Capture the Jade (Attacking the Jade/Inverted Fate/Inverted Jade) - Chapter 40
(T/N: the unfettered daoist=xiaoyao sanren)
Chapter 40
The person stared at Lin Chengyou without saying a word.
“Thinking about where you made your mistake, aren’t you?”
Lin Chengyou gripped the silver chain tightly, opening his mouth with a faint smile.
Behind him were green-latticed windows bathed in the bright moonlight. The night wind poured in from the window, causing the oil lamp on the desk to flicker uncertainly.
The person remained indifferent; only the reflection of the flames leapt and flickered within a pair of dark, gloomy eyes.
“To be fair, your plan was indeed seamless,” Lin Chengyou said.
“Qingzhi and Yao Huang are both dead, leaving no witnesses behind to be cross-examined. A single sachet proves nothing, the Unfettered Daoist of Luoyang left behind no trace to follow, and even for the heart-rotting herb, you had Gejin take the fall for you. As long as you thoroughly cleaned the small Buddhist hall, every piece of incriminating evidence would vanish into thin air. In a few days, when you walked out of Caifeng Tower, no one would ever know what you had done.”
The silver chain clinked softly. As if only just snapping back to reality, the person clutched the painful spot on their chest while coughing: “Cough, cough, cough… I don’t understand a single word of what Your Highness is saying. Just now, I only rushed in by accident to escape danger…”
Hiding behind Lin Chengyou, Teng Yuyi kept a close eye on the person’s expressions and demeanor.
Hearing these words, she smiled faintly: “Having worn a mask for so long, have you nearly forgotten your original face?”
The person’s throat caught.
“When you ambushed me, your strikes were so brutal,” Teng Yuyi observed the opponent with calm composure.
“Judging from the power and speed of your palm force, your martial arts are not inferior to the five Daoists from Dongming Temple. If Lin Chengyou had entered even a moment later, my life would have been lost to your hands.”
The person’s expression grew increasingly panic-stricken: “No, Young Master Wang, is there some sort of misunderstanding here? Just now, I mistook you for Juan erli and wanted to greet you. Before I could figure out what was happening, I was bound by His Highness. Look, aren’t you completely fine right now? If I truly wanted to harm anyone—”
The people in the room broke into a buzz of voices: “With both physical evidence and witness testimony present, how dare you still quibble—”
Lin Chengyou raised his hand to signal everyone around to be quiet: “Just a moment ago, I was wondering whether you would confess readily. It seems I overthought it. How could a villain who has already fallen into demonic obsession ever bow their head and admit their wrongdoings? Since you have no fear, I have plenty of patience. If you refuse to speak, I will speak for you.”
With that, he raised his voice and called out: “Bring the items in.”
Immediately, two bailiffs entered carrying trays.
Catching sight of the items on the trays, the person’s expression underwent a subtle shift.
The tray on the left held a stack of vermilion women’s ruqun skirts, while the one on the right held a Daoist’s black robe and gauze hat.
Lin Chengyou lifted the vermilion skirt and glanced at the person: “In truth, until tonight, I was not entirely sure whether you intended to kill Juan erli or Eji. Both of them had stumbled upon things they shouldn’t have seen, and both carried the possibility of being murdered by you. If I am not mistaken, the female ghost Eji saw outside the small Buddhist hall that night was you, wasn’t it?”
A flicker rippled across the person’s eyes.
Lin Chengyou watched the opponent with a smile: “You went to the small Buddhist hall late at night to set up a formation to harm people, but unexpectedly ran into Eji. Seeing you clad in a vermilion skirt, she mistook you for a female ghost. Given your cautious nature, by right you shouldn’t have spared Eji. Why didn’t you kill her in the end?”
The person looked bewildered, shaking their head blankly.
“If you won’t say, I’ll just make a random guess.”
Lin Chengyou stroked his chin.
“Eji is a talkative person. After encountering the ghost, she told everyone about her experience, and soon enough, everyone knew a female ghost frequented the small Buddhist hall. If you had struck at that juncture, it would have been hard not to link Eji’s death to the small Buddhist hall. Should the authorities come to thoroughly investigate the hall, your secret setup of the formation would likely be exposed. Rather than taking a greater risk, it was better to stay your hand. Besides—”
“You were very confident that Eji would not recognize you.”
Lin Chengyou sized up the opponent’s figure.
“The female ghost was dressed in a skirt and moved light as the wind when leaving. Even if Eji racked her brain, she would never imagine that person was you. That day, I told Eji the female ghost might be the killer and asked her to recall its appearance carefully. Although she grew suspicious, she never directed her thoughts toward you. I suppose the first reason is that your disguise skills are remarkably exceptional. The second is that in her mind, not only were you timid as a mouse, but your build was also exceedingly clumsy. How could a floaty, light female ghost be you? Killing one more person meant bearing one more risk. Since her suspicions couldn’t reach you, it was better to temporarily let her go. Am I correct?”
The person squeezed out a smile that looked uglier than crying: “Your Highness, the more I listen, the more confused I get. What female ghost? What red skirt? I don’t understand a single word.”
“Don’t understand?”
Lin Chengyou sneered, offhandedly picking up the Daoist robe from the other tray.
“Then let us talk about this instead.”
He grabbed the collar and shook it out.
The light yellow black-trimmed robe cascaded down with a rustle. At first glance, the body of the robe was unusually wide and large—only someone tall and stout could fit into it.
“Looks familiar, doesn’t it?”
Lin Chengyou said with a smile.
“This was gathered based on the attire and appearance of that ‘Unfettered Daoist’. It is said that this person’s Daoist arts were quite formidable, and the small Buddhist hall was constructed under his guidance. How strange that for such an important guest, barely anyone in the tower ever saw him with their own eyes. I questioned all the courtesans and patrons in the building; no more than fifteen claimed to have seen the Unfettered Daoist. One of them was Juan’erli—and she didn’t just see him at Caifeng Tower; she saw him once more afterward.”
He paused: “On the eighth day of last month, Juan erli went to Bodhi Temple to offer incense. After coming out, while resting at a roadside Hu eatery, she accidentally saw the Unfettered Daoist passing by the doorway. That Daoist had been missing for a long time; his sudden appearance in Chang’an inevitably raised suspicion. After returning, Juan erli mentioned this matter to Baozhu, which ended up being overheard by Eji and Qingzhi. When this matter finally reached your ears, it birthed your intent to murder Juan’erli.”
The flesh on the person’s face seemed to freeze, their expression remaining entirely motionless.
Lin Chengyou continued: “At first, I couldn’t figure it out either. Why would merely catching sight of the Unfettered Daoist bring about a fatal disaster? To understand this, I took a trip to Bodhi Temple myself. There, I discovered that besides Hu eateries and taverns, there was also a jewelry shop. Upon inquiring, I learned that Qingzhi had brought several ingots of gold that day to buy many expensive pieces of jewelry in the shop—and her money was precisely blackmailed from you.”
The person violently burst into a fit of coughing, waving their hand while coughing, face practically screaming the word “wronged”.
“Are you trying to ask: since Juan erli saw the Unfettered Daoist, why bring you into this?”
Lin Chengyou cold-laughed, putting the Daoist robe back onto the tray, and picked up a portrait from beneath it.
“Simply because from beginning to end, there was no such thing as the ‘Unfettered Daoist’—you were disguising as this Daoist all along.”
As soon as these words came out, it sounded like a thunderclap in everyone’s ears.
