Liu Mingyuan stared blankly as Shao Yanzhe rolled up his sleeves and strode toward Shen Moyuan. He stammered as he asked the other three, “Brother Wen, Brother Su, Brother Shen… what should we do about this?”
Wen Yanqing glanced in the direction Shao Yanzhe had gone and said calmly, “Just follow Brother Shao’s instructions. With our current abilities, we can’t be of any help anyway.”
“True enough.”
The four could only watch Sun Heqing and Shao Yanzhe with worried expressions.
Shao Yanzhe moved quickly, closing in on Shen Moyuan before the latter could react.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Shen Moyuan stared at Shao Yanzhe in shock and suspicion, unable to comprehend how he dared approach.
Shao Yanzhe raised an eyebrow with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “Beating you up!”
No sooner had he spoken than his fist connected with Shen Moyuan’s right eye.
Shen Moyuan staggered from the blow, clutching his right eye in disbelief. “How dare you strike an official!”
“You’re exactly who I want to hit!”
Taking advantage of his initiative, Shao Yanzhe didn’t hold back, pummeling Shen Moyuan until he howled in pain, leaving him no opportunity to summon Mo Ying.
Sun Heqing, who was panting heavily while tangled with Mo Ying, twitched at the corner of his mouth and muttered under his breath, “What improper behavior.”
The other officials wore strange expressions but none spoke up to stop it. Instead, they curled their lips in faint smiles, inwardly praising, “Serves him right!”
Mo Ying pretended not to see anything. Shen Moyuan had ordered her to kill these people – disobeying to help him would cause her soul to scatter. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to assist!
During the scuffle, Shao Yanzhe managed to tear off Shen Moyuan’s official robe. Seeing that Shen Moyuan showed no concern for the robe thrown to the ground, he continued tearing at his clothes.
In fights, ripping clothes was quite common.
With a tearing sound, Shen Moyuan’s sleeve came off.
Shen Moyuan’s face immediately changed. He covered his arm with his hand, his expression turning ugly as he commanded Mo Ying, “Come kill him!”
Receiving the order, Mo Ying paused her movements, inwardly sighing with regret. Why hadn’t they beaten him to death yet!
Seeing this, Shao Yanzhe’s eyes lit up. He quickly reached out to pry Shen Moyuan’s hand away.
Noticing his movement, Shen Moyuan quickly realized, “What are you looking for?”
Remembering that Yun Weiyue still hadn’t appeared, his eyes shifted as he gritted his teeth and said excitedly, “Yun Weiyue still hasn’t broken free from control, has he?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed his finger against the Spider Mark on his arm, attempting to summon Yun Weiyue.
Shao Yanzhe wouldn’t let him succeed. He immediately grabbed one of Shen Moyuan’s fingers and bent it backward forcefully. Shen Moyuan trembled in pain, unable to do anything else.
Meanwhile, Mo Ying was restrained by Sun Heqing and the others, preventing her from breaking free.
With a quick twist, Shao Yanzhe pinned Shen Moyuan to the ground and swiftly used the man’s own belt to tie him up.
Only then did he see the red Spider Mark on Shen Moyuan’s forearm.
“How do we remove this thing?” he demanded.
“Hmph! In your dreams!” Shen Moyuan gritted his teeth in refusal, then looked toward Mo Ying, his eyes filled with ice.
Mo Ying sensed the situation and knew she could no longer remain idle. She hurled a surge of resentment toward Sun Heqing, and as he dodged, she flashed to Shao Yanzhe’s side in an instant.
Shao Yanzhe, quick-witted and agile, drew a short dagger from his sleeve and stabbed directly at the Spider Mark on Shen Moyuan’s arm.
He had discussed with Yun Weiyue and Yun Suqing that, given Shen Moyuan’s character, it would be impossible to make him reveal the method to remove it. Thus, Yun Suqing had instructed Shao Yanzhe to seize the opportunity and destroy it outright!
“Ah!”
Instantly, as Shen Moyuan let out a piercing scream, Mo Ying also erupted with a ghostly shriek. The resentment around her surged violently, and her spectral form seemed on the verge of dissipating.
“You! How dare you destroy the mark! You’re finished!” Shen Moyuan clutched his bleeding forearm, actually letting out a low, chilling laugh.
Shao Yanzhe frowned and was about to speak when a crimson figure suddenly appeared mid-air.
“Shen Moyuan! You’re finished!”
Hearing this calm voice, Shen Moyuan couldn’t help but shudder.
Everyone turned to look and saw a woman in a red long gown floating in the air. A terrifying aura of resentment faintly emanated from her, her black long hair flying wildly as the resentment boiled around her. An overwhelming pressure bore down on the crowd.
With just one glance, they understood that this woman in red was significantly more powerful than Mo Ying.
After succeeding, Shao Yanzhe immediately retreated and hid behind Sun Heqing and the others.
Shen Moyuan’s face was pale, whether from fear or excessive blood loss.
Seeing how things had escalated to this point, he knew that today would not end peacefully.
He shut his eyes tightly, a flash of ruthlessness in them, and quickly used his blood-stained fingers to draw a pattern on his arm.
In a very short time, he completed the design on his arm, with the Spider Mark positioned right at the center.
His gaze swept around, and he let out a sinister laugh. “This official will see you all dead!”
“You! How dare you use a Forbidden Art!” Sun Heqing’s expression turned extremely grim.
“Lord Sun, what Forbidden Art has Shen Moyuan used?” Shao Yanzhe asked curiously.
