Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 204

“Is this the residence of Master Zhu?”

Jiang Miao looks at the large courtyard in front of him, comparing it with Master Liaozhi’s description. He feels it can’t be wrong.

Pei Che responds, “This is the place. My men have inquired thoroughly. This Master Zhu hasn’t stepped outside since the second day of this month. In a moment, my men will bring him out so we can interrogate him further.”

The two sit in the carriage. After a while, there is a commotion outside. It sounds like someone’s mouth is gagged, as muffled “mmph mmph” sounds come through.

“My Lord, the man has been brought.”

“Very good. Go keep watch around the perimeter. Don’t let anyone come near,” Pei Che instructs.

Once his men have dispersed, he and Jiang Miao step out of the carriage.

On the ground below the carriage sits a man curled up, his hands and feet tightly bound, his mouth stuffed with a gag. His eyes are filled with fear and confusion. He had been peacefully chanting scriptures in the temple when several people suddenly broke in, tied him up without saying a word, and brought him here. At that moment, countless thoughts surge through his mind, and he is convinced that his life is over.

However, when the two men step out of the carriage and come into view, he realizes he doesn’t recognize them at all. A glimmer of desperate hope arises in his heart, hoping that they are merely after money. So, the moment the gag is removed from his mouth, he immediately opens it to beg for mercy.

“Good lords, please spare my life! I don’t know who you are, but if Zhu has ever offended you in any way, I am willing to offer gold and jewels as an apology. I beg you to spare me!”

“Zhu Tonghai, take a closer look. Do you recognize who I am?” Pei Che says coldly, his expression icy. At this moment, he looks like the legendary Jade-Faced Rakshasa, sending chills down Zhu’s spine.

Zhu Tonghai cautiously lifts his head and scrutinizes Pei Che’s face. The lighting is dim, and he squints to get a better look. Suddenly, his heart skips a beat as the man before him seems familiar, though he can’t immediately recall where he’s seen this face before.

“My lord, I truly don’t recognize you or recall offending you. If I’ve made any mistake, it’s entirely my fault. Please show mercy and don’t hold it against me!”

Pei Che lets out a cold snort. “Perhaps if I address you as Master Wuming, you’ll finally recognize me?”

Zhu Tonghai trembles as if struck by lightning upon hearing the name “Wuming.” His entire body shudders uncontrollably. Who else could know this Dharma name?

“It’s… it’s them. You were sent by them, weren’t you? I didn’t say anything. I’ve kept silent all these years! Why won’t you leave me alone?” The long-suppressed emotions in his heart erupt, making Zhu Tonghai appear deranged, his face twisted in a terrifying snarl.

“Sure enough, there’s definitely something wrong here,” Jiang Miao whispers. “The ‘them’ he mentioned must be the masterminds behind your parents’ deaths, right?”

“It should be.” Pei Che replies. Then, turning back to Zhu Tonghai, he lets out a deliberate, mocking laugh, deciding to press him further. “You say you didn’t talk, but who can prove that? You narrowly escaped back then, but today will be the day you die.”

“I really didn’t say anything! I swear! For all these years, I haven’t even dared to return to Ciji Temple. I’ve been hiding here and haven’t gone anywhere!” Zhu Tonghai cries, tears streaming down his face, frantically trying to plead his innocence. He mumbles repeatedly that he hasn’t betrayed anyone.

Pei Che decides to push harder. “Look closer. Do you recognize who I am now?”

Zhu Tonghai opens his blurry eyes wide and carefully examines Pei Che. Pei Che brings the torch in his hand closer to his face, illuminating it clearly. With the aid of the flickering firelight, Zhu Tonghai’s vision gradually sharpens. The flawless face before him starts to overlap with a face from his past. However, under the flickering glow, this face no longer radiates its former warmth; instead, it exudes an icy, deathly chill as if it has crawled out of the underworld.

“Pei… Young Master Pei! No… no, that’s impossible! You’re already dead. No! You’re dead! Don’t come closer, don’t come closer!” Zhu Tonghai turns pale as a sheet. His bound hands and feet desperately shuffle backward, terrified that the man before him might lunge and take his life. Just moments ago, he could still beg for mercy, but now all he can do is mutter incoherently.

