On this day, Secretary Baker started causing trouble again. It was probably in the afternoon when suddenly a villager came running to me in a panic, saying that Secretary Baker had gone mad again and had even beaten his own parents. At that time, his mother had already collapsed on the ground, lifeless, and his father was also knocked down, unable to even crawl up.

Hearing this, I was instantly shocked—someone had finally died because of this. If Secretary Baker had ended up tormenting himself to death, although it would be a bit regrettable, it would still be his own fault. Who told him not to listen to advice and insist on making a fuss about breaking superstitions? If you don’t respect the spirits and gods, suffering retribution is just the consequence of your own actions. But Secretary Baker’s parents were just ordinary farmers—their deaths were truly hard to accept.

I immediately grabbed my things and headed out. When I arrived outside the village office where Secretary Baker lived, the place was already surrounded by villagers. Some were holding ropes, others had firewood sticks and the like, clearly worried he might hurt someone again. As for Secretary Baker, he was no longer inside the house, but had jumped up onto the roof.

You should know, because of his antics the previous night, everyone had tied him to the stone mill in front of the house. Now, that several-hundred-jin stone mill had rolled onto the ground, and the thumb-thick hemp rope had snapped into several pieces scattered about—obviously all the work of Secretary Baker.

When everyone saw me arrive, they quickly made way, chattering about how someone had died, that Secretary Baker had beaten his mother to death. Following where the villagers pointed, I indeed saw Secretary Baker’s mother lying motionless on the ground at the entrance, with a pool of blood flowing over the threshold—she was clearly gone.

In the middle of the crowd, there was also an old man wailing loudly, crying to the heavens, blaming himself from time to time, wondering if he had committed some sin in a past life to have such a son in this one...

Looking toward the sound of crying, who else could it be but Secretary Baker’s father? He was kneeling on the ground, covered in dust, with streaks of blood on his forehead—obviously beaten by his own son. The old man was crying so bitterly it was heartbreaking to hear. Who wouldn’t be? If this happened to anyone, they wouldn’t be able to bear it—besides grief, there would only be despair.

To be honest, seeing the old man crying so hard he couldn’t even stand, I felt deeply saddened too. Parents everywhere have the same loving hearts. After all the hardship of raising a son and even sending him to high school, who would have thought he’d end up like this—not only going mad, but even beating his own mother to death. No parent could bear such a thing.

At that moment, I was furious as well, determined that no matter what, I couldn’t let him hurt anyone else. I looked up at Secretary Baker on the roof. His face was deathly pale, completely ignoring his father’s weeping, and instead giving me a mocking, sinister smile. He looked nothing like that old man’s son. Yes, at this moment, Secretary Baker was possessed by a ghost again—he was no longer Secretary Baker.

I pointed at him angrily and said, “You wicked fiend! Before, your troublemaking was your own doing, so I let you be. But today you’ve killed an innocent person—you will not escape heaven’s retribution!”

Hearing me scold him, he suddenly became ferocious and said, “You impudent brat, how dare you shout at me! A few days ago, I spared your life because you’re just a child. If you meddle again, don’t blame me, the General, for dealing with you too!”

“Heh! Such arrogance. Today you’ve already killed someone—haven’t you caused enough trouble? If you keep this up and keep hurting people, don’t blame me for acting on behalf of heaven and taking you down!” Although I was furious, I knew that if it came to a fight, I might not be able to beat him. So if I could reason with him and get him to leave, that would be best.

But he wouldn’t listen at all. Instead, he boasted, “You little brat, don’t talk to me about heaven’s will. This boy led you villagers to destroy my residence. Let me tell you, not just him—anyone who touched my house, I, the General, will not let go easily. All of you, just wait. Once I deal with this one, you’re next!”

These words were like a thunderclap, striking fear into everyone present. Most of the villagers had dug up dirt and smashed stones that day. Seeing what happened to Secretary Baker, they realized the same thing could happen to them in the future—how could they not be afraid?

The villagers immediately panicked, trembling all over. A few timid ones even knelt down, begging him to spare them, saying they were all forced by Secretary Baker, and if they didn’t dig, Secretary Baker would tie them up for public criticism. Some even started crying as they spoke.

Soon, a large group was kneeling. Yes, the villagers were truly terrified—Secretary Baker was the best example right in front of them.

But seeing everyone so afraid, Secretary Baker on the roof was quite pleased, his face full of smugness. He sneered mockingly, saying that kneeling was useless, that they even dared to offend him, and that he would never let them go.