"Is it really necessary to be so hasty?" Du Huoguan couldn’t help but remind, "Warden, the Qi family might have limited strength themselves, but their backing in the Heavenly Court is not to be underestimated. Killing their daughter without a reason is really hard to justify; we wouldn’t be able to explain to the Heavenly Court."
Nie turned and sat on a brocade couch, asking, "Why was Shi Chun captured?"
Du Huoguan replied, "Theft."
Nie said, "Then it's theft."
"..."
Du Huoguan was silent with disbelief.
Qi Yueru came to visit the prison and somehow ended up stealing something, and the city guards were all just for show—plus, he insisted on personally killing her.
Could this reason even hold water? Would anyone even believe it?
But he quickly understood the true intent.
The reason was meant to be unreasonable; it was the only way to protect the person.
In any case, he would have to weave the charges himself soon enough.
Once he understood, he reminded again, "Qi Yueru likely knows who the insider is."
"Finding the insider is your task."
Nie dismissed him with a single sentence, clearly unwilling to talk further, as he lay back down on the couch, adding, "Shi Chun can be released, but the case of theft should remain open. Tell them that if any new evidence emerges, they could be summoned anytime."
"What?" Even Du Huoguan, with all his bearing and authority, was a bit dumbfounded.
Releasing someone only to take them back whenever you please, once they’ve left the Exile Lands—there was never such a precedent.
Worried he misunderstood, he confirmed, "Do you mean let them out of the city or out of the prison?"
Immediately he realized that asking this question might have been unnecessary.
Indeed, the Warden didn’t even bother answering, wearing a look of disinterest.
Yet Du Huoguan, with reluctance, pushed forth his lingering doubt, "Warden, why protect someone as insignificant as Shi Chun?"
"If you can ask that, there's no need for me to explain," Nie responded with cold indifference, slowly closing his eyes.
Understanding he was dismissed, Du Huoguan left with his questions unanswered.
In the combat arena, Shi Chun had been looking around, feeling bored and lonely, unclear about his situation, seemingly ignored by everyone.
He looked towards the guard who was supposed to beat the drum, who stood unmoving, occasionally glancing back at him.
In truth, Shi Chun had already noticed two people on the pavilion's roof, seen before the strange vision in his right eye vanished.
However, he pretended as if he had seen nothing.
To him, the biggest revelation wasn’t the sight from his right eye, but confirming how to activate its ability.
Tension! Yes, tension.
Whenever he got tense, the mysterious power in his right eye would be triggered.
It was an issue he had been pondering for a while—he had a vague realization during his time in prison.
Upon entering the Eternal Dawn City dungeon, facing interrogation, he couldn't help but be tense.
In that tension, his right eye’s ability surfaced, letting him tenuously grasp the common threads in those moments of power activation, though he couldn't be certain.
And he hadn't anticipated how quickly he’d be able to confirm it—the abrupt appearance of the Azure Fox Demon riled his nerves perfectly to trigger the ability.
Ultimately, his hypothesis was confirmed: tension could unleash his right eye's unique power.
At the entrance to the lower level, Du Huoguan emerged.
Shi Chun didn't know him, but had seen him before inside the prison.
Du Huoguan gestured the guard with the drum to approach, instructing them to document Shi Chun’s release properly.
There was no choice; the Warden had left the case open, needing grounds to summon back the person whenever required.
The Exile Lands had no authority over the external world, and it wasn’t as if external authorities would permit the Exile Lands to meddle freely; similarly, the Exile Lands wouldn’t allow external meddling either.
In a side room of the guest quarters, multiple guards arrived and knocked on the door.
A troubled Qi Yueru opened it, remaining wary as she asked, "What is it?"
The leader stated, "You’ve stayed here too long. By order of the Prison Overseer, you are to be expelled. Gather your belongings and leave."
Qi Yueru was more than eager to leave quickly, so she promptly complied, collecting her things and stepping out.
Once brought to the Weng Fortress gate, she underwent a final procedure—a thorough search.
As she was a woman, a female guard attended to it.
Qi Yueru cooperated obediently, but the moment she turned, she was hit so hard that she spat blood.
Before she knew it, she was pinned to the ground.
Someone immediately covered her mouth, while others grabbed her arms and legs and snapped them with a crack, inducing her pained whimpers.
It was a ruthless move, not a jest—especially when they covered her mouth, making her realize immediately: she had been exposed.
Ba Yingshan intended to silence her!
Unwilling to succumb, she tried to scream, to blur the truth, but held her tongue at the last moment.
Exposing Ba Yingshan wouldn't save her; it would only bring ruin to the Qi family, where her dear relatives still remained.
Before her journey, the family had secretly instructed her that if her mission failed, she must bear all responsibility alone—it was her personal endeavor.
Had she not held tightly to this point, she might have called out Ba Yingshan's name right then.
"What are you doing, what are you doing..."
Qi Yueru's muffled cries resisted vainly.
Seeing she was about to be silenced and still withheld the other side, the person who indicated action glanced towards the Weng Fortress wall.
Du Huoguan revealed his face beyond the wall, looking down at the person they pinned.
It was somewhat of a pity—they wouldn’t speak even in this situation, confirming silence was maintained.
The Warden merely decided; he was the one to manage everything else.
As the Warden said, it was his responsibility to find the insider.
Not getting anywhere, he slightly tilted his head to signal, the one below caught on, immediately moving beside the subdued Qi Yueru, landing a fierce punch to her back, causing her chest to cave in.
Blood sprayed from between the fingers covering her mouth, Qi Yueru, with blood seeping from her seven apertures, faced despair, unable to even regret as life slipped away.
Crack, fearing she survived, they twisted and broke her neck.
Then her body was dragged away blatantly, tied up with a rope outside the inner city gate.
The execution was swift and decisive, without showing any mercy.
The spectacle quickly drew a crowd, and the guards deliberately spread word: she was killed by the Warden’s own hands for theft.
What? The Warden killed personally? Like a stone stirring a thousand ripples, curious whispers spread rapidly.
At the Bowang Pavilion, hearing the news, Lan Qiaoyan couldn’t believe it, traveling to see the inner city gate herself, confirming the deceased was indeed Qi Yueru.
Not just outsiders, even the guards were shaken upon hearing it, doubting it to be gossip.
Would the Warden act over something so trivial? Yet, learning a colleague stated it, they had to believe, as no one messes around with the Warden’s name lightly.
Of course, the news also reached Ba Yingshan’s ears, frightening him out of his wits, as he continued to stay hidden inside to avoid suspicion.
He refused to believe the Warden would kill Qi Yueru for something so trivial.
What other reason could there be? He could only hope Qi Yueru hadn't revealed anything before dying...
Disheveled and wounded, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang emerged from the inner city gate, released with their weapons and belongings returned to them.
Seeing the gathered crowd at the gate, Wu Jinliang chuckled, “Are they here to welcome us, or just to watch us?”
Soon realizing he overestimated, they saw the focus of attention was the hanging corpse above the gate, unknown to either.
Wu Jinliang queried the onlookers, “What’s this about?”
He was unaware of many things, like how Shi Chun contested for their lives.
(The chapter ends here)