“There are three things I fear the most: the unknown, waiting for the inevitable, and a calm monster.” Li Jiangsu quoted a sentence from “The Art of Politics” by an unknown author. He felt this sentence resonated with his current situation. He continued with a sincere tone, “It’s such a shame the author is anonymous. I would’ve liked to seek some advice from him or her over a drink.”

“You mean we’re not good enough to consult with? Maybe I should let you know the fourth fear: a cheek kiss from my palm.” Xia Jiang softly slapped the air in front of him. “How’re your injuries? It’s best if you can at least run.”

Li Jiangsu closed the book and stood up from the chair. “I won’t slow you guys down if the situation turns for the worse. And we’ve agreed to abandon each other if we get caught right? In the end, we can only rely on ourselves in this place.”

“True,” Xia Jiang sipped the tea before he continued. “Heh, since I’ve arrived here I’ve never had a moment to calmly drink tea like this. It kinda reminds me of being back home. Stable life, live every day in bliss, and you know no matter how bad the situation is, you have someone to depend on.”

For a moment, Li Jiangsu didn’t know how to reply to Xia Jiang's emotional speech. “I thought you love taking risks, why so sentimental all of sudden?” Li Jiangsu said as he began to stretch his muscles that have gotten weaker in the past few days.

He continued shortly after, “I’ve never experienced those feelings before, that’s why I envy you, Xia Jiang.”

Xia Jiang finished the last of his tea and replied, “I’ve heard a saying before: A true regret is when you let it weigh you down.”

Li Jiangsu looked at Xia Liang waiting for him to continue,

“Since then I’ve decided to get rid of the dead weight. This must be the absurdity of a man, once you have got every need met, you begin to crave the most elusive desire of all, Death.

“But of course, I am not that unhinged yet. I still value my own life to a certain extent.”

Xia Jiang's mouth curved up a tiny bit after he said that.

A few seconds later, the door to the living room opened up and Xian Er walked in.

“Are you boys done with the bonding session yet? I’ve just used up my sedatives, those two bodies are so stubborn. They must have been cultivators or else I wouldn’t need to use four vials of sedatives on them per day.”

She placed the empty vials inside her survival kits and looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s almost time for Mr. Tan Xuan to pick us up. Have you guys finished cleaning the traces, we can’t leave anything behind in case the law enforcement officers decide to inspect this place.”

“I am super ready madam.” Xia Jiang cleaned the teacup and stored it where he found it.

Before Li Jiangsu could give a response, the awaited visitor arrived.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

It didn’t take long until Xia Jiang opened the door and greeted the person behind it. “I love the smell of the air in the morning, don’t you agree, Mr. Tan Xuan?”

“Indeed, it invigorates me unlike anything else. Let’s see… are they your companions?” Mr. Tan Xuan looked at Li Jiangsu and Xian Er with his dull gray eyes with a hint of curiosity. He didn’t pay much attention to the bags the trio had with them. Even though it’s strange for a person with Mr. Cheng Zhu’s status to own a bag of such inferior quality, that’s not something he should poke his nose in.

The duo then introduced themselves one by one using their real names.

“Mr. Cheng Zhu, Mr. Li Jiangsu, and Mrs. Xian Er let’s not linger around here any longer or we might be stuck in traffic. Please, this way.” Mr. Tan Xuan gestured with his hand to let the trio board the carriage before him.

The carriage has four clean wheels and is clad in matte black color. In the front, there are two white horses and a coachman. While the sides are decorated with various ornaments and two large emblems of three gold coins. There are also four small windows, two on each side.

Li Jiangsu let the others go inside first.

Once Li Jiangsu got inside he was met with a soft nightsky-colored carpet floor and two seats that extended from one side to another with a dark table made from wood in the middle. He sat on the seat nearest to the entrance.

They set off to the destination as soon as the door was closed.

To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Mr. Tan Xuan said with a hush. “There’s a rumor going on that the High Court is aiming to use this opportunity to warn its adversaries, both within and without. They seem to be determined to root out any problems before they could grow.”

Expecting this, Xia Jiang repeated what he heard yesterday when he went out to hand over the photos for the forged identities documents. “Yesterday after you told me about the public execution, I decided to visit an old acquaintance of mine to get more information. He said that the man might be innocent.” Xia Jiang paused for a moment and looked at the people on the street through the window before continuing.