Sun Heqing glanced at him, his face stern, and said, “This is not something you should know. Do not inquire further!”
Shao Yanzhe cupped his hands in a respectful salute and replied, “Yes!”
The pattern was not complicated; he had already memorized it.
He would observe what happened after Shen Moyuan used the Forbidden Art and then decide whether he would use it himself in the future.
As the pattern on Shen Moyuan’s arm was completed, the Spider Mark at its center emitted a red glow. The blood flowing on his arm was rapidly absorbed into it.
Once the bloodstains on his arm were fully absorbed, it began to devour the surrounding flesh. In just a breath’s time, his forearm had shriveled to skin and bones.
“Ah!” The agony of having his flesh consumed made Shen Moyuan scream in pain. He clutched his arm and knelt on the ground.
“Stop, stop it!” He desperately squeezed his arm, trying to prevent the spider from absorbing his flesh, but it was futile.
He could only watch helplessly as his arm gradually collapsed. Wave after wave of excruciating pain shot through his mind, his body trembling uncontrollably. A few tears of pain mixed with sweat dripped down, and his clothes clung to him, soaked through. He looked utterly disheveled.
Everyone present watched him coldly, feeling no sympathy for his wretched state—only satisfaction.
Shen Moyuan, completely drained of strength from the pain, collapsed on the ground. He turned his head toward Sun Heqing, reaching out to him for help.
“Save… save me!”
Sun Heqing maintained a stern expression, his calm eyes fixed on him. “Those who commit many wrongs will inevitably meet their doom. I cannot save you. You should have considered the consequences when you used the Forbidden Art.”
The Xiucai present dared not utter a word in the face of such a scene, pretending to be as inconspicuous as cabbages.
Fortunately, Shen Moyuan paid them no mind and ignored them outright.
He lifted his gaze to the red figure in the air, the pain in his body having numbed him entirely.
“A-Yue, I’m sorry. Back then, I was blinded by foolishness and listened to that person’s words to falsely accuse you of cheating. Now, I’ve reaped what I sowed. I suppose you must be very pleased now!”
“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have harmed you for the sake of my career, nor should I have erased all traces of you to protect my reputation.”
“I never intended to betray you back then. It was Mo Ying who seduced me. She wanted to become my concubine. At the time, I was drunk and mistook her for you. Please don’t blame me.”
“It was that lord who sought me out. If I didn’t obey him and falsely accuse you of cheating, he would have killed me. I am the last of the Shen family—I couldn’t let the lineage end with me. You wouldn’t have wanted that, right?”
“Honestly, if only you hadn’t taken the Imperial Exam back then, you wouldn’t have offended that lord. We could have continued as husband and wife, composing poetry and enjoying the mountains and waters together. Thinking back now, those were the happiest days of my life.”
“A-Yue, I know you won’t forgive me. I deserve this fate I’ve brought upon myself.”
Shen Moyuan murmured to himself, his eyes vacant as he relentlessly laid bare his past thoughts, his face filled with regret.
Seeing him in such a state, some couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity and sympathy for him.
“Ah, it’s true—the most detestable people often have their pitiable sides!”
“What is there to pity about him? He has a beautiful wife and concubines, endless wealth, and a reputation that resounds throughout Dayong. Think about what you have?” Shao Yanzhe retorted.
Immediately, those whose hearts had wavered snapped back to reality. Indeed, why should they, mere Xiucai, rush to pity someone who lived a far better life than they did?
Shao Yanzhe’s voice was loud, and everyone present could hear him clearly.
Shen Moyuan’s words faltered. A flash of resentment crossed his eyes, but it vanished quickly.
He reached out toward Yun Weiyue. “A-Yue, I only wish to apologize to you before I die. Come closer, and I will return what belongs to you.”
“Miss Weiyue, be careful!” Shao Yanzhe didn’t believe for a moment that Shen Moyuan had truly repented and hurriedly warned her.
Yun Suqing nodded; she understood Shen Moyuan far better than he did.
She approached Shen Moyuan. As his flesh and blood were devoured by the Spider Mark, she could clearly feel the restraints on her gradually loosening.
It seemed that once Shen Moyuan was completely consumed, she would be free.
Her face cold, she watched as Shen Moyuan was slowly devoured, his body trembling from the pain. A flicker of satisfaction passed through her eyes.
“Where is my thing? Give it to me!” she demanded.
Shen Moyuan stared fixedly at her, his eyes filled with complex emotions. With great difficulty, he reached up to his hair and pulled out an object from his bun.
“Here!”
Yun Suqing looked down and saw a jade hairpin pen in his hand. The pen shaft was entwined with red and white patterns, exquisitely beautiful.
This was the token of love Yun Weiyue gave Shen Moyuan during their engagement.
With a flick of her sleeve, the jade hairpin pen slipped from Shen Moyuan’s grasp and landed directly in her hand.
As Shen Moyuan was devoured by the Spider Mark, the surrounding people felt a dull ache in their heads, as if something was gradually emerging in their minds.
Soon, memories about Yun Weiyue resurfaced, and everyone frowned with complex expressions.
From that moment on, everything Shen Moyuan had done was revealed to the world.
“A-Yue, can you forgive me?” Shen Moyuan’s faint voice sounded.
“No.” Yun Suqing answered decisively.
Darkness clouded Shen Moyuan’s vision, and upon hearing this answer, he only chuckled weakly.
“Watch out!” Shao Yanzhe immediately called out in warning.
Yun Suqing turned to look behind her and saw Shen Moyuan, who should have been dead, slowly rising to his feet.