As soon as his voice fell, a cool mountain breeze began to stir up.
Facing against the wind, Xie Lin Lang stood there wordlessly just looking at Qin Jue, whose body now blended in with the ice and snow.
She spoke again only after a long pause, “…So from the time you poisoned Liu Second GongZi, you already had the thought of massacring the entire Liu family?”
Qin Jue chuckled softly, “I didn’t poison him. The spilled powder was purely an accident. If that guy didn’t steal your carriage, then naturally, nothing would’ve happened.”
Xie Lin Lang took in a deep breath, “I really don’t mind if you’re trying to get him killed. But, the spring is a running water source and you’re planning to dump poison in it. Even if the poison dilutes in the water by the time it reaches WangJiang, what about the residents living in the village below that depend on this spring as their water source? What about the common people? They’re still at risk of being poisoned! If you use this method, you will put unrelated people in danger!”
But even after listening to her words of protest, Qin Jue’s smile was still as wide as before.
“Getting unrelated people involved? What does that have to do with me?”
He took out a copper medicine bottle. As he spun the bottle with his hand, he peered at the suburban area beneath him.
Squinting his eyes, he said, “…As I see it, no one in this city is innocent. This whole city belongs to the Liu family, whether it’s the land, factories, or the population. They’re all affiliated with the Liu family. It’s also why no one bothered to stop them even if they are on the streets kidnapping women because the majority of them depend on the Liu family for survival.”
“Due to that reason, they have already been labeled as the Liu family’s property. So even if they die from the poison, would that really count as involving the unrelated?”
Xie Lin Lang’s frown deepened, “I understand your heart is eager towards revenge. But revenge is a personal matter, isn’t it? How could you want to murder all the innocent people that haven’t done anything to you indiscriminately?”
“Innocent?”
He scoffed, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp and piercing, “In order to please Concubine Hui, the Emperor cold-bloodedly murdered my mother and exterminated her whole family clan. How many innocent people died during the birthday banquet then? Are those people not considered innocent?
After exterminating the Xia family, in order to not leave any chances for vengeance in the future, how many of the families that were dependent on the Xia family for survival were slaughtered altogether? Are they not considered innocent?
If he can be cold-blooded and cruel, why can’t I? He killed my whole fucking family! Why am I not allowed to retaliate against him by slaughtering the city of his beloved?!”
As he let his words out, the corners of his eyes turned slightly red. The atmosphere surrounding his body burned with fury as if the air was being swallowed by black flames!
Qin Jue wasn’t like this in the past.
Xie Lin Lang looked into his eyes seriously, “They committed wrongdoings so you’ll commit wrongdoings as well? Then what’s the difference between you and the person you hate most?”
“Then should I just be tolerant and put up with them? Should I give up on revenge?!”
He looked at her coldly.
“Xie Lin Lang, tell me, why is it that only he is allowed to be the bad guys, but I can’t? We’re both just people living in this world, is there such a large barrier differentiating us?
And don’t bullshit me with the kind people go to heaven and evil people go to hell. From the moment I first killed someone, I no longer feared going to hell. Hell is no more than eighteen layers deep…the worst that can happen to me is if my soul is scattered and unable to reincarnate. And you, are you really going to try and stop me?”
His eyes were filled with judgment as he questioned her.
Even though Xie Lin Lang had said that she would never leave him alone again, but what if their ideologies were completely polarized? Then the forever she talked about would be all but a joke.
In her crystal clear vision of justice, there was no tolerance for roadside dirt and sand. Yet Qin Jue’s mind and body had already become corroded with hatred and left with only evil desires of regicide and revenge!
What he really wanted to know was: what will happen when their opposing visions completely clash against each other? Will she enforce her vision of justice and leave him alone? Or will she be adamant and attempt to use reasoning to try and convince him otherwise?
If so, then she might as well leave now!
Xie Lin Lang spent a long time pondering on Qin Jue’s words.
The lowest layer of hell was only eighteen layers deep?
Why did he have to live as a good person, and not live wickedly?
