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Chapter 120: The Hook Knife Punishment
At this point, Cao Qilong might have realized that there was no turning back, so he probably threw caution to the wind. Hearing Zhong Po say that, he angrily pointed at Zhong Po and shouted, "You old fossil, let me go! I'm a good person. If you cut off my foot, I’ll go to the King of Hell and sue you, you filthy old hag, a thousand-year-old turtle!"
Seeing that Cao Qilong could still curse like this, I was both amused and exasperated. I thought to myself that this might really be the end for him. After such a tirade, he might have vented his anger, but wouldn’t that just infuriate Zhong Po even more?
Sure enough, as soon as Cao Qilong finished cursing, Zhong Po's face changed dramatically with rage. Pointing at Cao Qilong, she shouted furiously, "You little brat! You dare to call me a thousand-year-old turtle? Just wait and see how I deal with you!"
Cao Qilong was no longer afraid of Zhong Po. He immediately retorted, "You thousand-year-old turtle, ten-thousand-year-old tortoise! You run around the Yellow Springs harming loyal people! You old hag who has been dead for hundreds or thousands of years, instead of reincarnating, you just keep harming others!"
Hearing their exchange of insults left me stunned; it felt like a flock of crows flew over my head, and I had several black lines on my forehead...
All along, I had seen Cao Qilong as a simple and honest person. I never expected that in a life-and-death situation he could curse like a shrew, which really surprised me. Perhaps he was truly pushed to his limits by Zhong Po!
As for Zhong Po, she was clearly no match for Cao Qilong in terms of insults. She was so furious that she was flailing her arms about in anger but couldn’t come up with a proper retort. She looked like a mad bull about to explode.
Seeing that she couldn’t out-curse him, Zhong Po waved her Cane and shouted angrily, "You little brat! Just watch me cut off your foot!"
As she said this, she prepared to stomp her Cane down on the Ground...
I quickly panicked and pleaded, "Zhong Po, Zhong Po, please calm down! He’s just like this; he’s actually very honest and kind-hearted. Please show mercy!"
Zhong Po glared at me and said, "With someone like him who has no virtue in his words, how can he be considered honest? I’ve said it before; he is a wicked person. My hook knife can see through people's hearts and know their true nature; how could I be wrong? You little yin-yang don’t bother pleading anymore; today I will definitely cut off his feet!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Qilong suddenly burst into laughter. With some smugness, he cursed back, "Go ahead and cut! You thousand-year-old hag! If you cut off my feet, I still have my mouth. I won’t go anywhere; I’ll just sit right here on the Yellow Springs road and curse you every day until you die!"
I shot him an incredulous look and thought to myself that I was trying to plead for him while he was making things worse for me.
Cao Qilong understood my meaning and said, "Junior Brother, I know you're looking out for me. I appreciate it. But today this old turtle lady won’t let me off the hook. You don’t need to plead for me anymore; this villain won’t spare me."
Sure enough, Zhong Po’s fury reignited as she pointed at Cao Qilong and said, "Originally, I only planned to cut off your feet. But now I've changed my mind; today I'm going to cut you a hundred times—piece by piece—until I reach your thigh! I'll leave your upper body so you can curse on the Yellow Springs road!"
Upon hearing this, not only was I dumbfounded, but even Cao Qilong—who had been cursing—was taken aback. Clearly, he hadn’t expected Zhong Po to be so vicious. He began to tremble all over!
Indeed, even the most fearless person would feel a sense of dread upon hearing that someone intends to punish them in such a way, as it is truly terrifying.
I was so frightened that I screamed and then, with a thud, knelt down before Zhong Po, pleading, "Zhong Po, you are a senior; you have great tolerance. Please do not hold it against us juniors. This person has lost his mind; otherwise, how could he dare to offend you? He wouldn’t even dare to insult you. Please, for the sake of your disciple, spare him this time!"
This time, Cao Qilong did not speak again because he also felt the fear—a deep sense of fear.
Zhong Po shook his head and said, "No, I certainly will not trouble a loyal and righteous person. However, I will not let go of a wicked and evil person. Do not plead any further; it’s best if you leave quickly. Your senior brother is a great villain. Even if I spare him this time, he will surely harm you in the future."
Hearing this, I was taken aback and thought: Could it be that Zhong Po can really discern loyalty from treachery? Will Cao Qilong truly become a treacherous person in the future?