“Th-This… how is that possible?”
Lin Chengyou glanced at the glaring, fierce-looking Daoist in the portrait: “Judging purely from this portrait, who could have guessed that the Daoist was disguised by you? You knew full well how excellent your disguising skill was, so when tailing Qingzhi, you deliberately dressed up as the Unfettered Daoist. At that time, you had already resolved to kill Qingzhi because she repeatedly blackmailed you. Rather than acting inside Caifeng Tower, it was better to find a secluded spot on the street to kill her. On the eighth day, many courtesans in the tower took leave to go out, and Qingzhi was no exception. You thought this was a good opportunity and tailed behind Qingzhi, only for this scene to be witnessed by Juan erli.
“Juan erli didn’t know you were tailing Qingzhi because she only saw you disguised as the Unfettered Daoist and failed to see Qingzhi among the crowd. But you have always been paranoid, constantly worrying that she might recall something. Qingzhi was bound to die; if Juan erli ever remembered that Qingzhi had been tailed by the Unfettered Daoist before her death, it would surely draw the suspicion of the authorities. If an investigation truly reached the Unfettered Daoist, many things could no longer be concealed.”
At this point, Lin Chengyou tossed the scroll back onto the tray: “You knew very well in your heart that the Unfettered Daoist was entirely fictitious and could not withstand investigation at all. Back then, you appeared in Caifeng Tower disguised as the Unfettered Daoist simply because you wanted to use the name of the Daoist religion to build the small Buddhist hall. The small Buddhist hall was named to suppress evil, but in reality, it was a place used to perform sorcery.”
The person’s composure could no longer hold up. Their sleeve remained raised to cover their lips as a pretense, yet they forgot to cough for a long time.
The smile in Lin Chengyou’s eyes deepened: “As for why you chose this place, it is naturally because the famous ‘Seven-Ray Guidance Mark’ comes with various restrictions. The very first rule is that the formation can only be set up at the exact location where the deceased drew their last breath. Master and Madam Tian died in this building, so you could only perform your magic here to enslave their souls. Am I correct, Peng Dalang?”
The lamp wick popped with a crackle, the candlelight illuminating a layer of shiny white sweat on He Mingsheng’s forehead.
He looked at Lin Chengyou quietly, his eyes turning completely still, like a pool of stagnant water.
Lin Chengyou’s gaze was complex: “If I am not mistaken, before you murdered that couple, you had already planned to use the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark to torment them. Shortly after the two died, you deliberately lured numerous ghosts into the building. When the locals heard that this building was haunted, who would dare spend money to acquire it? Once the time was ripe, you pretended to be a merchant from Luoyang and bought the building. You were practicing sorcery, so naturally you couldn’t get a real Daoist priest to show his face. Thus, while renovating, you pretended to seek out a skilled master.”
He paused, sneering cold-heartedly: “Then came a certain day when you appeared disguised as the Unfettered Daoist. In the capacity of an extraordinary master, you guided the craftsmen to construct the small Buddhist hall according to your desires. Although your disguise skill was superb, the several madam owners of the brothel had sharp, hawk-like eyes. Fearing they might notice something amiss about you, you deliberately sent them away in advance before coming. That is why the number of people in the tower who have seen the Unfettered Daoist can be counted on one hand.”
“Tell me—” He Mingsheng suddenly opened his mouth, “How did you discover that the small Buddhist hall contained the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark?”
Teng Yuyi felt her scalp go numb. Strangely enough, though this person’s physical appearance had not changed, his composure and tone seemed to transform into those of an entirely different person in an instant.
The usual slickness and cunning of a merchant were gone, replaced by a refined and dignified demeanor.
He spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly, a massive wave seemingly concealed beneath his calm voice.
When entering the building during those earlier days, she had accidentally caught sight of the account book in He Mingsheng’s hand. She remembered being puzzled back then that a profit-seeking merchant could write such good calligraphy—that hand of handwriting was free, easy, and vigorous, by no means the result of a single day’s effort.
In truth, to avoid drawing suspicion, it would have been best to conceal even this point. Yet He Mingsheng did not do so, showing that even if this person was accustomed to disguising himself everywhere, there were still things deep within his heart he was unwilling to part with.
“It does no harm to tell you.” Lin Chengyou took out a seal and tossed it lightly in his hand.
“Those two junior brothers of mine found a faint mark on the floor tile, which looked like the first stamp of the Seven-Ray Guidance Mark. Only after inspecting it did I suspect that someone had performed sorcery in the small Buddhist hall.”
He Mingsheng nodded slowly: “So that was it. That tile was hidden in the corner beneath the incense table, and the mark was faint. I had intended to find someone to replace it in a few days, but unexpectedly, I was still too late.”
Lin Chengyou let out a cold laugh: “You were already cautious enough. Judging from the tragic state of Master and Madam Tian’s ghosts, you have been tormenting them for quite some time already…”
“You have been tormenting them for quite some time now. Having performed the sorcery so many times, you left behind only that single flaw. If my two junior brothers hadn’t spent the entire night sweeping and cleaning, it likely would have gone unnoticed as well. But speaking of which, Boss He, do you still not understand? Compared to that mark, another oversight was far more fatal.”
He Mingsheng calmly cupped his hands in a polite gesture: “I ask Your Highness to enlighten me.”
Lin Chengyou smiled faintly: “When a few of the craftsmen were working, they accidentally dug deeper than the depth you specified. Fearing they wouldn’t get paid, they hid this matter from you. You had no idea that a hundred-year-old ancient array was buried beneath, so you never took any precautions. Half a year later, when the two monsters broke free from the array, it was already too late. It was precisely because I needed to capture the demons that I stayed in Caifeng Tower. If the person investigating this case hadn’t been me, given your various methods, the truth might never have surfaced.”
He Mingsheng showed a trace of regret in his posture: “I can only blame myself for focusing single-mindedly on practicing sorcery over these years, while my cultivation in the righteous path remained far too shallow. Had I noticed earlier that demons were hidden below, perhaps I would have waited until I subdued the two monsters before taking action. As long as I avoided this ordeal, it would not have aroused Your Highness’s suspicions.”
Lin Chengyou looked at He Mingsheng with a meaningful gaze: “In truth, you hid yourself well enough. When a few of your former neighbors tried to identify your appearance, not a single one could recognize you. But that is hardly surprising—your nose suffered a severe injury that disfigured your face, and your build has become completely unrecognizable compared to before.”
He Mingsheng: “I was wondering why I was suddenly called to the garden this afternoon. So Your Highness specifically brought people here to identify me.”
“Having killed so many people, have you not felt a single shred of regret?”
He Mingsheng’s smile remained faint: “Never.”
“Setting aside your feud with Master and Madam Tian, why did you have to kill Qingzhi and Yao Huang?”
He Mingsheng let out a long sigh: “Their nature was ruined; remaining alive only served to harm others. Rather than letting more people suffer because of them in the future, it was better for me to eliminate these two sources of evil.”
Lin Chengyou found this statement quite novel. Crossing his arms over his chest, he said: “Oh? What makes you say that?”
“Yao Huang ruined Gejin’s face merely out of jealousy—was that not evil enough? Qingzhi conspired with her elder sister to frame and harm their own lead courtesan lady—was that not evil enough? After catching a glimpse of my secret, she took the opportunity to blackmail me—was that not evil enough?”
He Mingsheng shook his head with a sigh.
