Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 84: He Jumped Hard

　　After eating and drinking her fill, An Jiu finally had some energy again.

　　She lazily leaned against the headboard, her whole body still sore from being bumped around all day.

　　Not wanting to move, she poked at the system in her mind.

　　“Hey, system, show me where Pei Ji is right now.”

　　The trash system silently pulled up a screen in front of her.

　　On the screen, she saw Pei Ji.

　　But his condition didn’t look so good. His usually handsome face was frighteningly pale, with no hint of color.

　　He was sitting in a room that looked like a standard inn room from the furnishings.

　　An Jiu was a bit surprised. He really had been following her this whole time.

　　When she first got that note, she thought he was just trying to warn her, but judging by what she was seeing now, it seemed like he was probably staying in the same town as her.

　　An Jiu stared at the man’s pale face on the screen and couldn’t help saying, “Is he crazy? There are so many people here, isn’t he afraid of being found out?”

　　System:【He’s always been a lunatic.】

　　Just then, the scene changed. Someone came into the room from outside. It was Pei Ji’s personal servant, Ah Qi.

　　Ah Qi walked in with his brows tightly furrowed and said, “Young Master, I’ve already had someone deliver the items. There were no mistakes.”

　　Pei Ji slowly opened his half-closed eyes and spoke in a low voice, “Good.” After a pause, he asked, “Did she eat it?”

　　Ah Qi nodded. “Miss An used everything. She also accepted the medicine and didn’t tell anyone about it.”

　　Hearing this, Pei Ji’s lips curled ever so slightly.

　　Ah Qi glanced at him and suddenly spoke again. “Young Master, forgive me for saying this, but I’ve been by your side for many years, and I’ve never seen you like this. Miss An’s life is certainly important, but it’s not so serious that you need to personally follow her. You’re still absorbing the Bodhi Seed right now. If something goes wrong, you might fall into madness…”

　　Absorbing the Bodhi Seed wasn’t a simple thing. It required a secluded, undisturbed place to go into closed-door cultivation.

　　Fei Chen knew this, which was why he didn’t bother staying near An Jiu to wait her out, but instead went looking for Qiansha Pavilion.

　　Everyone thought that Xian Wuming, after stealing the Bodhi Seed, would surely return to his own base.

　　Who could have guessed he’d actually stick close to An Jiu, bold enough to travel around while still absorbing the Bodhi Seed?

　　Hearing Ah Qi’s advice, Pei Ji lightly furrowed his brow and replied calmly, “No need to say more. You can leave now.”

　　Seeing his attitude, Ah Qi could only sigh helplessly.

　　Ever since meeting Miss An, his Young Master had changed so much.

　　Sometimes, Ah Qi couldn’t figure it out himself. Was the Young Master so fixated on Miss An because her life could save his own, or was it simply because of his personal feelings?

　　Ah Qi could only hope it was the first reason.

　　As Ah Qi left the room, he didn’t notice that the white-clothed Young Master sitting behind him had suddenly started to tremble slightly at his fingertips.

　　But An Jiu saw it clearly through the system’s screen.

　　Her eyes widened instantly, realizing something. She blurted out, “He’s having a poison flare-up!”

　　But wait, didn’t his last flare-up happen only about twenty days ago? His poison was supposed to flare up once a month, why did it come early?

　　The system, always able to hear An Jiu’s thoughts, spoke up in time: 【The stronger Pei Ji’s martial arts get, the faster his blood circulates, and the quicker the poison spreads. Before, most of the poison was sealed in his legs. Now that his legs have healed, his flare-ups will happen more and more often from now on.】

　　An Jiu got her answer, but she still looked a little dazed. It took her a while to snap out of it. “So that’s how it is…”

　　So that’s why, in his past life, he went completely mad in the end and wasn’t like the calm, calculating version of himself from the beginning?

　　When An Jiu was reading the book back then, she thought the author had purposely made the villain dumber. Otherwise, why did a villain who was written as so clever at the start suddenly turn stupid later on?

　　So this was the reason.

　　An Jiu couldn’t help thinking about another question.

　　At the end of the story, Pei Ji was supposed to marry Lin Qingyan. Was that really what he wanted in his heart, or was it just a decision he made when his mind wasn’t clear anymore?

　　Even though his favorability toward her was now 75, which the system rated as ‘like’ level, An Jiu still wanted to know: did Pei Ji ever actually like Lin Qingyan?

　　In his past life, Lin Qingyan killed him. Pei Ji was the type to hold deep grudges, yet after being reborn, he didn’t even think of getting revenge and still cared about Lin Qingyan… An Jiu was a little worried that once he lost his mind again, he might go back to his old patterns.

