Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 19: “I’m Not Your Wife!”

　　The others also frowned, but they weren’t too affected.

　　Especially Pei Ji, who calmly wheeled himself up to the corpse, expression unchanged as he examined it for a moment. He then raised his hand toward Ah Qi and said, “Gloves and scalpel.”

　　Ah Qi crouched down and pulled out a fairly large wooden box from beneath the wheelchair. When opened, it revealed an assortment of herbs and medical tools.

　　There were cloth masks and gloves, along with various bottles and jars, forceps for gripping things, and a small scalpel.

　　An Jiu’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched this scene unfold.

　　She’d thought Pei Ji was just a traditional physician who worked with herbs and acupuncture—she didn’t expect him to also be knowledgeable in Western medicine.

　　Now she finally understood why his wheelchair was so big—it was basically a little cart carrying his personal medical kit.

　　Pei Ji put on the gloves and used the small knife to slice open a patch of skin on the corpse, carefully observing it for a while without even the slightest frown.

　　Everyone around held their breath as they watched, trying their best not to disturb him.

　　That tiny wound didn’t appear abnormal at first glance. Pei Ji paused thoughtfully for a moment, then took out a small porcelain bottle from the medical kit. He opened the lid and held it close to the wound.

　　As soon as the bottle was opened, everyone caught a strange, fishy odor—oddly enough, it carried a hint of sweetness within the stench.

　　The moment the scent wafted out, the corpse suddenly stirred. Around the sliced wound, something beneath the skin seemed to be wriggling, causing the flesh to bulge in small lumps that rapidly crawled toward the wound!

　　“What the hell is that?!” He Ziqing yelped in fright and sprang backward, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the corpse, nearly bolting out the door.

　　Lin Qingyan’s face had turned ghostly pale. She took a deep breath and said, “It’s probably some kind of gu.”

　　By now, Pei Ji had already withdrawn the porcelain bottle and put the lid back on. The squirming things under the corpse’s skin quickly settled down and returned to stillness.

　　He explained, “You’re right. They’re gu insects. Someone used gu to control the corpses’ movements. This isn’t a plague.”

　　Zhou Yuli’s expression turned grim. “Why would someone do this? The corpses moved, but they didn’t harm anyone—what’s the point?”

　　Pei Ji shook his head. “That, I don’t know. I’m just a physician, not a gu master. I can’t tell what kind of gu this is, so naturally, I don’t know its purpose. But it seems like the culprit just wanted to attract attention.”

　　Everyone understood what he meant. Pinglan City was under Huashan’s jurisdiction—if someone wanted to stir things up, the only one they could be aiming for was the Huashan Sect.

　　Xi Guangyuan asked in confusion, “Aren’t gu masters usually active in the southern regions? Why would one come to Pinglan City? Could it be that someone from our Huashan Sect has a grudge against a gu master?”

　　Zhou Yuli clenched his jaw, then cupped his hands toward Pei Ji and bowed deeply. “Regardless, thank you for your help, Young Valley Master. Without you, we still wouldn’t know the truth. From here on, Huashan Sect will send people to hunt down the gu master. We won’t trouble you any further.”

　　Pei Ji gave a gentle nod, his smile warm and graceful. “There’s no need to thank me.”

　　After clarifying the cause, An Jiu’s group parted ways with the Huashan trio. The three senior disciples had to report back to their sect, while An Jiu accompanied Pei Ji back to the inn.

　　Before they left, Pei Ji said to Zhou Yuli, “Brother Zhou, I’ve heard that gu masters rarely stray far from the gu they control. Tonight, you could lie in wait outside the Yizhuang.”

　　Zhou Yuli gratefully cupped his fists. “Many thanks, Young Valley Master. I’ll inform my master.”

　　Sitting in the carriage, An Jiu was still a bit dazed. That’s it?

　　She could’ve sworn the novel described this scene differently—Pei Ji hadn’t figured out it was caused by gu insects right away. That night, he returned to the mortuary to see the “living dead” with his own eyes. As luck would have it, the gu master discovered them and used the corpses to attack, leading to a fierce battle. Then everyone got infected with gu, and they had to search high and low for a cure, and eventually went to take revenge on the gu master…

　　In short, the trip to Pinglan City was supposed to be full of twists and turns. The protagonist group would encounter one hardship after another before finally capturing the gu master and resolving the crisis.

　　However, this time, Pei Ji had directly identified the problem as gu insects, practically pointing out the root cause from the start.

