Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 71: “Master Zhenyi... Has Passed.”

　　“Miss An, did you not sleep well last night?”

　　An Jiu had just gotten up early in the morning when she heard someone speaking near her. She turned her head and saw Pei Ji watering flowers in the courtyard.

　　There was a whole flowerbed in this small courtyard, filled with plants and flowers—none of which An Jiu could name.

　　Pei Ji, on the other hand, knew all of them like the back of his hand. The moment they moved in, he recognized several medicinal herbs among them and even asked the monks if he could take some when they left.

　　Once he got the okay, he started tending to them regularly with great care.

　　An Jiu responded listlessly, “Yeah. How’d you notice?”

　　The man in white spoke in a warm, gentle tone, “I noticed Miss An looks a little worn out. If you're not sleeping well, I can make you a calming herbal tea.”

　　Heh. Stupid jerk. You’re the reason I’m not sleeping well!

　　An Jiu shook her head. “It’s not that I’m not sleeping…”

　　She paused, then suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she quickly changed the subject. “Pei Ji, when are we leaving Wuyin Temple?”

　　Pei Ji lifted his eyes, his dark gaze landing deeply on her. “Why does Miss An want to leave? Isn’t it nice here?”

　　“It’s not that—I just want to find Brother He. No—actually, I miss Lin Qingyan. Let’s go find them!”

　　The moment she mentioned He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan, her pale face seemed to light up, and her once-dull eyes sparkled with sudden brightness.

　　Was she feeling unsafe here, so she wanted He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan to protect her?

　　Pei Ji smiled gently, the corners of his eyes curving, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

　　“We’ll probably need a few more days. Three or four, maybe,” he said kindly, like someone who understood her every need.

　　An Jiu frowned impatiently, asking urgently, “Why do we have to wait three or four days?”

　　The white-robed man stayed calm, his voice slow and casual: “Didn’t I mention it yesterday? Master Zhenyi is nearing the end of his life. He invited us to attend his final ceremony. It wouldn’t be polite to leave early.”

　　“…Oh,” the girl froze for a moment before murmuring, “So you weren’t joking? I thought you were…”

　　So she actually didn’t believe what he said at all?

　　Then why didn’t she go looking for Fei Chen yesterday?

　　A flash of confusion passed across Pei Ji’s face. He had a gut feeling this was an important detail, so he couldn’t help but ask, “You thought what?”

　　Under his unwavering gaze, the girl unconsciously pressed her lips together, and the tips of her ears quietly turned red.

　　She blinked rapidly a few times and blurted out, “N-Nothing!”

　　Then she turned and bolted, the hem of her red dress fluttering like waves as she vanished past the door.

　　Pei Ji stood still for a moment, deep in thought, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

　　A woman’s heart really is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean.

　　Still, something did cheer him up—An Jiu didn’t go looking for Fei Chen at all that day.

　　At noon, the three of them went to the dining hall to have vegetarian lunch. Even though Fei Chen was there too, An Jiu didn’t run over to sit with him like before. She just snuck a glance or two at the monk in white robes, then quietly stayed put.

　　Technically, Pei Ji should’ve been happy about that.

　　She was behaving. She wasn’t chasing after other men anymore.

　　But then he remembered that look in her eyes when she secretly stared at Fei Chen—so soft and reluctant to part—and something bitter and violent stirred in his chest.

　　Pei Ji lowered his eyes slightly, then suddenly smiled. “Miss An.”

　　“Huh?” An Jiu looked up absentmindedly, still chewing on her food.

　　Pei Ji raised his hand and casually pointed toward Fei Chen’s direction, the corners of his lips lifting into a gentle smile. “Fei Chen is right there. Why aren’t you going over to him?”

　　The man looked elegant and kind, his expression cheerful and relaxed, his black eyes slightly narrowed. He seemed like he was offering friendly advice… but also like he was enjoying the drama.

