Chapter 149 - 111 Gladly Falling into the Trap

"That’s right," Feng Yun said. "That year in Shuiyun Temple, the person who defiled Yun’e and then stripped her in public, binding her to the Bodhi Tree, was none other than your own brother, Tie Ma."

Woo... Kong Yun’e broke down in great sobs.

Jin Ge watched her in disbelief, then turned his gaze to Tie Ma.

He moved closer slowly and yanked the cloth that had been stuffed in Tie Ma’s mouth.

"Feng Shi’er Niang is spouting nonsense, isn’t she?"

The bloodlust in Jin Ge’s eyes was vicious, murky as if overbrimming liquid was about to drip down.

They were brothers by blood, orphaned at a young age, a pair who had relied on each other for survival. They lived a beggar’s life, not sure of the next meal, enduring untold hardships. Later, they were chosen by Xiao Mu, the old Prince of Jingling, to join the youth corps. Through days of toil and struggle, without a patch of unbruised skin, they honed their martial skills.

During those years of growth, Jin Ge took on the role of a protective elder brother to Tie Ma, shouldering responsibilities like a parent. He faced dangers first, and let all the accolades go to his brother.

He tolerated everything, yielded everything, and the only thing he cherished was Kong Yun’e.

"Why? Why did you do that?"

Tie Ma hung his head, silent for a long time.

It wasn’t until Jin Ge grabbed his shoulders with both hands that he finally grew angry.

He was never afraid of his brother, because his brother always indulged him.

"Who told you to hide it? If I had known earlier she was Kong Yun’e, I wouldn’t have..."

"You’re talking nonsense!" Jin Ge said. "Is there anything about me you don’t know? Didn’t I tell you?"

Tie Ma looked somewhat wilted.

"I was out of my mind that day," he admitted. "Out of my mind, sorry, brother."

Feng Yun scoffed coldly, "You were not out of your mind. You were bribed by Lady Chen, doing it on purpose."

Tie Ma glared at her coldly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Feng Yun said, "That day, it was supposed to be me who was stripped naked and tied under the Bodhi Tree for public shaming, wasn’t it?"

Tie Ma’s pupils shook violently as he glared at her, while Feng Yun simply smiled and turned to Kong Yun’e:

"That day you asked me why I took you to Andu. This is one of the reasons."

Kong Yun’e stared at her in shock.

Feng Yun continued, "Tie Ma lost a considerable amount of money to Lady Chen and couldn’t pay it back. He was also afraid that Xiao Cheng would find out, thus he was threatened and enticed by Lady Chen..."

She paused, then fixed her gaze on Kong Yun’e. "Yun’e, have you forgotten? The Chen Family punished me to copy scriptures in Shuiyun Temple for reflection, and you could not bear to see me suffering alone, so you secretly came to keep me company. But at that time, we didn’t know that this was just the beginning of a conspiracy. Lady Chen knew Xiao Cheng was going to Shuiyun Temple that day to pray for his parents and arranged for Tie Ma to intrude into my chamber. Unfortunately, I had stepped out at that moment, and you were locked in the room..."

Jin Ge punched Tie Ma in the face.

"Scoundrel!"

Being held by others and unable to cover his face, Tie Ma took the punch squarely and uttered with a trembling voice:

"It was pitch-black in the meditation room; I couldn’t see clearly. The girl had been drugged and was moaning softly; I didn’t mind the details..."

"Bastard..." Jin Ge continued to rain blows upon him as he spoke.

Feng Yun signaled her men to let go.

After taking several heavy blows from Jin Ge, Tie Ma began to grow agitated.

"What right do you have to blame me?" He glared angrily, eyes wide. "She’s not a wife you married properly, what’s wrong with me having a go? You’re allowed, and I’m not..."

"Shut up!" Jin Ge, chest heaving with anger, glared with eyes as wide as copper bells.

But Tie Ma showed no fear.

"I’ll say it, you’ve always controlled me since childhood, controlled everything... How is it any of your business if I sleep with a woman, I like sleeping with them, I did before, and now that she’s come to Huaxi Village, I still do..."

"I told you to shut up."

Jin Ge struck him again.

Tie Ma stumbled back two steps, his back against the wall.

Pain made him speak without a filter.

Every time he made a grave mistake in the past, it would eventually be resolved by Jin Ge’s concessions.

In front of his elder brother, he was like an entitled child, always taking from Jin Ge, without a hint of reverence.

"Did you see the boy he brought? Does he look like me? Who knows, he could be my seed..."

Thump! A muffled impact.

Suddenly, Jin Ge grabbed an unfinished piece of iron from the forge and thrust it into Tie Ma’s chest.

Blood gushed from Tie Ma’s chest, flowing like water.

Tie Ma looked down in disbelief at the wound, then back up at Jin Ge.

"Bro... ther..."

With a gurgling sound, a thick, crimson flow of blood spilled from his mouth, trickling down his jaw.

Jin Ge was petrified, his face pale as he watched Tie Ma, releasing his grip on the iron and steadying his brother.

"Tie Ma, Tie Ma..."

