Related Cases (1)
Related Novels (1)
Related Chapters (10)
The Abyss Gazes Back
Words: 3028 · Source Novel:: Silk Blood Shadow
Chang'an, years later. Cao Lushan is old, managing his old shop in the Western Market. A young apprentice asks him what the most profitable business in the world is. He replies: Revenge. Revenge costs nothing, but the collector pays with a lifetime. The setting sun casts long shadows, and in his ledger, the record of that silk debt case has yellowed. He gently touches it and closes his eyes. The abyss no longer calls, for it has long since taken root in the hearts of all who lived through it.
The Road to Chang'an
Words: 3058 · Source Novel:: Silk Blood Shadow
Cao Lushan journeys east alone. At every post station, he sees government notices regarding the case; his brother's name has been reduced to a symbol on a paper. He suddenly understands Shi Pu's saying: In this world, the lowly and insignificant, if they want justice, must dive into the abyss. As night falls, he once again dreams of Shi Pu, the latter no longer young, standing amid the wreckage of the Pei mansion, bathed in blood, faintly smiling.
The Widow of Gaochang
Words: 3037 · Source Novel:: Silk Blood Shadow
The dust settles. The wives of the Pei family are sold into slavery, while Shi Pu's family has long since perished in a plague. The women related to the case gather by the well, whispering about those men who destroyed themselves for hate. They mention how Cao Lushan never smiles, how Li Shaojin often starts awake from nightmares, and how, whenever a dune wind rises at night, it seems to carry an accountant's faint, sorrowful sigh.
The Final Silk Ledger
Words: 3052 · Source Novel:: Silk Blood Shadow
The case is finally decided. Li Shaojin is declared innocent, cleared of the debt as ruled. The Pei family is exiled. Cao Lushan takes his brother's ashes and the debt note, preparing to return east. Before the judgment bench, all receive their earthly verdict. But the newly appointed record-keeper, silently looking on, feels the lingering ghost of the dead accountant still hovering in the details of the dossier. This silk debt case has become a bloody wager that no one dares to recall.
Rebirth in the Fire
Words: 3078 · Source Novel:: Silk Blood Shadow
Cao Lushan finds the dying Shi Pu. The accountant, his life fading, finally confesses the full depths of his plan: from the forged evidence, to the manipulation of the witnesses, to luring Pei Yu out, he has long since plunged his soul into hell. He asks Cao Lushan whether his elder brother would forgive him. Cao Lushan weeps silently, but cannot answer. In the consuming flames, the debts of revenge seem finally settled.