Chapter 44: A Single Thought of Good and Evil

"I wonder what it tastes like to savor the talented top scholar..."

Luo Shaofeng sized up Cheng Ruyi, his tone suddenly shifting. "Ah, Luo almost forgot, the top scholar has been dead for a long time... You are nothing more than a monster who wreaks havoc upon the court, ungrateful and heartless, a parricide and matricide. Such a flavor can hardly be pleasant; it's probably only fit to be fed to the dogs."

Sweat dripped from Cheng Ruyi's forehead, dampening his eyelashes as he endured the excruciating pain. "Hnn... In that case, you must be something even dogs refuse to eat."

"Damn it, Shuangling...!"

Luo Shaofeng was clearly provoked by this retort. Cheng Ruyi thought to himself that a sharp tongue really does invite disaster. Meanwhile, Shuangling had already engaged the mechanism's lever. With the sound of sliding iron chains, a second heavy iron ball was dragged along the ground, rolling slowly.

Luo Shaofeng sneered, "Add one more, and every bone in your body will be thoroughly crushed to pieces."

Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi let out a dry, forced chuckle. He lifted his head. Aside from his fellow sufferers enduring the same agony, there was only the pitch-black stone ceiling; he could no longer see the sky.

The sound of the contracting chains gradually slowed in his ears, and the wrenching pain pulling at his ankles intensified. Cheng Ruyi began to chant silently in his heart: *Heavenly immortals protect me, you must see that mark, Lord Yan, Commander Yan, you little Yan hound...*

Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed!

Shuangling, who was operating the mechanism, instantly halted her movements. The hidden door collapsed amidst a billowing cloud of dust and smoke!

The guards and Shuangling rushed forward to meet the intruders. Cheng Ruyi crashed down onto the floor, the pain turning his vision pitch black, yet he still managed to catch a faint glimpse of that tall, upright figure.

The moment they breached the door, what lay before them were human cages, boiling flesh and blood, and Cheng Ruyi, tortured to the brink of death.

Yan Kuang's brows furrowed tightly. Cheng Ruyi—that was the person he had gone to such lengths to rescue.

A wave of sword Qi tore through the air as the longsword in Yan Kuang's palm instantly cleared its scabbard. Wherever it passed, the chilling radiance whipped up an immediate mist of blood. Lin Jiangwu paused for a brief moment before snapping back to reality, her apricot eyes widened in fury, and her crescent blade swept forward, wreathed in cold light!

Cheng Ruyi lay collapsed on the ground, his eyes half-open. This was the first time he had ever witnessed Yan Kuang fight with people face-to-face.

He thought to himself that although this Yan hound was a clumsy brute, his movements were both swift and ruthless. His toe soles crushed over the bloodstains, advancing relentlessly without ever taking a step back. Meeting him head-on only made it easier for him to strike, yet trying to evade him was utterly futile against his wind-like shifting footwork and sword intent.

It was just like a wrathful deity descending to slaughter; a fated death was impossible to avoid.

Shuangling whipped out the soft leather whip from her waist to tangle with Lin Jiangwu. Although she walked with a limp, her movements remained nimble, and coupled with her petite stature, she managed to keep Lin Jiangwu's heavy saber at bay for the time being.

The sweeping edge of the saber possessed tremendous might, yet the ones who died beneath it first were merely the guards.

Shuangling used her long whip to coil and thrust, successfully grabbing "scapegoats" to buy herself a few more moments of life under Lin Jiangwu's blade.

Yan Kuang's eyes were bloodshot. Wherever his sword light passed, flesh and blood flew in a massacre. His gaze remained fixed entirely ahead; leaping forward with upturned palms, his sword rose and fell without a shred of mercy.

The King of Hell had awakened in rage, stepping over layers of corpses, vowing to snatch back the soul that rightfully belonged to him.

As he watched Yan Kuang draw closer and closer, Cheng Ruyi's hope reignited instantly, but a sudden chilling sensation struck his neck—

Luo Shaofeng had pressed a dagger against his throat.

Simultaneously, Yan Kuang had already laid low the final guard, and for Shuangling, stripped of her guard cover, what awaited her was the bloodied blade in Lin Jiangwu's palm.

"Stop!"

Yan Kuang and Luo Shaofeng shouted the word at the exact same time. Lin Jiangwu slammed the brakes on her momentum, her blade crashing down with a resounding thud as the ground instantly split three feet deep. Shuangling seized the opportunity to dodge sideways, retreating to Luo Shaofeng's side.

Yan Kuang gripped his sword hilt tightly, droplets of enemy blood still rolling down his cold, stern face. He gazed coldly at Luo Shaofeng and said, "Your men have been completely wiped out. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and Lord Han will be here immediately. Do not resist any further and court needless casualties."