　　The system suddenly butted in:【Aren’t you just jealous?】

　　An Jiu froze for a moment, then couldn’t help laughing. “How could I be? They’re just characters in a book. They’re not real. Don’t worry, I just want to go home.”

　　When she said that, her expression didn’t change, and her naturally charming peach blossom eyes stayed clear and calm.

　　The system went silent for a while before quietly saying:【You’ve got a really tough heart.】

　　“Thanks for the compliment,” An Jiu grinned. “You’re the one who gave me this mission, right? I’ve been working so hard to complete it. Shouldn’t you be praising me?”

　　The system didn’t respond.

　　An Jiu didn’t mind and kept watching the projected screen.

　　Honestly, there wasn’t much to see. She had already witnessed Pei Ji’s poison flare-ups twice, so she knew what it looked like when it happened.

　　But this time, the flare-up seemed a lot worse than before. Pei Ji stumbled to the bed, and just walking that short distance from the table to the bedside, his snow-white robes were already drenched in sweat.

　　It was summer, and the weather was scorching. He wasn’t wearing much, and now that his clothes were soaked, they clung tightly to his waist and back. White fabric was the easiest to turn see-through, and the firm muscle lines on his body were now openly visible through the damp cloth.

　　His waist was slim and formed a perfect golden inverted triangle with his broad shoulders. The lines of his waist were exceptionally well-shaped, and the folds of the fabric vaguely outlined the grooves of his lower abdomen. Wasn’t that called an Adonis belt?

　　Anyway, it was seriously hot.

　　An Jiu softly let out a little “Wow.”

　　She had always thought Pei Ji, with his refined looks and constant wheelchair, would be on the skinny side. She didn’t expect he was actually hiding such a well-toned body.

　　While An Jiu was busy admiring the view, the man sat on the edge of the bed and, with trembling hands, started taking off his sweat-soaked clothes.

　　His usually handsome face was now completely drained of color, making his dark eyes look even deeper, like a shadowy pool that could drown someone.

　　His crow-feather lashes trembled uncontrollably, probably because he was enduring the pain.

　　When he was down to his underclothes, Pei Ji finally stopped and slowly laid down on the bed.

　　His underclothes were pure white too. Unlike his outer robes, which sometimes had subtle silver embroidery along the hem or cuffs, giving off a quiet elegance, his underclothes were completely plain white with not a hint of other colors.

　　Lying there, he looked like a blooming white camellia, so pure and flawless.

　　Sweat kept pouring from his skin, soaking his temples. He pressed his lips tightly together and didn’t make a sound, as if he were just peacefully asleep, not suffering intense pain.

　　If it weren’t for the occasional spasms and the veins bulging uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes and along his neck, An Jiu might have really thought his poison flare-up was just an act.

　　But she knew it wasn’t.

　　She knew exactly how painful it was for him when the poison flared up. Last time, at Wuyin Temple, Pei Ji had even begged her while he was half-conscious.

　　An Jiu suddenly had this strange feeling. He was like a wounded child.

　　When someone was there to lean on, he would show how much it hurt. But when he was alone, he would grit his teeth and endure it silently, refusing to show even a hint of weakness.

　　That thought flashed through her mind and quickly disappeared.

　　An Jiu lowered her eyes and slowly looked away. “No need to watch anymore. Turn it off,” she said to the system.

　　The system was about to turn it off when An Jiu suddenly spoke again, “Wait… zoom in a bit.”

　　The system didn’t really understand why but followed her instructions anyway.

　　As the screen zoomed in, she finally saw that the man’s pale lips were moving ever so slightly, like he was unconsciously muttering something. But no sound came out, and An Jiu couldn’t hear him.

　　She stared at his lips, her brows gently furrowing. Suddenly, Pei Ji’s eyes snapped open and looked straight ahead.

　　Because the camera was zoomed in so close, when his eyes opened, it felt like the two of them were staring directly at each other from just inches apart.

　　An Jiu was startled and instinctively leaned her head back.

　　Only then did she realize that he couldn’t actually see her. When she took a closer look, she noticed that his dark eyes were already unfocused and hazy. He clearly wasn’t fully conscious anymore.

　　An Jiu let out a breath of relief. After that scare, she completely lost interest in watching any further. She turned her head away and waved her hand. “Turn it off, turn it off, I’m done watching.”

　　The system responded,【Got it.】

　　Right at that moment, a raspy voice from the screen called out, “An…”

　　With a soft beep, the projection shut off and the man’s figure vanished.

