Chapter 17: The Magistrate

Wen Yao and Shu Xiang returned just past midnight, coincidentally meeting Di Jiang as she was about to leave the inn.

The night was deep, and the air carried a chill. Di Jiang wore a fox-fur shawl, while Wen Yao and Shu Xiang were dressed lightly. She said: “You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all,” both Shu Xiang and Wen Yao shook their heads.

Wen Yao added: “It’s just heartbreaking.”

“Mm…” Di Jiang paused thoughtfully before asking: “How is Pan Yuelang?”

“He sat on his bed for most of the day and has just fallen asleep,” Wen Yao replied with a face full of worry. “Boss, it’s so late—where are you going?”

“I’m going to see Sister Li,” Di Jiang said softly. “There were too many prying eyes during the day; it’ll be quieter at night.”

“I’m coming too!” Wen Yao exclaimed urgently, fearing Di Jiang might leave her behind.

Di Jiang thought for a moment and nodded, reminding her: “Don’t get too emotional when you see her.”

“I know,” Wen Yao replied curtly, though clearly insincerely. Di Jiang let it slide, thinking that with her around, Wen Yao wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Thus, the three quietly made their way to the stone room in the ancestral hall. Inside, Sister Li was barely clinging to life. Her once smooth and tender skin was now torn and bloody, without a single intact patch. Upon seeing this, Di Jiang felt a pang of sympathy.

“Those bailiffs really didn’t hold back…”

Before Di Jiang could finish, she momentarily lost focus, allowing Wen Yao to seize the opportunity. In three swift steps, Wen Yao rushed to Sister Li, raised her right hand high, and brought it down with a resounding slap.

Five bright red fingerprints appeared on Sister Li’s pale cheek, making her already frail body appear even more pitiful.

“How could you be so cruel!” Wen Yao shouted angrily. “Old Pan was lame for decades, and after our boss finally cured his leg ailment, you killed him for an affair! He loved you so much!”

“Wen Yao!” Di Jiang intervened, stepping between them. She had expected Sister Li to react angrily, but instead, Sister Li merely smiled. Calmly raising her head, her eyes reflected nothing but disdain toward Wen Yao.

“So what if he loved me? He was nothing but a useless man his entire life,” Sister Li said indifferently, her words cutting deep. This only fueled Wen Yao’s anger further.

“You!” Wen Yao fumed, raising her hand again. Just as it was about to land, Di Jiang quickly stopped her: “No.”

“Boss… She’s a venomous woman! She killed the man who loved her all his life! What else can’t she do?”

Di Jiang still shook her head.

“Boss… You’re too spineless!” Seeing Di Jiang refuse to budge, Wen Yao stared at her for a long moment before finally relenting.

Lowering her hand, Wen Yao glared fiercely at Sister Li: “You’re heartless!”

“Thank you kindly for the compliment,” Sister Li responded calmly, unfazed by the accusation. She gave a slight bow, then forced a weak smile.

“You!” Wen Yao was livid, her fury boiling over. Taking deep breaths to suppress her anger, she ultimately failed. With a roar, she turned to Di Jiang: “The air here is stifling—I don’t want to share a room with such a woman. I’ll wait outside!” Without another word, Wen Yao stormed out.

Di Jiang paid no mind to where Wen Yao went. After a brief glance, she refocused her attention and slowly crouched down to examine Sister Li’s injuries closely.

Sister Li’s body bore no unbroken patches of skin. Some wounds had formed thin scabs, but most were infected and festering, adhering to her clothes. The slightest movement would tear them open, causing excruciating pain. Feeling sympathy, Di Jiang reached out to check her pulse, but Sister Li shifted away.

“This broken body doesn’t need a physician’s care,” Sister Li said emotionlessly, seemingly unaffected by the pain radiating from her wounds.

Di Jiang sighed deeply and said earnestly: “Your injuries may be external, but if left untreated, they could become life-threatening.”

“Do I still fear death now?” Sister Li sneered, then turned her gaze away from Di Jiang. She looked up through the small square window above her, her eyes filled with apathy and detachment, exuding an aura that pushed others away.

In that moment, Di Jiang suddenly felt as though Sister Li had transformed into a completely different person.

Gone was the spirited vibrancy that once animated Sister Li’s features. This wasn’t the result of abuse—it had been there earlier.

When exactly? Perhaps… when Di Jiang heard her singing in the bamboo grove.

Di Jiang recalled how, even when Old Pan was still alive, Sister Li’s sharp-tongued insults had been full of vitality. But after his death, it was as though all the life had drained from her. Without someone to dote on her, she no longer had the energy to flirt or charm.

She was like a bird whose wings had been clipped, the sky now an unreachable dream. She had become a soulless shell, her eyes vacant and aimless.

Now, she didn’t even fear death.

“I think Sister Li has come to regret her actions,” Shu Xiang, who had remained silent until now, remarked softly.

Di Jiang nodded: “You and I are thinking along the same lines.”

After leaving the ancestral hall, Di Jiang recounted the events to Wen Yao.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yao snorted coldly and sneered: “Regret? A black-hearted woman like her capable of regret?”

“There’s always a turning point that can change someone. No one becomes evil without reason,” Di Jiang said.

“Yes, yes, Boss is always right—but your reasoning won’t matter now. All I know is that Old Pan is dead, and this venomous woman will soon be drowned in a pig cage!”

“Yes…” Di Jiang sighed deeply.

“Once she’s sunk to the riverbed, we’ll immediately return to Taiping Prefecture. This place is suffocating!” Pretending to speak loudly, Wen Yao strode ahead, followed closely by Shu Xiang.

