Chapter 17 They deserve to die
Just as the cold light gleaming from the needle tip was no more than an inch above her head, Pei Zhiwei suddenly twisted her waist to the left, the hem of her plain-colored ruqun skirt brushing against the edge of the table with a soft sound.
He stretched his right hand backward, his fingertips precisely hooking the leg of the wooden stool behind him, and with a sudden burst of force, he slammed the stool toward Feng Chao's chest.
The wooden stool slammed into Feng Chao with a whooshing sound. His pupils contracted slightly, and he hurriedly stopped sewing and turned to the side, but his left shoulder was still grazed by the corner of the stool, and his clothes were instantly torn open.
The chair slammed heavily against the corner of the wall with a dull thud, sending wood chips flying.
Pei Zhiwei used the momentum from turning to steady herself and stared coldly at Feng Chao.
"So this is the trick you used to harm people—first, you knock them unconscious with silver needles, then you lift them up from under the roof beam and hang them up to make it look like they've hanged themselves."
But I'm a complete stranger to you. I didn't block your way, nor did I expose your shortcomings. Why did you suddenly attack me?
Feng Chao tightened his grip on the silver needles, the kind smile on his face vanished completely, and an unyielding malice surged in his eyes.
"On the day the Qin family case occurred, I was hiding in the old locust tree across the street from the Qin family and saw it clearly."
"You can calculate my height from the footprints I left behind; such a sophisticated forensic method means you'll eventually trace it back to me. It's better to get rid of me sooner rather than later."
Before he finished speaking, Feng Chao suddenly darted out like a cat, his silver needle piercing Pei Zhiwei's heart.
Pei Zhiwei was prepared. She lightly touched the ground and quickly took two steps back to avoid the attack, while reaching out to grab the red silk rack next to her.
The shelf was covered with red silk ribbons used by worshippers for prayer. When she pulled it, the wooden shelf tilted under the force, and the red silk ribbons poured down, wrapping around Feng Chao's arm like a red waterfall.
He paid no attention, and with a sudden burst of strength, the red silk broke in two, the tattered strips of cloth fluttering in the air.
With his other hand, he formed a palm and slashed at Pei Zhiwei's shoulder with a sharp gust of wind.
Pei Zhiwei bent down to avoid it, and quickly reached into the brocade pouch at her waist, pulling out the charcoal pencil she had used to make the shoe print earlier. The pencil had a hardwood handle that she had specially chosen, and the tip was sharpened to a point, so it could be used as a weapon at this moment.
She raised her hand and threw the charcoal pencil at Feng Chao's eyes; the pencil flew through the air and headed straight for his face.
Feng Chao turned his head to dodge, the charcoal pencil flew past his ear, leaving a black mark on the wall, and the tip hit the brick surface and broke in two with a "crack".
The two men wrestled in the cramped room, knocking tables and chairs over. A pear wood stool fell to the ground, its legs hitting the blue bricks with a crisp sound. The incense ash pottery jar on the windowsill was swept to the ground, and the ash powder spread, making people cough involuntarily.
While dodging Feng Chao's palm strikes, Pei Zhiwei loudly pressed, "You should know that we currently only have a sketch of your figure; we don't even know what you look like."
"When we met in the corridor just now, my attitude towards you was perfectly appropriate. How can you be so sure I recognized you?"
Feng Chao slammed his hand on the corner of the table, instantly cracking a thin line across the heavy wooden surface. He used the momentum to leap into the air, landing behind Pei Zhiwei, his voice carrying a hint of arrogant coldness.
"I've been the temple keeper at this matchmaking temple for ten years, and I've seen countless men and women. I can tell what they're thinking with just a glance."
At first glance, you didn't seem particularly bothered by me, but within moments your eyes changed. You recognized the footprints as mine!
He had barely finished speaking when he swung his hand at me again, saying, "Instead of waiting for you to gather all the evidence and bring your men to arrest me, I'd rather just get rid of you now, so that things don't get complicated!"
Pei Zhiwei dodged to the side, but her back accidentally bumped into the door frame, and her shoulder went numb.
She steadied herself, watching Feng Chao press closer step by step, her steps steady and without the slightest panic.