He tried to cover his brother’s chest.

But it was too late...

Blood flowed through his fingers, quickly staining his hands red.

Tie Ma’s mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but he could not speak; he slowly slumped down against the wall.

"Tie Ma..." Jin Ge’s eyes reddened as his body trembled. He squatted down to embrace him, tears streaming down like rain.

"Why... why..."

He kept asking just this one question over and over again.

But no one answered.

The only thing was the dead Tie Ma in front of him, with those wide, staring eyes fixed on him.

After an unknown amount of time, a laugh suddenly came from outside the window.

"The Village Chief’s wife can’t sleep in her house in the middle of the night but runs to the farm tool workshop to meet with a man secretly. What a big appetite you have..."

The lecherous voice made it clear it was Zhang Erbing.

Feng Yun didn’t make a sound but nodded toward Xing Bing.

"Zhang Erbing," Xing Bing said, "shut your dog mouth."

"Hahaha." Laughing heartily, Zhang Erbing and several brothers walked in, "Today we come on behalf of General Pei to catch adulterers..."

Before he could finish speaking, his face changed.

The sight of the corpse and blood in the corner caused him to hesitate for a moment, but then he became overjoyed.

"Well, well, the Village Chief’s wife is not only cheating but also engaging in murder behind the scenes. I’d like to see what you have to say for yourself this time..."

Feng Yun knew what he was thinking.

But she had been planning for so long and was waiting for him to come; she had already predicted his predictions.

"We were just worrying about not being able to find the murderer, and here you all are, showing up just in time."

Zhang Erbing suddenly felt something was wrong, "What are you talking about?"

Feng Yun stopped looking at him and instead asked Jin Ge:

"I hear you’re highly skilled in martial arts, how many can you fight at once?"

Jin Ge lifted his bloodshot eyes to look at Feng Yun, seemingly not quite understanding her intention.

Feng Yun moved closer and whispered beside his ear: "Yun’e’s dead husband didn’t have the ability, besides Tie Ma, you are the only man she ever had. So tell me, who’s Hengyang’s child?"

Even if he wasn’t Jin Ge’s, the child would still be Tie Ma’s, ultimately the child of their brotherhood.

Feng Yun said, "For Yun’e and Hengyang, you cannot die. Now, who should bear the blame for murdering Tie Ma, have you thought it through?"

Slowly, Jin Ge stood up.

He didn’t have a knife with him. He picked up the fallen iron tool and aimed it at Zhang Erbing.

Zhang Erbing, staring into those cold, terrifying eyes, suddenly felt like he had fallen into a trap.

That night, Sun Tieniu and Zhao Heidan, the two brothers from Huaxi Village who hung around with them, suddenly came to tell him that they saw Feng Yun entering the farm tool workshop with two stout men in the dark, apparently the Ren Family’s servants.

He remembered Feng Yun often went to the Ren Family and flirted with others, and immediately led people to catch the adulterers...

But now...

Seeing Jin Ge, his hands covered in blood, walking towards him.

Zhang Erbing’s thought was...

To run for his life.

"Run, don’t fall for it!"

He wanted to escape, but Jin Ge didn’t give them a chance. He vaulted over to intercept them, thrusting immediately.

Several retainers were blocking the way outside, making it impossible for Zhang Erbing and his four brothers to escape, forcing them to pick up the unfinished farm tools inside the workshop and engage in a fierce fight with Jin Ge.

Someone who truly kills is different from those half-baked practitioners who only train.

Jin Ge was silent,

but his incredibly sophisticated skills were quite impressive...

Zhang Erbing and his four brothers had some training, but they were far from gaining the upper hand in a four-against-one fight.

In Feng Yun’s mind, what kind of trash did Li Sangruo raise.

These guys were fine for intimidating ordinary folks, but against an expert, they were just getting beaten up.

In contrast, Xiao Cheng was truly attentive; the devoted fighters his father, the Prince of Jingling, had cultivated for him were all hardened warriors who risked their lives in battle, with no inconsistencies...

However, the Zhang Family’s trash couldn’t die here, especially not by Jin Ge’s hand.

She still had great use for him.

Seeing that the time was right, Feng Yun said to Xing Bing:

"Aren’t you going to help? Capture these intruders who broke into the farm tool workshop at night with intentions misguided toward Yun’e, and send them to the authorities. Let Officer He get to the bottom of it and see if they are the ones stealing the people’s grain..."

Zhang Erbing, gasping for breath and exhausted, listened to Feng Yun’s words as veins throbbed on his forehead.

"Feng Twelve Niang, don’t think your little tricks can outsmart me. Keep dreaming your grand dreams..."

Feng Yun couldn’t be bothered with the angry outburst of defeat from her subordinate. She gestured with her hand.

Xing Bing was already prepared. A group of retainers pounced and captured the men.

The farm tool workshop was far from where the villagers lived, but the noise from the fight was too loud in the quiet night and still managed to alarm others.

In no time, villagers began heading this way.

They arrived just in time to see the scene of the alleged killers attempting to flee in guilt and being captured by the retainers.