　　Zhou Yuli had rushed back to the sect so urgently—clearly, he must have realized something, right?

　　That’s right. This gu incident was actually connected to the Huashan Sect.

　　Or more precisely, it was connected to a former disciple of Huashan who had been cast out.

　　In the original story, the gu master was once a Huashan disciple. Due to mediocre talent and poor progress in cultivation, he was constantly criticized by his master. Unable to endure the favoritism shown to his senior brother and filled with resentment, he eventually lashed out and injured his master before fleeing the sect. By chance, he later learned the forbidden art of gu.

　　Years later, after mastering the craft, he returned to seek revenge and reclaim his dignity. By then, his master had already passed away, and the senior brother had become the sect leader.

　　The former disciple used living corpse gu to lure Huashan disciples down the mountain, planning to eliminate them all in one fell swoop. But he didn’t anticipate the arrival of the protagonist group, and so his scheme ended in failure.

　　It might sound like a fairly typical storyline, but there was a key plot point involving the female supporting character, An Jiu.

　　In the novel, the gu master captured An Jiu and used her to threaten He Ziqing into killing the Huashan sect leader. He Ziqing refused.

　　He chose to save the Huashan sect leader—at the cost of abandoning An Jiu.

　　Although An Jiu was eventually rescued unharmed, from that moment on, she began to spiral into darkness. She became increasingly twisted and cruel, committing all sorts of evil deeds until she brought about her own ruin.

　　But now... it seemed those plotlines might never happen?

　　An Jiu fell silent for a moment and sneaked a glance at the white-robed young man beside her, only to see him sitting upright in the carriage. His black hair draped over his shoulders, long lashes lowered—he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed.

　　She had thought he was going to follow the plot exactly as written… but clearly, some things had already changed.

　　That was good. She didn’t want to follow the plot either.

　　After all, she was a delicate young lady with no strength to truss a chicken—how could she possibly brave danger?

　　While she was deep in thought, the man’s long lashes suddenly fluttered. Without a sound, he opened his eyes and looked straight at her.

　　“What is Miss An thinking about?”

　　Such sharp instincts, this villain.

　　An Jiu blinked and said earnestly, “I was thinking… you mentioned giving me a medicinal bath and teaching me martial arts. Can we start today?”

　　Pei Ji paused for a moment, then smiled. “Of course.”

　　An Jiu curiously asked again, “Also… what exactly is a gu?”

　　Pei Ji gently explained, “Gu is a type of insect that can be controlled by people.”

　　An Jiu shivered, this time not faking it at all—she really was terrified of bugs.

　　“Insects? People can control insects?”

　　Pei Ji chuckled. “Naturally. The world is vast and full of wonders. Gu insects are merely a kind of technique. In fact, many types of insects possess unique traits and are often used in medicine. As for the gu insects controlled by a gu master, they are specially cultivated and possess extraordinary abilities. For example, I’ve heard of a type of gu that can burrow into a person’s brain and feed on brain fluid, causing death by splitting headache. Another kind can enter the heart and devour it from within, severing the life force entirely.”

　　An Jiu’s face turned pale, and she quickly waved her hands. “Stop, stop—aren’t there any better kinds of gu? Are they all that harmful?”

　　Seeing the fear in her eyes, Pei Ji’s eyes curved in a smile as he continued in a gentle tone, “There are. For instance, there is a longevity gu that consumes impurities in the blood. The one implanted with it will enjoy robust health and a long life. Unfortunately, that type is extremely rare and nearly impossible to obtain. There’s also a love gu, which comes in a pair: one mother and one child. If the person with the mother gu gives the child gu to someone they’re fond of, that person will fall in love with them as well.”

　　Upon hearing that, the girl froze for a moment. Then, as if recalling something, her eyes suddenly lit up.

　　“Is that real?” she asked, her voice rising a few notes in excitement.

　　The white-robed young man leisurely flicked open his folding fan. The depths of his dark eyes shimmered with mirth, and his voice carried a faint note of temptation. “Of course. It’s actually one of the most common types of gu. Almost every gu master can refine it.”

　　After that, An Jiu remained distracted, her mind clearly elsewhere.

　　Pei Ji didn’t seem to notice anything, continuing to rest with his eyes closed, the corners of his lips faintly upturned the entire time.

　　Although he had ruined the gu master’s plans… there were still certain events that didn’t need to be avoided—such as An Jiu being captured.

