The Aloof Yet Pure-hearted Killer: She’s So Rich
At noon, Yuyi Yue brought the Killer a large bowl of vegetable rice.
“I added some nourishing herbs. The taste might not be great, but it’s good for your health.”
Yuyi Yue pushed the bowl into the Killer’s hands.
Steam rose before him, carrying the aroma of rice and medicinal herbs.
His body was still stiff, leaving him with no strength to refuse.
Nor did he have any reason to refuse.
Yuyi Yue carried another bowl of vegetable rice and sat at the table.
As the steam dissipated slightly, the Killer got a clearer look at Yuyi Yue’s appearance.
The midday sunlight filled the room, with tiny specks of dust dancing in the air before finally settling near Yuyi Yue’s plain-colored robes.
Holding silver chopsticks, Yuyi Yue lowered her gaze and ate quietly, a faint smile on her face as if pleased with her cooking that day.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that small space. The Killer didn’t know why his gaze was fixed on Yuyi Yue’s delicate profile, nor why he couldn’t look away.
It shouldn’t be like this. Someone like him should have long given up any hope for a peaceful life.
Yet the serene and tranquil atmosphere of the moment had made him lose focus.
The Killer’s gaze trembled for a moment before he hastily withdrew it. When he picked up his chopsticks, his hands were actually shaking.
It must be because his wounds hadn’t fully healed yet.
The Killer stuffed the vegetable rice into his mouth, and the fresh, fragrant taste instantly filled all his senses.
He couldn’t even remember how many years it had been since he last had a proper meal like this.
“Ten copper coins for this meal.”
Yuyi Yue’s voice reached him, carrying her unique earnestness.
The Killer swallowed the last mouthful of vegetable rice and looked at Yuyi Yue, suddenly asking:
“Is there more?”
Yuyi Yue turned her head, blinking in confusion before understanding what the Killer meant.
“I didn’t prepare too much vegetable rice, but there are a few vegetable buns left. Hmm… five copper coins for one vegetable bun, is that okay?”
Her eyes held a clear “calculation,” yet it was impossible to find it distasteful.
Even her scheming seemed so pure.
The Killer nodded.
Without even realizing it, he had already let his guard down around Yuyi Yue.
After receiving the steaming vegetable bun, the Killer finally asked the question on his mind:
“Are you short on money?”
Yuyi Yue was tidying up her own bowl and chopsticks. Hearing the question, she hesitated for a moment before asking:
“What counts as being short on money?”
The Killer was stumped.
He had never been good with words. After thinking for a while, he could only ask more directly:
“How much money do you have?”
It was another question that bordered on rudeness, but for some reason, the Killer felt Yuyi Yue wouldn’t mind.
And indeed, she didn’t.
“Three thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver. I just went out to exchange some small change, so I also have thirty-seven taels of broken silver and one hundred and ninety-six strings of copper coins.”
Yuyi Yue answered frankly.
The Killer gasped.
“You’re this rich?!”
Yuyi Yue seemed a bit surprised:
“Ah, does this count as rich? I’m not sure. It was all left to me by my Master. She said there would be many places to spend money after leaving Misty River, so I must budget carefully and be frugal.”
The Killer chuckled wryly: “With the money you have now, you could live comfortably for several lifetimes.”
Yuyi Yue shook her head: “I don’t believe in reincarnation or the afterlife. I only have this one lifetime.”
The Killer was left speechless again.In the afternoon, the Killer still could only lie in bed. Within his line of sight was only Yuyi Yue, sitting at the table writing something.
Everything happening now felt too much like a dream.
It was somewhat laughable, but the Killer felt a little afraid.
Afraid of what?
Perhaps he was afraid that all of this truly was just a dream.
Yuyi Yue noticed the Killer’s gaze and said lightly:
“I’m keeping accounts.”
The Killer was taken aback. “What?”
Yuyi Yue turned her head slightly toward him and said, “I thought you wanted to know what I was writing. Otherwise, why would you keep looking at me?”
The Killer couldn’t find the words to respond.
After a long while, he explained hoarsely:
“I have nothing else to do.”
He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t telling the whole truth either.
Yuyi Yue nodded thoughtfully. “You must be bored staying in the room, but you still can’t get out of bed and move around freely.”
Her expression was serious. “Master said that a healer must take responsibility for their patient. If you’re bored, it’s my responsibility. Let me tell you a story.”
The Killer couldn’t quite follow Yuyi Yue’s train of thought.
By the time he regained his senses, Yuyi Yue had already brought a chair over and sat down by the bed.
There was a hint of distress in her eyes:
“The bedtime stories Master tells me are all secret techniques and manuals unique to Misty River. I can’t tell you those. Let me think of another story I can tell…”
The Killer instinctively responded:
“Tell me about yourself.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, before Yuyi Yue could react, the Killer startled himself.
What was he saying? Had he injured his head?
He had never realized he was such a curious person.
Yuyi Yue, however, nodded slightly. “About myself… Alright, but there isn’t much to tell.”
She thought back carefully, her gaze focused:
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in Misty River with Master. Master said heaven and earth are my parents, and the mountains and rivers are my family. I learned medicine and Gu Arts from Master and accompanied her to nearby villages to treat patients. Occasionally, Master would bring back some people and let them live near Misty River.”
At this point, Yuyi Yue’s eyes held a trace of confusion:
“Master said that those she arranges to live outside Misty River are good people—people who love others but forget to love themselves. And those she brings into Misty River to raise gu are bad people—people who only love themselves and not the world.”
Then, Yuyi Yue looked at the Killer:
“Master said the people outside Misty River are very complicated, and every human heart is harder to understand than the most complex prescription. After seeing you, I think I understand what Master meant.”
The Killer looked at Yuyi Yue, his silent gaze unreadable.
Yuyi Yue said:
“You killed someone and tried to avoid paying for medical treatment. I thought you were a bad person. But your eyes aren’t like those of a bad person. Instead, they’re a bit like the good people living outside Misty River.”
She asked the Killer in confusion:
“Are you a good person or a bad person? Do you love yourself, or do you love this world?”
This question was one the Killer truly didn’t know how to answer.
He was a killer, someone who fundamentally didn’t understand love and didn’t deserve to have it.
Hatred was the emotion that kept him going.
But Yuyi Yue’s gaze was too focused, leaving the Killer with no way to avoid it. It felt as though not answering this question would be a greater sin than killing.
He coughed lightly, forcing himself to look away, and said softly:
“I don’t love anything.”
The Killer felt he wasn’t lying.But Yuyi Yue furrowed her elegant brows and softly refuted:
“That’s impossible. You clearly yearn to be loved. Someone who yearns for love understands better than anyone what love truly is.”
These words were too light, yet too heavy, like a feather pressing down weightily upon the killer’s heart.
His throat went dry, and he could no longer utter a word.
After a long silence, the killer could only rasp out:
“I don’t know.”
Yuyi Yue smiled, her laughter gently falling by the killer’s ear.
“Whether you’re a good person or a bad one, you’re not allowed to renege on your debt to me.”
The killer chuckled softly, a helpless smile rippling in his dark eyes.
“Mhm.”
…
[Master, his Favorability has increased a lot.]
[Mhm, I know, I can tell.]
[…]
[Stellar Eye, don’t you think he’s really quite adorable?]
[Master, based on my previous work experience, receiving that kind of evaluation from you is not a good sign.]
[I genuinely quite like him.]
[So you…?]
[So let’s think about how to perform a death escape in this world.]
[I knew it!]