Warm-hearted Ye Chuan

Warm blood splashed across his face and dripped onto the back of Ye Chuan's hand.

Ye Chuan stood frozen in place, his right hand still holding the posture of swinging a sword.

He stared at the severed head that had rolled to a stop beside the firewood pile. Holkin's dying, hideous expression was still frozen on his face.

At this moment, Ye Chuan's mind was completely blank.

He had killed someone.

This was his first time killing a person, so much so that his brain hadn't fully processed it yet.

His body had moved a step ahead of his mind; he hadn't even seen clearly how he had picked up the sword or how he had swung it down.

"Ye Chuan..."

Angelina's voice pulled Ye Chuan back from his daze.

She was curled up on the freezing floor. Slowly, she crawled over and cautiously tugged at the hem of Ye Chuan's clothes, her little hands icy cold.

There was no fear in her eyes, only an overwhelming sense of panic and self-blame. "I'm sorry... It's all my fault... I ruined you..."

Ye Chuan snapped back to reality. He dropped the sword and squatted down to help her up, only to find that his own hands were trembling.

Just as he was about to speak, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly erupted from the doorway.

"Murder!! Someone's been murdered!!"

A vegetable-shopping woman who lived next door happened to be walking by. Peeking in and seeing the gruesome scene inside the house, her face turned deathly pale, and she turned and ran like a madwoman toward the center of town.

"Murder!!!!!!" she screamed as she ran, her voice piercing through the entire alleyway.

"Murder! Somebody come quickly! A resident got their head chopped off!!"

In just a few moments, the originally quiet alley was completely blocked by a crowd.

Neighbors stood on their tiptoes to peer into the house. Seeing the corpse on the ground and Ye Chuan covered in blood, they all gasped in horror.

"Oh my god, he's really dead..."

"Serves him right! That animal should have died a long time ago! Just last month he beat Angelina so badly she couldn't get out of bed for half a month!"

"That may be true, but a life for a life... According to imperial law... how could he..."

Amidst the murmurs, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

Five town guards armed with spears pushed through the crowd and rushed in. The captain of the guards saw the headless corpse on the floor, and his face instantly darkened.

He leveled his spear at Ye Chuan and shouted sternly, "Drop your weapon! Surrender peacefully!"

Ye Chuan did not resist.

He slowly raised his bloodstained hands, allowing two guards to step forward and tightly bind his wrists behind his back with rough hemp rope.

Because Ye Chuan himself didn't know what to do at this moment.

"Don't arrest him!!"

Angelina suddenly lunged forward, hugging Ye Chuan's arm tightly. She used her thin, small body to shield him, crying out to the guards:

"It was my dad's fault! He hit me first! Ye Chuan only did it to save me! If you want to arrest someone, arrest me!"

"Little girl, our hands are tied." The guard captain looked at the bruises on her face, his tone softening a bit, but he still shook his head.

"Murder is a major crime. We have to take him to see the mayor. If you have any grievances, tell them to the mayor."

"Angelina, don't be like this... Don't do anything foolish." Ye Chuan shook his head at Angelina, forcing a smile.

He didn't regret killing the man; he just felt that he probably could have done it more discreetly.

The guards escorted Ye Chuan outside.

Angelina stumbled along behind them. Her leg hadn't fully healed yet, making her limp as she ran, constantly falling down and scrambling back up.

Her hair clung messily to her face as she repeatedly muttered, "Don't take him away... Please... Don't take him away..."

...

The Mayor's Office in Isu Town.

Mayor Lawrence was an old gentleman with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses.

He had served as mayor for over thirty years. Isu Town had always been peaceful, with murders being a rare occurrence, let alone a vicious case like a public decapitation.

He looked up at Ye Chuan, who stood below him covered in blood but with a calm expression, and furrowed his brows deeply.

"Ye Chuan..." Mayor Lawrence tapped the oak desk, his voice stern. "You intentionally murdered the deceased, Holkin, in his home on West Street. The evidence is conclusive; we have both witnesses and physical proof."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"No." Ye Chuan raised his head, his voice so calm it didn't carry a single ripple. "I killed him."

"Very well." Mayor Lawrence nodded. "According to imperial law, intentional murder is punishable by hanging."

"The execution will be carried out publicly in the town square in three days."

Ye Chuan fell silent for a moment, ultimately saying nothing more.

He had thought he could live a peaceful life with Angelina in this different world...

What a pity...

"No—!!"

Just as those words fell, the office door was violently slammed open.

Angelina stumbled in. She had been blocked outside by the guards earlier, and it was unknown how much strength she had used to break free.

Her knees were scraped and bleeding from falling on the ground, and her white dress was covered in dirt and dust.

Ignoring the astonished gazes of everyone present, she dropped to her knees on the cold floor with a heavy thud.

"Grandpa Mayor! I'm begging you! Don't kill Ye Chuan!" she cried, kowtowing forcefully, her forehead slamming against the hard wooden floor.

"It's all my fault! Everything is my fault! Holkin is my dad; he lost money gambling and came back to beat me. Ye Chuan saved me! He didn't mean to kill him!"

This was the first time Angelina had displayed such rich emotion and spoken so much. For Ye Chuan, she used almost all of her strength, expressing herself with clumsy words:

"My father gambled every day... When he lost, he'd beat me, starve me, and make me sleep on the freezing floor... Last time he incurred gambling debts, he ran away overnight, and I was beaten by those creditors..."

"It... it was Ye Chuan who saved me..."

"He bought me bread to eat, bought me new clothes, and took me to the doctor to treat my leg... Grandpa Mayor, please... Let me die in his place! Please don't kill him! I can't live without him!"

She kept kowtowing, again and again. Her forehead was soon broken, and blood flowed down the bridge of her nose, dyeing her pale little face red.

Everyone in the office fell silent. Even the guards, who had looked so stern just a moment ago, turned their heads away, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Angelina!" Seeing her like this, Ye Chuan's previously silent expression immediately grew agitated.

"Stop kowtowing! Get up!"

"This has nothing to do with you!!!"

But Angelina acted as if she hadn't heard him, continuing to kowtow ceaselessly until Mayor Lawrence called for the guards to hold her back.

"Alright, child, stop kowtowing."

Right at that moment, the office door was pushed open once more.

The bakery owner rushed in, declaring loudly, "Mr. Mayor! I have something to say!"

He walked to the center of the office, bowed to Mayor Lawrence, and then pointed at Ye Chuan, saying:

"Mr. Mayor, this young man is absolutely not a bad person!"

"A few months ago, he lost his memory and didn't have a single penny to his name. He came to my shop begging for some bread. I gave him a loaf and some scraps at the time. He said he would definitely pay me back, and sure enough, he brought the money to me very soon after!"

"How could a man who refuses to owe others even a single copper coin be a heinous murderer?"

It wasn't just the bakery owner; several residents who had been helped by Ye Chuan also stepped forward. Because of his warm heart and his habit of frequently lending a hand, those who had benefited from his kindness all came forward to speak up for him.

"That's right, Mr. Mayor!"

"That bastard Holkin deserved to die a long time ago! We all saw it with our own eyes when he beat Angelina!"

"Ye Chuan was just ridding the people of a menace! Please, show him some mercy!"

More and more neighbors squeezed in, all talking over one another. They praised Ye Chuan's good character and condemned Holkin's evil deeds. Their voices grew louder and louder, almost loud enough to blow the roof off the building.