Сhаpter 250: Наlf-Fасеd Ghost 8
“Impossiblе!” Мo Qianzhi’s wеatherеd fасе shоnе with determinаtion. Perhaps the hаrdshiрs he hаd endurеd оvеr thе yеаrs in Yingzhоu wеrе etсhed upon his fеаtures, уet his eyеs were unusuаlly bright—no lоngеr аs stеаdу аs beforе, but tingеd with the ехсitemеnt of а wish аbout to bе fulfillеd.
Shen Du wishеd he could strаngle him on the sроt. Оne trаgedy from thе раst was еnоugh; hе hаd nо dеsire tо rеpеat it. Shаking his head, hе glanсеd аround аnd his ехрression shifted:
“Нold your tongue! Тhere’s no nеed for уou tо mеntion mу father’s death! What ‘demons in human skin’? Utter nonsense. I think you’ve lost your mind! As a court official, how dare you speak such treasonous words? Mo Qianzhi, if you wish to die, go ahead and kill yourself. Why drag your family down with you?”
He was aware of the Unrighteous Agents’ contact with Zhu Yan—he had witnessed it himself. Moreover, they were now mingling within the Inner Guard Bureau, offering assistance. They must have heard every word just spoken.
It didn’t take much thought to realize this matter would be reported to the Empress. In terms of crimes, Mo Qianzhi’s words could be linked to treason.
Beheading would be a light punishment; it was more likely his entire clan would be exterminated.
Yet Mo Qianzhi only smiled. “To be placed in a desperate situation and then survive—to die for the great cause is the honor of my Mo clan. The gods, if they are aware, will protect my family.”
At this point, Mo Qianzhi’s smile faded, his eyes turning icy. “Shen Du, since you refuse the wine of respect and insist on the wine of punishment, do not blame this official for being impolite.”
He then twisted his body to the side, avoiding Shen Du’s sword, and waved for the Half-Faced Ghost to step forward and engage in combat. Not forgetting to issue orders, he commanded, “Brothers, heed my command! Continue firing arrows! Kill all these demons and monsters. The gods will protect you.”
The archers were his men to begin with, and after being brainwashed by his rhetoric, they obeyed without question. They not only fired arrows at the city walls but also targeted the commoners below the gates.
What was already akin to a living hell grew even more horrific, as if a cauldron of boiling oil had been added to the inferno. For a moment, it seemed as though mountains of blades and seas of fire had converged.
Commoners fell one after another, and even the skilled Unrighteous Agents and Inner Guards were not immune to stray arrows. Compounded by the Half-Faced Ghost’s watchful eyes and opportunistic strikes, Shen Du’s side suffered heavy losses in this battle.
The Half-Faced Ghost entangled Shen Du once more, while Mo Qianzhi also raised his sword and advanced. Since Shen Du refused to listen to reason, he had no qualms about personally severing his head.
Shen Du felt utterly helpless. His attempts at persuasion had not only failed to stop Mo Qianzhi from perpetuating further slaughter but had instead intensified it, to the point where even ordinary civilians were not spared.
“Mo Qianzhi, you’ve gone mad. If this continues, do not blame me for disregarding our past ties.”
Those people only listened to Mo Qianzhi’s words. It seemed Mo Qianzhi had been scheming for years. Now, the only way to break this deadlock was to capture the instigator who had deluded the masses.
As for the truth behind all this, he would investigate thoroughly, determined to unravel every twist and turn.
Simultaneously, a terrifying thought flashed through his mind like lightning, but Shen Du refused to believe it.
Sensing movement behind him, Shen Du stabbed backward, striking the Half-Faced Ghost with his sword before kicking him aside. He then charged toward Mo Qianzhi, who raised his own sword to block. The two exchanged blows, back and forth.
Amidst the rising bloodlust, Shen Du fought with increasing ferocity. Gradually, Mo Qianzhi fell at a disadvantage—not only was his robe slashed, but his arm also suffered a sword wound.
In his frantic attempt to flee, a jade pendant fell from Mo Qianzhi’s person.
