Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 83: “I'll Wait For The Moment You Leave His Side.”

　　When An Jiu saw He Ziqing turn around, her heart was full of hope. She really thought she was about to be saved.

　　But reality hit her hard. She was happy way too soon.

　　The man holding her from behind reacted lightning fast, dragging her behind a tree. The thick trunk completely hid both of them from sight.

　　Her mouth was still covered by his hand. His hot breath landed on the back of her neck, and thanks to her cursed hypersensitive body, it felt like someone was brushing a feather over her skin. Goosebumps instantly rose in layers along her neck.

　　“Waiting for him to save you? Please. Keep dreaming.”

　　His low voice slipped straight into her ear. She could clearly feel his lips pressed right against the edge of her ear. Every time he spoke, a warm puff of air would slip inside, making her itch deep into her bones.

　　As if punishing her for not behaving, he opened his mouth and bit her ear, applying just a little pressure. His tongue teased and played with her slowly and gently, until her body completely gave out, her waist turning soft and her whole strength vanishing.

　　If he weren’t still holding her, she probably would’ve melted straight onto the ground.

　　Tears spilled uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes—not from pain, but from her body being pushed so far that it triggered this kind of involuntary reaction.

　　Sometimes, when the body is overwhelmed with too much pleasure, tears will fall on their own.

　　“An Jiu? Is that you?” He Ziqing’s voice came again from the woods in front of them.

　　An Jiu couldn’t stop trembling, her mind drowning and scattering in wave after wave of rising tides.

　　She knew her own body. Her ears were super sensitive. Normally, even if someone just got a little too close when speaking, she’d already feel ticklish. Now, with this hypersensitive state, it was even worse.

　　Every time he teased her, a spark of electricity would shoot from her ear, spreading through every inch of her body, pulling her into another unbearable wave of desire.

　　In her hazy, messed-up mind, she could feel the steady, trembling heartbeat coming from the broad chest pressing against her back. Then, what followed was a voice that sounded exactly like hers.

　　“Brother He, it’s me. I’m fine.”

　　An Jiu froze, then suddenly widened her eyes.

　　She instinctively tried to turn around to see the man behind her, but her body was locked in place. She couldn’t even move her head.

　　“As long as you’re fine. Don’t wander too far. There are wild beasts in this forest. It’s dangerous for a weak girl like you.” He Ziqing’s voice came from ahead.

　　“Thank you, Brother He. You can go back to what you’re doing. I’ll just gather a little firewood and head back soon.”

　　The sweet, soft voice echoed in her ears. If An Jiu hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would’ve thought it was really her talking.

　　The crisp tone, the habitually lively and bright way of speaking, even that special sweetness in her voice when she called He Ziqing—everything was exactly the same. It was flawless.

　　An Jiu felt completely defeated. Damn it, this guy’s a voice mimic master!

　　She screamed in her heart: He Ziqing, come over here and check! The one talking isn’t me!!

　　Too bad He Ziqing was a totally oblivious guy. Even An Jiu herself couldn’t tell the difference when Pei Ji imitated her, let alone someone like him.

　　An Jiu stared miserably at the tree trunk in front of her, completely out of tears to cry. Soon, she heard He Ziqing’s digging sounds again, steady and rhythmic.

　　Stop digging that grave! If this keeps up, I might as well go lie in it myself.

　　But life didn’t go her way. He Ziqing didn’t hear a single word of her desperate cries inside.

　　“You see? He didn’t notice you at all. I can do whatever I want to you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

　　The man’s deep voice drifted into her ears, carrying a hint of laughter. But it wasn’t the kind of laugh that was warm or happy—it was laced with cold mockery.

　　An Jiu gritted her teeth, desperately trying to ignore the heat surging through her body. With great effort, she opened her mouth and bit down hard.

　　Maybe he didn’t expect it, because she actually managed to bite his hand.

　　But her whole body was weak, and the bite didn’t do much damage at all. It was like a kitten with baby teeth, gnawing away for ages without leaving even a scratch.

