She was angry at his lack of struggle, yet helpless. She could only watch from above as he did strange things.
Lying on the ground, Xiuxiu could feel the blood flowing from her neck. The pain was inevitable, but strangely, she didn’t want to die quickly. She looked at the person before her, seeing only a blurry outline. She wanted to see clearly, to see his eyes.
But Wang Buzui wasn’t concerned with any of this now. He only wanted to revive Wang Xiuxiu.
As for the Xiuxiu before him, he had only become acquainted with her because of her resemblance to his little sister.
Her mouth opened and closed slightly, but no sound came out.
It seemed her vocal cords were damaged. A bitter smile tugged at her lips, which Wang Buzui noticed.
“I hope you won’t encounter me in your next life.” Due to reciting the ritual incantation, even this sentence was only thought silently in his heart.
Seeing he wasn’t distracted at all, Xiuxiu couldn’t bear it anymore. After all this time, she had never had a place in his heart.
All this time, he had only approached her because of Wang Xiuxiu.
With hands outstretched, a plume of smoke rose. Wang Buzui chanted continuously, staring unblinkingly at the smoke.
But nothing appeared. His sister didn’t appear.
How could this be?
Last night, Zhu Yan had successfully summoned Wang Xiuxiu. If Zhu Yan could do it, why couldn’t he?
Could it be that he had only focused on absorbing fortune, leading to no effect?
Wang Buzui looked down, seeing Xiuxiu’s pained expression. He suddenly realized it must be because she wasn’t completely dead, aware that the knife hadn’t pierced the main artery.
Steeling his heart, he pressed down hard on the knife. Blood gushed out, and the light faded completely from Xiuxiu’s eyes.
But even after a long while, there was no change. The corpse remained a corpse, Xiuxiu was still Xiuxiu.
The incantation in his mouth was finished. He shouted in anger. It must be that the fortune wasn’t enough. Yes! That’s it! Massacre the city!
His fierce gaze swept over the commoners.
Damn it, these people should all die. Only when they die will there be enough fortune to revive his little sister?
Obsession, years of accumulated obsession, exploded within Wang Buzui. He simply couldn’t accept this reality, pushing all problems onto the matter of fortune.
At this moment, Zhu Yan, who had been staying close to Shen Du, noticed that Xiuxiu’s body also began to form threads. White threads seeped out of her skin bit by bit, bending and tangling, forming a thin, transparent, inconspicuous web. The noon sunlight shone on it, making the silk web gleam with a silvery luster, raising waves like a wheat field on Xiuxiu’s body.
It seemed that the leader of Guangchun Hall never intended to give her a way out. She was just a pawn, now discarded and worthless.
It’s a pity that before her death, she still trusted Wang Buzui so much, only to be killed by the one she trusted most, dying in confusion.
“Wang Buzui, how can you still not repent?”
Hearing Shen Du’s voice, Wang Buzui suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with enough hatred to kill. Due to his wild, uncontrollable obsession, he was speechless.
He was still pondering where he had gone wrong, why his little sister hadn’t been revived.
“Resurrection from death is a foolish fantasy, violating the laws of nature. You still imagine killing people to absorb fortune. If karma truly exists as Buddhism claims, then killing people should reduce fortune. You should descend to the eighteenth level of hell to endure the mountain of knives and sea of fire, never to be reborn!”
These words pierced Wang Buzui’s heart like needles. He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe his little sister couldn’t be revived.
“Nonsense! My little sister had goodness in her heart. How could this world hinder her revival? It’s you! It must be you who ruined everything!” He suddenly stood up, glaring at Shen Du and his group.
From the beginning, they had hindered him in every way. Everything had been planned so meticulously, planned for many years. But ever since they arrived in Yingzhou City, nothing had gone smoothly. The attempt to absorb the fortune of the entire city during the massacre had failed, and so had everything after. No matter how he thought about it, it had to be these people’s fault.
No one paid attention to Wang Buzui’s madness. There was only a slight pity for Xiuxiu’s misplaced affection.
Shen Du signaled with his eyes, and Jing Lin instructed the executioner to come forward to move Xiuxiu’s corpse away, to prepare for Wang Buzui’s beheading. Wang Buzui noticed and immediately approached him, his eyes bloodshot, causing everyone who saw to feel a chill.
But the executioner’s job was to take lives in the human world. He had seen many condemned criminals’ ugly behavior before execution – fear, terror, remorse, intimidation, and even physical struggles and fights. He was quite experienced and wouldn’t be intimidated. He glared back and pushed Wang Buzui aside.
But Wang Buzui refused to move. Xiuxiu’s corpse was the most important prop; everything else could be missing, but not her.
Obtaining the corpse of someone similar to the deceased was the final and most crucial step in this ritual. Although it had just failed, Wang Buzui believed that if given time, he could figure out the key. Especially with that person around, he knew how to revive her.
The executioner was about to use force, but at Shen Du’s signal, he grunted heavily and stepped back a bit.
Kneeling and looking at the corpse, Wang Buzui made strange noises. He spread his arms and let out a long howl to the sky. Everyone present found it strange and frightening, but no one left.
As long as there were Guangchun Hall members nearby who heard the sound, someone would surely come to rescue him from the execution ground.
The leader hadn’t shown up only because the time wasn’t right. He was still comforting himself – just wait a little longer, just a little longer and he could leave.
Just wait a little longer, and his little sister will be revived.
His sister, whom he had been thinking of day and night, would surely reunite with him.
As he indulged in these strange actions, Shen Du’s side had already reached for the command token.
Since they couldn’t get the antidote to save Pan Chi, there was no point in wasting time.
“Wang Buzui, Deputy Leader of Guangchun Hall, one of the masterminds behind the ‘Half-faced Ghost’ case, your crimes are unforgivable. Execute the immediate beheading, carry it out now, without delay.”
“Wait!”
The command token had not yet been thrown down.
“Shen… Lord High Chancellor, spare my life. My sister hasn’t been revived yet. I can’t die.” All his previous defiance had disappeared, and he had started to beg for mercy.
This surprised Shen Du a bit.
This Wang Buzui was, after all, a pitiful person who cared for his little sister.
It’s just a pity that his methods were all wrong!
Indiscriminate killing of innocents – just these four words were enough to warrant his death several times over.
“The dead cannot be revived. Wang Buzui, even at death’s door, you’re still so obstinate.” The command token was held tightly in his hand, waiting only to be thrown.
“No, my little sister can be revived. Please, Lord High Chancellor, spare my life.”
“No, no, let me revive my little sister first, then Lord High Chancellor can execute me. Please.” Wang Buzui wept profusely, begging incessantly.
Shen Du said nothing. Jing Lin couldn’t help but argue: “Didn’t you say your leader knows the secret method of resurrection? Why don’t we behead you, and then have your leader revive you?”
Wang Buzui was stunned. He looked around bewilderedly. He didn’t doubt that Leader Chen Huo’e knew the secret of resurrection, but he was also certain that Chen Huo’e had already abandoned him.
“Execute immediately.”
The command token clashed with the ground, making a harsh sound. Wang Buzui knew there was no hope left. All strength left his body, and he slumped his shoulders, staring blankly at Xiuxiu’s corpse.
The executioner raised his sword. The blade fell.
Blood splattered. The head rolled on the ground, taking a final look at this vast world.
Wang Buzui was dead.
There was only one thing he wasn’t wrong about – he could indeed reunite with Wang Xiuxiu. It’s just that the time for their reunion had only now arrived.