“After Gejin was disfigured, she wept piteously day and night, yet Yao Huang and Qingzhi showed not the slightest hint of remorse. At such a young age, their minds were already so sinister; for the sake of chasing profit in the future, they would only become even more venomous.”
Lin Chengyou: “So you knew all along that they were the ones who harmed Gejin?”
The corners of He Mingsheng’s mouth were pressed tightly together: “There is nothing in this building that can be hidden from me.”
“And how did Qingzhi end up blackmailing you?”
“Now that is a long story.”
He Mingsheng gave his sleeves a flick.
For many years, He Mingsheng had been searching for the whereabouts of Master and Madam Tian, hunting from the south all the way to the northern lands.
He had expended an immeasurable amount of effort, and hard work paid off—around a year or so ago, he finally tracked down where Master and Madam Tian were.
One day, he disguised himself as a merchant and entered Caifeng Tower to purchase cloth. It so happened that Master and Madam Tian were not in the shop, so he used it as a pretext to inquire with the shop assistant about Master and Madam Tian’s daily routines and living habits. Right at that moment, an awkward servant accidentally spilled hot tea onto his shoes.
It was early autumn, and He Mingsheng was wearing only a pair of light, soft thread shoes on his feet. That cup of scalding tea soaked through the upper material of the shoe and scalded right down to the top of his foot.
Unable to bear the sharp pain, He Mingsheng hurriedly rose to leave. The shop assistant beside him was panicked and flustered, having no choice but to report the matter to Madam Rong in the back. Madam Rong replied to quickly find a physician, and also had the assistant fetch a new pair of socks from the counter for the guest.
He Mingsheng merely said there was no need to call a physician. After taking the socks, he departed without even changing his shoes.
After stepping outside, he walked carefully to a secluded corner to take off his shoes and change socks. Little did he know, this scene was witnessed by Madam Rong from upstairs.
Fearing she might offend a distinguished guest, Madam Rong had been keeping an eye on the guest’s departure from upstairs, only to spot a bowl-sized red birthmark on the top of He Mingsheng’s foot. She froze on the spot.
Madam Rong was a native of Yuezhou. Before coming to Chang’an, she had always lived near Taozhi Ferry in Yuezhou. In her memory, the ferry was where the water met the sky in a single hue—a fine spot for recreation and leisure. Every midsummer season, young masters and young ladies often came in pairs to play. Among the crowd of young masters, a young gentleman of sixteen or seventeen was the most peculiar; when he came, he would not go into the water, but merely sat on the shore clutching a book.
Madam Rong heard everyone refer to him as the “Peng Family Bookworm”, and they even said he would travel to Chang’an in the future to take the imperial examinations. Such a person might become a Prime Minister one day, so how could he play around with common folk? Chatter filled the air with all sorts of talk.
Peng Dalang paid no mind to his companions teasing him, remaining absorbed in reading his book on the side. On one occasion, someone played a trick and pushed Peng Dalang into the water. After swimming back up, the first thing Peng Dalang did was not to hurl insults, but to look everywhere for his shoes. Having found his shoes very quickly, he smiled and slipped them onto his feet. Although his movements were exceptionally fast, Madam Rong still caught sight of the birthmark on his foot.
Back then, that birthmark was identical to the one on the foot of the merchant downstairs—even the way he hid to the side to put on his shoes was completely cut from the same cloth.
Madam Rong turned cold with fright, because it was impossible for her to see this person in Chang’an.
Peng Dalang had a miserable life; ten years ago, he was murdered along with his parents and younger sister.
Furthermore, Peng Dalang had been thin as a bamboo pole, whereas the merchant before her possessed an extraordinarily plump and stout body. From facial features to demeanor, there was practically not a single resemblance. Yet Madam Rong still felt something was amiss—could such similar birthmarks truly exist in this world?
Just as Madam Rong was feeling bewildered, Qingzhi came to the shop to find her. For the past few years, Qingzhi had been trying to inquire about her elder sister’s whereabouts. Learning that Madam Rong was also from Yuezhou, she often snuck out to look for her.
Madam Rong asked Qingzhi if she knew about what happened to the Peng family back then. Although Qingzhi was also from Yuezhou, she had always lived in the music conservatory; listening to Madam Rong describe the tragic state of the Peng family, she giggled and said she did not know.
Not long after, Madam Rong went to a nearby fruit shop to buy dried apricots for the household. Unexpectedly, she saw He Mingsheng among the crowd once more. She hurriedly asked Qingzhi beside her whether she had seen this man, to which Qingzhi naturally replied she had not.
Because of this delay, when Madam Rong and Qingzhi bought the dried apricots and returned, it was later than usual. Madam Qi hurled insults at Madam Rong; Qingzhi foolishly spoke up in Madam Rong’s defense, saying Madam Rong had not intended to linger outside, but had seen an old acquaintance—and added that the person was named Peng, who was also from Yuezhou.
Madam Qi’s face turned pale right then and there.
Dragging Qingzhi over, she demanded a detailed questioning.
Fearing a beating from Madam Qi, Madam Rong directly scolded Qingzhi for talking nonsense.
Not understanding what was going on, Qingzhi hurriedly changed her story and said the surname was Cheng.
It so happened that the owner of a nearby charcoal shop was named Cheng, except that family had moved to Chang’an over twenty years ago.
Madam Rong lied that the person she saw on the road was Lady Cheng, barely managing to fool her way past Madam Qi. Taking advantage of Madam Qi’s distraction, she urged Qingzhi to leave quickly.
From then on, Madam Qi escalated her beatings and verbal abuse toward Madam Rong.
Soon after, unable to bear Madam Qi’s humiliation and abuse, Madam Rong threw herself down a well and committed suicide.
He Mingsheng was entirely unaware of this episode between Madam Rong and Qingzhi. He successfully murdered Master and Madam Tian as he wished, and several months later, he took over the silk fabric shop.
On the day the silk fabric shop became Caifeng Tower, Woji brought her courtesan daughters to seek refuge. Squeezed in the crowd, Qingzhi recognized He Mingsheng at a single glance.
According to Madam Rong’s account, this man named Peng Dalang had died ten years ago, yet he not only appeared in Chang’an, but also claimed to be He Mingsheng.
Qingzhi merely assumed Madam Rong had remembered incorrectly, yet she could not help but pay close attention to every single action of He Mingsheng.
Several months went by without finding anything amiss, until one day last month. Qingzhi was ordered to deliver items to He Mingsheng’s room, arriving just as He Mingsheng was checking account ledgers with the purchasing manager. Perhaps dizzy from the hectic work, when he swung his brush to sign his name, he accidentally wrote the wrong character.
Where “He” should have been written in the ledger, he actually wrote the character “Peng”.
Even though He Mingsheng remained composed and corrected it very quickly, Qingzhi was still startled.
No matter how confused a person might be, they would never write their own original surname incorrectly.
Could it be that Madam Rong had not misidentified him, and the proprietor truly was that Peng Dalang?
To further confirm her suspicion, Qingzhi began creating opportunities. Once, upon running into He Mingsheng in the hallway, she blurted out out of nowhere: “Peng Dalang.”
Unsurprisingly, He Mingsheng’s face changed on the spot.
Feigning that she had misspoken, Qingzhi hurriedly left, though her heart was blooming with joy.
Afterwards, whenever He Mingsheng was present, she would intentionally mention Madam Rong. Not only did she mention Madam Rong, but she also mentioned Yuezhou.