　　His palm was damp, and instead of getting angry, he seemed a little amused. He lightly curled his long fingers and gave her cheek a small squeeze, coaxing her to turn her face toward him.

　　Their eyes met.

　　For a moment, his long, narrow black eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

　　Until now, he hadn’t looked at her properly. But as soon as he did, all he saw was a girl who looked just like a soaked little kitten. Her long, curled lashes clumped together in strands, her bright, teary eyes glistening like a misty rainy day in Jiangnan.

　　Her cheeks were flushed, and the tails of her beautiful peach blossom eyes were dyed in an intoxicating shade of red, as if brushed with layers of rouge.

　　Her gaze was hazy, but the second she saw him, a hint of clarity suddenly flickered in those blurred, tear-filled eyes.

　　“I... I will hate you…”

　　She panted, forcing out a few weak words from her dry throat. Her dark, shining eyes locked tightly onto him, as if she wanted to carve his face deep into her heart.

　　Pei Ji suddenly felt a wave of overwhelming excitement rising in his chest.

　　These eyes were finally looking at him—not at anyone else. No matter what man she met in the future, she would always remember him.

　　But… she hated him.

　　Her tear-filled, bright black eyes stared at him with a hate so clear that anyone could see it.

　　She was never a soft, gentle girl. She was always arrogant, unreasonable, wild, and stubborn. She couldn’t stand losing, always needing others to give in to her.

　　After what he did to her today, she would probably hate him for the rest of her life.

　　Pei Ji thought to himself, so what?

　　She was just a pawn in his hand, a tool to save his own life. Whether she hated him or not, what did it matter?

　　He had already made up his mind. He would find a chance to bring her back to Qiansha Pavilion and plant a love Gu in her. No matter how much she hated him, she would eventually fall deeply in love with him.

　　But when he was actually faced with her gaze, filled with nothing but hatred, his heart suddenly tightened. An unexplainable sting and sourness spread from his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

　　He wanted to laugh, but his throat was dry and no sound came out. Even the hand pinching her chin was trembling slightly.

　　His wide, slender palm came down again, this time covering her eyes.

　　Suddenly plunged into darkness, An Jiu panicked for a second.

　　What now? What’s this psycho trying to pull again?

　　Please, no more. If he kept this up, she seriously thought her kidneys might give out.

　　In the next moment, he tapped a few acupuncture points on her body. An Jiu immediately felt the hypersensitivity caused by the Gu start to fade, and her senses slowly returned to normal.

　　That’s it?

　　An Jiu blinked in confusion, not quite ready to relax just yet. Suddenly, she felt her hand being grabbed.

　　The next second, a sharp pain shot through her finger. An Jiu hissed in surprise.

　　It didn’t hurt that badly, kind of like being pricked by a needle. But the pain didn’t fade right away—it lingered for several seconds before it finally disappeared.

　　After the pain faded, something soft and warm gently brushed against the spot, nibbling and licking, leaving a trail of dampness all the way to her fingertip, as if soothing the sting.

　　An Jiu’s heart sank with lingering fear.

　　Thank goodness the Gu’s effect had been sealed. If not, with her hypersensitive body, this tiny bit of pain could have knocked her out cold.

　　The warm, moist breath lingered around her fingertip for a long time before reluctantly pulling away. The hand covering her eyes also slowly lifted.

　　“Hate me all you want. No matter how much you hate me, you won’t escape. Since you’ve caught my attention, sooner or later, you’ll belong to me.” His deep, husky voice rang clearly in her ear, firm and unquestionable, like he was making a vow. “This is a mark. With this, even if you run to the ends of the earth, I can still find you.”

　　His fingertip, burning hot, lightly traced the delicate bone of her finger.

　　Unlike his usual cool touch, today his entire body radiated heat. When he spoke, his fiery breath brushed against her neck, making her shrink back involuntarily.

