Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 94: Personally Ruining Your Beautiful Dream

　　Early that morning, just as the sky began to lighten, a group of young people arrived outside Yanmen Pass.

　　Leading them was a man with a face like white jade and a figure as slender as bamboo. He wore a flawless white robe, and even amidst the dusty winds of the northwest, his clothes remained perfectly spotless.

　　Following him were a lively girl in green, a tall and upright young man, and finally, a towering servant leading a camel loaded with luggage.

　　The strangest thing of all was the heavy wheelchair strapped upside down on the camel's back.

　　They all looked quite young, even the servant wasn’t that much older, but no one dared to underestimate them.

　　That was because their movements were steady, their breathing calm. The girl and the young man both wore long swords on their belts. Clearly, they were trained fighters, most likely from the martial world, not ordinary travelers.

　　Oddly enough, it was the man in white who seemed to be calling the shots.

　　He had a handsome face and a refined air, looking the least like someone from the jianghu. His complexion was pale and his expression listless, like someone suffering from a serious illness.

　　Even though his steps were firm, he would cough from time to time. Each cough sounded like he might hack out a lung, shaking his whole body, with the veins at his temple bulging. He would then slowly press a white handkerchief to his lips and stop with effort.

　　Anyone else coughing like that would probably be bedridden. It was hard to imagine how he was still traveling around like this.

　　The four of them entered the city early and headed straight for an inn.

　　The inn had just opened for the day. The innkeeper was still half-asleep behind the counter, settling the accounts from the night before, when he looked up and saw the group.

　　He paused. After running the inn for decades, he had a decent eye for things. Seeing the way they carried themselves, he figured they weren’t just looking for a place to stay, so he quickly put on a polite smile and asked, “Welcome, guests. Is there something I can help you with?”

　　The man in white scanned the lobby with his dark eyes, as if searching for something. After taking a careful look around, he pulled his gaze back with a hint of disappointment.

　　The innkeeper thought to himself, It’s still early. Most guests aren’t even up yet. Of course the lobby’s empty.

　　The young man probably just came in out of desperation, hoping for a glimpse of someone.

　　But even from that one glance, the innkeeper could guess why they were here.

　　The martial world was always full of drama. If these people were here to settle a grudge, he just hoped they wouldn't wreck the place. People like this were always highly skilled and didn’t fear the authorities. After years of running an inn, this kind of situation was what he feared most.

　　He started mentally going through the guests who’d checked in recently, wondering if any of them might be who this group was after.

　　He remembered that just yesterday around dusk, a man and a woman had checked in. They didn’t seem like ordinary travelers either—especially that girl in the red dress. She was stunning, but also fiery.

　　Anyone who stared at her too long got a fierce glare right back.

　　The man beside her looked pretty ordinary, but he was tall and broad-shouldered, definitely not just some regular guy.

　　As all these thoughts spun through the innkeeper’s mind, he smiled and asked, “Are you folks here looking for someone?”

　　The man in white lowered his head and let out a soft cough, quickly stifling it. His lips were pale as he said, “That's right. We're looking for a girl, around seventeen or eighteen years old. Her height is...”

　　He paused for a second, seeming to remember something. His expression flickered briefly before he snapped out of it and raised his hand to his chin, gesturing, “About this tall.”

　　From the way he said it, it sounded like he had measured her height in person before, as if there was no doubt about it.

　　“She likes wearing red. Her looks are...” He trailed off again and lowered his head as a violent coughing fit overtook him.

　　The coughing left his pale face flushed unnaturally red.

　　“Pei Ji, don’t push yourself. I’ll speak,” said the girl in green beside him, looking worried. She quickly stepped forward and explained to the innkeeper, “One of our friends was taken yesterday. She’s a young girl in red, very beautiful, with big, bright eyes…”

　　“Does she have a bit of a temper too?” the innkeeper asked with a grin.

　　He had met all kinds of people, and just from one look, he could already get a general sense of their personalities. These travelers didn’t seem like the rude or arrogant type often seen beyond the pass. They were polite and well-mannered, which made him relax a little.

　　“Yes, that’s her!” Lin Qingyan’s eyes lit up immediately.

　　The man in white, who had been coughing hard just moments ago, stopped and looked up, his breath still uneven. His black eyes locked straight onto the innkeeper.

　　That intense stare made the innkeeper freeze.

　　At first, he had thought this sickly-looking young man was just a gentle, well-bred noble suffering from illness. But when hit with that deadly sharp gaze, the innkeeper suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.

　　Just as he was feeling unsettled, the man in white suddenly lowered his eyes again. When he looked up once more, he was back to that mild, fragile-looking version of himself. That terrifying look from before now seemed like it must have been the innkeeper’s imagination.

　　The innkeeper nervously brushed it off and decided not to dwell on it. He said honestly, “You’ve asked the right person. That girl you’re talking about really did stay at this inn yesterday. She came with a man in black. I overheard him call her Miss An.”

　　At that, Lin Qingyan beamed and nodded quickly. “That’s her! That’s An Jiu!”

　　But the innkeeper’s smile faded a little, and he hesitated. “That's odd, though. The girl didn’t look like she was taken against her will. They seemed to know each other. That man took really good care of her. He even guarded her door all night.”

　　“What? They knew each other?” Lin Qingyan froze in shock.

　　The innkeeper went on, “That’s right. My staff can confirm it too. I’m not making anything up. And if you’re hoping to find her now, you’re too late. The girl left in the middle of the night. They barely stayed long after booking the room before checking out. If you want to find her, you’ll probably need to keep going ahead.”

