Chарtеr 283: Тhе Firе Мoth Pаrtу 15
“Не wаs the one whо tоld me I cоuld bring my little sistеr bасk tо lifе. Аt the time, I didn’t think muсh of it and believed him.” Onlу nоw, he still dеeрlу bеliеved it. “Аftеr аll, hе trulу knows strаnge arts—he himsеlf сan diе and comе back tо life.”
Pitiful, lаughаblе, lаmеntаblе. Zhu Yan felt а surgе of аngеr trаpрed in hеr dаntian, unablе tо be rеleased. Тhis Lai Luofu truly lеft nо stоne unturnеd, having carеfullу сonsidеrеd his сhоiсе of Wаng Вuzui.
Just as Lаi Luozhi hаd been сhosеn bасk then.
“Whаt did уоu dо for him?” Shen Du prеssed.
What did he do? This quеstion stumped him. It sеemed thе onlу thing wаs killing, though hе wasn’t entirely clear on why Chen Huo’e killed those people.
“Killing.” In the end, those two words escaped Wang Buzui’s lips.
“Were there any particularly important people?”
Wang Buzui thought back and suddenly recalled an important person—one who had a special connection to Shen Du before him.
“There was one, but we were only indirectly involved. The ones who directly killed him were the court, and his entire clan was even implicated.”
These words caused Shen Du’s pupils to dilate slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, as if speaking to himself or interrogating Wang Buzui: “The old Shen Manor case?”
Wang Buzui nodded, then looked at Shen Du. The flicker of doubt in his eyes landed on Shen Du’s face before quickly darting away. His expression shifted, and he said no more.
Zhu Yan was the first to sense the change in Shen Du. She immediately reached out to grasp his hand, wanting to calm him down. Even if it was about the Shen Manor, now was not the time to lose control.
Feeling Zhu Yan’s warmth, he clasped her hand in return, wanting to tell her he was calm.
Yes, very calm.
After all, he hadn’t been without suspicions that these matters were related to the Fire Moth Party.
But before, it had only been conjecture. Now, that conjecture was confirmed.
“What did you do?” Shen Du spoke again, his originally furious dark eyes now transformed into a deep, still pool, calm and unrippled.
“We provided the relevant evidence to ensure the Shen Manor was convicted.” He wisely told the truth. “But from what I understand, that evidence wasn’t entirely obtained by us.”
“Then how was it obtained?”
“The Helm master found a way to get it. I’m not entirely sure.”
Lai Luofu.
He knew very well that it must have been Lai Luozhi who orchestrated this.
He never imagined that back then, Lai Luozhi had been scheming on such a grand scale, destroying the Shen family in an instant.
“Bang!”
Zhu Yan’s heart leaped. She turned to see the iron bars of the nearby prison cell bent inward, having been forcibly broken. Shen Du’s narrowed eyes, once a calm jade pool, now churned violently, ready to surge forth and devour everything.
“Ah, your hand!” Zhu Yan cradled Shen Du’s hand. The skin on the back of his hand was torn open at the bend, flesh exposed, droplets of blood forming lines that dripped to the ground.
“Commander!” Jing Lin took one look and couldn’t bear it. He drew his sword and pointed it at Wang Buzui. “I’ll kill this scoundrel right now to avenge the Commander!”
“Kill him!” the Inner Guards roared in unison, filled with rage.
Zhu Yan panicked. If a court-appointed official killed someone—even a prisoner—not only would the law forbid it, but Lai Luozhi would also find a reason to deny Shen Du and the Cabinet any chance of survival.
“Shen Du, husband, calm down,” Zhu Yan pressed his bleeding hand against her chest, bringing it to her lips to kiss. “Husband, it’s not time yet, husband.”Her heart ached for Shen Du, burdened with a sea of blood and deep hatred, yet she had to stop him, or there would be no turning back.
Shen Du suddenly came to his senses. Lowering his head, he saw Zhu Yan’s worried face and finally raised his other hand to gently stroke her cheek. He reined in his bloodthirsty ferocity and turned his gaze back to Wang Buzui.
