Liu Zhiheng wondered if Duan Wujiu had some strange fetishes. Considering how many people he had killed in the book, she suddenly thought it wasn’t impossible.
Seeing Liu Zhiheng stop and look at him, Duan Wujiu immediately smiled and began praising her.
“A Heng’s method of skinning rabbits is truly swift and elegant.”
“A Heng even knows how to kill chickens—how impressive.”
“A Heng’s hands look even more beautiful stained with blood.”
“Even being stabbed by A Heng would surely be a delight.”
Liu Zhiheng was speechless. Duan Wujiu certainly knew how to dish out flattery.
No wonder he was the biggest villain in the entire book—even his expressions of affection were more terrifying than others’.
Liu Zhiheng sighed helplessly. “Xuelang, there are many ways to find joy. You don’t have to be stabbed by me. Can’t we find some normal pleasures?”
Duan Wujiu’s eyes were filled with adoration and affection for Liu Zhiheng. He nodded gently and said softly, “In the future, I will find the reddest agates, coral beads, and pigeon’s blood rubies for A Heng to wear.”
Liu Zhiheng happily nodded. “That’s acceptable!”
At night, Liu Zhiheng and Duan Wujiu ate hotpot and drank chicken soup together in the room, using the charcoal Xie Tinglan had sent.
Seeing Liu Zhiheng use the things Xie Tinglan had sent for him, Duan Wujiu’s mood improved. The murderous intent that had arisen during the day finally dissipated.
Indeed, in A Heng’s heart, he was still more important.
But soon, he felt the urge to kill again because Liu Zhiheng suggested tidying up Liu Yigu’s room for Duan Wujiu to stay in.
“Why? Is it because that Xie fellow came during the day, and you’re afraid he’ll misunderstand?”
“No!” Having finally managed to calm him down, Liu Zhiheng couldn’t let him misunderstand again and quickly explained, “Whether he comes or not, we can’t stay together anymore.”
“Why?”
“The heavy snow has stopped, and people will gradually come and go more often. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us. Besides, my brother will be back in a few days. What would he think if he saw you staying in my room? How could I teach him properly in the future?”
Duan Wujiu’s expression softened slightly. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Then what if I stay in Father’s room during the day and sneak into your room to sleep at night, returning before dawn? Would that work?”
What father? He hadn’t even met Liu Yigu yet, so why was Duan Wujiu already calling him “father”?
“No.”
Liu Zhiheng refused without hesitation. How could Duan Wujiu even think of such a thing? What was the point of taking off your pants just to fart?
Duan Wujiu put on a pitiful expression again. “Why? We used to sleep together before.”
“That was different.”
“How was it different?”
“Back then, I had a clear conscience. Now, I have a guilty conscience.”
Duan Wujiu was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood. He nodded slightly, lowered his gaze to his hands resting on the table, and couldn’t help but feel happy again.
Did A Heng mean that she liked him?
“Then I’ll listen to A Heng.”
Liu Zhiheng’s face flushed with embarrassment. Just then, she felt a hand tugging at her sleeve.
“Can I move to the main room tomorrow? Today is the last day…”
Liu Zhiheng hesitated but couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She lowered her head and muttered, “Fine, just this last day…”
In the end, the two still slept on the same heated kang bed. Though they kept their distance, just being in the same space was enough to make them happy…Perhaps because they knew they would no longer be sleeping together starting tomorrow, the two talked all night, though most of the time, Liu Zhiheng did the talking while Duan Wujiu listened.
Only when Liu Zhiheng grew tired and drifted off to sleep did Duan Wujiu lean over and kiss her hair.
Once Liu Zhiheng was sound asleep, Duan Wujiu quietly got up.
He opened the chest where Liu Zhiheng kept his belongings. Inside were his clothes, jade pendant, headband, and belt.
Duan Wujiu took out the belt and tested it. With a gentle pull, a soft swoosh echoed, and a flash of white light revealed a soft sword hidden within the belt.
Duan Wujiu smiled. That day, when he saw Liu Zhiheng take out his things, he had noticed something unusual about this belt. He hadn’t been mistaken.
Holding the soft sword, Duan Wujiu flipped over the courtyard wall and followed the unpleasant scent of rust he had noticed during the day, arriving at Xie Tinglan’s home.
He still felt that only with this man dead could he truly rest easy.
Silently entering Xie Tinglan’s room, Duan Wujiu looked at the sleeping man, contemplating whether it would be better to slit his throat or slowly strangle him.
After a moment of thought, Duan Wujiu decided to give him a painful death.
With a soft “shing,” the soft sword trembled in the moonlight, as if excited by the bloodshed it was about to witness.
But just as Duan Wujiu raised his hand to strike, an invisible force seemed to restrain him, preventing him from attacking.
Duan Wujiu flipped back out through the window, suppressing the violent energy surging within him, and hurried away.
By the time he returned to the Liu family’s small courtyard, Duan Wujiu was nearly unable to control the turmoil inside him. Only when he slipped back into the room and caught Liu Zhiheng’s scent did he feel slightly calmer.
Liu Zhiheng was also awakened by Duan Wujiu’s movements. She sat up groggily but immediately sensed a chilling cold emanating from him.
“Xuelang, where did you go?”
With a sputter, Duan Wujiu coughed up a mouthful of blood, startling Liu Zhiheng, who quickly searched for a cloth to wipe it away.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you coughing up blood?”
Duan Wujiu clutched his chest, struggling to suppress the surging energy within him, his eyes tinged with crimson.
“He’s not right.”
“Who’s not right?” Liu Zhiheng was confused.
Xie Tinglan was not right, but Duan Wujiu said nothing to A Heng, his eyes only revealing a murderous intent.
Just moments ago, when he tried to kill Xie Tinglan, an unknown force seemed to stop him the moment he intended to strike. His internal energy became chaotic and stagnant, nearly causing him to explode and die from internal energy.
If he hadn’t returned to A Heng’s side in time, he might already be dead.
Thinking of this, Duan Wujiu’s hatred for Xie Tinglan grew even stronger. His energy had not yet fully stabilized, and in his anger, he coughed up another mouthful of blood.
“What’s really going on with you?” Liu Zhiheng asked, her heart aching as she wiped the blood from the corner of Duan Wujiu’s mouth.
“I’m fine. I just need to rest for a while. As long as A Heng is by my side, I’ll be alright.”
Duan Wujiu looked at Liu Zhiheng, then thought of the strange Xie Tinglan, and an uncontrollable fear suddenly welled up in his heart.
He reached out and grabbed the hand Liu Zhiheng was using to wipe away his blood.
“A Heng, promise me you won’t be taken away by anyone else, okay?””What are you talking about?” Liu Zhiheng was a bit confused. “Did something happen?”
“I’m afraid someone might take A Heng away.”
“Who could take me away? What are you thinking? No one can force me to do anything I don’t want to do.” Liu Zhiheng said firmly.
The light in Duan Wujiu’s eyes suddenly grew intense. He smiled brilliantly, the knot in his heart seeming to unravel all at once, and the turbulent agitation in his blood instantly calmed down.
Yes, his A Heng was no ordinary woman—how could anyone just take her away?
Someone like Xie Tinglan certainly couldn’t take A Heng either. That superior attitude of his was truly detestable—how could he possibly know how to please A Heng as well as he did?