Chapter 544: Do You Dare to Kill Me?

"My Lord, Du Xushi is simple-minded; how could she possibly make a judgment!"

Kneeling before Shen Yu, Wu Si'an bowed deeply, "My Lord, He Yuan has committed countless evils; he deserves to die!"

"Baby, hee hee, don't be afraid, baby!" Seemingly echoing Wu Si'an's words, a foolish, simple smile appeared on Du Xushi's face once again.

One hand cradled a Black-Clad Guard, her face filled with maternal love, her hand gently patting his body as if she were coaxing a small child to sleep.

"He indeed deserves to die!" Looking at Du Xushi, Shen Yu waved his hand at the Black-Clad Guard, "Let her in!"

The blocking Black-Clad Guard immediately cleared a path, and Du Xushi ran to the front of Shen Yu, her hands rubbing against him for a while.

However, Shen Yu's entire body was separated by a force, so no matter how Du Xushi grabbed, she could not actually touch his body.

"Du Xushi, you have suffered. He Yuan has already been captured. Rest assured, now that this official has arrived, I will certainly see justice done for you!"

"Someone, go drag He Yuan over here!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Not long after the Black-Clad Guard received the order, He Yuan was dragged over by Liang Ruyue, who was leading the men himself.

At this moment, He Yuan was quite miserable; his previous image was long gone, his body covered in whip marks and burn scars, and his fingers, body, and face were all covered in wounds deep enough to see the bone.

It was evident that he had been tortured quite severely by Liang Ruyue, and his eyes were vacant, as if he had fallen into a state of numbness.

"My Lord, look, this is He Yuan's confession!"

Walking in front of Shen Yu, Liang Ruyue handed over a stack of confessions directly, "Take a look at what kind of thing this He Yuan is. This subordinate was afraid that if I stayed a moment longer, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from slaughtering him!"

"He confessed everything so quickly?" Taking the items from Liang Ruyue's hand and flipping through them briefly, Shen Yu's face grew increasingly ugly.

This bastard was not only a corrupt official but also a pervert; saying he deserved to be hacked into a thousand pieces was not an exaggeration at all.

"My Lord, He Yuan is only slightly better than his son, but only slightly. I hadn't even used the torture for two strikes before he confessed everything himself!"

"I really don't know how such a person became the Governor of a region. His character is a complete mess, and he has absolutely no integrity whatsoever!"

"What difference is there between such a person and a street thug? Even a street thug is better than him, phew!"

Spitting in the direction of He Yuan, Liang Ruyue couldn't even be bothered to look at him.

He had originally thought that even if his character was poor, at least he might have some backbone. But he hadn't expected that as soon as the whip hit his body, he would completely fold, with no intention of holding out at all.

Having been a Black-Clad Guard for so many years, the people he looked down upon the most were those like him.

"He confessed everything after just two strikes? Then what is going on now?"

Lowering his head to glance at He Yuan, his current miserable appearance didn't look like he had only taken two hits; it was the rhythm of being beaten until he shat himself.

"This, this, the brothers couldn't hold back for a moment. My Lord, does such human scum even deserve to live in this world?"

"You are right, he indeed does not deserve to live in this world!" Casually drawing the blade of a nearby Black-Clad Guard, he threw it beside Du Xushi.

"Du Xushi, this official gives you a chance for revenge. Pick up the blade and kill him!"

Looking at the blade Shen Yu had thrown over, Du Xushi stared blankly, and after a long while, a foolish, simple smile appeared on her face again.

"Lord Shen, I already said that Du Xushi has long been a fool. How could a fool kill someone!"

"She is not a fool; she is only doing it to survive!" Walking to the front of Du Xushi, Shen Yu reached out and steadied her, "Am I right, Du Xushi?"

"I know you don't trust me; you are afraid that I might be the next He Yuan. But this official tells you, I am not He Yuan. From today on, you are free!"

Looking up at Shen Yu, Du Xushi saw only sincerity in his eyes, but she remained in that same state, dazed and foolish, not at all like a normal person.

"Very well, if you are unwilling, that is your freedom!" Casually drawing another blade, Shen Yu walked straight to He Yuan's side.

"If you won't take this revenge, I will take it for you!"

"Wait, Shen Yu, Lord Shen, you cannot kill me! Du Xushi, I know you aren't crazy. Tell Lord Shen he cannot kill me; if he kills me, Xichuan will surely fall into chaos!"