Yan Kuang's voice sounded as though it were steeped in snow, carrying an inexplicable, piercing chill.

Luo Shaofeng wore a look of utter disbelief as he stammered, "You... just who on earth are you...!"

Blood flowed in a steady stream, gurgling down the fuller of the sword. Yan Kuang turned his wrist, shaking the blood droplets from the blade as he pronounced in a deep voice—

"Yan Kuang, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

As his words settled, absolute silence fell upon the surroundings.

Luo Shaofeng's face turned instantly deathly pale. His arm tightly clamped around Cheng Ruyi's waist, believing he had finally figured something out, he sneered with utter contempt, "As expected... How could a mere scholar devoid of the strength to truss a chicken possibly escape the impregnable fortress of the Imperial Prison!"

Clearly, Luo Shaofeng had misunderstood something. But Cheng Ruyi was in no condition to explain. The dull, piercing pain throughout his entire body was driving his consciousness to the verge of shattering.

Seeing the situation at such a deadlock, Shuangling, standing beside Luo Shaofeng, pressed her lips together and suddenly dropped to her knees before Lin Jiangwu.

She kowtowed repeatedly and cried out, "Miss Lin! My lord has his hidden grievances! If someone must pay with their life for this, take me! I killed them all, and the idea was mine!"

She pleaded earnestly, "Miss Lin, all these years, my lord has always treated you with genuine sincerity. I beg you, save him, I'm begging you!"

Lin Jiangwu's face was smeared with blood from the slaughter. With red-rimmed eyes, she raised a hand and wiped at her face, instantly smearing a vivid crimson across her fair cheeks, making her current expression appear exceptionally distorted and grim.

"Shuangling! Don't talk nonsense! These things were clearly all forced upon you by me!"

Hearing this, Luo Shaofeng wore a look of poignant distress, yet the dagger in his hand remained firmly pressed against Cheng Ruyi's neck. Cheng Ruyi was still too weak from the pain to muster any strength, so he could only shake his head slightly at Yan Kuang.

Seemingly sensing that the mastermind's cause was lost, the people trapped inside the cages began to cry out in succession, their desperate pleas for rescue echoing one after another.

Seeing this, Lin Jiangwu moved to trigger the mechanism and lower the captives, but Yan Kuang immediately barked, "Junior Sister, you mustn't!"

With a cold, piercing gaze glaring straight at Luo Shaofeng, Yan Kuang demanded, "Have you forgotten how Jia Chuan died?"

Lin Jiangwu's heart skipped a beat. Indeed, if those people were released at this moment, Luo Shaofeng's fate would likely be no better than Jia Chuan's.

A trace of gnashing frustration colored Yan Kuang's voice. Luo Shaofeng deserved to die a thousand deaths, but Cheng Ruyi was still in his clutches.

Observing Cheng Ruyi's weak, pale appearance, the hand with which Yan Kuang gripped his sword hilt trembled slightly from excessive force.

Without a moment's hesitation, he declared, "Let him go."

"Before the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Lord Han arrive, I can let you walk away."

Both Shuangling and Lin Jiangwu were taken aback, but Luo Shaofeng suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Cheng Ruyi was somewhat surprised, but still forced out the words hoarsely, "Yan Kuang, don't be a fool... kill him already..."

"Shut your mouth!" Luo Shaofeng pressed the dagger inward by a fraction, barking harshly, "Are you even qualified to play the hero? What kind of thing are you...!"

The blade was razor-sharp, and blood immediately oozed out, winding its way down Cheng Ruyi's slender neck.

Cheng Ruyi winced in pain, causing Yan Kuang's heart to tighten instantly. Frowning and gritting his teeth, he demanded, "Speak. What do you want?"

Suppression of her turbulent emotions forced Lin Jiangwu to tremble as she choked out, "Luo... Luo Shaofeng, don't hurt Master Cheng, we... we can let you go. But I'll only ask you one thing: where is Xiaohong?"

The laughter ceased abruptly, and Luo Shaofeng's expression froze instantly.

Glancing at the boiling skulls bubbling incessantly within the cauldron, Lin Jiangwu clenched her fists tightly and asked again, "I'm asking you! Where is Xiaohong? Where is my Xiaohong?!"

Luo Shaofeng paused for a moment before unexpectedly wearing a gentle, benign smile.

He replied, "Saber Girl, you don't know this, but your elder brother has recently... comprehended the true heavenly dao... benevolence does not necessarily reap a good reward, while evil..."

"Where is Xiaohong?!"

