Chapter 394: Come and Kill Me
Chapter 394: Come and Kill Me
Li Daoxuan’s words truly startled Yizhangqing. She couldn’t help but turn to look at Ground Rabbit, who was sprawled out nearby.
Ground Rabbit grinned, “Yes, this Mr. Rabbit is extremely fierce. Killing a few dozen or a hundred people, I wouldn’t even bat an eye. Especially skilled at killing women and children, one slash each, one slash each…”
Gao Yiye wondered aloud, “What I’m about to say is my own thought, not the Deity’s words. Ground Rabbit, when have you ever killed women and children? And isn’t your specialty weapon a sword? Since when did it become a blade?”
Ground Rabbit protested, “Hey hey, Saint Lady, now’s not the critical time to expose me!”
Everyone: “…”
Yizhangqing: “Huh?”
Just a moment ago, she had been terrified to death of Ground Rabbit. But suddenly hearing this exchange between the two before her, she froze completely, dazed for a long moment. Her face was stiff as she said, “You tied me up and brought me here, deliberately saying all that to scare me. What on earth are you trying to do?”
“Alright!” Li Daoxuan said, “Honestly, there’s no hidden agenda. You represent those labor offenders whose menfolk we eliminated. You’re a typical example. People like you are numerous within the labor camp. I reckon at least half the prisoners in there have men in their families who died at the hands of Gaojia Village. This is an issue we must resolve. That’s why I summoned you, to use you as a representative case to address.”
Yizhangqing gritted her teeth. “Correct, people like me are plentiful. Sooner or later, they will take up arms and kill you all to avenge the men of their families.”
Li Daoxuan retorted, “Don’t think saying that will make Gaijia Village apologize for killing your brother. Why did your brother die? Surely you understand that better than us. You just refuse to admit it.”
Yizhangqing: “…”
Li Daoxuan pressed, “Let me ask you this: Did your brother kill and burn houses? Did he rape and pillage? Ever point his weapon at unarmed ordinary people? While he was committing these acts, your feelings as a woman—how did you feel? Did you plead with your brother to stop? Did you feel anguish over your brother’s actions? Or perhaps… when the food he robbed filled your belly, did you even feel happy?”
Hearing this, Yizhangqing instantly froze solid.
Absolutely right!
These issues truly existed.
As a woman, Yizhangqing was powerless to stop the men in her family. Women’s status was too low. “The elder brother is like the father”—if a brother decided to pillage and murder, his younger sister had no voice, no control.
She could only watch helplessly as her brother ran amok with Wang Zuogua’s bandit army.
Moreover, the food he plundered ended up filling her stomach. Thinking about it this way felt incredibly strange.
Li Daoxuan said, “If the family members of the people your brother murdered while doing evil came now, demanding to kill you and perish together with you, what would you think?”
Yizhangqing remained silent.
Li Daoxuan continued, “Alright, you actually know where the problem lies. But you’re hypocritical. Your brother can kill others, but others cannot kill your brother. Because your brother put food on your plate, didn’t he?”
Sweat poured down Yizhangqing’s forehead, her expression complex.
Li Daoxuan used his “Focus” ability to scrutinize every nuance of her expression. If he’d seen even the faintest hint of indifference to others’ lives and deaths, he would have ordered her execution.
However, Yizhangqing’s face clearly showed remorse. Li Daoxuan’s words seemed to have struck a chord.
“I… I know… I knew my brother did evil things. I begged him not to, but he wouldn’t listen to me. But don’t say I was happy because he brought back stolen food! I was miserable! I had nightmares constantly… I knew this path my brother and I were on was wrong… that we’d eventually face Heaven’s punishment…”
Li Daoxuan said, “Wow? So you did know? Then let me ask you… do I count as Heaven?”
Yizhangqing: “!!!”
She froze utterly now!
Li Daoxuan said, “The picture grows clearer, doesn’t it? Those who commit evil will ultimately be punished by Heaven. Heaven has many ways to punish a person: dying at the hands of other bandits, being wiped out by the imperial bandit suppression force, falling to one’s death while walking, choking to death while eating, drowning while drinking water… or, being killed by the Gaojia Village Militia!”
