Chapter 112: If Engagement Fails, Then Annihilate the Family
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Yu Zhi Yi’s fingers moved deftly, the Five Emperors Coins flipping and flying at such a speed that they left only trails of afterimages. It was so fast that no one could discern the details, only the residual shadows remained.
You Bing Yue’s gaze deepened, her eyes darkening as she watched. Du Zi Heng, too, was stupefied, his expression frozen in astonishment.
No matter what else they could say, just her skill with her fingers alone was enough to convince them that denying her expertise with concealed weapons would be impossible.
Soon, Yu Zhi Yi stopped, the color draining slightly from her delicate face. Her eyes, however, were aglow, sharp and radiant.
She turned her gaze to Steward Ma, “Wu Liang, you’ve claimed sixteen lives. Upon your death, you will fall into the eighteen levels of hell, doomed to eternal torment.”
Her words sent a shiver through Steward Ma’s heart. But he was a man of great guile, and his face betrayed not a flicker of his inner turmoil.
Old Man Zhang, on the other hand, was visibly shaken but still clung to his confusion over the name Wu Liang. “Are you saying he’s not Ma Bo Cai?”
Yu Zhi Yi nodded. “Exactly. This is an alias he adopted ten years ago after committing a grave crime to evade pursuit.”
“The reason he’s managed to remain undetected is that the name wasn’t fabricated out of thin air. It belonged to a real person, one he murdered to take both the identity and the name.”
Her cold eyes bore into Steward Ma—or rather, Wu Liang.
“He killed the man to assume his identity.”
“Nonsense! Lies! I’ve done no such thing!” Wu Liang’s face filled with indignation. “I am Ma Bo Cai, and I beseech the authorities to see the truth!”
Then, glaring at Yu Zhi Yi with mock righteous anger, he exclaimed, “What grudge do you bear against me, my lady, that you must falsely accuse me? Mark my words, if you do not give me a satisfactory explanation today, I will appeal to the authorities with the Injustice Drum! Even if I must shed my skin or die beneath its hammer, I will drag you down and demand justice for myself!”
You Bing Yue smirked, eager to see Yu Zhi Yi falter. “Serves you right for running your mouth. Hit a steel plate this time, didn’t you?”
Her suspicions had grown. Yu Zhi Yi’s purpose here today was clear—to save Old Man Zhang. However, You Bing Yue’s unintended interference had undoubtedly disrupted her plan.
Without tangible evidence, Yu Zhi Yi’s situation would become precarious. If she had evidence, she would have presented it already. That she hadn’t meant she had none.
Now, You Bing Yue watched intently, relishing the thought of Yu Zhi Yi’s eventual humiliation.
But Yu Zhi Yi remained composed. Her tone calm and indifferent, she said, “Do not worry. I will ensure your death brings you clarity.”
Her words carried the chill of an impending storm as she continued, “You are from North Mountain Village in Changxin Prefecture’s Kaoshan County. Your family once had modest wealth, residing in the county town. But as misfortune struck and your family declined, you returned to the village to make ends meet.”
“The world’s disdain for the poor and resentment for the wealthy is unrelenting. When your family fell, villagers often ridiculed you. As a child, you bore witness to their scorn and to your parents’ humiliation, planting seeds of hatred deep within your heart.”
“Yet, this alone did not drive you to murder.”
“The catalyst for your killing spree was the broken engagement with your family’s betrothed.”
“Your grandfather had a close friendship with a patriarch from a family in Kaoshan County. At a time when your family still held some wealth, and both households were expecting children, the two old men jestingly proposed a childhood engagement if their children were born of opposite genders.”
“The following year, the other family fell into hardship. Seeing their decline, your grandfather feared being implicated and turned them away when they sought financial help, dismissing the engagement as mere jest.”
“Though the other elder understood, the betrayal from a decades-long friend left him heartbroken. He never recovered from the sadness.”
“Your parents, meanwhile, celebrated what they saw as a narrow escape from burden.”
“Fate, however, shifted. A few years later, their family overcame adversity and flourished, while yours plummeted due to a poor business decision by your father. Forced to leave the county town, you returned to the village in disgrace.”
“Desperate, your parents recalled the engagement and sought to reignite it, hoping your youthful charm could salvage the promise and secure their future by clinging to your former fiancé’s now-prosperous family.”
“But by then, their patriarch had passed, his sorrow lingering in every corner of their home. Their family spurned your parents, deriding them bitterly before driving them out.”
“The humiliation burned into your young heart. For years, whispers of your family’s folly and the broken engagement echoed through the village, mocking your misfortune.”
“Matters worsened when news broke of your former fiancée’s engagement to a well-regarded gentleman. She was marrying up, and the ridicule intensified.”
“Drunk one night, you clashed with another villager who mocked your failure, citing your fiancée’s rejection. Consumed by fury, you took a blade, stormed to the county town, and slaughtered her entire household—four family members and four servants.”
As Yu Zhi Yi recounted the tale, it felt as though she had witnessed it firsthand. Her words, vivid and detailed, painted the scene starkly in Wu Liang’s mind. His heart was struck with terror, though his years of deceit allowed him to maintain an outwardly calm demeanor.
However, his rigid expression betrayed him. He forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly, “You… you speak nonsense! None of this is true!”
Yu Zhi Yi ignored his protests, turning instead to the constables. “This case was a major one for the Ministry of Justice, the culprit having eluded capture for years. There should be records. Confirming the details should be straightforward.”
The constables exchanged astonished glances. Indeed, the crime Yu Zhi Yi described matched an infamous case that had plagued the Ministry for years—a brutal massacre, and the murderer had vanished without a trace.
Nodding, one constable affirmed, “Yes, such a case exists.”
Yu Zhi Yi continued coldly, “After the murders, you sobered, horrified by the carnage. Knowing that exposure meant certain death, you fled without returning home, taking silver and clothes from the victim’s household to fund your escape.”
“Fortune smiled on you. That year, Jiangzhou suffered devastating floods, displacing thousands. Amid the chaos, you encountered a small group of refugees, among them a scholar named Ma Bo Cai.”