Chapter 66: Soul-Shattering Jade Banquet (Part 4): This Isn’t Fair

She knew that after saying that line, Li Biyuan would lose it again, so Mu Qian Tan spoke first: “Shut up. Just trying it out. Not doing anything to her.”

Before she could even speak, her words were cut off. Li Biyuan vanished. In any case, she couldn’t convince this woman. Meanwhile, Shang Shan, who had overheard the last sentence, froze for a moment. Her face went blank for quite a while before she finally shifted her gaze. It drifted around without settling anywhere.

“I…” She trembled her lips, feigning high spirits as she deliberately twisted the original words: “That Wen Wu deserves a beating! I’ll go give him one right now! Then drag him to the authorities!”

Her eyes gleamed. True to her word, she bolted toward the courtyard gate. Mu Qian Tan’s eyes tracked her as she said faintly, “Do you even know where he is?”

Shang Shan slammed to a halt. Her pale, stiff little face turned as she dashed back into the room. She must have gotten the address because she charged off again. Mu Qian Tan followed at a leisurely pace, passing through several courtyards until a lavish banquet hall came into view ahead.

They had barely approached when the strains of elegant string and wind music reached their ears, accompanied by rhythmic drumbeats and bursts of raucous laughter all mixed in. The place was lively.

The doors stood wide open. A quick glance inside revealed two rows of over a dozen guests seated opposite each other, all decked out in fine brocade robes as they drank and made merry. At the head sat a fat-headed man with bulging ears and a greasy face. He was scooping up scraps of silver from the table and tossing them under it.

A gorgeous rose-colored carpet covered the center of the banquet hall, where several dancers in short skirts twirled and sang, baring large expanses of pale skin. Their faces were pretty, their eyes seductive, their smiles soft. When the shards of silver hit them, they let out delicate “Ouch!” cries that drew chuckles from the crowd.

With the Glamour Corpse chaos raging outside, they couldn’t make a scene, so they’d brought the party straight home.

Shang Shan charged in like the wind, not slowing for a second. The singers and musicians scattered in shock at the sudden appearance of a beggar, and the music fell apart amid toppling instruments. The guests let out surprised “Eh?”s. No one even got a clear look at the girl before a massive crunch echoed through the hall.

Looking closer, they saw the girl slam her palm into the back of Wen Wu’s head, smashing it straight through the table. Blood and shattered dishes sprayed everywhere. The dancers were about to scream when everyone suddenly went limp, eyes rolling back as they collapsed in a heap.

Mu Qian Tan withdrew the hand she’d just snapped and stepped into the banquet hall. She said dryly, “Before beating someone, don’t you clear out witnesses first? You’re just handing them evidence of the crime.”

Shang Shan hoisted up Wen Wu’s bloody face and looked up. “Beating him like this is enough!”

Wen Wu hadn’t processed the sudden turn of events. His vision blurred with double images of an icy blue figure approaching slowly. He thought he’d died and gone to heaven. His throat rasped as the ice-blue woman shook her head lightly. Then his face took several more punches, leaving it bruised and swollen, stars exploding in his vision.

He babbled incoherently, “Spare me, hero! Mercy! Money? Women? Whatever you want, it’s yours!”

Afraid the woman would urge her to kill him, Shang Shan paled, her eyes glazing over. She ignored him and kept pummeling until he couldn’t speak. Then the woman spoke again: “If you’re beating someone to vent, but don’t tell them why, where’s the satisfaction in revenge?”

Shang Shan swallowed. The hand pressing on the back of Wen Wu’s head loosened. Instead, she grabbed his collar and hauled up the man who was a full size bigger than her.

She was about to speak when she noticed his eyelids fluttering—he was already out of it.

Her eyes dazed, she wondered if she should wake him. Mu Qian Tan had already reached the table. She stepped on the splintered surface, grabbed a jug of wine from the corner, and dumped it over his face.

