Pei Xiao stumbled over a stone but didn’t look back, continuing his stride toward the back mountain.
After Jiang Yu’s return tonight, her intense reaction left Pei Xiao with no other explanation.
It must be Meng Qingyao spreading malicious rumors.
That damned fly, utterly unaware of her impending doom…
Meanwhile, in the meditation room, only after Pei Xiao’s presence had completely faded did Jiang Yu gradually regain her composure.
By the faint lamplight, she rewrapped her wound and stopped the bleeding.
In her earlier desperation, Jiang Yu had no other choice but to deliberately draw blood and feign unconsciousness, just to catch a brief respite.
Thinking back on it now, her heart still raced with lingering fear.
Pei Xiao was far too perceptive—he’d likely already deduced her visit to Meng Qingyao tonight, hence his aggressive confrontation.
Tearing open the veil covering Pei Xiao’s identity recklessly would bring Jiang Yu no benefit.
Fortunately, she had kept her lips sealed and hadn’t admitted her whereabouts.
But with tensions having escalated so severely tonight, how could she possibly mend the situation?
Anxiously, Jiang Yu glanced out the window, only to find Pei Xiao had long since disappeared.
He was ruthless—even a snake caught eavesdropping would be crushed under his foot. Would he really let this matter rest so easily?
He wouldn’t… have gone after Meng Qingyao, would he?
A chill shot through Jiang Yu’s heart. If Meng Qingyao revealed everything about their meeting, Jiang Yu feared she wouldn’t escape unscathed!
Without another thought, she dashed toward the back mountain…
By then, the sky was faintly brightening.
In the Brocade Garden, the mad laughter gradually subsided.
The door was violently kicked open.
The shabby wooden panel flew off, eliciting screams all around.
Pei Xiao stood silhouetted against the light, his white robes shimmering with a moonlit silver glow, like a deity descending.
“The Emperor is here, the Emperor is here!” The convicted consorts scrambled toward him like fervent devotees.
But as they drew near, the chilling aura of Cold dew emanating from Pei Xiao made them hesitate and retreat.
He swept a casual glance around, the red lantern in his hand swaying, casting erratic shadows that resembled the path to reincarnation.
Even the madwomen knew better than to approach him, scattering one by one.
Pei Xiao strode directly under the corridor, narrowing his eyes disdainfully at Meng Qingyao sleeping there.
“Your subject pays respects to the Princess,” Pei Xiao announced, a hint of laziness in his tone.
Meng Qingyao, after her earlier fit of madness, was now half-asleep, smacking her lips softly.
How comfortably she slept!
How dare the instigator sleep so soundly?
A cold glint flashed in Pei Xiao’s eyes. He took a broken tile from the eaves and slowly poured the muddy water within onto Meng Qingyao’s face.
Meng Qingyao shuddered violently, pushing aside her disheveled hair as she spat out angrily, “Who is it?”
“Pei… Pei Xiao…” Meng Qingyao’s pupils dilated.
“The Princess still remembers her subject. It seems you haven’t completely lost your mind.”
Pei Xiao slowly bent down, the red lantern’s light flickering across his pale face like a living King of Hell come to claim souls.
Terrified, Meng Qingyao scrambled backward.
How could she ever forget Pei Xiao?
She would remember him for the rest of her life!
First, he sent a dead white fox into the Princess Manor, then forcibly threw her into Azure Cloud Temple to reflect and repent.
But that wasn’t enough—Pei Xiao also instigated others to withhold her food and supplies.
She, a noble princess, was forced to live among madwomen, enduring endless nightmares day and night, unable to eat or sleep properly.
Now, forget searching for her daughter—she herself was trapped in inevitable disaster.
Even if Meng Qingyao hadn’t gone mad, Pei Xiao would eventually drive her to death!
How could she not hate him?
“Pei Xiao, you deserve to die a terrible—mmph!”
Pei Xiao had no interest in hearing her useless curses. He grabbed her by the collar and dragged her toward the small Buddha hall.Though a scholar, he possessed immense strength. Meng Qingyao struggled in vain, dragged along the ground like a ragged cloth.
The door slammed shut.
In the prayer hall, candlelight flickered, casting dim shadows.
Pei Xiao’s tall figure loomed over her, blocking Meng Qingyao’s view.
She could only see the golden head of the Buddha statue behind him.
“What did you say to my wife?”
Before the divine, pretense was unnecessary. The gloom on Pei Xiao’s face at this moment resembled that of a wrathful deity.
A stark contrast to the compassionate Buddha behind him, who sought to save all beings.
This only emphasized his unruly defiance.
Meng Qingyao grew even more panicked, her eyes darting nervously. “I… I haven’t seen Yu’er.”
“Is that so?”
Pei Xiao didn’t believe her.
Having been with Jiang Yu for three years, he knew her gentle nature—how could she suddenly defy him?
It was all this old woman’s doing!
Pei Xiao removed the Buddhist beads from his wrist, lightly rolling them between his fingers. “The Buddha is merciful, Aunt. Lying before him will bring Divine Retribution.”
His words cut like knives, piercing straight to the heart.
Meng Qingyao collapsed to the floor, swallowing hard, yet she shook her head repeatedly.
A flicker of impatience crossed Pei Xiao’s face.
One after another, all so stubborn.
Did they think he was lenient, always showing mercy?
The White Jade Bodhi Beads slowly coiled around Meng Qingyao’s neck. Pei Xiao tightened his grip, sneering, “It seems Aunt doesn’t believe in Divine Retribution?”
No matter. He would show her what it meant.
He wound the beads around her neck, loop by loop, each turn increasing the pressure.
Meng Qingyao was forced to tilt her head back, gazing up at the golden Buddha.
The Buddha couldn’t save her—she was suffocating!
Meanwhile, Pei Xiao’s hands, veins bulging, were firm and powerful, his eyes a barren wasteland.
A human life in his grasp was no more than an ant.
Meng Qingyao clutched at the Bodhi seed, her eyes bulging, face turning purple.
Beneath the golden Buddha, through a crack in a small door, a pair of almond eyes widened in shock. Jiang Yu covered her mouth tightly, stifling a cry.
Before, it had only been hearsay and speculation, but now she had witnessed firsthand how Pei Xiao tormented others.
This man was utterly cold-hearted!
He watched like a detached spectator, not a ripple of emotion in his eyes. “Let me ask you another question, Aunt. What rumors have you heard?”
The beads continued to tighten. Meng Qingyao’s mind grew hazy; she couldn’t endure it any longer.
Her purplish hands gripped the beads tightly as she forced out words, “You… you’re not the real Pei Xiao.”
“Where did you hear such nonsense, Princess?”
Pei Xiao’s tone was light, completely unruffled by the accusation.
Meng Qingyao had no choice but to continue, “Rong Niang! Your mother said so!”
“And who is Rong Niang? My mother is the wife of the Grand Tutor. Aunt, your stories are truly imaginative.”
Pei Xiao let out a low, magnetic chuckle that echoed in the hall, winding the beads another loop.
Meng Qingyao’s neck swelled with blood, veins threatening to burst. She could only shake her head, over and over.
Pei Xiao looked down coldly at her near-death state and asked, “Did you tell Yu’er all this gossip?”
Jiang Yu’s heart leaped into her throat, her fingers digging into the door crack.
If Meng Qingyao gave her away, she would be the next ant to be crushed!
But Meng Qingyao’s spirit had already been shattered by Pei Xiao. Her eyes glazed over, and her lips parted slightly…