The next day, they began to find a place to stack the materials. Then Su Muqing taught Leng Si and the others on-site how to use some of the items and what precautions to take.
On the third day, Su Muqing and her group continued to arrange the city's construction matters. The people from other sects, to avoid any further complications, prepared to deal with Chu Ruoqiao and the others that very day.
Su Muqing and Le Xiong were so busy they were run off their feet and had no time to join the commotion. So, she sent Le Yanner to oversee the execution.
The group escorted Chu Ruoqiao and the dozen sect leaders to the place where the white bones had been unearthed from the Scorpion Pits. After forcing each of them to kowtow a hundred times, they pushed them back into the deep Scorpion Pits.
They had not filled in the pits immediately to punish these detestable members of the Thousand Poisons Sect. Someone had initially suggested catching some venomous snakes and centipedes to bite them to death. However, they reasoned that these women had been immersed in poisonous baths for years, and ordinary poisons might not even be able to kill them.
Therefore, someone proposed a fiery execution, burning them alive. This suggestion was unanimously approved, and they decided to carry out the execution within the Scorpion Pits, allowing them to experience the feeling of being slaughtered like livestock at will!
Chu Ruoqiao finally came to her senses. Was she going to die so ignominiously? No! The Chu family woman in her past life had ultimately become the winner. Although she had stolen her life, she shouldn't have ended up in such a state.
She loudly called out to the Old Man Tianji, desperately begging him to save her. Those people deliberately did not cover Chu Ruoqiao's mouth so they could savor her infinite fear as she faced death. They wanted her to grovel and beg, and then to cruelly shatter her hopes!
Seeing that Old Man Tianji was ignoring her, Chu Ruoqiao then shouted Su Muqing's name. "Muqing, I am your biological cousin. Save me! I know I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong. I am in this state now, and I can't do anything bad anymore. Please spare my life!"
Le Yanner, watching her last-ditch struggle, approached her and whispered mockingly, "You really have a thick skin. Our City Lord wants me to tell you that she already knows your identity. You are the biological daughter of your Saintess, not of the Duke's Mansion."
Chu Ruoqiao had been looking down. Suddenly! She abruptly raised her burnt face and stared fixedly at Le Yanner. "Even if my mother is the Saintess, I still have a father… My father is the heir of the Duke's Mansion, Chu Zhengyuan! I am Su Muqing's half-sister. If she dares to kill me, Father will definitely not let her off!"
"Heh! You're still trying to lie? Do you think I'm an idiot? Whatever you say goes?" Le Yanner scoffed, not believing a word she said.
"Whether I'm lying or not, you can go ask Su Muqing. Why did my mother go to such lengths to give birth to me? She intended to seize the position of Miss Chu from the start, so she wouldn't have sought out other men to impregnate her. She told me herself, my father is Chu Zhengyuan! I am your City Lord's own elder sister, do you really dare to kill me?" Chu Ruoqiao said, looking triumphantly at Le Yanner, as if she had a lifeline.
Hearing Chu Ruoqiao's words, those who had not lost wives or children hesitated. If she really was the City Lord's elder sister, should they still proceed with the torture? What if it was investigated later, and the City Lord sought retribution…
There were even some who, with ulterior motives, wanted to curry favor with Su Muqing. They even suggested letting Chu Ruoqiao go.
How could that be? Chu Ruoqiao was the worst among the Thousand Poisons Sect! The men who wanted to avenge their families became enraged upon hearing this! One man was about to rush forward to argue with them, but he was quickly pulled back by others.
That's how people are; if the red-hot iron hasn't burned their feet, how can they know the pain?
Someone stepped forward and said to Le Yanner, "Palace Master Le, why don't we send someone to ask the City Lord? What if she really is the City Lord's elder sister? If we kill her like this, then in the future…"
Le Yanner also recalled that no matter what mistakes she made in the past, her two elder brothers would forgive her. What if Su Muqing found out they were sisters and softened her heart?
After a moment's thought, she said to the person next to her, "Alright! I'll go ask the City Lord myself. You all must keep a close eye on her! This woman is very cunning and good at charming others. No one is allowed to speak to her before I return!"
The men whose families had been captured exchanged glances subtly. The execution was about to happen, and they prayed there wouldn't be any changes. Otherwise, they would risk their lives to make Chu Ruoqiao pay for her blood debt!
They had already prepared for the worst, but their hearts couldn't help but feel uneasy. What would the City Lord do? Would she uphold justice and eliminate family ties, or would she be swayed by sisterly affection and disregard the pain suffered by the innocent?
"Don't worry! With her current appearance, who can she charm?" A man said this, and the others burst into laughter.
"Palace Master, rest assured, with us guarding here, she can't escape even with wings!" Over a dozen victims' family members stepped forward with grim expressions, surrounding Chu Ruoqiao.
Le Yanner then went to find someone with peace of mind. These men hated Chu Ruoqiao so much that there shouldn't be any mistakes. Unexpectedly, just as she was halfway there, Su Muqing and her group arrived at the scene.
Su Muqing and the others had been discussing how to handle the area occupied by the Thousand Poisons Sect. They found it unsettling to convert it into residential areas and inauspicious to turn it into a factory.