At that time, He Mingsheng was secretly setting up the formation to deal with the souls of Master and Madam Tian, and he never expected that Qingzhi would pop out at such a juncture.
As the saying goes “Unless you don’t do it in the first place, people will eventually find out.”
He originally thought everything was flawless, yet Heaven had played a joke on him—what a person has done will, in the end, be revealed in an unexpected way.
He Mingsheng began to deal with Qingzhi, only to discover that she did not know much. Furthermore, relying solely on the word of this single girl was far from enough to prove that he was Peng Dalang. Having no desire to be blackmailed by her or to let matters complicate further, he intended to find an excuse to drive Qingzhi away.
Qingzhi seemed to have seen through He Mingsheng’s intentions. When he had someone call her to the front building for questioning, she asked him a question face-to-face: “boss, do you know Madam Qi?”
She said she wasn’t surprised that Madam Rong remembered matters of the Peng family, but was only puzzled by Madam Qi’s reaction when hearing “the Peng family of Yuezhou” a year ago—Madam Qi was clearly not from Yuezhou, so why was she so panicked?
“Boss, you used to visit the silk shop all the time back then—do you also happen to know Madam Qi? Everyone says her death was rather strange; should I report this matter to the authorities?”
He Mingsheng understood on the spot: this Qingzhi was a born extortionist.
Although she did not know the full picture of the whole affair, relying on a sharp intuition, she had seen right into the darkest corner of his heart.
In that very instant, He Mingsheng resolved to eliminate Qingzhi. He gave her several gold ingots as promised, but secretly began tailing her. Just as he was looking for an opportunity to strike, the two monsters burst out.
“After you all moved into Caifeng Tower, Qingzhi felt she had backing and began doubling her blackmail against me,” He Mingsheng gave a bitter smile.
“Caifeng Tower was filled with people everywhere, and even the small Buddhist hall had quite a few Daoist priests stationed in it. She thought I wouldn’t dare act rashly, little knowing that I had already secretly cast sorcery on her body. That night when I asked her out, she likely thought that the well was near the small Buddhist hall and believed I wouldn’t dare do anything to her, which was why she went to the well side with total peace of mind.”
“When a person’s greed reaches the extreme, they often reveal their foolish side,” he sighed with emotion.
“If Qingzhi hadn’t escalated her blackmail against me, perhaps I would have spared her. Sadly, there are no ‘ifs’—she brought her death upon herself. As for her elder sister who ruined other people’s faces, her death is likewise no loss.”
He made this summary calmly, his tone as casual as if discussing last night’s rain.
“So that’s how it was,” Lin Chengyou uttered a low hum.
He raised his eyes to look at He Mingsheng: “Had you left Chang’an right after killing Master and Madam Tian, no further complications would have arisen. But to you, merely taking Master and Madam Tian’s lives did not seem enough to quench the hatred in your heart.”
The corner of He Mingsheng’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“You hated them deeply, didn’t you?”
Lin Chengyou observed every single change on his face.
“Especially Madam Qi—if I am not mistaken, she was your maternal aunt.”
He Mingsheng’s figure swayed, and an intense surge of hatred erupted from his eyes. His previously tranquil and unruffled face was instantly covered in murderous intent.
He began to laugh grimly: “‘I am but a dog or pig, unworthy of clinging to life.’
With every word he spat out, a trace of sinister satisfaction added to his face.
“The greatest regret of my life over all these years is letting these two beasts live for ten more years, three months, and twenty days.”
Lin Chengyou did not induce He Mingsheng to speak any further, but merely looked at him in silence.
He Mingsheng stood motionless like a statue, seemingly lost in memory. Sharp contours faintly emerged on his cheeks—he was clearly clenching his teeth tightly.
All of a sudden, as if remembering a certain memory, his once ferocious facial features relaxed, and a shade of desolate sadness slowly floated onto his face.
When he spoke again, a touch of bitterness was added to his calm voice.
“My original surname was Peng.”
He raised his eyes to look quietly at Lin Chengyou.
“My original name was Peng Yugui.”
Lin Chengyou was startled for a moment, then smiled faintly: “‘A piece of jade from Mount Kun, a branch of cassia from the forest of Guilin’—a fine name.”
“Your Highness flatters me,” Peng Yugui smiled bitterly. “This was given by my father. He hoped that one day I could pluck the cassia branch and climb the moon to pass the imperial examinations, which was why he named me with this intent. I also had a younger sister named Baojiao, also named by my father. ‘Baojiao’ naturally carried the meaning of the darling of his heart.”
His brows trembled lightly, and he abruptly closed both eyes. Yet his tears were completely beyond control, streaming down silently and without a sound.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Lin Chengyou’s heart. Only when he heard the rustling sound of fabric behind him did he realize that Teng Yuyi seemed to be moved as well.
“My father was a pedantic scholar,” Peng Yugui opened his eyes slowly, his expression somewhat numb.
“He read books his entire life, yet accomplished nothing in the end. In the eyes of worldly people, he was clearly not very successful, but we all knew he was a good, kind-hearted man—so good that none could be better. Though he claimed to run a village school, those my father accepted were all children from poor families. Whenever it was time to pay tuition, more than half the children couldn’t produce any money, yet my father didn’t mind in the slightest and still taught them with all his heart and strength. Having run the private school for several years, expenses exceeded income every single year.
“My mother seemed never to know how to complain. To help supplement household expenses, she spent all day doing needlework and washing clothes for others. The small amount of money she saved on ordinary days was all used for the food and needs of us siblings. Our savings slowly drained away, and life grew increasingly bitter and hardship-filled. My father, feeling pained for my mother, made up his mind to close the private school. Hearing that fishing could maintain a livelihood quite well, he wrote calligraphy and painted for others by day, and secretly went out to learn fishing in the middle of the night.”
He gave a bitter smile: “Even though we lived frugally, the family was always full of joy and harmony. There were many wealthy households at the ferry, but my sister and I never envied other people’s children. My mother was best at making ‘lengtao’ noodles. Whenever summer arrived, she would wring juice from scholar-tree leaves to mix with flour, cook the noodles in cold well water to rinse them, and then mix in vegetable paste for us to eat. The cold noodles were jade-green and glistening; my sister and I could finish a big bowl. After mother wiped the corner of my sister’s mouth, she would smile and wipe mine too. As for father, his heart was set on having me study hard; whenever he had free time, he would teach me to write character by character, stroke by stroke. Once I learned, I would teach my sister.”
Peng Yugui spread open his palm, tears shimmering in his eyes.
The calluses on his finger joints were still there—marks left behind from hard practice back then.
His parents had left him nothing in this world except for these calluses on his hand.
All these years, he couldn’t bear to put down the writing brush in his hand, purely out of fear that time would smooth away the calluses.
If even this vanished, the last bit of remembrance left to him by his parents would be gone too.
“I was older than my sister and learned the character ‘er’ first. I wrote her name on paper and told her: You are ‘Baojiao-er’. She wrote a whole page of ‘er’ characters and ran around the room laughing.”
As Peng Yugui spoke, a gentle shade appeared on his face, making his countenance look considerably calmer.
The people in the room listened with complete absorption; no one had the heart to interrupt Peng Yugui.
“One year, because father saved a wealthy merchant, our family’s days grew much better. That wealthy merchant was superstitious about divination; after being saved by father, he insisted that it was originally his year of great calamity—’losing entire family fortunes at best, losing life at worst’—and only by meeting a noble savior could he turn misfortune into good luck. He firmly believed my father was his noble savior and insisted on gifting father fifty gold ingots. According to father’s former temperament, he would never accept such a huge sum of money, but perhaps it was because our family had lived too bitterly over those years, or perhaps it was for the sake of my future prospects—in short, he accepted it in the end. It was precisely these fifty gold ingots that lured those two jackals.”