　　An Jiu was speechless: “…”

　　Seriously, what kind of person is this? He’s got to be a total psycho.

　　He was the one who told her not to go see Fei Chen before, and now he’s the one telling her to go?

　　An Jiu was sure—if she actually went now, either Fei Chen was gonna die tonight… or she was.

　　In short, one of them was definitely gonna die.

　　She seriously didn’t expect this villain to go full blackened mode this intensely. If she had known he’d turn into such a terrifying psycho, she never would’ve exposed his true identity. Would’ve been way better to just keep playing along with him!

　　Too bad it’s all too late now. QAQ

　　“Hehe, I won’t bother Master Fei Chen anymore. Let’s just eat, eat.”

　　An Jiu forced a dry laugh and buried her head in her food, shoveling rice like her life depended on it.

　　But before she could get much in, she heard footsteps getting closer. She looked up—and there he was: that handsome monk in snow-white robes walking straight toward them.

　　Oh great. Fei Chen came over himself.

　　An Jiu’s whole face froze. She slowly turned to look at Pei Ji.

　　Pei Ji, of course, looked totally calm and unbothered, that gentle smile still hanging on his face. But it had zero warmth—like it was plastered on with cement, fake as hell.

　　At this point, only one meme could describe how An Jiu felt:

　　[Don’t come over here.jpg]

　　Too bad Fei Chen couldn’t hear her internal screaming—he still walked right up.

　　“An Tanyue, and Doctor Pei—how do you find the meals here at the temple?”

　　That calm, cool voice came from above. An Jiu looked up and locked eyes with the monk’s clear, sincere gaze. He really seemed genuinely concerned.

　　She snuck a glance at the man sitting across from her and muttered, “It’s… it’s okay… just no meat.”

　　Wuyin Temple had a lot going for it—friendly people, beautiful views, peaceful atmosphere—but the food? Way too plain. Three meals a day of grass. An Jiu felt like she was turning into a sheep.

　　Hearing that, Fei Chen frowned a little and put his hands together with a soft “Amitabha.”

　　“Monks are compassionate by nature, so the temple serves no meat. I hope An Tanyue can endure it for a while longer.”

　　An Jiu quickly shook her head, trying to be understanding. “No, no, it’s fine. We’ll be heading down the mountain soon anyway.”

　　Every time she spoke, she’d sneak another glance at Pei Ji.

　　The white-robed gentleman’s expression didn’t change at all—completely unreadable—so An Jiu had to keep making small talk with Fei Chen, careful not to sound too friendly.

　　Thankfully, Fei Chen didn’t stay long. After a few polite sentences, he left.

　　Still, there was a subtle gloom between his brows, like a dark cloud floating in an otherwise clear sky—maybe because of what happened with his master, Master Zhenyi.

　　An Jiu still couldn’t help herself—right before he walked away, she called out to him.

　　“Master Fei Chen… my condolences.”

　　The white-robed monk paused for a moment, slightly stunned. The frown on his brow eased a little.

　　He gave her a gentle nod. “Thank you, An Tanyue. That Buddhist scripture you gave me the other day was quite profound. Once I’ve finished studying it, I’d love to discuss it with you.”

　　Watching his figure slowly disappear, An Jiu suddenly felt a bit relieved.

　　Maybe in this lifetime, the little monk wouldn’t end up dying in hopeless despair like he did in the original story?

　　“What, still staring after he’s gone?”

　　A cool voice suddenly rang beside her ear. An Jiu’s whole back tensed up as she whipped her head around.

　　That knee-jerk reaction didn’t escape Pei Ji’s notice. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Miss An, why so nervous? Could it be… you’re afraid of me?”

　　Crap. He noticed.

　　Last night’s behavior had thrown her way off balance, and An Jiu hadn’t fully recovered. She kept mixing up the two personas in her head.

　　Fei Yi is Fei Yi. Pei Ji is Pei Ji. Even if she knew they were the same person, she absolutely couldn’t let it show!

