Albert King hesitated, and actually had the thought of going home. But at that moment, a young boy, in order to protect a corpse, chased away a stray dog, passing right in front of him, giving Albert King a blow to the head. Here he was, a man eight feet tall, yet not even as good as a beggar—how shameful!

If I die, so be it. I’m not afraid of anything!

……

After hearing Albert King’s introduction, Edward Clark saw his sincerity and gladly agreed. Moreover, the name Albert King seemed familiar from historical records, but it was so common that he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

Edward Clark shook his head. “Then I’ll trouble you, Brother King, to fetch a few buckets of clean water!”

“Alright, I’ll go right away!”

With Albert King’s help, the work sped up noticeably. He was in charge of carrying and transporting water, while Mark Brooks was responsible for gathering the corpses together.

The direct relatives of the Guo, Chai, and Wang families had been beheaded. Others had been beaten to death, some had hanged themselves, and some were missing limbs—utterly tragic. On top of that, after several days of being torn by stray dogs, the corpses were rotting, and the situation was dire.

Edward Clark took over the corpses, carefully piecing them together to ensure nothing was amiss, then handed them to Mark Brooks for cleaning. After drying, he would apply makeup. Edward Clark was especially meticulous; every corpse he handled looked completely different—clean, tidy, and peaceful.

The three of them worked until dusk before finally leaving.

The dozen or so prepared corpses were placed in the backyard of the nearby Jixiang Nunnery, a place specifically used for storing bodies.

The next day, Edward Clark and Mark Brooks appeared at the execution ground again. This time, standing opposite them was not just Albert King, but a large group of people, including Michael Thompson, who had tried several times to dissuade Albert King.

He was overwhelmed with shame, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

“The Marshal treated us with great kindness. We may have no other skills, but collecting the bodies of the Marshal’s family is our duty. If the court wants to kill someone, let them start with me!”

The others shouted in unison, “That’s right! We’re real men—if we can’t even match a little beggar, living in fear, we might as well be dead!”

The group shouted as they all pitched in.

Edward Clark’s work suddenly became much easier. He only needed to assign tasks and handle the final makeup; all other work was taken on by others.

In just one morning, they processed forty corpses.

The burly Albert King wiped his sweat and said, “Little brother, we can’t just leave them out like this. Do you think we need coffins?”

Edward Clark nodded. “Coffins would be best, but with so many, can we find enough in such a short time?”

“We can. Worst case, we’ll bring doors and windows from home!”

With that, Albert King led a few people to the coffin shop.

Not long after, they returned with more than twenty coffins, as if they’d emptied out the whole shop. Albert King told Edward Clark that the owner, upon hearing the coffins were for burying the Guo family, not only charged half price but also sent his workers to help deliver them.

“That’s what it means for justice to live in people’s hearts!” Edward Clark was deeply moved. Even so, there was still a big shortage, so it was up to everyone’s resourcefulness.

Albert King took the lead, bringing doors and bed boards from home. Others were not to be outdone, searching everywhere for wood. Some knew carpentry, and soon, one makeshift coffin after another was built.

Everyone carefully carried the Guo family members inside, afraid of making even the slightest mistake.

When someone noticed there was no paper money to burn, they immediately turned around to buy some. The scene grew larger and larger, even making Edward Clark break out in a sweat—keep it low-key, it must be low-key!

At this point, nothing he said would help. Everyone hated the court, and since the Guo family had been wronged by the authorities, they felt a deep connection and were emotionally invested. No one wanted to let the Guo family suffer further… Edward Clark felt both pain and joy. The better and grander the event, the more likely he was to win the new ruler’s favor and become a rising star. But if the authorities were alerted, it would be no laughing matter.

Gradually, more and more people gathered, standing around and watching, discussing in hushed tones. Just then, an old beggar sneered, “Fools! They’re collecting the bodies of traitors—makes them traitors too. They’ll lose their heads along with the Guo family!”

The people nearby grew angry and retorted, “Old Lai, how can you be so heartless? In your next life, you’ll still be a beggar!”

“What did you say?”

The old beggar glared, raising his stick.

No one cared about him. Someone shot back, “Am I wrong? Look at the clothes you’re wearing—they were given to you by the Guo family two winters ago. How could you forget? Even a dog would wag its tail if given something! You’re not even as good as a dog!”

The old beggar went completely mad. “Fine! You’re all siding with traitors. You’ll all die!”

He shouted loudly and turned to run to the authorities to report them.

At this moment, a thin, small middle-aged man shouted sternly, “Mangy dog! You’re always informing for the authorities and have harmed plenty of people! Go ahead this time—those with the surname Wang aren’t afraid anymore!”