Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 67: That Little Girl, Is She Your Sweetheart?

　　That night, An Jiu saw the long-missed owl.

　　The owl messenger didn’t just bring a letter—it also delivered a rather heavy box. When An Jiu opened it, inside was a hairpin that perfectly matched her taste.

　　The hairpin looked like a peach blossom. The petals were translucent rubies, the leaves were emeralds. When worn in black hair, it looked just like a vivid, dew-kissed wild peach flower blooming from her head.

　　An Jiu picked up the hairpin, glanced at the pitiful-looking owl, and reached out to stroke its feathers.

　　“You poor thing, carrying something this heavy must’ve worn you out, huh?”

　　The owl let out two soft hoots and rubbed its round little head against her palm.

　　It had gotten used to being petted by her—now it had even learned to ask for it.

　　Once she got her fill of petting the bird, An Jiu finally got around to writing a reply. The letter was short and perfunctory, only a few casual lines.

　　After that, she went straight to bed and didn’t bother waiting for a response.

　　The next morning, she saw the owl still loitering around. The little guy had squatted on her windowsill all night, its eyelids drooping from exhaustion.

　　An Jiu took the letter and released it. When she opened the new message, it was—again—an invitation to meet.

　　Oh? So now he was feeling the pressure and wanted to build their relationship?

　　Before, it had always been her seeking him out, wanting to meet him. But now the tables had turned—he was the one inviting her.

　　The Young Lady Won’t Serve You. (T/N: This is a cheeky inner thought from An Jiu, not a literal refusal.)

　　An Jiu was in quite a good mood. She did a simple bit of grooming, pinned the ruby peach blossom hairpin into her hair, and walked out with a light step.

　　In the courtyard, she passed by the white-robed young master sitting in his wheelchair. Treating him as if he were invisible, she walked right past, even letting out a deliberate little hmph.

　　Unexpectedly, he called out to her. His gaze landed on the top of her head, his refined features carrying a subtle smile.

　　“Miss An looks... exceptionally radiant today.”

　　The girl’s delicate little chin lifted high. Her rosy lips curled up before quickly pressing together again. She gave him a sidelong glance and said loftily, “At least you’ve got some taste.”

　　It was the first time in several days that she had spoken to him without coldness or indifference. There was no scowl, no ignoring him—Pei Ji's brows twitched slightly, just about to say something more.

　　At that moment, a young monk approached from outside the courtyard, palms together in greeting.

　　“Honored guests, our abbot is currently in the Great Buddha Hall. He invites you all to meet with him.”

　　The slight easing in atmosphere between them instantly vanished.

　　Long fingers clenched around the fan’s spine. Though the white-robed young master still wore a smile, if one looked closely, there was a cold indifference beneath the dark depths of his eyes.

　　He looked at the young monk and said gently, “Please lead the way.”

　　The monk rubbed his arms instinctively, feeling a chill down his spine. He thought it was just the cold morning mountain wind and chuckled foolishly, “Guests, dress warmly—mountain air can be harsh and cause illness.”

　　“Thanks, little monk. We’re dressed plenty warm, no need to worry. Let’s go!” An Jiu quickly stepped forward to walk beside the monk, chatting as they went.

　　“Little monk, is your fozi also there?”

　　The monk answered shyly, “Senior Fei Chen is currently serving by the abbot’s side.”

　　“Great, I just happen to have a scripture to give him.”

　　The red-dressed girl walked ahead, chatting freely with the young monk. It was as if she had a special kind of magic—no matter who she was with, she could always strike up a conversation, her bright and lively nature drawing attention.

　　Pei Ji and Ah Qi followed behind. Ah Qi couldn’t help but murmur, “I’ve never seen a young lady like Miss An.”

　　Ordinary women took care not to show their teeth when smiling, gentle and demure. But she could smile like a blooming flower at anyone.

　　“Have you, Young Master?”

　　Pei Ji’s expression paused slightly, his thick lashes, dark as ink, lowering in silence.

　　“No,” he said softly. “I haven’t.”

