A human scaphoid bone?

In other words, that small grayish-white object in the wine was a human bone!

Zhao Huai’s face turned pale.

He felt his stomach churning.

The surroundings fell into complete silence as everyone sank into a daze of shock.

By rights, the vat had been sealed five years ago. When it was sealed, both Zhao Huai and Zhao Qing had personally watched it being sealed. Inside, apart from wine, there wasn’t even a single hair.

Where could human bones have come from?

So Zhao Huai questioned Ji Yunshu, “Are you certain that’s a human bone? And not an animal bone, or something else?”

Ji Yunshu shifted her body slightly. Apparently, the wound on her back had stopped bleeding, and the clothing fibers were stuck right to the wound. With the slightest movement, the clothes would pull at the wound, causing waves of pain.

She said, “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to lick it with your tongue.”

What?

Lick it?

Zhao Huai thought she was toying with him. His expression darkened as he rebuked, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“I’m not speaking nonsense. If it’s an animal bone or a model bone, when you lick it with your tongue, it will feel very smooth. But if it’s a human bone, it will feel somewhat rough.” Speaking seriously, she continued, “If you don’t want to lick it, you can also scrape the bone with a knife. If a layer of powder falls off, it’s a real bone, because real bones have a layer of bone scales. If no powder falls, it’s a fake bone.”

Her analysis was sound.

Some of the deeper meaning was incomprehensible to others, but they understood the basic gist.

After speaking these words, Ji Yunshu frowned, appearing somewhat strained. If Wei Yi weren’t supporting her, she would have already collapsed to the ground.

“Shu’er, does it hurt? I’m holding you, so it won’t hurt anymore.”

Wei Yi tightly supported her shoulders.

Yet he didn’t dare press too hard!

Meanwhile, to verify Ji Yunshu’s words, after pondering for a moment, Zhao Huai pulled out the twin tiger dagger he had earlier plunged into the table, then picked up the bone segment from the bowl and scraped it several times with the dagger.

Sure enough, powder fell!

His throat tightened. He immediately threw the scaphoid bone back into the bowl.

His eyes blazed with fury, teeth clenched!

Yet he forcefully suppressed the rage surging within.

Everyone witnessed this and dared not speak.

Zhao Qing, however, watched this somewhat farcical performance with his own eyes. After staring at that piece of bone, his eyes deepened.

He seemed to perceive something.

He thought to himself that Zhao Huai was playing games with him, employing delaying tactics!

So he had deliberately staged this whole scene.

Therefore—

He said, “Since this wine is impure, there’s no need to continue drinking it.” Having finished speaking, he gestured with his chin toward Ji Yunshu and Wei Yi. “These two people—I’m taking them away now.”

Zhao Huai’s gaze was ice-cold, his throat filled with a nauseated feeling, somewhat suspicious. “This wine was brewed together by you and me in the vat five years ago. It’s never been opened. Don’t you want to know why there would be human bones inside?”

“Even if you soaked an entire corpse in the wine, it has nothing to do with me.”

“You…”

“Stop trying to delay me. I’m not falling for your tricks.”

“You think I ordered someone to put that thing in the wine?” Zhao Huai was exasperated.

Otherwise?

Zhao Qing said indifferently, “I said, whether it is or isn’t, it has nothing to do with me.”

In the gap between words, Zhao Qing had already walked toward Ji Yunshu. Just as he was about to reach out and pull her, his wrist was grabbed by Zhao Huai and flung aside.

The two men stood face to face in confrontation.

Zhao Huai warned, “Zhao Qing, this is my territory.”

“Are you giving me these people or not?” Zhao Qing’s tone carried a threat.

Neither yielded.

At this moment, the clever bandit who had quietly slipped out earlier ran back in, his tone elevated. “Leader, the people outside have all been dealt with.”

Hmm?

Zhao Qing was puzzled. Brows furrowed, he withdrew his hand from Zhao Huai’s grasp, his eyes deep and sunken.

“What do you mean?” he demanded.

Zhao Huai snorted. His heart felt pleased. Raising his chin, he sneered several times. “Zhao Qing, did you think those few people you brought could burn down my stronghold?”

“So you indeed weren’t sincere about handing the people over to me.”

“I can only say you’re foolish—still the same as before.”

His words carried mockery.

Zhao Qing’s expression changed to one of rage. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

His cold, hard brow furrowed. “Since you refuse to hand them over to me, then I’ll have to take them by force.”

“By force? Take a good look around you. Do you have that ability?”

Having said this, Zhao Huai’s fist swung out.

The two men began brawling!

Each punch aimed to be vicious.

The surrounding objects were all smashed to smithereens.

Crashing and clattering sounds rang out.

Zhao Qing couldn’t match Zhao Huai. In the end, he was forced face-down onto the table, with Zhao Huai pressing the twin tiger dagger against his throat.

Ba Hu saw this and wanted to step forward.

But he was grabbed by Zhao Huai’s men.

“Second Leader!” Ba Hu shouted in worry.

Zhao Qing was a stubborn man. Even captured by Zhao Huai, he showed not the slightest sign of submission.

He only said, “If you want to kill me, then kill me.”

Zhao Huai said, “Zhao Qing, you and I are blood brothers. You know I could never kill you.”

Zhao Qing laughed coldly. “When Jiu’er died, I said we no longer have any connection. You are you, and I am I.”

“I’ll say it one more time—I didn’t kill Jiu’er.” Zhao Huai was agitated.

He pressed Zhao Qing’s body even lower onto the table.

Zhao Qing was provoked to red-eyed fury, his shoulders suddenly gaining strength.

He roared, “Zhao Huai, the one who deserves to die is you!”

He sprang up with a flip!

And that dagger happened to slice open a cut on his throat.

At the same time—

Bang!

The wine jar that had been sitting on the table was swept to the ground by him.

Shockingly, from the shattered wine jar on the ground, another small piece of grayish-white bone appeared.

Hair-raising!

Seeing this, Zhao Huai immediately withdrew the dagger and waved his hand. “Stop fighting.”

The two men separated, ceasing their brawl.

Zhao Qing breathed lightly with difficulty, raising his hand to touch his bleeding neck. Then he turned his gaze toward the bone segment on the ground.

He had originally thought the bone in the bowl earlier was Zhao Huai’s delaying tactic, but now he vaguely felt something was amiss.

Zhao Huai’s expression was rigid, his brow covered with cold sweat as he contemplated carefully. He bent down and picked up that segment of bone from the ground.

Then—

He turned to ask Ji Yunshu, “Is this also a hand scaphoid bone?”

Ji Yunshu’s face was pale. She glanced at the thing in his hand, her parched lips saying faintly, “This is a capitate bone, also a piece from the carpal bones.”

Ugh!

Zhao Huai’s hand trembled. He threw the capitate bone into the bowl of wine containing the scaphoid bone.

The two bone segments collided!

Immediately after, he shouted, “Who was it? Who threw these damned things into the wine?”

Everyone looked at each other, craning their necks to peer into the bowl, shaking their heads in succession.

Heaven bear witness—it wasn’t us!

They began discussing in low voices.

“The Leader and Second Leader both just drank wine from that jar.”

“Yeah, it’s truly disgusting.”

…

As Zhao Huai raged, Ji Yunshu said, “Since the human bones weren’t deliberately placed in the wine jars, perhaps there’s a problem with the wine in the vat. If I were you, I’d have someone open the vat and investigate.”

Perhaps there’s an entire skeleton inside!