“The unrest in the capital has increased ever since the Great Celestial Empire’s embassy accident. And the High Court might use this public execution as a way to let the masses vent their build-up frustration and anger. However, contrary to my acquaintance’s speculation, I do not believe the criminal is completely innocent. He might have committed a grave crime that wouldn’t normally warrant an execution. But what is preventing the High Court from charging him with false claims?”

The carriage fell into silence momentarily as each person contemplated the High Court’s true motive and how it might affect them. Li Jiangsu kept his mouth shut as he truly did not know much about this matter and instead listened attentively in hope of educating himself.

On the way to the execution ground, when there was not much conversation. Li Jiangsu would open his Universal Assist and check its various functions so he could get used to the feeling and be prepared to use it in an emergency. Currently, he’s checking the marketplace so he could turn on the [livestream]:

[Credits: 1000]

***Please select a category***

[All]

[Food]

[Items]

[Maps]

[Medicine]

[Clothes]

[Services]

***[You’ve selected ‘Services’]***

[Interuniversal Delivery]

Available: 1

Price: 3000 Credits

[Sending a private message through Universal Observer, Destination: Nine Heavens Empire]

Available: 0

Price: 2 Credits

[Livestream]

Available: Always

Price: Free

[Request for a helper/rescuer]

Available: N/A. You are currently not in a territory affiliated with the Nine Heavens Empire.

Price: According to the negotiation.

[More services will be added soon]

[V2.1]

Li Jiangsu chose the [Livestream] option.

***[Creating a new account ‘Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]’…]***

***[Account created…]***

***[Testing the connection strength to the Universal Observer… OK, 99/100]***

***[Testing the connection strength from the Universal Observer to the Main Control Center… OK 77/100]

***[Preparing the Livestream…]***

***[‘Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]’ is now online!]***

When Li Jiangsu saw the notification confirming he’s successfully turned on the Livestream, he could see a blinking red dot in the upper right corner of his field of vision. Because he still hasn’t gotten used to live streaming yet, it took him a while before he managed to find the channel details.

[Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]]

[Title: **None**]

[Viewers: 0]

[Chat]

**Empty**

Hmmm… I should choose an attention-grabbing title. How about… this!

***[Title changed to ‘Watch me sipping tea while enjoying a public execution’]***

Now I just have to wait…

Satisfied, Li Jiangsu turned his attention back to reality and looked through the small windows beside him. The carriage blocked most of the noises from the outside and Li Jiangsu immersed himself in the feeling of gliding through the streets of a strange but yet familiar world. Sigh… no matter which New Worlds with life, it’s humans who reign supreme. Is this what one might call ‘the blessed species’?

He shook his head and rested with his eyes closed, enjoying the comfortable seat.

*

Around 40 minutes after they departed, the group finally arrived at the execution ground. With tens of minutes to spare until the execution begins, they went out of the carriage and found the reserved VIP seats at an upscale restaurant. Mr. Tan Xuan has chosen this location because it has the perfect view from the top so they wouldn't miss any action.

The room has a floor-to-ceiling glass pane in all four directions with two round tables on each side. The luxurious tables were made out of a whole block of white marble, they are carved meticulously, leaving no defects behind. On other hand, the ergonomic chairs are covered in whole grain dark red leather, making them comfortable to sit on.

Li Jiangsu and company occupied the table at the northern side and the rest of the remaining tables were slowly filled with people. Because the southern and western sides will not be able to see the execution, the guests sitting there will have to stand up during the entire event.

From the northern and eastern windows, Li Jiangsu could see people pouring in from all directions towards the execution ground. Many of them had climbed up their carriage in hope of getting a little better view. The tall buildings nearby are also filled with spectators. There were so many people that each of them looked like a droplet in an ocean.

The execution ground itself is barren and in front of this large crowd, its white clean floor stood out like an eyesore. Its northern side is connected to a large bronze door that leads into a building behind it.

While they waited for the public execution to start, the servers began to serve each guest with a refreshment. No food was served to prevent any ‘incident’ from happening.

With nothing else to do, Li Jiangsu began to pass the time by scrutinizing the guests in the room. Tsk, did they really bring children here to watch an execution? This couple has pretty interesting haircuts. Oh, he’s here all alone? Pretty young, maybe he’s waiting for someone.

Before Li Jiangsu could look at the next guest, the young man made eye contact with him and gave a slight smile. To avoid being rude, Li Jiangsu nodded back and forced a thin smile. He then continued on to the next targets.

