With the Blade

Up until now, Du Chengfeng was still lying in the prison, commonly known as "lying flat."

He hadn’t even thought about what was happening outside; his overly ambitious mind had developed from pondering whether the people outside had accepted his goodwill to contemplating how to slice tofu perfectly without it falling apart, ensuring that it resembles a chrysanthemum once cooked — mainly because the prison entertainment was pitifully scarce, this was his only way to pass the time.

"Should I just go outside and give it a try at least, maybe with a pot?"

Du Chengfeng looked towards the fragile wooden bars that were as substantial as paper to him.

Including the wall behind him, which could be shattered with a punch, yet the kind-hearted Du Chengfeng planned to wait a bit longer.

This was giving the locals an opportunity, and also offering himself a chance to try, while the situation still had room for change, he didn’t wish to act too drastically.

However, it was at this moment that Du Chengfeng suddenly heard intense shouts and sounds of killing.

Soon after, the prison door was opened.

"We are here to rescue you!"

Appearing in front of Du Chengfeng was a group of strangers he did not recognize. These people could hardly be called Warriors; they wore no armor. From the way they held torches and brandished clubs, they seemed more like farmers who just set down their hoes.

But a well-wielded hoe can nonetheless kill a man.

One just needed to observe the corpses of guards strewn across the ground.

"What’s going on?"

Du Chengfeng suddenly felt a bit confused.

"Why did the fighting suddenly break out?"

"It’s all those nobles! They’re utterly inhumane!"

Someone holding a club shouted angrily.

And Du Chengfeng gradually learned the cause and effect of the situation.

His goodwill hadn’t been forgotten; indeed, some people remembered his kindness. After he was captured, these individuals spoke out for him, even tried to explain, seeking his release — but the local nobles and guards had no intention of releasing him, even starting to arrest those who defended him, treating them as accomplices.

This was a strategy to make an example, a tactic Du Chengfeng had seen before and naturally understood their intent.

But what happened next was unfamiliar to Du Chengfeng.

After the elderly men and women were dragged into prison, conflict between locals and guards intensified. They charged towards the nobles’ estates, demanding an explanation — such an act was understandably thwarted, the steel-clad guards declaring that whoever advanced further would be killed without mercy.

Perhaps it was just a threat, merely a warning, but unfortunately, the arrow launched into the air fallen down.

Landing on a farmer’s shoulder.

"They’ve gone insane! They’re going to kill us!"

The farmer with an arrow embedded in his shoulder said before Du Chengfeng.

"How could they? How could they do this..."

"So you charged in?"

Seeing the bloodstains remaining on the clubs in the farmers’ hands, Du Chengfeng started to sweat a bit.

"What about others? The nobles? And the local City Lord?"

"They should be strung up by now."

Another farmer answered Du Chengfeng’s question.

"Everybody prepared to ask them for clarity, asking why they treated us this way."

"Huh? Where are they strung up? Let me go have a look."

Du Chengfeng scratched his head, quite curious why the nobles here targeted him so specifically, as he frankly hadn’t done anything.

Yet, as he followed a group of locals to the noble estate’s exterior, he realized that his doubts might never be answered.

It’s because perhaps it was the first time these locals had strung people up on trees; their craft was a little bit sloppy, the sturdy rope loop didn’t wrap around the bodies of the nobles, but around their necks instead.

When Du Chengfeng saw, these nobles who had targeted him had already breathed their last, along with those guards who had acted against locals, remarkably, about a hundred corpses hung from the trees along both sides of the manor’s entrance, a rather spectacular scene.

"Oh, my..."

Du Chengfeng was taken aback.

He had somewhat underestimated the combat power of these farmers and overestimated the competence of those guards, which makes sense. This place isn’t Southern Chen, where differences in martial prowess aren’t that pronounced, and these guards couldn’t even handle a band of a hundred or so robbers, how could they withstand the frenzied assault of the entire city’s populace?

"But... what you’ve done isn’t quite right."

After thinking for a bit, he still voiced his opinion.

The reason being, honestly, a hundred plus corpses hanging from trees, the scene was rather horrid, and as a kind-hearted person, he couldn’t bear this.

Moreover, there weren’t many trees, totaling only ten or so, with ten bodies hanging from each, each at least one hundred pounds... Combined, that’s a thousand pounds of weight, could the trees withstand it?

"Quickly, take them down! The trees are about to collapse! Why desecrate the bodies like this? Better to burn them and let them rest in the earth!"

"Well... good idea."

Those executing the frenzy began to realize indeed the validity of this reasoning.

The perpetrators had already perished, no matter how fervent the righteous indignation, they wouldn’t have a response — so, as suggested by this kind giant, burying the corpses might be the most prudent decision.

What’s more, this giant revealed to them a splendid show.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Watching the giant’s blade ignite in flame, everyone present became excited, although they had heard tales of Divine Weapons in myth, witnessing a blade ablaze before them was a first.

"Oh aaaah—"

The shout arose from within the pile of bodies, it seemed someone hadn’t succumbed to the hanging; clearly, some fortunate individuals endured the terror of suffocation.

This aroused greater sympathy in Du Chengfeng.

After all, the blade in his hand, he himself knew it well.

"Massive burns, severe internal organ damages, living would only bring pain."

Sighing, Du Chengfeng raised his fiery blade.

"Let me give you a swift end then."

As he spoke, the blazing fire blade in his hand burst even more intensely.

And the pile of a hundred corpses before him quickly turned to ashes in a moment.

Thus, following that night, people began to praise the giant’s benevolence, a kind and gentle giant, swiftly earning fame throughout Yellow Sand City.