Chapter 67: Soul-Shattering Jade Banquet (Part 5): I Want to Drown My Sorrows in Wine. Part 1

This sentence stabbed in like a sword spike, its gleaming blade quivering as it pierced straight from her ear into her chest cavity. Wen Wu’s eyes were full of unwillingness and rage, but they all turned into blood-red dead water, flowing out from his wounds and eyes.

He flailed his arm, wanting to slap Wen Yu, but he had no strength left to lift it. In the end, he clawed at the girl’s collar, leaving a bloody handprint, then slid down as his pupils dilated.

The massive heartbeat could not calm. Wen Yu pulled out the dagger, and as the world spun before her eyes, she turned the blade toward her own throat. A hand shot out like lightning and snatched the dagger away. Ji Ce said, “Master, this scum should have been killed long ago. No need to give your life for him!”

Wen Yu smiled, her voice faint as a thread. “You all go. Don’t follow me anymore. I’ve killed two people. I’m done.”

She reached for the dagger again, but Ji Ce dodged away. Cong Rong kicked aside Wen Wu’s corpse and squatted in front of the wheelchair. “No, it’s fine. The Silver Snake wasn’t your fault. She…” She bit her lip and continued, “In her state, she probably had problems long ago.”

Wen Yu gazed at her calmly. “Don’t say anymore. I’ll atone for the Silver Snake myself. And the person I just killed was my father.”

Killing one’s father with one’s own hands was an unforgivable sin no matter where or for what reason. So-called familial bonds always outweighed logic.

Cong Rong said, “So what if he was your father? When the female master passed away, no one sought justice for her. You’re just eliminating evil. Doesn’t that bring justice?”

“Master, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter who you killed. Let’s run away.” Ji Ce put away the dagger and also squatted down. “We’ve wanted to take you away for a long time. We failed to make up our minds, leading to this outcome. It’s our fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

Cong Rong said, “Yes, let’s run…”

As soon as the word “run” came out, she realized there were other people here!

She quickly looked up and saw the icy woman standing not far away with an inscrutable expression. Her hands gripped the wheelchair handles, while her eyes glanced toward the banquet hall door, searching for an escape route.

Ji Ce reacted too and slowly straightened up, turning to face the woman.

He scanned the surroundings. The more than a dozen guests at the banquet, along with the musicians, singers, and troupe, were all sprawled on the ground, their lives unknown. And the bizarre spell they had used against the Silver Snake Fierce Corpse earlier all confirmed one fact:

The person before them was someone they absolutely could not oppose.

He placed one hand on the hilt at his waist, the other behind his back in a signal to sneak away. Then he stepped forward, bowed, and said, “Many thanks to the immortal for helping subdue the Silver Snake.”

The plan to force that Brain-Damaged Dragon to kill had been ruined, and Mu Qian Tan felt a bit annoyed. But Wen Wu dying at Wen Yu’s hands was indeed a more fitting answer.

This Ji Ce knew he was no match yet still came forward, fighting for a chance for the two behind him. He had some courage. The Cong Rong behind had fierce eyes too, shielding Wen Yu’s body with her own, ready to fight to the death. These two were utterly loyal to Wen Yu, with deep bonds. They had grown up together with her and didn’t abandon her even now.

There was no point in quibbling with these mortals. Mu Qian Tan said, “Just running away like this? Have you thought about how to live afterward?”

Ji Ce was stunned, probably not expecting her to say that directly. After a silent moment, he said, “Ji Ce and Cong Rong can fight and kill. We have strength for any labor. We can make a living and support our master.”

“No need for that.” Mu Qian Tan tilted her head toward the banquet hall outside. “They all say kill people and seize treasures. You’ve only killed. How can you leave without taking money? Isn’t this the Wen Family? Doesn’t your Wen Family head have plenty of gold, silver, and treasures? Since you’re leaving, loot some and take it with you.”

Ji Ce was completely stunned.

Rumors said immortals were all kind-hearted, hating evil, slaying demons and upholding justice for heaven and earth. He had been worrying if they could escape unscathed after killing in front of her. He could hardly imagine her telling them to rob the Wen Family clean before leaving.

Cong Rong reacted faster, her face lighting up with irrepressible joy. She pulled Ji Ce back and bowed loudly. “Thank you, Immortal, for your guidance. We won’t disturb your business. We’ll leave now.”

