Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 373, Section 372: The Crimson Scale Brocade is from My Hands

"how do you know?"

Feng Xiuhu turned to ask him.

"Because I saw him that night."

Zhuo Sushou released Ma Sanjiang and stood arrogantly with his hands behind his back: "Things have come to this point. Call me hypocritical or greedy, I'll accept it."

He looked at Feng Xiuhu, his eyes filled with regret, not remorse: "If it weren't for the three of you interfering, I could have escaped unscathed."

"When Zhu Linjin first appeared in the world, I was indeed blinded by gold and silver, but my original intention was not to harm anyone, which is why I asked the police to steal the corpse to nourish the tree."

Feng Xiuhu interrupted him: "No intention to harm anyone? What did those female workers whose tongues were cut out say?"

Zhuo Sushou raised his eyebrows: "They are living well now, and they have no shortage of food, clothing and other necessities. Did I take their lives?"

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "Fine, continue."

Zhuo Sushou snorted coldly: "Later, when the attempt to steal the corpse failed, Ma Sanjiang suggested using convicts to fill the quota. I still felt it was inappropriate, so I suggested purchasing human animals. In the end, Ma Sanjiang refused to budge and came up with the most insidious idea—to have the police officers pretend to be bandits and rob and kill passersby."

“I had planned to stop from then on, but I was forced by circumstances at the time—first, Ma Sanjiang would definitely not agree, and second, I was already tainted by karma. If I rashly revealed the truth, I would inevitably be implicated.”

Feng Xiuhu translated for him: "He's made enough money and is no longer content to work behind the scenes. He wants to step into the spotlight to receive flowers and applause, but because his past is shady, he's afraid that if he comes out, people will throw rotten eggs at him instead of flowers. So he has no choice but to continue doing shady things."

Zhuo Sushou glanced at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued, "Therefore, I must proceed slowly and methodically."

“I had been quietly waiting for the perfect moment, until that night.”

He looked at Zheng Ajuan: "This woman and her man have arrived."

"This woman is clever enough to let the man run first while she stays behind to stall for time. But she doesn't realize that no matter how fast an ordinary person can run, how can they outrun a cultivator?"

"Her man hadn't run more than a few miles when I intercepted him."

Zheng Ajuan was filled with grief and indignation: "You killed him?"

Zhuo Sushou shook his head indifferently: "No, I let him go and gave him a letter."

"I prepared this letter a long time ago. It details how I created Zhu Linjin and how I was coerced by Ma Sanjiang into committing a series of heinous acts that angered both heaven and man."

Ma Sanjiang's eyes widened: "You surnamed Zhuo, you are so vicious! You actually tried to pin all the blame on me?"

Zhuo Sushou completely ignored him: "Not only that, I also gave him my chief priest's token so that he could see the Duke of Daguo without hindrance."

Shunzi was puzzled: "If you have this idea, why didn't you do it sooner? Ma Sanjiang isn't holding you back, so why are you afraid of not finding someone to complain to?"

Feng Xiuhu stopped Shunzi and shook his head, saying, "You have to consider things from his perspective at the time—he wanted to get away unscathed, so only by doing this could people believe that the contents of his letter were true and credible."

Zhuo Sushou nodded to Feng Xiuhu with satisfaction: "As expected of a big shot from Taijing, Second Master has a discerning eye."

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand: "Stop flattering me, continue."

Zhuo Sushou nodded: "After that night, I sent my disciples out to investigate every day, hoping that the Duke of Daguo would lead his people to Jiangluoxi."

He sighed silently: "Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I didn't get to see the Duke of Daguo, but instead received bad news from Fancheng—the evil god stirred up trouble, and Fancheng was thrown into chaos."

In those days, news spread slowly. Only two or three days had passed since the events in Fancheng, so it hadn't yet reached Jiangluoxi. If Zhuo Sushou hadn't been determined to investigate, he wouldn't have known about it either. Therefore, when Zhuo Sushou uttered those words, everyone present was astonished.

Zhuo Sushou ignored everyone's reactions: "Judging by the time, her man should have returned long ago, but there has been no news since. He must have suffered an undeserved disaster."

He looked at Feng Xiuhu again: "I had no choice but to rethink my plan. I originally intended to find an opportunity to release this woman and let her do what her man hadn't finished. Unfortunately, I was unlucky and before I could make a move, she was kidnapped by you."

Feng Xiuhu finally understood the whole story and continued Zhuo Sushou's words.

"That's why you were in such a hurry to take her back. But you didn't expect the three of us to be so tough. Even the temple's priests couldn't take us down. And you didn't expect that we would not only not run away, but instead come to your house."

Zhuo Sushou smiled faintly, his face showing no anger, only relief: "No matter how tough the net is, it's hard to guarantee that a strong butterfly won't break through it. Just like no matter how many plans I made, I couldn't have predicted that you would walk right into it."

“When you used your magic to hurt me, I realized that I could no longer escape unscathed, so I had no choice but to settle for second best.”

Feng Xiuhu tilted his head: "What does 'secondly' mean?"

Zhuo Sushou looked around and bowed to the crowd: "Do you all now know who made the Crimson Scale Brocade?"

Feng Xiuhu's expression changed: "So you really aren't afraid of death!"

Zhuo Sushou's gaze finally fell on Feng Xiuhu's face, and he smiled slightly: "Life is but a hundred years, but your name can be passed down for a thousand years."

Feng Xiuhu narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment: "You're dreaming. I'll just kill them all to silence them. Let's see who knows that Zhu Linjin was created by you."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the high priests also changed.

Zhuo Sushou remained unperturbed: "Even if you can kill them, what about the female workers in the cellar? Ma Dashanren, do you not even spare innocent people? Then what difference is there between you and me?"

Feng Xiuhu's face turned ashen.

Zhuo Sushou chuckled softly, "There is no solution to this situation, Ma Er, don't bother. From the moment you stepped into the temple today, the world is destined to know the truth about Zhu Linjin, and is also destined to remember my name, Zhuo Sushou."

"What can you change? You can't change anything."

“Can you really expect any of these priests to keep their secrets to themselves forever? The Crimson Scale Brocade is extremely profitable, yet it’s also incredibly easy to make. Can you guarantee they won’t profit from it in the future?”

"Even if they are noble and don't love money—what about those female workers? From picking raw silk to weaving brocade, they know every step of the process. If you let them go today, Zhu Lin Brocade will never disappear from this world!"

Zhuo Sushou revealed a meaningful smile: "As long as Zhu Linjin does not disappear, I am destined... to be remembered in history."

"Chubby!"

Unable to contain his frustration, Shunzi snatched the longsword from Feng Xiuhu's hand, first slicing off half of Ma Sanjiang's head with a single stroke, then gritting his teeth and looking at Zhuo Sushou: "I refuse to believe that anything in this world is more important than human life."

Zhuo Sushou pointed to his own neck, offering it for execution: "Come on, cut it here."

He remained calm and cleared his throat: "Remember this, all of you, the Crimson Scale Brocade was made by Zhuo Su Shou!"

Swah——

A head rose into the sky.

PS: Knowing the truth and then rewatching the story of Jiangluoxi will surely give you a different experience.

(End of this chapter)