Gazing at the frenzied crowd, a terrifying thought crossed Shen Du’s mind. Could this be the purpose of Lai Luozhi?
“Do you truly understand the Fire Moth Party?” Shen Du’s voice pierced Mo Qianzhi’s soul. “Do you know who’s behind it?”
For a moment, Mo Qianzhi was speechless. The person who saved him always wore a mask. He knew this person had come back from the dead, called “Chen Huo’e,” the leader of Guangchun Hall, possessing inexplicable abilities and an aura of death.
But what did that matter to him? He was merely using the Fire Moth Party. Did they think they could convince him with a few words from that ragtag group at Guangchun Hall? Ridiculous.
Nothing and no one could shake his ideals.
Seeing Mo Qianzhi’s silence, Shen Du immediately seized the opportunity: “The leader of Guangchun Hall is Lai Luofu, the sister of Lai Luozhi, the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”
What?
The three words “Lai Luozhi” struck Mo Qianzhi like a thunderbolt, leaving him momentarily stunned.
But Mo Qianzhi quickly recovered: “Impossible. Shen Du, you’re resorting to any means to lure me into surrender.”
Mo Qianzhi shook his head. He had never heard such news from Wang Buzui. The Chen Huo’e who saved him was a man. How could Shen Du claim it was Lai Luozhi’s sister, Lai Luofu? Lai Luofu now held a noble status, enjoying glory and wealth with her brother Lai Luozhi. Why would she come here to engage in such sordid affairs?
“Chen Huo’e is Lai Luofu. She was involved in several murder cases in the capital. She has another identity – she’s the descendant of the former dynasty’s meritorious official Tang Jian, the widow of the Mighty General Tang Chengyi, known as Madam Tang Ceran.”
“Hahaha, Shen Du, if you truly want to convince me, you shouldn’t fabricate such nonsense. I’ve heard about Madam Tang. She’s been living in seclusion in the capital, having no contact with the outside world. Guangchun Hall has been established for over a decade. If Madam Tang were Chen Huo’e, how could she have come to Yingzhou without leaving the capital? How could she have committed murders in other provinces? Can she be in two places at once?”
“Moreover, she’s already dead. How could a dead person come back to life and appear in Yingzhou City?”
Zhu Yan was shocked: “You joined the Fire Moth Party, yet you don’t believe in resurrection?”
Not just Zhu Yan, but even the surrounding followers and Half-Faced Ghosts were astonished. The leader had fully delegated authority to Mo Qianzhi. With Wang Buzui dead, Mo Qianzhi was the only core member. For such a key figure to not believe in the doctrine was… quite embarrassing.
Mo Qianzhi was unfazed: “If the dead could come back to life, wouldn’t the world be in chaos? The cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death is an inviolable law of nature. If it could be broken, why hasn’t our teacher been resurrected? Why hasn’t Emperor Gaozong come back to life, instead of letting a woman sit on the dragon throne?”
So, Mo Qianzhi had never believed in resurrection but had been pretending all along, lying low within Guangchun Hall.
A Half-Faced Ghost tried to sneak away to inform Chen Huo’e, but Mo Qianzhi caught sight of him. With a cold smile, he drew his bow and shot an arrow through the man’s head, saying contemptuously:
“What does it matter if you believe or not?”
“Once we kill these ignorant people, you can resurrect your loved ones, and I’ll establish my new world. We won’t interfere with each other.”
As he spoke, his imposing aura leaked out, looking down on everything.
“You have no way to retreat now. Retreat means death. Why not go all out?”
Indeed, where could they retreat to? Shen Du was the White King of Hell. From now on, it would be a fight to the death.
“Kill them!”
“Kill them!”
Lightly patting his horse, Mo Qianzhi looked up at Shen Du on the city wall: “What about you? Don’t you want revenge?”
Inside and outside the city, all eyes turned to Shen Du.
Even Zhu Yan wasn’t sure. Shen Du’s grudge wasn’t easily forgivable, and Mo Qianzhi had always been certain that the old case of the Shen family was related to Lai Luozhi and the Empress. As a witness to the case, Mo Qianzhi’s words naturally carried credibility. Even Zhu Yan began to waver slightly. Mo Qianzhi’s hatred was so firm; could it be that back then…
The dawn gradually dispersed, and the sky was ablaze with colorful clouds. As the sun rose in the east, the summer heat began to rise, slowly enveloping the soldiers. They felt their armor growing heavy and stifling, unbearably uncomfortable.
Shen Du remained deep in thought, his lips tightly pressed, staring intently at Mo Qianzhi. The opinions of others meant nothing to him. Sweat beaded on his temples, but he was oblivious to it.
Jing Lin was about to step forward, but Zhu Yan silently waved him back.
As the first ray of July sunlight hit the battlements, Shen Du gripped Zhu Yan’s hand, drawing strength from her. He regained his composure and called out:
“This official seeks revenge, but not at the cost of innocent lives.”
“Mo Qianzhi, as long as you provide the antidote for ‘Breaking the Cocoon to Become a Butterfly’ or hand over Chen Huo’e, I guarantee your wife and children won’t be harmed in the slightest.”
“As for the rest, don’t waste your efforts. My soldiers will never side with murderers like you.”
“When others kill, it’s a crime. When you kill, it’s also a crime.”
Seeing Mo Qianzhi’s hesitation, Shen Du glanced at Madam Mo and the children peering over the battlements. He composed himself and added:
“If you can’t provide the antidote, we’ll have to keep Madam Mo and the children here for a few more days.”
This implied detaining Madam Mo and the children to pressure Mo Qianzhi.
Zhu Yan looked at him, and Shen Du nodded slightly, indicating he didn’t mind.
How could he not mind? This was setting the stage for an all-out confrontation with Mo Qianzhi.
Mo Qianzhi sat tall on his horse, unmoving, his face dark as he stared at his wife and children.
Finally, his heart softened. He sighed and ordered one of the Half-Faced Ghosts:
“Call your leader here.”
Your leader, not our leader.
The Half-Faced Ghost refused, and Mo Qianzhi cut him down with a single stroke. He turned to another, whose face was now splattered with blood. Terrified by death, this one hurriedly turned and left.
Just one antidote. Surely Chen Huo’e wouldn’t refuse.
Seeing this, both Shen Du and Zhu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mo Qianzhi had agreed. Otherwise, another fierce battle might have erupted.
Suddenly, the situation took a drastic turn.
Madam Mo was seen climbing onto the parapet of the city wall with two small children in her arms. She glanced down at the jumbled rocks and weeds below, hesitating for a moment before stepping back. But soon, determination filled her eyes.
“Husband, you must follow your heart. Don’t let others cloud your judgment.”
She smiled sadly, looking at the rising sun in the east.
“The children and I will find you again in our next life.”
With resolute determination, she jumped.
Shen Du leaped forward, but it was too late.
Everyone’s attention had been focused here, but no one expected the defenseless Madam Mo to climb the city wall seeking death.
And with her, two innocent children.
One adult and two small figures fell towards the rising sun, landing on the pile of rocks below. In an instant, their lives were extinguished.