　　She was like a splash of vivid crimson in this dull black-and-white world, like the delicate peach blossoms of April.

　　Just one glance could dazzle the soul.

　　Unforgettable for a lifetime.

　　—

　　The group arrived at the Great Hero Hall (Daxiong Baodian), the largest hall in Wuyin Temple. The main gate was wide, and in front of the hall’s entrance square stood a heavy bronze incense burner shaped like a beast, with thick red incense sticks burning inside.

　　Inside the hall, tall rosewood pillars supported the high beams. At the far end of the hall stood a large, solid, and majestically adorned golden Buddha statue.

　　The golden Buddha sat cross-legged, with a smiling expression and slightly closed eyes full of compassion.

　　Master Zhenyi was seated beneath the Buddha statue. He was thin and frail, draped in a splendid golden-red kasaya (monk’s robe). His hands were pressed together in prayer, eyes tightly shut, bowing devoutly facing the Buddha.

　　A young and handsome monk in a white robe stood silently nearby, eyes lowered in meditation.

　　Hearing footsteps, Fei Chen lifted his eyes and nodded silently to them.

　　An Jiu quietly blinked at him, signaling that she had brought the book.

　　The young girl made a vivid little expression, causing a fleeting smile to pass through the white-robed monk’s eyes.

　　This scene caught Pei Ji’s attention. He subtly averted his gaze, clenched his fist against his lips, and cleared his throat softly.

　　Master Zhenyi opened his eyes at the sound and rose from the meditation cushion.

　　He was quite old and moved slowly. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his pupils clouded, but occasionally a glimmer of spirit flashed when he looked at people.

　　“Are you… Pei Zhou’s son?”

　　After staring for a while at the white-robed young man in the wheelchair, Master Zhenyi asked calmly.

　　“Yes, my father is Medicine King Pei Zhou. My name is Pei Ji.”

　　Master Zhenyi’s gaze rested on Pei Ji’s face and slowly nodded. “You look very much like Pei Zhou, especially your eyes…” His eyes drifted downward, noticing the wheelchair beneath him. Master Zhenyi’s expression turned slightly surprised, “Your legs…”

　　Pei Ji said, “It’s poison carried from the womb. It’s said that back then my father brought my mother to the temple for recuperation for a while. Master, do you still remember?”

　　Master Zhenyi seemed to be recalling something as he spoke slowly:

　　“I remember back then, your parents were deeply in love—a pair of divine lovers admired by all. Your father spared no effort in trying to detoxify your mother. Now, with both of them gone, it is truly a pity…”

　　At this point, a hint of sorrow touched Master Zhenyi’s face. But he quickly moved on, as if unwilling to linger on old grief.

　　“Little Doctor Pei, thank you for coming all this way. This old monk's body is growing frail with the years, and I hadn’t intended to trouble you. It was Fei Chen who, concerned for my health, invited you here on his own accord. For his peace of mind, please examine this old monk’s pulse.”

　　The group then moved to the back of the Great Hero Hall, where Master Zhenyi’s quarters were located.

　　The master lived simply; the back hall was empty and quiet, with only a bed, a table, and a few chairs—nothing else.

　　Master Zhenyi sat at the table and extended his withered, thin hand.

　　Pei Ji softly said, “Excuse me,” then gently placed his fair fingertips on Master Zhenyi’s pulse.

　　After a moment, he slightly lifted his eyes, looking at Master Zhenyi as if wanting to say something but hesitating.

　　Master Zhenyi’s expression remained calm and unreadable. He said to Fei Chen, who was nervously watching them, “Fei Chen, you haven’t finished your morning practice yet. You may leave now.”

　　Fei Chen could tell this was a way to send him away, but he couldn’t disobey his master’s order. After a brief silence, he quietly replied “Yes,” and left the back hall reluctantly.

　　Before Fei Chen’s figure disappeared, the usually quiet girl in the red dress said, “I’m going out to get some fresh air,” and hurried after him.

　　The bright red hem of her dress brushed the threshold as she floated out the door.

