Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 75: “I Know Who Stole Your Stuff.”

　　For some reason, even though Pei Ji gave in so easily, the young lady didn’t look all that happy about it.

　　She looked a little surprised, kind of spaced out for a second, then pressed her lips together and awkwardly muttered, “A-as long as you know.”

　　Pei Ji, still fuming, didn’t notice the subtle change in her expression.

　　He tugged at the corner of his lips with a bitter smile and said sarcastically, “No need to be so nervous, Miss An. I’m not the kind of guy who clings onto people. Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. What happened last night will stay between you, me, and the heavens. Your ‘precious reputation’ is safe.”

　　When he said ‘reputation,’ he deliberately emphasized it, and a mocking glint flashed through his eyes as he looked at her.

　　Hearing that, the color drained from her previously flushed cheeks.

　　She got what he meant.

　　Pei Ji must’ve figured out that she had some sort of secret thing going on with Fei Yi, and now he was mocking her for not being ‘pure’ anymore, right?

　　In the past, the young lady would’ve snapped right back at him, furious. But now, she just stood there pale-faced and silent.

　　Faint footsteps came from outside. It was the young monk who brought them food in the mornings.

　　An Jiu suddenly snapped out of it. She quickly turned around, almost like she was running away from something, and rushed to the door. Knocking loudly, she called out, “Anyone there?”

　　The little monk answered from the other side, “Yes, what is it, An Tanyue?”

　　An Jiu replied, “I want to see your Fozi.”

　　The monk glanced at her through the door’s wooden grate, didn’t ask anything, and opened the door to let her out.

　　As An Jiu stepped through, she could feel Pei Ji’s gaze locked onto her back like it had weight.

　　She never once looked back. Didn’t even glance at him.

　　Not long after, the little monk led An Jiu to see Fei Chen.

　　Fei Chen, now the abbot of Wuyin Temple, was dressed in golden-red robes. He no longer looked like the cold, celestial figure he used to be. Instead, he carried a quiet, heavy kind of holiness.

　　The bodhi seed still hadn’t been found, and the person behind the theft hadn’t shown any signs either. Fei Chen’s brows were slightly furrowed, his expression serious.

　　“What can I help you with?” he asked calmly, looking at An Jiu.

　　Out of everyone in Pei Ji’s group, Fei Chen had always been the least suspicious of her.

　　He had always had a strong premonition since he was a child. Among the three of them, that master-and-servant duo gave him the worst feeling. He never had solid proof, but his instincts told him those two were the most suspicious.

　　And yet now, An Jiu looked at him and said:

　　“Master Fei Chen, I know who stole your stuff.”

　　Fei Chen’s gaze immediately sharpened. “You know? Who was it?”

　　These past two days while they were detained, Fei Chen had secretly arranged for people to watch the Disciplinary Hall, keeping an eye out for anyone who might try to contact them.

　　What surprised him was that these people had actually been behaving themselves. Not a single suspicious move.

　　By this point, Fei Chen was even starting to doubt himself—maybe he’d wrongly accused innocent people.

　　An Jiu shook her head. Her face showed a bit of struggle, like she was hesitating whether or not to speak. After a long pause, she finally said, “I... I’m not totally sure. It’s just a guess…”

　　“I know someone. He’s really skilled in martial arts and always wears a silver mask. A few days ago, he was actually here at Wuyin Temple too…”

　　When she got to this part, she nervously looked around, as if afraid someone might overhear.

　　Fei Chen gently reassured her, “Don’t worry, An Tanyue. There’s no one else around. You can tell me everything you know.”

　　An Jiu visibly relaxed, her expression softening as she looked at him with trust. “Thank you, Master Fei Chen. I’ve been keeping this in for a long time. That man once saved my life, so we kept in touch. But later... I found out he was doing some shady things…”

　　She spoke hesitantly, struggling to explain, but in the end, she still told him everything.

　　“I don’t know for sure if it was him, but I’ve thought about it. Back at Jinshe Villa, he stole a secret manual. Now something’s gone missing here, too... it could very well be him. Otherwise, why would he always hide, never showing his face?”

