After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 63.3

“I couldn’t bear to see it torn down, so I worked to secure the land rights.”

“People say Baoxia Temple is miraculous that whatever you pray for, you’ll receive a favorable outcome. Though I’ve never tried it myself, I still wanted to restore it.”

“Even if only as a tourist attraction, it would be worth it.”

Feng Yu spoke at length, his tone incredibly relaxed, as if nothing had ever happened between them.

No suspicion, no endless arguments over Song Lanyi, no strained relationship, and certainly no…

Desire to see the other dead.

The main hall of the temple wasn’t particularly large. The two women stood quietly gazing at each other, with Sun Mengchen caught awkwardly between them.

A sudden downpour had disrupted the pilgrims’ plans, and visitors were pulling out their phones, trying to contact people at the foot of the mountain.

Song Fengyu exchanged a few words with the temple staff.

“All pilgrims, please follow us to the guest quarters in the rear courtyard to rest for now. Once the weather clears, buses will take everyone back down the mountain.”

No matter the situation, Feng Yu could always arrange things methodically.

She turned around.

“With rain this heavy, the mountain paths will be slippery. It’ll be impossible to leave for a while. Shi Zhou, why don’t you and your friend go rest in the guest quarters too?”

The atmosphere grew abruptly still for a moment.

Baoxia Temple was nestled halfway up the mountain. The rain fell violently, and the main hall carried the faint, earthy scent that lingers after a storm, a smell both pungent and strangely fragrant.

Sun Mengchen glanced at their expressions and instinctively wanted to refuse, but Song Shizhou tugged at her sleeve.

“Alright.”

“Sister Yu, could you please show Mengchen and me to the guest quarters?”

Feng Yu seemed surprised by how readily Song Shizhou agreed, and a soft laugh escaped her lips.

But soon, her expression darkened.

Mengchen-jie.

What an intimate way to address her.

Instead of responding immediately, Song Fengyu took Song Shizhou’s hand, rubbing the back of it gently with her calloused fingers, just as she had when they were children.

“Shi Zhou, stay with me for a bit. I want to talk about Mom.”

“Even if we don’t talk about her, it’s been so long since we’ve had a proper conversation, hasn’t it?”

Her voice carried a deep melancholy. Feng Yu had always been strong-willed in Song Shizhou’s memory, no one had ever made her soften her tone like this, pleading almost humbly.

Sensing the strange tension between them, Sun Mengchen hesitated, then nodded.

“Shi Zhou, I’ll go ahead to the guest quarters first. Come find me when you’re done talking.”

Soon, Sun Mengchen and the other pilgrims were led away by the temple staff.

Baoxia Temple had fallen into disrepair over the years. The wooden eaves had a small gap where the rain had broken through, leaving large crimson water stains on the ceiling. The relentless rain dripped sporadically, drop by drop, onto Song Fengyu’s jade-like neck.

Yet she paid it no mind, not even bothering to wipe it away, letting the cold water trickle freely.

The temple had no electricity. As the sky darkened, so did the interior. Song Shizhou had always been afraid of the dark, and she instinctively clenched her fists.

Feng Yu lit three long incense sticks beneath the statue. The deity’s downcast eyes looked almost sinister in the flickering candlelight, yet it became the only source of illumination in the room.

Drawing Song Shizhou unconsciously closer.

The dim, wavering light cast shifting shadows across Song Fengyu’s face, making her expression difficult to read. Her hair was jet-black, a color so deep it seemed almost transparent under the mottled glow of the candles, taking on a faint golden hue.

“Shi Zhou, it feels like forever since we’ve talked like this.”

Song Shizhou nodded tersely.

“It has.”

Song Fengyu smiled.

“I really miss those days when we were children.”

“With Mom, with you, with me.”

“Though you may not wish to recall it, in my mind, those were truly beautiful memories.”

Song Shizhou remained silent.

For Feng Yu, childhood was naturally a time worth reminiscing about.

Song Lanyi loved and doted on her, she was the dazzling jewel of the Song family, addressed as “Young Miss” by everyone in the corporation, the undisputed heir apparent.

But what was Song Shizhou?

Shi Zhou’s eyes flickered slightly, as if already accustomed to Feng Yu’s untimely sentimentality.

The other woman continued,

“I heard you and Miss Bai have gotten back together?”

Song Shizhou gave a quiet hum of acknowledgment.

“That’s wonderful.”

Feng Yu struggled to suppress the tremor in her voice,

“It’s good that you love her so much.”

Her words sounded hollow. Only then did Song Shizhou realize the temple hall had emptied without notice, leaving just the two of them. The atmosphere grew still, while outside, the torrential rain showed no sign of relenting. The relentless patter of raindrops frayed nerves, and from a side chamber, the rhythmic thud of a wooden fish accompanied a monk’s murmured chants slow, heavy beats that filled their ears.

The scent of incense drifted faintly, carrying a desolate, decaying note.

The smell and sounds left Song Shizhou unsettled and restless. She looked up at Feng Yu,

“Sister Yu, didn’t you want to talk to me about Mother?”

Song Fengyu chuckled lightly,

“No need to rush.”

