Bone Painting Coroner

After half the time it took to burn a joss stick, Ji Yuanzhi was thrown back into the prison. Meanwhile, Jing Rong accompanied Ji Yunshu to the prison. When they arrived, Ji Yunshu did not let Jing Rong follow her further.

From Ji Yuanzhi’s prison cell came an unpleasant stench that was mixed with the smell of blood. The blood scent must have permeated the surrounding air ever since Jing Rong’s subordinates came to collect that bowl of blood last night. Ji Yuanzhi, while sitting on the ground, cut an unsightly figure as he coldly laughed. Both of his eyes revealed a malevolent expression the moment Ji Yunshu arrived and appeared into his peripheral vision.

After a long time, Ji Yunshu ordered the jailer, “Open the door.”

“But…”

“Open it!” Her cold as ice tone pierced through the jailer’s mind, scaring him.

The jailer trembled slightly before obeying Ji Yunshu’s order.

Accompanying the jingle of the iron chains, the door creaked opened. Ji Yunshu stepped inside and stood in front of Ji Yuanzhi.

The man graced her with his attention by lifting his head and looking at her. A sinister expression gradually crept onto his lips as he inquired, “What? You want to take revenge for Luan’er? You want to personally kill me?”

“I came here because I want to ask you about a matter before you die.” Her voice sounded as if her throat had been sealed for a long time and air was gradually passing through. Ji Yuanzhi hummed as he bent his neck, his sight fixated on his high-quality boots made from tiger leather.

After a moment, Ji Yunshu slowly crouched and continued to question him, “That day, you brought people to the common grave; I also went there but didn’t find his corpse. Tell me, where is he?”

As soon as the question was said, Ji Yuanzhi appeared as if he had caught onto her weakness. His eyes expressed insufferable arrogance and pride. “Do you want to know?” His tone felt strange.

“Do you know where he is in the end?”

“He is dead. Ji Yunshu, Ji Pei has died. He died right in front of me.” His tone became heavy as a mocking laugh began to fill the air.

Ji Yunshu refused to believe him. Her eyes turned red. “You’re lying! He is not dead, right?”

In response to her question, he laughed harder; his head raised to face the ceiling, then slowly, he lowered his head to look directly into Ji Yunshu’s eyes. “Ji Yunshu, I truly don’t understand. What is so good about Ji Pei that cause you to be so dead set on him? I will tell you something: he is really dead. I can confirm that I didn’t order people to bring him to the common grave. On the contrary, I threw his corpse into the wilderness, and had witnessed ‘helplessly’ how the jackals feasted upon his blood and flesh, ripping him apart until barely anything was left.”

“NO! It can’t be… ”

“Not only that, after those beasts were done eating his body, I crushed the leftovers and scattered everything into the wind. Nothing remained of Ji Pei, not even his bones. Only then, did I leave, satisfied with my perfect work.” When he was done, he burst into a gleeful laughter. He felt even more elated as if he had won the world when he saw the despair written all over Ji Yunshu’s face.

Ji Yunshu propped up her body as she felt a weakness overcoming her. Tremors shook her back and spread to the rest of her body. She retreated a few steps to regain her balance. The despair made her feel as if stones had filled her heart. She had the impression that she was scorching inside, yet she trembled like she was freezing. Even when she had powerlessly watched Ji Pei lying in a pool of blood, her emotions were never this intense. It wasn’t this painful! It gripped her so firmly that she felt at loss and deeply cold.

Ji Yuanzhi didn’t stop there. He rose from the ground and continued to speak, “Didn’t you love him a lot? Weren’t you waiting for him all this time? If I was you, there is absolutely no point in staying on this earth. It’s better to follow him in death. Perhaps, Heaven will be moved by your feelings and let you two bastards be a couple and be together forever.”

SLAP!

A heavy slap landed on Ji Yuanzhi’s face.

Her slap was so heavy that the despair she had became numbed. She snapped out as her sadness and despair had been partially vented. At this moment, her face was covered in tears, appearing as if mercury was flowing out.

She had never experienced such ruthlessness and killing intent! She unwaveringly gritted her teeth. Ji Yuanzhi had yet to react to her slap. However, her slender white fingers reached for his two cheeks like poisonous needles. She was utterly tyrannical as she grabbed onto his face and forced him to look at her. When Ji Yuanzhi saw her eyes, his body suddenly cowered, the pain on his face had yet to recede. He shuddered in fear.

With a face full of killing intent, she ferociously spoke, “Rest assured! I will give you a toast on your way to the Yellow Springs1. May you rest in peace!” As soon as she was done, she flicked her wrist with all her might, using a strength she did not know she had in her and flung Ji Yuanzhi’s face away, causing him to fall to the ground and hitting his back against the freezing wall in the process.

She felt her throat constricted as she restrained herself from wailing madly. She straightened her posture, but the trembling of her shoulders betrayed her sadness. She turned around. Step by step, with a pace that seemed loaded with lead, she moved to the exit of the prison cell.

“Ji Yunshu.” Ji Yuanzhi suddenly shouted her name.

She stopped.

“Do you want to know who informed father about your discussion under the plum tree?”

She was stunned. She abruptly turned back. Her pupils dilated as she attentively observed him. Indeed, that question had puzzled her many times in the past. How did her father know about her discussion with Ji Pei at that time?

“Who was it?”

“Sure, I will tell you.” Ji Yuanzhi took two steps toward her. His calm eyes gradually reflected a terrifying expression.

The distance between them was only a mere two fists, and with her guard down, she didn’t react in time when a metallic glint suddenly flashed as Ji Yuanzhi’s hand rose and fiercely plunged the object into her left cheek. In an instant, he slashed down from her cheekbone to her lower jaw, opening a deep cut.

The blood spilled out, causing her beautiful and delicate cheek to quickly turn into a bloody river.

“MISS JI!” The jailer outside quickly rushed inside the cell. He was about to push away Ji Yuanzhi from Ji Yunshu, but Ji Yuanzhi had already pulled out the silver hairpin, which he took from who knew where, and stabbed fiercely into his neck, reaching deeply to his bone! Then, he used all his strength and ripped out the hairpin. His blood spurted profusely, dying his clothes in crimson and splashing onto Ji Yunshu. As he bled to his death, he laughed while his gaze was fixed on Ji Yunshu. “Never… You… will never know who did it!”

His body fell lifelessly.

Ji Yunshu stood there, unmoving. The pain on her face felt like it had stopped like that show that came to end in front of her.

On the ground, Ji Yuanzhi still had his eyes wide opened and his neck dying in the crimson of his blood.

“Dead! Ji Yuanzhi died!” yelled the jailer.

Contrary to the jailer, Ji Yunshu appeared extremely calm, but in fact, her whole person was frozen in complete panic. She blankly turned around and mechanically walked out of the cell. Her eyes were vague, unable to focus as she walked to the outside of the prison.

Gradually, her vision blurred and her legs weakened. Yet, she continued to step forward until she saw the white light coming from the prison entrance. The light pierced through her continuously degrading vision. Finally, she couldn’t go on. A figure suddenly rushed toward her as she felt gravity pulling her body down. Two big hands firmly caught her and encircled her into a warm embrace.

“Yunshu…”

Blood kept flowing incessantly from her cheek which had its flesh deeply carved by the hairpin!

1.The Yellow Springs is the underworld, similar to the river Styx in Greek mythology.

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