Wizard Eric took out a piece of white paper from his pouch, listing all the crimes committed by Wesley and his son, as well as Ahmed. Clearing his throat, the crowd fell silent.
With a solemn expression, Wizard Eric declared, “White Miao Village Elder Ahmed, you have been negligent, lazy, and have aided the wicked!”
“Beckett, you have been debauched and tyrannical, bullying the weak, oppressing the people, abducting women, committing numerous atrocities, and treating human lives as worthless!”
“Chieftain Pickett! You have betrayed righteousness and goodness! You have imposed heavy taxes and levies, indulged in debauchery, and privately imprisoned young girls as slaves, committing countless evil deeds!”
Wizard Eric listed the crimes of Wesley and his sons one by one, including the ambush on Quentin and the abduction of Cerys.
The crowd listened with gritted teeth, filled with hatred and a desire to rush to the execution platform to personally punish Wesley and his son.
After a long while, Wizard Eric stopped and put away the paper. Tears filled his eyes as he lamented the suffering endured by the people of Miao Territory over the years.
Gathering his thoughts, Wizard Eric said heavily, “These three are guilty of heinous crimes and deserve death. From today onwards, they will be imprisoned in the Miao Territory dungeon for life! No visits allowed!”
“Furthermore, a new Chieftain and Black Miao Village leader will be elected! All Miao Villages will no longer need to pay tribute or taxes; the people will be self-sufficient!”
“I hope everyone will work together in harmony, live peacefully, and jointly promote the development of Miao Territory!”
The crowd erupted in cheers, hugging each other with tears of joy. They had finally awaited this day; no longer would they face separation from their families or suffer oppression!
“There is one more thing to announce. The major reforms in Miao Territory this time are all thanks to one person,” Wizard Eric said, looking towards Quentin in the crowd.
The crowd was puzzled, not knowing who Wizard Eric was referring to.
“He is Webb, the first-place winner of this year’s Flower Mountain Big Game!”
“Today, he faced Wesley’s numerous men, fought valiantly, and personally captured Wesley and his sons!”
The crowd was in an uproar, searching for Webb’s figure among them. Finally, they found him with Cerys and others.
Previously, he had shocked everyone by emerging as the dark horse in the Flower Mountain Big Game and winning first place.
Now he had single-handedly destroyed Wesley’s forces; it was truly unbelievable.
“Not only that, but Webb is not one of our Miao Territory people; he actually came from far outside Miao Territory.”
“Along the way, he not only slaughtered an entire pack of wild wolves but also encountered the golden River God!”
The crowd was stunned, unable to process such a great secret.
“No wonder we had never seen this Webb before; he is an outsider!”
“An outsider who slaughters wolf packs and encounters the River God-could he be heaven-sent to save our Miao Territory?!”
The crowd discussed animatedly.
Wizard Eric continued, “Although our ancestors left a legacy saying that outsiders are deceitful and should not be befriended.”
“Webb may be an outsider, but he has constantly helped us Miao People, leading to this moment today. His contributions to our Miao Territory’s bright future are immeasurable!”
“There are good and bad outsiders; I hope everyone will not reject them. We Miao People should be grateful and erect a statue for him in the Flower Sea Mountain temple to honor the war god sent by heaven to save our Miao Territory!”
Wizard Eric’s impassioned speech moved all the Miao People present. Grateful, they knelt before Quentin, reverently saying, “Thank you, war god, for descending to save our Miao Territory!”
Quentin smiled wryly. “Your gratitude is overwhelming; I truly don’t deserve it.”
“Now, begin transporting the prisoners!” Wizard Eric announced. Several strong men from the Miao Tribe immediately loaded Wesley and his sons into prison carts for public display before sending them to the Miao Territory dungeon.
Along the way, Miao Tribe villagers threw rotten eggs and vegetables at them, splashed dirty water on them, and hurled insults.
Though Wesley and his sons were angry and unwilling, their spirits were crushed.
Indeed, evil begets evil; karma comes full circle. After years of committing atrocities, heaven finally sent Quentin to punish them. Now they could only regret their actions with impotent rage.
…
Dusk was a time for returning home when people were hungry for dinner.
Wesley and his sons had been imprisoned in the Miao Territory dungeon for life.
The villagers from various Miao Villages had dispersed to their homes. Every house was lively with lights on, discussing the day’s events with great interest.
Quentin and Cerys sat at the dining table with her family, enjoying wine and delicious food.
“Quentin, Eileen, it’s all thanks to you that Cerys is safe. We were so worried!” Aimee’s parents said gratefully.
“Uncle and Auntie, you’re too kind. It’s my fault for causing trouble and involving your family,” Quentin said guiltily.
“Quentin, don’t blame yourself. We should be thanking you. If it weren’t for you and Eileen coming here, our family and even all of Miao Territory wouldn’t have today. You are our great hero!” Cerys smiled at Quentin. Her smile was as enchanting as spring light and mesmerizing fireworks-indescribably beautiful.
Her soft features brightened up; her small lips curved into a faint smile like summer flowers in full bloom.
Her clear phoenix eyes sparkled like sunlight on a lake-breathtakingly beautiful.
Her delicate eyebrows relaxed like distant mountains; her jade-like skin glowed translucently-captivating anyone who looked at her…
Quentin nodded and took out a ring embedded with green jade from his pocket. Smiling, he handed it to Cerys:
“Cerys, Auntie, Uncle, Harry-your family’s kindness these past few days is deeply appreciated.”
“If we talk about money, it would be an insult to our Miao Tribe brothers and sisters. I have a small token here as a memento of our meeting.”
“If you ever have the chance to visit southeast, please come to my home!”
The jade was rich in color-a deep green with a hint of blue but not off-color-exuding noble beauty.
Though monochromatic, it looked extremely unique-very green and pure-full of vitality and obviously valuable.
Cerys’s family stared at the ring in astonishment. Suddenly they exclaimed, “Is this… an Imperial Green Ring?!”