Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 18: The Living Dead in the Yizhuang

　　While the Huashan trio were still reeling from shock, the entire meal had already come to an end—and the plague incident in Pinglan City hadn’t even been mentioned.

　　Divine Doctor Pei was fully focused on attending to Miss An: peeling shrimp, serving dishes, handing her mouthwash—he served her like she was an ancestor, with complete dedication. Yet strangely enough, aside from the three of them, everyone else acted like it was perfectly normal.

　　Zhou Yuli: Is it us who have the problem?

　　The three of them were left questioning life as they nervously finished the meal. Only then did they finally have time to sit down and discuss business.

　　Everyone gathered at the table. Zhou Yuli took a sip of tea and said in a low voice, “About ten days ago, something strange happened in Pinglan City.”

　　“Something strange? Wasn’t it a plague?” He Ziqing asked.

　　Zhou Yuli’s expression darkened, and he slowly shook his head. “In truth, even now, we’re still not sure whether it’s actually a plague.”

　　Pei Ji gently shook his fan, raising an eyebrow slightly, as if intrigued. “Oh?”

　　An Jiu shot him a glance. Since this man had been reborn, he definitely already knew what was going on with the outbreak in Pinglan City—yet he could still act so convincingly. Impressive.

　　Even as she internally rolled her eyes, she put on a face full of curiosity and looked at Zhou Yuli, who was recounting the “strange event.”

　　Zhou Yuli continued, “It all started when someone discovered that in a ¹Yizhuang (public morgue) outside the city, there were ‘living corpses.’”

　　Lin Qingyan’s eyes widened. “Living corpses?”

　　That junior brother, being impatient, spoke up before Zhou Yuli could continue: “Yes! The corpses in that Yizhuang get up and walk around every night! By morning, they return to being dead. If that’s not a living corpse, then what is?”

　　Zhou Yihuan nodded repeatedly, her face slightly pale and filled with lingering fear. “It’s true. I went to see it with Senior Brother. We saw it with our own eyes—the corpses in the Yizhuang come to life at night.”

　　Hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned incredulous. He Ziqing couldn’t help but ask, “Did they really all come back to life?”

　　But Zhou Yuli shook his head. “No, they didn’t truly come back to life. They were just walking corpses, wandering aimlessly—more like zombies or ghouls. That’s why we suspect this might be a type of plague, or perhaps a form of poison.”

　　Pei Ji tapped his palm with the ribs of his fan, thinking for a moment before saying, “To know exactly what it is, I’ll have to see it with my own eyes.”

　　Zhou Yuli said, “Our master sent word to you upon hearing that the Young Valley Master has inherited the Medicine King’s skills. Now that you’re here, we believe this matter will surely be resolved. And if it turns out to be the work of some sinister plot, the Huashan Sect will not let the culprit off easily—and we will certainly prepare a generous gift to thank you, Young Valley Master.”

　　The smile at Pei Ji’s lips stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to his usual warm and charming demeanor. Smiling, he cupped his hands and said, “Since Sect Master Zhou and my father are close friends, I, Pei, will of course do everything in my power.”

　　An Jiu appeared to be listening to Zhou Yuli speak, but in truth, she had been keeping part of her attention on Pei Ji the entire time. That brief flicker of emotion on his face just now—though unnoticed by the others—had been clearly caught by her.

　　What kind of thing could move someone like Pei Ji, a master of acting?

　　After thinking for a moment, An Jiu deduced that the trigger might have been the mention of his “father.”

　　Pei Ji’s father was the legendary Medicine King, renowned throughout the martial world. However, the novel didn’t delve much into his background. After all, Pei Ji was only the second male lead—there was no need to go too deep into his family history.

　　All An Jiu knew was that his father’s name was Pei Zhou, and by the time Pei Ji appeared in the story, Pei Zhou had already been dead for several years, never making an appearance in the text.

　　It was said that Pei Zhou’s medical skills were unmatched—he was a true divine doctor.

　　As for Pei Ji’s birth mother, not even a shadow of her had been mentioned.

　　Still, from a few subtle details, some things could be inferred. Since Pei Ji had been targeted by poison right after birth, his mother must have faced danger at the time as well—likely dying even earlier.

　　After a round of polite formalities, the group began to make arrangements to visit the Yizhuang and see the “reviving” corpses for themselves.

　　An Jiu and Pei Ji rode in a carriage as before, while the others traveled on horseback.