　　As his words fell, the light returned to An Jiu’s vision.

　　She opened her eyes and immediately looked at her hand. On her slender, pale finger, there was a bright red mark, like a drop of fresh blood, or perhaps a seductive vermillion mole.

　　It was perfectly placed on the third knuckle of her ring finger, exactly where people in modern times would wear a wedding ring.

　　An Jiu pressed and rubbed at it. The red mark seemed to grow even brighter, almost dripping with color. If she concentrated, she could faintly feel something pulsing under the skin.

　　…Damn. She didn’t even have to think about it. This was definitely some kind of trouble.

　　As if he had heard her thoughts, the man behind her spoke in a low voice, “This is a mother-child Gu.”

　　He didn’t explain further, but just hearing that name was enough for An Jiu to figure out what this red mark meant.

　　Mother and child Gus—of course, the mother controls the child, doing whatever she wants.

　　Before An Jiu could say anything, the arm wrapped around her waist suddenly let go. She stumbled forward, barely managing to catch herself on a nearby tree before she would have collapsed straight to the ground.

　　“Now that you carry my mark, don’t even think about running. And don’t bother trying to tell him, unless you want to experience just how powerful the mother-child Gu really is.”

　　The cold, threatening voice drifted from behind. A breeze lifted the hem of her skirt as she turned around quickly, but the man in black was already gone. Only the green leaves around her trembled slightly.

　　An Jiu leaned on the tree and panted for a long while before her breathing slowly settled, and her body finally stopped trembling uncontrollably.

　　She wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve, stepped out from behind the tree, and looked up.

　　He Ziqing was still digging the grave on his own. He worked so fast, it looked like the grave might bury him instead.

　　An Jiu shook her head and sighed helplessly.

　　Pei Ji was right about one thing. He Ziqing really couldn’t be counted on.

　　In the end, An Jiu didn’t tell him what had just happened. There was no need. Everything was still within her expectations.

　　The only thing that went beyond her plans was how crazy the villain’s methods were—it nearly ruined her waist.

　　After resting until no trace of abnormality could be seen, An Jiu went to gather firewood. Not long after, Lin Qingyan came back with two wild chickens.

　　That afternoon, they had fragrant roasted chicken for lunch.

　　Of course, there was no way An Jiu cooked it. She had just picked up a few sticks and didn’t do anything else.

　　Anyway, He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan were already used to waiting on her.

　　While they were eating, Lin Qingyan, with her sharp eyes, noticed the red mole on An Jiu’s finger and curiously asked, “An Jiu, when did you get that red mole on your hand?”

　　Lin Qingyan remembered clearly that An Jiu’s pretty, pale hands had always been clean and spotless, unlike her own, which were rough and calloused from forging swords. Lin Qingyan had quietly envied those soft hands for quite a while.

　　An Jiu lowered her gaze to glance at it and smiled casually. “I don’t know. Probably got bitten by some bug in the forest. It’ll probably go away in a few days.”

　　Since she said so, Lin Qingyan didn’t think much of it.

　　After the three of them had their fill, He Ziqing finished burying You Qianhe and got ready to head back home.

　　Watching He Ziqing about to leave just like that, An Jiu glanced at the small wooden house and casually asked, “Brother He, did you pack everything from the house?”

　　He Ziqing nodded. “There wasn’t much in there. I buried it all together.”

　　So you even buried the Sword Saint’s inheritance?

　　An Jiu didn’t believe it. The book had mentioned that the Sword Saint’s inheritance was hidden somewhere in this little house, and He Ziqing probably hadn’t found it.

　　Thinking this, An Jiu stepped into the small wooden house and said, “I’ll check one more time to see if anything got left behind.”

　　An Jiu had long known where the inheritance was hidden. As soon as she stepped inside, her eyes landed on a painting hanging on the wall.　　

　　The painting was already very old. The paper, once bright white, had faded to a pale yellow under the wear of time. It depicted a swordsman wearing a bamboo hat and holding a long sword. The ink had blurred over the years, and the figure of the swordsman was now faint and unclear.

