Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 22

Chapter 22 The Culprit Appears

The sound of snow falling from the pine tree made the surroundings eerily quiet.

The man in front of her had a playful smile on his face, and as he quickly approached Shen Qiuci, he gestured for her to be quiet with the dagger in his hand: “Shh, don’t scream.”

The next moment, he swiftly moved in front of Shen Qiuci and held the dagger horizontally, pressing it against her neck: “Don’t be afraid. My technique is precise, and I’ll make it quick.”

The cold blade pressed tightly against Shen Qiuci’s delicate skin, and if it went any deeper, it would easily cut through her throat.

She looked at the man and asked in a deep voice: “I have no grudges with you. Why do you want to kill me?”

The man’s face tensed up, and he growled: “The Heir of Danyang owes a debt and refuses to pay. Killing you will be a lesson to him.”

Shen Qiuci said calmly: “You should know my identity. If you kill me, won’t you be afraid of the authorities investigating this matter?”

“Afraid? Ha. Those useless officials? I’ve never taken them seriously.”
The man sneered: “You might want to know that Landlord Fang and the eldest son of Minister Zhang both met their untimely demise recently.”

He spoke in a cold tone, with a hint of morbidity, as if boasting: “They were killed with a single knife stroke to the throat, and after death, the character ‘Tian Ji’ was carved on their faces. Next to them…”

He pulled out a white camellia flower from his bosom and toyed with it, playing with the stem: “Next to them, a white camellia flower stained with blood was left.”

As he spoke, he brought the camellia flower close to Shen Qiuci’s nose and teased her with it: “Does it smell nice? Soon, it will accompany you on your journey.”

“Oh?” Shen Qiuci tilted her head slightly, looking at him with interest: “So, the culprit behind the recent unsolved cases in the court is actually you?”

The man raised his eyebrows and sneered: “Are you scared?”

But to his surprise, Shen Qiuci smiled calmly: “You said you would make it quick, didn’t you? Come on.”

She slowly lowered her gaze and then raised her head, making her skin press more tightly against the blade.

The man was taken aback, and as he saw her calm demeanor, his movements hesitated. He looked at her carefully.

Although the woman in front of him wasn’t adorned with luxurious clothes or jewels and didn’t wear any makeup, she had a natural beauty that was captivating.

Since she wouldn’t live much longer anyway, wouldn’t it be a waste to miss out on such a beauty?

Thinking this, the man leaned in closer to Shen Qiuci, sniffing the fragrance emanating from her body, and said with a lewd smile: “You’re not afraid of death, are you? Well, considering you’re being so cooperative, I’ll let you enjoy yourself before you die, so you can go to the afterlife without regrets.”

He pulled back the dagger and pointed it at Shen Qiuci, ordering her:
“Take off your clothes!”

Shen Qiuci looked up at him, her deep brown eyes cold and piercing: “You could have asked for mercy, but you’re sure you want to do this?”

“Shut up!” The man’s greedy gaze roamed over Shen Qiuci’s body: “Take it off, now!”

Shen Qiuci smiled coldly, her slender fingers landing on her chest. She slowly undid a gold-threaded button on her outer garment, not revealing any skin, but the single action was enough to excite the man, and his face turned red.

Shen Qiuci raised an eyebrow and looked at him: “Is it pleasing to you?”

The man nodded eagerly like a lovesick fool, but then quickly changed to a fierce expression, growling: “Continue!”

Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the alley. The cold wind knocked off the snow on the pine tree, and some half-dried pine needles fell with it.

As the pine needles fell in front of Shen Qiuci’s eyes, she suddenly swung her sleeve, using the palm wind to propel the pine needles. The pine needles, now as sharp as silver needles, shot towards the man.

The next moment, several pine needles accurately pierced the man’s eyes, and blood gushed out of his eye sockets.

The attack was swift and seamless, leaving no room for evasion.

A piercing scream burst out of the man’s throat. He covered his bloody eyes, stumbled backward, and fell onto the snow-covered ground, writhing in agony.
Shen Qiuci stood over him, looking down, her lips parted slightly: “Have you seen enough?”

At that moment, the man’s eyes were completely blind.

In an instant, fear, anxiety, and despair surged up to his heart: “Impossible! There are only a handful of people in the world who can use leaves to propel needles with such skill. And this woman can do it so easily… Who exactly is she?”

The man heard Shen Qiuci’s footsteps approaching him through the snow, and he was so scared that he rolled and crawled backward, retreating frantically: “You, you don’t come any closer! Who are you?”

“Shh, don’t scream,” Shen Qiuci mimicked the man’s teasing tone from earlier. Then, with a flick of her foot, she kicked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground and caught it effortlessly. She bent down and pressed the cold blade against the man’s cheek, her voice gentle: “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

She glanced at the white camellia flowers scattered around the man and suddenly smiled: “You were able to break into Landlord Fang’s and Minister Zhang’s homes to commit crimes. How could you be afraid of a weak woman like me?”

The man was so frightened that his voice trembled: “I, I was just talking nonsense! I didn’t kill them!”

He spoke to Shen Qiuci in a pleading tone: “The Heir gave me 100 taels of silver to take care of you, to make it look like the culprit in the capital did it. He was the one who instigated me! Please spare my life…”

“Oh, really?” Shen Qiuci slowly moved the dagger, rubbing it back and forth on the man’s neck, smiling teasingly: “Then, can you guess who killed them?”

The man, although his eyes were now filled with blood and tears, showed shock on his twisted face: “You… you’re the one who…?”

Shen Qiuci smiled without speaking, using the dagger to lightly draw a cut on the man’s Adam’s apple: “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”

The man was terrified, begging: “Please don’t kill me! I have a wife and children at home, they’re waiting for me to come back!”

“Is that so?” Shen Qiuci looked down at the man’s fearful face, and her mind flashed back to the moment when he had smiled lewdly, saying he would rape and kill her. It was truly disgusting.

She sneered, her voice tinged with sarcasm: “Sorry. I think your wife deserves to meet someone better than you.”

With that, she ended his life with a swift and precise stroke of the dagger.

The crimson blood gushed out from the man’s neck, but not a single drop fell on Shen Qiuci.

The man struggled for a moment, clutching his neck, before he lost all movement. The blood stained the snow, creating a vibrant red patch, and also dyed the white camellia flower lying next to him red.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by Shen Qiuci’s side.

She looked up to see a woman in white, dressed in elaborate clothing, standing in front of her. The woman bowed and said in a deep voice: “Your subordinate arrived late to protect you. Please forgive me, Master.”