The Evil Deity's Second Career - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ji Lanci knew the child was Wang Can’s weakness, so she kept him pinned by her side.

“I have a few questions for you, Lord Wang. If you refuse to tell the truth, my hand might slip and mar this child’s little face.”

“Despicable! He’s just a child!”

Ji Lanci grit her teeth, her eyes flickering with fury. “I could never be as despicable as you, Lord Wang. Are you going to speak or not? My patience is wearing thin.”

Wang Can, who had held his head high until now, finally slumped, revealing the truth behind it all.

“It wasn’t my idea to slaughter the Ji Family. It was an order from above.”

“Who?”

“Who else could it be? The current Emperor.”

Ji Lanci said in a low voice, “Why? When did my family ever offend him to deserve such a catastrophe?”

Wang Can’s breathing was heavy; every exhale took a long time to recover from.

“The national treasury is empty, and there’s no more wealth to be squeezed from the commoners. Your Ji Family possessed immense wealth. No matter how much money you had, it could only belong to the Emperor.”

“Just for that?”

“I was only following imperial orders.”

“Do you know how the Stargathering Tower in the palace was built?”

Wang Can coughed a few times, aggravating the wound in his abdomen. His face contorted in pain.

“Speak!”

Ji Lanci’s face was covered in tears, her hands clenched into tight fists. Her chest heaved as the fire of vengeance turned her eyes blood-red.

“The Stargathering Tower… it was built with your family’s money! Hahaha… Hahaha!”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”

Ji Lanci snatched a small knife from a nearby table and stabbed Wang Can repeatedly. She carved over a dozen bloody holes into him, and blood began to pour out in steady streams.

Scared witless by the scene, the child couldn’t even make a sound. He could only let out strange, choked cries as he tried to pull Ji Lanci away.

“Zhi’er, run… run…”

Wang Can struggled to call out the child’s name, which finally brought Ji Lanci back to her senses. She looked at her blood-stained hands and began to both cry and laugh hysterically.

“Ah! Ah!”

Wang Zhi kept thumping his small fists against Ji Lanci.

Ji Lanci leaned down and pinched the boy’s cheek, smiling. “You know, child, you always remind me of the younger brother my aunt bore. He was even younger than you, not even able to speak yet.”

I looked at the young child. “Are you going to kill him?”

Ji Lanci nodded. “What else? Leave him alive so he can seek revenge against me in ten years?”

“Just don’t let me see it.”

Wang Can was dead. I retrieved the Gu Worm from his abdomen and followed Ji Lanci outside.

“So what if I’ve avenged my father and brother? They’re never coming back.”

“I want my father and my brother!”

When we returned to the temple, Shi Jia was packing his bags.

“What’s happening?”

“The world is changing. Everyone is planning to go into hiding. Do you want to come with us?”

Confused, I pressed him for details on what was going on.

“The era of peace is over. The world is falling into chaos.”

The world falling into chaos?

That phrase was far too familiar.

“Zhu, aren’t you coming with us?” Shi Jia asked, his small bundle slung over his shoulder.

I glanced at Ji Lanci, who had cried herself into a deep sleep, and made up my mind.

“I’m not running. My business here isn’t finished.”

Shi Jia’s eyes widened. “Just for her? She’s just a mortal. Why do you care so much?”

“It’s not about caring. It’s a promise. I said I would help her.”

Seeing that I couldn’t be swayed, Shi Jia grit his teeth and stomped his foot. “Stubborn! Fine, I’m not looking after you anymore!”

With that, he left to follow Zhao Caishen and the others.

Just as I was about to turn around, Shi Jia ran back.

“I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but you must be careful. When the situation settles down, let’s meet here again.”