　　She scrambled to calm herself down mentally, then quickly shook her head like a rattle drum and stammered, “N-No way I’m scared of you. You’re just a cripple—who’d be scared of you?!”

　　By the time she finished, her voice had gotten bolder and more defiant.

　　“Oh really?” Pei Ji still had a trace of suspicion in his eyes.

　　But An Jiu was already annoyed and pushed her bowl away like a spoiled princess. “This food sucks. I’m not eating it. Pei Ji, I want meat!”

　　Seeing the bratty expression on her little face, Pei Ji slowly looked away. Maybe he’d just imagined that weird vibe earlier?

　　He said coolly, “Didn’t the monk just say? There’s no meat on the mountain.”

　　But the young lady wouldn’t let it go, throwing her usual tantrum. “I don’t care! I want meat! There’s birds and fish in the mountain, right? Go catch me something to eat!”

　　That familiar wave of helplessness washed over him again. Strangely though, Pei Ji actually felt… reassured?

　　She’d been so cold toward him lately. This kind of bratty attitude? He hadn’t seen it in ages.

　　Honestly, her throwing a tantrum was better than being totally indifferent to him. Even the irritation he felt earlier, watching her talk to Fei Chen, was now quietly melting away thanks to her nonstop chattering.

　　“Pei Ji, I want braised fish! And beggar’s chicken! And stuff the chicken belly full of mushrooms! Pei Ji, are you even listening?!”

　　After finishing their meal, the three of them were walking back.

　　Pei Ji said, “Even if we do catch fish and chicken, there’s nowhere to cook it.”

　　“Then figure it out!” An Jiu huffed. “Brother He handed me over to you. This is how you take care of me? Well, I don’t care—I want to eat those things. I’ve been starving these past few days, I’ve probably lost weight. Look at my face, isn’t it skinnier now?”

　　As she spoke, she tilted her little head and leaned in close to him.

　　Pei Ji studied her face for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t see it.”

　　An Jiu: “?? What’s wrong with your eyes?!”

　　A moment later, she perked up again with an idea. “You can just go ask them if we can borrow their kitchen, right? Problem solved!”

　　This time, even Ah Qi couldn’t hold it in. He said, “Miss An, if we really did that, we’d be kicked out of Wuyin Temple tomorrow.”

　　An Jiu blinked. “Why?”

　　“This is a sacred place. Killing animals is strictly forbidden.”

　　The young man in white said it calmly. He watched the clueless girl stare blankly at him, and eventually, a smile tugged at the corners of his eyes.

　　That night, An Jiu did end up getting her meat.

　　Not because they cooked it themselves—Pei Ji sent Ah Qi down the mountain to buy some from the market. The three of them hid in their room and devoured it like hungry wolves, oil all over their mouths. Afterward, they even went out and buried the chicken bones somewhere.　　　　

　　Afraid the monks in the temple would find out and kick them off the mountain overnight, they kept quiet.

　　In the days after, An Jiu didn’t go looking for Fei Chen and just stuck with Pei Ji obediently.

　　She probably behaved well enough because ‘Fei Yi’ didn’t come back to bother her.

　　On the seventh night at Wuyin Temple, An Jiu was deep asleep when suddenly a loud bell rang, waking her up.

　　The bell was super loud, echoing far into the quiet night, breaking the silence of the peaceful mountain forest and stirring the birds into a flurry of wing-flapping noises.

　　Still half-asleep, An Jiu got up and opened the door. Pei Ji was already sitting there, staring toward where the bell’s sound came from.

　　Noticing her gaze, he turned his head to look at her. His narrow black eyes were calm and deep, half-hidden in the shadows of the night.

　　“Master Zhenyi has passed away.”

　　His calm, emotionless words floated softly into her ears.

　　An Jiu suddenly jolted awake, fully alert in an instant.

　　

　　

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