“According to what you said, all that evidence was fabricated?” he asked again, unwilling to give up.
Wang Buzui was uncertain: “Much of the information came from the Helm master. As for its authenticity, it was probably half-truths and half-lies.”
For a moment, Shen Du fell into thought. The information Lai Luofu knew about the Shen family likely came from Lai Luozhi.
Lai Luozhi again. His hatred at this moment seemed to reach its peak.
He didn’t know when it started, but it was as if the Lai family had generations of enmity with his own, to the point of meticulously planning the Shen family’s destruction.
Shen Du’s father was honest and upright, and he himself was just a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth at the time, posing no threat. Why? What was the reason?
He wanted to rush before Lai Luozhi and demand an answer—why? But more than that, he now wished to immediately sever Lai Luozhi’s head from his shoulders to vent his hatred.
Yet he couldn’t. Not only because he was far from the capital, but also because the situation was complex. Without evidence, he couldn’t act on impulse. He needed to stay calm and plan carefully.
The Empress still favored Lai Luozhi, and the reports from his spies indicated she continued to rely on him. It was possible that Lai Luozhi was taking advantage of his absence to make major moves. A terrifying thought crept into his mind: Had the Empress long anticipated this? Or worse, had she been involved?
Seeing him remain silent, Zhu Yan waved her hand in front of his eyes, finally drawing Shen Du’s attention.
“What’s wrong?” He grasped her hand in return.
Zhu Yan grew anxious: “Your hand.” She tried to pull away.
“It’s fine.” Shen Du shook his head slightly, showing no intention of letting go. He glanced toward Wang Buzui and saw his eyes growing hazy again, as if he had fallen back into the illusion.
Following his gaze, Zhu Yan looked over as well.
This time, however, Wang Buzui suddenly grew panicked, glancing around frantically.
He reached out into the air, grasping at nothing: “Xiuxiu, where has Xiuxiu gone?”
“Time’s up,” Zhu Yan said, frowning slightly as she stared at the man before her.
Time’s up? Wang Buzui looked warily at the two again, finally realizing he had been deceived by an Illusion Art.
Suddenly, his whole body trembled. He pointed a shaking finger at the two before him, muttering under his breath, then burst into wild laughter.
He still couldn’t accept that what he had just seen was an illusion.
Watching his descent into madness, Zhu Yan couldn’t help but sigh.
She felt pity for him, but also found it laughable.
His obsession with his younger sister was pitiable, yet he had killed so many people—wasn’t he simply reaping what he had sown?
Wang Buzui withdrew his hand and glared squarely at the two people he wished he could devour alive: “Shen Du, may you die a wretched death.”
“Silence! How dare you speak such words!” Zhu Yan stepped forward to rebuke him but was pulled back by Shen Du, who even shielded her with his body.
Wang Buzui was now a madman—who knew what he might do?
Hearing Zhu Yan’s rebuke, he only laughed more wildly: “Dare? Why wouldn’t I dare? Shen Du, the entire Shen family—may you all die wretched deaths! I hope you’re all disemboweled alive, your corpses left to rot in the wilderness, devoured by wolves!”"Tsk." Shen Du's hand clenched into a fist, his nails nearly digging into his flesh, yet his expression remained calm.
Listening to his mad ramblings, Zhu Yan couldn't hold back either, but Shen Du kept an arm around her waist, preventing her from stepping forward.
She looked at him in confusion, only to see him shake his head slightly without saying more. He was afraid Wang Buzui might resort to extreme actions and harm Zhu Yan.
Jing Lin, however, couldn't care less about such considerations. With a swift slap, he struck without holding back, sending Wang Buzui's head jerking to the side, rendering him speechless.
Even after being hit, Wang Buzui showed no restraint. Lifting his swollen face, he declared, "The one above will never let you off!"
"Oh? And how exactly will he not let us off?" Hearing his wild boasts, Shen Du found it utterly laughable.
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