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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: Questioning Accountability
Dong Qin stared blankly, "Am I the exception in her heart? What does that mean?"
Sister Nine frowned and interrupted, "Black Eyes, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Black Eyes remained cold and replied, "I mean nothing at all. Sister Nine, you have always managed the accounts for Purgatory Palace well over the years. Don't let personal feelings ruin the hard work you've put in."
Sister Nine fell silent for a moment. She clearly understood Black Eyes' implication. Fixing her gaze on Black Eyes, she said, "I stay in Purgatory Palace for myself; it has nothing to do with you. Purgatory Palace needs me, which is why I'm here. Without me, could you lot even keep track of the accounts? So you'd better treat me with some respect."
Black Eyes coldly responded, "Sister Nine, you are indeed indispensable to Purgatory Palace, but I must remind you that you are currently a cat, not a human. I advise you to suppress those unnecessary emotions."
The reason Dong Qin was reluctant to see Sister Nine was precisely this: Sister Nine preferred being a cat over being human. Dong Qin couldn't understand this choice. Remembering the past, Dong Qin gritted his teeth and said, "Sister Nine, you choose to be friends with these creatures; I have no words against that. But for the sake of how Big Qi has treated you in the past, please spare him this time."
Sister Nine couldn't act according to her heart with Black Eyes present. After all, she was not a born Demon Beast; to other Demon Beasts, she was an outsider. She couldn't let Black Eyes find a weakness to exploit.
At that moment, Sister Nine sternly said to Dong Qin, "What? Do you think I've not done enough? Think carefully about your Shangyu Village; you always submit your accounts late and never manage to pay everything at once. If it weren't for my mediation over the years, it wouldn't just be Big Qi getting caught. I know you've hated my decision all these years, but this time I cannot make an exception. Big Qi must face punishment; otherwise, you won't learn your lesson."
Dong Qin suddenly glared at Sister Nine and exclaimed in shock, "Punishment! What do you want to do to Big Qi?"
Sister Nine's voice turned cold as she replied, "I will let him go, but he must lose an arm!"
"Leave him an arm!" Such shocking words left Dong Qin in despair. His lips turned pale as he shouted at Sister Nine, "You... you...! You can't treat Big Qi like this!"
Sister Nine smiled cruelly and said, "What? Surprised? Breaking the rules of Purgatory Palace comes with such punishment!"
Dong Qin stood there dumbfounded; he could never have imagined Sister Nine would turn out like this. In a moment of desperation, his emotions surged like a flood as he involuntarily shouted, "Tang Congxue! How could you become so cruel!"
Sister Nine felt a jolt at the mention of "Tang Congxue." Her heart sank, and her face turned pale. It had been ten years since anyone had called her by her original name. For a brief moment, those three words brought her a flicker of warmth, but in the next instant, they pierced her heart.
In pain, Sister Nine cried out, "Tang Congxue is dead! I am Sister Nine of Purgatory Palace now!" As she spoke, tears had already begun to fall from her eyes, but fortunately, her mask concealed them, and no one could see the tears streaming down her face.
Black Eyes fixed his gaze on Sister Nine and coldly remarked, "Tang Congxue? Is that your original name?"
Sister Nine shot him an angry glare. "I told you, Tang Congxue is dead!"
Black Eyes replied with indifference, "Yes, you can forget even your adoptive father's death; how could you cherish a name?"
Dong Qin trembled slightly at the mention of her name, and Sister Nine's heart sank further.
Black Eyes turned to Dong Qin and said, "The answer has been given to you. Don't worry; Sister Nine keeps her word. We won't take his life if we leave him with an arm. The money bag stays; that's what you owe us. You can leave now."
Dong Qin lowered her head heavily and turned to leave but paused. With a bitter smile, she said, "Congxue, I always hoped you would return to the village. But now I know you won't. Congxue is truly dead; I was just wishfully thinking she was still alive. If she were alive, she wouldn't treat Big Qi this way."
Sister Nine scoffed, "Hmph, it's good that you've come to terms with this. Since you know I'm no longer who I was, you shouldn't have any expectations of me. From now on, I will deal with you and everyone else according to the rules. You'd better not fall into my hands."
Dong Qin trembled as she fought back tears. After a few moments, she lifted her foot to step toward the door when Sister Nine suddenly turned and stood in front of her.
At that moment, Sister Nine saw that Dong Qin's eyes were red and filled with unshed tears. Seeing Dong Qin's sorrow made Sister Nine's heart twitch involuntarily. But noticing Black Eyes staring intently at her, Sister Nine suddenly slapped Dong Qin across the face.
"Smack!" The sound echoed sharply; a red mark appeared on Dong Qin's cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Yet Dong Qin showed no anger or resentment; instead, she gazed at Sister Nine with profound sorrow.
Sister Nine coldly addressed Dong Qin, "This slap is punishment for your disrespectful words towards me. If I hear you speak ill of me again, I will kill you! Now get out!"
Dong Qin stumbled out the door, looking lost and disoriented, while Sister Nine did not turn back to see him off.
Black Eyes watched Sister Nine with interest and said, "Why bother? You don't need to prove anything to me."