　　Master Zhenyi lifted his heavily wrinkled eyelids and in his aged voice, with a rare hint of a smile, said, “Little Doctor Pei, is that girl the one in your heart?”

　　He naturally sensed that at the moment the girl left, the pressure of the fingers pressing on his wrist suddenly increased.

　　This was a subconscious reaction, beyond conscious control.

　　No matter how many years Master Zhenyi had lived, even in his old age, his perception was still sharp.

　　Yesterday a junior brother also came to him about this matter, but after observing the two today, he was certain that Fei Chen and that girl had no feelings for each other. Instead, there was some ambiguity between her and this little doctor Pei.

　　Master Zhenyi thought for a moment, then said earnestly: “Little doctor, there’s no need to worry. The old monk sees that the girl has no feelings for Fei Chen, but she does have some affection for you. If you work harder, your wishes will soon be fulfilled.”

　　Pei Ji listened but only thought that this old monk must truly be losing his eyesight.

　　Did he not know how An Jiu treated him?

　　Moreover, she was not his sweetheart.

　　Monks don’t tell lies, but this old monk was talking nonsense.

　　The so-called ‘master of seeing through falsehoods,’ Master Zhenyi, had now become a rambling old fool.

　　Pei Ji thought this silently but kept his usual gentle expression and lowered his eyes: “Master, you flatter me. Miss An and I are just friends, not sweethearts… Master, you are advanced in years. I speak frankly — I suppose it won’t be long before your final day. Have you foreseen it?”

　　Master Zhenyi’s expression was calm. Faced with Pei Ji’s rebuttal, he said nothing more—he simply replied, calm as ever:

　　“This I have long known. Little doctor, no need to say more. In a few days, the old monk will pass away. Then I hope you will attend the ceremony.”

　　Since everyone knew he was near death, Pei Ji withdrew his hand and said, “I shall respectfully comply.”

　　The air fell silent for a moment. Pei Ji was about to take his leave when Master Zhenyi suddenly spoke: “Little doctor Pei, I heard the divine manual found by the Líng Shé Sword Master was stolen by the Demonic Sect. Is this true?”

　　Such a conversation had happened in the previous life too. Pei Ji even knew what would be said next.

　　The trip to Wuyin Temple and Pei Ji’s past life developments were much the same, except there was An Jiu this time, and she had some involvement with the monk Fei Chen. But that changed nothing.

　　In the last life, Pei Ji used the excuse of acupuncture to prolong Master Zhenyi’s life, then let him die quietly in his sleep.

　　Because Master Zhenyi’s time was near anyway, no one suspected foul play.

　　He then took advantage of the chaos at the temple after Master Zhenyi’s passing to steal the Bodhi seed at night.

　　This time, Pei Ji did not plan to repeat the last life’s path. He was more patient and better at waiting.

　　He would wait for Master Zhenyi to die naturally, then arrange for someone to take the Bodhi seed.

　　He already knew its location from last time; the Bodhi seed was within easy reach.

　　Everything would have nothing to do with Pei Ji.

　　Fei Chen would never suspect anything strange about Master Zhenyi’s death, nor suspect him.

　　All these thoughts flickered through Pei Ji’s mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied softly: “That’s right, the manual did fall into the hands of the Demonic Sect. The Huashan Sect and several other major sects are now discussing gathering the martial world of Central Plains to jointly attack the Demonic Sect.”

　　Master Zhenyi pondered, but then said something completely different from his memory: “Little doctor Pei, do you know where the poison on your body came from?”

　　Pei Ji was stunned in place, full of surprise.

　　He himself did not know the origin of the poison. Could Master Zhenyi really know?

　　And why was Master Zhenyi acting differently from last life?

　　Last time, he only warned Pei Ji lightly to be wary of the Demonic Sect, without mentioning the poison on his body at all.

　　Was the poison on him related to the Demonic Sect?

　　What made Master Zhenyi change his mind and finally bring up this matter?

________________

Author’s note:

Master Zhenyi: Because I saw through you being a love-struck fool, I’m kindly trying to help you.

　　

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