Bone Painting Coroner (Web Novel CN)
chapter-708-30041322

Zhou Wen stepped forward, and the wall of swords moved as well with him at its center. He was mere millimeters away from being impaled by dozens of swords.

He showed no fear in the face of certain death, and glared at Marquis Kang who he had followed for so many years with eyes full of hatred.

His hands were clenched into tight fists, and his heart was a churning maelstrom of rage, “Back then, Wen’er’s father forced her to marry you for the sake of power and wealth. She was unwilling, but the Gods sure like to play tricks on us mortals. We have already taken a liking for each other before she was married off to you. She had even thought of hanging herself the night before your marriage, but she discovered that she was pregnant with our child. She did not kill herself so that our son can live, and not as a child born out of wedlock.

“I myself could only live on for the sake of my child, and had even bought off the doctor to delay the delivery of the baby for a month, but you… You pushed my son into the pond and killed him! Wen'er had become depressed since then, and eventually died from her sickness. You are a murderer! Not only did you kill my child, you killed Wen'er as well! So tell me, don’t you think you deserved death?”

Tears welled in Zhou Wen’s bloodshot eyes.

It was as if Marquis Kang had been struck by lightning.

He tried his best to suppress his emotion, and spoke in a low voice, “It’s been so many years. I do not wish to look into the past that you shared with my wife, but I was not the one who pushed your son into the pond.

“Then admit what you did!” shouted Zhou Wen as he pulled a notebook from under his clothing, “I found Wen'er’s diary three months ago! She has written it all down in her diary! You were the one who pushed my two year old son into the pond! She saw what you did, and she wrote it all down in her diary! You killed the Young Master because you knew that he was not your flesh and blood!”

Hatred. He barbored nothing but hatred for the beast wrapped in human skin standing before him. He would tear him into pieces if he could.

Marquis Kang lowered his gaze. It took him a long time before he could once again look into Zhou Wen’s bloodshot eyes, and his voice remained calm despite the man’s outburst, “It’s not what you think.”

“The evidence is there! Wen'er saw it with her own eyes!”

“It’s not like that…”

“You’re still going to deny it even until now? I thought of killing myself when Wen'er died, but my life belongs to you, Marquis. You’ve saved me from the brink of death at Kunshan. Even if my life ends, it should be by your hands. I’ve served you for twenty-odd years. I’ve learnt to let go of that matter, and resolved myself to continue serving you. But when I found Wen'er’s diary three months ago, I finally saw you for what you truly are. You’re a maniac who would not spare a two year old child! I know he is not your flesh and blood, but you shouldn’t have done that! You stole the love of my life, and killed my own son! I’ve been suffering day and night because of that. And I swore to myself that there are two things that I must accomplish with my life. To cause chaos in your household, and to take your life so that you can go meet Wen'er and my son in the afterlife!”

The diary was crumpled by Zhou Wen’s strong grip. Veins could be seen on his forehead, his hands, and his neck. The rage that he felt was the culmination of pain that had been pent up in his heart.

This was a side of Zhou Wen that no one present had seen before, including Marquis Kang himself, “I’ll say it again. What happened on that day is not what you think it is.”

The only response he received was Zhou Wen’s laughter, “Since I’m going to die today, it’s okay if you refuse to admit what you did. You’ll be accompanying me on the trip to hell anyways. I will have my revenge.”

You’re dreaming! Thought Marquis Kang. You’re the one surrounded by a wall of swords. You’ll be the only one to die.

“I bet you would never have guessed that I added a lethal poison in your tea this morning.” continue Zhou Wen, “There is no antidote. And in two more hours, you’ll be a dead man. You’ll be sent to the deepest depths of hell, never to be reincarnated!”

The tea? Marquis Kang came to a sudden realisation. But I’ve not drank the tea! I spilled it all on my clothes!

Marquis Kang pushed aside two of his soldiers and walked towards a triumphant Zhou Wen with a serious expression, “To tell you the truth, I knew about the child when my wife became pregnant. The doctor told me everything. I was the one who told him to delay the date of the delivery for the sake of my wife and the child in her womb. I made the decision there and then to pretend that the child is my flesh and blood. I’ve even made the decision to raise him as my own.”

“By the time I got to the pond on that day, the child was already dead. I wasn’t able to save him.”

“You’re lying!”

“I have no reason to lie.”

“You killed my son! You drowned him in the pond with your own hands!” Zhou Wen roared with anger.

“The young master…” a voice suddenly rang out from amongst the crowd, “He was pushed into the pond by the Madam.”

The crowd let out a collective gasp as they looked at the direction of the voice, and saw the old steward of the marquis’s household.

“What did you say?” Zhou Wen could not believe what he heard.

“The young master was pushed into the pond by the madam. I saw it happen with my own eyes.”

“Impossible!” Zhou Wen’s eyes widened and he waved his arms around, “What are you talking about? Are you saying that Wen'er killed our child? Impossible…”

The old butler sighed and lowered his head, “The Madam became sick after giving birth to the Young Master. The doctor said that it was a sickness of the mind. Her condition was unstable, and the Marquis ordered the doctor to keep it a secret and to tend to her with the utmost care. Who would have imagined that the Madam would sneak out of her room one night with the Young Master. By the time we found her, she was pressing the Young Master into the pond and he drowned. The Marquis then told a lie to preserve her good name, and claimed that the Young Master fell into the pond by accident. The Madam’s condition worsened since then, and she became suicidal. She could not remember what she did once she came to, and she did not even know that she had killed her own son. She grew sicker by the day and eventually died in bed.

“Impossible! Impossible…” Zhou Wen was in disbelief. He shook his head as he took a step backwards.

“Zhou Wen, I’m telling the truth. The Young Master died by the Madam’s hand.”

“No…” Zhou Wen was slowly falling apart.

The old steward could only watch on helplessly.