"Celestial Master Zuo" was amused. "I see that General Gu is unfamiliar with dismemberment." He then signaled an officer over. "Briefly explain to everyone about the process."The officer nodded and took a step forward. Loudly and clearly, he announced the detailed process of dismemberment. When the announcement ended, they brutality scared the living daylight out of the bystanders. It was ruthless, utterly inhuman.
They finally realized they were about to witness a b.l.o.o.d.y and merciless scene. Some were too timid to stay and started to retreat. They decided to try to push their ways out of the plaza to avoid witnessing the scene with their own eyes. Unfortunately, all four doors were already shut, after Celestial Master Zuo and Fairy Queen Li made their entrance.
The prisoners on the stage were terrified. They trembled with fear. Most of these prisoners were the men who had followed Gu Xietian to wars. They had committed innumerable murders and seen countless b.l.o.o.d.y scenes. They were not afraid of death itself and initially stood with great dignity even when they were tied to the pillars, as though death was nothing but another milestone for them. However, the officer"s detailed announcement managed to scare them all. They were quivering at this point.
No one could possibly handle the savage torture. The women and children were completely traumatized. All of them looked pale and were in a frightful state. Some could no longer stay conscious; Gu Xietian"s two daughters and two concubines were so stunned that they became unconscious.
Carefree and leisurely, Celestial Master Zuo turned to look at Gu Xietian. He asked, "Are you clear now? Cutting their tongues is only the first step, there are more to come. We shall do it slowly. Do not worry that they may die halfway during the process. There was an added medicine in your breakfast this morning. It will help you to sustain your life and stay awake most of the time, no matter how much pain you face."
He said it slowly and gently. The entire plaza went into dead silence.
Gu Xietian was furious. Violently, he fixed his angry, bloodshot eyes at "Celestial Master Zuo". He decided to risk everything. "I am being falsely convicted of treason! I have been loyal to the Feixing Kingdom my whole life. My loyalty is unwavering! It is all your dirty tricks. You are doing this in the name of public interests! You will one day face your karma for being so ruthless!"
"Celestial Master Zuo" answered with a chuckle, "Karma? I represent heaven [1]. This is all the mandate of heaven. I will only bring karma for others."
He signaled the officer to start reading the guilty charges of Gu Xietian. The announcement was part of the process. The officer stood on the stage and started reading the article out loud. The contents of the article included how he disregarded his integrity by betraying the kingdom into the hands of an enemy and planning the king"s a.s.sa.s.sination.
The words were half literary and half vernacular. The article was dull and lengthy, but the people could understand most of it. After the announcement, people would usually cheer or wildly abuse the prisoners for the crimes they committed. The ground would be bustling with noise and excitement.
This time, however, there was dead silence after the officer read the article. Everyone knew that Gu Xietian had been treated unjustly. If they wanted to condemn him, they could always trump up charges against him, not worrying about the pretext.
Seeing the hero of the kingdom decline to such a pitiful state filled the people with boiling anger. They only kept quiet because of Celestial Master Zuo"s abusive power.
After the announcement, it was finally time for the execution.
Celestial Master Zuo laughed. "It is the first time for us to execute such punishment, so the executioners may not be very familiar with how it should be performed. Let us try it first with ten prisoners so that everyone can see the whole thing clearly."