Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 85: A Sudden Sense of Unease

　　That evening, after overhearing a few casual words outside the tent, Lin Qingyan made a decision.

　　When the group arrived at the frontier town at the foot of Mingguang Mountain, Lin Qingyan took charge and persuaded An Jiu to stay in the town.

　　The Demonic Sect had been rooted in the Western Region for hundreds of years. After so many years of development, they had built quite a solid foundation. Naturally, a town had formed at the foot of Mingguang Mountain, similar to Jinshe Town.

　　However, this town wasn’t as prosperous as Jinshe Town. Most of the people living here were ordinary civilians, unlike Jinshe Town where martial artists came and went all the time.

　　The frontier was a bitter and harsh place. It was near the borders and frequently raided by the Tatars. People living in these areas constantly worried about whether Tatar cavalry would suddenly storm their homes in the middle of the night, looting their food and slaughtering without mercy.

　　Even though the fearsome Demonic Sect resided atop Mingguang Mountain, they generally didn’t randomly massacre villages. As long as the martial arts world didn’t provoke them, the Demonic Sect wasn’t as terrifying as the Tatars. At most, they’d kill one or two people and let it go.

　　Besides, Mingguang Town was considered part of the Demonic Sect’s territory. The Tatars didn’t dare come near, and the civilians living here could at least enjoy some safety. Over time, the population naturally grew.

　　Aside from civilians, the ones most commonly seen in Mingguang Town were merchants.

　　In this world, the most profitable trades were salt and iron, followed by tea and silk.

　　Salt and iron were controlled by the government, so the average merchant could only profit from tea and silk.

　　The places where tea and silk sold for the highest prices were right here in the frontier. So over the years, Mingguang Town became a hub for traveling merchants. The busiest spots were the inns.

　　An Jiu was settled in one of these inns, staying there alone while the others planned to head up the mountain first.

　　Lin Qingyan’s reason for persuading her to stay was that she should wait for Pei Ji to arrive so they could go up the mountain together.

　　“You’re really not leaving me behind because I’ll slow you down?” Hearing this, the first thing the red-dressed girl did was question her.

　　Lin Qingyan nearly raised her hand to swear, “Of course not. If we thought you were a burden, why would we bring you all the way here? Besides, we haven’t seen Xian Wuming this whole time, so he probably isn’t following you anymore. We’re already at Mingguang Mountain, there’s just this last step left. We’ll go up first to clear the danger, then wait for you and Pei Ji to come together, doesn’t that sound perfect? And besides, you haven’t seen Pei Ji in a while—it’s a good chance to catch up, isn’t it?”

　　No, Xian Wuming has been following me this whole time.

　　An Jiu silently retorted in her heart.

　　At first, when she heard the explanation, the girl still looked unconvinced and annoyed. But later on, as if something crossed her mind, she reluctantly agreed.

　　“Fine then. I’ll wait here for Pei Ji and go up later.” She paused, then pressed her lips together and added, almost like she was trying to cover something up, “I’m not waiting for him or anything. I’m just being nice and offering to lead the way, that’s all.”

　　Lin Qingyan smiled and nodded. “Sure, I know. I get it.”

　　When their eyes met, with Lin Qingyan’s look of understanding, the girl in red instantly turned red at the tips of her ears and quickly ran away.

　　With her finally quieting down, not only Lin Qingyan, but even He Ziqing let out a sigh of relief.

　　Although Lin Qingyan kept saying that An Jiu wasn’t a burden, the truth was, their decision to settle her at the foot of the mountain was exactly because they didn’t want to bring her along.

　　Miss An was delicate and completely untrained in martial arts. Taking her up the mountain really wasn’t a good idea. The upcoming battle was going to be extremely dangerous. It was better to hold her back for now and let her catch up later. By the time she brought Pei Ji up, chances were they would have already taken care of the Demonic Sect scoundrels.

　　The martial arts world in the Central Plains had really gathered all their top talents this time. Almost every well-known expert had been called in. Everyone was confident they would destroy the Demonic Sect’s lair.

　　Honestly, by the time Pei Ji arrived, the whole thing might already be over.

　　When the group set off, the sky was just starting to brighten. The Demonic Sect’s base was on the peak of Mingguang Mountain. They still had to cross steep paths and dangerous cliffs to reach it, and they were bound to face obstacles along the way. Everyone was tense and serious.

