Chapter 179: Why the Hatred?
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Li Qing Miao’s gaze towards Madam Zhang of the Li Clan was as cold and venomous as that of an enemy. “Wretch! How dare you deceive me!”
Madam Zhang met his glare with equal hatred, her eyes burning with disdain. “You murdered my parents! It was you who betrayed me first! Don’t think I don’t know your plan. You intended to wait for the thirty-year statute of limitations to expire and then leave. And before leaving, you’d undoubtedly kill me as well, wouldn’t you?”
Although her tone carried a hint of questioning, her expression was resolute, as though she had uncovered some undeniable truth.
Li Qing Miao’s expression remained cold and silent.
Yu Zhi Yi decided to unravel the mystery for her. “Indeed, he plans to kill you once the statute of limitations passes. Then he’ll flee with his ill-gotten gains.”
What made this even more repulsive was the destination of his “flight.” Rather than disappearing into obscurity, he intended to return to his hometown, Meng County. By then, even if someone recognized him, the law could no longer touch him due to the expiration of the statute. He sought not just escape but to disgust others with his impunity.
And the ones he aimed to disgust the most? His own family.
Yu Zhi Yi’s revelation left everyone stunned. Their gazes toward Li Qing Miao were filled with disbelief.
What kind of twisted logic drove this man? Did he truly derive some perverse sense of accomplishment from such actions? But what would it matter, once everyone was dead?
Yu Zhi Yi herself could not fully comprehend it, but through divination, she discerned the intricate malice in Li Qing Miao’s heart. She shook her head. “You needn’t return to flaunt your crimes. Your parents and kin are right here with you. You can meet them now.”
As she spoke, her hand made a slight motion in the air.
Li Qing Miao suddenly felt a flash before his eyes. When his vision cleared, seven figures had appeared before him.
Each figure was drenched in blood, their eyes wide open in eternal anguish. Some had blood flowing from all seven orifices; others bore bodies riddled with holes from explosions. Though their forms of death varied, their suffering was uniform.
Li Qing Miao staggered back, horrified. These were… his family!
Li’s father glared at him with venom. “You can feel fear too?!”
Li’s mother’s voice trembled with both grief and rage. “I treated you so well! Why did you do this?!”
The elderly couple, his grandparents, cried out, “It hurts, Qing Miao! It hurts so much!”
His siblings remained silent, but their pallid eyes gleamed with savage intent, as if they were ready to tear him to pieces at any moment.
All seven moved in unison, advancing toward Li Qing Miao.
A chill surged through him, freezing him to the core. His entire body trembled violently. The air seemed to grow heavier as he realized those “people” were now surrounding him, seven pairs of hands stretching toward his neck.
The suffocating pressure was instantaneous. Li Qing Miao’s eyes rolled back as he struggled. He wasn’t truly asphyxiating but felt as if his neck might snap at any moment. Even if he wanted to beg for mercy, the words wouldn’t come.
The terror of death enveloped him, and only now did he realize how horrifying it truly was to face one’s end.
He didn’t want to die.
No!
Perhaps heaven heard his desperate plea. The hands suddenly released him. The oppressive specters then retreated, as if obeying some unspoken command.
Yu Zhi Yi’s voice broke the silence. “If you kill him, your hands will bear the stain of his blood. It’s not worth it. Leave him to human law.”
Gasping for breath, Li Qing Miao slumped to the ground. But upon hearing her words, he abruptly lifted his head. “You can’t arrest me!”
Yu Zhi Yi’s faint smile carried an air of mockery. “Why not?”
“The statute of limitations has expired. You can’t pursue that case anymore!”
Yu Zhi Yi raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with mockery. “Have you forgotten? You didn’t just kill seven people.”
Li Qing Miao faltered, his composure slipping.
Yu Zhi Yi struck another blow to his confidence. “And who told you the statute of limitations has passed?”
Li Qing Miao’s eyes widened in shock. Until now, he had maintained a facade of calm indifference, even when accused of murder by his wife. It was only during his encounter with ghosts that his demeanor had cracked. But this…this was different.
“You foolish girl! What could you possibly know?” he snapped, his voice trembling. “Yesterday marked the thirtieth year, the final day. Midnight has passed. A new day has begun, and the case is forever closed!”
Yu Zhi Yi sneered. “And that’s why I called you arrogant, ignorant, and utterly delusional. You think you can control the world with your half-baked understanding of the law.”
She drew a volume of the Great Sheng Empire’s Legal Code from her sleeve and motioned for someone to pass it to Li Qing Miao. “Take a good look. Read what it says about the statute of limitations.”
Li Qing Miao hesitated but accepted the book. His eyes scanned the page, the words cutting through his confidence like a blade:
The statute of limitations begins from the date the crime is discovered. For ongoing or continuous crimes, the limitation period starts from the date the crime concludes. If another crime is committed during the limitation period, the statute resets and begins from the date of the new crime.
Li Qing Miao’s hands trembled as realization dawned. The events of thirty years ago blurred in his mind. Everything he had believed—so certain, so definitive—now felt tenuous.
He remembered leaving the Li Family Village after committing the murders, discarding his bloody clothes at the crime scene to ensure the villagers would identify him as the killer. He had walked away, confident and unbothered, even greeting people on the street with a smile before heading to a tavern in town to drink the night away. The discovery of the corpses didn’t occur until the next day.
It hit him like a thunderclap. The statute of limitations didn’t begin on the day he committed the crime but on the day the bodies were found. Yesterday wasn’t the final day—today was. And worse, he had killed several constables afterward, resetting the limitation period entirely.
Li Qing Miao’s head drooped, his eyes vacant and filled with despair. The light in them seemed to shatter.
Yu Zhi Yi watched him impassively. “…”
Red Luan would have described his broken expression as that of a shattered teapot bubble—delicate and pointless.
Yu Zhi Yi didn’t care about his emotional collapse. She had come here today to deal with this scum personally. Men like him, with high intelligence and unyielding resolve, were not easily swayed by ordinary methods. To make such a person face their crimes, you had to utterly demolish their convictions.
And today, she had shattered his.
But it wasn’t enough.
If he wasn’t thoroughly crushed, the restless souls of his victims would never find peace.
Yu Zhi Yi’s voice was cold and unyielding. “Li Qing Miao, your family is here. Tell them, why do you hate them so?”
Though he had expressed his hatred during the murders, his motives remained unclear. His family had sensed his loathing but never understood its source. After all, they had sacrificed everything—living frugally, enduring hardships—to support his education. How had their devotion turned into hatred?