Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 118: “I’m Afraid… She Won’t Forgive Me.”

　　After the first time the poison acted up, twenty days passed before Pei Ji had another episode.

　　An Jiu was a little surprised.

　　Not because the frequency was increasing, but because he still hadn’t used Wen Yueling to detoxify.

　　Even though she hadn’t seen Wen Yueling since, every time she checked in through the projection, An Jiu could tell that Wen Yueling had already fallen hard for him. Her health was also steadily improving with each treatment.

　　If Pei Ji wanted to detox, he could’ve done it already.

　　But he didn’t.

　　An Jiu didn’t know what he was thinking or what his plan was. She thought about it for a bit, but when she couldn’t figure it out, she simply let it go.

　　Her days went on carefree as usual, filled with walks, reading storybooks for fun, and occasionally visiting Lin Qingyan at Zhùjiàn Villa to spend a few days.

　　She didn’t go there just on a whim, though. There was a little backstory.

　　One time, while Pei Ji was spending time with her, a maid suddenly came in to report that Miss Wen wasn’t feeling well and asked him to check on her.

　　Usually by evening, Pei Ji would shut his doors to all guests, saving the rest of his time to be with An Jiu.

　　Even if patients felt unwell or had sudden flare-ups, they knew better than to bother him and would go straight to one of the doctors at the valley. Unless it was a real emergency that the doctors couldn’t handle, they would go fetch Pei Ji.

　　After all, Pei Ji wasn’t the only doctor in Medicine King Valley. There were plenty of doctors and apprentice doctors, some of whom were disciples taken in by Pei Zhou, while others were orphans Pei Ji had picked up from outside.

　　Take Ah Qi for example. He had zero talent for medicine, which is why he was trained in martial arts instead.

　　Medicine King Valley was never just about Pei Ji alone. It was a force within the martial world.

　　Wen Yueling used this kind of excuse to call him over twice. And both times, he actually went.

　　An Jiu understood deep down that he was worried something might go wrong with his antidote, but on the surface, she still acted annoyed.

　　The first time, she just gave him the cold shoulder.

　　The second time, when Wen Yueling came to fetch him again, Pei Ji didn’t agree to it right away. But after An Jiu had fallen asleep, he actually snuck out in the middle of the night to check on Wen Yueling.

　　Anyone would be upset by that, especially a proud and strong-willed young lady like her.

　　That night, after ‘accidentally’ discovering Pei Ji was gone, she rode out on horseback straight to Zhùjiàn Villa.

　　“How did you know he wasn’t there in the middle of the night?” After hearing her vent about it, Lin Qingyan asked that question with curiosity.

　　An Jiu paused mid-sentence. Meeting her friend’s curious, gossipy gaze, she pressed her lips together and quietly said, “We sleep in the same room. Of course I noticed.”

　　Lin Qingyan: “!!!”

　　“You two moved that fast?!” Lin Qingyan’s face was full of shock. After all, for a woman in ancient times to sleep in the same room before marriage was pretty outrageous.　　

　　An Jiu quickly raised her hand to cover Lin Qingyan’s mouth and whispered, “Don’t shout! We didn’t sleep together. He was in the outer room, I was in the inner one. What are you imagining?”

　　Lin Qingyan immediately nodded, realizing she had overreacted. If word of this got out, it wouldn’t sound good. Even though neither An Jiu nor Pei Ji had elders or family burdens to worry about, it still wouldn’t be good for An Jiu’s reputation.

　　Lowering her voice, she finally focused on what An Jiu had said earlier.

　　“From the way you’re describing it, Pei Ji is definitely acting a little off. But from what I know of him, he’s just too kind. He’s always been like that with patients. I’m sure there’s nothing going on between him and that Miss Wen. I assure you…”

　　To this day, in Lin Qingyan’s eyes, Pei Ji was still that gentle, kind childhood friend.

　　She could understand why An Jiu would be bothered, but she really didn’t know what advice to give. All she could do was play the peacemaker and speak up for Pei Ji when she could.

　　An Jiu had only arrived at Zhùjiàn Villa in the morning, and by noon, Pei Ji had already chased after her. That alone showed how deeply he still cared about her.

　　To Lin Qingyan, this whole thing with Miss Wen was probably just a little bump in the road.

　　But An Jiu knew better.