Her gaze turned toward the weathered statue enshrined within the temple,

“Shi Zhou, do you know why this temple is called Baoxia Temple?”

Her voice softened, as if telling a bedtime story from their childhood,

“Because of who is worshipped here.”

Feng Yu gave a low laugh.

She paced slowly, her footsteps thudding against the aged wooden floorboards, blending with the wooden fish’s rhythm until it became impossible to distinguish one from the other.

As if it were Song Fengyu herself striking the wooden fish, reciting sutras to purify the mind.

Yet her heart refused to find peace.

“This temple isn’t named Baoxia because the revered monk’s Dharma name was Baoxia. It’s named after his sacred artifact, a treasure box.”

“Legend says during the Northern Dynasty, there was an enlightened monk revered as the Master of Nanling. Worshipped by thousands, he carried a glazed treasure box with him at all times. This box, bathed in incense day and night, was said to absolve all worldly suffering and karmic obstacles. To honor Master Nanling and his artifact, people built temples in his memory, giving rise to Baoxia Temples.”

“But no one knew, what the treasure box truly held.”

Song Fengyu’s laughter darkened,

“Was his own younger sister.”

Song Shizhou’s expression shifted.

Outside, a fierce gale howled, causing the row of candles before the statue to flicker violently. The solemn golden figure of Master Nanling sat serenely upon a lotus throne, yet upon closer inspection, cracks marred its dignified form, casting eerie shadows in the candlelight.

The woman’s thick black hair lifted in the wind, her lips unnervingly crimson,

“Unofficial histories claim Nanling harbored forbidden love for his sister for years. Fearful of society’s judgment and his parents’ wrath, he chanted sutras day and night, begging the gods for answers. But before divine guidance came, his taboo feelings were exposed.”

“On that snowbound night, scorned by all, he saw through worldly illusions and attained enlightenment.”

“So he didn’t need answers from the gods, he only needed to recognize his own heart.”

“He returned home, killed his mother, murdered his father, severed his sister’s limbs, and sealed her in a treasure box.”

“Later, he became a world-renowned enlightened monk, revered by the masses amid incense smoke, carrying that treasure box with him.”

“Shi Zhou, I admire him.”

Song Fengyu smiled.

Her slender fingers lingered over the statue, its already crumbling golden surface flaking away beneath her touch.

Song Shizhou laughed. In the past, she might have been utterly shocked, but after being entangled with Bai Ruowei for so long, Feng Yu’s actions now only amused her.

What a disgusting story.

“Admiring a beast who murdered his parents and imprisoned his own sister Sister Yu, are you out of your mind, or just insane?”

Feng Yu chuckled softly.

“Shi Zhou, you say I’m insane.”

“But all along, hasn’t the insane one been you?”

From childhood, Song Fengyu had been repressed and restrained.

She had a heart condition she couldn’t afford emotional outbursts. She was Song Lanyi’s pride, yet she owed Song Shizhou. She had stolen Shizhou’s life, so she had to suppress herself, to act like a machine fulfilling every one of Song Lanyi’s expectations, to steer the Song family back on track.

She was Shizhou’s sister though not by blood. She loved her, but she could never show it.

She lived worse than Lu Nanling!

She was doomed to carry this guilt toward Shizhou forever.

But she was human too.

Why must she always be pushed to the edge?

“Shi Zhou, Mom’s case has been upgraded to criminal charges. She’s going to prison maybe five years, maybe three.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be this severe. I checked with the police, it’s because you refused to relent.”

“I know you don’t actually want her imprisoned. She’s not your real target.”

“You’re targeting me, aren’t you, Shi Zhou?”

“The company negotiates massive loans with banks every year. That was always your responsibility. Now that Mom’s been labeled a criminal suspect, as the executive director of Song Corporation, you know as well as I do not a single cent can be borrowed from the banks anymore.”

“Song Corporation’s cash flow is broken. Stocks are plummeting. I can’t hold on much longer. Are you satisfied now?”

Song Shizhou replied indifferently,

“Blame Song Lanyi. She brought this on herself.”

Feng Yu’s cool fingertips traced the edge of the table, her fingers stained with gold dust from the statue, glowing like blood under the dim candlelight.

“Brought it on herself?”

Song Fengyu smiled faintly.

“There’s one thing I’ve always wondered. When you first returned to the Song family, you used to have nightmares, always about the abuse you suffered in the Lu family. Mom would watch over you, heartbroken, wanting to comfort you, to protect you. But you’d always push her away like a madwoman, screaming at her to leave.”

“Yet every time you woke up, you’d act completely clueless. She thought you were just traumatized by the nightmares, so she brought in doctors to treat you. But the doctors said there were no signs you’d even been asleep.”

“You were faking it.”

“In this house, you act friendly with everyone except Mom. Sometimes timid, sometimes cold. You keep her heart constantly suspended, never letting her rest easy for even a moment.”

“You want to torment her.”

“And Lu Qi too.”

“Become someone’s most crucial pillar of support, then push them away when they need you most watch them completely break down, turn them into a dog groveling at your feet.”

Song Fengyu smiled bitterly,

“Song Shizhou, all these years, the people you’ve hated you’ve driven every single one of them to madness.”

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