At the sound of that voice, the once noisy courtyard instantly fell silent. Everyone turned to look at the door.
Feng Shuying was also curious about what this big villain looked like—the one described by the author as a banished immortal, yet so ruthless he drove both the male and female leads to the brink of insanity.
The moment she saw Chu Wang, Jing Moye, her eyes went wide.
Though it was already late spring, he wore a greatcoat of pure white fox fur. His exquisite features were so beautiful they bordered on androgynous, and his upturned peach-blossom eyes were dark and profound.
In his hand, he held a volume of Buddhist scriptures. A faint smile played at the corners of his lips, and his aura was elegant and otherworldly, as if he were a banished immortal who had accidentally strayed into the mortal realm.
His complexion was slightly pale, carrying a hint of sickly fragility. Yet, it was this very air of illness that unconsciously stirred a desire in others to protect him.
Feng Shuying's summary: He's a total monster!
Based on his looks and temperament alone, if he were in the entertainment industry of her previous life, he would have easily eclipsed every top star and captured the hearts of countless young girls.
He looked far too gentle; he didn't fit the image of a big villain at all.
When things are abnormal, there must be a catch. She felt a surge of wariness.
Jing Moye’s gaze slowly swept over everyone present. Anyone his eyes touched felt as though they were basking in a spring breeze.
When his gaze landed on Feng Shuying, she quickly lowered her head and spoke with a hint of bashfulness, "Of course Your Highness is not a consumptive ghost."
"In my heart, Your Highness is like a deity from the heavens."
Jing Moye looked at her and asked, "Who are you?"
Feng Shuying kept her head down and said, "I am Your Highness’s fiancée, Feng Shuying."
Jing Moye’s peach-blossom eyes arched slightly. He used his fan to tilt her chin up, forcing her to look at him.
At this moment, the two were standing very close. As soon as Feng Shuying raised her head and looked into his eyes, her entire body stiffened.
Although his face was smiling, his eyes were as cold as a desolate wasteland frozen for thousands of years, devoid of any warmth.
She instinctively tried to read his fortune through his features, but she found that his entire being was as silent as a mountain range buried under ten thousand miles of ice; she couldn't see anything at all.
However, a bizarre black qi was drifting from his forehead—it was extremely peculiar.
A sense of extreme danger rose in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, she heard his voice: "So ugly."
Feng Shuying: "…"
She had been known as the number one beauty of the Xuanxuejie in her past life. How could she possibly be ugly?
Having said that, he turned to Chen Yansheng and asked, "And who are you?"
Initially, Chen Yansheng had been somewhat frightened by Jing Moye’s status, but seeing his gentle appearance, his fear dissipated.
Malice rose in his heart, and he grinned. "My name is Chen Yansheng, and I am the beloved of Your Highness’s fiancée, Feng Shuying."
"She despises Your Highness, so she brought all her valuables to elope with me."
"Anyway, Your Highness is in poor health and finds Feng Shuying too ugly. Why not just give her to me?"
Feng Shuying’s expression changed slightly. If this dog-thing wanted to die, fine, but he shouldn't drag her down with him!
Jing Moye gave a refined smile, his beautiful eyes turning toward Feng Shuying.
She felt as though she had been plunged into an ice cellar and immediately explained, "Your Highness, don't listen to his nonsense! This elopement business is completely non-existent!"
"Ever since I learned I was to marry Your Highness, I haven't been able to contain my joy!"
Jing Moye’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Is that so?"
Lin Wanting seemingly accidentally pulled open Feng Shuying’s bundle, and silver, jewelry, and other items spilled out onto the ground.
Feng Shuying: "…"
She could see it now; Lin Wanting and Chen Yansheng wanted her dead.
These items served as physical evidence of her elopement. How was she supposed to explain this?
Lin Wanting looked apologetic. "Cousin, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Then, she added with great curiosity, "But, why would you bring so many valuables just to come out and offer incense? Could it be…"
She gasped in feigned shock. "Could it be that what Master Chen said is true? Are you really eloping with him?"
"Cousin, if you do this, where will Your Highness hide his face?"
Feng Shuying’s mind raced, and she quickly came up with a countermeasure.
She gave a half-smile and said, "Cousin, it’s one thing for Chen Yansheng to slander me, but why are you joining him?"
"This silver is all of my savings. The reason I brought it all out is…"
She gave Jing Moye a somewhat bashful look and said, "It is because I heard Your Highness is in poor health, so I wanted to pray for your blessings."
"I am willing to give up everything I own in exchange for Your Highness’s health and a lifetime of peace!"
Lin Wanting: "…"
Chen Yansheng: "…"
If they hadn't set this trap themselves, they might have actually believed her!
Chen Yansheng snarled, "Feng Shuying, stop acting! From the very beginning, you never cared for this consumptive ghost Chu Wang—"
His voice cut off abruptly as a blade was shoved into his mouth, shredding his tongue into a bloody mess.
Lin Wanting’s face turned deathly pale from fright.
Feng Shuying hadn't expected Jing Moye to strike so suddenly, yet a part of her felt that this was exactly as expected.
Jing Moye leisurely withdrew the blade and fastidiously wiped the blood onto Chen Yansheng's clothes. "You are too noisy."
Chen Yansheng looked at him in disbelief, trying to speak, but before a word could form, blood sprayed from his mouth.
Jing Moye snapped his fan open, catching the spray of blood on the fan’s surface, leaving only a tiny droplet to splash onto his snowy-white robes.
He looked at the bloodstain on his clothes with a hint of disgust, the cold ferocity in his eyes growing even as he asked his guard mildly, "What is the penalty for offending the Imperial Family?"
The guard replied, "One should be subjected to the Kuxing."
A sharp small knife spun between Jing Moye’s fingertips. He said gently, "Then subject him to the Kuxing."
The guard acknowledged the order and swiftly bound Chen Yansheng, then pulled a fine net over his body.
Chen Yansheng’s flesh squeezed through the holes of the net. The guard took out a small knife and began to slice away the protruding bits of flesh.
According to this method, he would likely endure over a thousand cuts before dying.
Feng Shuying felt a bit nauseous. She lamented in her heart: As expected of the psychopathic big villain who can throw the protagonists into such chaos. He really is a freaking psycho!
She had calculated that Chen Yansheng would die, but she really hadn't expected him to die like this!
Chen Yansheng’s entire body convulsed in agony. He tried to scream, but since his tongue had been cut, he could only make "he-he" gurgling sounds.
Jing Moye frowned slightly. "Too noisy."
The guard took a knife, pried open Chen Yansheng’s mouth, and thrust it into his throat, shredding his vocal cords. Now, he couldn't make a single sound.
His eyes were filled with pure terror. By now, he finally knew what it meant to be afraid, but it was all too late.
Jing Moye turned his head to look at Feng Shuying. "You wanted to elope with him?"
Feng Shuying shuddered and immediately denied it. "No such thing! Your Highness was right next door just now; you should have heard everything. He was the one trying to force himself on me!"
Jing Moye looked at her with a half-smile. "Is that so? Why did this Prince hear more than just that?"
Meeting those icy eyes, Feng Shuying suddenly remembered something, and her scalp went numb.
Before she had transmigrated here, the original owner really did plan to elope with Chen Yansheng. At that time, they seemed to be discussing how to escape the capital while inside the room…
He couldn't have heard all of that too, right?