Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 92: He’s Definitely Going To Kill Her.

　　Pei Ji guessed right—An Jiu really was putting on an act.

　　She did want the flower field destroyed, but she also really wanted to mess with him.

　　Two days ago, An Jiu had used her only golden finger—aka, the system projection—and happened to see a conversation between Pei Ji and Ah Qi.

　　That was how she found out about Pei Ji’s next move.

　　Even with a favorability score of 85, he still wanted to kill her. And the more time passed, the stronger that desire grew.

　　An Jiu was completely thrown off.

　　Sure, she could understand where he was coming from. But understanding didn’t mean she agreed with it. So over the last few days of relative peace, she’d been letting her frustration show however she liked.

　　She figured once they left this mountain, it’d probably be her time to die.

　　An Jiu sat on a grassy slope, gazing toward the white-clad man who was busy pulling flowers out by the root in the distance, and sighed.

　　With just 15 points left to reach full favorability, could she really win him over in time?

　　Even someone as calm as An Jiu couldn’t help feeling a bit lost at that thought.

　　“An Jiu, why the sigh?” Lin Qingyan turned her head curiously.

　　In that rainbow-colored sea of flowers, the black-haired man in white robes kept bending down again and again to uproot the blossoms.

　　Near the edge of the field, An Jiu and Lin Qingyan sat side by side, resting their chins in their hands as they watched the scene unfold.

　　As for He Ziqing, he had gone off into the forest to hunt for them. Ah Qi, on the other hand, was busy building a fire and prepping to cook.

　　There were just too many of the Five-Colored Starflowers. With only Pei Ji pulling them out, it was impossible to finish in a short time, so they had no choice but to stay half a day longer.

　　“I was just wondering,” An Jiu said with a sigh, “once we go down the mountain, will we ever see each other again?”

　　Hearing that, Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. “Why wouldn’t we? Brother He and I are heading back home. You could come visit us at the Zhùjiàn Villa.”

　　An Jiu shook her head. “Better not.”

　　Lin Qingyan gave her a knowing smile. “I get it. You’re planning to go back to Medicine King Valley with Pei Ji, right? Medicine King Valley isn’t far from our place. It’s less than half a day on horseback. It’ll be easy for us to meet up.”

　　An Jiu turned to look at her. The girl in green was glowing with happiness, completely immersed in her sweet love story, not a trace of worry on her face.

　　“I kind of miss home…” An Jiu rested her face on her knees and tilted her head slightly, her voice soft.

　　Lin Qingyan blinked, then suddenly remembered—An Jiu had run away from home. Since joining their group, she’d been gone nearly three months without going back even once.　　

　　“Do you want to go home? How about after we leave the mountain, we send you back to the capital first?” Lin Qingyan offered.

　　An Jiu gave a small smile and shook her head. “I ran away to escape a marriage. If I go home now, my dad will definitely force me into it. I'd rather not.”

　　Lin Qingyan let out a surprised “ah.” “Why did you run away? You don’t like your fiancé?”

　　An Jiu shook her head hard. “Of course not. He’s almost twenty years older than me. He could be my dad!”

　　Lin Qingyan’s eyes widened in shock, and the way she looked at An Jiu instantly turned sympathetic.

　　As a daughter of the martial world and heiress of the Zhùjiàn Villa, Lin Qingyan rarely heard about forced marriages. Martial families weren’t that uptight about rules, and their culture was far more open compared to noble clans. Female warriors roaming the jianghu were pretty common. Usually, if two young people liked each other, they’d just get married. It was simple, like her and He Ziqing—arranged or ¹silent marriages were basically unheard of.

　　In the martial world, people didn’t care much about status. It was more about strength.

　　After thinking for a moment, Lin Qingyan said seriously, “In that case, don’t go home. Just go back with Pei Ji. He’s a good guy—gentle and thoughtful. He’s all alone watching over Medicine King Valley. If you marry him, you’ll be the mistress of the valley. Your dad won’t be able to force you into anything.”

　　“But I don’t think he really likes me…” An Jiu lowered her gaze, sounding a little down.

　　Lin Qingyan suddenly chuckled. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. Didn’t you see earlier? You asked him to pull those flowers and he agreed without even hesitating!”

　　An Jiu blinked but still frowned. “That’s just because he’s kind. He didn’t do it for me.”