The rich aroma of liquor filled the air. Shang Shan caught a whiff and swayed, nearly dropping her grip. She pinched the webbing between her thumb and forefinger to snap herself alert. Then she snarled at Wen Wu, who had just come to, still dazed and bleary-eyed: “You bastard! You killed Wen Yu’s mother, drove Wen Yu insane, and murdered the innocent Silver Snake. Your crimes are legion. Do you know your wrongs now?”

Wen Wu’s mind cleared for a moment. Thinking they were hitmen sent by Wen Yu, he shrieked, “The world’s gone mad! Daughter beating her father!”

Shang Shan punched him again. “Who’s your daughter?”

The blow made a squelch in his mouth—he must have bitten his tongue. Blood gushed from the corners of his lips. Shang Shan demanded again, “Do you know your wrongs?”

“Shang Shan,” Mu Qian Tan raised her hand and patted the girl’s head lightly. “A man like this admitting fault means nothing.”

Blood speckled Shang Shan’s cheek, making her eyes look even darker. “But… what then?”

Mu Qian Tan smiled faintly. “A life debt must be repaid with life.”

Shang Shan pressed her lips tight. She stared straight at her for a moment before looking away, her gaze landing nowhere. In a low voice, she said, “I’ll drag him to the authorities and let the magistrate deal with him!”

She reached to haul him off, but Mu Qian Tan’s words nailed her in place: “What crime would the magistrate pin on him? You think dragging this to the officials ends with Wen Yu dead or Wen Wu?”

Shang Shan began to tremble, desperately trying to dodge the path closing in on her. “Then I’ll cripple him. Make it so he can’t talk. Rip off his arms and legs. I’ll turn him into… I… I…”

Her eyes darted. Deep down, she agreed that a life for a life was right. Beating him senseless still left him alive—and a future threat. She shook her pale hands, reaching for Mu Qian Tan’s sleeve in panic. “Master, can you help me?”

Mu Qian Tan raised her arm, dodging the hand. “No.”

Like a little beast trapped in a maze, Shang Shan floundered. She clutched Wen Wu’s collar tighter. She couldn’t beat him anymore, but stopping felt wrong too. Her fists clenched and unclenched, her bright eyes clouded with anxiety and confusion.

Mu Qian Tan feigned confusion. “Why do you never kill yourself, yet love pushing it off on others?”

Shang Shan started to explain, but Mu Qian Tan cut in: “Afraid of vengeful ghosts? Don’t want the karma?”

Heat surged in her chest. Shang Shan shook her head wildly. “No! That’s not it!”

Mu Qian Tan pressed: “You avoid the risk of blood debt but shove it onto someone else. You claim the glory of justice but make others bear the consequences. Isn’t that selfish?”

As if greatly insulted, steam practically rose from Shang Shan’s head. Her face flushed crimson. She roared, “No! That’s not what I think at all!”

Mu Qian Tan poured oil on the fire: “Oh? Then explain your actions.”

Shang Shan shoved Wen Wu aside and stormed forward two steps. “I can explain! I need time to say it right—it’s not something for three sentences! Don’t accuse me like that! I’ve never wanted anyone to bear consequences for me. I’m not afraid of those ghosts! I’ve never been afraid!”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Prove it. Anyone can talk big.”

Shang Shan snapped, “I said I need time! You never listen patiently. How am I supposed to explain right now?”

Mu Qian Tan replied, “If you can’t explain, then I’m right.”

Shang Shan flung her clenched fists down and roared, “No! Don’t push me!”

The girl looked up at her like a beast straining against chains, teeth bared white and sharp, ready to tear a chunk from her foe. Mu Qian Tan chuckled, lifting her hand to rub the girl’s lip corner with her thumb. Casually, she said, “That mad, huh? Here, bite me. You dare?”

Her fingertip hooked the corner of Shang Shan’s mouth, brushing hard teeth. Meanwhile, the Power Gathering Gold Ring on her wrist began to glow gold. If the girl bit down, it would blast her flying in an instant.

