Chapter Twenty-Four: You Are a Demon

The cell was shrouded in dim light.

Chu Bing had no idea how long she had been imprisoned. Chu Wenyen had already fallen asleep, but his breathing was much steadier now; his wounds, it seemed, were no longer a major concern.

“Madam, why have you come here in person? This place is filthy—you’ll soil your shoes…” The jailer’s sycophantic laughter grew nearer.

Seated cross-legged, Chu Bing opened her eyes and looked toward the source of the voice.

A familiar figure approached—it was Yun Xin.

Behind her trailed a group of burly men, the very same ones who had caused trouble at the inn. Could it be that Yun Xin had sent them there?

Chu Bing’s brow twitched. Clearly, this visit boded no good.

“Open it,” Yun Xin commanded, coming to a halt before Chu Bing’s cell.

The jailer hesitated miserably. “Madam, this, this…”

A string of copper coins was pressed into his hands. Yun Xin, arrogant as ever, declared, “I told you to open it. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!”

The jailer, coins quickly stashed away, grinned and unlocked the cell door.

Chu Bing lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable. “What brings you here?”

Yun Xin offered a light laugh, taking in the squalor of the cell before pinching her nose disdainfully. “Chu Bing, oh Chu Bing, who would have thought you’d see such a day?”

Her eyes glimmered, her words slithering out like venomous serpents. “You probably don’t know yet, but our master has said your crime is severe. You and your brother are to be sentenced to death.”

“Do you know what lingering death is? It’s when your flesh is sliced away, inch by inch, while you watch yourself die.”

“Kneel, and perhaps I’ll consider sparing your life. Well? What do you say?” Yun Xin bent down, staring intently at Chu Bing, eager to see fear or terror flicker across her face.

Yet Chu Bing, unafraid, sat serenely. Even in nothing but her inner garments, her long hair loose and unadorned, she remained unapproachable as ever.

“How laughable, Yun Xin. And what do you have that should make me beg for mercy?”

A mere parasite living off men dared to posture before her?

Yun Xin felt stung by Chu Bing’s gaze, her face twisting with anger. She had never expected Chu Bing to remain so defiant, even now.

“I’d like to see just how tough you really are!” she sneered, signaling the burly men with a wave. Her voice dripped with malice. “I’m giving this woman to you. Do whatever you like, as long as you don’t kill her!”

Chu Bing’s pupils contracted—she hadn’t thought Yun Xin could be quite so vicious. But she was no easy prey now.

A faint warmth stirred in her palm—the internal energy granted by her system still lingered within. Dealing with a few thugs would be no trouble at all.

The men, already harboring resentment toward Chu Bing, advanced at Yun Xin’s words, leering. “Don’t worry, madam, we’ll be gentle with this pretty little thing. We’ll be sure to leave her in one piece!”

As they drew closer, Chu Bing’s face grew incrementally colder. She gathered her power in her palm, waiting.

The lead thug ogled her with unconcealed admiration. Compared to the magistrate’s wife, this Chu Bing was even more delicate and alluring! He rubbed his hands together, his intentions lewd.

Chu Bing lowered her gaze, her eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Bang!

Just as the man reached her, Chu Bing struck out with her palm, sending him crashing against the wall.

Yun Xin shrieked, unable to believe her eyes. How had Chu Bing suddenly become so formidable?

Chu Bing narrowed her eyes, propping herself up against the wall as she stood and advanced upon the men. Ironically, these brutes, so menacing moments ago, now retreated in unison, reduced to frightened rabbits.

With a cold snort, Chu Bing let her fists and feet fly, felling them one by one until the smoldering anger inside her finally began to dissipate.

“We were wrong! We’ll never do it again!” the men wailed, bruised and bloodied, clutching their faces as they cowered on the floor.

Chu Bing turned her attention back to Yun Xin, who was attempting to slink away. “Madam Yun, where do you think you’re going?”

Flexing her wrist, Chu Bing advanced. “Weren’t you just determined to teach me a lesson? Why leave now?”

Yun Xin’s face had turned deathly pale. Seeing the battered heap of men on the ground, she shook her head frantically. “You’re not Chu Bing. You’re a monster!”

She had spent years at Chu Bing’s side, knowing well that the woman was soft and pliant—someone anyone could push around. This was not a transformation she could accept.

Chu Bing’s eyes glimmered, calm and unhurried, even carrying a trace of amusement. “The way I am now—I truly have you to thank for it.”

Her lips curled in mockery. “If you hadn’t betrayed me, tried to take my life, I’d never have met my master, learned his skills, or become what I am today.”

So it was all her doing?

Yun Xin was struck dumb, her heart a maelstrom of regret and hatred, her expression shifting rapidly—an irony not lost on Chu Bing.

Seeing Yun Xin actually believe her ruse, Chu Bing almost laughed aloud. Deliberately, she grasped Yun Xin’s chin, her voice dropping to a ghostly whisper. “No one can save you now. Tell me, if I were to carve a few lines into that lovely face of yours, would your magistrate still have any interest in you?”

Terror seized Yun Xin, flooding her with the dread of being under Chu Bing’s control. With a thud, she collapsed to her knees.

“I was wrong, Chu Bing. I was wrong…”

Her climb to the position of magistrate’s wife had depended not only on cunning, but also on her looks. If her face were ruined, the magistrate would surely discard her.

This was the second time now—was Yun Xin’s backbone really so feeble?

Chu Bing raised her eyebrows, realizing she had overestimated Yun Xin. The woman was clearly a bully who preyed only on the weak.

With a bored snort, Chu Bing stepped back, deliberately widening the distance between them as if she found Yun Xin repugnant.

“Leave. Go back and tell that magistrate of yours: Heaven is watching. If he dares to pass arbitrary judgment on my case, I swear, even in death, I’ll drag him down with me.”

She bit off each word.

Yun Xin stared for a moment, then scrambled to her feet and fled without looking back, her skirt clutched in trembling hands.

The battered men limped after her.

Suddenly, the cell was silent again, leaving only the sound of the siblings’ breathing.

Chu Bing returned to the corner, bent down, and felt Chu Wenyen’s forehead. Fortunately, he was not feverish.

Yet he had not awakened. It was clear—they could not remain here any longer.