After a heated discussion, they still couldn't reach a conclusion. Everyone found it unlucky and no one was willing to take charge. So, what could be done with such a large plot of land?
Finally, Lu Yuzhi proposed building a military camp! Military camps had strong yang energy, which was perfect for suppressing evil spirits! Moreover, its location was on the outskirts of Huaxia City, making it the most suitable place for a military camp.
Everyone's eyes lit up! This solution was simply perfect. Thus, this major problem was perfectly resolved.
They had come to survey the layout of the military camp. More importantly, they needed to quickly erect a simple dwelling place to ensure that subsequent arrivals would have a temporary place to rest.
Le Xiong saw his sister from a distance. "Sis, are you guys done so quickly?"
"Not yet! City Lord, that Chu Ruoqiao said, said her father is Chu Zhengyuan. She said she is your half-sister…" Le Yanner didn't beat around the bush, quickly stating it and then glancing at Su Muqing's expression.
Su Muqing raised an eyebrow. Had this person thought of another way to save herself? Was she trying to play the family card? "She's whoever she says she is? I don't have a sister, only a younger brother."
"I said the same thing, but those people are worried… What if she really is your sister, and you might want to spare her life!" Le Yanner saw that Su Muqing's expression had not changed due to this potential factor, and she felt relieved.
"No! Regardless of her identity, it cannot negate the heinous acts she has committed. If she is spared because of a possibly questionable identity, how can that be fair to those who were harmed and killed by her! You do as you must!" She still expected herself to save her? Su Muqing almost wanted to laugh!
What a fantasy she was having! If it weren't for wanting those people to personally avenge their families, she would have wished to personally chop, hack, slash, and cleave Chu Ruoqiao eight hundred times, then grind her bones to dust and throw them into a cesspit to ferment into fertilizer!
Le Yanner, having received Su Muqing's instructions, excitedly ran back. Now she wanted to see what other excuses that vicious woman could find! Her rotten and terrifying face was sure to show a range of expressions again, which was quite amusing!
The others continued to survey the terrain. Leng San had already departed for Songlin County. It was estimated that the first batch of people would arrive within a month. They needed to count the existing population and then register them to facilitate future inquiries.
Su Muqing also planned to implement an ancient version of ID cards in Huaxia City. With one task after another, she was almost overwhelmed. These past two days, she felt like she was floating when she walked.
Le Yanner returned to the Scorpion Pit. Under Chu Ruoqiao's expectant gaze, she repeated Su Muqing's words word for word.
Upon hearing her, the crowd couldn't help but applaud Su Muqing! With such an upright and selfless City Lord, they were sure to live good lives in the future.
Chu Ruoqiao stared with disbelieving eyes. This Su Muqing was truly wicked, to be so heartless even to her own blood relative!
"I don't believe it, call her here, I want to talk to her myself!" Chu Ruoqiao shouted and struggled to crawl out.
Le Yanner pointed at Chu Ruoqiao and shouted, "Stop wasting your breath on her, quickly throw her in and prepare for the execution."
Two people stepped forward and dragged Chu Ruoqiao by her legs into the pit. Her hands weakly clawed at the ground, and she continued to wail, "Su Muqing, you are unfilial and unfraternal, abandoning your own sister, the Chu family will not forgive you! And you all! You are harboring the son of the traitor Dayu, Huo Qiyuan, just you wait! Dayu's army will soon attack you. The world will soon be turned upside down, and disasters will be endless. Your fate will only be worse than mine! Hahahahaha…"
After pushing them into the pit, several men each held a basin of oil and poured it into the pit. The women in the pit, except for Chu Ruoqiao who was still struggling, were all trembling with fear and huddled together, despairingly awaiting their impending punishment!
One man, holding a torch, looked at the women at the bottom of the pit with a cold gaze. Two years ago, his wife and child were captured. The man knelt at the county office for two days, and finally annoyed the county magistrate, who had him beaten with twenty planks and thrown out.
Later, the man sold his family's fertile land and traveled around alone for a year with his pack. When he finally returned home, his elderly father had also passed away. Disheartened, the man sought refuge in the Three Saints Palace in the no-man's-land.
Among the children rescued from the dark prison the other day was his son. The child had a very distinctive dark blue birthmark on his arm, so the man recognized him at a glance. Unfortunately, his wife was not among those women, and she had likely been murdered…
The man, with red eyes, cruelly threw the torch into the pit.
Fierce flames erupted. Watching the women struggle in the pit, their skin tearing and flesh burning, and listening to their piercing and terrifying screams that slowly turned into whimpers.
The man clenched his fists so tightly that he didn't even notice his palms had been cut. He thought of his wife, wondering if she had also begged them so desperately before her death.
Originally, the edge of the pit was crowded with onlookers. Perhaps their screams were too horrific, and they worried about developing psychological trauma if they watched for too long. Gradually, everyone else left, leaving only the men whose families had gone missing.
They stood there motionlessly. Although they felt a sense of revulsion, they persevered, determined to witness the demons burn to ashes.
This was to quell the resentment of those who had suffered and to comfort the spirits of their departed loved ones!
The fire burned for a full day before it extinguished. The bottom of the pit was filled with black ash and chunks of charcoal-like bodies. Everyone then sealed the deep pit with soil and cement. The dark prison here was considered dealt with.