Her tongue could almost taste the flavor on the woman’s fingertip. Shang Shan’s already overheating brain blanked out. She meant to chomp down, but in that split-second before her teeth parted, she remembered the woman’s unhealed wounds. The savage bite halted midway, turning into a soft flick of her tongue instead.

Mu Qian Tan had been ready to launch her, but the sudden wet warmth on her fingertip gave her pause. The next instant, her expression darkened. She kicked out, sending the girl flying into a screen. It crashed along with the shelves behind, shattering in a cacophony of crashes.

Shang Shan sat up amid the dust, picking porcelain shards from her hair. She yelled, “Even if you hit me, I still have to say it! I never thought that way! Don’t project your own darkness onto everyone else!”

Mu Qian Tan shook a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her thumb repeatedly. Her gaze swept coldly over the girl. “If my heart were any blacker, I wouldn’t have let you live this long.”

Shang Shan shot back, “Why do you always target me? What unforgivable crime have I committed?”

“No mistakes means no punishment?” Mu Qian Tan tossed the handkerchief aside and stomped down on Wen Wu’s head just as he tried to lift it. “They say right and wrong have their judges, karma turns the wheel without fail. But if I hadn’t come to settle with Wen Wu, wouldn’t he have escaped scot-free and partied till he dropped dead?”

“Stop fooling yourself. There’s no such thing as karmic reincarnation in this world. So even if you did nothing wrong, I can still punish you. Heaven might not judge me wrong, but if you fight back, you’ll definitely pay the price.”

Shang Shan breathed raggedly. Infuriated by the twisted logic, she slammed the floor and raged, “What the hell? That’s not fair!”

“Yeah,” Mu Qian Tan echoed coldly. “It’s not fair.”

There were leads and supports, after all. The world had never been fair to its countless beings.

The only sound in the hall now was one man’s pitiful moans. Wen Wu shook uncontrollably. His eyes darted wildly, seeking any chance of survival. He craned his neck with effort. Through the hem of the woman’s skirt, he glimpsed figures at the banquet hall entrance. He screamed like a stuck pig: “Wen Yu! My good daughter! Look, they’re going to kill your dad!”

Mu Qian Tan pressed down harder to silence him. Then she glanced back.

Wen Yu’s eyes were shadowed with dark circles, her face vacant as she sat in a wheelchair. Cong Rong wheeled her over, stopping before Mu Qian Tan. Ji Ce stood silently nearby, sword in arms.

The girl said nothing, just looked over. Mu Qian Tan arched a brow, lifted her foot, and stepped back two paces.

Wen Wu scrambled up, vomiting blood. He lunged at Wen Yu’s wheelchair with such force he nearly toppled it. Ji Ce steadied it. Wen Wu pleaded, “These aren’t your people, right? Daughter, how could your own flesh and blood harm her father? Impossible, right?”

Staring at that blood-foamed face, Wen Yu’s voice was soft: “Not me.”

“I knew it!” Wen Wu grinned through his pain, clutching her knee. “These bandits are settling fake scores! I don’t know about any Silver Snake. Your mother’s thing was a misunderstanding. Save your dad—we’re family. Don’t listen to outsiders stirring trouble.”

Wen Yu’s eyes were calm. She stared at him for a long moment and asked, “Dad, I’ve always thought that whether you hit me or scolded me, you loved me and Mother, right?”

Wen Wu yelled, “Yes, yes! Of course! Dad loves your mom most, and you most! Let’s go—take Dad and report to the officials! Cong Rong, Ji Ce, what are you waiting for? Grab these villains…”

His words cut off abruptly. His eyes bulged. Fresh foam bubbled from his mouth. He looked down to see his daughter’s frail, twig-like hand plunging a sharp dagger into his heart.

As he looked up in utter disbelief, hot tears fell from Wen Yu’s eyes. She asked, “If I did the same to you, would you still call it love?”