Сhаpter 292: Тhе Firе Моth Party 24
"Wuwuwu..." Ji Dаfu gаsped fоr breath, соvеrеd in blооd, his eyеlids drooping. He crаwlеd to Shеn Du’s feеt, kоwtоwing аnd plеаding tеаrfullу.
"I reаlly am just an еrrаnd-runner. Тhe gambling dens аnd brothels I mаnage—whаt nееd dо thеу hаve for suсh things? If аnyоnе disоbeуs, we just bеаt them up. If thеу still refusе to listen, we brеak their arms оr lеgs. Тhat аlways works," hе sighеd. "Whаt yоu’rе tаlking аbоut—I’vе nevеr еven hеard оf it."
"Guangchun Нall hаs а striсt hierаrсhу, mаnaged levеl by level. I’ve heаrd that the highest-rаnking one is оver thеrе." Ji Dafu рointed north.
For a moment, the prison fell as silent as rain. "Spare me, I’ll tell you everything, everything. I’ll tell you, I know a lot of things, even the burial sites."
Zhu Yan and Shen Du exchanged a glance. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to extract anything related to the poison from this man’s mouth.
Dealing with Mo Qianzhi was unavoidable.
Since they couldn’t get any information about the poison, Shen Du wasted no time. He took Zhu Yan’s hand and turned to leave, leaving the rest of the interrogation to Jing Lin.
Zhu Yan didn’t move.
Shen Du looked back, puzzled.
Zhu Yan shook her head.
"Let’s leave for now."
Zhu Yan tugged helplessly at Shen Du’s sleeve, pulling him back.
Shen Du looked down at Zhu Yan’s slender, pale hand, his gaze softening. "Are you scared?"
As he spoke, he bent down to pick her up. Zhu Yan, embarrassed, stopped him and reminded him with a smile:
"Have you forgotten the bride case?"
At the time, the bride case was halted after investigating Xu Jize. The mysterious person who killed Er Laipi was temporarily set aside due to insufficient evidence. Later, Mo Qianzhi closed the case on the grounds of preventing panic and concluding it early. But was it truly closed? Of course not.
From a distance, Ji Dafu watched their interaction. He had breathed a sigh of relief the moment Shen Du turned to leave, but when Zhu Yan pulled him back, his heart leaped into his throat again.
"Jing Lin, do you remember everything clearly?"
"Yes!" Jing Lin cupped his hands in salute.
"Let’s go!" Shen Du’s expression remained unreadable, his voice cold.
Zhu Yan nodded in satisfaction. Since they were investigating a case, there was no possibility of leaving unresolved doubts in the world.
Watching the two walk away, Ji Dafu’s body trembled visibly, though he tried to appear calm.
"Speak!" Jing Lin said darkly, deliberately turning to reveal the torture tools inside.
These were unique to the Inner Guard, one of a kind.
After taking who knows how many deep breaths, Ji Dafu finally found his voice again.
"That case..."
For Ji Dafu, he wasn’t sure how much these people already knew about the matter, so he decided to confess everything.
Right from the start, he mentioned Wang Buzui.
It seemed he truly had more dealings with the Deputy Helm Master.
"At the time, I was the one who reported the case, and I was the one who invited the famous detective, Master Pan. Naturally, I couldn’t act rashly for fear of raising suspicion. So, after discussing with the Deputy Helm Master, he went to help me hunt down Liu Zongyuan to destroy the evidence."
Ji Dafu glanced at the person in front of him from time to time, observing their reaction.
Jing Lin, however, felt somewhat impatient. "Hurry up and speak, or are you waiting for the torture?"
"Don’t, I’ll talk, I’ll talk,"
Ji Dafu said with a pained expression."The pursuit and elimination went smoothly, leaving no traces—this was something the Deputy Helm Master was skilled at. But an unexpected incident occurred on the return journey when they encountered Xu Yize and Er Laipi, who happened to be holding Du Xiaowan captive." At this point, his voice rose slightly, as if to heighten the atmosphere or perhaps out of genuine agitation.
"He followed Xu Yize and the others because of Du Xiaowan," Jing Lin stated with certainty. "She fits your selection criteria."
Ji Dafu did not deny it. "He has this obsession. Whenever he sees someone even slightly resembling his sister, he won’t let them go."
This was no secret within Guangchun Hall.
"Continue!" Jing Lin kicked Ji Dafu, who winced in pain and resumed his account.
Since Wang Buzui did not deliberately conceal his movements, the two men quickly realized someone was following them.
