Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 27: He Wished He Were Dead

 

　　The misunderstanding cleared, the three stood at the door, looking at each other for a while. The door opened again, and the young man in white, his clothes neat, sat in his wheelchair, his black eyes staring expressionlessly at the three. 

　　Ah Qi: “Haha, Young Master, I've got all the medicine back, not a single one missing! I'll just leave it at the door. I'm going into town to gather information, see if there are any difficult cases for you to solve!” 

　　Lin Qingyan: “I, I'll go with Brother He to do bounty hunting! Pei Ji, you're busy!” 

　　The two, with guilty consciences, took the only one who was out of the loop, He Ziqing, and ran away, faster than rabbits. 

　　In this small team, although Pei Ji seemed the most easygoing and never got angry, for some reason, everyone subconsciously felt a little afraid of him. 

　　When it came to making decisions, Pei Ji was always the one who did it. 

　　Even though He Ziqing is a few years older than him, Pei Ji still looks more mature and stable, often making people ignore his age. 

　　Pei Ji carried the packets of medicine back to the room, placed them on the table, and slowly poured himself a cup of tea. 

　　“Pei Ji, how long do these needles have to stay in?” 

　　From a distance came the unhappy voice of a girl. Looking in that direction, he saw the girl lying straight on the bed, her limbs spread out, her two arms bare, dozens of silver needles as thin as hairs sticking into her snow-white skin. 

　　Afraid of knocking the needles off, An Jiu dared not move, not even turning her head. 

　　Because she also had many needles stuck into her forehead and head, making her look like a hedgehog. 

　　It wasn't that she couldn't be given medicine, but the medicine was extremely precious, and Pei Ji wasn't in a very good mood, so he used acupuncture instead. 

　　Now, seeing the girl looking so gloomy, the gloom in his heart unknowingly dissipated quite a bit.

　　“Two quarters.” Pei Ji said slowly. 

　　In ancient times, a quarter was also fifteen minutes, so two quarters meant half an hour. An Jiu hadn't slept well last night; she had a hard time falling asleep and then couldn't stay asleep. By now, as she lay in bed, a wave of drowsiness washed over her again. 

　　Afraid she might fall asleep uncontrollably, she started to make small talk with Pei Ji. 

　　“I heard Brother He and Lin Qingyan went to collect the bounty order early this morning. Is that how you all travel the world?” 

　　“Mm.” 

　　“What does the bounty order usually require?” 

　　“Capturing criminals.” 

　　“For example? Like the flower thief in Jiufang City?” 

　　“Also maritime bandits or murderers.” 

　　“So you’re just doing good deeds by punishing evil and promoting good?” 

　　Pei Ji, sitting at the table and sorting out the herbs from the medicine packets, paused for a moment before replying, “I suppose so.” 

　　An Jiu chatted idly with Pei Ji, but as the conversation went on, it began to feel uninteresting. He seemed unusually quiet today, almost as if he wasn't very happy. 

　　An Jiu had sensed this before but couldn't be sure. Pei Ji always wore a mask-like expression, making it hard for anyone to discern what he was thinking. 

　　He seemed to be preparing medicine; An Jiu caught a whiff of the herbal scent in the air, slightly bitter. Accompanying the faint rustling sounds were his fingers sorting the herbs, the sounds of them dropping into the copper tray. 

　　Something felt off about Pei Ji today, An Jiu's instincts told her. 

　　Lying in bed, she began to analyze what might be wrong. 

　　She had finally managed to bring her favorability level to 0, which meant that Pei Ji's perception of her had reached the level of a stranger, with neither positive nor negative feelings. 

　　However, An Jiu realized that it was becoming increasingly difficult to raise that favorability. 

　　Back when they were in the carriage, she had been more talkative and occasionally flirted with him, and over a few days, she was able to raise it by several points. 

　　At that time, he had some negative feelings toward her, but it was easy to eliminate those; she just needed to do things that pleased him.

　　But to make Pei Ji like her, she couldn't use such gentle methods; she needed something more stimulating. 

　　An Jiu wrinkled her nose and suddenly asked, “Pei Ji, did you learn your medical skills from your father? I heard Zhou Yuli call you Young Valley Master last time. You seem to be quite important, huh?” 

　　The young man in white paused his movements, though An Jiu didn't see it. 

　　She continued chattering, “I thought you were not a martial arts person before, since you only seemed to know medicine. I didn't expect you to be so famous! Since you are the Young Valley Master, then your father is the Valley Master? What kind of Valley Master is he? Is your father very powerful? I saw Zhou Yuli bow down to you!” 

　　After saying so much, she realized no one had answered. 

　　“Pei Ji? Pei Ji? Doctor Pei? Hey, cripple?! Are you not only lame but also deaf?!” 

　　Getting no response, the young lady's tone became increasingly irritable. 

　　She dared not turn her head, afraid that if she moved, the needles would fall out or pierce deeper into her flesh. 

　　She heard the rumbling of wheels, and a white shadow gradually approached. 

　　A handsome and elegant face came into view. The young man in white, with black hair, pushed his wheelchair to the bedside. He looked at An Jiu, his expression gentle, the corners of his eyes holding a faint smile. 

　　“It seems I need to add a few more needles.” 

　　Pei Ji swiftly picked up a few silver needles and skillfully inserted them into An Jiu's neck before she could react. 

　　A strange sensation spread from her neck, like tiny insects crawling on her skin, causing a tingling itch. 

　　An Jiu: “!!!” 

　　“Waa! I won't say anything anymore, Pei Ji, take them out! I… it's so itchy, so uncomfortable…” 

　　An Jiu was completely flustered. Wasn't Pei Ji supposed to be that ever-patient, good-natured person? Why was his personality so different today? 