"How do you plan to kill me? Like you did with Qin Chaochao and Wang Yulan, hang me in this room?"
But now that we've turned this house upside down, it doesn't seem like I could have deliberately made it like this before hanging myself, right?
Before she could finish speaking, Feng Chao suddenly quickened his attack, his palm strikes raining down on her face.
Pei Zhiwei hastily raised her hand to block, her arm went numb from the impact, and she had to take half a step back to regain her footing.
Upon seeing this, Feng Chao curled his lips into a cold smile, his eyes full of disdain: "I saw it clearly. Just now, a man in a blue cloth shirt came to find you, and you talked for half an incense stick's time."
Later, you got into a fight with him, and after he stormed off, you went into the women's bathroom with red eyes. When Xiao Tong came looking for you again, you had already hanged yourself. Who would suspect anything?
"So Qin Chaochao and Wang Yulan were also knocked unconscious by you with silver needles before you killed them?"
Pei Zhiwei's hands didn't stop moving, but Feng Chao's palm strikes became heavier and heavier. With each collision, her arm would ache, her steps would gradually become unsteady, and fine beads of sweat would seep from her forehead.
Seeing her flinch, Feng Chao's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. He suddenly shifted his stance and closed in, the silver needles at his fingertips gleaming coldly as he aimed for her vital point. His voice was filled with triumphant cruelty: "You're smart! Don't rush, I'll send you to join those short-lived ghosts."
"Take him down!" Pei Zhiwei suddenly shouted.
Before the words were even out of the air, a dark figure swept in through the doorway, moving so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained. The wind it stirred up swirled the incense ash on the ground, creating a small vortex in mid-air.
Before Xiao Yunzhan's palm strike had subsided, he slammed it hard onto Feng Chao's shoulder.
Feng Chao crashed onto the blue brick ground like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Before he could even get up, Xiao Yunzhan's boots had already crushed heavily into his chest.
However, with just a little effort, Feng Chao groaned in pain, his limbs going limp and he could no longer move an inch.
He glared at Xiao Yunzhan, his eyes filled with panic, his face turning as white as paper: "How did you get here? Could it be... that you deliberately provoked me to make a move from the very beginning, so you could get the truth out of me?"
Pei Zhiwei walked over slowly, looking at the panic in his eyes, her tone completely calm: "Otherwise, do you think I'm stupid?"
"Since I already suspected you of being the murderer, how could I have actually let you send him to the east courtyard? And why would I have just fought with you in this cramped room?"
Feng Chao's face suddenly changed, his previous paleness turning into a purplish-brown color. He struggled to get up, but Xiao Yunzhan's boots pressed down even harder, and the sharp pain in his chest made him gasp, cold sweat streaming down his temples.
"Impossible! I led you to the West Courtyard without you even blinking an eye the whole way. You didn't have a chance to plot against each other in private!"
"Who told you we were going to discuss this in private?" Pei Zhiwei slightly raised her chin, her gaze falling on his flushed face, her tone carrying a hint of nonchalant sarcasm.
"Just now in the courtyard, I told him in front of you, 'I'm not looking for you, so don't come looking for me.'"
Isn't that clear enough? He can't show up unless I call him.
"You...you actually dared to use such tricks to scheme against me!" Feng Chao trembled with rage, his voice trembling. "I've actually been defeated by a little woman like you! I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled!"
Xiao Yunzhan increased the pressure on his feet, and Feng Chao's struggles weakened instantly. He could only gasp for breath, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with resentment and venom, as if he wanted to devour Pei Zhiwei and Xiao Yunzhan alive.
Pei Zhiwei squatted down in front of him, her gaze as cold as a knife, staring directly at his face, which was twisted with anger.
"Did you think you could fool everyone by hiding your true intentions all these years? Now I ask you, why did you kill those women?"
Feng Chao's chest was being crushed by the sole of the boot, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain, but he still stubbornly refused to give in.
He stared at Pei Zhiwei, a twisted smile suddenly spreading across his lips, a smile filled with madness. His voice was hoarse yet carried an unwavering conviction: "Because they deserve to die!"
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