Chapter 27: The Tragedy at the National Advisor’s Mansion

Chapter 27: The Massacre at the Imperial Tutor's Mansion

"Young Marquis? Young Marquis?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm quite familiar with A-Ming's condition as well. If you have any questions, Imperial Physician Su, feel free to ask me directly. There's no need to consult with the Prince Consort on this matter."

Su Zichen looked puzzled: "Why?"

"He used to reside in the Marquis's mansion, so he's familiar with A-Ming's condition. Now that he's married to the Princess, it would give people something to talk about if he continues to concern himself with the affairs of our household."

Hearing this, Su Zichen understood.

Before leaving, Pei Yuhuai asked one more question: "How about this, Imperial Physician Su—why not stay at the Marquis's mansion? It would save you the trouble of traveling back and forth."

His main intention was to prevent Ji Huaiyu from interfering, and it would indeed be more convenient.

"Well..."

Su Zichen hesitated. Since being selected by the Emperor, he had resided in the palace, but following his mentor's guidance, he had come to the Marquis's mansion with the Marquis.

The daily commute was indeed somewhat tiring.

"Young Marquis, I don't have the authority to decide this matter. If the Marquis is willing to petition the Emperor, it should be possible."

"No problem. Leave it to me."

A-Ming's condition was more important, and his father would agree the moment he asked.

Pei Yuhuai also abandoned the idea of taking Pei Siming to the temple, despite the abbess's abilities.

But as things stood now.

Su Zichen was no less skilled. Why didn't Lan He possess such superb medical expertise?

Useless. He had to rely on his own disciple.

To be safe, Pei Yuhuai went to see Lan He, hoping he would also put in a word to allow Su Zichen to stay at the Marquis's mansion.

Little did he expect that his visit would lead him to witness a massacre he would never forget.

The front courtyard was terrifyingly quiet.

Pei Yuhuai looked around in confusion. The monks who usually recited sutras here had all disappeared, though the meditation cushions were still there.

Incense was still burning.

Suddenly.

From the back courtyard came a terrified cry for help: "Help! Help! Don't kill me, don't kill me!!"

Followed by a blood-curdling scream.

Pei Yuhuai's heart tightened. He rushed toward the back courtyard and saw the men and women of Qingwu Residence—the Imperial Tutor's mansion—with bodies strewn everywhere, blood pooling on the ground.

A figure with matted, filthy hair stood in the center, sword in hand, blood dripping from the blade—drop by drop, hitting the ground.

He cracked his neck with a sinister grin, letting out a spine-chilling sound, like a demon straight out of hell.

"The smell of blood."

His raspy voice sounded like it hadn't been used in centuries—grating and harsh. His wild hair whipped around, nearly hiding his eyes and brows.

He stooped over like a dog, sniffing at the blood on his sword, looking completely unhinged.

Seeing this.

Pei Yuhuai was shaking like a leaf, his face went white as a sheet. Panic surged through him, and he bolted to run away.

"Who's that?"

Oh no, oh no, I'm so dead.

Pei Yuhuai dared not answer. His survival instinct kicked in and he bolted for the exit, but he hadn't even made it two steps before a pebble hit him in the back of the head.

He went down in a dramatic faint.

Hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The figure followed him out to see what had happened.

The red mark between his brows throbbed and turned black, mixing with thick blood that trickled down, running to the tip of his nose, hanging there for a moment, then dripping to the ground.

The sword slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

"Pei Heng?"

Lan He snapped back to reality.

The person who had barged in was Pei Heng—he saw it. What did he see? Did he see me losing my mind?

Lan He's hands trembled. A silent terror crept into his chest.

I'm a monster.

A monster that couldn't stand the light.

"I didn't mean it. I didn't, I didn't mean it. I'm not wrong, I'm not at fault."

"No, he'll be scared of me."

"He saw it, he saw it..."

Lan He held his head in his hands, muttering, then coughed up a mouthful of blood in agony, staining his robes once more.

-

The next day.

The Crown Prince came to visit.

The massacre at the Imperial Tutor's mansion was discovered.

Everyone in the household had died from a single slash to the throat. The scene was a river of blood, a living hell—not a single survivor.

The Imperial Tutor had vanished without a trace.

According to witnesses, the Young Marquis had been seen swaggering into the Imperial Tutor's mansion that day and never returned.

In other words.

The Young Marquis had disappeared along with everyone else.

Such a heinous incident happening right under the emperor's nose, and at the Imperial Advisor's mansion no less, sent the emperor into a rage. The Crown Prince even volunteered to investigate in person, hell-bent on rescuing the Imperial Advisor.

The tragedy quickly became known to all, causing an uproar all over the capital. Naturally, word also got to Ji Huaiyu and the others.

The moment Qu Ying heard this news, her face went pale: "There's no scene like this anywhere in the plot. What the hell is going on?"

Ji Huaiyu was just as confused: "I heard Pei Yuhuai went to Qishan with Lan He. Since when did they get so chummy?"

"Everything's changed, all of it. The female lead spends all day out of the palace, never even going near the male lead, and the male lead never approaches the female lead either. The plot isn't supposed to go like this at all."

Qu Ying paced in anxious circles.

Her task was originally the simplest kind—the male and female leads had set character designs, destined for each other, naturally drawn together. That was their character setting.

They wouldn't deviate from their settings.

Her role was basically like a hall monitor, just making sure two top students graduate without a hitch. No after-sales support needed; as long as they got married, she was done.

There was no difficulty in this at all—an accident was impossible.

But now, it was like they were supposed to be taking a Chinese exam, and both top students hadn't even shown up to the test. How could she, as the director, not panic? She was losing it!

With that thought, Qu Ying looked at Ji Huaiyu with suspicion: "Is your task really just to make Pei Yuhuai go dark?!"

Ji Huaiyu's expression shifted sharply: "What do you mean? Suspecting me?!"

"I'm just curious. If it's only about making him go dark, why do you have so-called affinity points? And besides, he shows no signs of going dark at all!"

"I just haven't finished my task yet. Our tasks don't affect each other."

"Are you sure?"

Qu Ying sneered, staring coldly at Ji Huaiyu, her face frosty.

Ji Huaiyu, unnerved by that gaze, suppressed his anger and said, "I'm sure! I have a system. Doubting me will only tear our alliance apart."

"Up until now, what have you actually helped me with?"

"You..."

"You'd better not let me discover you have a hidden task. Having two taskers in one world is already bizarre enough. If you dare deceive me, I won't let you off easily."

Qu Ying turned and stormed off in a huff.

Ji Huaiyu was equally furious.

He had originally wanted to become the consort for wealth and glory, back when she was still the original princess. But on the morning after the wedding night, the princess inexplicably jumped into the lake.

After she was rescued, her soul had been replaced by the current tasker.

This not only ruined his plans but also forced the two of them to expose their identities as taskers, binding them together like grasshoppers on the same rope.

Ji Huaiyu irritably called out to his system: "System, system, are you there?"

"I'm here, host."

"I want to confirm—does the timing of the villain's turn to darkness affect the plot of the male and female leads?"

"Theoretically, no. However, the current situation in this world is somewhat special. An anomalous fluctuation has been detected and has been uploaded to headquarters."

"What do you mean?"