　　Maybe because she finally let it all out, she seemed a lot more relaxed the more she talked.

　　Fei Chen didn’t interrupt her, quietly listening as she described the mysterious masked man. Once she was done, he finally asked, “You said he stole a martial arts manual?”

　　An Jiu nodded. “That’s right. I’m sure he already got his hands on it.”

　　The rumors on the jianghu claimed the manual had already been taken by the Demonic Sect. So why was An Jiu so sure someone else had it?

　　There were a lot of unanswered questions, but Fei Chen didn’t press her.

　　He wasn’t that interested in the manual anyway—what really mattered to him was the missing bodhi seed. Though deep down, Fei Chen knew that once it was stolen, it was almost impossible to get it back. And even if it were found, the internal energy stored inside would likely have already been absorbed.

　　Getting it back wouldn’t mean much anymore.

　　Still, he wanted it returned. It wasn’t just because the bodhi seed symbolized Wuyin Temple’s legacy; it was because that person had taken it on the night of his master’s passing and disturbed Master Zhenyi’s final moments.

　　That was what truly enraged Fei Chen.

　　Even if Fei Chen had no personal desires or attachments left, it didn’t mean he had no pride or temper.

　　“Could you draw what that guy looks like?” Fei Chen asked after thinking it over for a moment. There just wasn’t enough solid info to go on.

　　Since she’d already spilled the beans, An Jiu didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Sure.”

　　Fei Chen took out some brush, ink, and paper, and An Jiu started sketching what Fei Yi looked like.

　　Thanks to the original body’s memories, she naturally knew how to draw. After all, in ancient times, girls were expected to be good at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Even though An Jiu had been spoiled, she still learned quite a bit growing up.

　　Slowly, a handsome face appeared on the paper. Fei Chen, of course, didn’t recognize it—or rather, in this world, only An Jiu had ever seen this face, which had been created just for her.

　　Fei Chen looked disappointed. “I’ve never seen this person. I’ll go ask my Shishu later.”

　　An Jiu suddenly said, “Wait, I’ll draw one more.”

　　This time, she added a silver mask over the face. The patterns on it were intricate and unique. An Jiu had a sharp memory and recreated it in perfect detail.

　　Fei Chen’s pupils shrank, and he blurted out, “Xian Wuming!”

　　Wuyin Temple didn’t get involved in jianghu affairs, but they weren’t completely out of the loop either. They still kept an eye on the bigger stuff happening in the martial world, and every year, monks from the temple would head down the mountain to train and uphold justice.

　　Fei Chen had long heard of Xian Wuming from the Qiānshā Pavilion. He’d never seen his face, but he knew that the guy always wore a silver mask.

　　In fact, in the martial world, the silver mask was how people identified Xian Wuming.

　　And not just him—the assassins from Qiānshā Pavilion all wore masks to hide their faces.

　　They were like bats hiding in the shadows—never showing their real identities, lurking in the dark corners of the jianghu, quietly taking lives without a sound.

　　Even though Qiānshā Pavilion claimed they never killed the innocent and only accepted money to take lives, their reputation wasn’t exactly great. They were considered somewhere in between good and evil.

　　But as far as Wuyin Temple was concerned, any group that made a business out of killing was already walking the demonic path.

　　“So it’s him!” Fei Chen said, suddenly realizing.

　　“Who’s Xian Wuming?” An Jiu asked, playing dumb with wide-eyed curiosity.

　　Fei Chen then explained who Xian Wuming was. It was An Jiu’s first time hearing a proper story about him—before this, all she knew came from the vague descriptions in the original novel. Her surprised reaction looked real enough, and Fei Chen didn’t suspect a thing.

　　In reality, An Jiu was super nervous. Fei Chen was very good at reading people’s emotions, and she was worried he’d see through her.

　　Right now, she was doing her best to fully become ‘An Jiu,’ the original character—to act like she really was this girl, without leaving even the tiniest crack in her story.

　　Luckily, Fei Chen seemed just as shocked by the revelation, so he didn’t notice anything off.