“He couldn’t escape this fate because he was not a good man. Only good men receive good ends. How could an evil man meet a virtuous death?”
Yizhangqing began to waver. She knew. She truly knew. She had merely been blinded by hatred. Now, Li Daoxuan’s words jolted her realization: her brother could not evade Heaven’s Law.
And the Heaven’s Law… was speaking to her right now!
How utterly mortifying!
Li Daoxuan pressed on, “The Gaojia Village Militia was sent by my order. Your brother was punished by my decree. If you seek revenge, merely killing Gaojia Village followers is useless. You must defy Heaven itself to avenge your brother. Come now… come and kill me to fulfill your vengeance for your brother.”
As he spoke, he slowly reached his hand into the box.
A colossal golden hand wearing Thanos Gloves descended, reaching out towards Yizhangqing. The very fingertip alone dwarfed her entire body.
“Ground Rabbit! Untie her bonds. Let her try to kill me.”
Upon hearing the command, Ground Rabbit promptly stepped forward, untied the ropes binding Yizhangqing, and casually shoved a knife into her hand – One Blade. Then, he swiftly retreated to stand protectively in front of Gao Yiye, guarding against a potential outburst from Yizhangqing.
This small action earned Ground Rabbit a silent nod of approval from Li Daoxuan.
Yizhangqing gripped the knife, her whole body trembling uncontrollably as she gazed upon the heaven-piercing giant hand before her.
She wasn’t stupid. She didn’t need to try. One Blade was utterly useless. Couldn’t scratch it. Couldn’t even make a dent. This god inviting her to kill him? He was clearly just toying with her.
Li Daoxuan prompted, “Not going to try?”
Tears streamed down Yizhangqing’s face. “How could I ever kill the Heaven? I don’t have the power!” she choked out.
Ground Rabbit chuckled beside her. “Exactly! Defying fate? Who could possibly achieve that?” he smirked.
Gao Yiye sighed softly. “These are my own thoughts, not the Deity’s words,” she said gently. “Miss Yizhangqing, the reason your brother died was precisely because he defied fate, invoking the Heaven’s punishment. You, captured alongside the elderly and weak, women and children, clearly didn’t directly participate in the bandits’ wars. Your sin lies solely in benefiting from the spoils brought back by your brother’s evil deeds. Why must you compound your own guilt by seeking revenge for the death of such a wicked man?”
Yizhangqing wept helplessly. “You’re right… I benefited from my brother’s plunder… There’s no turning back for me now…”
Li Daoxuan interjected, “On that point, you are mistaken. In my realm, as long as the crime isn’t punishable by death, there is always a path to turn back. There is no notion here of executing families for an individual’s crime. When someone commits an offense, we do not execute their nine clans, nor even their three clans.”
Yizhangqing: “!”
Li Daoxuan declared, “What needed to be said has been said. Now, I pronounce the final judgment regarding your crime of attempting to assassinate the Head Guard.”
He paused, adopting a deeper, more authoritative tone: “Yizhangqing. For the attempted assassination of Head Guard Zhong Gaoliang—thwarted by intervention before its completion—the charge of ‘Attempted Murder’ stands proved. By law, the sentence ranges from at least three years to no more than ten years of imprisonment. However, considering your target was a person I hold in special favor—an aggravating circumstance—I, as the presiding judge, impose the maximum penalty permissible under the law. That is… an extension of your prison term by ten years. Comprehend the sentence?”
Yizhangqing looked up in shock. After the scolding, she had braced for execution, perhaps preceded by torture. But the final judgment… was merely an extension of her labor sentence by ten years?
“Return now,” Li Daoxuan ordered. “Reflect deeply upon the words I’ve spoken to you today. Contemplate the life attitude you should adopt henceforth upon your return to prison. Dedicate yourself to labor reform. There may yet be opportunities for sentence reduction, early release, and a chance to reform yourself. Your brother is dead. Will you follow his path to destruction? Or strive to live well, make amends for the evils he committed? The choice rests entirely within your mind. Commit another offense after this, however, will lead to certain death.”