Luo Shaofeng was cut off, leaving him no choice but to smile helplessly and say, "These are all 'two-legged sheep' here, destined to be taken out and sold cheaply as livestock meat... But that little girl had a fierce temper, and she was far too noisy... so I had no choice but to throw her in."

A string of agonized roars reverberated through the cavern. Lin Jiangwu collapsed onto her knees, shaking uncontrollably.

Cheng Ruyi could no longer bear to listen. Besides, he didn't care much for living anyway; if Luo Shaofeng were allowed to escape just to spare his own wretched life... then the wronged spirits demanding his life in his dreams would likely gain a few more batches.

He swallowed hard, his raspy voice pressing out once more, "Lord Yan..."

"Shut up!"

Luo Shaofeng and Yan Kuang barked in unison to cut him off. Luo Shaofeng gazed at the utterly tormented Lin Jiangwu, his eyes filled with sorrowful pity. "Saber Girl... you were as free as an eagle in the sky; no matter how fierce the wind and rain, they should never have halted your footsteps... Yet it was precisely that little girl who made you lose your original intention... Ever since she came along, you've been held back!"

"Stop talking! Say no more... stop!"

Lin Jiangwu's eyes widened in horror as the heavy saber slipped from her grasp with a resounding clang, crashing onto the ground. Before her stood her unfamiliar sworn brother, alongside the endlessly boiling broth of white bones and red flesh...

Her modus operandi had always been to halt killing through slaughter. Lin the Single-Blade—taking a life always required just one strike... Yet now her enemy stood right before her. Should she kill him? Should she let him go?

Just as she reached the brink of collapse, a sudden weight pressed down upon her shoulder.

Yan Kuang gripped her shoulder, pulled her firmly to his side, and said softly, "Junior Sister, he is mad, but you are not."

"Saber Girl..."

Luo Shaofeng wanted to say something more, but a sudden blockage in his throat caused him to violently vomit a large mouthful of blood!

Everyone was stunned, yet Luo Shaofeng merely resumed his lighthearted laughter.

"My lord... quick, take the medicine!"

Shuangling scrambled to fish a medicine vial from her bodice, frantically shaking out a pill to offer him. Luo Shaofeng brushed Shuangling's hand aside, snatched the medicine vial instead, and hurled it straight into the boiling cauldron.

"No!"

Shuangling broke down in piercing sobs. The medicine bottle splashed a series of red droplets into the blood, while Luo Shaofeng let out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

This abrupt turn of events left both Cheng Ruyi and Lin Jiangwu completely bewildered. Yan Kuang, however, stated in a deep voice, "Without that medicine, you haven't got many days left to live either."

Luo Shaofeng was momentarily startled before shrugging his shoulders. "Indeed... I'm dying soon."

"Why... why on earth?!"

With Yan Kuang directly exposing the secret he kept buried deep in his heart, he no longer held any reservations, and his laughter grew only more frantic.

Luo Shaofeng clutched the hilt of his dagger tightly, his gaze fixed and delirious as he cried out, "My entire life, I have clearly done nothing but good deeds... I wished nothing more—I wished I could carve open my very heart and liver and feed them to the people of Fengzhou! I spent ten years studying by the dim window, finally attaining an official post... Even though the political scene was as filthy and foul as a pigpen in the mire! I never once flowed with the corrupt current, losing neither my scholarly integrity nor my original intention as a magistrate...!"

"Yet what... what did I get in return? My parents fell gravely ill one after another and left me... My meager official salary was unable to afford them even a single day of peace and comfort... On the very day my wife went into labor, the midwife refused to come assist the delivery because the previous prefect pressured her! I watched with my own eyes... as my wife and child died together right before me!"

At the height of his agitation, the dagger in his hand shook, slicing open Cheng Ruyi's neck so that fresh blood welled out in clusters. Yan Kuang spoke anxiously, "Luo Shaofeng! If you truly dare to kill him, I will spare no effort to keep you alive, broadcast your crimes to the whole world, and parade you through the streets in public every single day!"

Hearing this, genuine fear finally surfaced on Luo Shaofeng's face, and Shuangling's eyes filled with stark terror and worry.

Yan Kuang saw right through him: mad though Luo Shaofeng might be, he still couldn't bear to tear away his mask of benevolence, nor was he willing to relinquish the reputation of an upright official he had spent half a lifetime striving to build.

"He really cares about you."

Luo Shaofeng calmed himself slightly, turning his head sideways to glance at Cheng Ruyi again as he muttered with self-derision, "A person as good as me, who has done nothing but good deeds, must endure the torment of a broken family and separated loved ones; whereas a scumbag like you still manages to have someone care, still manages to live on securely... Why?"