Peng Yugui clenched his fists tightly, his expression abruptly turning dark and gloomy.
“People often say ‘accumulating virtue brings blessings to descendants, while accumulating evil brings lingering calamity’; or ‘one should do good, because good and evil will be rewarded in the end,” he said with mockery.
“Yet I feel these words are entirely deception. For good people like my parents could not escape being butchered by villains, while jackals like Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e got to live so many years of good days.”
Reaching the point of indignation, he couldn’t help grabbing at his collar, only realizing he had already fallen into the hands of the authorities when his hand touched the icy silver chain on his neck.
He froze for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed aloud.
His laughter was broken and dry, conveying boundless irony.
After laughing out loud for a good while, his voice gradually sank lower, finally turning into a cold sneer from his nose.
He said expressionlessly: “My mother was a person who cherished old ties. Ever since settling down in Yuezhou, she often asked father to write letters on her behalf to her eldest sister and youngest sister in Guanzhong. Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e weren’t doing too poorly back then, and had indeed sporadically replied with a few letters. A few years later, a famine broke out in Guanzhong. These two jackals could no longer survive in their hometown, so they came out to seek refuge with relatives. The eldest sister of the Qi family had died of illness the previous year, so they had no choice but to head for Yuezhou.
“Receiving their letter, mother was naturally delighted, hurriedly tidying up a bedroom. A little over a month later on a certain evening, Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e came ashore along with displaced refugees. My father met them at the ferry and led this pair of jackals to our manor on the mountain.”
As Peng Yugui spoke, he recalled the scene back then. Resentment slowly climbed upward from his chest, making his face look increasingly fierce.
After Master and Madam Tian arrived, they were very surprised by the wealth of his family. That night, when the family held a welcome feast for them, Tian Yunde took advantage of father’s drunkenness to deliberately fish for information.
“My father treated them with utter sincerity and was naturally without the slightest guard. Hearing that the Peng family had obtained such a massive sum of gold out of nowhere, the couple’s eyes burned with intense envy. After staying for just a few days, Qi Cui’e said she intended to settle down here and make a living selling colored silk fabrics in the future, but having empty pockets, she wanted to borrow some silver and money from her elder sister and brother-in-law first. Father offered ten gold ingots to Tian Yunde without a second word.”
Who would have thought that Master and Madam Tian would push their luck further, fixing their eyes on the remaining gold?
“I remember that on that very night, Tian Yunde began persuading father to go into business with them, saying he had seen clearly along the journey south that Guanzhong lacked fine colored silks the most. For instance, if they could transport Yuezhou damask and silk to the northern lands to sell, it would certainly win the favor of the nobles and dignitaries in the two capitals. Once the business got going, they would no longer have to worry about food or clothing in the future. However, there were far too many people in this trade; to stand out among them, one inevitably had to invest a massive sum of money.”
His father knew nothing about business and naturally turned them down outright. Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e refused to give up, dragging his father along to pour him more flattering words and empty promises, yet no matter what, his father simply would not nod his agreement.
“Two days later, it happened to be Qi Cui’e’s birthday. Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e mentioned that ever since arriving, they had been cooped up on the mountain all day long. Today was a rare opportunity, and they wished to go down the mountain for a walk, asking if there were any good places to visit in Yuezhou.”
Recalling up to this point, a deep wave of regret emerged in Peng Yugui’s eyes.
At that time, he was only sixteen years old. In his eyes, his uncle-in-law was warm and amiable, while his aunt was straightforward and spunky. Coupled with the fact that they had come from afar, he naturally felt a sense of closeness to them. Hearing these words, he hurriedly offered a suggestion, saying that there was a Lotus Dock nearby, and it would be better to go rowing in the evening to pick lotus pods.
Hearing this, his younger sister clapped her hands and cheered with joy, and his father had no objections either. His mother then happily prepared a good deal of wine and food, and that evening the whole family boarded a boat to view the lotus blossoms.
Little did they expect that while still halfway there, Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e brought up the matter of the two families going into business together as partners once again.
His father firmly refused, stating that the Peng family could absolutely never engage in commerce.
Peng Yugui had been playing with his sister by the boat’s railing at the time. Hearing these words, he knew in his heart that his father was worried going into business would ruin his son’s future prospects.
When selecting scholars, the imperial court had historically imposed various restrictions on the children of merchants. Once the Peng family fell into the ranks of traveling traders and shopkeeping merchants, it would very likely affect his future imperial examinations.
Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e tried to persuade him for another good while, but his father remained unyielding to the death. Seeing a look of displeasure appear on his father’s face, Master and Madam Tian had no choice but to drop the subject.
Fearing the atmosphere among the family would get too tense, his mother hurriedly urged them to drink wine. Yet before long, Qi Cui’e brought up a new topic, saying that since her brother-in-law was unwilling to do business with them, why not introduce them to that wealthy merchant who had gifted the gold instead?
That wealthy merchant was a local magnate; a tiny crumb leaking through his fingers would be enough for the couple to get their business up and running.
Of course, his brother-in-law still had to step forward—he was the merchant’s savior, after all, so as long as he opened his mouth, the merchant would surely agree.
His father flew into a furious rage, asking what they took him for.
It was bad enough if they wanted to do such bowing and scraping tasks themselves, but they shouldn’t even think of dragging down the Peng family’s reputation.
Qi Cui’e’s smile froze on her face. In her heart, she already deeply hated her brother-in-law for being so stubborn and rigid; being berated head and ears by him, her voice also grew loud. She snapped that he refused this and refused that, which was clearly just despising the poor and currying favor with the rich—if they weren’t so poor and shabby, he would probably wear an entirely different face. Her words grew increasingly nasty, stabbing straight into his father’s heart with every sentence.
As they argued, Baojiao was so terrified that she cried continuously.
Peng Yugui wanted to hold his sister and move far away, yet he worried that his parents and uncle and aunt would fight even more fiercely.
Suddenly, he heard his father say out of pique: Since you view me as a petty person, you might as well not even take those ten gold ingots. As he spoke, he protected his mother and turned to leave the boat cabin. The moment these words landed, Tian Yunde abruptly stood up from the table, took a few quick strides up behind his father, and gave him a heavy shove.
His father’s body was thin and weak, whereas Tian Yunde was tall and powerfully built. The deck was already slick and damp, and this shove carried ten out of ten parts of force. Caught completely off guard, his father’s body pitched forward, his temple crashing squarely into the raised iron lock on the boat deck.
His mother shrieked in horror.
Hearing the noise, Madam Qi hurriedly ran out.
Tian Yunde, seemingly not yet having vented his anger, was still cursing something under his breath.
Peng Yugui ran over to support his father, only to discover a huge gash opened at the top of his father’s head, with dark red blood gushing out profusely.
In an instant, it flowed all over his father’s face.
Checking his father’s breath, he felt it to be extraordinarily faint. His heart sank straight down, and he shouted in rage: “Why did you harm him?!”
His mother also realized his father was in a bad state and began wailing to high heaven: “Murder! Murder!”
Madam Qi was stunned frozen with fear, and Tian Yunde also panicked—it had been an act under intense anger, and he hadn’t expected it to inflict such severe injury.
