Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 66: He Would Never Allow Her To Like Someone Else.

　　Since arriving at Wuyin Temple, An Jiu had been seeking out Fei Chen daily to ask about Buddhist teachings, appearing to be extremely devoted to Buddhism.

　　However, anyone with eyes could see that her real intention had nothing to do with religion.

　　Within a few days, the monks at Wuyin Temple began to notice that their revered Buddha's child seemed to have been entangled by this visiting devotee. She was either secretly throwing flirtatious glances at him or persistently asking him endless questions, her eagerness making it difficult to watch.

　　“Fei Chen, stop paying attention to that female Tanyue. Her intentions towards you are not pure. You lack experience and have never seen what women from the outside world are really like. Don’t let her cloud your mind.” 

　　One day, Fei Chen’s martial uncle pulled him aside and earnestly advised.

　　Wuyin Temple didn’t involve itself in worldly affairs, but the monks would still descend the mountain to travel and experience the trials of the mortal realm.

　　There is a saying in Buddhism: Only those who remain steadfast after enduring the temptations of the mortal world can truly be called enlightened.

　　But unfortunately, many monks who went down the mountain never came back.

　　Some were blinded by the allure of the secular world. Others had their souls ensnared by women.

　　Fei Chen's martial uncle had seen far too many examples like this.

　　He once had a senior martial brother, extremely gifted, who fell in love with a demonic woman in the outside world. Ignoring the master’s teachings and the bond of his fellow disciples, he left the temple just to be with her forever.

　　The martial uncle did not want Fei Chen to meet the same fate.

　　But to his surprise, after hearing all this, Fei Chen replied, “Martial Uncle, I can tell that An Tanyue does not harbor romantic feelings for me. Also, she truly is very knowledgeable in Buddhist studies. In just a few days of discussion with her, I’ve learned a great deal. It isn’t she who is clinging to me. Please stop judging her unfairly and ruining her reputation for no reason.”

　　Upon hearing that, the martial uncle immediately felt Fei Chen was already deeply entangled.

　　That girl didn’t look like someone from a respectable family at all—what could she possibly know about Buddhist scriptures? She was probably just here to deceive Fei Chen. And this nephew of his was too naive, unaware of how cunning and deceitful people outside the temple could be. Yet he believed her!

　　The martial uncle watched Fei Chen walk away with deep sorrow. The girl in red was standing not far off, glancing their way. She had been waiting there ever since she saw them talking.

　　Now, seeing Fei Chen walking toward her, her eyes curved into joyful crescents, and her beautiful little face lit up with a radiant smile—so dazzling it was hard to look at directly.

　　Sigh! The martial uncle let out a long sigh and flung his sleeve, walking off.

　　He had clearly failed to talk sense into Fei Chen. It would be better to report this to Senior Brother Zhenyi and have him personally discipline this disciple.

　　“Master Fei Chen, was that your martial uncle just now? What was he saying to you?”

　　“An Tanyue, I told you—there’s no need to call me ‘Master,’” the monk in white robes put his palms together and recited a Buddhist chant to her.

　　The young girl gave a sly smile and said, “And I said, if you don’t call me An Tanyue, then I won’t call you Master.”

　　Hearing this, Fei Chen could only shake his head helplessly and sigh, “It goes against etiquette. That won’t do.”

　　An Jiu looked at him with a beaming smile, saying nothing.

　　She found Fei Chen rather amusing. Though he looked like an aloof flower atop a cold peak, in truth, he was extremely pure-hearted, even a bit inflexible—like a stuffy old scholar.

　　“An Tanyue, forgive my bluntness—why have you been deliberately approaching me these past few days?”

　　The sudden question sounded by her ear. An Jiu looked up instinctively and met a pair of pitch-black, crystal-clear eyes.

　　Those eyes were calm and cold, like a secluded lake atop a snowy mountain—untouched by man, reflecting every inch of the sky, untainted by the dust of the world.

　　Being looked at like this, An Jiu felt completely exposed, as if her entire being had been seen through.

　　“Has An Tanyue achieved what she set out to do?”

