Chapter 394: Come, Kill Me
Li Daoxuan's words truly startled One-Zhang Qing, who involuntarily turned to glance at Padi Tu.
Padi Tu grinned. "That's right, this rabbit lord is fierce. I can kill dozens, even hundreds of people, without batting an eye. Especially women and children, one slash, one kill, one slash, one kill..."
Gao Yiye asked curiously, "Now, these are my own words, not the Heavenly Lord's, okay? Padi Tu, when did you ever kill women and children? And isn't your signature weapon a sword? When did it become a saber?"
Padi Tu protested, "Hey, hey, Saintess, don't bust my chops at a crucial moment like this!"
Everyone fell silent.
One-Zhang Qing uttered, "Huh?"
Just moments ago, she had been terrified of Padi Tu, but hearing the two of them play-acting like this left her utterly bewildered. She froze for a long moment, her face stiff. "You tie me up here, then deliberately say these things to fool me. What exactly do you want?"
"Alright," Li Daoxuan said. "Actually, there's no other meaning. You represent the labor reform prisoners whose men we've dealt with. You're a typical example, and there are many like you in the labor reform camps. I imagine at least half the people in those camps have men in their families who died at the hands of Gao Family Village. This is an issue that must be resolved. That's why I called you here to talk, to handle you as a case study."
One-Zhang Qing gritted her teeth. "That's right, there are many more like me, and sooner or later, they will take up arms, kill all of you, and avenge their men!"
One-Zhang Qing remained silent.
Li Daoxuan pressed on, "Let me just ask you: did your brother commit murder and arson? Did he rape and loot? Did he ever point his weapons at ordinary, defenseless civilians? When he was doing these things, as a woman, how did you feel at the time? Did you try to persuade your brother not to do them? Did you feel distressed by your brother's actions? Or were you perhaps even happy that the food your brother stole and plundered ended up in your stomach?"
At these words, One-Zhang Qing instantly froze. He was right! These were indeed undeniable questions.
As a woman, One-Zhang Qing had no way to stop the men in her family from doing such things. Women's status was too low. An elder brother was like a father; if he decided to burn, kill, and plunder, a sister couldn't speak up, couldn't control him. She could only watch helplessly as her brother followed Wang Zuogua's bandit army, committing evil everywhere. And the food her brother plundered had filled her stomach—thinking of it that way made her feel incredibly strange.
Li Daoxuan continued, "When your brother was committing evil everywhere, what if the families of those he killed came knocking on your door right now, wanting to kill you and take you down with them? How would you feel about that?"
One-Zhang Qing remained silent.
Li Daoxuan sighed. "Alright, you actually know the problem, but you're operating on a double standard. Your brother can kill, but others can't kill your brother. Because your brother provided you with a livelihood, didn't he?"
Sweat poured down One-Zhang Qing's face, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
Li Daoxuan meticulously observed her every expression through his 'monitoring function.' If she showed even the slightest disregard for the lives of others, he was ready to order her execution. However, One-Zhang Qing's expression clearly showed remorse, as if Li Daoxuan's words had indeed struck a chord.
"I... I know... I know my brother did bad things, and I tried to tell him not to, but he wouldn't listen. And I certainly wasn't happy that he brought back stolen food. I felt terrible, always having nightmares. I knew what we were doing as siblings was wrong, and that sooner or later, Heaven itself would punish us..."
Li Daoxuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you knew? Then let me ask you: Do you think I count as Heaven itself?"
One-Zhang Qing gasped. She froze solid!
Li Daoxuan continued, "The problem is getting clearer, isn't it? Those who commit evil deeds will ultimately be dealt with by Heaven itself. There are many ways Heaven can deal with someone, including but not limited to being killed by other bandits, being suppressed by the imperial court, falling to their death, choking on food, drowning in water... or being killed by the Gao Family Village Militia!"
"He couldn't escape this fate, because he wasn't a good person. Only good people receive good fortune; how could an evil person possibly die a peaceful death?"
One-Zhang Qing began to waver. She understood; deep down, she had always understood. She had merely been blinded by hatred. But now, with Li Daoxuan's words, she finally realized that her brother could not escape Heaven's judgment. And the Way of Heaven... was currently speaking to her! How utterly mortifying!
Li Daoxuan added, "The Gao Family Village Militia was sent by me. Your brother was someone I ordered to be dealt with. If you want revenge, just killing people from Gao Family Village is useless. You'd have to defy Heaven itself. Come on, come on, kill me and avenge your brother."
As he spoke, he reached his hand into the box. His colossal golden hand, adorned with the Infinite Gauntlet, appeared before One-Zhang Qing. The tip of just one finger was larger than One-Zhang Qing's entire body.
"Padi Tu! Untie her ropes. Let her try to kill me."
Hearing this, Padi Tu immediately stepped forward as commanded, untying One-Zhang Qing's ropes and even casually handing her a saber. Then, he swiftly retreated to stand in front of Gao Yiye, shielding her behind him, wary of the woman suddenly lashing out.
This small gesture earned Padi Tu a silent nod of approval from Li Daoxuan.
One-Zhang Qing took the saber, her entire body trembling as she stared at the colossal hand reaching to the heavens. She wasn't foolish; she didn't need to try to know that the saber in her hand was utterly useless. It wouldn't cut, simply couldn't cut through it. The immortal was clearly just toying with her by telling her to kill him.
Li Daoxuan prompted, "Aren't you going to strike me down?"
Tears streamed down One-Zhang Qing's face. "How could I possibly kill Heaven itself? I don't possess such power."
Padi Tu chuckled beside them. "It was impossible from the start, wasn't it? Defying Heaven's will—who could ever achieve that?"
Gao Yiye also sighed softly. "These are my own words, not the Heavenly Lord's, okay? One-Zhang Qing, the reason your brother died is precisely because he defied Heaven's will and incurred divine retribution. You were captured along with the old, weak, women, and children, which indicates you weren't directly involved in the bandits' warfare. Your only offense was enjoying the spoils your brother brought back from his evil deeds. Why would you now burden yourself with heavier sins for the death of an evil person?"
One-Zhang Qing wept weakly. "You are right. I partook of the food my brother brought back from his evil deeds. I can't turn back now."
Li Daoxuan corrected her, "There you're mistaken. In my world, as long as it's not a capital crime, there's always a way back. And here, there's no concept of collective punishment. If someone commits a crime, their entire clan won't be executed, nor even three generations of their family."
One-Zhang Qing stared, speechless.
Li Daoxuan stated, "Everything that needed to be said to you has been said. Now, I will announce the final decision regarding your attempted assassination of the warden."
He paused, switching to a more authoritative tone. "One-Zhang Qing, you attempted to assassinate Warden Zhong Gaoliang. Due to intervention by others, the assassination was unsuccessful. You have committed the crime of 'attempted murder,' which, by law, should result in a fixed-term sentence of three to ten years. However, given that you attempted to kill someone I particularly favor, the circumstances are severe. This judge will apply the harshest penalty, which is... an extension of your labor reform term by ten years. Do you understand?"
One-Zhang Qing looked up in astonishment. She had expected to be lectured and then executed, perhaps even humiliated before death. She never imagined the final outcome would merely be an extension of her labor reform term by ten years.
"Go back," Li Daoxuan ordered. "Once you return to the prison, think carefully about everything I've said to you today. Consider what kind of attitude you should adopt for your future life. Undergo Labor Reform diligently, and you might even receive a sentence reduction and early release, gaining a chance to start a new life. Your brother is dead. Whether you follow in his footsteps or live well to atone for the evil he committed rests entirely on your choice. If you commit another offense, you will be executed without mercy."
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