Sister Nine, with a pained expression, glared at Black Eyes and replied, "Black Eyes, don’t be so self-righteous. I'm not proving anything to you; I'm just settling my past!"
At that moment, Black Eyes pressed further, "Are you really going to keep that arm from Big Qi?"
Sister Nine maintained a stern face and asked, "What’s it to you? Do you have an opinion?"
Black Eyes shook his head and said, "I’m not expressing an opinion. I just think that if you want to punish him, there are better ways. You should know that having him work with an extra hand for money is better than having him lose one."
Sister Nine responded, "No one knows those people from Shangyu Village better than I do. If I don’t do this, they won’t pay on time."
Black Eyes slowly walked toward the door and just as he crossed the threshold, he said, "Is that so? I’m actually quite interested in those people from Shangyu Village. I think I’ll go take a look there now. Do you want to come with me?"
Sister Nine felt a sudden jolt of alarm. "Black Eyes! What are you planning to do?"
Black Eyes feigned innocence and glanced back at Sister Nine. "What’s with that reaction? Haven’t you settled your past? Are you afraid I’ll harm the people of Shangyu Village?"
Sister Nine remained silent, her sharp gaze fixed on Black Eyes.
Turning his head back, Black Eyes added, "Don’t worry. I’m just going there for a visit. They’re our tools for making money; why would I harm them? But if you’re worried, you can come with me."
Sister Nine turned away and returned to her fiery desk, indifferent as she said, "The people of Shangyu Village have nothing to do with me. If you want to kill them all, I won’t object."
Black Eyes led a group of ten to Shangyu Village. Apart from Black Eyes's mask, which was pristine white, the others wore masks shaped like flames. Dong Qin had arrived just a moment earlier than Black Eyes. Upon returning to the village, the village chief and the villagers gathered in the sunlit square, waiting for Dong Qin.
Earlier, when the village chief saw Dong Qin return alone and dejected, he sighed deeply and helplessly asked, "What happened? Did Sister Nine refuse to release them?"
Dong Qin silently nodded. A villager complained, "We didn't get anyone back and lost money instead. Sister Nine didn't even give us face. I fear our lives are going to be tough from now on."
As the villagers began to murmur among themselves, suddenly a villager came running from a distance, shouting, "Chief! It's bad news! People from Purgatory Palace have come!"
Many villagers felt a chill run down their spines and hurriedly exclaimed, "Why are they here? Are they here to take people again?"
One villager glared at Dong Qin, saying, "Qin! Did you say something wrong when you met Sister Nine?"
The village chief interjected, "Don't panic. Qin knows what she's doing. Let's go meet them."
Black Eyes and the group approached the village square with an imposing presence. When Dong Qin saw Black Eyes come closer, she was taken aback and asked, "It's you. What are you doing here?"
Black Eyes coldly fixed her gaze on Dong Qin, saying, "You don't seem very welcoming."
Dong Qin shot back at Black Eyes, "Are you here to take people? We really have no money left. Even if you took everyone in the village, we..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Black Eyes interrupted her, stating, "I'm not here to take anyone; that's not my responsibility." She then scanned the villagers with a cold glare and asked, "I want to know if anyone saw two people from Purgatory Palace come here an hour ago."
Dong Qin was startled. "Is he here to find those two?" His heart raced, but he quickly calmed himself. "Those two corpses have been placed outside the village; even if they find them, they can't pin it on us."
The villagers hurriedly replied, "No, no, we haven't seen anyone from Purgatory Palace come by."
"Is that so?" Black Eyes said, somewhat skeptical.
The two members of Purgatory Palace had gone to Tianping Village to capture someone. Tianping Village was only six miles away from Shangyu Village, and there was only one road. If those two were returning to Purgatory Palace, they would naturally pass through Shangyu Village. Of course, there was another option: they could take a difficult route over the hills, but who would choose such a hard path instead of the easy road?
Before Dong Qin arrived at Purgatory Palace, Black Eyes had already received word that two people were overdue and had not returned. The people of Purgatory Palace were very punctual because they knew that everyone in Tide Mountain despised them. A moment's carelessness could lead to ambushes from the villagers. If they did not adhere to their schedule, who could guarantee that no traveler would run into trouble?
The people of Tianping Village were inherently timid and had only sent two individuals.
The villagers of Tide Mountain feared the people of Purgatory Palace because of their association with Demon Beasts. However, Demon Beasts could not give birth like humans after a ten-month gestation period.
Thus, various types of Demon Beasts cherished the lives of their companions since it took hundreds of years or longer to nurture a new life capable of taking human form.
Seeing the village chief's expression, Black Eyes could tell that he was not lying. However, when he turned his gaze to Dong Qin, he noticed something unusual about Dong Qin's complexion. Black Eyes asked him directly, "He didn't see them. What about you? Have you seen anything?"
Although Dong Qin had calmed down, Black Eyes' direct question made him uneasy. "I... I haven't seen anything either."
Black Eyes fixed his gaze on Li Mang and said, "Is that so? But I believe you know something! Lying to me could bring disaster upon your village!"
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