Ink Burns

Chapter 192 Two Stubborn Kids
Shui Guang was embraced in a big, warm hug. After a moment of stunned silence, she immediately raised the corners of her mouth: No matter why her sister hugged her, the result was that she was hugged.

When we get things done, we should focus on the results; the process, whether good or bad, is not important.

Shuiguang wrapped her arms around her sister with a few quick, babbling sounds, and then casually smeared the peach juice that had smeared all over her palm onto her sister's back.

The warmth did not last long.

Shan Yue restrained herself and let go. The two sisters went into the inner room. The inner room door closed with a creaking sound, shutting out the swaying wind and rain outside and the other three loofahs that were watching the commotion.

Shan Yue turned around, disregarding her fear of the flames, and brought the light to the candlestick without a lampshade. By the dim candlelight, she focused her gaze on the little girl's eyebrows, then looked down to her fingers and forearms, and then to her waist and hips.

The little girl had clear eyes, slightly parted lips, a tense posture, and a straight waist and hips, without any change.

Shan Yue let out a long sigh and went straight to the point: "Xue Chen. The woman beside Xue Chen that day during the 'fighting' was you?"

Her bright, almond-shaped eyes blinked, darting around in all directions. She didn't want to lie to her sister, but she also didn't want to tell the truth and upset her, so she chose to remain silent.

Shui Guang shrugged like a quail, admitting defeat, but then pursed her lips tightly, revealing the same stubbornness between the two sisters—like a stubborn river clam stuck in the mud, which could be paired with the loofah outside to make a dish.

Sometimes, remaining silent can be considered a tacit agreement.

Despite his suspicions and preparations, a breath of turbid air still choked up in Shan Yue's throat.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, circling around three times, but I couldn't get them out.

Say what?

Blame? Blame Shui Guang for what? Blame her for being disobedient? Blame her for being too audacious? Or blame her for her determination to avenge her mother?
Now that things have come to this, what comes before blame is pity and regret.

Shui Guang was dragged into this cannibalistic revenge! The peaceful and happy days were gone forever!

Shan Yue lowered her brows, her gaze hidden behind her long, straight eyelashes, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, she spoke in a low voice, "Has Xue Chen ever offended you?"

She was determined to get justice for her sister, even though the body lock was the last line of defense and there were many others who took advantage of her misfortune.

Holding hands? Then go to the coffin in the Northern Mansion and chop off the dead man's hand!
A kiss? Then slash that dead man's face to pieces!
Xue Chen doesn't deserve it! That cowardly, selfish, and ruthless man doesn't even deserve to see Shui Guang's smiling face!

"No, no!" Shui Guang hunched her shoulders, pretending to be a coward, but she was still somewhat proud when talking about her achievements: "He wanted to take me, and as soon as he reached out, I gave him what I was holding, either a first-aid kit or a hoe. The former was too heavy, and he almost died lifting it; the latter was too dirty, and he only cared about the mud-splattered shoes."

Shui Guang was a little timid in front of her sister, but also wanted to show off her achievement. So, with her neck tucked in but her eyebrows dancing, she looked somewhat sleazy and obedient. "And another thing! He even tried to grab my collar! I specially sewed two rows of hidden buttons inside the collar; even a bear would have a hard time tearing them apart!"

Shui Guang patted her chest confidently: "Sister, don't worry, I'm very shrewd!"

Shan Yue glanced at her clever younger sister, her brows furrowed, but her lips no longer pursed in a serious manner.

Shan Yue's lips relaxed slightly, but Shui Guang keenly noticed. Shui Guang immediately straightened her neck and straightened her posture, patting her chest: "Sister, don't worry! It took me eight days to kill Xue Chen, and I also imprisoned that scoundrel Chang—I've read through the Great Wei Law; murderers are subject to the same death penalty. There were at least twenty or thirty onlookers on the day of the 'beating,' if not a hundred. We have both witnesses and evidence; he can't escape punishment! Once that scoundrel Chang is sentenced and dies, you can tell me who the other enemies are! We'll join forces, and we'll kill gods and Buddhas alike—"

"Chang Yusu will not be punished." Shan Yue interrupted her younger sister calmly and peacefully.

Shui Guang's pupils dilated sharply, and she uttered a short sound: "Ah—ah?"

Shan Yue slowly sat down on the stool in the inner room, raised her eyes to look at her astonished younger sister: "Now the Chang family has probably found a scapegoat, either Chang Yusu's servant or a boxer from the 'fighting industry.' Your twenty or thirty witnesses have probably made a fortune by now. People who take bribes are bound to be obliged. Do you think they will still dare to testify in court?"

"Ah—ah?" Shui Guang was like a little monkey, like a little monkey that had just picked a handful of fruit but found that the fruit was empty and could not be eaten, and its tail swept on the ground.

"Everyone in the capital knows!" The little monkey, its tail stepped on, jumped up and down in a fit of rage: "How can you blame this on me!"

Shan Yue's eyes were calm and composed as she looked up at the water, her expression resolute and her demeanor composed: "Why can't we deny it? The law punishes the murderer, and the Chang family will return the murderer to the law—does it matter who the real murderer is? Otherwise, why was the forest fire at Fushou Mountain left unresolved? Why was the missing 'piglets' left unidentified? Why are these real murderers still living so openly and proudly in the sunlight?"

Shui Guang fell silent for a moment, then straightened her back and said, "Chang the thief managed to escape, but Xue Chen—Xue Chen is really dead! Sister, I'll kill one too!"

"Now the Chang family is scattered everywhere seeking revenge on you. Chang Yusu has declared that he will personally end your life to compensate for his days of imprisonment. The Chang family controls the Western Suburbs Camp, is the commander of the Imperial Guard under the emperor's nose, and is in charge of the outer gate, Qianyuan Gate, and Yuan Gate guards—with such control over the capital, finding you would be as easy as turning one's hand." Shan Yue's voice remained calm throughout.

"Is the Chang family looking for me?" Shui Guang asked, peeking out.

"Yes, the Chang family is searching for you all over the mountains and fields." Shan Yue nodded and said, "Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, they will find you eventually."

Shui Guang lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes with one hand and rubbing it with the other. In just a few moments, she had rubbed deep wrinkles into the cotton fabric.

Shan Yue's voice, though calm, gradually hardened with a hint of sternness: "Yes, you killed Xue Chen, but you might also pay him with your life! — A life for a life. If revenge could be taken this way, how could I face my mother in the afterlife? I have always wanted you to be tainted by the karma of this feud, yet you secretly entered the capital, secretly approached Xue Chen, and secretly manipulated the Chang family."

"The powerful families of the capital, the noble scions of prominent clans, have been navigating the world of fame and fortune for decades. How could you and my sister possibly fathom their methods, their sordid schemes, and their cunning in a single day! Without a gradual and meticulous plan, with each step carefully orchestrated, you and I would be nothing more than birds fed to tigers, livestock sacrificed to the heavens, or clowns who die before achieving our goals! We would be mere fodder for these wealthy and powerful families to dabble in during their leisure time!"

"He Shuiguang, tell me, what if the Chang family comes knocking on our door?!" With a "thud," Shan Yue slammed her palm on the table!

Shui Guang lowered her head, her eyes fixed on the floor tiles, yet she was a stubborn streak about to emerge: "I will take responsibility for my own actions. Let him take me out and kill me! Keep your mouth shut like a sawed-off gourd, and don't involve my sister or the few loofahs in the house!"