Suddenly, she broke free from her restraints and rushed to the crenellation of the city wall, peering down. In an instant, she spotted her husband.
Her children, crying, followed and surrounded her. The older ones also saw Mo Qianzhi below the tower and called out.
“Father!”
Their cries carried on the wind. Mo Qianzhi, who had been calm and composed, heard these familiar voices and looked up. When he saw his wife and children, his heart sank, and an inexplicable sorrow welled up within him.
Had he ultimately dragged his family into this?
But how dare Shen Du lay hands on his family? Was it because he had ordered the killing of Zhu Yan during the city siege, angering Shen Du? Was this his way of retaliating, using Mo’s family as pawns?
“Shen Du, I should never have saved you,” Mo Qianzhi’s eyes flashed with hatred. Zhu Yan was a spy planted by those people to infiltrate Shen Du’s life. Their marriage was a scheme, yet he had indulged in her charms, unable to distinguish right from wrong, letting Zhu Yan lead him by the nose.
“Now, can you face our teacher with a clear conscience?”
Faced with these accusations, Shen Du knew his methods were not honorable. Otherwise, Mo Qianzhi would not have brought up the past life-saving grace to question him.
Pursing his lips, Shen Du looked at Mo Qianzhi, who was blocking the moat outside. His chest heaved as he spoke, “Senior Brother, I haven’t forgotten the kindness you showed in saving me. I know you trust me. I swear I won’t harm them. I brought them here only to ask for the antidote to ‘Breaking the Cocoon to Become a Butterfly,’ or for you to hand over Chen Huo’e.”
Shen Du didn’t use “this official” but “I,” as he had always harbored brotherly affection for Mo Qianzhi from their younger days, though he was never good at expressing it.
Zhu Yan felt guilty once again. Feeling she couldn’t just stand idly by, she approached Madam Mo and the children, trying to appear as relaxed as possible.
“Madam Mo, please don’t worry. We won’t implicate you because of Lord Mo’s actions. We have no intention of harming you.”
“Pah!” Madam Mo, though of noble birth, had lost her composure after the recent tumultuous events. She only wished she could share her husband’s burdens. “If Madam Shen truly means no harm, then let us go. Allow me and the children to reunite with my husband, instead of using us to threaten him. Why put on such a hypocritical act?”
Zhu Yan was momentarily at a loss for words. She tried to explain, “Pan Chi has been poisoned with a strange toxin. Only Lord Mo can obtain the antidote, but he’s unwilling. We had no choice but to resort to this. I hope Madam Mo can forgive us.”
“I can guarantee that we’ll release you as soon as we get the antidote.”
Madam Mo scoffed, “And what if you can’t get it?” She protectively gathered her children on either side.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan smiled bitterly, her heart tightening. Suddenly, a figure appeared beside her. Shen Du spoke with certainty, “Even if Senior Brother doesn’t provide it, I will let you go. I won’t go back on my word.”
Madam Mo hadn’t expected this. For a moment, she forgot to retort and stared at them for a while before lowering her head.
“I hope you keep your word.”
As long as she could reunite with her husband, life and death didn’t matter. But the children…
Seeing Madam Mo pacified, Shen Du took Zhu Yan’s hand and walked to the corner tower. He called out to Mo Qianzhi:
“My wife and I promise here and now, as long as you provide the antidote or hand over Luo Fu, we will immediately release Madam Mo and the children. We won’t go back on our word.”
Mo Qianzhi sneered, “Are you so certain I must give it to you?”
Of course not, but this was the only way. They had to try.
Shen Du’s expression turned stern, his eyes radiating an imposing aura:
“Senior Brother, do you realize you’ve made a mistake?”
Mo Qianzhi scoffed, “I made a mistake? You’ve mistaken the enemy for your parent—no, your mother. Every day you feast on delicacies stained with the blood of your clansmen, enjoying the glory and wealth built upon the bones of your people. Aren’t you making an even more egregious error?”