　　He fell into deep thought, fingers moving over his prayer beads as he muttered, “The ones who broke into the spirit hall that night also wore black and had their faces covered. When we caught them and tried to interrogate them, they all died from poison. Which means... the bodhi seed being stolen might really have been the work of the Qiānshā Pavilion.”

　　“What’s even more suspicious is that Xian Wuming is known for using poison… but why would he want that secret martial arts manual? And why take the bodhi seed? Could it be… that he couldn’t cultivate martial arts before?”

　　“Wait, that’s not right. I remember my Shishu once said—Xian Wuming is incredibly skilled. He doesn’t seem like someone who’d need some secret manual or the Bodhi Seed…”

　　As one of Wuyin Temple’s top monks, Fei Chen knew the truth—though the Bodhi Seed seemed like some divine artifact, it had its flaws.

　　It could only store a limited amount of internal energy. If it were truly that amazing, wouldn’t every generation of Wuyin Temple’s abbots have become unbeatable masters by now?

　　Even if you absorbed the energy, it’d only last about a decade or so. Not to mention that if the energy didn’t match your own, you'd have to painfully and slowly absorb it over time.

　　That’s why the Bodhi Seed had always been locked away as the temple’s trump card—only to be used in dire emergencies.

　　The last time it was used was when Master Zhenyi fought the previous Demon Mask. Now that Fei Chen had become abbot, he never planned to use it. He wasn’t the type to chase quick power gains—he preferred to build his strength bit by bit.

　　“If he doesn’t need it for himself… then it must be for someone else. Stealing the secret manual, taking the Bodhi Seed—Xian Wuming did it all for one person. Who could that be? Is there someone behind him?”

　　An Jiu just sat there quietly, trembling, not daring to make a sound.

　　She hadn’t expected Fei Chen to deduce so much from just that little bit of vague info.

　　Stop, stop, stop—if he keeps digging, even her underwear’s gonna get dragged out!

　　Fei Chen shook his head and sighed. “I can’t figure it out.”

　　Then he suddenly turned to An Jiu. His earlier gloom was gone, and his gaze was clear and bright as he said, “Thank you for being honest with me. I’m truly grateful.”

　　The handsome monk bowed to her sincerely.

　　An Jiu quickly waved her hands, flustered. “It was nothing, really!”

　　Fei Chen paused, then asked, “Can I ask… since you knew him before, why tell me all this?”

　　An Jiu had deliberately downplayed her connection with ‘Fei Yi’ while talking earlier, saying only that he’d saved her life. Fei Chen didn’t question it.

　　She froze for a second, then lowered her head. Her falling hair ribbons just happened to hide her blushing cheeks. She mumbled softly, “He… he hurt my friend. I’m thankful he saved me, but I can’t just stand by and let him do evil…”

　　She said it hesitantly and nervously, but Fei Chen’s expression turned understanding.

　　“I see.” His face softened and he said gently, “You and Divine Doctor Pei can leave the temple today. It was my fault for detaining you. I’ll make it up to you. May I ask, where are you heading next? I’ll escort you to ensure your safety.”

　　An Jiu’s eyes lit up. “You’re leaving the temple too, Master Fei Chen?”

　　Fei Chen’s expression was calm and serious. “Of course. Until I get the Bodhi Seed back, I won’t rest.”

　　　　

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Author’s Note:

A few days ago, I suddenly felt unwell and went to the hospital where they found a cyst. I had surgery to remove it and now I’m still recovering, so my energy isn’t great. I’ll slowly get back to updating more often~ (Can’t promise daily updates just yet, but I’m trying my best!) This chapter took me three days to write while lying in bed on my phone—seriously, I almost cried.

Hope you all take good care of yourselves, don’t stay up late, keep a regular schedule, and stay healthy and happy~

For those still waiting, maybe take a little break from the story while I work on it bit by bit. Thanks so much for your patience, and really sorry. ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ

….

T/N: That’s why I said on the first page the author was sick while writing this. And that’s also why, even though there are some plot holes (I try not to let them go over five or I won't translate), I’m still translating it. The writing’s good, the story’s good, and the characters are complicated. I really like it.

Plot holes so far:

1) Little snake

2) Idiot system 😂

Maybe you guys can add more when you see it.

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