After he had satisfied his own curiosity, Li Jiangsu opened the Universal Assist and selected the [Local Private Message] and invited Xian Er and Xia Jiang for a group chat. This was a function they had tested inside the ‘Waiting Room’ back home.

[Li Jiangsu: I’ve already turned on my Livestream, what about you guys?]

[Xia Jiang: Done! Done! Already has 500 viewers, most of them are women. I must be very handsome!]

[Xian Er: So foolish, a hairless monkey is better looking than you in my eyes.]

Not knowing how to continue the conversation, Li Jiangsu once again closed the Universal Assist and asked Mr. Tan Xuan a question. “Will the restaurant connect their speaker to the announcements made outside?”

Mr. Tan Xuan pointed to the speakers on the corners, “That’s right, I was actually the one who recommended this particular setup when they renovated the place. The owner did hesitate a little because of the price, but I managed to convince him after pestering him for a few weeks. Please, Mr. Li Jiangsu, don’t misjudge my character, it’s just that they are artifacts made by the Cursed Society artisans. As you know, their products cannot be bought even if you have money.”

Li Jiangsu had read about them extensively in the book ‘Groundbreaking Innovations Explained’ last night, so he has some clue as to who they are. “Now I am very much looking forward to experiencing their fine craftsmanship today.”

Why did it sound so much like what Xia Jiang will say? Has he infected me?

Li Jiangsu subtly shook his head to get rid of these dangerous thoughts.

They didn’t have to wait much longer before the speakers were turned on, letting out a deep voice. Li Jiangsu and other guests' instinctively looked up at the speaker, thinking a person was living inside.

Impressive… this is comparable to the quality back home.

After the initial shock, people in the room inched closer to the eastern and northern sides to get a better look at the execution ground.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the High Court, I, Sang Qi of Ancient Tigers, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come here and witness the judgment of an evildoer.”

Because of the height, they couldn’t see the speaker’s face clearly, but they could make out that he has long gray hair and a slender build. The man continued speaking.

“As many of you already know, there are many people that wish to harm us because they are jealous of our history, our prosperity, and our strength! Can we allow such people to remain alive? No! We cannot!

“Traitors shall be burned alive. Spies shall be fed to crows. And most importantly! Our great empire name shall make them cower in fear!

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce the sinner and his crimes.”

With Sang Qi's order, two lines of soldiers in red uniforms walked out of the large bronze door with a captive in the middle. Each of them carried a small cage with several crows inside. Once they reached the center of the execution ground, the soldiers spread out and surrounded the captive from all four sides akin to a square shape.

Sang Qi began to recite his speech once again, “This monster is called Wen Xu, he hails from the distant land of the Nation of Twilight. However! Do not condemn him because of his origins. The true sin is his vile character!

“Wen Xu moved to our great empire to seek a better life. And the empire gave him what he desired. He lived in paradise. When he fell sick, our people healed him. When he was hungry, our people fed him. When he felt lonely, our people loved him.

But! He repaid us with malice. Our warm welcome couldn’t melt his cold heart.”

Sang Qi paused for a second before resuming his speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby charge Wen Xu on behalf of the High Court with three counts of crime and sentence him to death by damnatio ad bestias.

“Firstly, illegal sales of low-rank potions.

“Secondly, plotted against the High Court.

“Thirdly, incite violence against the innocents.”

Sang Qi turned around and ordered the soldiers to release the crows, he then said.

“May you feel the fury of our Ancestors!”

One of the soldiers stepped out of the line and slashed Wen Xu's arms and legs. The released crows were only feathers and bone, it didn’t take long before they started to notice an irresistible aroma permeated in the air. Because all of them are so weak, they could only jump out of the cage and frantically run toward their meal.

A few of them stumbled and got trampled by their own kind. Some of the crows didn’t have the patience and began to snack on the crushed brothers.

The luckier ones reached their destination without any trouble and managed to enjoy the delicious feast presented to them. From time to time the ‘meal’ would move and this annoyed a few of the crows. So these crows climbed up on the chest; started to unwrap the ‘apple’ hiding inside the neck. Crunchy, they thought.

Li Jiangsu watched as some of the onlookers had to spew up their refreshments in a paper bag. He also felt a little sick but it went away soon. Li Jiangsu opened up his [Livestream] window and looked at the chat.

[Li Jiangsu [01 Z1 ZZ ZZ]]

[Title: Watch me sipping tea while enjoying a public execution]

[Viewers: 980]

[Chat]

[Tasty Rotten Mango: Yes! Eat well my children!!!]

