"Sure, sure, certainly," the County Magistrate wiped the sweat from his brow.
He personally led the way to the prison cell, taking Gu Youyou and Jin Zijin inside. Gu Youyou had previously thought about having Gu Wu beheaded, but upon seeing the terrifying depths of the dungeon, she suddenly changed her mind.
Executing him with a single stroke would be too kind; better to let him stay here.
Gu Youyou pinched her nose and took quite a while to get used to the stench of the cell.
Having been locked in a dark room for so many years, Gu Youyou felt certain this place was undeniably more terrifying than the dark room—it would be too lenient not to confine him here.
"Madam, we’ve arrived," the County Magistrate obsequiously said to Gu Youyou.
Gu Youyou looked at the person shackled in chains inside the cell, who, dressed in rags, was curled up sleeping on some rotten straw, looking no different from the prisoners depicted in historical drama series.
"Gu Wu, get up!" shouted a Government Official, striking the cell door with a stick, causing it to clatter resoundingly.
The noise startled Gu Wu awake, and he slowly lifted his head.
Seeing the people outside, he jolted with shock and, dragging his chains, scrambled towards the cell door with his eyes wide and staring straight at Gu Youyou.
Gu Youyou sneered at him, then turned to Jin Zijin and said, "I’d like to speak to him alone for a moment. You all wait outside for me."
Jin Zijin looked at her and nodded gently.
All the others left the room, leaving only Gu Youyou and Gu Wu.
Gu Wu’s voice was hoarse, "Where had you gone?"
Where had you gone? It was a mystery whether Gu Youyou had returned to town or if she had been taken away by those people.
Gu Wen didn’t believe the story brought back by Shunzi for a second. Considering Gu Youyou’s temperament, if nothing had been amiss, she would have surely returned to report her safety to Gu Feng immediately. She definitely would not have had an emergency, especially not one that required braving the heavy rain.
But if she had been taken away by those people, he wouldn’t be imprisoned here now.
Either those people would have kept their promise, making him a wealthy man, or they would have killed him to silence him, not leaving him alive.
It had to be said that Gu Wu was indeed much smarter than Gu Wen; the latter would never have considered these possibilities.
"Where do you hope I went?" Gu Youyou retorted with a cold laugh.
Gu Wu was taken aback, but then began to laugh out loud, the hoarse sound echoing within the prison walls, sounding especially menacing.
"Aren’t my intentions clear to you? Where do you think I hoped you would go?" he said.
Gu Youyou responded with a smile, "It’s a pity, but I’m tough to kill. Your hopes have been dashed."
Gu Wu stopped laughing and bellowed, "If you weren’t captured, why didn’t you come back?"
"Thanks to your blessings, I’ve been on the run for over a year."
Gu Wu was stunned, suddenly unable to utter another word.
So, she was on the run!
"Haha... your life is indeed quite resilient!" he acknowledged.
Gu Youyou’s gaze turned icy, staring intently at Gu Wu as she said, "For all the things you’ve done, do you realize how many people you’ve hurt?"
"Hurt people?" Gu Wu hesitated, then sat down suddenly on the ground, murmuring in a daze, "Yes, I’ve hurt people, killed my brother and sister-in-law, harmed my niece, and caused my own father’s death. I thought I would die too, but to my surprise, I’m still alive and well. I know you loathe me, but my life has come to this, so you might as well kill me for revenge."
Gu Youyou crouched down, meeting Gu Wu’s gaze at eye level.
In his eyes, she truly saw despair.
He no longer wished to live.
After committing so many evil deeds and ending up with a fate worse than death, he truly did not want to live any longer.
But how could Gu Youyou possibly let him go just like that? She sneered with a ghostly chill, "Hahaha... You wish to die, do you? Your death won’t atone for your sins. How could I let you off that easily?"