　　An Jiu stood by the window on the second floor of the inn, quietly watching them leave.

　　She noticed that as the group departed, quite a few people in the streets and alleys were secretly watching them. The moment they saw them heading up the mountain, those people quickly scattered.

　　An Jiu didn’t even need to guess. They were obviously informants reporting to the mountain.

　　Their group had arrived in a very obvious way. They hadn’t bothered to hide their movements at all, marching in openly. It was inevitable they would be spotted.

　　Besides, this was the Demonic Sect’s territory. Having spies here was totally expected.

　　The only thing that felt off to An Jiu was that the Demonic Sect didn’t seem to be making any moves. They were just letting them head up the mountain without doing anything.

　　When An Jiu overheard He Ziqing and the others discussing their plans, they had all expected to be ambushed the moment they entered Mingguang Town. They were fully prepared for a brutal fight. Yet when they actually entered the town, nothing happened.

　　Maybe because of this, Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing were convinced there must be an ambush waiting on the mountain, which is why they figured out a way to make An Jiu stay behind.

　　Of course, none of this was actually told to An Jiu. She overheard it all herself. Those people thought An Jiu was just an ordinary sheltered young lady and didn’t guard against her. They didn’t even bother to lower their voices when discussing plans.

　　She remembered that before they set off, someone had suggested waiting for Pei Ji to arrive so they could go up the mountain together.

　　Just like that person who mocked An Jiu said, Pei Ji’s medical skills were top-notch and might be useful.

　　But in the end, the idea was rejected.

　　The one leading the group was a highly respected elder from the Huashan Sect. Even Bihui Sword called him ‘Shishu’ (Martial Uncle). He was a master of the same generation as You Qianhe and was rightfully known as a grandmaster of his time. People called him Elder Li.

　　Elder Li said, “Our Huashan Sect has planted spies within the Demonic Sect. It’s said that the current Saintess is poorly trained and hasn’t dared to step out all these years. She is not to be feared. Since we’re already at the foot of the mountain, if we delay any longer, they might catch wind and escape. The best move now is to catch them off guard and head up immediately.”

　　After speaking, he pulled out a map and said, “This is the route up the mountain. As long as we follow this path, there won’t be any danger. Everyone, follow me quickly. No delays.”

　　Seeing this, everyone quickly understood that the Huashan Sect had clearly planned this attack on the Demonic Sect for quite some time.

　　With such a respected elder leading, no one had any objections. They all agreed to move quickly and head up the mountain.

　　Mingguang Mountain wasn’t just a single mountain. It was the tallest peak in its entire mountain range.

　　To reach the Demonic Sect’s main headquarters, they had to cross several smaller mountains and pass through a valley before they could arrive at their final destination.

　　Without a guide or a detailed map, it would have been impossible for ordinary people to find the main base. Luckily, the group had made thorough preparations and safely made it through most of the journey.

　　Just as Elder Li had said, although the road was remote and difficult, they actually didn’t encounter any ambushes along the way.

　　They soon reached the last valley marked on the map. Once they passed through this valley, they would arrive at the true Mingguang Mountain.

　　“Hey, there are people in the valley!”

　　“Be careful. Don’t make any rash moves. Let’s observe first.”

　　Just as they stepped into the valley, they noticed movement inside. They could even faintly hear people talking.

　　The group quickly hid themselves and carefully watched the situation in the valley.

　　They finally noticed that this valley was surrounded by lush greenery, with a warm and humid climate. It was a rare, peaceful place.

　　In the vast northwest, most of the highlands and mountains were barren. Whether it was the mountains they had crossed or the Mingguang Town they passed through earlier, there wasn’t a hint of green to be seen. All around them were bare yellow sands and rocky soil, completely lifeless.

　　But this valley was different. It was like a piece of emerald jade that had fallen from the heavens, left behind by passing immortals, standing out beautifully against the desolate backdrop and refreshing to the eyes.

　　What was even more surprising was that this entire valley had been cultivated and was now filled with flowers.

　　The valley was flat and spacious. No one knew exactly what kind of flower it was, but each flower had five petals, and each petal was a different color—red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple—just like a rainbow.

　　Let’s just call it the five-colored flower. These flowers had spread across the whole valley like a dazzling carpet.

　　At the edge of this flower carpet, on the side that connected to Mingguang Mountain, there was a small wooden house.

