Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 16: As If It Were Some Precious Treasure

　　

　　The girl's delicate temperament was on full display from the very first day of the journey.

　　Perhaps it was because the person she liked wasn’t traveling with them this time, or maybe it was because He Ziqing’s promise had given her confidence — whatever the reason, An Jiu had no hesitation in flaunting her spoiled young lady attitude.

　　“This carriage seat is so hard, my butt hurts from sitting on it! Pei Ji, give me your cushion.”

　　There were only the two of them in the carriage, so the one who suffered through it all was none other than Pei Ji.

　　And yet, he had no choice but to agree to her demands.

　　If he dared ignore her, this spoiled young miss would disturb his reading, spill his tea, or step on his foot under the table…

　　She was being unreasonable and stirring up trouble everywhere, like an unbearably spoiled child.

　　Pei Ji pulled the cushion from behind his back and handed it to the girl beside him with helpless resignation.

　　The moment An Jiu took the cushion, she unhesitatingly placed it under her little bottom and sat down firmly, immediately narrowing her eyes in comfort.

　　Finally, with her discomfort eased, she quieted down — at least for now. Leaning against the carriage wall, she opened a storybook she had brought with her. Before long, lulled by the gentle swaying of the carriage, her eyelids began to droop. Unconsciously, she rested her arms on the table and laid her head down.

　　Pei Ji, returning from his reading in a medical text, happened to glance up — and saw her resting on the table. Her black hair draped softly behind her, a few strands hanging in the air, gently swaying.

　　She used the crook of her arm as a pillow, her face turned toward him. Her delicate features were partly hidden, and a faint blush tinged her cheeks.

　　Now and then, a ray of light peeked through the carriage window, landing on her thick lashes and casting a small, fan-shaped shadow over them.

　　Pei Ji’s gaze paused on her soft, hibiscus-like face — it was the first time he looked at her without any emotion.

　　Even he had to admit — this woman had an undeniably beautiful face.

　　But just as that thought surfaced, the sleeping girl suddenly furrowed her brows and, with a look of mild annoyance, half-opened her eyes.

　　Pei Ji hadn’t yet looked away, and their eyes met unexpectedly.

　　For a moment, he froze.

　　Her brows and eyes were finely shaped, and within them lingered a deep drowsiness. A trace of shimmering moisture pooled at the corners, and her pupils — dark and wide — looked like clear mirrors, reflecting a small image of him within.

　　She looked, in that moment, like a child — innocent and untouched by the world.

　　The next moment, the girl propped her head up slightly and said sleepily, “Pei Ji, I’m cold.”

　　Pei Ji: “…”

　　She stared at him without blinking and asked, in a tone that wasn’t really a question, “Can I have your blanket?”

　　Pei Ji’s legs were paralyzed, and he had no sensation below the waist. To prevent frostbite, he often kept a blanket over his legs for warmth.

　　He stared at the girl for a while before slowly lifting the blanket from his legs.

　　She immediately took it without hesitation, draped it over herself, and then flopped back onto the table, quickly falling asleep again.

　　The sleeping girl’s face became calm and peaceful, innocent like a child, but Pei Ji would no longer be deceived by such illusions.

　　Someone who could shamelessly take something from a disabled person was still, in his mind, the same foolish and malicious An Jiu.

　　An Jiu slept comfortably, and when she woke, it was already noon — time for lunch.

　　The carriage stopped by the roadside. He Ziqing, along with Lin Qingyan, dismounted and went into the nearby woods to hunt and gather firewood, while An Jiu and Pei Ji stayed on the grassy roadside, with Ah Qi standing guard over the two of them.

　　“Here, your blanket,” An Jiu returned the blanket to Pei Ji.

　　Pei Ji took it and was about to place it back over his legs, but his movement paused ever so slightly.

　　There seemed to be a faint, sweet fragrance lingering on the blanket.

　　He instinctively looked up, but the culprit had already joyfully run off into the nearby fields to pick flowers.

　　After a moment of silence, he slowly placed the blanket back over his legs.

