The passage ended in a pitch-black courtyard, devoid of any light, an abyss of darkness.
Under normal circumstances, faced with such impenetrable gloom ahead, Zheng and Zhong would have stopped to investigate, to scout before proceeding. But this was no normal situation. With "imperial troops" at their backs, they were fleeing in blind panic. Caution and observation were luxuries they could no longer afford.
Whether it was dark ahead no longer mattered.
They charged desperately, their men pressing close behind. In no time, they were about to plunge into the inky blackness of the courtyard.
It was then that two men's voices rang out from the darkness in perfect unison: "One... two... three... NOW!"
CLANG!
Two metallic clangs sounded almost as one. Two massive hammers struck the metal firing mechanism of the "Immortal's Great Fire Cannon" simultaneously, spraying a shower of dazzling sparks.
In the fleeting illumination of the sparks, Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao caught a glimpse of the courtyard ahead. It held an enormous metal object, so large it seemed to fill the entire space.
But their knowledge was limited. In that split-second flash, they couldn't identify what it was. They only knew it was huge.
The next instant...
Fire came.
The massive bronze cannon's barrel erupted with a long, roaring tongue of flame.
The jet of fire, over three meters long, shot straight into the narrow passage.
The blaze lit up the dark corridor once more and, in the same moment, engulfed Zheng Yanfu and Zhong Guangdao at the very front.
"Ah—"
"AAAAAH!"
They managed only a single scream before the flames consumed them, turning them into living torches. The men crowded right behind them were also swept into the inferno.
Instant pandemonium erupted in the cramped passage. Those still alive tried to halt and push back frantically, but the men behind, unaware of the horror ahead, kept shoving forward. Several at the front, who hadn't yet been touched by the flames, were pushed screaming into the fire by the panicked crush from behind.
"AAAAH!"
"Back!Get back!"
"Retreat!"
"There's a huge fire up front!"
The bandits in the passage dissolved into chaos, weeping and wailing. The stench of charred flesh and burning cloth quickly filled the air.
Fortunately, the "Immortal's Great Fire Cannon" had a range of only about three meters. Only those at the very front of the passage were incinerated. The ones further back, though terrified, were physically unharmed. They turned around, intending to fight their way back the way they came.
But behind them, the narrow exit of the passage was now securely held by Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, and the young villagers in armor who had followed them.
The bandits were trapped, bottled up in the corridor.
Then, Li Daoxuan's hand descended from the sky once more.
The little people couldn't move this bronze lighter-cannon, but he could.
A single finger extended, pressing against the back of the lighter. Slowly, he pushed.
The cannon's large wheels began to turn. The long barrel, still spewing continuous flame, began to advance slowly down the passage, pressing toward the remaining bandits.
The bandits screamed in abject terror.
"Help!"
"Save us!"
"I don't want to burn!"
"What kind of demonic thing is this?!"
"It's so huge,how is it moving?!"
"HEEEELP!"
"The fire's coming closer!"
"It's retribution!Retribution for betraying Big Brother!"
"Waaaah...I was wrong... I'll never do it again..."
"Big Brother,save me!"
The bandits in the passage broke completely.
Any will to resist vanished in a blink.Everyone fell to their knees, howling for mercy.
Surrendered, huh?
Li Daoxuan stopped pushing the lighter.
Here, he needed to consider for about three seconds: Should I kill them all?
1...
Well, one second was enough. Didn't need three.
Click. He flicked the lighter's mechanism off. The flame vanished.
The terrified bandits collectively sagged with relief, slumping to the ground in a heap. Those at the very front, who had been mere inches from the flames, lost control of their bowels and bladders. A foul new odor now mingled with the stench of smoke in the passage.
Bai Yuan, watching from a rooftop not far away, saw the giant cannon advance and then the flames cease. He understood immediately. "Dao Xuan Tianzun has spared their lives."
Gao Chuwu, simple and direct, asked, "Why? They're bad guys. Shouldn't we burn them all?"
Shansier climbed onto the roof and sighed. "Bandits are despicable, yes. But among their ranks, many were simply ordinary villagers forced into this life. If, once we have the upper hand, we slaughter them all... how is that any different from them, when they have the upper hand, brutally assaulting the daughters and maidservants of wealthy families until they die?"
The others thought: Steward Shansier is such a softie.
The Village Head of Gaojia poked his head out from the wall-walk. "So we let them go? There are still over a hundred bandits here. Release them all, and what's to stop them from attacking us again another day?"
Everyone: "..."
An awkward silence fell over the scene.
Shansier lifted his head, casting a pleading look toward the sky.
However, Li Daoxuan didn't speak. He was looking at the "Salvation Index" outside the box. Interestingly, even though he had just spared over a hundred captives, the index had only risen by a paltry 5 points, reaching 330. Averaged out, that was a gain of mere hundredths of a point per person.
Just as he suspected, so-called "salvation" was a complex proposition.
For some, saving their lives was enough. For others, you needed not only to save them but also to guide their path forward.
Some needed their bodies saved;others needed their souls saved.
If an entire country was placed before you to save,it wasn't just about letting it survive. It was about helping it be reborn anew.
Damn, it's complicated. I just wanted to keep a box of pets, but there are always some troublesome folks trying to make me work hard.
Just then, Bai Yuan suddenly spoke up.
He turned to a villager beside him. "During the battle just now, you picked up a rock to throw but hesitated. Then you changed direction and threw it elsewhere. Can you tell me why?"
The villager flustered. "Ah? I... I didn't..."
Bai Yuan snapped his fan open with a flourish, turning it to show the side with the characters for "Gentleman." "Your little action might have escaped others' notice, but it didn't escape mine. Speak. Why did you change the direction of your throw? Did you want to spare someone?"
Everyone: "!"
Shansier suddenly jolted with realization. "You... are you from Zheng Family Village?"
Recognized by Shansier, the villager's face flushed with greater embarrassment. "Sirs... I'm sorry... I... I am indeed from Zheng Family Village. Just now... in the crowd below... there was an old neighbor from my village... I just... I just couldn't bring myself to hit him. So I threw the rock another way."
His confession made everyone understand in a flash.
Zhong Guangdao and Zheng Yanfu's gang was comprised of villagers from Zhong Family Village and Zheng Family Village, along with desperate men recruited from surrounding hamlets. And Gaojia Village, besides its original forty-two inhabitants, now had over a hundred people who had come from various nearby villages. Zheng Daniu, for example, was from Zheng Family Village. He could probably name every Zheng in the enemy ranks and might have even played in the mud with Zheng Yanfu as a child.
A man on a nearby rooftop suddenly knelt. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, forgive my crime! This humble one... is also from Zhong Family Village. I, too, saw a familiar neighbor in the crowd... so... I also deliberately missed with a rock."
Thump! A sturdy woman knelt. "Dao Xuan Tianzun, forgive me! This lowly woman also... also missed on purpose..."
Thump!
Thump!
In no time, twenty or thirty people were kneeling.