Above the Galaxy
Chapter 53 - 53 40 Cutting the Face!

53: Chapter 40, Cutting the Face!

53: Chapter 40, Cutting the Face!

“Are all the post-mortem arrangements for the villagers taken care of?”

“Everything’s been arranged; those who needed to be buried have been buried.

They’re in the hill behind the village, so we can hold a joint memorial service in the future.

The village elders want to put on a big play…

just that we haven’t found anyone who can actually perform.” Huang Youan spoke up; he was in charge of handling these matters.

Tang Fei glanced at the old man and said, “If we really can’t find anyone, I’ll find someone.”

“Thank you, big brother,” Huang Youan said.

He’d been worrying over this and didn’t expect big brother to solve it for him just like that.

The old man’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, damn thing, I sing folk songs, not big plays—how could that be appropriate for such an occasion?

Tang Fei then turned to Little Fatty and asked, “Are the Flame Army’s corpses all buried?”

“They’re buried,” Little Fatty said with an excited smile.

“The fire burned fiercely, crackling…

I used pine branches for the fire, and poured plenty of pine resin…

It roasted it so nicely, the scent of pine was strong.”

“…”

Tang Fei didn’t want to continue this distasteful topic with Little Fatty and turned to the old man, “Is the food and wealth we brought back all distributed?”

“Brat, don’t you trust me to handle things?” the old man snapped.

He pointed at Phoenix and said, “She was watching over it.

No one could get more or less than their share—it was divided according to the number of members in each household…

Didn’t you say there would be a generous reward for anyone who could identify the Predator Organization’s lair?

Indeed, a couple of lads pointed it out, and we really did bring back food and wealth…

but they’re dead set against accepting any rewards, saying they’ve already obtained enough and are willing to share it equally with everyone…”

Tang Fei understood their mindset; first, they had indeed gotten enough for themselves, not needing to worry about food or clothes for a while, which was more than several years of their labor could afford.

Another major reason was their concern about being targeted for revenge by the Predator Organization and the Flame Shrine if they accepted the rewards.

Even though Tang Fei had already killed many, bandits are never fully eradicated.

If wealth was shared equally, wouldn’t everyone also share the responsibility?

Tang Fei was quite satisfied with this outcome.

This was a classic case of redistributing wealth from local tyrants…

Neither the Flame Shrine nor the Plunderer Organization was involved in production; they neither hunted nor farmed.

Yet, their storehouses contained the most food, and their gold and silver treasures were beyond count.

While the common farmers had to ration their food or go hungry, they could eat to their heart’s content.

After all, they needed to keep their strength up to rob and plunder.

A vicious cycle.

Although the incident was triggered by Tang Fei, by wiping out the members of the Flame Shrine in the Henshan Human Gathering Area and the Plunderer Organization, he had secured great benefits for all humans in the Henshan Region.

His own village received food and wealth, and the other villages would at least be spared from robbery and extortion by the Flame Shrine and the Plunderer Organization for a short while.

Tang Fei’s gaze landed on Wang Tianlong, who was wrapped in bandages, and asked, “What are your plans?”

Thud!

Wang Tianlong knelt down, his face filled with fear, “Big brother, I’ll do whatever you say…

please don’t kill me, I have old parents and young children…”

“Alright, alright, stand up and talk,” Tang Fei said.

“You’re using the lines I’ve used before…”

Wang Tianlong carefully picked himself up from the ground and said, “Big brother used them?

Then I apologize, let me change the script…”

“Do you know why you are still alive?” Tang Fei asked.

Wang Tianlong first shook his head, then hurriedly nodded, saying, “Because big brother’s heart is kind, forgiving past grievances, you spared my life…”

“Kind-hearted?” Tang Fei squinted and smiled, saying, “Your brothers don’t think so.”

“…”

Wang Tianlong didn’t dare to speak anymore.

He knew what had happened after he had passed out—his brothers were all dead, the Flame Army was decimated, and the Flame Shrine in the Henshan Gathering Area had been uprooted…

He was no longer the flattering refugee handing skewers to him, nor the young man with a choked voice asking him to come by whenever he had time.

He was the Death God, the Devil.

Should such a person be described as kind-hearted?

“Because of that Flame Talisman of yours, and also because of the few words you spoke in Chen Hu’s presence,” Tang Fei said, explaining, “You are not inherently bad, and I am a simple man, I repay grudges and show gratitude.

That’s why I didn’t kill you.”

“Thank you,” Wang Tianlong replied with a raspy voice.

“What are your plans now?”

“Plans?” Wang Tianlong thought but couldn’t come up with what he could do.

So he looked earnestly at Tang Fei and said, “I’ll do whatever big brother asks of me…”

He wasn’t clever, so he instinctively left the decisions to those who were smarter.

“You’ve been with the Flame Shrine for many years now, so you must be quite familiar with the organization, right?” Tang Fei asked.

Wang Tianlong knelt with a thud again, saying in panic, “Big brother, I haven’t stayed there for that long…

and I haven’t done any bad deeds, I admit, I’ve taken some food and drink from others, and I’ve also helped myself to some valuable things…”

“But I haven’t ruthlessly killed the innocent, nor have I engaged in burning, killing, and looting like they did…

oh, I’ve looted, but not burned or killed…”

“Enough, enough, I’m not a judge; I’m not interested in your criminal history,” Tang Fei said impatiently.

