Chapter 135: Being Well

"Who are you?"

Dazed, hovering between sleep and wakefulness, Jing Fei heard a cold voice ask from directly before him.

"My name... my name is Jing Fei." Jing Fei replied instinctively, prompted by the query.

"What is your relationship to Xu Yawei, and what do you have to say about her death?!" The voice grew heavier, pressing in with icy, unrelenting force.

"I... I have nothing to say. This has nothing to do with me!" Jing Fei struggled with all his might to clear his mind, but his consciousness remained mired in a foggy stupor. He was terrified that if he spoke the wrong words, the interrogator would seize upon them as proof of guilt.

For some reason, he felt a constant, insidious pull to follow the other party's line of reasoning. Jing Fei bit down hard on his tongue, the sharp, agonizing pain bringing him a sliver of clarity. He forced himself to stay awake; he could not sink into this abyss, or he would never see the light of day again!

He could not let those who had abandoned him succeed. He absolutely could not let his ungrateful younger brother benefit. He had sacrificed so much for that boy—given up his entire youth—and yet, it wasn't enough. Now, the boy wanted to trample over his very life!

Damn it, he couldn't let these bastards get away with it. He would never let them off, never! Father, Mother, Brother—fine, you’ve played your cards well. Just you wait; I will never forgive you!

He would start by sending that ungrateful wretch to prison, and as for the rest... they would settle those accounts slowly.

"Hmph!" As Jing Fei’s mind wandered, the voice turned even colder and sharper. A heavy, oppressive aura emanated from it, imperious and stifling, leaving him gasping for air.

"It has everything to do with you! Your family has long been at odds with the Huaxia Alliance, and the undercurrents between you have been surging for years. Your engagement to Xu Yawei was merely a bargaining chip for commercial interests. Her death paves a wider path for your family. As the future successor, how can you claim that this 'privilege' has nothing to do with you?!"

"I... I..."

The opponent's righteous, aggressive tone left Jing Fei wavering. An endless wave of dizziness washed over his mind again; he felt as if everything the other was saying must be true, and he had no room to refute it.

"I didn't kill her!! I didn't, absolutely not! Either produce your evidence, or shut your damn mouth! Stop framing me with your bullshit!"

A roar of fury erupted from Jing Fei’s throat. More than a decade of resentment exploded in that moment. The chaotic noises around him began to fade until there was only silence.

"Speak! Frame me! You were so eloquent before, why don't you keep making up stories?!"

Jing Fei continued to curse, but this time, the other side was eerily silent.

***

After a long while, Jing Fei felt the restraints on his body loosen, and his senses began to return. He was led out of the interrogation room, and at the door, he brushed past Jing Dule, who was about to be put on trial.

Jing Fei glared viciously at his younger brother, but the boy only responded with an inscrutable smile.

In the end, under the desperate gazes of their parents, Jing Dule was sentenced to death and sent to the Death Row Paradise.

Before his imprisonment, Jing Fei specifically came to see off the brother he had lived with for so many years. He saw Jing Dule look up, his expression a cold, enigmatic smile as he said sadly, "I'm leaving... take care of yourself..."

Jing Fei was stunned.

That smile... it looked like someone finally letting out a long-held breath. It left Jing Fei completely baffled.

It was as if a long-cherished wish had finally been fulfilled; there was not a trace of the despair one should feel when entering prison, nor the bitterness of a failed frame-up!

No, this wasn't the right expression! He should be terrified, desperate, begging for mercy on his knees!!!

It was infuriating!

Damn it, it was infuriating! He had come to see Jing Dule off specifically to see the look of despair on his face!

Why wasn't it there? He had to make him feel despair—deep, absolute despair. For that... he would even enter this Death Row Paradise himself!

The scene began to shatter, transforming into Jing Dule’s memories. Nightmare-like recollections broke into countless tiny fragments, dissipating as Jing Dule’s life force ebbed away.

"Mom, Dad! Xu Yawei is an operative for the Huaxia Alliance. She won my brother’s heart so easily that I found it suspicious. If I hadn't been careful, she would have wiped out our family’s core assets! We can't keep this woman..."

"I'm not crazy. I have to kill her. Only by making her disappear in front of everyone can my brother finally give her up."

"Mom, Dad, I beg you, please help me stage this act. Just make Brother think he was adopted. If you frame him to take the fall to protect me, he’ll be so furious that he’ll refuse to admit it. Otherwise, he’d surely take the blame for me, even if it meant a death sentence. Brother has protected me for so many years; it’s time for me to protect him for once!!"

"Brother... don't blame me. I only hope you live well. I'm leaving now. You can keep looking at my back with those hateful eyes, but you must live—live a safe and peaceful life..."

The images shattered completely, and with them, the light in Jing Dule’s pupils faded away.

"Brother... this time I'm really leaving. You... take care..."

The coldness, accompanied by the fading of a silver light, spread wantonly.

"Brother... Little Le..."

Jing Fei, covered in blood, remained in the position of having pierced Jing Dule’s chest, but his expression had frozen entirely.

Gui Rulai yawned. Seeing that his services were no longer needed, he lazily picked at his ear and looked toward Xuan Yao. "The payment for this job: the soul of an S-rank death row inmate."

Hearing this, Xuan Yao’s face turned bitter. Although this Imperial Tool had recognized her as its master, she lamented that her strength was insufficient to fully control the Imperial Tool, Snake Girl: Gui Rulai.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself."

Gui Rulai, seemingly aware that his little master lacked the ability to refuse a soul, didn't hold out hope. He raised a hand toward Jing Dule’s corpse.

But Jing Fei still stood between them, unmoving.

"Get lost, ant. Don't disturb my meal," Gui Rulai said with utter disdain.

Jing Fei still didn't move, but his body began to petrify, eventually turning into a solid, dark obsidian. This time, it wasn't just the surface—it was his heart as well.

"The one who should get lost is you! Let's see... who dares to touch him!!!"

A broken, soul-shattering roar erupted from Jing Fei, echoing into the distance.