　　Lin Qingyan replied firmly, “I’ve known Pei Ji since we were little. He might be kind, but he’s also extremely picky about cleanliness. He can’t stand a single speck of dirt on himself. But look at him now. If that’s not him caring about you, then what is? And I know him—he’s not ignoring you on purpose these days. He’s just too proper. That’s how he is. He would never act inappropriately toward a girl. If you get a little closer to him, he won’t be able to stay distant anymore.”

　　An Jiu followed Lin Qingyan’s gaze and sure enough, saw that Pei Ji’s once spotless white robes were now stained with dirt, crushed flower juice, and dust. He looked nothing like his usual pristine self.

　　“Oh right,” Lin Qingyan leaned in and whispered again. “If you still don’t believe me, give him something. If he accepts it, that means he really does care.”

　　An Jiu looked at her curiously. “What kind of something?”

　　“A scented sachet,” Lin Qingyan grinned.

　　In ancient times, sachets were often used by women as a token of affection, so Lin Qingyan’s suggestion wasn’t unreasonable.

　　So after Pei Ji finished clearing out the entire flower field, he returned looking thoroughly disheveled. And the moment he stepped out, the girl handed him a small red sachet.

　　Its bright, fiery color matched her clothes perfectly—just as vivid and striking as she was.

　　The hem of her dress was a deep crimson, and her cheeks were tinged with a soft blush. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like they were filled with tiny stars.

　　“Pei Ji, this is… for you.”

　　Pei Ji lifted his gaze from the bright red sachet to the girl’s flushed face.

　　“Miss An, what exactly does this gift mean?”

　　Of course he knew what giving a sachet meant.

　　But he asked anyway, his chest tightening with a sudden rush of emotion and his throat feeling inexplicably dry. At the same time, he looked at her calmly, trying to guess what she was up to this time.

　　Lately, every time he was around her, he ended up like this.

　　Half of him was swept up in this uncontrollable wave of emotion, while the other half clung to reason, trying to stay clear-headed. The push and pull between the two left him more and more unsettled each time.

　　Seeing how calm he looked, his jade-like face completely unreadable like he couldn’t care less, the blush on the girl’s cheeks slowly faded.

　　She stomped her foot and bit her lip. “Whatever, I’m giving it to you. Do you… do you want it or not?”

　　Pei Ji silently lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting shadows beneath them.

　　His silence made An Jiu bite her lip even harder, until the soft red turned pale.

　　Her outstretched hand hung stiffly in the air. A gust of wind passed by and she suddenly turned her head away with a cold snort. “Fine, forget it. I’ll give it to someone else. If you don’t want it, someone else definitely will!”

　　Before the sharp words even finished, her slender wrist was caught in a firm grip.

　　The man in white slowly lifted his gaze. His long lashes framed his dark eyes, deep and unreadable.

　　“I want it,” he said softly. His voice was low and hoarse.

　　With long, graceful fingers, he took the small sachet from her palm. The bright red stood out starkly against his pale knuckles, a beautiful contrast that almost hurt the eyes.

　　“Hmph, at least you know what’s good for you.” Seeing him behave, the girl lifted her chin proudly, smugness written all over her face.

　　With that, she turned and ran off like a little peacock, as if she had just completed some grand, heroic mission.

　　Her red skirt fluttered with every bounce in her step as she darted toward Lin Qingyan. The two girls huddled together, whispering excitedly, occasionally glancing over at Pei Ji. Whatever they were saying, it made them burst into laughter.

　　Pei Ji didn’t move. He stood where he was, still holding the sachet.

　　He wasn’t sure what was inside, but it was stiff and jabbed against his palm, just enough to make it ache a little.

　　That faint pain crept from his hand to his chest, tightening into a breathless pressure.

　　Was it just a random whim? A fleeting moment of amusement? Or yet another kind of playful teasing?

　　Whatever it was, it didn’t change the fact that he genuinely wanted it.

　　Just like with her. No matter how absurd she was, no matter how much he told himself she wasn’t worth it, it didn’t change the fact that he liked her. That he couldn’t help the way his heart stirred for her.

　　It was ridiculous. Even if her affection was shallow, given without much thought, he still wanted it.

　　Pei Ji suddenly closed his eyes tightly. When he opened them again, a sharp determination flashed through his gaze.

　　He couldn’t let this continue.

　　She was affecting him far too much, slipping out of his control.

　　He had to kill her.

　　They spent an entire day in that valley full of rainbow-colored flowers. When they finally set off again, they left the now-ruined field behind.