Why could his enemies commit all those atrocities, yet he wasn’t allowed to?
She couldn’t answer any of these.
In this world, there wasn’t a clear set of rules commanding humans to act with kindness.
Then…what was she supposed to say to convince Qin Jue, and to convince herself?
Snowflakes slowly drifted through the sky, putting frost on the already-cold human hearts with its temperature. A warm breath escaped from Xie Lin Lang’s mouth. Suddenly, she extended her hand and took the bottle of poison from Qin Jue’s hand!
Qin Jue was taken aback for a moment. He watched as Xie Lin Lang took the bottle and walked towards the edge of the giant boulder. Below where she stood was the burbling crevice of the spring water.
She lowered her head, admitting, “Although I do not approve of your ideologies, no, in fact, I absolutely reject you killing off innocent people for the sake of revenge. However, I do admit that I can’t think of an argument to persuade you otherwise…and to why you can’t be the bad guy.”
She looked at the clear spring water beneath her. With furrowed brows and a soft voice, “But, perhaps if I become someone like you, maybe I’ll be able to understand you. If you think that getting unrelated people involved is what it takes to kill the Liu family…then you don’t have to do it yourself, I’ll do the dirty work for you.”
Hearing her speech, Qin Jue immediately stepped forward and grabbed her, “What nonsense do you think you’re saying? Give me the bottle!”
Xie Lin Lang lifted her head and looked at him seriously.
“You said that murderers will end up in hell and that you have already accepted your fate of being punished in hell. Since I’ve accepted the Empress’ request and vowed to take good care of you, then if you’re going to hell, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t follow you.
As I have said: from the lowest of the grounds to the highest of the skies, until the day you decide that you no longer need me, you will never be walking alone again even all the way in hell!”
She then forcefully pushed his hand away, holding onto the bottle tightly, and rushed towards the spring water.
Qin Jue was shocked!
He stared blankly at his hand that was pushed away, then stared blankly at Xie Lin Lang’s back. Words were rushing to the tip of his lips, yet it was as if he had lost his voice, nothing came out.
That moment in his eyes, it was as if Xie Lin Lang became the only person remaining in the universe.
…If the most lethal poison in the world was bitterness and hatred corroding his bones, then his illness was already completely beyond remedy. Yet, this person still wasn’t willing to give up on him?
She’s willing to go together, even if it meant falling to the very bottom?
On the other side, Xie Lin Lang was completely oblivious to Qin Jue’s current thoughts, because she was fighting with the stubborn bottle in her hand!
There was something wrong with the bottle! For some reason, the bottle cap was completely sewn to the bottle that no matter how hard she pulled, it just wouldn’t open!
A string of curses rushed through her brain. At this crucial moment of not knowing whether the Crown Prince was going to become evilized at any given moment, how could she be messing up at a time like this?
She secretly used up all of her strength, so much so that even when her neck grew red from pressure, the bottle decided, nah, I’m not opening!
Suddenly, she heard a chuckle behind her. Her body froze completely. She had never been in such an awkward situation her whole life!!
She felt his breath quickly inch closer. A pair of arms wrapped around her and held the bottle.
He spoke softly into her ear, “This bottle has a special trigger, you don’t open it like that.”
Xie Lin Lang immediately felt as if she was being played. There was a special trigger? Why didn’t you say something earlier?! He just stood there watching her act like a clown this whole time…
Sulking and in a stifled voice, she asked, “Then how are you supposed to open it?”
But Qin Jue didn’t answer her. Instead, he took the bottle back while she was caught off guard.
After taking the bottle, he stepped back and immediately became the cold and distant young man he was before. Except this time, there was a glimmer of a smile in his eyes. He stood there, merely staring quietly yet intently at her, causing her face to heat up without any explanation.
“You said, you would follow me even if it’s to hell?”
His sudden statement made Xie Lin Lang’s neck completely red!
In a panicked rush earlier, she had actually declared those kinds of words out loud! Who said that? Not her! She must have been possessed!