Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 90: Who Wants Her Shallow Love Anyway?

　　Pei Ji originally thought it would take some serious effort to explain his poison skills and martial arts.

　　But in the end, it was surprisingly easy to settle.

　　The only people he really needed to explain things to were He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan. Everyone else was just background noise.

　　He simply said the mechanical weapons came from a secret manual passed down in Medicine King Valley, and nobody questioned it after that.

　　As for whether anyone would try to covet the mechanisms for themselves, he figured they wouldn’t dare.

　　It wasn’t about whether they could—it was that they didn’t have the guts.

　　Pei Ji wasn’t Jin You. Jin You couldn’t protect a powerful martial arts manual, but Pei Ji was a different story.

　　Just the Five-Colored Heavenly Star Poison he had released was enough. These top martial artists would need him to detoxify it, so none of them dared to cross him right now.

　　Everyone in the martial world knew: if you’re going to make enemies, don’t pick a fight with a doctor. Especially not one who’s known as the best in the world. No one could say for sure they wouldn’t need him someday.

　　With the origin of the mechanical weapons explained, his poison skills naturally made sense too. After all, he was a doctor. Medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin, and many herbs were both healing and toxic. It was perfectly reasonable that he taught himself.

　　Of course, the main reason they accepted it so easily was because they still needed him to cure their poison, so no one was going to fuss over him using it.

　　The real issue was explaining his martial arts—and the fact that his legs were perfectly fine.

　　That was exactly what He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan were most curious about.

　　When Lin Qingyan asked the question, Pei Ji was in the middle of treating the injured martial artists lying around the hall.　　

　　He explained that his poison skills weren’t particularly refined. He could only use silver needles to seal the poisonous energy in their bodies for now. To fully detoxify them, they’d need to return to the Central Plains so he could prescribe medicine and treat them slowly over time.

　　In short, there was no way he could cure them all at once.

　　Everyone nodded in agreement.

　　None of them found it odd.

　　After all, most of them had already been poisoned and didn’t even witness the fight between Pei Ji and Hua Mei. Even if they had seen it, they wouldn’t have understood what was going on.

　　Poisoners didn’t fight like swordsmen, where each blow was obvious and bloody. No one could tell how many moves had been exchanged, except for the two people involved.

　　So in everyone’s mind, Pei Ji’s poison skills were decent, but definitely not as good as that Demonic Sect witch’s.

　　Still, someone asked with suspicion, “If that witch was fighting you, how come you didn’t get poisoned?”

　　By now, quite a few of the martial artists in the hall had regained consciousness and were able to move around.

　　They were still weak, and their inner energy hadn’t fully returned, but they weren’t in immediate danger anymore.

　　With a calm expression, the gentle and graceful young doctor held a silver needle between his long pale fingers. He gave a wry smile and slowly replied, “I’m afraid this might make everyone laugh, but I’ve been poisoned by that woman since birth. Many of the seniors here might have heard of it. That poison is known as the deadliest in the world, and there’s no cure. I started studying poison arts just to try and find a way to cure myself. But I haven’t gotten very far, and to this day, I still haven’t found a solution. That poison has plagued me for many years, though it did have one unexpected benefit. It made me immune to all other toxins. After all, with the most vicious poison already in my system, what other poison could possibly match it?”

　　As he finished speaking, the man dressed in snow-white robes let out a soft sigh, a hint of melancholy surfacing in his elegant features.

　　No one could say a word after that.

　　Someone couldn’t help but curse, “That witch really ruined your life!”

　　Pei Ji didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he smiled gently, his eyes curving slightly as he comforted them, “You don’t need to feel sorry for me. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll discover a cure. That poison and I have been together for eighteen years already. A few more won’t make a difference.”

　　His tone was calm and steady, and his expression relaxed and open. The way he spoke made it hard not to respect him.

　　None of them noticed that just as the young man in white finished speaking, he unintentionally glanced to the side.

