Ji Dafu was knocked unconscious and taken to the county yamen. When he finally awoke, he found himself in the Li residence.
Upon learning that the case had been concluded and Li Kuaixiang had only received twenty strokes as punishment, anger welled up inside him. Without delay, he rushed to the Li mansion.
Although Li Kuairui despised Li Kuaixiang, he couldn’t ignore the fact that his brother was now his only living relative. After the punishment, he brought him back to the mansion and summoned a physician to treat his wounds. By now, the injuries had been treated and bandaged.
However, having endured twenty strokes, Li Kuaixiang’s vital energy was severely depleted, and he had fallen into a deep slumber.
Seeing Ji Dafu storm in with fury, Li Kuairui knew he had come to settle scores. He hurried to intercept him, saying, “Brother-in-law, please listen…”
Ji Dafu brushed aside Li Kuairui’s outstretched hand, his eyes red with emotion. “Second Brother, are you trying to stop me too? Don’t forget how well Xiulian treated you all these years.”
If not for his wife’s sake, Ji Dafu would have severed ties with Li Kuaixiang long ago. Who would have thought that his care would nurture such a vicious wolf, one who ended up harming his wife?
“But… the dead cannot be brought back to life,” Li Kuairui chose his words carefully, trying to maintain a gentle tone. “Sister has already departed for the afterlife. Given her temperament, she wouldn’t want her loved ones to be at each other’s throats. Elder Brother has indeed made a grave mistake, but he has already been punished. I believe he will surely mend his ways and never cause trouble again. Brother-in-law, surely you wouldn’t want sister to be restless in the afterlife?”
“Restless? She’s dead, what use is peace now? Second Brother, have you seen Xiulian’s… Xiulian’s condition? If you had, you’d probably want Li Kuaixiang dead even more than I do.”
Li Kuairui had arrived late, and to avoid disturbing the deceased, both Li Xiulian and Xiao Cui’s bodies had already been placed in coffins. Thus, he was unaware of the tragic state in which Li Xiulian had died.
Seeing Ji Dafu’s tear-streaked face, Li Kuairui was at a loss for words.
Ji Dafu seized the opportunity to push past him and enter Li Kuaixiang’s bedchamber.
However, upon seeing Li Kuaixiang’s face, which bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to Li Xiulian’s features, he found himself unable to take action.
Li Kuairui, who had followed, witnessed this scene and could only sigh.
This was all karmic retribution!
After returning to his residence, Ji Dafu immediately arranged for funeral rites to be prepared overnight, allowing Li Xiulian to rest in peace. He placed her memorial tablet in the ancestral hall to receive incense offerings.
Unable to come to terms with his wife’s death, Ji Dafu fell into a depression, drowning his sorrows in alcohol daily and wasting away for quite some time.
As for Xiao Cui, she was given a proper burial, and her family received compensation, even though she had signed a contract of indenture, placing her life and death in the hands of her masters.
…
Initially, Li Kuaixiang was indeed dejected for a time due to Li Xiulian’s death.
However, this lasted only briefly.
Soon, he reverted to his old ways, becoming even worse than before. Not only did he turn into a drunkard, but his temper also grew more volatile.
Li Kuairui saw that he was beyond redemption and was deeply disappointed, yet he felt powerless to do anything.
Ji Dafu, for his part, had no energy to deal with this. He longed to drink himself into oblivion day and night, hoping to meet his wife in his dreams.
One day, at a tavern, Ji Dafu had once again consumed a considerable amount of alcohol and was already in a drunken state. As he descended the stairs, he lost his footing and tumbled down, accidentally tripping a guest who was ascending.
To make amends, Ji Dafu invited the man for a drink and a meal. The stranger didn’t refuse, and after a few cups of wine, the two became acquainted.
It was then that Ji Dafu learned that the man was Wang Buzui, the vice-leader of the Fire Moth Sect’s Guangchun Hall in Yingzhou. At the time, Ji Dafu only knew of Guangchun Hall as a place of medical practice, unaware of any ulterior motives.
