Chapter 34: Madman

Xu Guang knelt on the ground, staring at him in disbelief.

Blood continued to stream from his eye, quickly staining the ground red. The lackeys behind him were terrified, trembling uncontrollably. One of them screamed and fled, and the rest followed suit, tossing away their weapons like scattered birds and beasts. Only Zhao Li remained beside Xu Guang, but he was already petrified with fear.

The mounted soldiers were ordered to give chase.

“Are you going to talk or not?!”

Pei Yuan, exuding a murderous aura, swung off his horse. With his long blade drawn, he pressed it against Xu Guang’s neck and roared, “Speak now and I’ll leave your corpse intact. Otherwise, I’ll skin you alive!”

Xu Guang’s face was ashen, lips twitching as he looked up at Pei Yuan. Suddenly, he burst into a terrifying laugh: “You ruined my future just like you’d killed my parents! My life isn’t worth a damn anymore, but I’ll fight you to the end! Since you care so much about that woman, I’ll make sure you never find her. Pei Yuan, you brat — do you regret it now?”

“You’re asking for death!”

Pei Yuan’s brows furrowed as he suddenly yanked out the arrow from Xu Guang’s eye. Blood sprayed everywhere, and Xu Guang collapsed with a scream, writhing on the ground. “My eye! My eye!”

Pei Yuan’s cold eyes shifted to Zhao Li, who had already wet his pants, trembling where he stood. Pei Yuan walked over, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and slammed him against the wall, eyes filled with menace. “Where is my wife?”

Zhao Li swallowed hard and was just about to speak when Xu Guang shouted, “If you say a single word, I’ll kill your old mother at home!”

Zhao Li burst into tears. “I don’t know! I don’t know anything…”

Veins bulged on Pei Yuan’s forehead. His grip tightened, his emotions teetering on the edge of collapse. Only one thought pulsed through his mind:

Kill them. Kill them all. If anything happens to Bao Ning, they all die — every last one of them!

Zhao Li’s neck was nearly crushed; his legs flailed, eyes rolling back, just about to die. That’s when Xu Guang slowly got up, curled his lips, and said, “You want to know where that woman is? I’ll tell you where I took her.”

Pei Yuan loosened his grip. He turned around, eyes locked on Xu Guang, voice hoarse: “Where is she?”

Xu Guang’s gaze was mocking, and he whispered, “She’s dead.”

He burst into crazed laughter. “Pei Yuan, bet you never saw this coming. All that power and prestige, and in the end, you couldn’t even protect one woman! Want to know how she died?”

Pei Yuan’s fingers clenched so tightly around his blade that his knuckles turned white. His eyes blazed with murder as Xu Guang continued:

“I raped her. Then I killed her. I was still inside her when I wrapped my hands around her throat and slowly choked her to death. She was so beautiful — especially those eyes. She begged me, crying, asking me to let her go…”

A bestial roar tore from Pei Yuan’s throat as his blade flashed down in a silver arc. With the sickening sound of flesh being torn, Xu Guang was sliced in two at the waist.

His organs spilled onto the ground, the stench of blood thick in the air. His eyes widened in shock, but he couldn’t make a sound — just writhing weakly on the ground.

The soldiers who had arrived earlier never expected such a scene. They collectively gasped at the carnage.

Pei Yuan, as if possessed, dragged his blood-soaked blade over to Zhao Li and in one swing, decapitated him!

“Fourth Prince!” the leading soldier went pale, hurriedly dismounting to stop him. “Civilians live here. This is a busy area — you can’t, you mustn’t do this… ai!”

Pei Yuan stood drenched in blood, streaks of it on his face, his expression twisted and demonic — like a specter from hell.

“I don’t care who lives here.” He pointed at the alley behind him, gritting his teeth. “Even if you have to tear down every building, I want her found! Alive, I want to see her. Dead, I want to see her body!”

With that, Pei Yuan turned and stepped over Xu Guang’s chest, each footstep leaving a bloody mark as he strode deeper into the alley.

Meanwhile, Bao Ning entered the city just before the gates closed. She was utterly exhausted, drenched in cold sweat, her steps unsteady and weak.

Fortunately, no one was chasing her. She figured perhaps the patrol had delayed Xu Guang or maybe they’d lost her trail. For now, she was safe — but still uneasy. She needed to find her third sister, Ji Anlu, as soon as possible.

Feng Yongjia trailed behind her, step for step.

Bao Ning looked up, scanning the signs along the street for the words “Gujing Eatery” (古井食樓). She’d been there before — a modest two-story restaurant that mainly sold noodles and snacks. Her third brother-in-law, Zhang Heyi, used to be a chef in the Duke’s manor and had long admired Ji Anlu. But their difference in status meant the Duke forbade it.

Ji Anlu eventually got engaged and married into a declining noble family as a concubine-born wife, but the marriage was a failure. Less than a year later, they divorced. Zhang Heyi, still devoted, waited for her. Touched by his loyalty, Ji Anlu finally married him. The Duke was furious and even threatened to cut ties with her, but it didn’t stop her.

Ji Anlu’s mother, Concubine Liu, had passed early. She had no other family and only a modest dowry. With the help of a few sisters who scraped together some money, she and Zhang Heyi opened the eatery. Business was said to be good, and their relationship loving.

Bao Ning asked someone for directions and continued her search, unaware of Feng Yongjia’s behavior behind her.

