Da Li Temple - Chapter 7.1

Chapter 7.1
Fear Of Punishment

The moonlight condensed, and the wind blew the shadows of the trees flowing silently.
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Lin Wanqing had never felt so quiet around her, as if the entire Capital Government Office had sunk into a bottomless lake. In her ears were her own rapid breathing and disorganized footsteps, and her heart was being dragged downward, sunken.
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A team of guards outside the prison that should be guarding has disappeared. The cell door, which should have been closed, was slightly open, ruffled by the night wind, making a strange creaking sound.
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Something held Lin Wanqing’s feet for a fleeting moment, knocking her to the ground in a stupor. The air has a light, sweet smell, with some warmth, like peach blossoms in June —
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The breeze blew, dispersing that sweet fragrance, but under the haze of moonlight, a trace of imperceptible blood surged.
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It was hot.
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“Wang …… Wang Hu ……” Lin Wanqing was stunned. The chillness on her spine ran straight up, turning into a buzzing in her brain and exploding. White before her eyes for a moment, even her excited voice changed its tone, leaving only hoarseness.
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Lin Wanqing completely forgot how she entered that blood-washed cell. On the floor were the corpses of the guards on duty, like a slaughterhouse. They were killed by the sword, lying listlessly with hollow eyes and surprised expressions. She pushed open the half-hidden cell door and saw Wang Hu lying on the ground. He was helplessly covering his neck that was about to split, his whole body twitching and his lips mumbling. The eyes that looked at Lin Wanqing were pleading and eager, but he couldn’t say a word.
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“Wang, Wang Hu …… Wang Hu!”

Lin Wanqing lost her words except for repeating the name. All the other words were like thorns that grew and stuck in her throat, turning into broken tones. Her cold-sweat-soaked hands pressed down the wound on Wang Hu’s neck, and the sticky warm blood flowed down the seam of her fingers, wetting the cuffs, wetting the front lapel —
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“Don’t, don’t die …… it will be fine ……” She hurriedly comforted, saying meaningless words. The sweet smell of the previous moment came back, lingering silently.
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Lin Wanqing was stunned, noticing that the hands beneath had loosened, dropping down to the haystack and making a soft clanking sound.
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Not right, this ringing sound sounded more like it came from behind —
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‘Clang–‘ In front of her eyes was a cold white light, and in her ears was the crunching sound of metal hitting metal. Lin Wanqing felt coolness on one side of her face like a piece of ice cream was suddenly attached to her in winter.
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Immediately afterward, there was a ‘thud.’ The light shot into the cracks in the wall before her, gleaming under the flickering firelight. She subconsciously touched her face. She found that her hair on the temple was messy and a color of red, warm, and fishy wetness on her fingertips.
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Behind her, chaotic footsteps rang out in due time. Lin Wanqing turned back in confusion, only to see the prison lit up from the entrance to the end, like a fire dragon unfolding its body before her eyes. The initially dim space was suddenly brightly illuminated.
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Someone pushed open the cell’s door heavily, slapping on the wooden bars. The surroundings suddenly became quiet, leaving only the torches and oil lamps crackling. Behind the firelight came a figure unhurriedly, wearing moonlight white robes. After reaching Lin Wanqing’s front, she saw his pair of sword eyebrows visibly knitted.
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Su Moyi’s thin lips moved slightly, looked at her with complexity, and said, “Lin Recorder, how come it’s you again?”

‘dong – dong – dong – dong -‘
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The midnight gong trailed a long tail, scattered in the silent streets, and roamed into the brightly lit Capital Government Office. Under the swaying candlelight, Lin Wanqing bewilderedly sat on her knees, her blood-stained hands tugging at each other, her fingertips rubbing over and over again as if she wanted to rub off a layer of skin.
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Unsure if it was from freezing or irritation, her blood-stained jaw kept shaking. After Wang Hu’s blood dried out, it turned into a reddish-brown, lining her already pale face to become more bloodless.
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Su Moyi saw such a scene when he followed Official Li in. He looked like he was in a cloudy mood, lifting his robe and sitting next to Official Li.
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Lin Wanqing didn’t react much. Even when someone covered her with a thin blanket, she only shook her body and slowly raised her head to look at the seated Official Li. Under the lamplight, half of her face was hidden in the shadow of the blanket, unable to see her complexion.
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Dragged from his bed in the middle of the night, Official Li was tired and sulky, and his eyes naturally looked at Lin Wanqing with a bit of malice. With a deep grunt, he slammed the case file in his hand onto the table, then pointed at Lin Wanqing and said, “Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?!” The person below acted like she hadn’t heard him, raising her head and locking eyes with him. At this moment, those eyes that were still clear and soulful earlier in the day became obscure and firm in an unprecedented way. She only looked at Official Li and did not say anything.

Official Li’s legs went soft for no reason, and he secretly swallowed saliva. He tugged at the tightly bound official clothes on his body and said, “You …… you overstepped your authority to interrogate the criminals, causing Wang Hu’s death, and also took several lives of the guards for no reason, you ……”
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“Just say whatever you want to say.” The person below suddenly opened her mouth and rang out an indifferent voice, causing everyone present to be stunned.
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Lin Wanqing returned to her senses. Her initially misty eyes suddenly became clear, reflecting the light of the glowing fire, extraordinarily glittering.