　　This time, they didn’t stop along the way and soon arrived at Mingguang Town without issue.

　　The Demonic Sect had been destroyed, but Mingguang Town showed no signs of decline. The streets were still bustling with life, packed with caravans leading camels and hauling crates of goods, and merchants traveling from north and south, weary from the road.

　　An Jiu hadn’t had the chance to explore when she first arrived, but now that everything was settled, she decided to take a proper stroll through the town and maybe buy some local specialties from the northern border to bring back.

　　The customs and culture of the northern frontier were completely different from the Central Plains. On the streets, aside from the camels you wouldn’t normally see in Central Plains, there were also foreigners with blond hair, blue eyes, high noses, and deep features. Their clothing and accessories were entirely different from the Han style, full of unique flair.

　　An Jiu was fascinated. There was so much to see that she didn’t even realize she had gotten separated from the group. She glanced around and spotted Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing not far off in the crowd. Just as she was about to walk over, a tall figure suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

　　“Excuse me, can you move?” An Jiu said instinctively.

　　But the person didn’t budge. Instead, he asked in a low voice, “Are you Miss An Jiu?”

　　An Jiu's heart gave a jolt. She looked up and saw a completely average, forgettable face.

　　She’d never seen this man before. How did he know her name?

　　“You must be mistaken. I’m not—”

　　Before she could finish, a sharp pain hit the back of her neck. Her vision went black and she instantly lost consciousness. Just before everything faded, An Jiu mentally flipped Pei Ji off.

　　If he wanted her taken away, fine, but did it have to be so rough? Did this dog of a man know nothing about treating a delicate flower gently?

　　At that same moment, Pei Ji stepped out of a nearby shop with a freshly made beef pastry in hand.

　　He looked toward where the girl had been just moments ago, only to realize she was no longer there.

　　His brows furrowed. He instinctively thought she had wandered off somewhere else, but after scanning the area, he couldn’t find even a trace of red in the crowd.

　　“Ah Qi!”

　　Ah Qi wasn’t nearby. He had been preparing the group’s luggage for the journey home, and only rushed over after hearing Pei Ji call out.

　　“Master, I didn’t see Miss An either,” he said.

　　Pei Ji asked coldly, “What about the person you left to keep watch?”

　　Ah Qi shook his head. “He didn’t make a move.”

　　A while later, Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing also showed up. When they heard An Jiu was missing, everyone immediately began searching for her.

　　They scoured the entire street, even turned the whole of Mingguang Town upside down, but there was no sign of the girl.

　　As the sky gradually darkened, Pei Ji stood silently at the edge of the street. Night had fallen like a curtain over the town, and the noisy bustle of the day had faded into a quiet gloom.

　　The beef pastry in his hand had long since gone cold and stiff. He still remembered her stopping by the stall earlier, murmuring about how good it smelled, but shrinking back when she saw how long the line was.

　　Standing beside him, Lin Qingyan spoke softly, “An Jiu will be okay. We’ll keep looking. Even if she was taken, we’ll bring her back. Pei Ji, please… don’t be upset.”

　　Pei Ji wanted to say, I’m not upset.

　　But the moment he opened his mouth, a sharp pain tore through his chest. He doubled over with a choked sound, coughing up a mouthful of bright red blood.

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Glossary:

¹What's a silent marriage?

In most contexts, especially Chinese historical or wuxia fiction, a ‘silent marriage’ (默婚 / 默许的婚姻) refers to:

🔹 A marriage without formal approval or public announcement, but quietly acknowledged by the parties involved or by the family.

It might mean:

The two people secretly got married without a ceremony.

The elders tacitly allowed it but didn’t say anything openly.

Or the woman/man is accepted into the household like a spouse, even if not officially wed.

It's the kind of marriage that:

Lacks fanfare (no matchmaker, no betrothal gifts).

Might be unofficial or unrecognized by society.

Sometimes used to protect reputation or hide a scandal (like if a woman gets pregnant or the couple elopes).

In this excerpt:

> “Arranged or silent marriages were basically unheard of.”

That means: in the martial world, people just followed their hearts and married openly, without needing family arrangements or quiet, secretive unions. Simple, free-spirited.

So in short, a silent marriage is more like a hushed agreement than a public celebration.

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Author’s Note:

Let’s start with some physical pain first~

…..

T/N: Alright, the chapters I missed over the past few days, along with today’s update, are now here. Enjoy~

　　

　　

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