Suddenly, Feng Yongjia lunged forward, trying to grab her waist. Bao Ning heard his footsteps and instinctively ducked. He missed.

Heart pounding, she looked at his sweat-covered face and shouted, “What are you doing?!”

“I regret it!” Feng Yongjia clenched his fists. “I truly regret everything. I should never have gambled. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have fallen into Xu Guang’s trap. I don’t know what to do now. I can’t pay back the money. I can’t go home. My father’s still waiting for me — I’m scared Xu Guang will go after him in revenge. I don’t care if I die, but I don’t want my father to suffer because of me…”

He rambled incoherently, eyes full of desperation. “I can’t stay in the capital anymore. I’m scared. I have to leave. Just… let me hug you one last time, then I’ll go…”

Bao Ning no longer wanted to waste words. She backed away, watching his movements warily. As he lunged again, she screamed and bolted toward the crowd.

People on the street all turned to look.

“Bao Ning!” came a sudden voice. She whipped her head around and saw Ji Anlu leaning out from a second-story window.

“Bao Ning! Come here, quickly!” Ji Anlu shouted in alarm, her face turning pale as she looked past her. “Behind you — watch out!”

Bao Ning rushed into the eatery just before Feng Yongjia could catch her.

A group of staff armed with sticks charged out of the restaurant. One of them smashed Feng Yongjia across the back. He let out a few screams before collapsing limply to the ground.

Zhang Heyu said, “Tie this brat up on the stone mill in the backyard!”

Bao Ning entered the room, wiping her tears as she cried, “Third Sister!”

“I’m right here!” Ji Anlu had already come downstairs to meet her. Seeing Bao Ning’s tear-streaked face, her heart ached terribly. She pulled Bao Ning into a tight hug, gently patting her back to comfort her. “It’s okay now, Bao Ning. Don’t cry. You’re home now… How did you end up like this?”

…

After washing up, Bao Ning sat curled up in the room, arms wrapped around herself, lost in a daze. She couldn’t eat a thing—her mind was filled with the disgusting image of Feng Yongjia and his lewd expression. Just thinking about it made her nauseous.

What she had experienced today was far too dangerous. While she was in the midst of it, she’d managed to force herself to stay calm, but now that she was in a safe place, the fear came crashing down. Her heart was in chaos.

She used to be very close with Ji Anlu, but so many years had passed. Bao Ning was thin-skinned and too embarrassed to cry in front of her sister, so she could only hold everything in.

She tried to sleep, but even the slightest sound would jolt her awake, drenched in cold sweat. And even when she did doze off, her dreams were filled with nightmares. She didn’t dare fall asleep again, so she lit a lamp and just sat there, unmoving and lost in thought.

Bao Ning wondered—what was Pei Yuan doing right now?

He must have already realized she was missing. Was he scouring the city for her? From what Feng Yongjia had said, Xu Guang planned to lure him out and kill him.

Bao Ning grew anxious. What if something had really happened to Pei Yuan?

The moment that thought surfaced, her heart began pounding wildly. She didn’t dare imagine it. Pei Yuan’s legs were injured and his movement limited—no matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t possibly fend off that many men. What if—

Bao Ning’s mind spun in panic. She was scared. Just that afternoon, they had still been laughing together. She could still feel the warmth of his hand—he couldn’t be in danger, he just couldn’t.

Then another thought struck her.

Wouldn’t Pei Yuan have realized it was a trap? He was so clever.

But if so… did that mean he didn’t plan to save her at all? Would he risk his life for her? Maybe to him, she just wasn’t that important.

That thought stung her deeply.

Bao Ning buried her forehead into her knees, her thoughts spiraling. One moment she thought this, the next she thought that. Her head hurt, her arms and legs hurt—everything hurt.

“Bao Ning, why are you still awake?” Ji Anlu pushed the door open and came in, sitting beside her. “What are you thinking about?”

Bao Ning looked up, her eyes red. “I want to go home.”

Ji Anlu gently patted her back with affection. “First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll have your brother-in-law take you back.”

“Thank you, Third Sister.” Bao Ning nodded.

Ji Anlu smiled, “Good. Try to sleep early and get some rest. Otherwise, your husband will be distressed when he sees you tomorrow.”

Bao Ning gave a faint smile. Ji Anlu chatted with her for a bit more and wanted to sleep beside her, but Bao Ning politely refused. She didn’t insist and quietly left, closing the door.

Bao Ning blew out the lamp and lay down. In her heart, she thought: Pei Yuan is probably safe at home right now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll be back, and I’ll see him again.

She forced herself to stop thinking about all the useless, anxious thoughts, and stared at the ceiling. After a long while, sleep finally took her.

What she didn’t know was that, while she slept deeply and sweetly, someone else had nearly torn apart half a street trying to find her.

…

Early the next morning, Bao Ning was woken by a clamor on the street. She rubbed her eyes, got up, and opened the window, hearing the chatter downstairs.

“Did you hear? The Fourth Prince has gone mad again—he’s walking around with a blade, searching for someone. No one knows who provoked him this time… Don’t tell me that incident from years ago is happening again?”

Author’s Note:

Alright, I’ll lay it out straight—behind Brother Pei’s roguish and handsome appearance, he’s actually a hot-tempered lunatic.

But he’ll treat Bao Ning very well.

It doesn’t seem very sweet again today… but maybe that’s not the right way to put it. I feel like the part where he killed Xu Guang was actually kind of sweet…

Sansukini has something to say too… The author is sadistic. J/K.

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