Di Jiang trailed behind them. After walking a short distance, she glanced back and saw Sister Li still sitting in the same position, staring blankly out the window, her eyes calm and expressionless.

At that moment, Di Jiang truly understood that Sister Li wasn’t heartless. Throughout everything, she hadn’t uttered a single word in her defense. If she wanted to live, half the village’s men would have gladly served her. But now, it was clear she had no desire to survive.

Perhaps one only learns to cherish what they’ve lost.

While Pan Xingui was alive, she could laugh, shout, or berate him as she pleased. But once he was gone, her life became fractured.

The past was gone forever. She could no longer hold his hand or see him smile at her.

Perhaps she has truly lost all will to live…

The three of them were walking outside the ancestral hall when suddenly they heard footsteps approaching the main entrance. Before Wen Yao could ask who it was, Shu Xiang quickly covered her mouth, and Di Jiang shook her head, signaling her to stay silent.

“Let’s go take a look,” Di Jiang mouthed to the two. Wen Yao nodded in understanding, and Shu Xiang released her. The footsteps entered Sister Li’s stone room directly. The trio quietly crept to the wall, crouching low to listen carefully and figure out who this person might be.

Not long after, a deep male voice asked: “Have you made your decision?”

“…” Sister Li didn’t respond, but the three of them were shocked to their core. That voice unmistakably belonged to the magistrate who had appeared so righteous and upright during the trial earlier that day!

What was he doing here alone in the dead of night? Di Jiang, Wen Yao, and Shu Xiang exchanged glances, their faces filled with astonishment.

Though questions swirled in their minds, his intentions were painfully clear. Moreover, in the central hall of the ancestral hall, Old Pan’s body still lay there—a constant reminder that fueled their anger. At this moment, all three felt enraged, especially Wen Yao, whose eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“Have you made your decision?” the magistrate barked again, his tone now laced with impatience compared to before.

“…” Sister Li remained silent.

“I’m asking—are you ready or not!”

The magistrate’s words were followed by the sound of rustling fabric, which seemed particularly eerie in the pitch-black, silent night. Then came a sharp slap, followed by Sister Li’s furious shout: “Get your filthy hands off me!”

“Hmph,” the magistrate spat, slapping her back. “Look at yourself—what gives you the right to talk to me like that?”

“How dare you!” Sister Li spat back.

“Dare?” The magistrate laughed mockingly. “That’s my line. What pretense of purity are you putting on, you shameless wench?”

Sister Li let out a cold laugh. “If you don’t kill me tonight, tomorrow I’ll make sure everyone knows what kind of man you really are!”

“Oh? Want to die? I won’t make it that easy for you! I’ll make sure your son watches as both you and your lover are drowned in the river! I gave you a chance, and this is the path you’ve chosen!”

“I’d rather die than marry someone like you.”

“Hah, no matter how despicable I am, I’m still better than a cripple. Even if you’re sentenced to death tomorrow, tonight, I’ll have my way with you!” With a sinister grin, the magistrate lunged at Sister Li. Outside the wall, the trio clearly heard the sound of fabric tearing.

“Oh, I heard there are ghosts haunting the ancestral hall. Coming here so late, we might run into one!” Shu Xiang mimicked the innocent tone of a child playfully.

Wen Yao immediately caught on and chimed in: “Hey, isn’t that why we’re here? Whoever dares to stay near the coffin the longest wins!”

“You two go first… I’ll bring up the rear!” Di Jiang also feigned a timid voice, trembling as she spoke. Afterward, she deliberately stomped loudly along the corner of the wall, making it seem as though mischievous children were heading toward the area to play.

At this point, the sound of hurriedly pulling up pants came from inside the wall, followed by the magistrate cursing under his breath as he slipped out through the side door.

Wen Yao let out a sigh of relief and whispered: “I didn’t expect Sister Li to have some backbone after all.”

“Indeed,” Di Jiang nodded, then said to the two: “Let’s go. He won’t dare come back tonight.”

“Wait! I want to ask her something more.” With that, Wen Yao rushed into the stone room.

Inside, Sister Li lay on her back atop the straw, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her pale chest was exposed to the air, crisscrossed with over a dozen whip marks—it was both an unsettling and pitiful sight.

“Sister Li!” Wen Yao called out to her.

But Sister Li didn’t respond. She acted as if she hadn’t heard, continuing to stare vacantly at the ceiling. Seeing this, Di Jiang quickly stepped forward to help her put her clothes back on. Once fully dressed, Sister Li regained a hint of composure.

“Sister Li, if you’ve been wronged, tell us—we’ll seek justice for you!” Wen Yao urged anxiously.

But Sister Li turned her face away, refusing to look at her. There wasn’t even a trace of gratitude in her expression.

“Let’s go,” Di Jiang sighed, shaking her head.

“But…” Wen Yao protested, distressed. “If she doesn’t defend herself, Pan Yuelang will suffer for the rest of his life!”

At the mention of “Pan Yuelang,” Sister Li’s eyes visibly trembled for a moment—but only for a moment. Soon, her gaze returned to its vacant state. Seeing this, Wen Yao finally gave up hope and followed Di Jiang back to the inn.

The events of the night were entirely unexpected. None of them imagined the magistrate would act so brazenly. Even if he lusted after Sister Li’s beauty, shouldn’t he have shown some restraint, considering Old Pan’s body was just next door? Old Pan had died unjustly and his remains were still fresh—didn’t the magistrate fear bad karma?

As for Sister Li, her behavior was equally perplexing. Her usual fiery and fierce demeanor seemed to show no regard for Old Pan, yet now she suddenly transformed into a virtuous martyr?

Di Jiang couldn’t unravel the mystery, let alone Shu Xiang and Wen Yao.