　　In their past life, no one had saved her. In this life, “Fei Yi” would be the one to rescue her.

　　He figured that once again playing the hero to save the beauty would cause this woman to fall deeply for him. That would mean his plan was already halfway to success.

　　As for the Twin-soul Gu… Pei Ji had sent people to the southern border, but there had been no news since.

　　That region was remote and xenophobic. Not only was the language different from the Central Plains, but the place was also full of miasma and misty forests. The art of gu refinement was in the hands of the Miao royal clan, whose people lived in seclusion and rarely interacted with the outside world. Finding the Twin-soul Gu would not be something achieved overnight.

　　Thinking of this, a slight frown formed between Pei Ji’s brows.

　　Fortunately, the woman now wasn’t as foolish as she had been in her previous life—dealing with her shouldn’t be too difficult.

　　“Pei Ji! I want that! Hurry and buy it for me!”

　　A lively, coquettish voice suddenly pierced his ears, accompanied by a burst of fragrant sweetness.

　　Pei Ji opened his eyes and saw the girl leaning across the small table in the carriage. One hand pressed on the tabletop while the other lifted the curtain on the opposite window. She pointed eagerly at the sugar haw vendor outside, eyes shining as she looked at him hopefully.

　　Her posture brought her quite close to him. As Pei Ji’s gaze lowered slightly, he caught sight of her slightly open collar as she leaned forward, revealing slender, fair collarbones.

　　The white-robed gentleman closed his eyes briefly, then said in a low voice, “Sit back. I’ll buy it for you.”

　　The vendor outside had also heard An Jiu’s voice and quickly followed alongside the carriage, holding up the skewer of sugar haw and calling out, “Miss, buy a stick of sugar haw! Ours is made with the finest sugar and freshly picked hawthorn!”

　　An Jiu obediently sat back down, her pretty peach blossom eyes fixed steadily on Pei Ji, blinking at him expectantly.

　　Pei Ji sighed inwardly in resignation, shifted his body toward the window, handed over some copper coins with one hand, and received a stick of sugar haw with the other.

　　“I want two!” came the girl’s sweet, clear voice from behind him again.

　　Pei Ji passed over two more copper coins. “One more.”

　　The vendor grinned broadly as he handed over the second skewer, complimenting, “Young master and madam have such a loving relationship!”

　　Pei Ji was briefly stunned and didn’t have time to respond before the carriage moved on. The vendor didn’t catch up, and he lost the chance to explain.

　　He held a sugar haw skewer in each hand and offered one to the wide-eyed girl before him.

　　An Jiu immediately took it. Her rosy lips parted, and she bit off one glossy, red sugar haw with a big “chomp.” Her pale cheeks puffed out adorably.

　　Without even lifting her head, she focused intently on her treat and mumbled through her full cheeks, “I’m not your wife!”

　　So she had heard it.

　　As if worried he might get the wrong idea, the girl looked up and glared at him, warning, “I only like Fei Yi. Got it?”

　　This girl could never keep anything in—just a few days ago, she had already spilled the beans about her crush: that gallant young man who saved her, the noble Fei Yi.

　　Logically speaking, the more she liked Fei Yi, the happier he should be.

　　But for some reason, seeing the way she now looked at him with such obvious disdain, a faint sense of gloom stirred in Pei Ji’s heart.

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Author’s Note:

An Jiu: ??? Again? What is it with you and this hero-saving-the-damsel stuff??

Pei Pei: (twiddling fingers) I just… want you to like me a little more…

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Glossary: 

Gu (蛊) – A type of parasitic or venomous insect, worm, or mystical creature used in poison arts, often controlled by cultivators to harm or manipulate others.

Heart-Gu (心蛊) – A Gu that links to a person’s heart or emotions. Used for love control or to enslave.

Corpse-Gu (尸蛊) – Implanted in corpses to animate them as puppets or zombies.

Mind-Controlling Gu (控心蛊) – Used to dominate or brainwash someone’s will.

Life-Bound Gu (命蛊) – The user and victim’s lives are bound. If one dies, the other does too.

Devouring Gu (噬蛊) – Consumes the host’s energy, soul, or lifespan.

Protection Gu (护身蛊) – Defensive Gu that activates to save the host from harm.

Love Gu (情蛊) – Forces unnatural obsession or one-sided love.

Blood Gu (血蛊) – Grows stronger by feeding on blood, often used in dark cultivation.

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