Hou Niao was momentarily stunned. Of course, he knew Hei San, for they shared a particularly unique story. Now that Hei San had come to repay a debt of gratitude, it seemed reasonable.
But he didn't understand what the point of struggling so desperately was. Could one truly escape under the gaze of such a public assembly?
Completely overwhelmed by the specter of death on the execution ground, he couldn't fathom the intricacies of the situation. Before death, even the frailest straw becomes something to grasp without hesitation, never letting go.
He faintly felt that his life shouldn't just end so abruptly, yet he didn't know what he could do to have a new beginning.
Escape was his only hope now.
He had a new understanding of the law; he once thought he could face life and death with equanimity, that taking responsibility for one's actions was the perseverance of a lawman. But faced with the immediacy of death, the so-called law he adhered to was merely a face-saving facade.