　　The voices they heard earlier were coming from two young girls standing in front of the wooden house.

　　They seemed to be girls, dressed like girls, with slender and delicate figures, and their voices were soft and youthful. But what was strange was that their faces were covered in deep wrinkles like old women.

　　“Has the mute servant woken up? Hurry and water the flowers. If you delay the Saintess's matters, she will get angry,” one of the girls shouted toward the house.

　　A shadow slowly walked out from the house. It was an old man with a hunched back, walking unsteadily and moving slowly. He was holding a wooden bucket, his head lowered, and his wrinkled face was half-hidden under his messy, graying hair. His expression was blank.

　　He didn’t make a sound. He was clearly mute. Step by step, he walked toward a nearby mountain spring to fetch water for the flower fields.

　　After giving their orders, the two girls went to the flower field to pick flowers.

　　Their movements were very slow and careful, as if they were picking something incredibly precious. After each of them gathered a handful, they carried the flowers up the mountain along the path.

　　“From their conversation, this valley is probably where the Demonic Sect’s Saintess grows her poisonous flowers and herbs. That Saintess practices poison arts. These flowers might be highly toxic. Everyone, be careful not to touch them,” one of the martial arts elders warned.

　　Everyone in the group was an experienced fighter, not some clueless rookie. They wouldn’t charge in recklessly. After hearing the warning, they all became even more alert. The group avoided the colorful flower field in the middle of the valley and instead cut through the forest along the edge, taking a detour straight toward Mingguang Mountain.

　　When the group finally reached Mingguang Mountain, An Jiu had also just met up with Pei Ji.

　　The morning sun was just rising in the east, painting the entire sky with a soft crimson glow. It also cast a rosy tint over the white-robed young man riding a camel.

　　Horses didn’t travel well in the desert, so most people used camels to get around. Naturally, Pei Ji followed the local custom.

　　From a distance, An Jiu caught sight of him entering the town. Her eyes immediately lit up and she quickly ran down from the second floor, almost tripping on the stairs in her hurry.

　　But when she reached the first floor, she suddenly realized what she was doing and forced herself to slow down.

　　By the time she arrived at the door, the red-dressed girl had already returned to her usual proud stance, chin slightly raised. Other than the lingering blush on her cheeks, there was no sign of how flustered she had just been.

　　As soon as she stepped to the door, the man on the camel immediately spotted her, his expression showing a hint of surprise.

　　“Miss An, why are you here?” Ah Qi brought the camel to the front of the inn. Pei Ji asked gently before getting down.

　　From the look on his face, he genuinely seemed surprised to see her here.

　　An Jiu secretly complained in her heart. Hadn’t he been following her all along? How could he not know she hadn’t gone up the mountain with the main group?

　　On the surface though, she put on a show of displeasure. “Lin Qingyan and the others told me to wait here for you. Now that you’ve arrived, let’s hurry up and go up the mountain!”

　　As she spoke, her gaze swept over him, intentionally pausing on his somewhat pale face. She frowned. “You’ve been resting for over half a month and you still don’t look well? If your body’s in such bad shape, why did you come here to join the chaos? Aren’t you just going to slow us down?”

　　The way she said this sounded completely justified, as if she had no awareness that she herself was also a burden.

　　Pei Ji glanced at her with a faint smile and said calmly, “I’d say I’m still a bit more useful than you, Miss An.”

　　The girl’s brows shot up. “You!”

　　She pointed at him as if she was about to argue, but after struggling for a while, she couldn’t come up with a good retort.

　　“What about me?” The white-robed young man shook his folding fan with a playful smile.

　　An Jiu stomped her foot and huffed, “I don’t bother arguing with a cripple.”

　　She turned away angrily and refused to look at him again.

　　Watching the girl walk off on her own to grab the reins of her horse, not sparing him another glance, Pei Ji’s fan paused mid-swing. His gaze settled on her back, deep and unreadable.

　　When he first saw her again as Pei Ji, his feelings had been a mess.

　　If it weren’t for her betrayal, he wouldn’t have followed her all the way here, and he wouldn’t have gone through all the torment along the journey.

　　The inner energy he absorbed still tortured him from time to time, not to mention the sudden flare-up of poison the other day, which had been dangerously close.

　　The root of all this was An Jiu’s betrayal.

　　He should hate this woman, but strangely, whenever he thought of her, he always felt something unfamiliar and complicated.

