Chapter 211 Execution Day, Ma Xiaotao was pushed onto the execution platform.
Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion.
The atmosphere inside the meeting room wasn't very good.
After receiving the latest news, Yan Shaozhe immediately held another meeting.
At this moment, Yan Shaozhe sat in the main seat, with the academy's elders sitting on either side.
The windows were tightly closed, there was no wind inside, and the air moved very slowly.
"The academy can no longer remain silent about Ma Xiaotao's matter," Yan Shaozhe said calmly. "The announcement from the Body Sect has been sent to various parts of the continent. If we don't respond, the outside world's doubts about the academy will only increase. Everyone, please speak up now if you have any thoughts."
A low murmur of discussion filled the conference room. An elderly gentleman with graying hair spoke first: "This matter is indeed thorny. If we are to go, we must be clear about our reasons. We cannot say we are going to plead for leniency, much less that we are going to confess our guilt."
Another elder nodded: "I think we must bring Ma Xiaotao back. She is a key member of the inner academy that the academy is focusing on developing, and she is also a student of Shrek Academy. No matter what her current situation is, the academy has no reason to give up on her."
"But what reason can we give to bring her back? She is indeed in the state of an evil soul master right now. The Body Sect has her under control, and the royal family is cooperating with them." The third elder raised a question. "If we bring her back directly, they will have a legitimate reason to stop us, and it may even cause a bigger conflict."
Yan Shaozhe looked around, waiting for the opinions of others.
"Actually, let's look at it from a different perspective," a senior elder sitting in the corner said slowly. "What did Ma Xiaotao do for the mainland before she became an evil soul master? She was once a member of the inspection team. During her term in the inspection team, how many evil soul masters did she eliminate? How many civilians did she protect? These are facts."
"What do you mean?" Yan Shaozhe looked at him.
"We classify Ma Xiaotao's situation as an accident during her cultivation process," the elder said in a deep voice. "Cultivating the Soul Master system inherently involves risks. Her Martial Soul mutated because of the mission and the special environment. This was not her intention, nor was it due to her moral depravity. It was an accident at the cultivation level. Since it was an accident, it is not irreparable."
"Yes." Yan Shaozhe continued, a hint of determination in his eyes. "We will state publicly that Ma Xiaotao's cultivation deviated due to exposure to extreme energy during a surveillance mission. What she needs now is treatment from the academy, not execution. This is an internal matter for the academy."
The elders began to exchange opinions.
"That's a valid reason."
"Focus on her past achievements and her current health."
"We can accuse the Body Sect of not following the usual practice in the Soul Master world, and that they have no right to execute Shrek Academy students."
The discussion lasted about an hour. In the end, Yan Shaozhe finalized the plan.
"Alright, now that we've reached a consensus, we must be there for the execution in a month. Not to assist them in the execution, but to bring someone back. We'll bring official documents from the academy, emphasizing Ma Xiaotao's past achievements and characterizing her current state as a cultivation malfunction. We'll use the pretext of taking the student back for treatment to forcefully intervene."
"As for the Poison Undying Sect and the Body Sect, we will take precautions. As long as we can bring them back, the academy will accept any cost."
The atmosphere in the meeting room shifted from oppressive to slightly more tense. The elders knew that although this was a risky decision, it was currently the only way to save face for the academy.
...
A month passed quickly.
Central Square of the capital city of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
Early in the morning, just as the sun rose, the square was already packed with people.
The Heavenly Soul Royal Family's Imperial Guards erected a thick cordon around the plaza, separating it from the outside world.
But outside the cordon, the crowd of onlookers was still dense, and some people had even been waiting there since last night to get a good spot.
"Have you heard? Are they really going to execute that genius from Shrek Academy today?"
"Who knows? But they even sent an invitation to Shrek Academy, so it can't be a joke."
"I don't think Shrek Academy would go so far as to put its own students on the execution platform. It's Shrek, after all."
"That's not necessarily true. Look, so many people from various sects have come. If it weren't for the real thing, why would they make this trip?"
Discussions arose all around the square, as people were filled with curiosity about the matter.
Many people wanted to see how Shrek Academy would respond, while others just wanted to watch the spectacle and see how the continent's number one academy would deal with this embarrassing situation.
Above the execution platform, besides several officials from the Heavenly Soul Royal Family directing the site setup, there were also several representatives from nearby small and medium-sized sects.
Although they didn't speak, their eyes were fixed on the entrance.
About half an hour later.
A heavy thud of hooves came from the distant street.
The square fell silent instantly. People looked towards the street.
Several vehicles made of black metal slowly drove through the passage cleared by the crowd. Elite disciples of the Body Sect were on guard around these vehicles.
The wheels rolled on the bluestone pavement, making a dull thud that clearly reached the ears of everyone in the square.
In the car at the very front sat Du Busi and Liu Yuan.
Du Bu Si sat upright in the car with a cold expression, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding crowd. Liu Yuan sat beside him, his expression calm.
Behind them, on the second vehicle, was a simple wooden execution cart.
On the execution vehicle, a figure was bound to a pillar. The person was wrapped in a thick black cloth, and a black hood covered their head, completely obscuring their face.
But judging from her figure, it was indeed a woman.
The vehicle slowly drove into the center of the square and stopped in front of the execution platform.
The whispers among the crowd grew louder.
"Is that Ma Xiaotao?"
"His face was completely covered by a hood."
"Have the Shrek Academy people arrived?"
Some people craned their necks to look towards the entrance of the square, but Shrek Academy's iconic school uniforms were not yet visible there.
Liu Yuan got out of the car and walked slowly toward the execution platform. He glanced around and then turned to look at the figure on the execution vehicle.
"Get ready," he said calmly to the disciple beside him.
The surrounding crowd watched this scene with their doubts and curiosity reaching their peak.
In their eyes, all of this seemed real and oppressive.
The time hadn't come yet, but all eyes were already on the figure covered by a black hood.
(End of chapter)