The boatman came running at the sound, utterly at a loss upon seeing the situation: “Madam, should we report to the authorities?”
His mother’s hands were covered in blood as she desperately pressed a handkerchief onto the wound on his father’s head, weeping brokenly: “Quick… quick head back to shore to find Doctor Huang! Any later, and Master won’t survive!”
The boatman grew even more anxious: “Doctor Huang went to the city to treat patients and hasn’t been at the ferry these past few days! What should we do? Further out, the nearest doctors are around Spring Apricot Dock, and rushing over there will take more than an hour at least!”
Peng Yugui’s heart twisted into a tight knot; his father’s blood couldn’t be stopped at all, and let alone more than an hour, he would lose his life in half an hour.
He urged anxiously: “Head back to shore first and talk then! Hurry!”
While they were speaking, Madam Qi maintained a nervous and uneasy demeanor throughout, whereas Tian Yunde’s posture grew increasingly bizarre.
The boatman nodded in panic and turned to run back, when unexpectedly Tian Yunde bent his waist out of nowhere, scooped up the iron chain on the deck, and smashed it heavily right into the boatman’s face.
Caught completely unprepared, the boatman fell flat on his back.
Tian Yunde charged forward in a swift stride and delivered a second strike, a third, a fourth…
Peng Yugui was stunned. That sound was dull, heavy, and indescribably agonizing, just like a drumstick beating on a broken drum.
By the time he realized Tian Yunde’s next target was himself, he hurriedly pulled his mother backward.
“Are you crazy!” he said, his voice trembling.
Yet Tian Yunde had clearly gone mad with killing intent, charging straight toward them.
Behind them was the river water. Staying on the boat meant they might not be able to beat Tian Yunde, and to escape with their lives, their only option was to jump into the water. Yet Baojiao was still standing behind Tian Yunde; she was clearly terrified out of her wits by this scene, opening her arms toward her mother and Peng Yugui while wailing loudly.
It was during this moment of hesitation that Tian Yunde had already rushed right before their eyes.
His mother said sternly: “You lunatic! Cui’e, quickly tell him to stop!”
Peng Yugui lowered his shoulders and slammed headfirst into Tian Yunde’s chest. This impact was both swift and heavy; Tian Yunde let out a painful grunt and crashed down to one side.
Dragging his mother past Tian Yunde, Peng Yugui ran all the way to Baojiao in one breath. Just as he was about to bend down and pick up his sister, a violent, agonizing pain suddenly struck the back of his head.
His brain buzzed. Tian Yunde couldn’t have caught up so quickly; the person who struck could only be—
His mother cried out heartbreakingly: “You venomous woman! I’ll fight you with my life!”
Qi Cui’e strained her neck and screamed: “Tian Yunde, quick, help me! She’s going to bite me to death!”
Peng Yugui fought with all his might to stand up, yet his head felt as heavy as a thousand catties. The back of his skull felt damp and cool, with something warm and sticky oozing outward. Having managed to crawl up with great difficulty, his feet were so weak he couldn’t stand.
He only heard his mother’s blood-curdling shout: “Dalang, quickly take Baojiao and run!”
It was precisely this roar that ignited the remaining strength within Peng Yugui’s body. Reaching both arms forward without caring to look back, he scooped up his wailing younger sister and rose unsteadily to his feet.
He had no choice now—he had to find a handy object as soon as possible to strike back. Carrying injuries himself, and with the boat still far from shore, jumping into the water would mean neither he nor his sister would survive.
Just as he was staggering around looking for iron tools or similar objects, the familiar dull, heavy sound echoed from behind—dong, dong, dong, dong—every single strike feeling as though it were hammering directly onto his brain.
Peng Yugui’s heart twitched violently into a knot. Baojiao screamed in his ear, in a state beyond words of fright or nausea.
Grabbing a broken fragment of a wine jug near his feet, he roared in madness: “I’ll fight you to the death!”
His mother’s head was already a bloody mess, yet her arms still tightly clasped the feet of Tian Yunde and Madam Qi.
All the blood in Peng Yugui’s body surged straight to his head as he crashed into Tian Yunde like a wild beast.
By the time he too was beaten down by Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e, the sight before his eyes was already blurred and indistinct. The bridge of his nose suffered an indescribable sharp pain, as if the bone had broken.
In a trance, he felt Baojiao’s small hands touching his face, crying so hard she was gasping for air: “Brother, Brother…”
Suddenly, those small hands left his face—someone had scooped Baojiao up and carried her away from his side.
Baojiao’s legs kicked wildly above his head as she cried even louder.
Qi Cui’e said in panic: “What do we do? If this child keeps crying like this, sooner or later it will draw people over!”
The other person dragged Peng Yugui toward the edge of the boat. He barely managed to raise his head, uttering with his last breath: “I beg… let Baojiao go…”
That person did not say a word. Peng Yugui instinctively dug his fingernails into the deck, scratching out ear-splitting shrieks along the way because he gripped so tightly.
“She’s still small…” he groaned, “…doesn’t know… anything…”
“I beg… beg you to let her go…”
“She won’t… remember it…”
Tian Yunde hesitated for a moment, appearing somewhat conflicted.
Realizing that Tian Yunde was softening his heart, Qi Cui’e stammered, “W-We’ve already come this far, what kind of madness are you getting into now? Never mind that this child is old enough to remember things—even if she didn’t, who in this vicinity doesn’t know Baojiao? If we keep this child by our side, anyone and everyone will know that we were the ones who harmed the Peng family! Hurry… hurry and act, I… I’m terrified.”
Tian Yunde ultimately cast Peng Yugui aside, stood up, and walked in Qi Cui’e’s direction. Realizing what Tian Yunde was about to do, Peng Yugui trembled violently all over from sheer horror. He attempted to clutch one of Tian Yunde’s feet, but was easily kicked away by him.
Baojiao’s crying drew closer as Tian Yunde carried her over.
She wailed piteously, “Brother… Brother…”
Peng Yugui was horrified to the point of retching. Even dying on the spot could not be more hopeless than this very moment.
Like a dying fish, he thrashed futilely on the deck, begging only for Tian Yunde and Qi Cui’e to possess even the final shred of conscience.
“Aunt…”
Baojiao seemed to have realized something, her cries becoming increasingly sharp and shrill: “Brother!”
Peng Yugui summoned every ounce of strength he possessed, only to find that the slightest movement caused a heavy, metallic surge of blood to pour into his throat. How could the body of a critically wounded and dying person be controlled by will alone? When he finally managed to drag himself to Tian Yunde’s feet with great difficulty, he wheezed: “I beg you… let her…”
Before he could finish his words, with a plop, Baojiao’s tender crying came to an abrupt halt.
A cool mist hit his forehead—it was the splashing water.
Silence fell upon Peng Yugui’s ears. It felt as if a sharp blade had been thrust into his chest, instantly shredding his internal organs to pieces. He spiraled into complete and utter frenzy.
His mouth gasped wide open, making a gurgling sound in his throat. With every breath he took, his body shivered in agony. He wailed soundlessly, crawling toward the boat’s edge with all his life.
Baojiao is only five years old! He screamed in his heart: Heaven, I beg you to open your eyes! I beg you to give me a way out—take my life instead, as long as she lives!
Tian Yunde had seemingly not expected Peng Yugui to suddenly burst out with such power.
He hurriedly gave chase from behind, but before he could land a fatal final blow to the back of Peng Yugui’s head, Peng Yugui plunged headfirst into the river.
