Сhарtеr 264: Guangchun Наll 9
"Shut уоur mоuth! Scholars lаugh аt moths flying intо the flamе, уеt thеу dоn't realizе that mayflies live and diе within а daу without еntеring thе сyсlе оf rеbirth, whilе moths survivе the fire and аrе rebоrn through reincаrnation. Нow darе уоu insult thеm? Zhu Yаn, dо уou beliеvе I'll cut оut уоur tonguе to stор your wаgging?"
"It sеems уou're deаf and blind! Resorting tо viоlеncе at the slightest disаgrееment—hоw tirеsоmе. А fluttеring moth is just а fluttеring moth. I сould сrush one with а single hаnd. Surviving firе аnd being rеbоrn thrоugh rеincarnatiоn? That's pure nonsеnse. I doubt evеn the moths thеmselvеs knоw theу possess such abilities."
It was rather amusing—every time the Half-Faced Ghost killed someone and took a part of the corpse, he would tattoo these words beside the missing part.
She had initially thought there was some profound meaning behind it, but now it seemed nothing more than the Fire Moth Party's deliberate mystification.
Zhu Yan repeatedly spoke arrogantly, belittling the fire moths as worthless, pushing Wang Buzui to the brink of anger.
"Zhu Yan, that's enough."
If the timing were right, he would have ended her life with a single stroke of his blade to vent his hatred.
Only after provoking him did Zhu Yan relent, smiling as she said, "If I hadn't hit the mark, why would Deputy Helm Master Wang be so angry? Do you really think stitching together the body parts you've collected can bring the dead back to life? That's utterly absurd. It's just stitching corpses—what need is there for some so-called 'master'? To be honest, I can do it too, and I can stitch them seamlessly."
Her years of dealing with corpses hadn't been in vain. Examining corpses was meant to make the dead speak and uncover the truth, not to leave them incomplete.
Therefore, every coroner would stitch the bodies back together after dissection. Over time, practice made perfect, and their stitching skills grew increasingly refined.
Wang Buzui lowered the hand he had raised, lifted Zhu Yan from the table, and demanded, "You can stitch corpses? You're not joking?"
A person's patience has its limits. If she kept making a fool of him repeatedly, he would make her regret it.
"Why would I lie to you? Stitching is something every coroner knows how to do." Zhu Yan thought for a moment and added, "Believe it or not."
Wang Buzui hesitated, torn between letting Zhu Yan try and fearing she might play tricks.
Just then, the master arrived, led by the Half-Faced Ghost.
Naturally, he had overheard Zhu Yan's words. A mere woman daring to question him instantly displeased him: "Deputy Helm Master, since she claims to have this skill, why not let her try? If she fails, what harm is there in chopping her up and feeding her to the dogs?"
"Are you telling me what to do?"
Wang Buzui threw Zhu Yan back, his eyes as venomous as poison, sending chills down one's spine.
With Chen Huo'e absent, Guangchun Hall was Wang Buzui's domain to rule. Yet, one after another, they kept referring to him as 'Deputy Helm Master,' as if he were nothing but a dog raised by Chen Huo'e.
What of this master? On his turf, he was merely surviving at Wang Buzui's mercy. The only reason he tolerated him was because he still had some use.
Since Zhu Yan possessed this skill, this so-called 'master' was indeed useless.The master saw the killing intent in Wang Buzui's eyes and immediately stiffened, lowering his voice to explain, "Deputy... Helm master, you are overthinking. My intention was merely to see if this woman is capable. If she truly has the skill, working with her to stitch the corpses would save a great deal of time."
A wise man knows when to yield. With Chen Huo'e absent and help too far to reach, he indeed had to tread carefully.
One must understand that a person in a rage will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. If he were to become a victim under Wang Buzui's blade, his death would be utterly unjust.
Wang Buzui was indeed pressed for time. The infiltrator had yet to be found, and he truly could not afford to gamble.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "In that case, master, you may proceed first!"
He then took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, shook out an antidote pill, pinched Zhu Yan's chin, and fed her the antidote.
Once the antidote was swallowed, Zhu Yan regained her strength in an instant.
Wang Buzui glared at her, "Go. If you dare play tricks on this helm master, I will chop you up and feed you to the dogs."
Zhu Yan was not angered, only somewhat disappointed. She had thought she would witness them turning on each other like dogs.
Who would have thought this master would be so timid, even less courageous than a mere woman like herself.
Nevertheless, she did not delay. She jumped down from the table, stumbled forward a few steps, and only then steadied herself.
After a day of turmoil—fear, hunger, and now the debilitating medicine she had just taken—it was only natural that her legs felt weak even after taking the antidote.
Wang Buzui kept a cold expression, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yan. If she dared cause any trouble, he would not spare her.
Even though the wandering spirit needed to reunite with its body to succeed, without Zhu Yan, there were still Du Xiaowan and Xiuxiu. Surely one of them would be suitable.
Ignoring his stare, Zhu Yan walked to the secret chamber and saw the master fishing two organs out of a jar, threading a needle. She couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
"Without the right tools, how can you take on such delicate work? To stitch a corpse, you need special needles and thread. These have been turned into human hard candy, their hardness no less than human bones. Ordinary embroidery needles are useless."
Just as Zhu Yan finished speaking, the embroidery needle in the master's hand snapped, breaking right in the middle.
Yet, not a single needle mark could be seen on the organs laid out on the stone table.
"See? I wasn't lying."
Wang Buzui's brow twitched. "What's going on? How exactly have you been handling this?"
To ensure these remains stayed fresh, they had no choice but to use this preservation method. But they had forgotten that even air-dried cured meat could be somewhat hard, let alone human hard candy.
Faced with Wang Buzui's questioning, the master could not answer, stammering, "It must be that your method was flawed. Otherwise, why would they be so hard? It was never like this before."
The guilt in his words was palpable even to Zhu Yan. She narrowed her eyes, studying him. How interesting.
Knowing it was a lie, yet still putting on a show. Wasn't that just fascinating?
Rumors said Lai Luofu had died and come back to life time and again. Was it a masterful escape act, or was there truth to it?
"Enough nonsense. Everything was done according to the secret method. How could there be an error?" Wang Buzui barked an order, "No matter what it takes, you must stitch the corpse together for me."This is the most crucial step in the secret ritual. It requires using this corpse as a sacrifice and his blood as the catalyst to guide my sister's spirit back to its rightful place.
I must proceed step by step, ensuring no mistakes are made.
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