　　It didn’t take long to leave the city, and soon the group arrived at the Yizhuang. The place wasn’t large, surrounded by desolate emptiness. In front of the courtyard stood a withered tree, its bare branches occupied by a few pitch-black crows, motionless as they stared at the group.

　　Zhou Yuli was the first to dismount and said, “After the living corpses appeared, we sealed off the Yizhuang to prevent panic among the people and forbade any civilians from approaching.”

　　The City Lord of Pinglan City was a disciple of the Huashan Sect, so in practice, the entire city was under Huashan’s jurisdiction.

　　As for the county magistrate in the yamen, that position rotated every few years, which meant the government had far less control over a city than a local City Lord who had cultivated long-term influence.

　　This was precisely why people said, “A powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake.”

　　An Jiu was about to jump down from the carriage shaft when Xi Guangyuan, the junior brother, eagerly stepped forward and said, “Miss An, careful—I’ll help you down.”

　　Before An Jiu could even decline, a sudden chill crawled up her spine. It was as if some fierce beast had locked its gaze onto her—cold and piercing.

　　She paused for a moment and looked back, only to see Pei Ji still sitting inside the carriage, dressed in flowing white robes, a gentle smile on his face as he asked warmly, “Why haven’t you gotten down yet, Miss An?”

　　He always waited for her to get down first before following.

　　Without a word, An Jiu decisively ignored Xi Guangyuan’s outstretched hand and jumped down cleanly, stirring up a layer of dust as she landed.

　　Xi Guangyuan: “…”

　　Clearly, Xi Guangyuan wasn’t the type to give up easily. As An Jiu walked ahead on her own, he continued to follow by her side, persistently trying to strike up conversation.

　　He hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to the beauty back at the inn, and now he was finally seizing the opportunity.

　　Though this Miss An had a bit of a spoiled temper, Xi Guangyuan thought it was perfectly normal. A beautiful woman should be treated differently. Besides, with a face like that, even he would be happy to serve her in every way.

　　Xi Guangyuan was the textbook definition of a simp. An Jiu had met plenty like him in the modern world—guys who either chased her for her looks or her money. She usually couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.

　　But this time, she didn’t chase him away. Instead, she responded to him half-heartedly, keeping the conversation going just enough—while her gaze, from the corner of her eye, remained fixed on the white-robed young man not far away.

　　Pei Ji was walking alongside Zhou Yuli, seemingly absorbed in conversation.

　　【Pei Ji’s favorability toward you -5. Current: -15.】

　　【Pei Ji’s favorability toward you +5. Current: -10.】

　　【Pei Ji’s favorability toward you -5. Current: -15.】

　　……

　　An Jiu: “…”

　　Ugh!!! Even if it's reporting in increments of 5, can’t it stop spamming her screen?!

　　She was utterly fed up with this man. Did he really have that many internal thoughts?

　　Trying to ignore the constant stream of system notifications in her ear, An Jiu analyzed the pattern carefully. Every time she chatted with Xi Guangyuan, the favorability dropped. But whenever she clearly brushed him off, the points would bounce back.

　　So, he was secretly watching her, wasn’t he?

　　The whole reason she got closer to Xi Guangyuan was to test Pei Ji’s current attitude toward her—and maybe indirectly nudge the favorability score up a little.

　　After several days on the road, she’d managed to grind his favorability up to -10, only for it to freeze there like it had hit a wall.

　　An Jiu realized this must be a bottleneck.

　　She suspected that -10 represented “mild dislike,” while getting into positive numbers probably meant actual “favorability.” To shift Pei Ji’s attitude from dislike to something more positive, she’d need a stronger stimulus.

　　And judging by the current results… there was stimulus, all right—just not to him, but to her.

　　Her brain was practically about to explode from the constant notification spam.

　　To save herself from a mental breakdown, An Jiu didn’t hesitate to shake off Xi Guangyuan and walk straight over to Pei Ji.

　　It wasn’t until she stood beside him that the white-robed young man slowly turned his head to look at her.

　　“Miss An, what’s the matter?”

　　An Jiu tugged at the corner of her lips in a strained, fake smile. “I have a headache.”

　　A flicker of surprise passed through Pei Ji’s eyes. Seeing that her face had indeed gone slightly pale, he frowned. “Give me your hand. I’ll check your pulse.”

　　She couldn’t afford to fall ill—her life was tied to his, after all.

