Chapter 35 You can't bear to hit me?
Jin'er stood up and stood behind Jiang Li. Under the tattered cloth fluttering in the temple stood several things that were neither human nor puppet.
Jiang Zhishui slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the hairpin on Jin'er's head. She frowned slightly and unconsciously touched her own hair.
That's all.
She murmured, "The hairpin...mine."
That was a gift that Mrs. Jiang bought for her, and she always wore it.
Jing Qianheng turned his head to look at her and asked softly, "What is it that's yours?"
Jiang Zhishui suddenly woke up, her mouth filled with a strong metallic taste. She choked, coughed, and wiped her lips with her hand; they were covered in blood.
She made a sound of surprise and shook her hand dismissively.
Jing Qianheng took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
Jiang Zhishui reached out to take it, and was about to thank him when she noticed that his left hand was covered in blood.
She looked up at him. Jing Qianheng's face was calm, his eyes slightly lowered as he looked at the bloodstains on the corner of her mouth.
Jiang Zhishui grabbed his injured hand and exclaimed in horror, "I did this?"
Jing Qianheng stared at her face, his tone flat: "I walked right into the knife myself."
.........
Jiang Zhishui looked at his serious expression and couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.
Jiang Zhishui was stabbed in the palm of her hand, and when she pulled out her knife, she cut herself open again, leaving two crisscrossing wounds with flesh torn up, which looked very painful.
Jiang Zhishui completely ignored Jiang Li and the others, gently took Jing Qianheng's hand, rolled up the handkerchief, and carefully wrapped the wound first.
Jing Qianheng watched as she bandaged her wound, then looked up and saw that her face was contorted in pain, as if she were the one who was injured.
Jiang Zhishui tied a knot in her handkerchief, and after she finished, she wiped the blood from her mouth with her sleeve. She looked up at Jing Qianheng and said, "You can't bear to hit me? I told you before that if you saw something was wrong with me, you should knock me out. Why did you let me hurt you?"
“............”
Jiang Li, Jin'er, and the group of puppets stood to the side, listening and watching, seemingly stunned or lost in thought.
Jing Qianheng glanced at his bandaged hand and replied calmly, "Shall we start now?"
Jiang Zhishui choked. What did that mean? She hadn't had a chance to make a move, and now she was supposed to make up for it?
Jing Qianheng turned around, looked at Jiang Li and the others, and said, "Are you just going to watch?"
Jiang Li smiled and said, "I'm free, so I'm not in a hurry."
Jiang Zhishui scanned the environment inside the temple. There were many puppets, but they all looked like children and small animals, and they looked blank. Many of them leaned against the wall without moving, and they were no different from ordinary wood.
Jiang Li said proactively, "Those are ordinary puppets. They can't move, so don't be afraid."
Jiang Zhishui said, "You are Jiang Li? You killed the musician from the Jiaofangsi and the manager of Muzi Garden?"
I heard that the heads of those corpses were stuck into puppets, which appeared on the stage every morning for several days in a row, their eyes wide open, and the puppets made very funny gestures each time.
At the time, everyone said it was haunted, and many people made a fuss about leaving. The government was afraid that the murderer would take the opportunity to escape, so they immediately surrounded Muzi Garden and forbade anyone to leave.
Jiang Zhishui looked at Jin'er behind her. Jin'er stared blankly into a certain place, clearly not in her right mind. "Isn't she your disciple? You even harmed her?"
Jiang Li suddenly lost her balance, clutched her chest, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
She looked up, her expression pained, but a smile played on her lips: "Please don't be offended, I'm dying. I've been coughing up blood every now and then these past few days. I hope I haven't scared you."
Jiang Li spoke softly, without much strength. She was dressed simply, without any accessories, and her hair was just casually curled with a small stick, with sparse strands hanging loosely beside her ears. She had a small face and a gentle appearance, possessing the tranquil temperament of a graceful woman.
“I…I’m just doing what I like.” Jiang Li turned around and sat down by the fire, picked up the wine jug on the ground and took a swig. “But I don’t know why, I can’t find peace and quiet.”
Jin'er insisted that she compete for fame and fortune that she had no interest in at all, and would come to argue with her every few days, even smashing her puppet to pieces.
Qin Niang spread rumors that she had found a wealthy patron and would soon leave Mu Zi Yuan to find a better job. Fearing they couldn't persuade her otherwise, the owners of Mu Zi Yuan hired an assassin to kill her.
They would never let her leave Muzi Garden to make money for others. And only if she died could the few remaining puppets fetch an astronomical price.
When Jiang Li's research on puppetry went wrong, and the assassins came knocking, her puppets, though alive, became bloodthirsty and protective of their master, beyond even her own control.
From that day on, her puppets roamed Mu Zi Garden, developing a strong will to eliminate all trouble for their master.
Seeing that Jin'er's expression was as blank as the puppet beside her, Jiang Zhishui walked over and sat down, asking in a low voice, "Jin'er, is she still alive?"
Jing Qianheng leaned against the door, glanced at Jiang Zhishui who was sitting with the enemy, and said, "I've only temporarily suppressed the puppetry techniques on her..."
Jiang Zhishui turned her head to look at him, and asked in surprise, "No solution?"
Jing Qianheng didn't look at her, but said to Jiang Li, "Tell me your demands, but in exchange, you must remove the puppet technique from her body. If you dare to play any tricks, I will kill you."
Jiang Li glanced at Jiang Zhishui, then looked at Jing Qianheng, "Who is she to you?"
Before Jing Qianheng could answer, Jiang Zhishui interjected, "Wife, newlywed wife."
Jiang Zhishui looked at Jing Qianheng with deep affection and said shyly, "He has always valued me and couldn't bear to see me get hurt in any way. He is always very worried about me."
Jing Qianheng would protect her simply because he was afraid that the shackles would have a ripple effect. She was controlled by the puppet technique, and it was possible that it would indirectly affect him and make him subject to others.
Jiang Zhishui said this deliberately to ease the tension. Since she was asking for a favor, it was best to discuss things properly first. "Miss Jiang, your skills are superb. It's truly admirable that you can create so many exquisite puppets. Do you have any secrets behind these murders at Muzi Garden?"
"Really?" Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and she raised the corners of her mouth. "You also think they're beautiful?"
Jiang Zhishui nodded and said softly, "Yes, it's very impressive and exquisite."
Jiang Li let out a heavy sigh, her cheeks slightly flushed. She said sincerely, "I've always felt that puppets are better than people. They're quiet, they don't make noise or cause trouble. I can make them have any appearance or figure I want. They don't have so many complicated thoughts and ideas. If only people in this world could be as easy to control as puppets."
Jiang Zhishui pondered for a moment and said, "You want to turn people into puppets?"
Jiang Li tugged at Jin'er's hand, and Jin'er squatted down next to Jiang Li. Jiang Li said excitedly, "I didn't just want to, I've already done it. Look, she's the first puppet I made."
Jiang Zhishui looked astonished: "A puppet?"
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