I glanced at Cao Qilong; he was also stunned by Zhong Po's words and looked at me. Then he said to me, "Shenbao, you should leave quickly. Perhaps Zhong Po can truly see into the future; perhaps I really will harm you."
Seeing Cao Qilong's helpless and desperate expression and hearing his sorrowful words filled my heart with sadness. I once again bowed to Zhong Po and pleaded, "I do not believe my senior brother would harm me; I do not believe he is an evil person. Please, Zhong Po, you must investigate this thoroughly! You cannot just cut off his feet like that!"
At this moment, Zhong Po suddenly asked me, "Do you really believe he is a loyal person?"
"Yes, I believe," I nodded vigorously.
"Since you believe he is a loyal person and since you believe he will not harm you, then I will give you a way to save him. The question is whether you are willing to save him!" Zhong Po said mysteriously.
Upon hearing that she was willing to give him a chance at life, I was filled with excitement and hurriedly asked Zhong Po what the method was.
Zhong Po said, "Didn’t you say he wouldn’t harm you? If you want to save him so badly, then use yourself in exchange for him. In short, today either he gets tripped by the hook knife or you take his place and get tripped by the hook knife."
Upon hearing this, I was immediately stunned.
Meanwhile, Cao Qilong, who had been caught by the hook knife, suddenly shouted urgently, "Shenbao! You must not do this! If you really do this, then I will truly have harmed you!"
Zhong Po coldly laughed and said, "What’s wrong? Are you scared now? Do you believe me now? I told you from the start that being with him would lead to your downfall. Now do you believe it? So I advise you to leave quickly and go about your business!"
Indeed, as Zhong Po said, if I agreed to take the punishment of being tripped by the hook knife for him, it would mean that Cao Qilong had harmed me. But if I refused to agree, wouldn’t that mean I was harming him? After all, this trip down here was entirely due to my mistake. Why didn’t Zhong Po trip me with the hook knife instead of Cao Qilong?
Thinking of this and seeing Zhong Po's scheming smile along with Cao Qilong's anxious expression made me nod at Zhong Po and say, "Alright, I accept your condition; I am willing to take my senior brother's place!"
"No! Shenbao! Have you gone mad? Don’t agree to this! I don’t need your help; just leave quickly!" At this moment, Cao Qilong suddenly shouted out in anger and urgency.
I smiled lightly at him, ignored him, and said to Zhong Po, "Hurry up, I've already made my decision!"
Zhong Po nodded and said, "This is your own choice." After saying that, he picked up the Cane and struck the Ground three times. The hook knife on Cao Qilong's foot disappeared, and I suddenly felt a chill under my feet. Looking down, I saw a sharp hook knife appear beneath me...
Cao Qilong immediately lunged at me, shaking me anxiously and shouting, "What are you doing? How can I accept your help? Trading your life for mine? Do you think I can live peacefully after returning to the Yang realm? You're mistaken!"
Then, with a thud, Cao Qilong knelt before Zhong Po and said, "Zhong Po, I want to use my life to take my junior brother's place in enduring the punishment of the hook knife."
Zhong Po replied, "You are already a wicked person; your life cannot replace his!"
Cao Qilong immediately shed tears and pleaded, "Zhong Po, I spoke disrespectfully before and cursed you. Please forgive me and don't hold a grudge against me. I beg you, spare my junior brother; I am willing to take the punishment myself."
Zhong Po said, "Your senior brother has already agreed to take your punishment; Old Woman cannot change his decision."
Seeing that Zhong Po was unwilling to relent, Cao Qilong grew anxious again and shouted in anger, "What should we do then? I don't want to watch my junior brother suffer!"
"Weren't you just saying that you are a loyal person? I told you that you would bring him harm; didn't you not believe it? Now you see? This was all destined. If you feel guilty about it, then accompany him in suffering; after all, you were supposed to endure the punishment of the hook knife anyway—it's not unjust," Zhong Po said smugly.
"Fine, I'll accompany my junior brother in suffering." After saying that, he turned to me and said, "Junior brother, it's my fault that you've been harmed; it's my fault!"
With that, Zhong Po struck the Ground three more times with the Cane, and a hook knife appeared beneath Cao Qilong's feet as well. Then Zhong Po said, "You two shall endure the punishment!" After saying this, he raised the Cane again and struck it down...
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