With the blade held across his neck, Shen Yu asked with some surprise, "You knew Du Xushi wasn't crazy?"

"Was it hard to see that she was faking madness? I have known all along; I was just playing along with her all these years!"

"Du Xushi, you don't want your husband and father-in-law to have died in vain, do you? Tell Shen Yu he cannot kill me!"

"You!" At this moment, Du Xushi, who had been faking madness, finally regained her composure, her eyes filled with fury and killing intent.

"You knew I was faking?"

"Of course I knew. I didn't kill you just to humiliate you!"

Lying on the ground, He Yuan's eyes revealed a look of mockery, "Du Xushi, who do you think found the first street bully to lay a hand on you?"

"You are, after all, the young mistress of the Du Family. Even if the Du Family is gone, those peasants wouldn't have dared to touch you easily."

"I found someone to be the first to touch you precisely to tear away your last shred of dignity, to let those lowly people cast aside their last bit of hesitation, and then to torture and humiliate you day and night!"

"You were played in the palm of my hand before, and it remained the same afterward. You didn't even know any of this yourself?"

"A fool like you thinks you can play mind games with me? Faking madness and acting like an idiot—you should look at who this official is!"

"Shut up!" The blade moved horizontally inward bit by bit, and fresh blood spilled out along the edge of the blade.

"You really are human scum; a person like you is not worth pitying even in death!!"

"Rest assured, you won't die immediately; I still have the techniques for that. You will only die bit by bit in despair!"

"Shen Yu, you cannot kill me!"

"My Lord, you cannot kill him!" Seeing that Shen Yu was about to get serious, Du Xushi blocked his path.

"My Lord, do you know why I faked madness? It is because my husband handed me something very important, specifically so that I could give it to someone capable of dealing with He Yuan!"

"What thing?"

"A list!" Seeing Shen Yu cast a questioning look, Du Xushi then said, "The reason our Du Family was wiped out back then was because my husband accidentally learned of He Yuan's plan!"

"This madman prepared a way out for himself long ago, secretly contacting civil and military officials throughout Xichuan, and even setting traps to hold their leverage in his hands."

"As for what the specific leverage was, my husband didn't know. He only knew that once this leverage was made public, those people would surely die without a doubt!"

"He Yuan threatened them that if anything happened to him, they must immediately rise in rebellion. Otherwise, if he met with any mishap, this evidence of their crimes would inevitably be made public."

"My Lord, although I don't know what that leverage is, my husband said that if they rebelled, there would still be a glimmer of hope, but if they didn't rebel and let the evidence be made public, they would certainly die."

"Therefore, My Lord, once you kill him, those people will have to rebel!"

Falling to her knees before Shen Yu with a thud, Du Xushi choked with sobs and said, "My Lord, I have endured humiliation for so many years because the matter my husband uncovered is of great importance, and he told me I must hand the list to someone I could trust enough!"

"He Yuan cannot be killed, at least not until those who have colluded with him are taken down."

"Otherwise, once He Yuan is killed, Xichuan will instantly fall into internal strife, with military chaos erupting everywhere and the people suffering!"

"Hahaha, did you hear that?" Struggling to crawl up from the ground, He Yuan's face was filled with arrogance and smugness.

"Shen Yu, ginger is still spicier when it's old; I had long anticipated this day would come. I said it, you cannot kill me!"

"To tell you the truth, the Du Family list was merely a small portion I intentionally leaked; how could I possibly let anyone know the real list!"

"Du Xushi, do you know why you have lived despite suffering such humiliation for so many years? It is because I let you live, so you were able to live, and you must live."

As he spoke, He Yuan could not help but laugh with self-satisfaction, "I know of your hatred for me; if there were a chance, you would definitely hand the list in your possession to someone capable of dealing with me."

"Moreover, you would inevitably have them take these people down first, and only then take me down, otherwise Xichuan would surely fall into chaos!"

"But what you don't know is that the list in your hands was actually just something I intentionally leaked."

"As long as someone makes a move against the people on the list, I will know that someone is about to make a move against me!"

Speaking, He Yuan glared at Shen Yu with resentment, "But I calculated everything, yet I didn't calculate that someone who doesn't follow the rules would come; I admit defeat!"

"But Shen Yu, only if I live can Xichuan avoid chaos. If I die, the majority of the common people in all of Xichuan will have to be buried with me!"

"Shen Yu, do you dare to kill me?"