　　He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan were still outside. An Jiu walked straight up to the painting, lifted it, and revealed a hole in the wall behind it.

　　“Brother He, Lin Qingyan, come quickly! Look what I found!” An Jiu called out in a voice full of pretend excitement.

　　Half a moment later, He Ziqing closed the book in his hands and said confidently, “This is a sword manual. It holds You Qianhe’s life’s work and ultimate sword techniques.”

　　Lin Qingyan’s face lit up with joy. “This must have been left for you by the elder!”

　　He Ziqing shook his head seriously. “No, An Jiu found it. It should be hers.”

　　At first, they had always called her Miss An. No one really knew when they started calling her by her name directly.

　　Lin Qingyan was stunned for a moment and blurted out, “But An Jiu doesn’t know martial arts…”

　　He Ziqing said firmly, “Whether she knows it or not doesn’t matter. She’s the one who found it. I didn’t even notice it was there.”

　　Seeing Lin Qingyan’s expression darken, An Jiu quickly stepped in, “Brother He, Lin Qingyan, don’t argue. Brother He, you should take this sword manual. If you hadn’t wanted to come and build a grave for Senior You, I wouldn’t have discovered it. So part of the credit belongs to you.” (T/N: Wow, this part really shows the dirty entitlement and selfishness of humans yeah… even though the author tries so hard to paint the OFL as a good girl, here I can totally see she’s not that pure. Oi, if you want it, just ask. Don’t assume she should hand it over just because she can’t use a sword! Even the OML is more reasonable than this OFL! 🙄)

　　“Besides, Lin Qingyan is right. I don’t know martial arts, so it’s useless for me to keep it. People say, ‘an innocent man gets into trouble just for having treasure.’ If someone finds out I have this, it’ll only bring me danger. It’s safer if you take it.”

　　After hearing her explanation, both He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan agreed that it made sense.

　　So, in the end, the male lead still got his golden cheat item, though he kept insisting that half the credit belonged to An Jiu.

　　The story was finally back on track again.

　　On their way down the mountain, the three of them began discussing their next destination.

　　He Ziqing originally planned to bring the Han Shang Sword back to his hometown where he grew up. You Qianhe’s last wish was to have the Han Shang Sword buried alongside the Liu Shuang Sword, and He Ziqing was set on fulfilling that final request.

　　Unexpectedly, just as the three of them came out of the mountain and walked up to the door of the rental house, someone blocked their way.

　　It wasn’t a stranger—it was Yu Hongyi, the number one beauty in the martial world and the top disciple of the Emei Sect.

　　Naturally, Yu Hongyi had also come to watch the duel.

　　She really lived up to her reputation as a beauty. Her delicate features were flawless, and her expression was cool and distant, like a person carved from jade.

　　Although she was incredibly beautiful, her habit of always keeping a serious face made her seem cold and hard to approach.

　　But this coldness seemed to completely melt in front of He Ziqing, like the last snow of spring, turning into warm flowing water.

　　“Brother He, I’ve been waiting here for you for quite some time,” Yu Hongyi said.

　　He Ziqing scratched his head, just about to speak.

　　Lin Qingyan suddenly stepped forward and pressed herself close to He Ziqing’s side. With a smile, she said, “Miss Yu, what an honor to have you here. Sorry we didn’t come out to greet you. Please, come inside so we can talk.”

　　The moment Lin Qingyan made her move, He Ziqing went quiet, as if naturally choosing to side with Lin Qingyan.　　

　　Seeing this, Yu Hongyi’s face turned slightly pale, and the soft glimmer in her eyes seemed to freeze just a little.

　　An Jiu watched from the side as the female lead and the side female lead quietly faced off. In the end, Lin Qingyan clearly had the upper hand. After all, everything between them was already out in the open, and the female lead had officially secured her position.

