Among those who had carried out the violence, some with weaker constitutions were so terrified that they had soiled themselves, barely clinging to life. Yue Flowing Light would secretly act to spare them, for death without suffering was far too merciful.
As for those trembling like leaves in the wind, they could already feel something cold and slippery coiling around their bodies...
"Caramel, you’re stealing Milky Way’s bamboo again!" While cries of agony echoed outside, inside the secluded courtyard, Yue Flowing Light was teasing two black-and-white fluffy creatures.
At her feet lay three more fuzzy little ones, having just charmed their way into coaxing some delicious Spirit Beast Pills from her with their cuteness. After swallowing a tiny pill, the three wobbled as if drunk and collapsed motionless on the ground.
But Caramel and Milky Way were exceptional; even after taking the pills, they still had energy to fight over bamboo. For the tenderest stalk, the sibling duo didn’t hesitate to brawl.
"Woof! Woof!" Furious at being bested by his sister, Caramel let out a fierce, puppy-like bark at Milky Way.
Yue Flowing Light burst into laughter.
Amid her chuckles, the vendetta outside was nearing its end. Through her Dharma Eye, she glanced down.
Everyone had shown restraint—though the victims were left in a pitiful state, none had died.
Indeed, after this ordeal, these people would find living far more painful than dying. Not to mention others—even the villagers and relatives they had dragged into trouble could drown them with spit and scorn!
"You love to preach clan loyalty and mutual protection, hiding wrongdoing under the guise of solidarity, don’t you? Then share the hardship!"
Her Dharma Form once again gazed down upon the masses. "To see what is right and do nothing—though no swords may strike, the heart commits murder. For the wicked, the law demands execution. For you who stand idly by, your sin is unforgivable!"
Hearing "stand idly by," those who had been cheering on the sidelines—thinking themselves uninvolved—felt their hearts sink. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.
Some inwardly protested, trembling as they knelt. They mumbled defenses only they could hear: "I... I just didn’t speak out. I didn’t hurt him!"
But they forgot how loudly they had cheered, how much praise they had lavished on the attackers, how they had wished they could be the ones to light the fire themselves.
Yue Flowing Light’s gaze swept over them like she was looking at filthy trash. "You claim you didn’t harm anyone with your own hands? Then what were you doing when evil was committed?"
With a sweep of her sleeve, countless images flickered through the air: people helping the assailants break into homes and drag out the bound victims, clapping and cheering as the condemned faced death by fire, spitting on them, shouting "Burn her! Burn her!"
Some cursed and recited the victims’ supposed wrongdoings turning them into reasons to deserve death. Their hearts were filled with malice!
"And you think you are innocent?" Yue Flowing Light’s voice thundered. "When evil unfolds before your eyes, your silence itself is an offering to malice. Though you didn’t act, inside you silently permitted—even approved—the wrong. That silent permission and approval is itself a sin!"
She raised her hand. "I hereby withdraw all my blessings from you all. From this day forth, you are no longer my followers." As her words faded, something seemed to slowly vanish.
This was far more terrifying than any physical punishment.
The Divine Maiden was revoking all favor. They could no longer worship her.
What was that, if not death itself?
"It’s all your fault! You’ve ruined us!" Someone, almost mad with desperation, lunged at the barely breathing ringleaders.
"You wanted their house and their land, so you falsely accused them of being a drought demon reincarnated! You must have lost your minds!"
You see, they had known the truth all along. Yet instead of revealing it or stopping the injustice, they had simply gone to watch and cheer.
Those who had hidden at home, doing nothing, shrank back quietly, relieved they hadn’t joined the spectacle or hurled abuse at the dying.
Their only hope now was that the Divine Maiden wouldn’t abandon them.
Why was Yue Flowing Light so furious? Not only because the victims had died horribly, but because the bystanders’ apathy and cover-ups had shattered any remaining belief in justice among the truly kind-hearted.
If the good remain silent and the wicked are shielded, what would the world become? She wanted to complete her mission, yes, but within her power, she also sought to draw a clear line in people’s hearts.
Not everything accepted by convention is right!
The System remarked: Our host must be thinking of certain people back home in the modern world.
Though he had only spent a few days in modern times, he had witnessed much—including a young man about to jump from a building.
While the police were working desperately to save him, onlookers below not only photographed, filmed, and livestreamed, but shouted, "Are you jumping or not? Hurry up! Stop dragging this out—people want to get home for dinner!"
Someone chimed in, "Yeah, jump already! Too scared to die and still pretend you want to? Loser!"
Their vicious words were exactly like those who had cheered as the "drought demon" was burned alive!
The System shook its head. Throughout history, the evil in people’s hearts never disappears, no matter how society advances.
"Now that you’ve seen vengeance served, it’s time for you to return!"
With another flick of her sleeve, a cloud of dust swept by, and the crowd that had gathered from far and wide vanished instantly.
Then, Yue Flowing Light’s Dharma Form slowly faded. The pitch-black storm clouds receded like tidal waters, or like fine sand scattered by the wind.
The bright moon hung high, stars twinkled.
Beneath the heavens, the people stood still, unmoving for a long time.
Some found their foreheads slick with sweat, others had damp patches on their backs—whether from heat or fear, no one knew.
Faces were stained with tears, yet they couldn’t recall when they had started crying.
Some realized they had wet themselves, though they had no idea when it happened.
A bewildered child asked their parents, "Father, Mother, where has the Divine Maiden gone?"
"Father, Mother, when will the Divine Maiden send us sweet dew? I’m so thirsty!"
No one answered, because no one knew.
The people of Flowers City didn’t have to wait long for an answer. The next morning, after seeing the Divine Maiden’s carriage soar into the sky, the clouds shifted, and soon rain began to fall.
Quick-witted observers soon realized that this rainwater was no different from ordinary water. The crops that drank it didn’t bounce back with lush vitality, unlike those in neighboring towns blessed by thick dew.
As for the ill and ailing, the rain brought no relief at all.
Those who had hoped for healing medicine from the Divine Maiden’s gifts were sorely disappointed. Had no one seen with their own eyes how the land once nurtured by her sweet dew flourished, they might have doubted the legend entirely.
And long before the capital’s royal court learned of it, word that Yue Flowing Light’s chariot drawn by heavenly horses to scatter sweet dew across the skies had already reached the desk of Emperor Mingxi.