Pei Che steps forward. “When you plotted my death all those years ago, you should have known this day would come.”

“I didn’t harm you! All I did was speak a few words. I wasn’t the one who laid a hand on you!” Zhu Tonghai sobs uncontrollably. “For years, I’ve recited the Rebirth Sutra for you every day. Please, have mercy and don’t kill me!”

“I die with a grievance in my heart, unable to rest even in the underworld. If it wasn’t you who did it, then who did? Who was it?” Pei Che steps closer, grabs Zhu Tonghai by the collar, and yanks him forward.

Zhu Tonghai is horrified, struggling with all his might to retreat. Inadvertently, his hand brushes against the one gripping his collar.

It’s warm. Warm?

“You’re not a ghost?” Zhu Tonghai freezes, his expression filled with surprise. “You’re that little boy from back then?” He shakes his head before Pei Che can respond. “Impossible. Even if you survived, you couldn’t have grown this much. Who are you, really?”

Pei Che says coldly, “You don’t need to know who I am. All you need to do is tell me exactly what happened back then. Who was behind it all?”

Amid the rollercoaster of emotions, Zhu Tonghai surprisingly calms down.

“I don’t know who the mastermind is,” he replies, shaking his head and slumping to the ground in defeat. He has resigned himself to the reality that he won’t escape this situation.

“You dare to hide it when you are about to die. I think you won’t cry until you see the coffin.” Pei Che’s lips curve into a dangerous smirk, his gaze piercing Zhu Tonghai like that of a predator eyeing its prey.

He draws the sword he carries, letting the tip trace a line from Zhu Tonghai’s forehead down to his chin. The cold steel presses against his skin, and the sharp edge makes Zhu Tonghai feel as though his face has already been sliced open. Even though he knows death is inevitable, a primal fear still grips his heart.

Jiang Miao squats down, looks at Zhu Tonghai with a smile, and says, “Don’t worry, we won’t kill you before the truth is revealed. However, in order to make you speak out as soon as possible, we’ll start cutting you with small knives. If you don’t talk on the first day, we’ll make one cut. If you stay quiet on the second day, we’ll make two cuts. After three or five days, your body will be covered in bloody wounds. Flies will start laying eggs in your flesh, and if you hold out long enough, you’ll see maggots hatching from your body.”

Zhu Tonghai’s eyes widen in terror, and his breathing grows ragged. This man looks gentle, but his heart is terrifyingly cruel! As Jiang Miao speaks, Zhu Tonghai can almost see himself covered in blood, swarming with maggots.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! But I truly don’t know who the mastermind is!” Zhu Tonghai’s entire body trembles as he begs for mercy.

Pei Che withdraws his sword and says coldly, “Then tell us everything you do know.”

…

Back then, Ciji Temple was just a small, impoverished temple. Except for the abbot, the monks had to descend the mountain every autumn to beg for alms, hoping that people would share some food after the harvest.

That year, a group of people arrived at the temple, generous to an extraordinary degree, claiming they wanted to fund the renovation of the temple. As the temple’s storekeeper monk, Wuming was responsible for managing the donations. Seeing such a large sum of money made his heart race uncontrollably.

He had grown up in poverty and was sent to Ciji Temple because his family couldn’t afford to raise so many children. If he could get his hands on such a fortune, wouldn’t he be able to reunite with his family?

The thoughts in his mind were like devils, urging him day and night to take action.When he first took action, the moment he tucked the two taels of silver he had embezzled after purchasing supplies into his robes, it felt as though something had left his body. Gazing at the Buddha statue in the hall, which grew more solemn with each passing day, he continuously questioned himself. Yet, as the silver in his possession increased day by day, he quietly reassured himself that it would only be this once. Once this matter was over, he planned to send the silver home and immediately confess before the Buddha.

But in the end, the truth came to light. That day, upon returning to his chamber, he found a masked figure sitting inside, with the silver he had stolen laid out before him.

“If Master Wuchen learns that a monk in the temple has been embezzling, how do you think he’d react? I’ve heard he’s a man of integrity and would undoubtedly report this to the authorities for a thorough investigation,” the person said before he could even ask his identity.