　　Standing next to him was a girl in red. Her delicate little face was all scrunched up, clearly having listened closely to everything he said. Her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at him.

　　Or maybe… pity.

　　Pei Ji quietly looked away, then turned to He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan and said, “As for my martial arts and my legs… I have Miss An to thank for that.”

　　An Jiu had been trying hard to put on a show, but when she suddenly heard her name, her expression froze for a second.

　　The next second, that gentle and elegant man in white turned to her with a grateful look and said, “Miss An is a close friend of Miss Jin Yanwan, the young lady of Jinshe Villa. Miss Jin once read a secret martial arts manual, and Miss An also happened to catch a glimpse of it. That manual contains techniques to repair damaged meridians. My leg meridians had been completely severed, but Miss An passed the method on to me. At the time, no one knew about it. Later, the manual was stolen. Since Miss An is a weak woman with no martial skills, she didn’t dare make the matter public. By then, my legs were already healed, but I didn’t want to draw attention to her and put her in danger, so I kept it hidden until now.”

　　“Today I bring it up because the leader of the Demonic Sect is dead, and soon all of you should be able to retrieve the manual. I just ask that you don’t speak of this to anyone else. Miss An has no martial arts ability and wouldn’t be able to handle the risk.”

　　Wow. Just… wow.

　　An Jiu listened from the side, knowing full well he was making it all up, but she couldn’t find a single flaw in his story.

　　Everything he said was so logical, so well-reasoned.

　　He even made himself look kind and compassionate, acting as if he’d willingly stayed in a wheelchair just to protect a helpless woman. Who wouldn’t praise a man like that?

　　And if An Jiu hadn’t known the truth, she probably would’ve been moved to tears.

　　This was the kind of plan that hit three birds with one stone. It was basically flawless.

　　An Jiu was completely impressed.

　　When the white-robed gentleman looked over at her with just a hint of guilt and said, “Miss An, I took it upon myself to reveal this. I hope you won’t mind.” 

　　She responded with teary eyes and a look of deep emotion.

　　“It’s fine, I don’t mind at all,” she said, sounding genuinely touched.

　　The others chimed in right away. “Doctor Pei, don’t worry. We won’t tell a soul!”

　　Lin Qingyan believed him the most. She’d actually still had some doubts before, but the moment he said it was to protect An Jiu, she immediately understood everything.

　　“Pei Ji treats An Jiu so well. They must be getting together soon, right?” Lin Qingyan whispered to He Ziqing.

　　He glanced at the girl's delicate fingers tugging at his sleeve, then noticed her tiptoeing closer.

　　Considerately, he bent down a little and replied, “Probably…” After a pause, he scratched his head and added softly, “Miss Lin, I was thinking of visiting your father when we return. Is there a good time?”

　　Lin Qingyan was stunned for a second, then her face flushed bright red.

　　She opened her mouth, a bit shy, and mumbled, “How about the fifteenth of August? It's a day for family reunions.”

　　Seeing her blush, the young swordsman also turned a little red. Their eyes met, and unspoken feelings quietly flowed between them.

　　And just like that, all questions about Pei Ji were peacefully put to rest.

　　Once the martial artists had all woken up, they began sweeping through Mingguang Mountain. Some were hunting down any remaining enemies, some were searching for the lost martial arts manual, and others were simply looting for treasures like legendary weapons or secret techniques.

　　Pei Ji and An Jiu stayed outside the grand hall. They didn’t seem interested in joining the chaos.

　　He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan had also disappeared somewhere. No sign of them nearby.

　　The sun was high in the sky now. The June heat was scorching, and the sunlight was no longer golden but a blinding, harsh white.

　　The girl in red and the young man in white stood together under the shadow of the roof. Their sleeves lightly touched, fluttering in the hot mountain wind.

　　“Um… I didn’t know you were pretending to be crippled because of me. I shouldn’t have yelled at you before…” The girl’s soft voice broke the silence.

　　Pei Ji turned slightly and saw her hanging her head, looking a little guilty, her hands twisting together nervously.