　　Lin Qingyan stood there stunned. After a while, she finally asked, “She went with him willingly?”

　　“In my opinion, yes.”

　　He Zeqing spoke up then. “Do you know where they went?”

　　The innkeeper replied, “When they checked out last night, I heard them mention going home. That’s all I caught.”

　　cough cough cough... At that moment, the sickly-looking man in white started coughing violently again.　　

　　The innkeeper’s words had left Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing confused, while Pei Ji, despite looking calm on the surface, was coughing so hard he clearly couldn’t keep traveling.

　　With no other choice, they booked a few rooms at the inn, planning to rest for a bit before figuring out what to do next.

　　If what the innkeeper said was true, and An Jiu hadn’t been kidnapped but went home with someone on her own, then… should they still try to find her?

　　In the room, Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing sat at the table. After a moment of silence, Lin Qingyan suddenly slapped her palm.

　　“I think we still have to go check. An Jiu told me just a few days ago that once she got home, they’d force her to marry some old guy. There’s no way she’d agree to that! And if she really went home, why didn’t she tell us anything? Pei Ji is still here. She wouldn’t just leave without a word. There has to be a reason!”

　　Her analysis was pretty convincing, and in the end, she made up her mind.

　　He Ziqing shrugged. “I’m good with whatever.”

　　Lin Qingyan glanced around, even though it was just the two of them in the room. She still leaned in close like she was sharing a secret and whispered next to He Ziqing’s ear, “Look at Pei Ji right now. He’s clearly not okay. Even if An Jiu really left on her own, I’m sure he still wants to see her face one more time. You saw how bad his cough is, and he still insisted on traveling all night. I think he just wants closure. Let’s delay going back to Zhùjiàn Villa and go with him to the capital first. No matter what their situation is, he deserves an explanation, right?”

　　Honestly, Lin Qingyan thought there was a good chance An Jiu really had left of her own will.

　　Everyone had traveled together for months now, and they had a pretty clear idea of her personality. She was a pampered noble girl, couldn’t handle the slightest discomfort, proud and a bit spoiled. Not a bad person, just not exactly easy to get along with.

　　Back when Pei Ji was still using a wheelchair, An Jiu’s attitude toward him was cold and obvious.

　　Lin Qingyan couldn’t help but wonder if An Jiu had changed her mind after finding out Pei Ji was poisoned and wouldn’t live long. Maybe she thought he wasn’t good enough anymore and decided to back out.

　　Knowing her temperament, that was something she’d definitely do.

　　Of course, she’d never say this in front of Pei Ji. Ever since An Jiu went missing and Pei Ji coughed up blood, his health had gotten worse. He coughed constantly, sometimes even with blood.

　　Watching him like that made Lin Qingyan feel sick with worry. She had urged him to rest and recover while they went to look for An Jiu instead.

　　But Pei Ji ignored her and kept pushing himself to travel. His face was so pale, she honestly feared he might just collapse any second.

　　“Sigh… What a mess,” Lin Qingyan muttered with a frown.

　　He Ziqing didn’t know what to say either. He scratched his head and after a long pause, said, “Yeah, we should go to the capital. If Brother Pei doesn’t get an answer, he might not survive this. Our own matters can wait.”

　　Lin Qingyan’s cheeks flushed slightly. She nodded and agreed softly. She was planning to tell Pei Ji their decision later.

　　In the next room, the man in white stood by the window. He still looked sickly, but his expression wasn’t as gloomy as Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing imagined.

　　He stretched out his hand, took a bamboo tube from the owl’s claws, and opened the letter inside.

　　Tiny characters covered the paper like mosquito legs. With just one glance, his dark eyes grew colder and deeper.

　　“So she really did go willingly. Hmph.”

　　The Gu poison inside An Jiu and Pei Ji gave them a connection, but the link broke once they were too far apart. So by the time he reached Yanmen Pass that morning, Pei Ji already knew she wasn’t in the city.

　　Still, the moment he received the first report last night, the entire Qiansha Pavilion had mobilized. They already tracked her down to another nearby town.

　　Just like Lin Qingyan suspected, Pei Ji believed An Jiu had gone back on her word.

　　Because that was exactly the kind of thing the An Jiu he remembered would do.

　　“Regretting it now? Too late…”

　　The man in white looked icy cold, his fingers curling tight until his knuckles turned white. That piece of letter crumbled into powder in his pale, jade-like palm.

　　He flicked his hand, and the fine white dust drifted to the ground like snow falling silently.

　　As his hand dropped, his fingertips brushed against something soft. He glanced down and saw the bright red pouch hanging from his waist.

　　The pouch was embroidered with gold thread, forming the image of a bird with bright eyes, staring back at him vividly.

　　Just like that sharp-eyed, lively girl.

　　A low, cold laugh slipped into the air.

　　“Rather go back and marry some old man who could be your father than stay with me? Heh. An Jiu, you really do know how to dream. Let me grant that wish for you. I’ll let you marry him, then personally crush your perfect dream. How about that? Sounds good, doesn't it?”

　　His soft voice lingered in the empty room like a tender whisper.

　　His elegant fingers curled inward, gripping the little red pouch tightly.

　　The golden-threaded canary was caged within his hand, locked away in a prison of flesh and bone, sinking deeper into unseen darkness.

　　

　　

　　 

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