Humanity harbors a profound fear of death, yet the torment of wishing for death but being unable to achieve it can overcome this fear.
Huyan Jue wished to die, but he could not.
In his despair, the only thing Huyan Jue couldn't understand was where he had revealed any flaws.
His original intention in releasing a substitute was to create the illusion that the main culprit had escaped. This would divert the attention of Ji Jinmo and the Demon Hunting Army from the residence, causing them to search elsewhere. This way, regardless of whether Ji Jinmo captured his substitute, he would have a buffer.
And this pawn, at this stage, had only completed a small part of his plan.
His ultimate goal in deploying this pawn was to thoroughly destabilize the Lin Yuan court. To achieve this, he had done many things.
One, setting up the scene to create the illusion of his escape.
Two, presenting the substitute to divert the attention of Ji Jinmo and the Demon Hunting Army.
Three, the substitute being captured and handing over forged lists and evidence of officials' crimes.
Four, hiding in a secret chamber, waiting for the opportune moment.
Upon hearing about the incident in the imperial city, he mobilized all his hidden forces within the capital, confident that he had left no one behind.
However, he had not anticipated that Feng Luan, the one who ruined all his good deeds, Feng Luan, would appear here in such a manner and torment him in such a humiliating way!
Huyan Jue struggled to lift his head, his wide eyes bloodshot. Every protruding red vein seemed like a writhing bloodworm, exuding a ferocious aura. He looked at the person seated on the chair, who had maintained an air of meticulous planning from beginning to end. Malice surged within him, and he wished to tear apart that composed, contemptuous face.
He suddenly let out a laugh, fresh blood trickling down the corner of his lips. His voice, sinister and choked with blood, carried a trace of madness. "Hahahahaha! What good does it do even if you catch me? It's too late, far too late. I'm afraid the capital has already turned into a living hell. It was worth it, worth it, to have so many Lin Yuan scumbags die with me!!!"
Observing this hideous entity, whose laughter was as bleak as a ghost clawing its way up from the depths of hell, Nan Shiying frowned with a hint of disgust. She raised a hand and pressed against her earlobe, attempting to block the ear-piercing noise through physical means.
"Have you laughed enough?"
Nan Shiying's calm voice was devoid of emotion, neither light nor heavy, yet possessing an extraordinary penetrating power. It effortlessly interrupted Huyan Jue's laughter.
Huyan Jue continued to glare at Nan Shiying with hatred, his voice filled with a roar of accusation, "Don't you care?"
Nan Shiying shook her head. "Of course, I care!"
"But tell me, if I care, then why is the situation like this?" Nan Shiying looked at Huyan Jue with a smile that was not quite a smile. The curve of her lips felt like two slaps, fiercely landing on Huyan Jue's face. Huyan Jue's breathing grew rapid. He was like a fish caught on the shore by a gale-force storm, capable only of futile struggles.
"No, no, the imperial city is sealed. It must be Ji Jinmo who coerced the officials with that list, it cannot be wrong. The court is in chaos, the officials are confined in the Golden Hall, the Imperial Guards have sealed the palace. Ji Hong's Xuanjia Army is far away in Langlin Commandery, and Ji Jinmo's Demon Hunting Army is close at hand. The capital is on the brink of chaos, great chaos. How can the court possibly concern itself with the lives and deaths of the people? Now..."
"Then what about me!"
Nan Shiying interrupted Huyan Jue's incessant analysis. She pointed to her nose and smiled at him.