Ji Ce came back to his senses, bowed too, and then the two tugged at each other, pushing the wheelchair quickly toward the door. After a few steps, Mu Qian Tan said, “Wait a moment.”

Both were startled, fearing she had changed her mind, and turned back extremely slowly. “What other instructions does the Immortal have?”

Miss Wen’s face was pale as ash, her heart probably dead. Even if she escaped punishment for killing this time, it was unknown if she still wanted to live.

Mu Qian Tan had no interest in how others handled their own lives—life or death was personal freedom. But Wen Yu’s pained yet serene expression when she killed Wen Wu stirred something in her heart. A scene buried deep in her memories was dusted off, revealing its cruelty once more.

For some reason, she wanted to comfort this person.

“Wen Yu, resisting your abuser isn’t your fault.” Mu Qian Tan tilted her head slightly. The crane-gazing orchid step-shake in her hair swayed faintly, reflecting scattered light points that accentuated her cold, thin face. Her voice cut like ice.

“Whether he’s your father or whoever, as long as you were threatened and harmed, you have the right to fight back. And when he failed his duties as a father, your duties as a daughter ceased to exist. You didn’t patricide. You avenged your mother.”

Light flickered in Wen Yu’s eyes, her hands on her knees gradually clenching. Cong Rong suddenly spun the wheelchair around, as if wanting to pour the woman’s words into her master’s ears.

“…” Mu Qian Tan glanced at her, then said to the girl, “You wanted revenge for your mother, so you killed your father. That was revenge. But you were too stupid, wanting to kill yourself too. Wouldn’t that just be avenging your scumbag father again? If you really did that, killing him with your own hands would have no meaning.”

Ji Ce and Cong Rong exchanged a glance. It was strange, but it seemed to make some sense?

Wen Yu gripped the fabric on her knees and looked down at Wen Wu. She had probably given up on suicide, her eyes now filled only with hatred. When she turned her gaze back, she opened her mouth, but Mu Qian Tan already knew what she wanted to say. “As for the Silver Snake…”

She paused, thinking how to fabricate it.

She got it and continued. “Strictly speaking, the Silver Snake wasn’t killed by you. Because from the moment you picked her up, she was doomed to die.”

Wen Yu said softly, “Why?”

Mu Qian Tan said, “You just killed Wen Wu, and without external help, he absolutely couldn’t have turned into a fierce corpse as powerful as the Silver Snake.”

“The difference is that the Silver Snake was tempered in advance with special materials. This caused her, upon death, to be manipulated, transforming into a half-human, half-demon, half-ghost monster. The Silver Snake you encountered who was still ‘alive’ was just a last gasp.”

Wen Yu said, “But… I allowed her to harm many commoners.”

At this, she reached for the dagger again, pain crossing her face. Though her mind was not whole, seeing so many die still grieved her deeply. With a damaged conscience and mistaken perception, she would self-punish to ease guilt. But the dead could not return—this was her insurmountable hurdle.

“The same event looks entirely different from another angle.” Mu Qian Tan brushed the black hair from her chest to behind her. Her long lashes shadowed eyes full of frost. “Think carefully. If you hadn’t saved the Silver Snake back then, she would have died in the alley. How would things have unfolded?”

Ji Ce thought for a moment and sucked in a breath. “She would have turned into a fierce corpse outside!”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Yes. She would have turned into a fierce corpse right there in the alley.”

If she had transformed in the alley, without the Wen Family buffer, she would have gone straight to the bustling streets. There was no curfew yet; people would still be out at night for fun, defenseless against any hidden murderer, openly exposing their weaknesses.

Worse, the fierce corpse would no longer be suppressed by the East City Jade Banquet Opera. She would become a complete killing demon yet retain some intelligence. Without Wen Yu tearfully calling her home, her killer instincts from life would make her instinctively hide the bodies.

Then, the murders would start as mere missing persons cases, not drawing attention.

With the local authorities’ inefficiency in catching the fierce corpse over months and their reluctance to spend on immortals, by the time the city’s residents realized a man-eating ghost roamed among them, the casualties would far exceed now.

