Land of Divine Favor

"He got off easy, evading divine favor." The execution overseer grunted, climbing out of the earthen pit before addressing the two pseudotigers. "Carry out the sentence!" The pseudotigers had long grown impatient. One pounced upon the unconscious convict, tearing in with a massive bite. With a wet squelch, blood sprayed three feet high. The man woke in agonizing pain. As he let out a shrill scream, a huge chunk of flesh had already been ripped from his belly, tearing open his abdominal cavity. Naturally, he struggled frantically, but a human's meager strength was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree. Pinning him down with a single paw, the pseudotiger feasted voraciously on his viscera. Offal was the most delicious and nutritious; lions and tigers always ate in this order. Not to be outdone, the other pseudotiger joined the fray. Failing to snatch more than a few mouthfuls, it snapped the convict's thigh in a fit of rage. For a time, roars of tigers and howls of a dying man mingled in an uproar. Traveling merchants witnessing such a scene for the first time turned pale as sheets. He Lingchuan finally understood where the stains in this sunken execution pit came from. The local townsfolk watched unblinkingly. The little girl craned her neck downward, trying to get a clearer view, but soon complained, "Ah Dong lied! The pit is so deep, the blood can't splash up here at all!" After barely a dozen breaths, the convict fell silent amid the two pseudotigers' fierce squabbling. One continued to devour its prize, while the other simply turned to go after the dead convict who had smashed into the pillar. A delicacy couldn't be wasted; this was a reward they had fought hard to earn. The sharp crunch of teeth gnawing on bone frightened quite a few outsiders. At this moment, bailiffs brought over a massive black cloth, draping it over the entire execution pit, and announced to the crowd, "The execution is concluded. Disperse, everyone." Both convicts were dead, and the pseudotigers did not wish to be disturbed while feeding. Only then did the townsfolk reluctantly drift away. Cold sweat beaded on Shi Congshui's forehead as well. He asked He Lingchuan, "Well? Can you still stomach a drink?" He Lingchuan had seen bizarre scenes of demons devouring humans, far more gruesome and chilling than this. Seeing Shi Congshui swallowing hard, clearly queasy yet forcing himself to stay composed, He Lingchuan stretched lazily. "Nah, I'm a bit tired. I just want to head back to the posthouse to rest." Shi Congshui let out a silent breath of relief. "Right, right. An early night will do us good." Passing an alleyway, a savory aroma wafted from a roadside stall. With his stomach rumbling, He Lingchuan walked over and bought a few flatbreads. He was only on his second flatbread when he spotted a bailiff turn into the alley, followed by a person with red-rimmed eyes who looked to have just wept, sniffling as they walked. Nibbling on the flatbread, He Lingchuan strolled over and stood against the base of the wall. With his sharp hearing, eavesdropping on the conversation in the alley was child's play. First, he heard the clinking of copper coins. The bailiff seemed to weigh them in hand, then said, "Alright. Once the two Master Tigers finish eating, you can go collect the body. Half an hour at most, probably." The person thanked him profusely for sparing their son from suffering. The bailiff quickly shushed them. "Go on, get moving. Stop talking nonsense." Hearing this, He Lingchuan understood. The convict suddenly smashing himself against the pillar hadn't been an oversight by the bailiff—the bailiff had taken a bribe. The other condemned man hadn't known the ways of the world, or perhaps simply had no money, so he had to endure execution by devouring until he died. Two lives were snuffed out, yet the townsfolk didn't care at all, simply going back to their everyday lives. He Lingchuan didn't head back right away, wandering leisurely through the small town instead. Dusk fell gradually. Lights flickered on in each home, brimming with the warmth of everyday life. In this town, demons and humans lived side by side in peace. He Lingchuan even saw a cat demon flicking its paws to help someone count coins. The townsfolk were welcoming toward outsiders as well. Learning He Lingchuan had arrived from the south, they warmly gave him directions. It seemed these people simply had a rather peculiar taste for spectacle. A woman selling handicrafts smiled at him. "The tenth shop on the left in the market, Old Cai's Wontons—they make the best wontons in town. If you head over now, they probably haven't closed yet." By this time, the market had already dispersed. He Lingchuan thanked her. Noticing a row of brightly painted masks laid out on her stall, he picked one up. "What are these?" "These are Nuo opera masks. The Nuo Dance Festival is ten days from now. Everyone here, young and old alike, wears them to ward off evil and filth." "Is this a ghost mask?" The mask depicted a ferocious blue-green head of a demon—or perhaps a beast? Warding off ghosts with a ghost? "No, no," the woman laughed. "This is Qingyao, mount of the Heavenly God Tunai. It specializes in eating ghosts!" He Lingchuan thought of General Red's mask. Feeling a sudden whim, he tossed down two copper coins. "I'll take this one, then." It felt light in his hand, made of some unknown wood. It would make a fun novelty. Just then, a little girl ran over, and he recalled that this mother and daughter had been by the execution pit earlier. The little girl was called A'yan. He asked A'yan, "Weren't you scared watching the convicts get executed?" "Why should I be?" A'yan's eyes were large and clear. "Bad people aren't people anymore. They received a sentence of divine favor. Only through such punishment can their sins be cleansed." "Then do you know what crime they committed?" "They set fire to the military grain depot. Lots of people will go hungry this summer because of them." At that moment, the two pseudotigers padded down the street, heading out of town. Their fur had been washed clean, but He Lingchuan could still catch the scent of blood on them. The pedestrians along the street went on walking and