Eine eisige Aura

Kapitel 50

Pang Wan felt that her plan was foolproof.

First, he fed Gu Xiju the Nan Ke pills, and then he took the lead in stripping the leader of his clothes. The courtesan was on standby as a backup, ready to step in if anything went wrong—everything was flawless until an accident occurred halfway through, forcing the operation to come to an abrupt halt.

Upon seeing the courtesan, the Southern Barbarians realized that Pang Wan's honey trap was actually a substitution, and the icy anger in their eyes melted away, their expressions truly softening.

"You are the Holy Maiden of my Moon Worship Cult, and you must never have a relationship with the leader of the martial arts alliance." He stepped forward, took out a pill, and stuffed it into the courtesan's mouth. "Junior sister, you must remember that good and evil have always been irreconcilable, and no matter what kind of feelings you have, they cannot overcome the deep-seated hatred. If you have any improper thoughts, you will only end up with a lose-lose situation."

The Southern Barbarians rarely call Pang Wan "Junior Sister," and when they do, it means they are very serious and proper.

Pang Wan's cheeks were burning with pain, and she didn't want to waste any more words on him. She simply asked, "What did you feed her?"

“Poison.” Nan Yi turned to look at her, his face, devoid of any fierceness under the moonlight, was strikingly handsome. “After taking this medicine, she won’t remember what happened today.” He smiled smugly.

“She wouldn’t remember anyway!” Pang Wan glared at him. This courtesan had been put to sleep by her acupoints as soon as she entered the carriage, so she knew nothing about anything.

"Just to be on the safe side," Nan Yi snorted.

Pang Wan cursed inwardly for being so petty, and reached out to hug the courtesan: "I have to get her back before dawn."

A pair of long, slender hands blocked his way, and the Southern Barbarians squatted down first.

"I'll take her home," he smiled at her.

Pang Wan glanced at the courtesan's beautiful face and impatiently touched his nose: "Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

Having said that, he turned and left.

As dawn broke, a hunter passed by a mountain ditch and saw a woman with a graceful figure lying on a haystack in the distance.

"Girl, why are you sleeping here?" He thought it was a woman lying on the ground resting, and subconsciously reached out to push her.

"Ah!" When he saw the woman's face clearly, he screamed and fell to the ground, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

What he pushed to the ground was a corpse that was already cold, its face a bloody mess, as if someone had deliberately cut off its skin, a truly horrifying sight.

Chapter Ten

break

The next day, Pang Wan did not stay at the villa, but went directly to the He residence, as agreed, to "observe" the young master of the He family researching the magic needle.

Moreover, given what happened last night, she still doesn't know how to face Gu Xiju.

"Oh dear! Why is your face so swollen?" Jin Buyao exclaimed as soon as she saw her, "My poor little beauty!"

"Who had the heart to hit you?" she sighed, taking out a box of ointment and carefully applying it to Pang Wan's face. "Should we have Granny teach him a lesson? Which bastard is so inconsiderate of a woman?"

Pang Wan knew she looked like a pig's head, gave an awkward smile, and shrank back her neck: "It's alright."

—A lesson? If someone else had hit her, she would have whipped that person half to death, but since the other party was a southern barbarian, she could only swallow her bitterness for the time being.

His methods are best left unsaid—not only are they untouchable, but it's also not necessarily something you can avoid.

"Why do I feel like you're quite happy?" Jin Buyao paused, wiping her hair, then suddenly slowed down, looking rather surprised. "Did something good happen?" This girl doesn't seem like the type to like being beaten.

Pang Wan was completely unaware that her bright, sparkling eyes betrayed her, and she pursed her lips, trying her best to hide it: "There's no such thing as a good thing."

Jin Buyao was a seasoned lover. Seeing her face full of spring fever, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth: "Oh, have you fallen for some young man? With your shy and timid look, like a fledgling bird just beginning to experience love, you think you can hide it from your nanny!"

"No, no!" Blood rushed to her cheeks, and Pang Wan blushed with embarrassment. She waved her hands and shook her head, her swollen cheeks making her look like a ripe pomegranate about to burst.

Jin Buyao burst into laughter.

"You're so adorable!" She playfully poked Pang Wan's nose, her tone full of pity. "Come on, tell me, which lucky young man enlightened you? What did he say to you? When and where? What did he say?" The middle-aged woman's gossipy nature flared up.

Pang Wan thought for a moment, then sighed softly.

“I saw a portrait of myself in his room,” she said softly after a long pause.

If she couldn't be sure of Gu Xiju's feelings last night based solely on the medicine Nan Ke, then what she found on the desk afterwards finally convinced her that Gu Xiju truly cared for her.

He had several portraits of her; she had almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, sweet dimples, and a charming smile.

The painting is skillful and meticulous, and could not have been done hastily. The paper was also carefully mounted, showing that the owner cherished it very much.

Most importantly, she could tell that the painting wasn't brand new; the ink had dried for a while.

Her plan to seduce Gu Xiju was something she decided on and did on the same day, all without anyone noticing. Gu Xiju couldn't possibly have prepared several portraits of himself beforehand, much less framed and kept them on his desk. No matter how cunning he was, he couldn't possibly predict people's hearts.

There is only one explanation: Gu Xiju truly admires her.

"Stealing your portrait?" Jin Buyao was taken aback, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "You're such a love-struck fool."

"The saying goes, 'Seeing an object reminds one of a person.' He must love you but didn't dare to express it, so he did this." She narrowed her eyes, quite pleased, with a hint of envy in her expression. "The old woman asked you, how long have you two known each other? Is he good to you? Is he responsible towards those around him?"

“We’ve known each other for almost half a year. He’s very responsible and has always been very caring towards me.”

Pang Wan blinked. She felt that what she said was the truth—honestly, apart from the kneeling incident, Gu Xiju had always treated her very well.

Jin Buyao chuckled: "Look at you, you've really opened your eyes to love, you even know how to say nice things for your sweetheart!"

Pang Wan pursed her lips shyly, but a hint of unease flashed in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Jin Buyao keenly noticed the change in her expression.

“…Granny, you don’t know.” Pang Wan lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly, “I thought he would never like me…Everyone used to say he liked someone else…”

It's like being told that some things are forever out of reach. You go through all sorts of trials and tribulations, and just when you're about to give up in despair, fate suddenly slams on the brakes and turns to you, saying, "Look, what you've been longing for has always been right beside you."