　　It definitely wasn’t hate.

　　Maybe it was unwillingness to let go. Maybe it was a possessiveness toward what he considered his. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

　　When he was Xian Wuming, he didn’t have to hold back those emotions. He could unleash them on her however he liked, watching her suffer, watching her despair.

　　But now, he was Pei Ji.

　　The gentle and caring Pei Ji. The miracle doctor who always treated her with kindness and patience.

　　Just now, when he saw the red-clothed girl standing at the door waiting for him, Pei Ji almost couldn’t switch his mindset in time. He nearly showed her the expression of ‘Xian Wuming.’

　　Luckily, he caught himself quickly and didn’t give anything away.

　　Right now, he was doing his best to keep himself under control—holding back from revealing his identity in front of her or simply knocking her out and taking her away.

　　It wasn’t time yet.

　　The reason Pei Ji came here wasn’t just to drag her back to Qiansha Pavilion. He also needed to meet Hua Mei.

　　The woman who destroyed his family and poisoned him.

　　Pei Ji had long wanted to see her. On top of that, the cause of Pei Zhou’s death was still unclear. He had his own suspicions that Pei Zhou might actually be here.

　　Based on what Pei Ji knew about that so-called father of his, the man in his memory was not someone who would quietly die far away from home. There was a high chance his death had been faked.

　　If Pei Zhou was alive, the most likely place he would be was the Demonic Sect.

　　Pei Ji’s thoughts twisted and turned, and when he came back to his senses, he saw the girl in front of him turning to look back at him. Her beautiful eyes were sparkling with a little excitement, but her face still held that proud, bossy look.

　　“Hey, follow me this way. Stay close. I remember the road.”

　　Seeing him, she didn’t seem so unhappy after all.

　　That thought crossed his mind, but in the next instant, Pei Ji sneered to himself.

　　Whether she was happy or not had nothing to do with him.

　　Once he dealt with Hua Mei, he would take her back to Qiansha Pavilion.

　　Under his lowered eyelashes, his eyes were filled with bone-chilling coldness.

　　The two of them entered the mountain. Unlike the previous group who had to walk the whole way, they were riding. He was on a camel and she was on a horse, with only Ah Qi walking beside them. They stood out way too much.

　　Fortunately, they didn’t run into anyone along the way. The route the Huashan Sect provided was indeed a hidden one. The two of them made it safely to the flower-filled valley.

　　“Wow, this valley is so beautiful.” An Jiu exclaimed and got off her horse, moving closer to the sea of flowers.

　　Pei Ji’s smile faded, and he said coldly, “These aren’t ordinary flowers. They’re Five-Colored Starflowers. They’re highly poisonous.”

　　An Jiu shivered. She had been just about to pick one. When she heard that, she quickly pulled her hand back and stepped away in a hurry.

　　“Why didn’t you warn me earlier!” Once she calmed down, the young lady turned and glared at him.

　　The white-robed young man on the camel gave a faint, apologetic smile. “Sorry, I said it a bit late.”

　　An Jiu shot him a fierce glare and snapped angrily, “You did it on purpose. You just wanted to see me make a fool of myself, didn’t you? You damn cripple!”

　　She hadn’t called him a cripple in a long time. This time, she must have been really mad to blurt it out again.

　　Logically, he should have been angry.

　　But for some reason, when he saw the fire in her eyes and her flushed, annoyed face, Pei Ji actually felt a rare flicker of joy in his heart.

　　It seemed he still couldn’t fully control himself. Unlike before, when he always wore a gentle mask, now he found himself wanting to poke at her more and more.

　　Watching her get angry, watching her feel upset, watching her glare at him with frustration, her eyes filled with nothing but him—it brought him a quiet sense of satisfaction.

　　But it probably didn’t matter anyway. Soon, she wouldn’t be seeing Pei Ji ever again.

　　The two of them passed through the flower-filled valley and continued up the mountain path of Mingguang Mountain.

　　The path was steep and winding. They hadn’t gone far before they started seeing corpses along the way. Some were unfamiliar faces, but a few were people An Jiu recognized from the Central Plains. Overall, most of them were strangers.

　　They were probably the guards stationed along the mountain path.

　　The higher they went, the more bodies they saw. Blood was splattered across the narrow trail, still fresh and sticky. The thick smell of blood filled the air.