As these words were spoken, the surrounding soldiers felt a chill emanating from Shen Du, sending shivers down their spines.
Zhu Yan found these words particularly grating. She rushed forward and shouted, “What about you? You pretend to be the benevolent Governor of Yingzhou who cares for the people, but in reality, you collude with Guangchun Hall, covering for the Half-Faced Ghosts, and persecuting innocent civilians. You massacre a city to lay the foundation for your so-called cause. Can you sleep soundly at night?”
“At least Shen Du doesn’t use the blood of innocents as stepping stones for his so-called ideals.”
Faced with Zhu Yan’s tirade, Mo Qianzhi didn’t anger. Instead, he laughed, “Hahaha, what a sharp-tongued woman, twisting black and white. They certainly chose well when they sent you to Shen Du’s side. What a pity.”
He spread his hands and swept his gaze across the surrounding pursuers, among whom were many masked Half-Faced Ghosts. Mo Qianzhi spoke confidently, “Even if everything you say is true, so what? They deserve to die. The master they wholeheartedly support is nothing but a shameless woman who not only climbed into Taizong’s dragon bed but also into the previous emperor’s. A woman who rose to power by climbing into beds, so insecure that she could only consolidate her position by killing the loyal ministers of the previous dynasty. Where is heaven’s justice? Where is human conscience?”
As Mo Qianzhi spoke these words, he felt a surge of emotion in his chest. It was extremely satisfying to finally speak his mind. After years of pretense, he could at last openly express his thoughts.
“I choose to be human, while you choose to be a clown. Shen Du, you live like a dog.”
These words were too venomous. Zhu Yan’s head buzzed as if struck by a drum. If she knew martial arts, she would have already drawn a bow and shot an arrow at Mo Qianzhi.
Seeing Zhu Yan defend him so fiercely, Shen Du felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance. He restrained Zhu Yan, who was about to lose her temper, shaking his head slightly and giving her a calming look.
After a moment, Zhu Yan quieted down, surprised at her intense emotional reaction.
Shen Du narrowed his eyes, placing his hand on the battlement. He fixed his gaze on the man below, “As long as you leave the Fire Moth Party, accept punishment, and find your former self, you will always be my family, Shen.”
“You will always be the senior brother I most admire.”
Mo Qianzhi’s expression changed slightly. How could he possibly forget the bits and pieces of the past? Even if he had forgotten his history with Shen Du, he would never forget Shen Shijie.
He was a scholar with profound knowledge, full of justice, and a heart for the world. He was a mentor, a truly admirable elder, and a teacher.
But times had changed, seas had turned to mulberry fields. The teacher had died, caught in that woman’s schemes. Shen Du had changed, and so had he.
“It’s too late, far too late.”
The arrow was already on the string; it had to be released. He had schemed and endured for so long; he couldn’t fail now.
“Don’t you find your own words ridiculous?” His laughter became somewhat eerie, his gaze turning resolute yet terrifying. “After all these years, you’ve become a lapdog of the Great Zhou. How can you face our wronged teacher?”
“I’ve always remembered the injustice done to the Shen family. In all my years leading the cabinet, I’ve never given up searching for the truth,” Shen Du growled, his voice filled with suppressed emotion. He truly didn’t want to cross swords with Mo Qianzhi. Everyone said he was heartless, but that wasn’t true. Mo Qianzhi was the only person left in this world connected to the Shen family. He didn’t want to…
“Spare me that nonsense,” Mo Qianzhi raised his arm and shouted, “Destroy the Great Zhou, cleanse the filth, establish a new world!”
“Establish a new world!”
“Establish a new world!”
The pursuers echoed his cry. As they looked toward their former acquaintances on the city wall, their eyes no longer held any sympathy or pity.
Yes, they were the tainted ones, unfit to live in this world. Kill them, then resurrect a brand new version of them.
This was salvation, not destruction.