　　He gave a gentle smile and said in a warm tone, “I let it go a long time ago.”

　　The girl lifted her face, her dark eyes clear and bright like a mirror, reflecting his white clothes and ink-black hair so vividly. (T/N: Ok, this part is so bizarre. Don’t people usually say, “His gentle face is reflected in her eyes”? Am I being dumb, or is that the correct wording?)

　　“That poison in your body… is it really incurable?” she asked hesitantly.

　　Pei Ji looked down at her and said calmly. “Of course. Why would I lie?”

　　Just as he finished, he saw her eyes darken with complicated emotions—regret, pity, and something like sadness.

　　What was she sad about?

　　“Was that how it looks when the poison acts up? Is it always going to be like that? For your whole life?” she asked. Even her lips had turned a little pale, as if she was recalling that terrible moment.

　　Pei Ji found it rather amusing.

　　He studied her expression inch by inch, surprised to find that An Jiu genuinely seemed worried about him.

　　It wasn’t just concern either… it felt like she might actually like him.

　　The same way she had liked Fei Yi, Ming Yi, and Fei Chen—something that went beyond simple friendship.

　　When Pei Ji first realized this, he was honestly shocked. Even a bit in disbelief. But almost immediately, he reminded himself that this was totally normal for someone like An Jiu.

　　He had always known just how fickle and flirtatious she could be.

　　So, if she developed feelings for ‘Pei Ji,’ that was only to be expected.

　　After all, his legs had healed. He was now a normal man, no longer the cripple she used to look down on.

　　He wasn’t bad-looking either, and he had plenty going for him.

　　Thinking about it like that, it all made perfect sense.

　　But despite this conclusion, Pei Ji didn’t feel any joy. Instead, a strange anger welled up inside him.

　　Her love was so cheap. So shallow. Given out easily for a pretty face or whatever surface-level reason.

　　And now, whatever affection she was giving him felt just as worthless. Even if he did like her, he didn’t want this kind of shallow affection.

　　A thin layer of frost quietly settled in his eyes, but the girl—lost in her emotions—didn’t notice.

　　His long, narrow eyes curved slightly as if smiling, but there wasn’t a trace of warmth in them.

　　“It’s not just the poison flaring up. Once I was poisoned, I wasn’t supposed to live past twenty. Every day I live now is one day closer to the end.”

　　He spoke gently, his eyes locked onto hers, watching her every reaction.

　　Sure enough, her eyes widened in shock.

　　That brightness in her eyes slowly clouded with tears, growing fuller by the second until they clung to her lashes, trembling and ready to fall.

　　“No way… you’re going to be fine. Your medical skills are amazing. You’re incredible. You’ll definitely figure something out, right?”

　　She stepped forward anxiously, her pale fingertips gripping the edge of his sleeve as she stared at him, her tear-filled eyes full of pleading.

　　He was the one who was going to die—yet she looked like her world was falling apart.

　　Why was she putting on such a fake, pitiful act?

　　Pei Ji had planned to tell her coldly that there was no cure. He wanted to see how she would turn around and toss him aside again.

　　After all, who would care about someone doomed to die soon?

　　If she knew for sure he had less than a year to live, Pei Ji was certain she wouldn’t even spare him another glance.

　　Just like before, when she hated his crippled legs so much, always warning him not to get any ideas, saying she’d never fall for someone like him.

　　That’s what he wanted to say. But the moment he opened his mouth and glanced down, his eyes met her tear-streaked face.

　　Without even realizing it, he couldn’t hold those words back. Instead, he changed his tone and said, “I will. I’ll find a way. Just… don’t cry.”

________________

Author's Note:

Almost there, hahaha~

Pei Ji's views on love are seriously twisted. We’re about to get into that.

…..

T/N: Lol, he’s fallen… and he’s fallen hard. As the reader and translator, there’s no way I’m letting him crawl out of that hole. Haha. 😆🤣

　 

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