After circling several intersections, the two men realized they couldn’t shake off their pursuer and knew they had encountered a troublesome thorn. However, they didn’t know whether the follower was a relative of the groom or someone from the authorities.
Subsequently, the two seemed to have a dispute. In the end, Xu Yize left first, while Er Laipi found a dry well to stash Du Xiaowan in before hastily heading in the opposite direction.
Wang Buzui understood that the two likely intended to split up to lose him, only to return later and enjoy the beauty. But they never imagined that Wang Buzui’s target was Du Xiaowan, not them.
After the two had moved some distance away, Wang Buzui silently appeared at the well, taking out a fire starter as he prepared to enter and abduct Du Xiaowan.
As the saying goes, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; when the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman profits.
At that moment, however, Er Laipi seemed unwilling to give up and returned halfway, intending to take Du Xiaowan for himself. Upon seeing Wang Buzui wearing the Half-Face Ghost Mask, he was startled and instantly recalled the terrifying rumor circulating in the Gannan Circuit. His legs trembled, and he nearly fled on the spot.
But he seemed to have forgotten the follow-up to that rumor: those who have seen the Half-Faced Ghost never live to tell the tale.
Yet Wang Buzui did not kill him outright. First, he gouged out his eyes, as the Fire Moth Party believed that body parts taken from a living person were best for reviving the deceased.
Naturally, having his eyes gouged out while alive was excruciatingly painful for Er Laipi. But the pain paled in comparison to his fear of death. He turned to flee but hadn’t even taken a step before his throat was slit, and he fell into the well.
He didn’t even have time to cry for help.
Wang Buzui, of course, paid no heed to Er Laipi. Just as he was about to descend into the well to take Du Xiaowan, he heard orderly footsteps approaching from behind. Though reluctant, he ultimately abandoned Du Xiaowan and left.
Later, during the city massacre, he instructed Ji Dafu to first abduct Du Xiaowan and then take advantage of the chaos to kidnap her—every step meticulously calculated.
Jing Lin rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. "Did Wang Buzui happen to encounter Du Xiaowan and notice her resemblance to his sister Wang Xiuxiu, or had he already selected her and stayed for that purpose?"
Ji Dafu stood up, supporting his waist, a mocking smile on his lips. "What do you think?"
Naturally, he didn’t dare wait for Jing Lin’s answer. "He had already selected her, but since the preparations for the revival weren’t complete, he hadn’t made a move on the Du family. This time, he happened to see Du Xiaowan being abducted and seized the opportunity to kidnap her, framing Xu Yize and that Er Laipi for it."
"You’re quite adept at seizing opportunities, aren’t you?"Hearing the mockery in Jing Lin's tone, Ji Dafu forced a smile and asked, "I naturally know everything and will hold nothing back. In that case, could you show some leniency?"
Jing Lin walked out and closed the cell door, scoffing lightly, "Then you'll have to ask the people you've killed over the years—oh, especially your uncle—if they're willing?"
Mentioning Li Kaixiang made Ji Dafu furious. "Him? What does he have to..." not be willing about?
Since the interrogation was nearly complete, Jing Lin didn’t linger. He organized the confession and took it to Shen Du and Zhu Yan.
Ji Dafu’s confession largely matched their expectations. After flipping through it, Zhu Yan frowned:
"Du Xiaowan was actually someone they had already targeted."
If Ji Dafu hadn’t revealed it, she would have truly believed it was just a chance encounter. She never imagined that behind the so-called accident lay a premeditated scheme.
Hugging her arms tightly, Zhu Yan felt a chill of fear. "Their influence has spread so widely. The entire Yingzhou City is within the Fire Moth Party’s sphere of control. No wonder they could act so recklessly."
Shen Du pulled her close, his expression darkening. "With Mo Qianzhi acting as their protector, what isn’t possible?"
"It seems the entire Yingzhou, even the whole Gannan Circuit, is their hunting ground for targets."
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
Shen Du turned aside. Due to the heat, Jing Lin had been running all the way, his front and back soaked with sweat, beads of perspiration dripping down his face. Seeing Shen Du’s gaze, he quickly bowed. "What are your orders, Commander?"
"Release Li Kairui without charge. As for Ji Dafu, execute him."
"Yes!"
As Jing Lin was about to leave, Shen Du beckoned him over. Jing Lin was puzzled. "Huh?"
Seeing Jing Lin like this annoyed Shen Du, but he suppressed his temper and said, "Fetch some ice and chilled fruits to beat the heat."
Jing Lin’s eyes lit up, instantly understanding. He accepted the order and left.
His master was finally catching on—he knew how to care for his wife now.
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