From that point on, the two became acquainted and often met for drinks. As time passed, they became close friends who shared everything.
Upon hearing Ji Dafu’s story, Wang Buzui tempted him with the promise of reviving his wife, luring him to join the Fire Moth Sect.
Ji Dafu had thought the Fire Moth Sect was merely a baseless rumor, but it turned out to be real.
Hearing that the Fire Moth Sect possessed secret methods to resurrect the dead, Ji Dafu was intrigued and immediately agreed to join.
After joining the Fire Moth Sect, Ji Dafu learned everything and immediately began to plot.
Although Ji Dafu had joined the Fire Moth Sect, he was merely a low-ranking member. Wang Buzui naturally wouldn’t mention Chen Huoe and Lai Luofu to him.
Therefore, when Zhu Yan probed him about these two names, he showed no reaction.
Even though Ji Dafu despised Li Kuaixiang, he still maintained a facade of cordiality. With Li Kuairui serving as a bridge, the relationship between the three men soon returned to its former state.
As it happened, after Li Kuaixiang was introduced to Yuan Bayuan by Liu Zongyuan, he became deeply influenced by this man. Li Kuairui’s repeated attempts at persuasion were in vain, and the brothers even developed significant friction because of this.
Ji Dafu seized this opportunity and arranged a meeting at a tavern with Liu Zongyuan and the Li brothers. During the meal, to ease the tension between the brothers, Liu Zongyuan and Ji Dafu took their leave, allowing the two to speak privately.
Beforehand, Ji Dafu had already made arrangements with Wang Buzui to take a life while the targets were drunk.
Half-face Ghost had been lying in wait on the rooftop. Seeing that the two were already inebriated, he entered through the window, killed Li Kuaixiang, and took his head.
Li Kuairui’s involvement in the headless corpse case was entirely accidental. Ji Dafu had originally planned to take Li Kuairui away after he became drunk to provide an alibi and clear any suspicion.
However, just as he was about to return after sending Liu Zongyuan away, he was informed of an incident at the gambling house. Left with no choice, Ji Dafu had to make a detour to the gambling house first.
By the time he returned, the tavern’s waiter had noticed something amiss in the private room and reported it to the authorities. Li Kuairui had already been taken to the county yamen as the prime suspect.
Since Li Kuairui was innocent and had treated Li Xiulian exceptionally well when she was alive, Ji Dafu didn’t want to implicate him. So, he invited Pan Chi to investigate the case and clear Li Kuairui’s name.
This led to a series of subsequent events.
At this point in Ji Dafu’s narration, the motives for killing Li Kuaixiang are crystal clear.
Firstly, it was to exact revenge, and secondly, to prepare for the revival of his deceased wife.
Zhu Yan narrowed her eyes and guessed, “So you kidnapped Du Xiaowan to take a part of her body, to recreate this so-called secret method of resurrection?”
A flash of surprise crossed Ji Dafu’s face, not expecting this woman to be so astute as to guess their intentions with such accuracy.
Pan Chi, having regained some strength, also asked, “Then why go to such lengths to massacre innocent civilians?”
This massacre was premeditated, not just Half-face Ghost’s whimsical act of cruelty.
Although Ji Dafu was overpowered and had his arm tendons cut by Zhu Yan, his initial purpose for joining the Fire Moth Sect remained unchanged. How could he disclose everything and let Zhu Yan and the others ruin their plans?
So, taking advantage of Zhu Yan’s momentary distraction and Pan Chi’s immobility due to his injuries, he attempted to bite his tongue and commit suicide.
The Fire Moth Sect’s secret method of resurrection, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, required death before rebirth.
Even if he were to die here, Wang Buzui had already promised him that once their grand plan succeeded, he would surely resurrect his wife.
A life for a life – he considered it a fair trade.