Chаpter 285: The Fire Mоth Рartу 17
Thе ехеcutiоnеr shаrреned his blаde, seized Wаng Вuzui, and kiсked him in the kneе. Wang Buzui сried out in раin аnd wаs fоrсеd to kneеl. Shеn Du had аlrеаdy rеaсhеd for the ехeсution token—оnce thrown, thе blаdе would fаll.
Xiuxiu’s gazе rеmаined fiхеd оn Shеn Du’s hаnd. Аs he wаs аbout tо piсk up the tоken, shе suddеnlу prеssеd hеr knifе against Zhu Yan’s nеck, immobilizing her.
“Great Рavilion Cоmmander,” Хiuxiu саlled оut, gripping Zhu Yan’s arm to draw Shen Du’s attention.
Shen Du’s hand, which had just touched the token, abruptly withdrew.
“Xiuxiu, you actually…” Zhu Yan spoke cautiously, afraid that the slightest movement would bring her neck into contact with the blade and end her life on the spot. “I treated you so well.”
Upon closer inspection, there was no fear in Zhu Yan’s eyes, as if she had anticipated this all along.
Seeing the sudden turn of events, Jing Lin prepared to act but was discovered. Xiuxiu retreated several steps with Zhu Yan, exposing them to the crowd.
She whispered into Zhu Yan’s ear, “We were never on the same side. I joined Guangchun Hall long ago. That day was just an act for your benefit. I never thought you’d actually believe it.”
With that, she suddenly laughed, the sound drilling into Zhu Yan’s ears, making her extremely uncomfortable yet unable to break free.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Xiuxiu turned her gaze back to Shen Du, but before she could speak, Pan Chi interrupted, “Xiuxiu, let go. Do you know what you’re doing? You must have been deceived. Let go now. Do you want blood on your hands?”
“Shut up. You should worry about yourself first.” She glanced at Pan Chi, her eyes completely different from usual, causing him to frown. The person before him was no longer the Xiuxiu who had cared for him daily—the top courtesan of the Fragrance Pavilion, the soothing presence for men.
He truly doubted whether this person was the same one who had looked after him.
“I poisoned the medicinal soup I gave you daily. Before worrying about others, worry about yourself.”
This statement was unexpected, even for Zhu Yan. “You poisoned him? You were thoroughly searched earlier. Where did you get the poison?”
As she spoke, a flash of insight struck Zhu Yan—something she had overlooked.
Pan Chi was equally taken aback. Since Zhu Yan had sent Xiuxiu to him, he hadn’t suspected anything. Even his earlier plea to Xiuxiu had been sincere; he genuinely believed she had been deceived.
Instinctively, he tried to circulate his energy and immediately felt a change within his body.
His true energy dissipated as soon as he attempted to gather it. His palms grew damp with a sticky, sweaty sensation, yet it felt different. He spread his hands and saw strange threads emerging from his palms—the source of the stickiness. He stared at Xiuxiu in disbelief.
This usually timid young woman had acted with such ruthlessness, sending chills down his spine.
Seeing the glaring threads on his hands, Zhu Yan finally realized where the sense of familiarity came from.
The threads that had grown on her third sister Zhu Caiwei’s skin were identical to these.
Shen Du had later explained that this was the signature poison of the Fire Moth Party, called “Cocoon to Butterfly.”
How laughable—a moth aspiring to become a butterfly.
The mockery in her thoughts was too sharp. Xiuxiu pressed the blade closer and hissed in her ear, “What are you laughing at? One slip of my hand, and you’re dead.”
But Zhu Yan didn’t answer her. Instead, as if having solved a puzzle, her eyes cleared, and she looked toward Shen Du.At the same time, Xiuxiu also looked at Shen Du and threatened:
"Great Pavilion Commander, as long as you release Wang Buzui, I can spare Zhu Yan and also give Pan Chi the antidote. Please consider this carefully."
This sudden turn of events left the crowd of commoners momentarily stunned. Shen Du walked over, but Zhu Yan shook her head. After a brief hesitation, Shen Du stopped several zhang away from them.
"Release Wang Buzui," Xiuxiu's voice trembled as she tightened her grip on Zhu Yan, not daring to let go.
Wang Buzui, still under the executioner's blade, let out a wild laugh and looked toward Xiuxiu. Through her, he seemed to see his own younger sister.
He had always said it wasn't over yet—he wouldn't die.
"Let go of Zhu Yan, or else..." Despite his outwardly calm demeanor, Shen Du knew he was somewhat flustered, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yan.
If that blade slipped even slightly, she would lose her life.
"Is the Great Pavilion Commander unable to understand my words? Release Wang Buzui, and I will give you both the antidote and the person."
"The antidote was given to you by someone else, wasn't it?" Zhu Yan, who had remained silent until now, spoke slowly. "It must have been your Guangchun Hall's Chief Helm Master, Chen Huo'e, right?"
Suddenly, she glanced toward the crowd. The slight movement nearly caused her to touch the blade, and Xiuxiu instinctively moved the knife farther away.
Her eyes scanned the crowd. Chen Huo'e was skilled at disguise and hidden among the commoners, making it impossible for her to locate the target.
"Chen Huo'e, since you're here, you might as well show yourself. This poison was given by you, wasn't it?" Forced into a corner, Zhu Yan finally chose to call out. "Since you provided the poison, won't you reveal yourself? Didn't you come here to rescue your Guangchun Hall's Deputy Helm Master, Wang Buzui?"
After her words fell, there was no response from the crowd for a long time, only the murmurs of the commoners.
Zhu Yan called out a few more times, but the situation remained unchanged.
The lack of response surprised not only Zhu Yan but also the man kneeling on the execution ground.
Even with the blade at his neck, no one had come to save him.
He began to suspect that the person in the prison that day had never intended to rescue him—from start to finish, their target had been Mo Qianzhi.
It seemed that, to the person above, he had already lost his usefulness.
With this thought, Wang Buzui, who had also been searching for Chen Huo'e in the crowd to no avail, turned his gaze back toward Xiuxiu.
Perhaps there truly was no hope left.
Shen Du secretly gestured to Jing Lin—a signal only understood by their Inner Guard. He finally realized why Zhu Yan had insisted on watching Wang Buzui's execution: she had intended to use herself as bait.
As his gaze fell on Zhu Yan, she gave him an apologetic, bitter smile. Her plan had failed. Chen Huo'e, also known as Lai Luofu, had not appeared.
So, Wang Buzui was undoubtedly a discarded pawn.
Xiuxiu also panicked. She had never done anything like this before. Clutching Zhu Yan's collar tightly, her hand gripping the knife, she pleaded urgently:
"Release Wang Buzui, release him..."
Suddenly, a flash of cold light swept past, dazzling everyone's eyes.
By the time everyone regained their senses, a small knife had already pierced Xiuxiu's aorta. The hand that had been holding the blade against Zhu Yan's shoulder instantly went limp.
Seeing this, Shen Du's anxious heart suddenly relaxed, the tension from moments ago completely vanishing.
Before Zhu Yan could even grasp the falling hand, Shen Du flew over, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her far away.
A figure shot up from below—it was Wang Buzui.
He carried Xiuxiu to a corner of the execution ground, the most spacious area there.Xiuxiu's body was arranged in a strange posture, exactly the same as the one placed on the altar on the day of the city massacre. Then, Zhu Yan saw Wang Buzui's mouth opening and closing continuously, but she couldn't hear his voice.
Could this be... Zhu Yan watched the scene carefully. Wang Buzui was still attempting to revive Wang XiuXiu.
Hopelessly stubborn!
OpenNovel