This guy seemed a bit weak and timid; he wondered if he would be able to complete the task he’d be given.

“I’m asking about the internal situation of the Flame Shrine.

With what happened to the Henshan branch, do you think they will retaliate?”

“Retaliate?” Wang Tianlong thought, then said, “They probably will?”

“Is there any solution?” Tang Fei asked.

Wang Tianlong’s eyes widened as he looked at Tang Fei, wondering if he had misheard something.

Brother, are you serious?

I’m just a small team leader in the Flame Shrine, and you want me to solve such a big problem?

How is this different from asking a preschooler to solve trigonometric functions?

“Brother, I…

I haven’t thought it through.”

“So when can you think it through?”

“I really can’t figure it out…

I don’t really understand the internal structure of the Flame Shrine, what kind of reaction they might have, I honestly can’t say.”

“What if we let you stay?” Tang Fei looked at Wang Tianlong and said, “Stay in the Flame Shrine.”

“What?” Wang Tianlong looked at Tang Fei in shock, he himself had to stay?

“The Flame Shrine has suffered heavy losses this time, nearly all the core members in the Henshan Region are dead.

At this time, your existence is particularly valuable,” Tang Fei looked at Wang Tianlong and said, “They need to find a veteran, and someone familiar with the Henshan Region…

and that person has to be you.”

“But…

but…”

“You’re worried they’ll suspect you, right?” Tang Fei said with a smile, “This is indeed a problem.

Your comrades are dead, why are you still alive?

Without solving this problem, your appearance would be extremely dangerous.

Not only would it be difficult for you to get into a position of power, but your life would be at risk too.”

“How can we solve this problem?” Wang Tianlong asked out loud.

Tang Fei looked at Wang Tianlong with interest and asked, “Do you want to take a gamble?”

“Yes.” Wang Tianlong nodded and said, “At this point, unless I never show up.

As soon as I appear in the human gathering areas, the people from the Flame Shrine will find me…

I can’t hide in the dark my whole life.

Since that’s the case, I might as well take control of my own fate.”

Tang Fei nodded and looked at Wang Tianlong, saying, “Relying on the wound on your head might not be enough…

Little Fatty was still too gentle.”

Little Fatty then came over with a hammer and asked, “Brother, do you need me to add a blow?”

The older brother criticized him, saying he hadn’t done his job well, and he had to figure out a way to make amends.

“No need, no need,” Tang Fei said, waving his hand, “I’m afraid you might send him off with one hammer.”

Wang Tianlong breathed a sigh of relief; he too was afraid Little Fatty might send him off with one hammer.

Tang Fei took a dagger out of his pocket and tossed it over, saying, “Cut yourself somewhere on your body…

Make it more obvious so that it catches the eye at a glance.”

Wang Tianlong caught the dagger, hesitated for a moment, and then drew it across his face from the bottom up.

Blood dripped, and skin and flesh turned inside out.

Tang Fei jumped in fright, shouting, “I told you to make it noticeable, you didn’t have to go that far…”

“Well, if we’re doing it, let’s do it properly.”

Wang Tianlong wanted to smile, but the movement pulled at his wound, causing him to grit his teeth in pain, almost bringing him to tears.

“Very well done.

I’ll design a clever way for you to show up in front of them,” Tang Fei said.

Then, with a look of disgust on his face, he waved his hands, “Alright, go bandage that.

It’s too disgusting.”

“…”

Wang Tianlong went down to bandage himself; Tang Fei looked at the elderly man and said, “The village is putting on a big show to pay homage to the dead, and we can’t find any singers.

Could you help out and sing a few songs on stage?

After dinner every day, don’t you like to lie in the courtyard and hum a few lines?”

“What I sing is a ditty, a poem…

Can that be used in that kind of place?”

“What are you afraid of?” said Tang Fei, “I heard that even grave dancing was popular before the big disaster…

It’s not like we’re asking you to dance, just sing a few songs.

Who cares what you’re singing?

It’s just about making things lively.”

“I won’t sing,” the old man rejected outright.

——

“Flame essence descends, the masses look up.”

“Shame arrayed in offerings, wine poured for sacrifice.”

——

“Help me up from the scattered chrysanthemums, as frost lifts, joy blossoms anew.

Drunk yet startled by aging’s haste, in laughter, sorrows emerge.”

——

“Clad in green, oh how green, with green top and yellow undergarment.

My heart is full of sorrow, oh when will it end?

Clad in green, oh how green, with green top and yellow skirt.

My heart is full of sorrow, oh when will it vanish?”

——-

The old man sat atop the high stage, bellowing with all his might.

A drink of wine, a verse of poetry.

The wine was a bottle that the teacher had brewed, the poetry was funeral verse he’d painstakingly searched for.

Verses to offer to the gods, to the fallen brothers, and to the deceased wife…

He sang whatever came to mind, as if hosting his own personal open-air poetry reading.

But no one cared what the old man was singing, and nobody would mock it.

In the old man’s mournful, hoarse chanting, the audience thought of their departed family and friends, tears welling up in their eyes, overwhelmed with sadness.

Death, that’s never meeting again.