　　The soft, sweet scent instantly enveloped him, lingering around his nose, refusing to dissipate.

　　----

　　“Xiao Yin, you must be hungry, right? Go find something to eat on your own, okay?”

　　On the other side, An Jiu crouched among the flowers, extending her wrist as the small snake—like a silver bracelet—slithered down her finger. It flicked its tongue at her twice with a hiss, then disappeared into the thick green grass.

　　From the original body's memories, An Jiu learned that Xiao Yin ate about once a week. If the weather was cold, it could go even longer; in winter, it could hibernate for up to three months without eating.

　　Usually, the original owner would instruct someone to catch small mice and release them into the room for it to hunt on its own.

　　Hunt.

　　Because Xiao Yin didn’t eat dead mice.

　　That’s why An Jiu felt at ease letting the little creature out to find food on its own.

　　After releasing the snake, An Jiu turned and walked back.

　　Not long after, He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan returned carrying two wild pheasants and a handful of wild fruits. The two of them skillfully prepared the pheasants, started a fire, and began roasting the meat — clearly well-practiced at it.

　　In fact, they had brought dry rations as well, but it was all flatbread. The dry food of this era wasn’t very varied — only flatbread was easy to carry and not prone to spoilage.

　　Since they were all martial artists capable of hunting, they naturally didn’t want to eat the dry, tasteless bread, so whenever they traveled, they always roasted meat.

　　Even when it came to roasting meat, their methods were quite rough. An Jiu couldn’t bear to watch any longer and started chattering instructions from the side.

　　She had taken part in plenty of modern BBQs—after all, many business deals were made over meals. An Jiu often met with others at vacation resorts or hotels to discuss collaborations. They’d enjoy themselves first, and once everyone was relaxed and in high spirits, the deal would naturally fall into place.

　　“Stuff some mushrooms inside the chicken to enhance the flavor.”

　　“Turn it, turn it—it's about to burn.”

　　“Brush some honey here. Yes, a nice, even layer.”

　　“Break open the fruit, pour the juice over the meat.”

　　The young lady gave orders without lifting a finger, directing the three others—everyone except Pei Ji—into a frenzy.

　　Lin Qingyan didn’t look pleased. If not for her good upbringing, she wouldn’t have agreed to bring along this difficult-to-please Miss An in the first place.

　　She had occasionally ridden the carriage during their journey before, but this time, just to avoid An Jiu, she didn’t even set foot in it.

　　Ah Qi didn’t have nearly as much patience and couldn’t help but raise his voice in protest: “Brushing honey on the meat? Pouring fruit juice? What kind of method is that? Is the meat even going to be edible?”

　　Even though he was grumbling loudly, his young master hadn’t said anything and was still smiling as he watched from the side. So Ah Qi didn’t dare stop.

　　Unbeknownst to him, his young master was thinking: she tormented me all morning—now that she’s finally bothering someone else, how could I not sit back and enjoy the show?

　　An Jiu placed her hands on her hips and shouted even louder than Ah Qi, “If you don’t want to eat it, then don’t touch it when it’s done!”

　　Ah Qi’s bluster immediately deflated, and he muttered under his breath, “I never said I wouldn’t eat it.”

　　Martial artists needed a lot of energy. Without meat, they’d feel sluggish for the entire day.

　　As the roasted meat finished cooking, the fruit juice and wild honey drizzled on it fused into the meat, and with a final sprinkle of pepper, an irresistible aroma filled the air, making everyone’s mouth water.

　　“Smells amazing!” Ah Qi couldn’t help but exclaim.

　　Miss An was full of pride. Seeing the astonishment on everyone's faces, she lifted her chin with a humph, her brows dancing with delight as she said, “This is the royal grilling technique taught to my family by the imperial chef himself. Convinced now? Still think it’s not edible?”

　　Ah Qi nodded repeatedly, swallowing hungrily, “Eat, eat, eat!”

　　That meal left everyone thoroughly satisfied. Even Lin Qingyan, who had initially been reluctant, couldn't help but ease her expression.

　　After all, food is the god of the people—no one can resist a good meal.