　　The moment she ran away from home, Pei Ji had clearly been startled. He felt guilty. And when Wen Yueling’s maid came calling again afterward, he didn’t budge. He actually behaved himself for quite a while.

　　He cut back on going out and stayed by An Jiu’s side almost constantly. Sometimes, if she left his sight for just a bit, he would rush around looking for her until he saw her again and finally relaxed.

　　“Why are you always so nervous around me?” she asked one time, genuinely confused.

　　“I’m afraid you’ll leave again,” he said.

　　When he returned from Wen Yueling’s residence that night and saw the empty room, no one could imagine how frightened and panicked Pei Ji was at that moment.

　　An Jiu replied casually, “As long as you don’t do anything to betray me, I won’t leave. What are you so scared of?”

　　Then she gave him a playful look. “Pei Ji, you didn’t actually do something to betray me, did you?”

　　The white-robed young man paused for a moment, then gave her a soft smile. “Never. I’ll never betray you.”

　　An Jiu gave a little snort. “Good.”

　　The second time he had a poison flare-up after returning to Medicine King Valley was in early September. Just like the first time, it came out of nowhere. An Jiu had been sound asleep when suddenly she was pinned to the bed and kissed.

　　He had already moved to the room next to hers by then, so she didn’t stand a chance of stopping him.

　　As before, they didn’t go all the way, but he definitely didn’t hold back. He kissed and bit her so much that she was sore all over, with barely a single spot on her body left untouched.

　　After that night, An Jiu was stuck in bed for two whole days before she could get up.

　　She didn’t think much of it, but Pei Ji was beside himself with guilt. For those two days, she lived like a queen. He brought her food and water, dressed her, and even handed her drinks so she didn’t have to lift a finger. One look from her, and he was at her side in an instant.　　

　　As for Wen Yueling, it was like both of them had completely forgotten about her.

　　By September, Lin Qingyan’s wedding preparations had officially begun, and An Jiu started visiting Zhùjiàn Villa more frequently. Maybe because she was going there so often, Pei Ji eventually stopped tagging along every time. Instead, he’d let her stay there for a few days, then ride over to pick her up himself.

　　Pei Ji’s third poison flare-up happened at the end of September.

　　Less than twenty days since the last.

　　That time, he accidentally bit her lip hard enough to break the skin. There were also several bruises scattered across her body, and it took a good four or five days for them to fade.

　　Even without An Jiu saying anything, Pei Ji realized his control and clarity were once again on the verge of breaking down.

　　It was coming faster and hitting harder than in his past life.

　　Maybe it was because he hadn’t fully absorbed the Bodhi Seed, or maybe it was the sudden emotional stress lately. Either way, this time it was worse.

　　In early October, Pei Ji moved out of An Jiu’s room and into the courtyard next door.

　　When she asked him why, he stayed quiet for a long time before finally saying, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

　　“I don’t mind,” An Jiu replied. “It’s not like it really hurts. Besides, I’m with you. Doesn’t that help you feel better?”

　　She already knew the answer. He’d told her before that being close to her helped him calm down.

　　But Pei Ji shook his head. “I mind.”

　　Back when he thought she had feelings for someone else, even then he couldn’t bring himself to truly hurt her. He found other ways to punish her instead. Now that he knew how she felt, how could he possibly bear to cause her pain?

　　She didn’t mind, because she loved him. She was willing to suffer a little if it meant he could feel better.

　　But he minded, because he loved her too, and that meant he didn’t want her to be hurt, not even a little.

　　Once Pei Ji made up his mind, there was no changing it. Especially in Medicine King Valley, where he was the master of the place. If he didn’t want to open the door, even if An Jiu stood outside all night, no one would dare let her in.

　　The fourth flare-up came in mid-October.

　　There was no solar calendar at that time, only the lunar calendar. By the tenth lunar month, it was already late autumn. The once-flourishing Medicine King Valley had grown quiet and bare. The trees had turned golden and crimson, and the whole valley was steeped in the hues of autumn.

　　An Jiu had put on her fall clothes, but standing in the cold wind for just a short while was enough to drain the warmth from her body.

　　The wind rustled through the leaves as they drifted down from the trees, curling in the air before landing softly at her feet. One step on them and they let out a dry little crunch.