[Magnanimous Ant: Brother Li, why don’t you join the feast? Don’t be so asocial!]

[Tight and Wet: You little sh*t Feet Adorer, why are you here?! Stop following me!]

[I Drink Gold: Little Li, moan my name right now and I will give you 1,000 Credits.]

[Retired from life: I am so jealous. I want to be Wen Xu. Why can’t I be reborn as him? Life is so unfair.]

Li Jiangsu’s eyebrows twitched when he read these messages. So this is how those big Explorers feel when reading the chat.

When Li Jiangsu was about to close the chat, he heard a ping sound coming from the Universal Assist.

[God Emperor is my slave has donated 10 Credits!]

[God Emperor is my slave: Keep up the good work. I’m looking forward to watching your future adventures.]

Li Jiangsu was stunned for a moment by this atypical message. At the very least, there’s a normal viewer.

He quickly sent a reply.

[Li Jiangsu: I am grateful for the support, God Emperor is my slave]

Still though, why that username. Do you wish to die early?

After he checked that there was nothing else, he closed the chat. The execution has also come to a close and the remains were not cleaned up right away, instead, they will leave it out for three more days to make a statement. From the start to the end, Wen Xu never uttered a sound.

“Holy Ancestors.” Tan Xuan muttered, he looked at the trio and said. “May our Ancestors guide us to peace.”

They and some of the nearby guests repeated Tan Xuan’s words, “May our Ancestors guide us to peace.”

One of the guests who joined was the young man who previously made eye contact with Li Jiangsu. He has long dark hair and abyss-like eyes, combined with his white robe, his character effuses elegance and warmth.

“Today’s mistakes are Tomorrow’s lessons.” The young man said, looking at the bloody execution ground. “I hope we won’t see such horrible things again any time soon.”

Li Jiangsu took a quick glance at the young man and looked at the people below, surrounding the pile of bones. “Sigh, a thousand lessons are like paper in front of the flames of ambition. Mistakes and lessons are infinite in nature.”

“It may be so.” The young man neither agrees nor disagrees. “I’ll take my leave, it was nice conversing with you.”

Li Jiangsu watched as the young man left, Mr. Tan Xuan commented, “I feel like I understand your character a little more now, Mr. Li Jiangsu.”

“Please, my mood must have been affected by the book I read earlier this morning. I do not have such wisdom yet.” Li Jiangsu denied with a smile.

Mr. Tan Xuan smiled back and didn’t continue the topic. He then asked the group, “I suppose we should head home. I don’t think any of us are in the mood to have breakfast yet.”

The trio concurred.

*

On the carriage, the atmosphere was solemn and no one had any intention to say anything. Of course, that was just on the surface.

In the local chat room.

[Xia Jiang: I peaked at 3,400 viewers! The show was so exciting! But most of the viewers didn’t come during the execution. It is that white-robed guy who stole my spotlight!]

[Xian Er: Did the crows eat your brain?]

[Li Jiangsu: Hmm… mine peaked at 2,300 when he appeared. Some of them even donated Credits.]

[Xian Er: Enough, enough, both of you stop, and let’s discuss what we have learned.]

[Xia Jiang: Blah, party pooper. Anyhow, the High Court hasn’t released any evidence to support the allegations which means they either don’t exist or cannot be presented to the public.]

[Li Jiangsu: Also take note of how they wanted to blame it on the action of an ‘individual’ rather than their enemy, the Nation of Twilight. I’m not sure why they didn’t take advantage of this situation to rile up the masses. It must have been a calculated move rather than oversight.]

[Xian Er: But the effect will be the same. People from the Nation of Twilight will face further discrimination and the High Court has temporarily bolstered its own image. However, I am not yet sure if they were successful at scaring their enemies away. After all, this might have been an elaborate show to fool their enemies into believing their methods are exposed.]

[Xia Jiang: With only this much information, it’s hard to draw any conclusions and see the bigger picture. But I am also looking forward to seeing how this will turn out in the end!]

[Xian Er: That’s it if you are alive by then, idiot.]

[Xia Jiang: Tsk.]

[Li Jiang: Looks like trouble has arrived.]

Li Jiang closed the chat room and paid close attention to the voices outside.

“Good day officers, how may I be of service?” The coachman said. “I am the head butler of Tan estate on the Nightflower street.”