Wen Yu had saved the Silver Snake with good intentions. Though she did evil, killing in beds, by a twist of fate, she had indeed saved many lives and made the greatest amends after her mistake.

Ji Ce and Cong Rong exchanged another glance. Understood this way… it seemed right?

Wen Yu seemed unsure what to say, but she no longer clung to the idea of death.

The two servants thanked her sincerely again, wanting to ask her name. Mu Qian Tan said, “No need to ask. Hurry and go. Her legs won’t recover in this lifetime. She’ll never stand again. You might have to care for her forever.”

Cong Rong said, “Being able to stay with our master is the greatest fortune. Immortal, your heart is kind. You will surely ascend one day!”

“No.” Mu Qian Tan chuckled lightly. “I’m precisely not kind-hearted, which is why I’m letting you go. Hurry.”

Fearing more time would bring Wen Family servants, the two guards bowed deeply no more words and pushed the wheelchair flying out of the banquet hall. As they reached the door, Wen Yu looked back. Her eyes reflected the woman’s tall, graceful figure until the doors shut everything out.

Now, East City was empty even in broad daylight, the town deserted. No one would stop them from fleeing far away.

Mu Qian Tan withdrew her gaze. In her peripheral vision, she spotted someone standing nearby—Shang Shan had gotten up at some point and was staring blankly at Wen Wu’s corpse, lost in thought.

Happy now? Mu Qian Tan said tonelessly. “Someone did it for you. No need to face it yourself.”

Shang Shan kept her head down, silent.

The earlier wound in her abdomen began to throb faintly again. Mu Qian Tan inhaled, pressing it down in her chest. Her palm gently pressed her lower abdomen before dropping. She pondered changing the dressing when she got back. As she turned her head, her gaze fell on Wen Wu’s corpse again.

She thought for a moment. The glamour corpse matter was unresolved. How would East City’s people know the killer corpse was dead?

In the original novel, Shang Shan went to the authorities saying the fierce corpse had been taken away, telling everyone not to worry, and wanted the reward. But facing detailed questions, she wouldn’t name Wen Yu or provide evidence of slaying the fierce corpse, so she was chased out like a beggar.

Ignored by her master in the sect, she had to venture out alone for experience and livelihood. Coming to East City was to eliminate harm for the people. But alone, she hit walls everywhere. Jiang Yuanqi, willing to help, left after a simple word. Frustrated and hit hard, it led to her depressed choice of running laps around the city.

This corpse was just lying there. Before leaving, why not give that male protagonist who dared threaten her some trouble.

Mu Qian Tan’s lips curved in a faint, ambiguous smile. She looked around, walked to a singer, bent down, and pulled a gold hairpin from her hair. She kneaded it with spiritual power into a lump, then returned to Wen Wu’s corpse and stuffed the gold particles into Shang Shan’s mouth.

“Eat it.”

Shang Shan bit the gold, not looking at her, and chewed silently.

Mu Qian Tan spread her five fingers, palmed the back of Shang Shan’s head, and forced her to face the corpse. Shang Shan knew what she wanted and opened her mouth to spew flames.

The Dragon Flame ignited the corpse instantly, blazing fiercely with fine blue mixed in the orange. In a blink, it enveloped the body. Fire tongues spat towering black smoke, accompanied by the sound of scorching flesh and a foul stench. Mu Qian Tan frowned and stepped back. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. The desiccated corpse sprawled in a twisted pose, its surface charred and mushy, unrecognizable.

Holding her breath, Mu Qian Tan waved her hand, wrapping the corpse in blue spiritual power and levitating it. She went to a guest, snapped her fingers. The guest shuddered, opened his eyes, and clutched his nose at the stench. In his daze, he saw a pair of exquisite silver boots stop before him.

“Where are the authorities?” Mu Qian Tan asked from above.

The guest subconsciously gave an address. Before saying more, his head lolled, and he fainted again.

Carrying the floating charred corpse, Mu Qian Tan found the government office in the town’s northeast. Unexpectedly, the main gates were closed, but a notice on the side said that during this special period, official business had moved two li west to Azure Bamboo Garden in Rice Food Lane.

She memorized the address, then turned around and headed in another direction. She noticed that Shang Shan trailed behind her the whole time, her face expressionless and deathly pale, her eyes drooping as if her soul had left her body.