　　The whole place was quiet. She stood in the courtyard, eyes fixed on the room ahead, listening to the muffled growls and low, angry roars coming from inside.

　　Now and then, something crashed, loud and heavy, like an object being thrown hard against the wall.

　　Ah Qi stood silently by the door, head down. He tried to persuade her in a low voice, “Miss An, you should head back. By tomorrow morning, the young master will be fine.”

　　An Jiu stayed quiet for a long time before finally asking, “Was it ever this bad before?”

　　Ah Qi was taken aback, then slowly shook his head. “No. It wasn’t this serious before.”

　　An Jiu nodded, then added, “Let me go in. If I stay with him, it’ll ease the pain.”

　　Ah Qi hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he still didn’t agree.

　　That night, An Jiu stood out in the courtyard for most of the night before she finally went back. The next morning, when Pei Ji came to see her, he found out she had caught a cold and fallen ill.

　　Seeing the girl's face flushed red and burning hot, clearly uncomfortable lying in bed, the man's eyes were filled with pain and worry. His deep black eyes stared at her for a long, long time before he finally let out a heavy sigh.

　　“Seeing you like this… what am I supposed to do?”

　　An Jiu looked at him with misty eyes and rasped, “Then don’t avoid me next time.”

　　He raised his hand and gently touched her cheek. His heart had already turned to mush. Forget staying away from her — at this point, even if she asked for the stars in the sky, he would’ve agreed.

　　“Alright.”

　　As the man's low voice fell, a mechanical notification chimed in her ears:【Pei Ji's affection for you +3. Current level: 98.】

　　This time, An Jiu was sick for a whole ten days. It came on like a collapsing mountain and left as slowly as silk being drawn out. By the time her cold finally passed, Pei Ji had another episode.

　　He did keep his promise. He didn’t hide it from her and didn’t avoid seeing her.

　　An Jiu walked into the room. In the faint candlelight, she saw the man tied to the bed.

　　He wore plain white underclothes. His dark hair spilled across the pillow. His handsome face was so pale it nearly blended into his clothes, completely devoid of color.

　　Those dark, deep eyes were now bloodshot, looking like those of a demon.

　　Even though he heard her enter, he didn’t react at all.

　　Step by step, An Jiu approached him. Her eyes landed on the ropes around his wrists and ankles — rough ropes that had rubbed angry red marks into his fair skin from his struggling.

　　His arms and legs were tied with four thick ropes. An Jiu couldn’t help but think of the psychiatric patients she had seen in modern hospitals, also bound to beds like this — unable to move, completely at the mercy of others.

　　But how could someone like Pei Ji ever end up so helpless?

　　And yet… he had.

　　All because he didn’t want to hurt her.

　　She gently touched his hand. That once beautiful and flawless hand was now covered in bulging veins, looking almost grotesque.

　　The moment their hands touched, his trembling body shuddered slightly. Then he turned his bloodshot eyes to look at her.

　　The next second, An Jiu saw a flash of clarity in his eyes. Like a sudden ray of light breaking through the clouds—brief and fleeting.

　　“Y-You, leave. Don’t come any closer.” He panted heavily, forcing out the words with difficulty, his voice hoarse and terrifying.

　　Soon after, he plunged back into endless chaos, like a caged beast. Tearing, howling, struggling without end.

　　At this moment, he was no longer the elegant and gentle young master like wind and moonlight, but a madman driven to insanity by torment and poison.

　　Standing by the bed, An Jiu vaguely recalled a scene she had seen not long ago.

　　In the projection, Ah Qi had anxiously asked why he was still stalling. Wen Yueling's illness had already been cured; as long as he implanted the Love Gu into her, he could be detoxified and no longer suffer the agony of the poison.

　　At that time, Pei Ji was already showing signs of the poison flaring up. As he tied his own hands and feet with rope, he panted and said, “It’s not yet the time when I have to cure it.”

　　Ah Qi had asked urgently, confused, “Young Master, what exactly are you hesitating for?”

　　This was also An Jiu’s question.

　　She had been waiting for him to act, waiting from midsummer until late autumn, yet he never made a move.

　　What was he really hesitating for?

　　Faced with Ah Qi’s question, Pei Ji remained silent for a long time. Then, with reddened eyes, he finally replied in a hoarse voice.

　　“I’m afraid… she won’t forgive me.”

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