Chapter 35: Found

Pei Yuan hadn’t slept all night. A shadow of bluish stubble covered his jaw, his eyes were bloodshot, and he radiated a murderous aura.

He dragged a heavy saber as he walked down the road. The blade scraped sideways along the hardened dirt path, leaving behind a winding mark. No one dared approach him; people whispered from the sidelines, pointing discreetly.

Someone murmured, “Wasn’t that thing six years ago his doing? Broke into someone’s house in the middle of the night, set the place on fire, then stood at the door with a sword. Whoever tried to run out, he stabbed them—every single one. Blood was all over the walls. And he was only twelve back then!”

The younger ones who didn’t know about those events looked at Pei Yuan’s back in fear, shrinking into their homes. “Who’s he going to kill this time? Look at his face—it’s still got blood on it.”

“Who knows… just stay far away. If he doesn’t see you, you’ll be fine.”

“I’m scared he’ll come back for me. What if he doesn’t like the look of me and just slashes me down with one stroke? Who can I turn to then? He’s a prince. He kills, and that’s that… Didn’t he almost kill his own father recently?”

Someone spat angrily, “Beast in human clothing!”

“You can’t say that for sure,” an older man said with a sigh, watching Pei Yuan’s retreating figure. “My younger sister used to work in the palace. She said the Fourth Prince turned out like this because of his mother. She died—died horribly. A beauty like a flower, peerless in her looks. Among all the consorts in the palace, there wasn’t a second like her… They say the Fourth Prince was originally a decent child, just a bit gloomy and withdrawn. But after he saw his mother’s corpse that time, he went mad. The Luo family massacre happened during that period. The Emperor feels guilty, so he keeps indulging him. Even when the Fourth Prince tried to rebel recently, he still came out of it fine.”

There was a moment of silence before someone asked, “I heard the Fourth Prince got married?”

“Yeah…” people in the crowd clicked their tongues. “Poor girl, whoever she is. With his strange temper, what if he’s in a bad mood one day? That little girl wouldn’t stand a chance. Wouldn’t she get chopped into eight pieces and eaten?”

As those words landed, a stir rippled through the crowd. Eyes glimmered with a morbid curiosity as they looked at Pei Yuan. No one disliked bloody drama—as long as it didn’t happen to them.

Many began secretly looking forward to the appearance of the Fourth Prince’s consort.

…

Pei Yuan could hear all the murmuring behind him. He didn’t care—because he really was a madman.

It was Xu Guang who made him this way.

Every word Xu Guang had said pierced him like steel needles. Even after he tore down that house, there was no sign of Bao Ning. Even after he caught Xu Guang’s men and they confirmed they saw Bao Ning escape, Pei Yuan still felt the pain.

He couldn’t stop his mind from spiraling, from painting the horrific scene Xu Guang had described.

How could his Bao Ning possibly endure that?

Even if it was a lie—he couldn’t accept it.

Pei Yuan thought, if he still couldn’t find Bao Ning today, he didn’t know whether he could control his hands anymore. He might go to the Imperial Treasury and slice Eunuch Huang into pieces. He might go to the Eastern Palace and dig out Pei Xiao’s heart, mince it into meat.

Anyone who had the chance to harm Bao Ning—none of them deserved to live!

She was his only hope in life. If someone destroyed that, then he didn’t care about living anymore. Worst case—die together. They could settle the score on the road to the underworld.

The urge to destroy boiled in his chest. Pei Yuan turned abruptly and swept his shadowed gaze across every face on the street, dark thoughts festering:

If all these people died—skinned, boned, tendons pulled out—wouldn’t the stench of blood in the wind be… rather delightful?

After all, he was a madman. Everyone believed he was mad—then he’d show them just how mad.

His thumb rubbed along the rough hilt of his blade. Pei Yuan tilted his head slightly. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled into a strange, eerie smile.

He was handsome. Narrow phoenix eyes, a high nose, and a natural air of danger. On any normal day, girls on the street would blush at the sight of him.

But that smile… made everyone’s hair stand on end. They screamed and fled in all directions.

A lunatic—he looked like a demon crawled out of hell, here to feast on human flesh.

…

“Bao Ning!” Ji Anlu burst through the door, her face pale with fear. “Did you see him? The Fourth Prince—he’s downstairs!”

She clutched her handkerchief tightly, her wrists trembling. “Bao Ning, what do we do? Have you heard the rumors? What if he really does kill people?”

“He won’t!” Bao Ning turned her head, firm and resolute.

Her eyes were a bit red—whether from the wind when she opened the window or from seeing Pei Yuan’s smile, it was unclear.

It had only been one night, and yet he looked so haggard, so unkempt—and smiled so terribly.

Bao Ning’s heart ached.

She reached for the clothes at the bedside and began dressing. “I’m going down to find him now.”

“You’re crazy!” Ji Anlu cried out and grabbed her. “What if he hurts you? Who knows what’s going on in his head? He’s not himself anymore. I won’t let you go!”