　　She thought he would keep up the act, but he revealed his true nature in just a few days. Didn't this also prove that what she had just said had indeed hit a sore spot? 

　　The itch, as if coming from deep within her bones, was so torturous. An Jiu's eyes turned red, and tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks, wetting a small patch of the pillow. 

　　Pei Ji sat beside her, smiling faintly. 

　　Unable to bear the discomfort, the young lady reached out to remove the needles herself, but a warm hand gently restrained her.

　　“Don't touch them. If these needles are removed incorrectly, you'll die.” Pei Ji's tone was gentle, like an adult softly warning a child not to touch dangerous things. 

　　The girl, her nose red from crying, looked at him with tearful eyes, fear and apprehension evident. “I know I was wrong. Please forgive me. I won't call you cripple again.” 

　　Their eyes met. The man's dark eyes seemed to shimmer with amusement, yet his gaze remained calm and unreadable. 

　　He watched her silently for a long time. Seeing the fear in her eyes grow stronger, realizing that he might scare her away if he continued, he slowly reached out and carefully removed the needles one by one. 

　　While removing the needles, he calmly answered her questions: “My medical skills were naturally inherited from my father. My father was the renowned Medicine King of the martial arts world, his medical skills were miraculous, and it's said he could bring the dead back to life.” 

　　The girl, her eyes red and swollen like a rabbit's, sniffled and asked, “Bring the dead back to life? Really?” 

　　Having just received a lesson, the girl seemed to have forgotten the discomfort, her attention immediately shifting to Pei Ji's words. 

　　Her forgetfulness was astonishing, causing Pei Ji to look at her sideways. 

　　Seeing his silence, the girl urged, “You haven't finished yet, tell me!” 

　　Pei Ji paused, then found his voice. “You...aren't afraid?” 

　　“Afraid of what?” The girl blinked her tearful eyes, looking bewildered. After a moment, she realized what he was saying, her expression immediately changing as she looked at him vigilantly. “Didn't I promise not to call you cripple? And you mustn't bully me again!” 

　　Then, her eyes shining brightly, she curiously asked, “So, your father was so amazing. Could he really bring the dead back to life?” 

　　Pei Ji: “...” 

　　For some reason, the gloom that had been lingering in his heart inexplicably lessened. 

　　Pei Ji hadn't originally intended to mention his father, but seeing the girl's hopeful, tearful eyes, he found himself speaking. 

　　“I don't know. My father...he passed away when I was eight years old.” 

　　As soon as he said that, compassion instantly appeared in the girl's eyes, unable to be concealed. 

　　Pei Ji's eyelids drooped slightly, but the corners of his mouth still held their usual upward curve. He said softly, “But I still remember that in those days, many people came to my father seeking medical treatment. They knelt outside the Medicine King Valley, willing to kneel until their legs rotted away to receive his treatment. People in the martial arts world called my father the Medicine King. Many people with incurable diseases came to Medicine King Valley, and after being treated by my father, they were mostly able to recover.”

　　“Wow!” the girl exclaimed, “Your father was really amazing.” 

　　Pei Ji paused, then said, “Nowadays, many people come to me for medical treatment as well.” 

　　That was true. Before in Jiufang City, many people often went to Lin Manor to see Pei Ji. This time, as soon as they arrived in Pinglan City, the Huashan Sect immediately came looking for him. Clearly, Pei Ji's skill was not much different than his father's. 

　　However, the way he explained this to her sounded like he was bragging.　　 

　　An Jiu looked at him in surprise. The young man in white seemed to realize he had gone off-topic, slightly turning his face away, avoiding the girl's gaze. He continued, “As for my medical skills...my father didn't teach me anything. He left too early, and I learned everything by myself from the medical books in the valley.” 

　　The needles were finally removed. An Jiu sat up from the bed and tested her fingertips. 

　　She still felt pain, but it was much less acute than before, only slightly more sensitive than a normal person's. 

　　“I'm all better, Pei Ji. Your medical skills are really good! You learned so well without a teacher. You're better than your dad!” 

　　An Jiu gave him a thumbs-up. 

　　Pei Ji's gaze fell on her unusual gesture. “What does that mean?” 

　　“It means I'm praising you,” An Jiu explained. 

　　An Jiu put on her clothes and prepared to leave. Her clothes were torn and dirty, and she had sweated a lot last night, so she really wanted to take a bath. 

　　“I'm going now. This time...consider it a debt,” the girl glanced at the young man in white, mumbled this awkwardly, and then ran out of the room. 

　　Leaving without a backward glance; using him and then discarding him. Others would fight tooth and nail for his help, but An Jiu didn't seem to care about him at all. Even her praise felt perfunctory. 

　　Pei Ji looked at the open door for a while before closing it. He had originally planned to have Wu Sheng come to detoxify her at night, but now...it was good to leave her with a lesson. 

　　Last night, Pei Ji had learned something from Wu Sheng. 

　　His father, Pei Zhou, who was rumored to have died years ago, might still be alive. 

　　Pei Ji didn't say that Pei Zhou didn't teach him medicine not because he left too early, but because he didn't want to teach. 

　　From the time he could remember, Pei Ji had understood one thing: his father hated him. 

　　Pei Zhou cared about the people of the world, but hated his own son. It was because his existence had killed his mother, the woman Pei Zhou deeply loved. 

　　He was an unwanted disaster to his parents.

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T/N: Sometimes, when An Jiu bullies Pei Ji, it does feel a bit excessive. But in this chapter, Pei Ji gets his revenge. Honestly, both are master manipulators, so don't feel sorry for either of them when they argue or scheme against each other. Just enjoy the story! 😂

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