Chapter 15: A Freak Hidden Deep Within

Chapter 15: A Hidden Freak Lurks Within

About a dozen seconds later, Pei Zhi's figure appeared by the spring where Xue Youtan had just scooped water.

His back was still ramrod straight, with clearly defined abs visible below his chest.

Xue Youtan took a closer look at Pei Zhi's complexion. Though he still looked pale and anemic, he was clearly much better than before—recovering nicely.

Good. That meant he wouldn't have to hold back tomorrow for fear of beating the guy to death.

Seeing that Pei Zhi was fine, Xue Youtan breathed a sigh of relief. He stirred slightly behind the tree, about to take off. But just as he took half a step, Pei Zhi—who had been soaking peacefully in the hot spring—suddenly lashed out at the very tree where Xue Youtan was hiding.

!!!

Given their current levels, Xue Youtan's cultivation was a full tier above Pei Zhi's. Unless he actively revealed himself, Pei Zhi shouldn't have been able to sense his presence at all. How the hell had he been found out?!

Despite his confusion, Xue Youtan dodged the spray of water Pei Zhi sent his way.

The water, infused with spiritual energy, turned from liquid into ice shards. After Xue Youtan dodged them, they sliced straight into a nearby branch. The branch, along with its twigs, fell—but before it could hit the ground, Pei Zhi snatched it out of mid-air with telekinesis and caught it in his hand.

Casually, Pei Zhi used the branch to twist his long, loose hair up into a bun, then braced both hands on the edge of the hot spring, settling into a lazy, comfortable posture.

It was because of this pose that Xue Youtan could clearly see, in the bright moonlight, the horrifying whip wounds covering Pei Zhi's back.

Aside from the whip marks, there were still unhealed wounds from earlier fights. But the barbs on the nine-section whip had ripped the flesh of his back open, covering up the older injuries. Fresh welts, red and inflamed, sprawled across his entire back like centipedes.

Xue Youtan knew that in the storyline, after Pei Zhi later married the demon princess Wu Qingcheng as his first wife, she would heal all his scars completely—leaving no trace behind. But seeing the man's current pitiful state, Xue Youtan still clenched his jaw.

He wasn't some saint, but he wasn't a killer at heart either. To have schemed so hard to beat an innocent fictional character into this state—Xue Youtan would be lying if he said he felt no guilt.

But that was all it was—just guilt, nothing more.

Compared to the male lead's skin, his own sorry life was far more important.

Xue Youtan had his priorities straight.

"How long are you gonna hide? You not coming out yet?" Pei Zhi didn't turn around from the hot spring, but he sounded sure of himself.

Xue Youtan frowned. Could he report the male lead for cheating? Did the man have eyes in the back of his head? How could he see him?

Just as Xue Youtan was mentally rehearsing an excuse to make it seem like he'd just stumbled upon the scene by accident, a woman in red suddenly jumped down from the very tree he was facing. She let out a silvery laugh, then instantly appeared beside Pei Zhi. Reaching out, she scooped up a handful of water from the spring near his chest and teased, "Oh my, caught already. Handsome, are you really at the Qi Refining Stage?"

The woman wore a veil, with bells hanging from her wrists and ankles. Her every gesture was pure seduction. It was none other than the seductress who had wrapped a whip around Pei Zhi's neck when Feng Mingjue used Cloud Palm earlier!

What the hell was she doing here?

"How are you here?" Pei Zhi voiced the question Xue Youtan wanted to ask.

"Came to see if you were dead yet," the woman said, glancing at the gruesome wounds on Pei Zhi's back and clicking her tongue. "Beaten like this—your master is a real piece of work."

So this is what it felt like to be insulted to your face.

Xue Youtan rubbed his nose. Indeed, he wasn't a piece of work—he was a human being.

Though perhaps, maybe, probably, not a good one.

Pei Zhi ignored the woman's words. His dark eyes fixed on her, he suddenly reached out and seized her. "Cangya Mountain has a barrier. How the hell did you get in?"

Cangya Mountain wasn't completely isolated, but it was a lone peak surrounded by protective immortal wards on all sides. Mortals couldn't find their way in without fate guiding them; and as for demons, there was no way they could ever break through the barrier.

Earlier, under the influence of the aphrodisiac poison, he had inadvertently opened the barrier to let those demon clansmen in. But hadn't Feng Mingjue's Cloud Palm driven them all away? How had she managed to sneak back in?!

"A smart person always has a trick up their sleeve." As she spoke, the woman studied Pei Zhi's face. Her free hand, nails painted with crimson polish, slid along his jawline, trailing down his neck, and further down...

When her fingers reached his Adam's apple, Pei Zhi released his grip on her and pushed her away.

Carried by the motion, the woman leaned back, and a corner of her veil fluttered up in the wind.

Though not enough to reveal her full face, the delicate nose ring she wore made Xue Youtan instantly guess her identity.

If he remembered correctly, in the game Emperor's Legacy, only one of Pei Zhi's wives wore a nose ring like that during intimate moments—Pei Zhi's most beautiful first wife, Wu Qingcheng!!!

Wu Qingcheng, the little princess of the demon realm. Living up to her name, one dance could bring down a city.

Compared to the still-young Ling Yue, Wu Qingcheng's features were far more alluring and seductive—a rare beauty. Xue Youtan had seen her in his previous life, right before he died.

But what truly made Xue Youtan remember her wasn't her face or figure, nor the fact that she was the male lead's first wife—it was her bizarre, twisted habits.

In the original story, Wu Qingcheng was spoiled rotten in the Abyss of Darkness. It was said she had a very particular skincare routine—to keep her beauty, she bathed in human blood every day. Her level of depravity rivaled that of 17th-century Europe's Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

And even more twisted was this: to win her favor, after conquering the demon realm, the male lead Pei Zhi personally selected young women from his own harem every day to be bled for Wu Qingcheng's benefit.

Xue Youtan still remembered that his miserable death in his previous life was partly Wu Qingcheng's fault.

Back then, he had been nailed to the gate by four ice shards through his limbs.

Pei Zhi had pressed his fingertips together, dipped them in the blood flowing from Xue Youtan's wrist, licked it, and said slowly: "Master was never especially good to me, but never especially cruel either. I hadn't planned to kill you. But little Qingcheng said that if I carved up your face and body, once your whole body bloomed with blood blossoms, it would be quite a sight. I've never seen it before, so I wanted to see it for myself."

Pei Zhi said this in the same casual tone one might use to talk about what they had for breakfast—pickled veggies and radish. As if, in Pei Zhi's eyes, Xue Youtan was just an object, not a living, breathing human being.

In the original plot of Emperor's Legacy, Pei Zhi was meant to be a righteous character, while Xue Youtan was the villain.

But from that moment on, Xue Youtan knew—Pei Zhi had a pervert lurking beneath his skin, far more insane than any villain could ever hope to be.