　　While chatting with Yu Hongyi, Lin Qingyan naturally carried herself like the mistress of the house.

　　Yu Hongyi wasn’t a fool. Lin Qingyan had never acted this boldly before. Her attitude must have changed because her relationship with He Ziqing had changed.

　　Although Yu Hongyi did have some subtle feelings for He Ziqing, she wasn’t the type to let that distract her from serious matters. Once she entered the house, she quickly pulled herself together and got straight to the point.

　　“The major sects of the martial world have already discussed it. We’ve decided to set out for the Western Regions in five days to launch an attack on the Demonic Sect. Having such a talented young swordsman like you in the martial world has made all the elders very pleased. They’ve asked me to come and invite you to join us in this mission.”

　　Before He Ziqing could say anything, Yu Hongyi paused, then added, “As people of the righteous path, it’s our duty to maintain peace and uphold justice in the martial world. I’m sure you feel the same, Brother He. Of course, this journey will definitely be dangerous, so we won’t force you. It’s entirely up to you. If you decide to come, just meet us at the gathering point in five days.”

　　Lin Qingyan looked a bit hesitant, but He Ziqing didn’t even hesitate. He immediately said, “I’ll go.”

　　Yu Hongyi wasn’t surprised by his answer. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she nodded. “Good. I’ll go back and give them your reply.”

　　Yu Hongyi came quickly and left just as quickly. Even when Lin Qingyan tried to invite her to stay for a meal, she politely declined.

　　Watching the girl leap onto her horse and ride away, Lin Qingyan’s expression dimmed a little.

　　He Ziqing might not have noticed such things in the past, but ever since their hearts became connected, he was no longer as dense as he used to be. Now, he could tell that Lin Qingyan was worried about him.

　　“Qingyan, don’t worry. I’m not going alone to fight the Demonic Sect. There’ll be many others. I’ll be fine.”

　　Lin Qingyan knew this was just the kind of person He Ziqing was. If he weren’t so upright and selfless, she wouldn’t have fallen for him in the first place.

　　She let out a soft sigh and said gently, “I’m not trying to stop you. I just wish you’d at least discuss it with me. You’re not alone anymore…” As she said the last part, her face couldn’t help but heat up.

　　Hearing her say this, a warm feeling spread through He Ziqing’s chest.

　　He wasn’t good with words, and after thinking for a long time, he finally said, “I’ve thought about it. For this trip to the Western Regions, it’s best if I go alone. You and An Jiu should stay here.”

　　Lin Qingyan shook her head without hesitation. “I’m going with you.”

　　What a joke. If she didn’t go, would she just leave He Ziqing and Yu Hongyi spending all that time together?

　　Since Lin Qingyan insisted on going, He Ziqing couldn’t just leave An Jiu behind by herself. In the end, when the day of departure arrived, the three of them set out together.

　　On the day they decided to head to the Western Regions, Lin Qingyan sent another letter to Medicine King Valley to inform Pei Ji of their plan. An Jiu also sent a letter, and as usual, it was filled with her usual nonsense.

　　These past few days, An Jiu stuck to He Ziqing like glue, following him wherever he went.

　　If this had happened before, with An Jiu clinging to He Ziqing like this, Lin Qingyan would probably have misunderstood. But now, maybe because their relationship was officially confirmed, or maybe for some other reason, Lin Qingyan didn’t mind at all.

　　The three of them arrived at the meeting point on time and joined the main group.

　　Though it was called a ‘large group,’ it wasn’t actually that big—about seventy to eighty people in total, most of them men.

　　When they saw He Ziqing bringing Lin Qingyan and An Jiu along, quite a few people looked over with surprised expressions.

　　Yu Hongyi rode over to them and glanced at An Jiu before gently reminding, “This young lady doesn’t seem to know martial arts. The journey ahead is extremely dangerous. It’s better if she stays in the Central Plains.”

　　Lin Qingyan tugged at the corner of her lips. “You don’t have to worry about that, Miss Yu. We’ll keep her safe.”

