century ago that the number stabilized. Thus, the present-day Beiga Kingdom consists of one Demon Emperor and the Thirteen Demon Kings.

The Thirteen Demon Kings each had vast fiefdoms, or Vassal Kingdoms. Aside from the State Minister and Grand Tutor, who were appointed by Lingxu City, they had autonomy over their own personnel, laws, and taxes. They also possessed their own armies, making them what could be called ”kingdoms within a kingdom.”