Shen Du did not pursue him. Instead, he picked up the jade pendant Mo Qianzhi had left behind. The moment it touched his hand, he sensed something was amiss.Seeing the jade pendant fall into Shen Du's hands, Mo Qianzhi turned to snatch it back, but it was already too late.
With just a slight exertion of force, the outer layer of the jade pendant crumbled into powder. As the wind blew it away, what remained in his palm was a jade moth.
Instantly, Shen Du's expression changed dramatically, his gaze turning toward Mo Qianzhi with disbelief.
He... he was actually a member of the Fire Moth organization!
Unable to believe that Mo Qianzhi truly matched his suspicions, he wondered why—where had things gone wrong?
The thought that he had once trusted Mo Qianzhi, even going so far as to confide in him openly, made Shen Du wish he could slap himself.
If not for that, how could he have exposed Zhu Yan's mission? How could he have fallen into Mo Qianzhi's trap, lured into a deadly ambush?
Meanwhile.
Zhu Yan set aside Mo Qianzhi's mad ramblings and swiftly applied medicine to Pan Chi's wounds, warning him not to move again. Only then did she have the time to examine the Half-Faced Ghost, whose tendons she had severed.
The Half-Faced Ghost, already wounded by an arrow and further tormented by Zhu Yan, was now hanging on by a thread.
Crawling closer, Zhu Yan pressed the dagger against his neck as a precaution before reaching out to lift the mask from the Half-Faced Ghost's face.
As expected, beneath the mask was Ji Dafu, glaring at her with eyes wide with fury, as if he wished he could devour her whole.
Mo Qianzhi was right—he should have killed her the moment he captured her, instead of hesitating out of concern that she was someone the leader wanted.
The death of one Zhu Yan was hardly a loss; women like her could be found by the dozens beneath the city gates.
"So it really is you, Ji Dafu. It seems you truly are a member of the Fire Moth party. I suppose Li Kaixiang was also killed by you! First, you murdered Li Kaixiang and framed Li Kairui, then you changed your mind and pushed Liu Zongyuan out as the scapegoat. What exactly are you plotting? And what was your purpose in taking Du Xiaowan hostage today and slaughtering innocent civilians?"
Ji Dafu stared fiercely at Zhu Yan and growled, "So what if I killed Li Kaixiang? He deserved it! The same goes for Liu Zongyuan and these foolish commoners."
As for the purpose of taking Du Xiaowan hostage and slaughtering the civilians, he would rather die than reveal a single word.
Seeing him so consumed by madness, Zhu Yan slapped him hard across the face. "Wake up! The fool knows not his own folly, Ji Dafu. Perhaps you are the true fool here! Did you hear their cries? How innocent were these people? Think—you too were once a son, a husband. You have parents, a wife, children. Do you know how much pain their loved ones will feel upon learning of their tragic deaths?"
"Speak! Why did you kill Li Kaixiang? What was the purpose behind the beheadings and eye removals? And why slaughter the civilians today?"
Faced with Zhu Yan's interrogation, Ji Dafu remained silent. With his tendons severed, he was already a cripple, and death held no fear for him.
Zhu Yan stared at him and instantly understood his intentions. She pinched the pressure points on both sides of his jaw, forcing his mouth open, then removed Pan Chi's shoe and stuffed it inside. She warned, "Ji Dafu, if you're not afraid of harming Li Kairui and are determined to die, I won't stop you."
Since he had pushed Liu Zongyuan out as the scapegoat to clear Li Kairui's name, it was clear he cared for his brother-in-law.
As expected, she had struck a nerve.
Upon hearing Zhu Yan's words, Ji Dafu's eyes widened instantly, "Mmph—mmph—"Zhu Yan yanked the shoe out, and Ji Dafu spat a few times before threatening, "Zhu Yan, don’t you dare touch him. Otherwise, even if I become a ghost, I won’t let you off."
Zhu Yan shot him a disdainful look. "When you’re dead, you’re gone. Do you think I’m afraid? You’ve colluded with the Fire Moth Party and committed countless evils. Do you really think your brother-in-law can stay out of it? Of course, if you confess honestly, I, Zhu Yan, swear on my life that I will absolutely protect Li Kairui’s life."
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