"This head..."
Li Chang glanced at the hideous, bloody head placed atop the box like some kind of trophy and said, "It belongs to Lin Tao."
When the ministers heard the name, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Lin Tao—the leader of a bandit group. He had been looting food and kidnapping women from border villages. He had killed no less than fifty innocent citizens of the Xie Dynasty.
Before the hour of the rooster, people would shut their doors and hide their women, afraid that Lin Tao would come and bathe the entire village in blood.
When the citizens' cries for help reached the court, Xie Fang sent Li Chang to handle this matter—and now, not even a week later, Lin Tao's head lay here like a discarded toy.
Xiao Ba quickly explained Lin Tao's background, after which Xie Fang's heart returned to its place.
"Thank you for this gift," he paused before saying, "It's very... memorable."