　　An Jiu sat frozen in place. After a long while, she slowly blinked and tugged at the corner of her lips. “System, you’re sure he can’t see me?”

　　The system replied,【He can’t.】

　　An Jiu fell silent again.

　　So even when he lost all his will and turned into a mindless madman, he still remembered her?

　　For some reason, the heart that had always been calm and steady inside her chest suddenly gave a heavy thump.　　

　　—　　

　　After a good night’s sleep, they were back on the road the next day.

　　Fortunately, An Jiu had applied some medicine. She didn’t even know what kind of medicine it was, but after using it just for one night, the skin on her legs that had been rubbed raw was already almost completely healed.

　　Her body still felt a little sore, but it wasn’t unbearable.

　　The group continued traveling westward without stopping. After five days, they finally crossed the border and officially entered the Western Region, though it would still take another two days to reach the Demonic Sect’s headquarters.

　　By this point, their movements had probably already reached the ears of the Demonic Sect.

　　After all, they were a large group. With so many martial artists heading west together, there was no way to keep it a secret.

　　The Demonic Sect definitely had spies planted in the Central Plains. There was no way the Demonic Sect wouldn’t know about such an obvious and grand approach.

　　Just as everyone expected, the Demonic Sect had already received the news.

　　On the very day the group set out, the Demonic Sect’s leader, Hua Xuan, had gotten the message.

　　But even though he knew that a group of martial arts experts was coming to attack them, Hua Xuan didn’t seem to care at all. He even threw a grand banquet in the huge Demonic Palace to celebrate the return of the former Saintess, who also happened to be his mother.

　　The Saintess held an extremely high position in the Demonic Sect, and the former Saintess had a big reputation. She was known as a poison genius, and even now, many old sect members still remembered the terrifying methods she used back in the day.

　　When news spread back then that the Saintess had died from serious injuries, quite a few people actually felt relieved.

　　Hua Mei was a woman known for being vicious and cruel. Even within the Demonic Sect, her reputation was mixed. She was someone people feared at the mere mention of her name.

　　When news spread that the Saintess wasn’t actually dead but had been in seclusion to recover and had now fully healed, everyone in the Demonic Sect had complicated feelings about it.

　　Some people thought the former Saintess was far too ruthless. Hua Mei was a true lunatic who would kill anyone the moment things didn’t go her way. She never cared about status or position. If she wanted to kill, she killed, even if it was a maid who had served her for years.

　　Although everyone in the Demonic Sect had blood on their hands, no one had ever seen a woman as cruel and poisonous as Hua Mei.

　　Most Saintesses were supposed to support the Sect Leader and help defend against enemies. Hua Mei was different. She killed more of her own people than outsiders.

　　Of course, there were some who had never met Hua Mei and thought her return was actually a good thing.

　　The righteous sects from the Central Plains were now openly coming to attack them. Some had been worried, but the moment they heard Hua Mei was still alive, they instantly felt reassured.

　　With Hua Mei here, she could easily deal with those self-righteous hypocrites.

　　Someone brought this up during the banquet.

　　“Oh? The martial artists from the Central Plains are coming to wipe out our Demonic Sect? My son, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

　　On the high platform, a pale, thin middle-aged woman with fine lines around her eyes slowly spoke.

　　She wore a green robe. Green was usually a fresh, gentle color, but it looked nothing like that on her. Her eyes were unusually cold and sinister. Her sickly pale face looked like she hadn’t seen sunlight in years. The coldness in her gaze made her seem especially eerie.

　　Not to mention the faint glow in her pupils, like two flickering ghostly flames that swayed weakly in the wind but would never go out.

　　Everyone who met her gaze felt like they were being watched by a ghost.

　　This woman was the former Saintess, Hua Mei.

　　Once upon a time, Hua Mei had a bright, beautiful face. But after nearly twenty years of imprisonment and madness, she had turned into a ghostly, inhuman wreck. She had completely lost the youthful beauty she once had.

　　When she first regained her senses, she was practically a walking skeleton. The moment she stepped out of the stone prison that had held her for twenty years, the sunlight nearly blinded her.

　　It had taken her a long time to recover enough to look somewhat human again before she was finally willing to see people.

　　Hua Xuan sat in the seat of the Sect Leader, wearing his usual ferocious, terrifying ghost mask.

　　He let out a soft sigh and gently said, “Mother, I didn’t want to disturb your recovery.”

　　But Hua Mei didn’t seem to hear him at all and kept asking, “How many people came from the Central Plains? Did anyone from the Medicine King Valley come? Did Pei Zhou come? Did he come too?”