“We’ve received a report that Mr. Tan Xuan and his friends might have come into contact with a dangerous person, so we would like to check their body’s conditions to make sure they are fine.” A woman's voice could be heard. “Don’t worry, this is a painless process. Mr. Tan Xuan, may we go inside the carriage?”

The trio looked at each other and nodded, readying themselves in case the situation turned sour. Li Jiangsu checked his shoes, making sure they are in good condition to avoid any tripping when running. He also subtly reached inside his bag for the knife, prepared to use it at a moment's notice.

Mr. Tan Xuan gave his permission, not noticing the tense atmosphere.

The carriage’s door was opened and two people came inside. A man and a woman. The man has a deep scar on his cheek and white hair. His dark eyes inspected the people onboard. The woman can be said to be a flawless beauty, her purple eyes could mesmerize anyone and her long ink-black hair complimented her fair skin tone well.

“I am officer Lan Yi and this is my colleague Zhang Bin” the woman introduced herself and the man. “I apologize for delaying Mr. Tan Xuan and his friend's journey.

“The reason I am here is that our intelligence unit has determined that all of you might have come into contact with a dangerous individual. And he might have done something to your bodies.” Officer Lan Yi looked each person in the eyes before she continued. “I hope everyone can cooperate with me and let me take a drop of blood from each of you. Please insert your index finger inside the artifact my colleague is holding on to.”

“Of course officer, can you share more details about this person? Did we meet them when we walked to the restaurant or was it at the restaurant? I hope they didn’t do anything bad to me.” Mr. Tan Xuan promptly gave his hand to officer Zhang Bin, who was holding on to a pocket-sized rectangular artifact with a circular hole in the center.

Mr. Tan Xuan’s index finger could fit comfortably inside the hole and the artifact lit up with blue light for a few seconds before the light disappeared. A small red dot appeared on Mr. Tan Xuan’s index finger but it soon vanished by itself. He didn’t feel anything in the entire process.

“I am sorry, Mr. Tan Xuan, but I do not know much about this matter either. I am just following the orders of higher-ups.” Officer Yan Li gave a slight bow. “And it looks like there was nothing wrong with your body. Next person, please.”

The trio and the head butler took turns using the artifact and in the end, none of them had any problems. But Li Jiangsu, Xia Jiang, and Xian Er didn’t dare to relax, observing patiently for any signs of danger.

“Mr. Tan Xuan and his friends, You have my gratitude for the smooth cooperation. If you feel sick or begin to act out of character, please go to the nearest police station on Nightflower street. Please enjoy the rest of your day. ” Officer Yan Li and her colleague stepped out of the carriage and disappeared from view.

The trio released a soft sigh at the same time. This is just too close!

“Mr. Cheng Zhu, Mr. Li Jiangsu, and Mrs. Xian Er, I have really failed as the facilitator of this trip. I should have hired a bodyguard if I knew the situation in the capital is already so dangerous.” Mr. Tan Xuan gave a deep bow and an apologetic look. “I will need to compensate you all to redeem myself and take responsibility.”

“Ridiculous, Mr. Tan Xuan. We are all here as friends and when incidents happen, we help each other and share responsibility.” Xia Jiang said, having already recovered from the scare.

“That’s right. Mr. Tan Xuan, How could we blame you for something that’s out of your control?” Li Jiangsu quickly supported Xia Jiang.

Xian Er also comforted him.

Mr. Tan Xuan countered, “But my heart can’t bear this guilt, how about letting me treat you all to a sumptuous dinner at my house tonight? Of course, this invitation is also extended to Mrs. Cheng Yuan if she wishes to attend. This is the very least I could do. ”

The trio accepted the invitation after considering Mr. Tan Xuan's position and feelings. Their forged identities will not be ready until tomorrow so they have more than enough time to kill.

They didn’t encounter any more mishaps on the way to their residence. The carriage stopped outside the house and they bade farewell to Mr. Tan Xuan.

Li Jiangsu was the first person to go inside but he suddenly froze still, causing Xian Er and Xia Jiang to walk into him.

“Did you forget how to walk?” Xian Er complained,

“Or maybe his injuries are acting up?” Xia Jiang offered a reason.

It was only when they heard an unknown yet familiar voice that they realized the real reason. They looked over Li Jiangsu’s shoulder and saw a young man in white robes, sitting on a chair while reading a book with his abyss-like eyes. He quoted:

“There are three things I fear the most: the unknown, waiting for the inevitable, and a calm monster.”