Wu Yi’s ears were filled with curses and wails, so vivid that she could almost see the contorted agony on their faces.
It was satisfying but not enough.
“When you’re lacking in power, making compromises is the wise thing to do. But if you’re still clinging to false hope with death staring you in the face, then that’s just plain foolish,” Wu Yi said lightly.
City Lord Lu Sheng knew those words were meant for him.
“Young Master, it’s all these women’s fault. I’ll tie them up and hand them over to you… So please, when you return, could you speak a few kind words to your esteemed father and ask him to spare the innocent citizens of Bibo City?” Lu Sheng bowed and groveled.
“Treat me first! Just fix me up, then we can talk. It hurts, damn it!”
“Promise me first.”
“Fine, I promise! I promise, okay?!”
Lu Sheng stared at the young man’s greasy face, where hatred still clearly simmered behind his eyes.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: In the end, he’s just a spoiled brat, coddled since birth, who never learned to hide what he feels.
Lu Sheng finally sighed aloud. “What a shame you didn’t actually promise.”
“?! What are you doing?! You lowlife, you’re not even worth my dog’s fleas, how dare you! You—”
“Lingchi him,” Lu Sheng waved his hand listlessly, signaling the guards to move.
“And tie up his cronies too.
All of them are lingchi.
Just halfway. Don’t kill them yet. We still need them as bargaining chips.
If his father insists on attacking the city, we’ll finish the second half right in front of him.
Not like those two haven’t done this kind of thing before.”
If a clash was inevitable, then there was no point in playing nice anymore.
“General Wu Ma, and… Miss Calamity I still don’t know your name,” Lu Sheng looked at Wu Yi, “Would either of you like to watch the execution?”
“I’ll pass. Just let us know when it’s done,” Wu Ma shuddered.
He’d killed plenty on the battlefield, but he had no appetite for watching torture.
“Really not going to watch? I’ll be throwing the finest banquet in the mansion afterward. Such a fine evening it’d be a waste not to share it with someone,” Lu Sheng shook his head regretfully.
“Will there be good food?” Wu Yi’s ahoge perked up.
“Death is at our doorstep. Why hoard delicacies? Leave them for the pirates to enjoy?” Lu Sheng countered.
“Then count me in.”
“I thought you’d be the first to bolt, Miss Calamity,” Lu Sheng said with a teasing smile.
“I caused the trouble, I’ll take responsibility,” Wu Yi replied brightly, raising her brow.
Her sickly face was uncharacteristically glowing with energy.
“It wasn’t your fault, it was me…” the deputy high priest began, now regretting her earlier impulsiveness.
She hadn’t thought much at the time, just saw the pirates bullying their priest again and couldn’t hold back…
“It’s fine. You did the right thing.”
If she weren’t in Prophet form, she would’ve made the same choice.
“But…”
“Go back for now. Tell everyone not to leave Temple Island for the time being. As long as Kafu is there, it’s relatively safe.”
“What about you?”
“Didn’t you hear? The City Lord’s invited me to dinner.”
……
The City Lord’s mansion was a square courtyard.
While waiting for the dishes, Lu Sheng wore a single-lens gold-rimmed monocle imported from Da Jiu Continent, flipping through a volume of “The Collected Rules of Officialdom” with great interest.
Only when his eyes began to ache did he finally set the book down and light the incense burner.
“Miss Calamity, when did you go blind?”
“A few years ago.” Wu Yi didn’t elaborate.
She simply held her teacup with both hands, sipping gracefully and delicately.
“I’ve been blind for a few years myself.” Lu Sheng looked up at the sky, did a quick calculation on his fingers, “Roughly seven years, three months, and five days.”
“What, was that the day you got dumped?”
“Close enough. That was the day I learned how to be an official.”
Time had passed, and Lu Sheng no longer mourned the past.
He understood now everyone has to cross that threshold eventually.
But some people just won’t cross, no matter what.
And Lu Sheng respected perhaps even envied those stubborn fools.
“If General Wu Ma had even half my tact, he wouldn’t have fallen so far, after all his military merit.”
“…You talking smack right in front of me? You think I’m not here?” Wu Ma slammed the table.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming? So why are you here?” Wu Yi couldn’t help but jab.
“Ah Miao took Xiao Qi and Wu Xiaoke downriver again. The house was too empty. Got bored.” Wu Ma pouted.
“Why didn’t you leave?”
“One cowardly soldier is a problem, but a cowardly general dooms the whole army. I’ve never run from a fight in my life,” Wu Ma declared.
He grabbed the teapot and chugged it down in big gulps.
Nearby, the executioner was sharpening his blades with a metallic hiss.
For a proper lingchi, the knives had to be razor-sharp—sharp enough to cause excruciating pain, but not kill.
Cheng Jing stared at those blades in horror, their gleam reflecting into his eyes and stinging—but that sting was nothing compared to what was coming.
The executioner had an entire set of blades, each one suited for slicing a specific part of the body.
They started at the chest muscles, then moved on to the outer arms and front thighs, gradually stripping away the rest of the muscle.
The bloody cuts were tossed into wicker baskets placed where the prisoner could see them.
The mental torment far outweighed the physical pain.
“Food’s ready.”
Not many people were left in the mansion.
The maids were rushing frantically between the kitchen and the dining room.
Wu Yi couldn’t see the dishes, but she could smell them—all rare and exquisite delicacies.
Ten years ago, these were the kinds of ingredients reserved for tribute to the divine realm.
Now, here they all were, laid out in one meal.
“Lu Sheng, where’d you get all this good stuff?” Wu Ma frowned suspiciously.
“These have been stockpiled for years used to grease the wheels up and down the ladder,” Lu Sheng said as he reached for his chopsticks, “If you want to climb higher, you need offerings like this.”
“If you want to climb higher, this alone won’t be enough,” Wu Yi said suddenly.
“Not enough when Her Highness Wu Yi was around. But now that she’s gone, it’s enough.”
Wu Yi smiled faintly. “Is that so? So you all believe all this injustice happened because Wu Yi’s no longer here?”
“If she were still around, the pirates wouldn’t have gone this far.”
“Then clearly, you still don’t understand her,” Wu Yi’s tone shifted, “How did the plan we discussed last night go?”
“It’s been submitted overnight to the Flamewar Society. A Flamewar Envoy accepted the mission… With them involved, it should be doable.”
“Good. So the Flamewar Society’s still standing…” Wu Yi leaned back in her chair with a satisfied sigh, “That’s all that matters whether Wu Yi’s here or not.”