The centipede had been fed Little Si’s blood, and now it was on its last breath, barely clinging to life.
The Witchcraft and the person who refined it were connected by spirit, and now that it was severely injured, the refiner also suffered a backlash.
The poisonous insects crawling around the courtyard were only able to crawl out because their master's spirit was wounded and could no longer control them.
These poisonous insects had not yet been refined into Witchcraft and were likely backup materials; they lacked the ferocity of Witchcraft, so they merely scurried around the courtyard without harming anyone present.
As Li Miao landed, he smelled a scent of blood, hidden among a group of tightly huddled female relatives.
Since the poisonous insects hadn't harmed anyone, the blood naturally came from the Witchcraft's master, who had vomited blood due to a spiritual injury.
Li Miao looked towards a beautiful, pale-faced woman among the group of female relatives.
She was holding a handkerchief to her mouth, as if she were about to vomit from being frightened by the poisonous insects.
The group of female relatives screamed intermittently, terrified by the poisonous insects, and huddled together, making the courtyard chaotic. The woman was inconspicuous among them, yet the faint scent of blood she emitted was detected by Li Miao.
At this moment, everyone in the courtyard was stunned and dared not move, frightened by Li Miao's imposing few palms. Upon hearing Li Miao announce the name of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), they were even more petrified than when they had seen the poisonous insects crawling all over the ground.
Although the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) rarely handled cases involving common people, in Great Shuo, what was known as public opinion was primarily shaped by officials, scholars, and martial artists.
And in the view of these three groups, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) were, without a doubt, synonymous with cruelty, tyranny, and ruthlessness.
Therefore, among the common people, even if hardly anyone had ever seen them, the name of the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) still carried considerable weight.
After Li Miao finished speaking, his eyes were fixed intently on the group of female relatives.
At this moment, the female relatives, being intensely stared at by Li Miao, felt as if their throats were constricted, and their previously chattering voices ceased.
After a while, a few people on the periphery cautiously walked away, and seeing Li Miao make no reaction, the others also scattered like birds and beasts.
This revealed the pale-faced woman who remained standing still.
“Ah…”
She sighed softly and lowered the handkerchief that had been covering her mouth.
The handkerchief was stained with a patch of bright red, and there were still some residual bloodstains at the corners of her mouth, making her beautiful face appear enchanting and seductive.
“Still, I was a step too slow; there’s no escaping this.”
She took a few steps forward and curtsied to Li Miao.
“This concubine, Ge Pu Shi, greets Your Excellency.”
Li Miao scrutinized her from head to toe, saying nothing, and simply raised his hand, sending a palm strike towards her from a distance.
The few palm strikes he used to kill the poisonous insects were intentionally controlled in power, with diffused force, to kill the insects without harming people.
This palm strike, however, was different.
As the palm strike was unleashed, true qi erupted, producing a formidable whooshing sound, striking Ge Pu Shi’s chest from a distance of over ten steps.
Pfft—!
Ge Pu Shi was sent flying backward, spitting out mouthfuls of fresh blood, and heavily crashed into a corner, slumping to the ground.
“Cough, cough… Ugh—!”
She opened her mouth to speak, but another mouthful of fresh blood gushed out. It took her a long while to recover, then she managed to speak with difficulty.
“Your Excellency, what formidable skill…”,
“Such cultivation, I have been in the Central Plains for many years, and I have truly never heard of it…”,
“Could it be… Commander Li Miao in person?…”,
Ge Pu Shi, after taking a palm strike from Li Miao from a distance, was still able to speak, though a patch of dark, foul-smelling pus and blood appeared on her chest, and some insect limbs fell from her clothing.
She used the Witchcraft she had cultivated to block Li Miao’s palm strike, but was still severely injured in one blow.
And judging by Li Miao’s casual demeanor, that palm strike was clearly just an offhand move, not his full power.
“You certainly know a lot. I’m not that high-ranking; I’m just a fifth-rank Qianhu.”
Li Miao scrutinized her from head to toe: “I originally thought you were some ignorant village woman who accidentally obtained the method of refining Witchcraft, unaware of the consequences, indiscriminately killing people, and attempting to seize the Wu Mansion’s wealth.”
“But looking at your face, it differs from Central Plains women… Ge Pu Shi… are you from the Twelve Sect Branches of the Miao people?”
“You actually have a background.”
“Since you know the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), and you’re not without a master, where did you get the audacity to kill people and refine Witchcraft here in Pingshan Garrison?”
Li Miao’s palm strike was carefully controlled in strength, intended to injure her but not kill her.
The Witchcraft of the Miao territory is strange and hard to guard against, not following the same path as Central Plains martial arts, and even the highest martial arts can hardly avoid oversights.
Li Miao would not let her stand there speaking properly; since she had human lives on her hands anyway, he might as well strike her down first and then question her.
Of course, he wouldn’t actually kill her with one palm strike; if there were any accomplices or organizations left behind, it would inevitably cause more trouble in the future.
“How should I put it… I can only say it was a moment of delusion.”
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Ge Pu Shi sighed mournfully.
“I had thought that Witchcraft was little known in the Central Plains. Even if what I did was a bit excessive for a few days, it would only be regarded as gossip.”
“Even if someone died, it wouldn’t be reported to the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) for a while.”
“That day, when the flying thief came, playing tricks, I was even delighted for a while, thinking he was a helper sent by heaven. With his disturbance, it would drag on for even longer.”
“Who knew you… would arrive so quickly…”,
“It was this concubine… who was foolishly deluded…”
At this moment, her face was filled with sorrow, and coupled with her beautiful features, she appeared as pitiful as Xi Shi clutching her heart.
Wu Yuanwai, who had been standing stunned at the main house entrance, now seeing her tragic state, couldn't help but stammer, “Ping… Ping’er…”
“You…”
But he was glared at by Li Miao and swallowed his words back, his eyes fixed on Ge Pu Shi, full of pity.
Wu Yuanwai was not foolish; listening to Li Miao and Ge Pu Shi's back-and-forth exchange, he had a general understanding of the current situation.
But to be honest, compared to the shock that the culprit behind the deaths during this period was his long-time concubine, it was Ge Pu Shi’s current pitiful appearance that truly pained him more.
This was not surprising; no matter how good Wu Yuanwai’s reputation was in Pingshan Garrison, and no matter how benevolent his appearance, he was still a genuine feudal landlord.
He wouldn't ignore the lives of old guards, masters, or coroners, but to say he truly cared deeply would be a joke.
Li Miao also didn't care about Wu Yuanwai's feelings, only looking at Ge Pu Shi and saying, “What were your plans, what was your purpose, do you have any accomplices? Speak.”
“Don’t think about making up some nonsense to fool me; I’ve served in the Jinyi (Embroidered Clothing) for twenty years, and I’ve interrogated at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, people.”
“Tell one lie, and I’ll break one of your limbs. Tell another, and I’ll break another.”
“Don’t think of enduring; even if you’re just a human stick, I have plenty of ways to make you speak.”
At this moment, the calm and lazy expression on Li Miao’s face completely vanished; he looked at Ge Pu Shi coldly.
He never claimed to be a good person, acting solely on his own will. But for such creatures who harm their own kind like beasts, he would not spare any means.
To show humanity to such a creature would be to overestimate her.
Ge Pu Shi, who had initially appeared composed, involuntarily shivered under Li Miao’s gaze.