Chapter 61: The True Identity of Madam Wang Liu!

“Master, this servant greets you…”

It wasn’t long before Madam Wang Liu entered the warehouse office where Li Yuanjing was waiting. As soon as she stepped in, Li Yuanjing slammed the door shut with a bang and locked it from the inside. At that, Madam Wang Liu’s delicate frame trembled involuntarily. She immediately knelt to the floor and kowtowed to Li Yuanjing.

Over the past days, she had come to understand Li Yuanjing more and more, especially after that night by the Yishui River, when she had witnessed firsthand his ruthlessness—his cruelty even. Madam Wang Liu no longer dared to harbor the slightest thought of resistance toward this man.

Yet, Li Yuanjing was surprisingly calm at that moment. He casually tossed a few logs into the brazier, fixing his gaze on her as he spoke: “Wang Liu, undress. Take off all your clothes. Not a stitch left.”

“Master, this…” Madam Wang Liu’s pretty face instantly flushed red. She wanted to protest, but found herself at a loss for words. She could only look at Li Yuanjing with pitiful, tear-filled eyes, silently pleading with him.

“Refusing, are you?” Li Yuanjing sneered coldly. “You won’t obey? Fine. Men! Throw this wretch in the river and let the fish have her!” He feigned a shout toward the door.

“Master, no, please, I beg you! I’ll undress, I’ll undress…” Terrified, Madam Wang Liu could no longer withstand his authority. With tears welling, she began to disrobe, her movements filled with shame.

First came the padded jacket, then the inner garments, then the thin underclothes…

Soon enough, her snow-white, flawless shoulders were exposed—so dazzling they seemed to shine, exuding an unspeakable allure.

Yet Li Yuanjing’s eyes remained utterly cold; the chill at his lips only deepened. He was no naïve youth unfamiliar with the world. In his previous life, he’d frequented every manner of establishment, from the most luxurious to the humblest. Watching Wang Liu’s movements as she undressed, Li Yuanjing knew the truth at once.

This woman had been trained. Like someone under hypnosis, she subtly guided and enticed him. No woman, relying solely on natural talent, could achieve such effect without systematic training or experience. There was a process of learning and practice required to know precisely how to captivate a man.

“Master, this servant… this servant is completely undressed now…”

Soon, Madam Wang Liu finished removing her clothes, baring skin as pale as frost, smoother than jade.

As Li Yuanjing had expected, her skin and figure were even more striking than he’d imagined. Her body, especially, showed none of the marks of childbirth. Instead, she was as tight and supple as a girl in her prime.

“Heh.” Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Wang Liu, you’re quite the actress. Your child’s already grown, and yet you look like this? Will you confess yourself, or shall I teach you how to confess?”

With a loud slap, he brought his hatchet down hard onto the table.

“Master…” Madam Wang Liu stammered. “This servant doesn’t understand what you mean…” She was truly frightened now, shame utterly forgotten. She fell to her knees, desperately pleading for mercy.

The beauty before him left Li Yuanjing unmoved, his dark eyes cold and sharp. He sneered, “Fine. You won’t talk? Then I’ll call your daughter Wang Baiyu here, and fetch your husband Wang Youfa as well. We’ll have a nice chat. Oh, and your husband Wang Youfa—he’s currently locked up in Quanzi Village by my men.”

“What?” Madam Wang Liu’s pupils dilated in shock. She stared at Li Yuanjing, her face drained white, lips trembling as she tried and failed to speak.

She’d known Li Yuanjing was cunning, but never imagined the depth of his scheming. He had already taken control of Wang Youfa…

“Master, please, this servant never meant to deceive you. I have suffered greatly…”

Seeing the coldness in Li Yuanjing’s eyes reach its apex, Madam Wang Liu finally broke down. She kowtowed and wept. “Master, in truth, I belonged to the Incense Sect, but I committed a grave mistake and was forced to flee…”

“Master, I am your humble servant now. I will do whatever you ask…”

As she spoke, she crawled forward and clung desperately to Li Yuanjing’s leg.

“Get away!” Li Yuanjing had no intention of indulging her. He kicked her away with such force that, were it not for the carpet beneath her, she might have been crippled.

He showed no hint of pity; the coldness in his gaze only grew sharper. “Even now, you’d rather lie? Do you take me for a fool? With a body like yours, you expect me to believe Wang Baiyu is your daughter? I’d better call Wang Youfa here and let him see for himself!”

“But once I do, don’t expect a shred of mercy from me!”

“Ah…”

“Master, I… I had no choice…” After Li Yuanjing’s relentless probing, even Madam Wang Liu’s strong mind was cracking.

She knew now—Li Yuanjing was not a man to be trifled with. If she didn’t give him a satisfactory answer, he’d kill her without a second thought.

“Master, please, don’t go!” she cried, seeing him rise as if to leave without hearing her explanation. She was utterly panicked.

As she spoke, she clawed desperately at a spot behind her ear.

A muffled, pained moan escaped her lips, and even Li Yuanjing was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

Madam Wang Liu peeled what looked like a human-skin mask from her face, revealing her true appearance.

Though her real face was still streaked with grime from the mask, it was strikingly youthful and beautiful—no more than twenty-one or twenty-two years old.

Moreover, Li Yuanjing noticed that her true face bore a clear resemblance to the mask—at least a fifty or sixty percent similarity.

“Master, I know you are a man of great ambition. Things have come to this; I dare not hide anything from you. I only beg you to show mercy; I will do anything you command…”

By now, Madam Wang Liu had somewhat recovered from the pain of removing the mask. She knelt and hurriedly began to recount her past to Li Yuanjing.

…

About fifteen minutes later, after hearing her tale, Li Yuanjing’s brow was furrowed tightly.

He crouched down until his eyes were level with hers, and spoke in a low, deliberate voice:

“So you’re saying—”

“You were a candidate for the position of Incense Sect’s Saintess, and the original Wang Liu was your cousin?”

“After failing in the competition for Saintess, you killed your cousin, assumed her identity, and took her place in the Pi Family Village?”

“And yet, it’s been almost a year and Wang Youfa hasn’t realized his wife has been replaced by a young beauty like you?”

“Are you kidding me? Do you really think I, Li Yuanjing, am so easily fooled?!”