　　The monk stood in white robes, draped like snow and frost. His words, light and distant, seemed like those of a celestial being questioning a mortal burdened with desires.

　　An Jiu opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to hide the truth. But after a brief silence, she turned her face away and gave a small bitter smile. “How did you know?”

　　The two of them wandered aimlessly through the temple grounds. Wuyin Temple covered a vast area, its eaves hung with aged and heavy copper bells that rang with a deep and distant tone as the mountain wind blew.

　　Fei Chen’s voice flowed like a gentle stream in the mountains, calm and unhurried: “An Tanyue’s understanding of Buddhist teachings is profound. The questions you asked me already had answers in your heart. Since that’s the case, you must have had another reason for coming to ask me every day.”

　　“As the one being used, may I ask—what was that reason?”

　　An Jiu stayed quiet for a long while, and Fei Chen didn’t push her.

　　The surroundings were silent. After a long pause, the girl’s soft voice finally came: “I’m sorry… I was angry with someone. I didn’t mean to use you. Discussing Buddhist teachings with you these past few days—I really enjoyed hearing your different perspectives.”

　　There was no surprise on Fei Chen’s face. His dark eyes remained calm and quiet: “I understand.”

　　He stopped walking and turned to face her. “There’s no need for An Tanyue to feel sorry. I, too, had my own selfish motives. Your ideas in Buddhism were very novel. We both gained something—we owe each other nothing.”

　　An Jiu looked up, the gloom in her expression instantly swept away. She asked joyfully, “So… we’re still friends?”

　　The white-robed monk’s cold expression softened slightly, like ice melting into water. His voice was gentle: “Of course.”

　　He suddenly tilted his head, motioning for her to look. “An Tanyue, this tree is Wuyin Temple’s guardian treasure. You can make a wish to it—it might just come true.”

　　An Jiu followed his gaze and saw a massive pine tree. The trunk was thick and sturdy, and the canopy spread so wide it blocked out the entire sky, casting a giant shadow on the ground.

　　But what drew the eye most were the countless red ribbons hanging from the branches, fluttering in the wind.

　　“This is the Twin Pine Tree? Why is there only one?” she asked curiously, eyes wide.

　　Fei Chen replied, “The other one is in a different spot. If you’d like, I can take you there too.”

　　As he spoke, he led her to a small hut beside the pine tree. The hut was empty, with writing brushes, ink, and strips of freshly cut red cloth laid out inside.

　　An Jiu picked up one of the red cloth strips, held the brush, and asked Fei Chen, “Master Fei Chen, have you ever made a wish to this tree?”

　　Fei Chen said, “No. This humble monk has had no expectations in life, nor grudges or regrets.”

　　In other words, his life had been so smooth that he never really wanted anything—so naturally, he had no wishes.

　　An Jiu sighed inwardly. Perhaps only someone like Fei Chen could achieve such transcendence and detachment.

　　She was a worldly person—there was no way she could live without desires.

　　While thinking, she dipped the brush and wrote a line on the red cloth. When she finished, she looked up and asked, “What should I do next?”

　　Fei Chen said, “If you don’t mind, you can give it to me. I’ll hang it for you.”

　　A figure in red and a figure in white stood beneath the tree—one tall and white, one slender and red.

　　The white-robed monk took the vivid red silk ribbon from the red-skirted girl’s hands, and with a light tap of his toes, he floated up into the tree, gracefully tying the inked ribbon to a branch.

　　The girl looked up, watching him intently. Her bright peach blossom eyes curved into crescent moons.

　　“Master Fei Chen, it’s up! Come down quickly!” Her voice was crisp and sweet, carried far by the mountain wind.

　　Fei Chen descended from the tree like a crane, landing gently in front of An Jiu.

　　“An tanyue, someone is watching us,” Fei Chen said, expression unchanged.

　　“I know. Just ignore him.” An Jiu didn’t even blink as she said it.

　　“If you like him, why do this?” Fei Chen asked in confusion.