　　By the end, she couldn’t control her voice. It became sharp and shrill, like a beast howling.

　　Her wide eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging, as she stared fiercely at Hua Xuan, as if trying to force the answer out of him.

　　Hua Xuan held a wine cup in his hand, his voice still calm and patient. “Mother, I’ve already told you. Pei Zhou is dead. He died ten years ago.”

　　The woman stared at him in shock for a long time, then suddenly started screaming. “You’re lying! Lying! How could he be dead! He hated me so much, how could he not come to see me!”

　　She completely lost her mind and rushed forward, trying to grab him. “Impossible, I gave birth to his child. Xuan’er, let’s go find your father. Let’s find him. He wouldn’t abandon us…”

　　Hua Xuan’s fingers twitched slightly. Several people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, covering Hua Mei’s mouth and nose and dragging her away from the banquet.

　　Hua Xuan drained the wine in his cup in one go, then set it down and turned his gaze toward the lower seats.

　　When he was talking to Hua Mei just now, the murmuring among the sect members had gradually faded. By the time Hua Mei started going crazy, even the musicians had stopped playing, nervously staring at the mother and son.

　　“What are you all staring at me for? Keep playing, keep singing,” Hua Xuan said lazily.

　　So the music started up again, the voices of conversation and the clinking of cups returned to the hall, but everything felt forced, as if everyone was just pretending to have a good time.

　　Hua Xuan watched the scene of toasting and chatting below, but the face behind his mask was full of disinterest.

　　This banquet was ruined.

　　How boring.

　　He had always known Hua Mei was insane. Hua Qing had wanted to save her, and Hua Xuan went along with it, not really caring either way.

　　But what he didn’t expect was that Hua Mei, now that she was ‘sane,’ was even crazier than before.

　　She had become a lucid madwoman. You couldn’t mention anything about the Central Plains in front of her, because the moment you did, she would think of that man, and then she would want to go find her old lover.

　　A pitiful, miserable madwoman.

　　If that was all, he wouldn’t have minded. He could have kept her comfortably for the rest of her life. After all, she was his mother.

　　But then Hua Qing died.

　　Hua Qing had wanted to learn poison from Hua Mei, but Hua Mei was not someone with patience.

　　When she came out of the stone prison, she accidentally caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. She saw her own sickly, skin-and-bones face, then looked at Hua Qing’s young, beautiful face as she held a bottle of poison and asked for guidance.

　　Hua Mei snapped in that instant.

　　Her poison skills were truly unrivaled. Hua Qing couldn’t even last half a moment under her hands before dying.

　　When Hua Xuan found out, his first instinct was to kill her.

　　She was completely mad. Keeping her in the Demonic Sect would only bring trouble and nothing else.

　　They had even lost a fully trained Saintess because of her.

　　But the Demonic Sect couldn’t be without a Saintess.

　　It just so happened that news from the Central Plains arrived around that time. Hua Xuan thought it over and made his decision.

　　Hua Mei was destined to die, but not yet.

　　Before she died, she could still be useful.

　　The banquet wasn’t over yet, but Hua Xuan left early. He went to the place where Hua Mei was imprisoned. It was a tall tower with no stairs leading down. The only way in or out was by using light footwork.

　　After Hua Mei poisoned Hua Qing, Hua Xuan destroyed her dantian and usually kept her locked up in this tower when there was nothing else to do.

　　Before he even got close to the tower, Hua Xuan could already hear the woman’s hysterical screams piercing the night sky.

　　His expression didn’t change as he flew up to the tower. When he reached the wide-open door, he saw the room inside was littered with broken porcelain shards and a complete mess.

　　Ever since Hua Mei moved in, this room had never been clean.

　　When she saw Hua Xuan’s figure, Hua Mei finally calmed down a little. She stared straight into his eyes, and for a moment, her gaze turned a little dazed.

　　“My son, you’re here.”

　　Hua Xuan narrowed his black eyes and said coldly, “Don’t look at me with those eyes.”

　　Probably because his eyes looked too much like that man’s, this madwoman would always zone out while staring at his eyes. Every time she gave him that look, Hua Xuan felt utterly disgusted.

　　“Son, how can you talk to me like this? I’m your mother,” Hua Mei said.

　　Hua Xuan lazily raised one hand and smiled carelessly. “Oh, really?”

　　At that smile, Hua Mei suddenly shuddered and completely sobered up. She still remembered how Hua Xuan had crippled her martial arts and destroyed her dantian that day, showing no mercy at all.

　　But the most important thing was, when he smiled like this, he didn’t look like Pei Zhou at all.