　　These folks were used to roughing it, often eating in the wild, with no one skilled at cooking. Life had been pretty harsh. Now, with someone who could actually cook—despite An Jiu’s delicate appearance—she had brought real value to the group.

　　In short, with just that one meal, An Jiu had successfully integrated into the protagonist group.

　　After lunch, everyone rested for a while before hitting the road again in the afternoon.

　　An Jiu leaned on the carriage window and chatted with Ah Qi, who was driving outside: “Ah Qi, where exactly are we going?”

　　Ah Qi had long been won over by the roast chicken from lunch and no longer showed the same disapproval toward An Jiu as before. He replied, “Didn’t the young master tell you? We’re heading to Pinglan City.”

　　“Why would Pei Ji tell me that?”

　　The big, simple-minded Ah Qi scratched his head and said honestly, “I thought he already told you. An unknown plague has broken out in Pinglan City. The city falls under Huashan’s territory, and the Huashan Sect sent a letter asking the young master to come and treat it.”

　　An Jiu nodded in sudden realization, though inwardly she was recalling the original plot.

　　This trip to Pinglan City did appear in the book, but it wasn’t about a plague. It was a man-made disaster targeted at the Huashan Sect.

　　She turned her gaze to the white-robed gentleman seated properly inside the carriage. Today, he hadn’t used a jade hairpin to tie his hair but instead bound it with a snow-white silk ribbon. A few strands fell beside his face, and his elegant brows and eyes were lowered toward the book in his hand, giving him an even more refined and scholarly air.

　　Since he had been reborn, why was he still walking the same path as in his past life? Wasn’t he afraid of repeating the same mistakes?

　　As she watched him, the gentleman lifted his eyelids slightly and said in a gentle tone, “Miss An is feeling thirsty again?”

　　An Jiu instinctively shook her head. “No.”

　　“Then are you hungry?”

　　“I’m not hungry.”

　　Pei Ji fell silent for a moment, then reached for the blanket on his legs. “Then are you sleepy?”

　　An Jiu was completely speechless, yet amused. Look at this—she’d practically given the villainous second male lead PTSD. As expected of her!

　　All she did was make him pour her tea four or five times—flower tea, then black tea, then green tea—asked to stop the carriage a few times to use the restroom, dragged Pei Ji into swapping books with her, made him read to her when she got tired, had him peel nuts for her when she didn’t want to do it herself, and accidentally stepped on him a few times while sleeping…

　　It wasn’t like she was that hard to serve.

　　An Jiu cleared her throat, ignoring the tiny bit of guilt in her heart, and blinked as she asked, “Pei Ji, you said before that you had a way to open up my meridians so I could practice martial arts. What method is that?”

　　As soon as she finished speaking, An Jiu inexplicably felt that Pei Ji seemed to let out a breath of relief. Even his straight-backed posture relaxed slightly.

　　He smiled and said, “It involves soaking in a medicinal bath. The medicine is added to a tub, and the steam helps it enter the body, softening the meridians.”

　　An Jiu nodded. “So there’s no way to do it right now.”

　　Pei Ji replied, “If all goes well, we’ll reach Pinglan City the day after tomorrow. It won’t be long.” Then, his tone shifted slightly as he asked, “Why did Miss An suddenly want to learn martial arts?”

　　An Jiu’s lashes lowered. She didn’t speak, but her fingers unconsciously brushed the green bamboo whistle hanging from her chest. A faint trace of sorrow quietly shadowed her brows.

　　Pei Ji's eyes flickered. He knew that over the past few days, whenever she had free time, she would blow that bamboo whistle. Yet as time passed, the sound of it grew less and less frequent.

　　It seemed that after being disappointed too many times, she had come to understand that it was just a little trinket someone used to fool her.

　　Even so, she still threaded it with a colorful string and wore it around her neck.

　　As if it were some kind of precious treasure.

　　So, the reason she wanted to learn martial arts… was it because of him?

________________

Author's Note:

Once you step into Miss An’s domain, you are fated to be ruled by Miss An — such is Pei Pei’s destined fate.

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