　　Seeing the pure puzzlement in his eyes, An Jiu smiled. “You don’t need to understand. Love between men and women is always unpredictable. I’ll copy a Buddhist scripture for you when I get back—a rare book my grandfather treasured for years. Think of it as a thank-you gift for going along with me, okay?”

　　At those words, Fei Chen immediately placed his hands together in a rare, faint smile: “Then I shall trouble you, An tanyue. You may make more use of me.”

　　When such a proper person cracked a joke, it felt all the more unusual. An Jiu covered her mouth and laughed hard.

　　This scene, falling into the eyes of a white-robed gentleman in the distance, was like a sword stabbing into his heart.

　　He quietly closed his eyes, turned his head slightly, and said to Ah Qi, “Let’s go back.”

　　Ah Qi hesitated for a long moment. He had finally persuaded his young master to come to the sacred tree and pray for a match—only to witness such a scene. He felt both frustrated and indignant.

　　The young master and Miss An only had one argument—how did it come to this?

　　And that An Jiu—how had she gotten so close to Fei Chen Fózǐ in just a few days?

　　Ah Qi really wanted to go straight over and ask An Jiu himself, but since the young master had already given the order, he had no choice but to turn back the way they came.

　　“Young Master, maybe you should go apologize properly to Miss An? Buy her some gifts, sweet-talk her a bit…”

　　Ah Qi was truly worried. If his young master kept up this cold war with An Jiu, she was going to run off with someone else.

　　Sure, Fei Chen was a monk and couldn’t be with An Jiu—but what if he decided to return to secular life? What if he truly fell in love with her and was willing to give up his pursuit of enlightenment for her?

　　As just a servant, Ah Qi’s heart was breaking over his young master’s love life.

　　Pei Ji said coolly, “No need.”

　　After a pause, he added, “Go down the mountain and buy some jewelry that women like—make sure it’s bright-colored. Gemstones are best. She likes rubies and emeralds. No pearls.”

　　The moment Ah Qi heard that, he brightened up and quickly replied, “Alright, I’ll go right away!”

　　This—this was what you called a sharp tongue but a soft heart!

　　He’d really thought his young master was as indifferent as he looked—but no, he was just pretending. Said he didn’t care, yet still asked him to go buy gifts?

　　But what Ah Qi didn’t know was, Pei Ji truly didn’t plan to coax anyone.

　　Still, just because Pei Ji wouldn’t coax her didn’t mean Fei Yi wouldn’t.

　　Pei Ji had seen clearly how close An Jiu and Fei Chen had become. The sense of crisis in his heart was far greater than Ah Qi could imagine.

　　He had to make sure she still liked Fei Yi. As for Pei Ji… that didn’t matter.

　　He had invested so much in her—disguising his identity, altering his appearance and voice, dressing up as the type she liked—everything just to cater to her preferences.

　　He treated her gently, saved her from danger multiple times, even gave up stealing the secret manual for her.

　　Now that manual had fallen into the hands of the demonic sect, his carefully laid plans had to change. The future he thought he had grasped had become uncertain, everything spinning out of his control.

　　What’s more, she used to like him so much—saying over and over that she wanted to marry him, kissing him, wrapping herself around him, whispering words of love in a crowded festival…

　　Had all that just been empty talk?

　　If she truly fell for someone else, not only would all his efforts be in vain, even the antidote plan would completely fail.

　　Pei Ji wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen.

　　He would never allow her to like anyone else.

　　It was enough as long as she liked Fei Yi.

　　Even when he closed his eyes, the red-and-white figures beneath the tree kept flashing before him.

　　His grip on the folding fan was so tight, his knuckles had turned white.

________________

Author Note:

Pei Pei: How can she like someone else? Was it all fake when she said she liked me? QAQ

Miss An : Hehe, it’s fake~

…..

T/N: I had a bit of doubt while reading this novel. Pei Ji is the young master of Medicine King Valley, and since his father has passed away and he has no siblings or elders above him, shouldn’t he be called “Master” instead? After all, “Gongzi” (公子) means “young master,” while “Master” would be a different title entirely. Sigh... I guess the author is keeping “Gongzi” to reflect his youth or for Jianghu flavor, but it still made me pause for a second.

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