　　The mountain paths on Mingguang Mountain were too steep, so An Jiu gave up on her horse and could only climb on foot. After everything she’d been through, her stamina had improved, and she could actually keep going now.

　　Pei Ji, on the other hand, was lying on Ah Qi’s back, being carried the whole way.

　　An Jiu kept holding her nose the entire time and didn’t dare to look around. Whenever she accidentally caught sight of a corpse, she quickly turned her eyes away.

　　She was afraid that if she saw too much of these gruesome scenes, she’d throw up.

　　Suddenly, her wandering gaze focused as she looked nervously ahead. “Pei Ji, there’s someone up ahead!”

　　Sure enough, not far in front of them was a hunched figure slowly walking along the mountain path.

　　An Jiu was startled. She thought maybe they’d missed someone when clearing the way. But then she heard Pei Ji say calmly, “Just an ordinary person without martial arts. No need to be scared.”

　　An Jiu instinctively snapped back, “I’m not scared!”

　　Pei Ji glanced at her lazily. Her pale, frightened little face was completely exposed in his view.

　　He didn’t say anything, just lifted the corner of his lips a little. “Tch.”

　　The girl immediately glared at him, her shiny black eyes reflecting his figure. Her fair cheeks puffed up like a little frog.

　　“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny! How dare you laugh at me!”

　　If the timing wasn’t so bad, she probably would’ve charged over to punch him a few times.

　　Seeing this, the white-robed young man’s elegant, handsome brows arched slightly, like ink gently spreading on paper.

　　The three of them soon caught up to the person ahead.

　　Hearing the noise behind him, the old man slowly stopped and turned his head to look.

　　It was an elderly man, his messy white hair falling over his face. His head hung low, his back curved into an arc. He was dressed in tattered clothes, and his aged face was completely wooden and expressionless.

　　An Jiu looked carefully at the old man and said warily, “He’s not one of ours.”

　　She had a really good memory and could clearly remember everyone who came with them.

　　Since he wasn’t part of their group, that meant he was probably from the Demonic Sect.

　　Ah Qi raised his hand, ready to casually take the man out, but Pei Ji suddenly narrowed his eyes. His gaze lingered on the old man’s lowered face, and he said calmly, “Let him go. Judging by his appearance, he probably hasn’t done anything bad.”

　　An Jiu didn’t want to see any more killing either, so when she heard that, she quickly nodded. “Yeah, yeah, he’s so old. Let’s just forget it.”

　　Ah Qi withdrew his hand and the three of them—without another glance—walked past the old man standing silently by the side of the road and kept moving forward.

　　After walking some distance, An Jiu looked back. The old man seemed to have been frightened by them and was still standing there, unmoving, just staring at them.

　　When he saw her looking back, the old man quickly lowered his head again.

　　The strange scene made An Jiu feel a bit uneasy. She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure it’s fine to let him go?”

　　Pei Ji answered briefly, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

　　He smiled slightly, but there was something oddly meaningful in that smile.

　　By now, they were getting close to the Demonic Sect’s headquarters. The area no longer looked like desolate mountains and wilderness. Houses and buildings started appearing among the cliffs and steep paths, clearly places where the cult members lived.

　　Most of these places were now completely empty. Even the few people they did come across had already turned into cold corpses lying on the ground.

　　An Jiu’s legs were so sore from walking. Normally she would’ve been complaining non-stop, but this time her mood was heavy, and she couldn’t say a single word.

　　The demonic sect raid was a major event in the original story, and the novel had described it in great detail.

　　But as An Jiu made her way here, she realized that the story had already changed.

　　She didn’t know whether it was because of her transmigration, Pei Ji’s rebirth, or maybe both, but that flower-filled valley and the strange old man had never appeared in the original story.

　　She remembered that in the book, He Ziqing had definitely taken this same route. It was a path the Demonic Sect had purposely led them to, and waiting at the end was the sect’s Saintess.

　　In the novel, Pei Ji wasn’t part of this raid. The Saintess had used poison to trap the group for a while. But thanks to the female lead, Lin Qingyan, who had the universal antidote Pei Ji had given her earlier, they managed to break through the Demonic Sect’s dungeon without too much trouble, though they did lose a few people.

　　That was what allowed Qiansha Pavilion to swoop in at the last minute and take all the credit.

　　The rainbow-colored flowers and that strange old man… These two small differences suddenly made An Jiu feel uneasy.

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