　　A visible flash of regret crossed Hua Mei’s eyes.

　　Hua Xuan’s gaze turned even colder, but in the end, he held himself back and smiled as he said, “Mother, I’ve received some news. It seems people from Medicine King Valley have come this time.”

　　Hua Mei’s eyes lit up. “Who?”

　　She still didn’t believe Pei Zhou was dead. How could someone like Pei Zhou possibly die?

　　He hated her so much. Unless he saw her die with his own eyes, Pei Zhou couldn’t possibly be dead. Hua Mei was absolutely sure of that.

　　“Pei Zhou’s son, Pei Ji,” Hua Xuan said.

　　Hua Mei froze for a second, then quickly reacted. Her face twisted like a ghost. “It’s that bitch Xia Yan’s son, isn’t it?”

　　She strode toward Hua Xuan, but Hua Xuan didn’t let her go crazy. He flicked his palm toward her as she got close, and Hua Mei was suddenly thrown to the ground.

　　There were broken porcelain shards scattered all over the floor. She fell hard onto them, her palms and knees were cut open, and bright red blood started to ooze out. But it was as if she couldn’t feel any pain at all. She just glared up at Hua Xuan with eyes full of deep, burning hatred.

　　“That bitch’s son is still alive! He’s actually still alive! I’m going to kill him! I’m going to kill him!”

　　Hua Xuan curved his lips into a light smile and said gently, “Mother, you’ll see him soon. Go ahead, kill him. Kill them all.”

　　So many martial arts experts were coming together. No matter how highly Hua Xuan thought of himself, he didn’t believe he could take them all on alone.

　　The Demonic Sect wasn’t like the prosperous Central Plains. This place was vast but sparsely populated. Not many people wanted to stay in such a bitterly cold land. The number of true experts in the sect could probably be counted on two hands. Most of the followers were just low-level thugs who joined for food and shelter and weren’t of much use. (T/N: I actually feel pity towards them. 😅)

　　So, in the end, the Saintess still had to step in.　　

　　—

　　On the second day after An Jiu and her group entered the desert, they could already see Mingguang Mountain, where the Demonic Sect was located, looming in the distance at the edge of the world. That was when Lin Qingyan finally received Pei Ji’s reply.

　　“Pei Ji said he’s coming too, just one step behind us. He told us to go ahead, and he’ll catch up later,” Lin Qingyan said.

　　An Jiu blurted out, “What’s he coming for? He’s a cripple. Is he coming here to die?”

　　Lin Qingyan touched her nose, about to respond, when He Ziqing chimed in. “Brother Pei has excellent medical skills. I’ve heard the Demonic Sect’s Saintess is good at using poison to kill people. If Brother Pei is around, he can help us with detoxification.”

　　An Jiu pursed her lips and mumbled under her breath, “Even so, we don’t really need him…”

　　Someone nearby overheard their conversation and cut in, “Miss, you’re not even part of the martial arts world. How can you talk like that about Young Divine Doctor Pei? His medical skills are unmatched, he’s a great asset to us.”

　　After speaking, he even glanced at An Jiu with a subtle, meaningful look.

　　The unspoken message was clear: she was useless.

　　An Jiu puffed up her cheeks angrily and glared at him. Seeing that neither Lin Qingyan nor He Ziqing spoke up for her, she stomped her foot and ran off.

　　After the girl’s red skirt disappeared into the tent, Lin Qingyan finally explained, “Senior, you might not know, but An Jiu is actually just worried about Doctor Pei. That’s just how she is. Her words are sharp, but she’s really a kind person.”

　　He Ziqing quickly nodded in agreement, backing up Lin Qingyan’s words.

　　Even as she said that, Lin Qingyan still felt a little surprised.

　　In her memory, An Jiu wasn’t the kind of person who got angry so easily. Why did she get so upset over just a few words this time?

　　Thinking she should go comfort her, Lin Qingyan walked to the edge of the camp and was about to enter the tent when she suddenly heard the angry grumbling from inside.

　　“Stupid Pei Ji, would it kill you to write me a letter?”

　　“Jerk, I’m never writing to you again!”

________________

Author’s Note:

This is probably the last arc~

….

T/N: Yep, this is definitely the last arc related to the original novel plot. After this, we’ll have the arc where An Jiu works on getting 100% favorability from Pei Ji. Basically, after that, it’s Pei Ji’s redemption arc—or more like his torture arc, haha. Is this a spoiler? Nah, the author already said from the very beginning that she’s going to torture Pei Ji. I feel like the author has a love-hate relationship with yandere men… just my opinion, hehe.

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