Bao Ning’s nose was stuffy, her voice thick with tears. “He must be like this because he’s been looking for me. He’s worried. If I go down now, and he sees me—it’ll all be okay.”

Ji Anlu said, “But what if? Bao Ning, don’t be so confident. Just look at the fourth prince right now—aren’t you scared?”

Bao Ning lowered her head. She stared at the tips of her shoes. Was she afraid? To say she wasn’t at all would be a lie. But deep in her heart, a voice told her that Pei Yuan would never hurt her.

Pei Yuan himself had said it—that night in the rain, he told her: I won’t hurt you.

He also said: You can trust me. Always.

Bao Ning thought, Pei Yuan was someone who valued promises deeply. He was a man who treasured his dignity. He wouldn’t lie to her.

She looked up at Ji Anlu and said, “I want to take a chance.”

“Don’t be foolish…”

Before Ji Anlu could finish, Bao Ning had already finished dressing and dashed down the stairs, weaving past her.

Ji Anlu rushed after her, panicked, grabbing the railing and calling down, “Bao Ning, be careful!”

“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Zhang Heyu came over, patting her back to comfort her. “Bao Ning may look like an airhead, but she’s clever inside. She knows what she’s doing.”

…

Everyone on the street saw it: a girl suddenly ran out of the Gujing Restaurant.

She wore a pale pink dress, her long braid hanging over one shoulder. She was fair and delicate, with soft, gentle features—clearly not the type to be any kind of threat.

She ran straight toward Pei Yuan.

Gasps swept through the crowd. Everyone stared wide-eyed, holding their breath to see what would happen next.

Pei Yuan stood just five steps away from her.

Bao Ning looked at his back—still tall, broad-shouldered. But maybe it was just her imagination… he had always stood straight, yet now his back looked a little hunched.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palm. Taking a deep breath, she called out loudly, “Pei Yuan!”

An uproar.

Someone nearby whispered frantically, “Miss, are you crazy? Come back! Get away from him! Aren’t you afraid he’ll hurt you?”

Bao Ning didn’t move.

Neither did Pei Yuan.

The wind blew, carrying a faint scent of blood. Bao Ning didn’t seem to notice. She called again, “Pei Yuan! Look at me. It’s me—Bao Ning!”

Pei Yuan’s wrist twitched. He seemed to finally hear her. Slowly, stiffly, he began to turn around.

Bao Ning suddenly felt like crying.

She wiped her tears, ran the last few steps toward him, grabbed his sleeve, and choked out, “What happened to you? Why do you look like this—clothes in tatters, covered in dirt… walking around town in broad daylight with a blade. Are you really planning to hurt someone? People are watching, thinking I didn’t take care of you, that I mistreated you and kicked you out…”

She couldn’t stop rambling.

Pei Yuan looked down at her, silently, eyes fixed on her face.

Bao Ning saw the blood on his cheek and frowned. She stood on her toes, trying to wipe it off, but the blood had dried—it wouldn’t come off.

Panicking, she touched his face, finding no wound, then moved to check his chest and arms. “Whose blood is this? Did Xu Guang hurt you? Is it serious?”

Pei Yuan remained frozen, still staring at her, not speaking. Bao Ning couldn’t take it anymore and punched him lightly. “Say something!”

“Bao Ning…” Pei Yuan suddenly grabbed her shoulders, gritting his teeth. “Where the hell did you go!”

He let go with one hand and pulled her tightly into his chest, wrapping his arms around her with crushing strength—like he wanted to press her into his body. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Then she turned her head and, to her horror, saw his wrist—his sleeve had slipped down, revealing a web of darkened veins. That originally soybean-sized chi dan (red elixir) poison had now grown to the size of a fist.

She trembled. “Pei Yuan…”

Suddenly, he released her and fell to one knee, propping himself up with his blade. He gasped a few times, then vomited a large mouthful of black blood, splattering it at Bao Ning’s feet.

“What’s going on!” Ji Anlu rushed out, visibly shaken. “Why is he coughing up blood?”

“He’s injured…” Bao Ning sniffed and tried to help him up.

Pei Yuan was too heavy. She couldn’t lift him. Ji Anlu, panicking, tried to help, but before her hand even touched him, he shoved her away hard. She nearly fell, and only didn’t because Zhang Heyu caught her from behind.

Bao Ning gave Ji Anlu an apologetic glance and asked softly, “Can we go rest at Third Sister’s shop for now?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Pei Yuan raised his head.

He was utterly spent. His face was ghostly pale, lips bloodstained, his voice weak. “I want to go home.”

The road was too far. Bao Ning was about to persuade him again when he frowned and repeated, “I’m not going anywhere else. I want to go to my home!”

“…Okay! Alright!” Bao Ning knelt before him, cupped his face in her hands, and tears spilled over. “Be good. We’ll go home. Right now.”

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