When Peng Yugui regained consciousness, he found himself lying on an unfamiliar riverbank. Stars shone brightly overhead, accompanied by the rising and falling sounds of waves by his ears. The cool night wind carried distant, ethereal Buddhist chanting.
Across the water, the distant, moonlit mountain range was faintly visible.
He twitched his body slightly, instantly triggering a excruciating headache.
Am I not dead? He tried to discern where he was. Sharp, piercing pain throbbed at the bridge of his nose and the back of his head, yet his torso felt completely numb.
Barely shifting his body, he realized there was something cradled in his left arm.
Stiffening his neck to look down by the light of the star-dappled ground, he discovered a dark, round, soaking-wet head.
His heart sank straight to the bottom. He rolled over with great difficulty, only to discover that it was his younger sister, Baojiao. His arm had long lost all sensation, yet it was still holding Baojiao in a death grip.
Baojiao’s body was already cold and stiff.
Her tiny frame curled up in his arm, her face appearing so peaceful, as if she were fast asleep in their mother’s embrace as she used to be in days past.
Peng Yugui’s lips began to tremble. Clasping his sister’s icy body tightly, he burst into heartbreaking, agonizing wails.
By the time Peng Yugui woke up again, half a month had passed. Critically injured, he had nearly died, saved by a novice monk from a Buddhist temple on a nearby mountain.
There were only two monks in the temple. The elder monk possessed a compassionate heart; he not only took Peng Yugui in, but also buried little Baojiao’s remains.
The two monks were pure-hearted and kind by nature. Suspecting that Peng Yugui was being hunted by enemies, they never mentioned his whereabouts to anyone. Peng Yugui recuperated for a full month before he could get out of bed; aside from the head injury, the bone of his nose bridge had also been broken.
During his recovery, he sporadically heard news of that horrific, family-annihilating tragedy.
Master and Madam Tian had narrowly escaped with their lives after their household wealth was plundered.
The couple of Scholar Peng died a horrific death, and neither of the Peng children stood any chance of survival.
The county magistrate was snobbish and incompetent. Seeing that the victims were merely a family of commoners, he was never particularly invested.
After investigating for a month to no avail, he declared that the Peng family had been harmed by rioting refugees and hastily closed the case.
Peng Yugui listened numbly, knowing full well in his heart that even if he went to the government office to cry injustice, the officials would merely treat it with perfunctory negligence.
Master and Madam Tian had already fled Yuezhou; the authorities would never go to the immense trouble of sending men to other regions to hunt them down.
Moreover, in a vast world, as long as Master and Madam Tian assumed new identities, there might never be a day they were brought to justice.
Peng Yugui could not afford to wait; he wanted to slaughter this pair of beasts with his own hands. Fearing the disclosure of his whereabouts, he begged the old monk and the novice to keep his secret.
Understanding his plight, both agreed wholeheartedly.
On the day he left the Buddhist temple, Peng Yugui stood silently at his sister’s grave mound for a long time. Taking out the rattle drum he had crafted in the temple, he bent over and drove it into the ground in front of her grave.
After a bitter bout of crying, he left that tiny, lonely grave behind in the verdant mountains and green valley, descending the mountain while looking back with every few steps.
“All these years, while searching for the whereabouts of Master and Madam Tian, I also looked for ways to earn a living,” Peng Yugui’s eyes were bloodshot with crimson veins.
“Not long after leaving Yuezhou, I was fortunate enough to meet a Luoyang merchant named He En. That year, he had just suffered the tragic loss of his beloved son. Seeing that I was intelligent, honest, and somewhat educated, he adopted me as his godson and had me follow him in business. During my time with the He family, I met an extraordinary martial figure. Seeing how formidable his abilities were, I tried every possible means to take him as my master. After years of arduous training, I secretly mastered a body of sorcery. Five years ago, as He En’s health steadily declined, seeing my gift for business management, he had me adopt his deceased son’s name on his deathbed, officially making me a child of the He family. From then on, I changed my name to He Mingsheng.”
Lin Chengyou felt a complex mix of emotions. So that was how it happened. When he had sent men to Luoyang to look into the background of the “Unfettered Daoist”, he had also casually inquired into He Mingsheng’s identity. However, judging purely from the He family’s household registry, there was not the slightest anomaly about He Mingsheng. It was precisely because of this that he had not investigated further.
“By the time I found Master and Madam Tian, it was already two years ago.”
The corners of Peng Yugui’s mouth cracked open into a demonic smile.
“Having committed such heinous atrocities, they actually suffered no retribution whatsoever! Since Heaven refused to act, then I would do it myself!”
Peng Yugui was already disfigured from his broken nose bone, and over the years, he had deliberately allowed himself to grow stout.
When he first encountered Tian Yunde in an inn on the outskirts of Chang’an, Tian Yunde did not recognize him at all.
Sitting at an adjacent table listening to Tian Yunde converse with his servants, he learned that Tian Yunde travelled to Yuezhou every year to purchase damask and silk.
Not only that, Tian Yunde frequently visited Taozhi Ferry as well—that newly taken concubine, Madam Rong, was precisely a beauty Tian Yunde had unexpectedly encountered at Taozhi Ferry.
Hearing a few sentences, Peng Yugui wished he could devour their flesh and sleep on their hides on the spot. It turned out that because Tian Yunde had failed to land a fatal blow back then, he had always felt uneasy in his heart. Visiting Taozhi Ferry every year was nothing more than seeking out news regarding Peng Dalang’s whereabouts—once he learned he was still alive, he would surely strike first to gain the upper hand.
Tailing Tian Yunde for several days, Peng Yugui summoned the most vicious, evil ghosts from the vicinity to haunt him.
Every night, Tian Yunde was entangled by all manner of bizarrely deformed, vengeful souls, leaving him unable to resist talking incoherently.
Only by listening to Tian Yunde’s nonsensical ramblings did Peng Yugui learn that the reason Tian Yunde feared his wife was because Qi Cui’e had written down everything they had done back then and hidden it somewhere.
Should Tian Yunde dare to mistreat or abandon her, she would let everyone in the world know what kind of creature Tian Yunde truly was.
When Tian Yunde was tortured to the point of trance and mental breakdown, Peng Yugui used a trick to write the bloody character “Peng” at the bottom of Tian Yunde’s cup.
Unsurprisingly, Tian Yunde was scared out of his wits on the spot; without going to Yuezhou to buy cloth, he fled back to Chang’an overnight.
Having always been overly particular about food, Tian Yunde already suffered from severe chronic headaches; hounded night and day by evil ghosts, he breathed his last in less than two months.
Having dealt with Tian Yunde, it was Qi Cui’e’s turn.
Thus came Qi Cui’e’s act of hanging herself, and thus came that confession letter filled with “I am but a dog or pig”.
“But how could merely killing them be enough?”
Peng Yugui’s gaze slowly swept across everyone’s face.
“Dying just like that—wouldn’t that be far too easy on them?! If it were you, what would you have done?!”
Everyone remained silent, for no one could offer an answer. Lin Chengyou stared at Peng Yugui in wordless shock, his expression far more complex than usual.
Though Peng Yugui spoke in an inquiring tone, he clearly possessed his own answer.
“These were naturally far from enough. To me, the moment Master and Madam Tian died was merely the beginning of revenge!”
Peng Yugui’s nostrils flared as he let out a gleeful laugh.
