Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 72: “Can I Share Half The Wheelchair?”

　　The bell in the distance rang nonstop, waking the entire Wuyin Temple from its sleep. Lights flickered on throughout the temple, and the sound of footsteps echoed outside. Countless people seemed to be rushing in the same direction.

　　But soon after, a wave of chaos erupted from where the bell had been ringing. The once steady and rhythmic chimes suddenly turned messy and frantic.

　　“Night raid! Stay alert!”

　　An urgent shout pierced through the noise. Right after that came the sound of wind rushing past as tons of people seemed to be leaping through the air.

　　With the darkness clouding her vision, An Jiu could only see black shadows flickering past her like birds darting through the night.

　　The peaceful and quiet Wuyin Temple suddenly became a complete mess.

　　For a moment, An Jiu felt like she was back at Jinshe Villa. That day had been just like this—chaotic shouting everywhere, people yelling and fighting, the clash of swords filling the air.

　　Only this time, it was night. She couldn’t see the blood or the killing, only heard short, sharp cries of pain and smelled the scent of blood carried over by the mountain breeze.

　　Even though she’d been through it once before, An Jiu still felt cold all over.

　　She looked at Pei Ji not far away, his face still carrying that faint smile, and suddenly, she just felt ice cold all over.

　　Maybe she’d never be like him, able to watch people die with that same calm, indifferent expression.

　　“If you’re scared, Miss An, you should go back inside,” said the white-robed young man gently, noticing how pale she looked. His smile was soft and reassuring. “Someone has their eye on Wuyin Temple, but as long as we stay in, we’ll be fine.”

　　An Jiu opened her mouth to speak, but then hesitated—what would happen to the monks?

　　She’d seen those people during the day. Talked to many of them these past few days.

　　Every monk in Wuyin Temple was extremely gentle and kind. Even though she often pestered Feichen and seemed to have ulterior motives, and although a few monks disliked her, they had never spoken badly to her.

　　They often went down the mountain to give food to poor families, handing out porridge to those in need.

　　Wuyin Temple was a peaceful sanctuary. But tonight, it had been stained with blood and turned into a hunting ground for criminals.

　　An Jiu stayed silent, a wave of helplessness crashing over her.

　　She realized there was absolutely nothing she could do.

　　Even if she looked like she was holding it together in front of the big villain, this entire situation was the result of everything she had done to get here.

　　If she hadn’t risked her life again and again, hadn’t put on a flawless act and thrown herself into the role completely, how could she have fooled someone as paranoid as Pei Ji and still be alive now?

　　Even with his favorability up to 62 points, it still wasn’t enough.

　　He still only saw her as a walking antidote. Even if he sometimes cared without realizing it, even if he got jealous, he still didn’t love her.

　　To put it another way, maybe he liked her but didn’t know it yet..

　　So now, she had to make him see what her feelings really were.

　　The sounds of fighting and shouting lasted a long time. Afraid she’d give herself away, An Jiu went back to her room early, lay in bed, and couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tossed and turned.

　　She didn’t know how much time passed before the noise outside finally started to fade.

　　Then she heard a bird call outside the window. It sounded ordinary enough, but An Jiu knew it was actually a signal from Qiansha Pavilion.

　　The bird call meant the mission was a success.

　　They’d gotten the bodhi seed.

　　An Jiu sat up in bed, silent for a long time. Her mood was low, but in the end, she still let out a small sigh of relief.

　　She knew herself well. She could barely protect herself, let alone save anyone else.

　　Just like what happened at Jinshe Villa, after all that maneuvering, all she managed to do was keep Jin Yanwan alive. So many people had died during the demonic sect’s attack, and she had not been able to do a thing.

　　And this time, with the bodhi seed being stolen, she had even less control.

　　She just hoped fewer people would die. And that Fei Chen wouldn’t end up like he did in the original story.

　　Now that the chaos had finally settled down, An Jiu allowed herself to relax and was getting ready to sleep again when she suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps.

　　The footsteps came straight toward their small courtyard, and her heart started to race. Before long, someone knocked hard on the door.

　　An Jiu quickly threw on a robe and got up. When she opened the door, a group of monks was standing outside, holding torches. Their faces were blank, but there was a tense, almost murderous vibe in the air.

　　“Sorry to bother you so late, An Tanyue,” said the monk in front. An Jiu recognized him—Fei Chen’s grumpy martial uncle, the one who always looked at her like she was a thief.

　　“The temple was attacked just now, and someone stole our most precious treasure. We have no choice but to search everyone’s quarters for clues. Hope you’ll understand.”

　　An Jiu stepped aside and said, “Go ahead, and search.”

　　Her calm and cooperative response seemed to soften the man’s expression a little. He signaled a young monk to go inside. The search was quick and simple, and the monk came back out soon.

　　He shook his head. “Nothing.”

　　An Jiu quietly added, “I’ve been in my room the whole time. I didn’t go anywhere.”

　　At that moment, the monks who were checking Pei Ji and Ah Qi’s room also returned, saying they found nothing.

　　Seeing this, the martial uncle was about to leave. Truth be told, he didn’t really suspect An Jiu and the others.

　　After all, there was just the frail girl who couldn’t even fight, the disabled miracle doctor, and the one guy who could fight well—but who had no reason to steal the bodhi seed.

　　Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone else entered the courtyard.

　　In the thick darkness, the snow-white kasaya the newcomer wore almost seemed to glow.

