Chapter 175
Chapter 175
“Good. Go and handle it. I will wait at home for you to return, mission accomplished.”
Thirteen prostrated himself on the floor.
“Yes!”
His head was spinning. The master was truly a demon. Killing someone was one thing, but to do it in such a cruel, filthy, and terrifying manner… it sent shivers down his spine.
“Thirteen, why are you trembling?”
Thirteen shivered as he asked.
“Master, did you ask me why I’m trembling?”
‘Thank goodness the master never decided to kill me in the past. If I ever find out he intends to kill me in the future, I’ll definitely commit suicide beforehand. How can one mind hold so many endless ways to kill a person?’
‘With a vicious man like you standing guard, the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate is supposed to fall? Hah! I’d sooner be castrated than believe the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate could ever be destroyed.’
* * *
Xiao Bing helped Shen Lang change his clothes. As she did, Shen Lang’s hands began to wander, his mind racing to come up with a plan. As his thoughts intensified, his actions grew bolder, causing Xiao Bing to tremble all over. She was still just a girl; how could she endure Shen Lang’s excessive fondling?
‘How should I deal with Zhu Wenhua, Liu Chengyan, and the official from the Court of Judicial Review? Should I kill them all? No, no! Killing the Lin Clan and the officials from the Weaving Bureau is enough. The official from the Court is from the capital. If he dies a mysterious death here, the responsibility we’d have to bear would be too great. Then how do I deal with them?’
Just then, Xiao Bing’s body trembled as she spoke.
“Young Master, I’m uncomfortable.”
Startled, Shen Lang withdrew his hand.
‘I was wondering why my mind was working so slowly. Turns out this little minx has been lowering my intelligence. They say blood rushes to your head when you’re with a woman, but with you tempting me like this, how can I think straight?’
Just then, Jin Zhong’s voice came from outside.
“Young Master, Zhu Wenhua and the others are tired of waiting and are urging you to come out. They say if you delay any longer, they will come in and seize you.”
“Go and tell the gentlemen to wait just a little longer. I’ll be right there.”
“Yes.”
Jin Zhong went back to hold off Zhu Wenhua and the others.
“Bing’er, go get my toolbox.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Bing ran off to get the box.
‘But little minx, if you’re going to run, why are you holding your chest while you do it?’
About ten minutes later, Xiao Bing appeared, carrying a large box. In that short time, the girl had even managed to change her clothes.
‘How did she change so quickly? And she has so many outfits. Mulan must truly dote on you.’
“Young Master, I brought the toolbox.”
Xiao Bing carefully placed the box on the table. She knew that everything inside it was created by the Young Master for the purpose of harming people.
Shen Lang opened his treasure chest, revealing about a hundred porcelain vials inside. Dozens were poisons, and dozens were special concoctions. It was a complete collection, lacking nothing. Shen Lang took out one of the vials, dabbed a small amount onto a cotton swab, and carefully applied it to his arms and neck.
He did it with great precision, even creating a pattern with meticulous care. A moment later, Xiao Bing cried out in surprise. A number of vivid, flower-shaped rashes had appeared on Shen Lang’s neck and arms.
“Young Master…”
“Bing’er, are you scared?”
The rashes on Shen Lang’s body looked like smallpox, a deadly infectious disease. Of course, it wasn’t real smallpox, just a rash, but it was shaped to look just like it. Shen Lang had applied the medicine following the pattern of smallpox pustules. In truth, the substance was a fluid secreted by a certain type of caterpillar, and it was only mildly toxic.
“I’m not scared. You wicked Young Master applied it to my bottom last time. I nearly died of shock back then…”
Xiao Bing threw her arms around Shen Lang’s neck, acting cute before speaking with a pained expression.
“Young Master, this must hurt a lot. Why are you harming yourself?”
“They came to spy on us at a critical moment, so I have to look sufficiently miserable. Besides, if you’re set on harming others, it’s only right that I suffer a little first.”
“But it breaks my heart.”
Then, Xiao Bing stuck out her tongue and licked the rash on Shen Lang’s neck, her voice sultry.
“Does that feel a little better?”
“No! You’ve made me hard.”
Xiao Bing hesitated shyly.
“Then I’ll put it back to how it was.”
‘This won’t do, this won’t do. This little minx is getting more and more shameless.’
Shen Lang had always been the one to tease Xiao Bing, but this time, he was the one being teased. Moreover, Xiao Bing’s vixen-like behavior was becoming so unrestrained that even a seasoned flirt like Shen Lang found her hard to handle.
* * *
When Shen Lang reappeared in the reception hall, he had changed into a completely new set of clothes. His neck and arms were covered, but his face was slightly flushed, as if he had a fever. Zhu Wenhua spoke to him.
“Shen Lang, where were you on the day my father, Zhu Nanting, was killed?”
“I was likely in Nanhua Prefecture.”
Wang Qike, the official from the Court of Judicial Review, continued.
“What a coincidence. Count Zhu Nanting was also killed within the borders of Nanhua Prefecture.”
Zhu Wenhua’s voice was cold.
“Shen Lang, do you still have anything to say?”
“The death of Zhu Nanting has nothing to do with me.”
“Prove your innocence. What business did the Young Master of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate have in Nanhua Prefecture?”
Shen Lang sneered.
“I, Shen Beixuan, have never in my life made excuses for my actions.”
