Chapter 058: Tears of Blood in Pure Water

A corpse, of course, cannot speak with me; all my words are meant for the one controlling it. Yet the puppeteer behind it shows no intention of revealing himself. In other words, perhaps He Chuan's life carries no weight in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, I rose to my feet, tilting my head to regard the motionless female corpse before me.

Bang!

Relying entirely on instinct, I fired a shot at He Chuan. Glancing over, I saw the bullet had pierced his ear—just a centimeter more, and he would have died at my hand.

The cigarette had nearly burned down to the filter, yet I made no move to spit it out. Smoke stung my eyes, making me squint, my whole body trembling involuntarily. I couldn't tell if it was fear or nerves causing it, but after firing that shot, I needed both hands just to steady the gun.

When the corpse showed no reaction, I nodded at it and once again aimed the muzzle at He Chuan. “I can't guarantee I won't hit his head with this next shot,” I warned.

I waited ten seconds, but there was no reply. My patience was exhausted. I understood that if I pulled the trigger now, trouble would surely follow, but I couldn't care less.

Someone had to pay for Captain Cui’s death.

The cigarette had burned down to the end; I flicked the butt onto He Chuan’s body. “Let me send you on your way!”

“Amitabha!”

Just as my finger tightened on the trigger, aiming at He Chuan’s head, the chant of a Buddhist scripture echoed once more.

I turned to see Yu Nie, palms pressed together, limping into the ancient temple. As he passed the motionless corpses, he waved his hand; the three standing bodies collapsed to the ground, their heads rolling free.

Yu Nie did not hesitate at the sight of the corpses. When he reached Captain Cui’s body, tears were already streaming down his face, grief written plainly in his eyes.

He first greeted me with a Buddhist gesture, then spoke earnestly: “Benefactor Jiang Huai, you must not kill him. Do not create ill-fated karma through wanton killing.”

Yu Nie’s words made me bare my teeth in a twisted smile. Fighting my trembling, I freed a hand to point at Captain Cui’s corpse. “Does your Buddhist order also practice corpse control? Was it you who killed Captain Cui?”

Yu Nie gave me a long, deep look. In that moment, I saw clearly that what streamed from his eyes was no longer clear tears, but dark red blood.

He ignored my shock and my questions, sitting cross-legged beside Captain Cui’s corpse. He took the captain’s cold hand in one of his own, the other hand pressed to his chest. In that pose—identical to the one I’d seen in the airport lounge—he was about to recite prayers for the deceased.

“Stop!” I barked. With so many unanswered questions, this was no time for him to indulge his compassion.

Striding over, I kicked him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground, and leveled my gun at him. Struggling to steady my voice, I said, “If you won’t give me a satisfactory answer today, I’ll be the one to recite prayers for you.”

Lying on the ground, Yu Nie did not immediately rise. Instead, he slowly looked up at me. “Benefactor Jiang Huai...” he pleaded. “At least allow me this last act for Captain Cui.”

I shook my head. “If Captain Cui knew you were the one to send him off, he’d never rest easy, even in death.” Squatting down, I pressed the gun to Yu Nie’s forehead. “Talk. Why did you escape from the hospital? Why are you here? Why did you kill Captain Cui?”

Yu Nie bowed his head, then looked up with a gaze that, besides resignation, held a sudden resolve. “Because He Chuan cannot fall into your hands.”

My heart lurched. With those words, wasn’t he admitting to everything?

I drew a deep breath, preparing to pull the trigger. But Yu Nie moved faster. Like a steel trap, his hands seized mine and forced the gun skyward.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the temple’s roof. In the next instant, Yu Nie drove his fist into my solar plexus. The pain was so intense I retched clear fluid.

Clutching my stomach, I fell to my knees, mouth open, gasping for air that wouldn’t come. Forehead pressed to the ground, I finally understood what it meant to suffocate.

Upside down, I saw Yu Nie approach the half-dead He Chuan and effortlessly lift him into his arms. As he passed me, he paused. “Benefactor Jiang Huai, leave this matter alone. I will answer for all the dead.”

Without another glance, Yu Nie carried He Chuan toward the temple’s exit. Just as he was about to step outside, I held my breath, veins bulging on my forehead, and finally managed to straighten my back.

“Yu Nie!” I roared.

Bang!

As Yu Nie hesitated and turned, I fired without hesitation. The bullet struck his shoulder, making him cry out and drop He Chuan to the ground.

Yu Nie stared, momentarily stunned, not expecting me to actually shoot. Having fired once, I was past caring—but, to my chagrin, that was when I discovered my gun was out of bullets.

Without pause, I flung the empty pistol at Yu Nie as if it were a brick. Even as the gun arced through the air, I charged after it.

As Yu Nie raised his hand to bat the gun away, I leaped into the air with a shout, aiming a fierce elbow at his head.

Instinctively, he shielded his head, so my blow landed on his upper arm, doing little harm.

We separated, both coming to a halt. Flexing my muscles, I eyed him coldly. I refused to believe that a monk with two bullet wounds could still be my match.

“Yu Nie, I misjudged you before. Since you’ve committed so many evil deeds, today I’ll do a good deed and send you on your way!”

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Chapter 58: Clear Water Turns to Bloody Tears—Read for Free.