chatting, completely unbothered. Two pseudotigers strolling through the streets seemed to be an everyday occurrence in this town. He Lingchuan pointed after their retreating backs. "Aren't you afraid of them either, hm?" "Nope!" A'yan replied as if it were obvious. "They don't hurt us. I even rode one once." "Is that so?" He Lingchuan stood up and followed the woman's directions to the market, where he had a bowl of pork and vegetable wontons. They were indeed exceptionally delicious. When he returned to the posthouse, Shi Congshan's guestroom door was shut tight and his light was out. Early the next morning, he went to Shi Congshui to clear up his doubts. Second Master Shi had already returned to normal today. Gulping down hot tea, he said, "'Execution by devouring' is a tradition. The northern demon kingdom decrees that demonic beasts cannot eat humans at will, or else they will be arrested. But instinct and nature are hard to erase. It's better to channel them than block them up, so Beijia enacted this statute: convicts are punished, demonic beasts satisfy their cravings, and everyone gets what they want." Sounded sensible, did it? A newly joined caravan hand nearby couldn't help chiming in, "Second Master, isn't that too cruel?" Second Master Shi thought, *Nonsense, it's downright horrifying.* Yet outwardly he maintained an air of calm. "Punishment is punishment. If you don't make the convict suffer, how do you fulfill the purpose of penalizing them? Tell me, which 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 too terrifying," the hand protested, perplexed. "Don't the other people in town feel scared when they watch it?" "Quite the opposite." Shi Congshui waved a hand. "It took me a long time to figure it out too. Because of execution by devouring, demonic beasts only eat condemned criminals, which actually gives the townsfolk a much greater sense of security. As long as you're a good person who does no evil and doesn't break the law, the demonic beasts won't eat you. Understand?" he argued plausibly. "On the flip side, these ferocious beasts are also a potent deterrent against petty scoundrels." He Lingchuan recalled what the little girl had said yesterday about having ridden an adult pseudotiger. Perhaps what common folk needed most in life was "certainty." Everything else was secondary—one could always find a way to survive regardless. He remarked mildly, "With a single stroke of a legal decree, no demonic beast really dares to eat people on a whim?" Human nature couldn't withstand testing, let alone the wild nature of beasts. When it came to things that sounded as ideal as a dream, he no longer had much faith. "We only come here to do business," Shi Congshui laughed. "Why look into it so deeply? Though I have heard that cold cases turn up here and there from time to time." "By the way, when I wandered around town yesterday, I found three shrines here. People were burning incense and kowtowing in every single one, and I even saw them offering raw sheep heads." Mentioning his discovery from last night, He Lingchuan remarked with some emotion, "Where I come from, a town might not even have a single shrine, and offering blood sacrifices is strictly forbidden." Hadn't the He family suffered disaster precisely because they were falsely accused of offering a deity blood sacrifice? "Ah, yes, some countries strictly prohibit deity blood sacrifices." Wu Jinsong happened to walk back in from outside and chimed in upon overhearing He Lingchuan. "In Beijia, however, every household does it. If you walk into any random townsman's home right now, you'll surely find an altar. They offer reverent prayers every morning and evening, and on the new moon and full moon, they do whatever they can to offer blood sacrifices." He added with a smile, "Beijia is renowned worldwide as a kingdom favored by heaven, a country blessed and protected by the gods. Year after year, the weather is favorable, with few disasters or calamities." His expression carried a faint touch of pride. Traveling with the caravan, He Lingchuan had heard Shi Congshan say more than once that Beijia was a land of divine grace and heavenly favor; even its capital, Lingxu City, was named after the divine title of Heavenly God Holy Venerable Lingxu. Beijia's Demon Emperors and Demon Kings also had to be personally appointed and baptized by the gods before they could assume power and take the throne. It had been this way for five or six hundred years. Great Yuan was just the opposite. From its founding, it had taught its subjects that gods were not to be trusted. He didn't know which of these two approaches was closer to reality. He Lingchuan recalled how Zhu Erniang would always sneer in the Demon Nest Swamp, saying the credulous never met good ends. She truly was a cynical former demon immortal. Yet Beijia's dynasty had endured for nearly six hundred years, calmly watching other smaller nations weather immense upheavals and swap rulers like revolving lanterns. How was one to explain that? Traveling for three more days, the Shimen caravan arrived at Fufeng City, the capital of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom. They could travel so swiftly partly because the main roads were straight and broad, well suited for galloping horses, and they had only passed through two toll checkpoints along the way, where the transit fees were quite cheap. Throughout the Beijia Kingdom, commercial taxes and vehicle tolls were kept low, while infrastructure was well developed and trade regulations were comprehensive, fostering flourishing commerce. He Lingchuan often noticed that travelers and merchants outnumbered the local residents. When Beijia was founded, sixteen Demon Kings were enfeoffed, and the Jeweled Tree King had been one of them. Over time, however, their ranks fluctuated, at one point dropping to twelve until another king was invested over a century ago. Thus, modern Beijia possessed one Emperor and thirteen Demon Kings in total. The thirteen Demon Kings all ruled vast fiefdoms, or vassal states. Aside from the Prime Minister and Grand Tutor who were appointed by Lingxu City, all other personnel, laws, and taxation were autonomous, and they commanded their own armies—truly "kingdoms within a kingdom."