Shigeo showed not the slightest fear. He stepped forward up the stairs, stopping in front of Wu Youhua, and said coldly:
"City Lord, are you planning another Shikigami no Kiss (Corpse Spirit Kiss)?"
The smile on Wu Youhua's face froze. In a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear, she whispered:
"You little brat… You dare accuse me with just a strand of hair? Today, I'll let you taste the feeling of being abandoned by everyone."
"Huh? Wh-what!?"
Suddenly Shigeo staggered back, his expression twisting into exaggerated horror, clutching at his chest.
Loudly he cried:
"City Lord, are you threatening me? Oh no! The City Lord just threatened to flay me alive, to drain me dry and strip my skin like the others! What should I do? She admitted it—she admitted to the murders!"
"You insolent child!" Wu Youhua snapped, slamming her hand down on the throne as she stood. Her finger trembled, her chest heaving with rage—so furious she nearly fainted on the spot.
Only after catching Shennong's warning glance did she manage to compose herself. She exhaled softly and said with calm authority:
"Do not listen to this nonsense. I merely asked him where he went after curfew last night. He couldn't answer, and so he slanders me."
"As the City Lord, I have the right to question suspicious individuals." Her tone softened, regaining its elegant and benevolent air.
Shennong immediately stepped forward to support her words:
"The City Lord speaks true. Last night, while all of us were in the corridor, there was no sign of this boy in his room. I also asked his three roommates, and they can testify."
The three, put on the spot, nodded.
"Yes. When we awoke, he was not in the room."
Everyone turned their gaze on Shigeo, their expressions filled with suspicion—looking at him as though he were the murderous sea demon himself.
Several blind followers of Shennong stepped forward to press the accusation:
"Where did you go last night? Did the deaths have something to do with you? You dare frame the City Lord? Everyone knows—no matter who committed these murders, it could never be her. It must be you!"
"Exactly. The innkeeper saw you enter the room through the window. Did you kill someone and then try to escape? Only to realize the place was swarming with shinobi? So you returned to the scene, pretending innocence? Too cunning!" Wu Youhua smirked triumphantly.
Shigeo's brows furrowed. His blind blue eyes stared coldly at her.
"Old hag, did you forget? Last night you entered my room in Yao Hai Tower. When you saw everyone else was asleep, you tried to force yourself on me, wanted to drag me away. If not for my quick wit, my honor would have been ruined by your hands. Stop pretending ignorance! You're nothing but a fiend. If you don't drink blood and drain chakra, you wither into a corpse, don't you?"
Wu Youhua stiffened. How could he know her secret?
Her long purple hair swayed around her face as her hand clenched tightly. She glared at him, shocked that her weakness had been exposed.
Indeed, if she went even a day without drinking blood, her body would shrivel into that of a withered crone. Every flayed corpse in Wu Wang City had been her doing. But even if she admitted it here, no one would believe. She had planned too long to let it all collapse because of a child.
Shennong spoke again:
"Then it's simple. Compare the bite marks on the corpses with the City Lord's teeth. That will prove it."
The shinobi and medics nodded eagerly.
"Yes. No two people have the exact same bite mark. This would be undeniable proof."
Wu Youhua stepped down from her throne, her lips curling with a cruel smile as she approached Shigeo. The fragrance clung heavily to her, masking something far fouler.
"Look well," she purred, opening her mouth wide. "Compare my teeth with his."
Shennong turned to Shigeo:
"Your turn, boy. Open your mouth."
"Or are you too afraid? If you refuse now, it proves your guilt," someone scoffed.
"What do I have to fear?" Shigeo snorted and bared his teeth.
He glanced from the corpse's bite wounds to Wu Youhua's teeth. They clearly matched hers.
But the crowd suddenly gasped. Shennong's voice rang out:
"Shigeo! The bite marks match yours. You are the killer!"
"What!?" Shigeo was stunned. The marks were obviously Wu Youhua's!
Then he realized—the heavy perfume filling the hall. Illusion!
He was immune to poisons, but the others were not. From their unnaturally deep slumber last night to their blind faith now—it was all the effect of the scent. They couldn't see the truth. To them, the evidence was reversed.
Forming a seal, Shigeo released a Fūton (Wind Release) technique. A gale swept through the hall, dispersing the fragrance. At once, the stench of rot filled the air—decay that had been hidden beneath.
The guards instantly charged forward, surrounding him.
The medical-nin blinked in confusion, a few regaining brief clarity. Yet the moment passed too quickly for them to confirm the bite marks again.
"You see? He's the sea demon! Kill him!" someone shouted.
"Look closely! Do these marks match mine?" Shigeo roared, opening his mouth once again.
The medics leaned closer—this time the teeth no longer matched.
"Huh? How…? Just now they were identical! What's going on?" Confusion spread, disbelief written across their faces.
Shennong raised his voice:
"It's his genjutsu! Don't be fooled!"
Wu Youhua lifted her hand and declared:
"All participants advance to the next round. Take them to the rear courtyard. As for this murderer—I will see him executed, his body torn apart, so the dead may rest in peace!"
Her attendants hurried the bewildered medical-nin away. The hall dissolved into chaos, too sudden for anyone to think clearly.
(End of Chapter)
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