　　In Lin Qingyan’s mind, An Jiu and Pei Ji were already a pair. And as a girl, she could tell that An Jiu didn’t have any romantic feelings for He Ziqing, which was why she wasn’t guarded around her.

　　But when it came to Yu Hongyi, who was her real love rival, Lin Qingyan wasn’t so polite.

　　Yu Hongyi hit a soft wall with that comment, so she didn’t press the issue. She simply exchanged a few polite words with them and left.

　　Since they wanted to reach the Western Regions as soon as possible, everyone traveled by horseback.

　　All of these people were top martial artists. The weakest among them was still second-rate, and riding all day was nothing to them.

　　By dusk, they reached a town just in time and scattered around to find inns to rest.

　　People from the martial world were all used to life on horseback. After riding all day, they still looked full of energy and perfectly composed.

　　Only An Jiu needed Lin Qingyan’s help to get off her horse.

　　Her face was pale, and her legs were trembling. Even standing on solid ground, she felt like she was stepping on cotton, her feet completely unsteady.

　　The three of them walked together into an inn and booked two upstairs rooms.

　　Most of the people in the inn’s lobby were fellow martial artists traveling with them. One guy laughed to his companion and said, “That young hero sure is lucky. We’re all here to fight evil, and he still has the time to bring along two beauties.”

　　Hearing that, Lin Qingyan immediately wanted to argue, but An Jiu weakly tugged her sleeve and said, “Don’t bother with them. I just want to go rest.”

　　Lin Qingyan held it in and helped her upstairs to their room.

　　Of course, the room arrangement was An Jiu and Lin Qingyan sharing one, and He Ziqing staying in his own.

　　Seeing that An Jiu was really not feeling well, Lin Qingyan let her rest alone while she and He Ziqing went downstairs to eat.

　　After lying on the bed for a while and feeling a bit better, An Jiu heard a knock on the door. She got up to open it.

　　It was a waiter standing outside, smiling as he said, “Miss, your friend sent this meal up for you.”

　　An Jiu didn’t think much about it, took the tray, and closed the door.

　　On the tray were three covered dishes. When she lifted the lids, she found two of her favorite dishes, a bowl of rice, and a small palm-sized box.

　　When she opened the box, there was an ointment inside with a strong medicinal scent.

　　She didn’t need to guess to know exactly who this ‘friend’ was.

　　After all, there was no way He Ziqing or Lin Qingyan would know her taste so well.

　　If An Jiu were just an ordinary girl, she would’ve been scared to death by this whole situation.

　　He knew her preferences like the back of his hand, wasn’t even anywhere near her, yet somehow knew everything that was happening to her. On top of that, he managed to get past so many top martial artists to silently send her these things. If this wasn’t the classic behavior of a creepy stalker, then what was?

　　Luckily, An Jiu had a big heart and calmly ate all the food without batting an eye.

　　Halfway through eating, she even found a small note tucked inside the rice. The bold, deep ink had pressed straight through the paper.

　　“I’ll be waiting for the moment you leave his side.”

　　An Jiu clicked her tongue, tossed the note aside, and kept eating.

　　What’s the point of just saying harsh words? This man was afraid she would feel pain even when he gave her the child Gu. When she was unwell, he still took the risk to send her medicine. She really didn’t believe he would actually harm her.

　　That affection level of seventy-five wasn’t just there for decoration.

　　Back when it was at fifty-five, An Jiu had already wondered what it would be like if it got higher. Now she finally understood.

　　When it’s higher, no matter how harsh his words sounded, his actions would always be good to her.

　　Uncontrollably. Without even realizing it himself.

________________

Author Note:

Eldest Miss An: Tsk, just a paper tiger. Aside from talking tough, he’s just thinking about getting into my pants. ಠ⁠益⁠ಠ

…

T/N: Ugh, the chapters from today and yesterday are so long. Honestly, I’m so tired right now…

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