　　Fei Chen walked out from the shadows. His usually calm, cold face was now heavy with sorrow.

　　He had been by his master’s side these past few days, listening to his final teachings.

　　Earlier tonight, just before passing, his master suddenly told him he had a premonition that something major was going to happen at the temple.

　　At the time, Fei Chen didn’t understand what kind of ‘major thing’ could make his master look so serious.

　　Then he saw with his own eyes a group of black-clothed intruders storming the mourning hall and stealing the temple’s most guarded treasure, the Bodhi seed, hidden in a place known only to him and his master.

　　Fei Chen slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again and looked coldly at the young man in white sitting in a wheelchair not far away. His voice was icy as he said, “Divine Doctor Pei, I suspect you’re involved in what happened tonight. Please don’t resist. We need to uncover the truth.”

　　After speaking, he turned to the monks in the courtyard and ordered, “Take them. Send them to the Discipline Hall.”

　　His words struck like a hammer. Sharp and commanding. No one had expected things to turn out like this.

　　The martial uncle immediately blurted out, “Fei Chen, I just searched them. This has nothing to do with them…”

　　“Martial Uncle, my mind is made up. I’m now the abbot of Wuyin Temple. Are you saying you won’t follow my orders?” Fei Chen’s gaze was cold, not a trace of warmth.

　　With that, the rest of the monks had nothing left to say.

　　Before Master Zhenyi passed away, he had indeed named Fei Chen the next abbot. That gave him every right to issue orders in the temple.

　　An Jiu stared blankly at the white-robed monk standing quietly in the darkness, his expression as cold as an ice sculpture.

　　“I'm sorry, An Tanyue,” a quiet voice whispered near her ear.

　　Suddenly, her arms were yanked behind her and tied with rope. She was pushed forward and escorted out.

　　As she passed by Fei Chen, he didn’t move a muscle—didn’t even glance her way.

　　Not far off, Pei Ji and Ah Qi were getting the same treatment.

　　Ah Qi was still loudly protesting, saying this was all a huge mistake and they were being wrongfully accused.

　　But no one paid him any attention. Before long, the three of them were brought to a dim, gloomy building.

　　Inside, the place was split into small, bare rooms. Once the doors shut, they basically became solitary confinement cells.

　　So this was the Discipline Hall.

　　Before An Jiu could even process it all, she was shoved into one of the rooms. At least the rope tying her up was undone once she was inside.

　　Right as the door was about to close, An Jiu quickly spoke up: “Wait, can I stay with Pei Ji? He can’t walk and can’t really take care of himself. If I stay with him, I can help.”

　　Fei Chen was standing right at the doorway. When he heard that, he paused and looked at her, as if something clicked in his mind. After a moment, he agreed, “Let them stay together.”

　　“As for the servant with Doctor Pei—put him in a separate room.”

　　An Jiu figured it out then: Fei Chen didn’t actually think Pei Ji was 100% guilty. He was suspicious, but not certain that Pei Ji had stolen the bodhi seed.

　　It seemed his main focus was actually on Ah Qi.

　　She thought to herself, Exactly. Master Zhenyi clearly died of natural causes. Fei Chen didn’t find any signs of foul play, so how could he be sure Pei Ji was the thief?

　　Her best guess? Fei Chen’s the type who relies on gut instinct.

　　An Jiu had met plenty of people like this back in the modern world—those types with scary-good intuition, the kind who could just feel whether someone was good or bad.

　　Fei Chen had always been this pure, spotless kind of guy, a real-deal cultivator. Maybe in the original story, the reason he noticed something off about Pei Ji was thanks to that sixth sense of his.

　　He saw right through An Jiu’s fake friendliness from the very start. Even though her acting had been good enough to fool Pei Ji, Fei Chen had seen through it without blinking—completely unaffected.

　　So now that he made this call to lock them up, the more she thought about it, the less surprising it actually seemed.

　　Soon, An Jiu was led out of her room by a young monk and brought to the one where Pei Ji was being held.

　　As the door slowly closed behind her, she met Pei Ji’s surprised gaze and stammered a bit, “It’s, um… kinda dark in here.”

　　They hadn’t taken his wheelchair away, so he was still sitting there like usual.

　　Once the door fully shut, the little room went really dim. It was late at night, and there was barely any light.

　　An Jiu felt her way along the wall, carefully walking toward that faint pale figure in the dark.

　　Her foot bumped into something hard. It was Pei Ji’s wheelchair. She crouched down along the wall, settled next to the chair, and hugged her knees, sitting on the ground.

　　After sitting there a bit, it was like something finally clicked in her head. She asked in a muffled voice, “Pei Ji, why do you think Master Fei Chen locked us up? Did they lose something important?”

　　“I don't know either.” In the darkness, the man was silent for a moment and answered slowly.

　　Truthfully, Pei Ji was just as surprised.

　　This move from Fei Chen had totally caught him off guard. He hadn't done anything, yet Fei Chen still suspected him.

　　Then, An Jiu’s voice suddenly cut through the silence, full of energy: “I believe you’re innocent, Pei Ji! Don’t worry, I’ll speak up for you. Master Fei Chen isn’t the type to confuse right and wrong. We’ll be out of here soon!”

　　Pei Ji blinked, stunned by her rare show of comfort—he hadn’t even had time to process it when she spoke up again.

　　“So, since I’m being so loyal and all, can you share half your wheelchair with me? The floor’s super hard and cold!”

　　Pei Ji: “…”

　　What did she think this was? A camping trip?

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