“I captured the souls of this pair of jackals and tortured them every night. They knelt before me like piles of rotting mud, begging me to spare them!
“I asked Tian Yunde: why were you unwilling to spare us back then? I grabbed Qi Cui’e by the hair and asked her: over all these years, have you ever felt even a single shred of remorse or guilt?! My mother treated them so generously, my father gifted gold to help them through their hardship, and Baojiao was only five years old back then, calling them ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’ with every breath before the incident! When they threw her into the water, did they ever feel even a single shred of reluctance?!”
Blood wept from his eyes, making him appear completely unhinged.
Accompanying his accusation, a wailing sound began to intermingle within the night wind.
At first listen, it sounded like someone crying in mournful sorrow.
“Thankfully, such exquisite sorcery exists in this world.”
Tears shimmered in Peng Yugui’s eyes as he let out a giggling, uncanny laugh.
“Thanks to theSeven-Ray Guidance Mark, I could torture them unhurriedly. I gouged out their tongues and severed their hands. In the future, no matter how many times they are reincarnated, they will be born deformed and incomplete! What a pity that my mastery of the craft was insufficient, and I didn’t know that a demonic evil was suppressed underneath—otherwise, I was only short one time or else I would have been able to sever their feet as well.”
With every sentence he uttered, Peng Yugui’s ferocious facial features relaxed a bit more.
Speaking until the very end, he looked down at his hands, his expression somewhat bewildered and lost: “Once I finished that last time, I would have been able to stop…”
“Can you really stop?” someone spoke up.
Peng Yugui was startled, slowly raising his eyes.
“Your targets were Master and Madam Tian, but you have also begun using sorcery to harm others, haven’t you?” Lin Chengyou looked thoughtfully at Peng Yugui.
“You used sorcery to kill Qingzhi, and you used the heart-rotting herb to kill Yao Huang. Juan erli merely stumbled upon your disguised appearance by accident, yet she too was treated as a target for murder by you. You first hid that packet of poisonous needles, and tonight you wanted to gouge out her heart under the pretense of the corpse demon. Had you truly succeeded, your cruelty and cold-bloodedness would have nearly caught up with Master and Madam Tian back then.”
“No!” The skin and flesh on Peng Yugui’s face twitched violently.
“I am different from those two beasts! I have my own painful reasons!”
Lin Chengyou paused, a trace of irony slowly surfacing at the corners of his mouth.
“I have my reasons!”
Peng Yugui’s gaze grew scattered and wild as he barely maintained his composure.
“Qingzhi and Yao Huang deserved to die long ago! Juan’erli—Juan erli—if she spoke of what she saw, you would have traced it back to me very quickly! I didn’t want to be brought to justice, because if that happened, I wouldn’t be able to return to Yuezhou!”
He spoke in total desolation: “I want to go back to Yuezhou… back to Taozhi Ferry… back to the place where my family used to live back then.”
Looking at Peng Yugui’s ferocious face, Lin Chengyou felt a quiet sorrow in his heart. Sorcery was deeply capable of corrupting a person’s nature; once corrupted, no one could preserve their true self. The moment Peng Yugui’s great revenge was exacted, the gates of hell had already opened to him.
Having killed the first, there would be a second, a third… In the future, whenever his personal interests were threatened, Peng Yugui would habitually solve problems through slaughter.
“Everyone in this world has their own painful reasons,” Lin Chengyou sighed softly.
“But the moment you raised your butcher’s blade against innocent people, you could no longer return to Taozhi Ferry.”
A fierce glare flashed in Peng Yugui’s eyes.
His right palm flipped abruptly, his fingertips turning blindingly bright like silver as they shot out a long, thread-like silver line.
The long thread shot straight toward Lin Chengyou’s throat, yet Lin Chengyou neither ducked nor dodged.
Teng Yuyi’s pupils shrank—she recognized this thing; fine as rain thread yet extraordinarily sharp, touch it and death was certain.
“Watch out!” She yanked Lin Chengyou to the side.
“This thing can take a life!”
Little did she know, Lin Chengyou had come prepared long ago. Tilting his head to the left, he flicked the silver chain in his right hand, striking backward toward the outside of the window instead.
Immediately ducking low, he pulled Teng Yuyi along as they rolled into the middle of the room.
Doubts arose in Peng Yugui’s mind—could Lin Chengyou have aimed in the wrong direction in his panic? There was no time to think further; taking advantage of the silver chain loosening around his neck, fleeing out the window was the main priority.
The silver threads in his hand could slice through gold and cut through iron.
As long as he escaped outside first, there would still be time to cut through the silver chain on his neck later.
Yet just as he leaped to the window sill, the frost-like silver moonlight abruptly changed color.
A broad, golden feathered wing reached in through the window, appearing a full half-zhang wide.
Immediately following, a deep-red giant claw hooked out, reaching straight for Peng Yugui’s neck.
In his panic, Peng Yugui shot out the silver threads from his fingertips, only to curse how tiny the silver threads were while the wing was far too broad.
The instant they made contact, he only managed to slice off a few of its feathers.
As the giant claw grabbed over, a heart-wrenching, agonizing pain erupted at his neck.
Seeing that blood was about to splatter three feet high, Peng Yugui felt a cold chill in his heart.
Right at this moment, he suddenly felt his collar being yanked by someone—Lin Chengyou dragged him back into the room, while simultaneously igniting a talisman with his right hand, leaping up to slap it onto the monster.
“Uninvited guest—are you looking to die?”
As if scorched by glowing charcoal, the monster retreated with a sharp, piercing screech.
“It’s the Golden-Robed Gentleman.”
Lin Chengyou swiftly pasted several talismans in front of the window, turning back to instruct everyone, “We need to deal with the corpse demon here. All of you, quickly follow me to the small Buddhist hall.”
He then said to Teng Yuyi, “Juesheng and Qizhi will be here right away. As long as you don’t step out of this door, the corpse demon won’t be able to break in within a short period of time.”
Drenched in sweat, Teng Yuyi stared at Lin Chengyou without uttering a word.
“Don’t worry,” Lin Chengyou darted a glance at her.
“What I promised, I will absolutely deliver.”
Only then did Teng Yuyi nod in satisfaction, crouching beside Peng Yugui to inspect the silver threads in his hand.
“He is severely injured.”
Peng Yugui’s neck was dripping with blood as he gasped in agony.
Lin Chengyou tore off a strip from his inner sleeve, crouched down, and pressed it against the wound on Peng Yugui’s neck.
He then said to Teng Yuyi, “Keep pressing on it.”
Teng Yuyi had just pulled out her handkerchief, but seeing that Lin Chengyou had already pressed his strip down first, she had no choice but to tuck her handkerchief back into her bosom, taking over his hand to press down heavily.
Having freed his hands, Lin Chengyou retrieved a pill from the pouch at his waist and attempted to stuff it into Peng Yugui’s mouth.
Peng Yugui’s face was already pale as paper. Carefully dodging the pill, he gave a bitter smile: “I didn’t want to harm anyone just now, I merely wanted to escape. But His Highness was right—my actions have already strayed far from my original intent. I can no longer deceive myself. Everything is my own doing; my death is no loss. Your Highness has no need to save me.”
Lin Chengyou clamped Peng Yugui’s lower jaw, stuffing the pill into his mouth without another word.
He then took away the silver threads in Peng Yugui’s hand, stood up, and said: “I am only responsible for investigating the case, not for judging whether you are good or evil. Keep your life—so long as you live, there is room for everything to turn around.”