‘Shen Beixuan? When did you get another name? Is Beixuan your courtesy name?’
Zhu Wenhua scoffed inwardly at Shen Lang’s words before speaking.
“Then come with us. You will spend a day in the Xuanwu City prison before being escorted to the capital. Once you experience the harsh interrogations in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison, you will have no choice but to confess the truth.”
“Then I shall go with you. My innocence will be revealed to the world.”
‘Innocence? What a joke. Shen Lang, are you a three-year-old child? You believe innocence exists in this world? Perhaps it does, but it certainly doesn’t apply to you.’
Shen Lang stood motionless, allowing them to apprehend him. Just then, Jin Mulan rushed out, drew her sword with a flourish, and said in a chilling voice.
“There are limits to bullying. If you touch my husband, I will cut off both your hands.”
The official from the Court of Judicial Review spoke in an equally cold tone.
“Miss Jin, does the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate intend to obstruct the Court of Judicial Review in the execution of its duties?”
The Court of Judicial Review was the highest judicial body in the State of Yue; it was not an entity a count’s estate could obstruct. Zhu Wenhua also spoke coldly.
“Miss Jin Mulan, the fact that we came without a single soldier is the highest form of respect we can show the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. I hope you know when to advance and when to retreat.”
Shen Lang spoke in a gentle voice.
“My lady, it will be fine. I will go with them. I don’t even have the strength to wring a chicken’s neck, so how could I have killed Viscount Zhu Nanting? Everyone knows this. The Court of Judicial Review will surely clear my name.”
Then, Shen Lang held out both his hands to them.
“Let’s go. Take me away. Whether it’s the Xuanwu City prison or the Court of Judicial Review’s prison, I will follow you.”
Zhu Wenhua was startled.
‘Shen Lang is being this cooperative? Is this some kind of trick? No. Even if he is plotting something, what can he do? The fall of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate is imminent, and Shen Lang himself is so frail. Once he’s in the Xuanwu City prison, won’t he be writhing in agony?’
Once inside the prison, Shen Lang would be in a situation where he couldn’t die even if he wanted to, and couldn’t live even if he wished to. Shen Lang was exceptionally handsome, and prisons were full of perverts. The mere thought of it was enough to make one shudder.
Zhu Wenhua stepped forward and grabbed Shen Lang’s arm, while the official from the Court of Judicial Review took out a set of paper shackles. This, in its own way, was a form of preferential treatment. Using paper shackles instead of real ones was a formality, often used for people of status to impose the mental pressure of detainment.
Shen Lang obediently raised his hands, allowing the other man to put on the paper shackles. As he lifted his arms, his sleeves slid down, clearly revealing the red rashes on his skin. The sight of them was horrifying. It was a familiar pattern. The official’s face changed drastically.
‘This… this is smallpox!’
He had seen smallpox before. A few years ago, he had personally led soldiers to quarantine a village infected with it. It was an extremely deadly epidemic.
The rashes on the infected patients back then looked exactly like the ones on Shen Lang now, even the blisters were similarly shaped. No wonder Shen Lang’s face was flushed as if he had a fever! It was a classic symptom of smallpox.
Shen Lang spoke pitifully.
“You asked me what I was doing in Nanhua Prefecture? I was seeking a doctor. I heard that the Divine Doctor Zhang of Fenghua Valley had once cured smallpox.”
Hearing Shen Lang’s words, Zhu Wenhua, Liu Chengyan, and the official from the Court of Judicial Review all jumped back as if they had seen a ghost.
‘This… this is really contagious!’
Smallpox was an extremely infectious disease. Anyone who contracted it had to be thoroughly quarantined, and no one was to have any contact with them. The official from the Court, Wang Jilie, was practically losing his mind. He had come here on a certain lord’s orders to arrest Shen Lang and probe the limits of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. He was eager to earn merit, but not at the cost of his own life.
The mortality rate of smallpox was one in four. Everyone knew this, and unable to hide their fear, they began to retreat, while Shen Lang, in turn, pursued them, trying to get closer.
“Take me away! Arrest me now. Throw me in the Xuanwu City prison, throw me in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison! Quickly, hurry up…!”
‘Damn it, places like prisons are cramped, poorly ventilated, and filled with countless criminals—perfect for an epidemic to spread. Who would dare arrest you? If we lock you up and everyone in the prison gets infected and dies, the situation will become even worse.’
The official from the Court of Judicial Review could bear it no longer and turned to flee. Following him, Liu Chengyan and the officials from the Governor’s and Prefect’s offices also fled in succession. Zhu Wenhua knew Shen Lang well and was aware of his unparalleled cunning, so he was certain Shen Lang couldn’t possibly have contracted something like smallpox. Wicked people live for a thousand years; how could a great villain like Shen Lang easily catch smallpox? But despite his thoughts, he couldn’t help but be afraid.
‘Everyone else has fled. If I’m the only one who doesn’t, won’t Shen Lang kill me? How did Lin Zhuo die? He died an agonizingly painful death. Even if it’s not smallpox, who’s to say Shen Lang doesn’t have poison on his hands?’
Though reluctant, Zhu Wenhua had no choice but to flee. With the official from the Court of Judicial Review gone, a mere city magistrate from Xuanwu City couldn’t possibly arrest Shen Lang. Shen Lang grabbed Zhu Wenhua’s hand.
“Don’t go, don’t any of you go. Arrest me quickly. Come on, arrest me…”