23.2

"Changyi..." with trembling lips, she stuttered his name. But she did not get a response. His head drooped down as if he were dead. The jiaoren had always maintained his clarity no matter how great the torture.

Now… he was completely unconscious. Although her voice did not wake Changyi, it made Lin Haoqing turn around. He did not seem surprised that Ji Yunhe would come. Lin Haoqing flung the knife in his hand, sending drops of blood into the air. Some landed on Ji Yunhe's feet, others landed on the hem of her dress.

"It's too late,"

Lin Haoqing said as he put the knife back into its sheath.

"The jiaoren's tail was split by me, everyone knows."

Lin Haoqing spoke indifferently. He did not care how Ji Yunhe came, nor did he care what was done to the jiaoren. He only cared that Princess Shunde's second wish was granted by him.

"You won the first round."

These words, which Lin Haoqing had said not long ago in front of Li Feng Hall, suddenly echoed inside Ji Yunhe's ears. It turned out this was what he had meant. He deliberately said this phrase because he was determined to win the second round. Lin Canglan's house arrest on her, Lin Haoqing splitting the tail... Father and son partnered up and gave her a good performance.

These thoughts flooded into Ji Yunhe's mind, and all the hot blood poured back into her brain. He looked at Ji Yunhe with amusement.

"To successfully split open a jiaoren's tail, he needs to be willing. You can use his affection to make him talk, I can also use his affection for you to make him grow legs."

Lin Haoqing's words exploded in Ji Yunhe's head. She looked at Changyi on the wall and watched his split tail gradually become more leg-like. His beautiful fish scales withered and fell all over the ground like a field of dead crumbs. The lotus fin had disappeared, now slowly forming into five segments on the end of each half.

Ji Yunhe clenched her fingers into a fist. Lin Haoqing stared at her, then called her name like the gentle big brother from the old days,

"Yunhe."

He smiled, and the shady look in his eyes was exactly the same as the old fox on top of that great hall...

"You gave me the idea."

Ji Yunhe bit down her teeth and the vein on her forehead popped. Then she kicked down the cell door with bloodshot eyes and charged in. Lin Haoqing stared at her, and saw a rage in her that he had never seen in the past.

Before he could react, Ji Yunhe punched him in the face. With the sound of flesh meeting flesh, Lin Haoqing was defenselessly knocked to the ground. He opened his mouth and spat out a couple of teeth mixed with saliva and blood.

Ji Yunhe then rushed forward and grabbed Lin Haoqing's collar like a fierce beast. Two punches, three punches, countless punches rained down onto his face. The pain and dizziness made Lin Haoqing lose focus for a moment, but Ji Yunhe did not care. As if she wanted to beat him to death, her fists fell on his face like mad.

Finally, Lin Haoqing raised his hand with all his might and blocked her punch. Blood was dripping, but it was no longer clear whether it was his blood or the blood from her own fist.

"Ji Yunhe, you've gone insane."

Lin Haoqing's one eye was blood-filled from the beating and it made him look like a devil. Looking out from his eyes, the whole cell was a color of blood. And Ji Yunhe, who was sitting on him and grabbing at his collar, was the only thing he could see clearly. She displayed so many emotions at once. Pain, hatred, anger and sadness.

"How did you become like this?"

Ji Yunhe's voice was so hoarse that it would have been impossible for Lin Haoqing to hear if not for the extreme silence in the dungeon.

Lin Haoqing laid on the ground. His bloody eyes looked directly at her, seemingly devoid of light and soul. Then he smiled like a wooden man who did not know the pain of the flesh. Lin Haoqing asked Ji Yunhe with a voice that was also raspy and hoarse:

"Isn't this the young valley master that you all want?"