　　But An Jiu shook her head and exhaled softly, whispering, “It’s not physical… It’s just too noisy. The noise is giving me a headache.”

　　Noisy?

　　Pei Ji instinctively wanted to ask, “What noise?”

　　But the next second, he suddenly recalled—Xi Guangyuan had been glued to her side the entire time, buzzing around like a fly, chatting and joking endlessly. Now that he thought about it… yeah, that was pretty noisy.

　　The moment that thought crossed his mind, a wave of sudden clarity and satisfaction washed over him.

　　Under the bright spring sunlight, his features seemed even gentler and warmer. He couldn’t help but smile, then unfastened the pouch at his waist and handed it to the young girl. “There are some pills inside that help refresh the mind. Smelling them should relieve your headache.”

　　An Jiu took it without the slightest hesitation and brought it to her nose for a deep sniff. Instantly, a wave of cool, refreshing sensation surged straight to her head, soothing the dizziness and discomfort caused by the constant notifications.

　　What a great thing!

　　Her eyes lit up, and she immediately looked down at the white-robed gentleman with a lifted chin, declaring with full confidence, “This is mine now!”

　　After all, he was the reason for her headache. Naturally, it was his responsibility to fix it!

　　Before he could even respond, she had already hung the white silk pouch on her own waist.

　　Embroidered in fine silver thread was a small character—“Pei”—which swayed into and out of view with her every step, dangling against her crimson skirt.

　　Pei Ji glanced at the pouch bearing his name, now resting against the hem of her rosy-red dress. White upon red—it stood out far too much.

　　His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he slowly looked away, smiling with remarkable patience. “Alright, it’s yours.”

　　【Pei Ji’s favorability toward you +5, current: -5.】

　　An Jiu’s dark eyes gleamed, a fleeting smile flashing across her face.

　　Looks like the stimulation was working after all.

　　By now, the group had entered the Yizhuang. Just past the gate was a large courtyard, typically used for storing bodies. But now it stood eerily empty and desolate. Most of the corpses brought here were of those who died alone and unclaimed. With no one to collect their remains, they were sent to the Yizhuang to be buried by the authorities.

　　Even then, the process was crude—bodies were simply wrapped in straw mats and dumped into shallow pits.

　　Zhou Yihuan had a psychological aversion to the place and didn’t dare enter. She remained outside while the rest of the group proceeded in.

　　Zhou Yuli said, “Those corpses would get up and wander at night. Even if we buried them, they would dig their way out. So we set fire to most of them and kept a few for you to examine.”

　　He pushed open the door to the inner room of the Yizhuang, and a gust of cold wind swept through the corridor, carrying with it a foul stench.

　　Perhaps due to the sheer number of corpses, the Yizhuang was eerily cold—several degrees colder than outside. It felt like a cellar, the air dim and heavy, as if all warmth and sunlight had been cut off at the threshold.

　　The remaining corpses were laid out quietly on several bamboo beds in the main hall.

　　Many of the bodies were already decomposing, with tattered clothing revealing decayed wounds crawling with tiny maggots.

　　An Jiu raised her hand to cover her nose and mouth, but still couldn’t hold back a gagging sound.

　　Xi Guangyuan immediately rushed to flatter her, saying, “Miss An, if you’re feeling unwell, I’ll take you outside. This place is filthy and full of rot—can’t let it soil your delicate shoes.”

　　An Jiu kept her mouth covered and waved him off, forcing herself to endure it. “I’m fine.”

　　She then grabbed the sachet hanging from her waist and pressed it to her nose, inhaling deeply.

　　Her movements were smooth and practiced. After she’d steadied herself, she looked up—only to see the white-robed young man not far away, watching her. The corners of his long, narrow eyes curved gently with amusement.

________________

Glossary:

¹Yìzhuāng (义庄) was originally a charitable institution—something like an almshouse—set up by wealthy clans or philanthropists to help the poor, especially those from the same clan.

But over time, especially in fiction and later usage, Yizhuang also referred to a place where unclaimed corpses were temporarily stored or buried—making it function like a public morgue.

In the novel’s context—where corpses are stored, sometimes move at night, and people come to investigate spooky stuff—“public morgue” is the more accurate translation.

So short answer: Yizhuang = public morgue in this story.

……

Author’s note:

Pei Pei: She said that man was noisy. She doesn’t like him! She smelled my sachet—she likes me!

An Jiu: ??? The noisy one is you!

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