Chapter 51
Chapter 51: Masked Husband and Wife
She knew that scent.
For a while, she’d smelled it every night. Because of it, she and Gu Shi Yi had gone days without a proper sleep. She’d recognize it even if she were dead.
Li Yan Er followed the fragrance and realized it was seeping out from the huge wardrobe tucked in the corner.
The bedroom was spacious and luxurious. Behind the screen, in the southwest corner, stood a massive wardrobe stuffed full of the Eldest Young Madam’s ornate clothes. Beneath it were several drawers, and the scent was coming from one of them.
Li Yan Er circled the drawer like a mouse, once, twice, three times—more and more certain.
It was the same thing that had been inside that jade box.
“How did it end up here?”
Her mind raced.
That thing was supposed to be at Hundred Herbs Pavilion. Had the old woman there sold it, and the Sun family bought it?
No. Shang San had cared so much about the jade box that he’d risked transporting it all the way to Blue Moon City. There was no way he’d done that just to trade it for spirit stones.
If he wanted spirit stones, he could have sold it anywhere. Why insist on this city?
Li Yan Er didn’t know what the jade box contained, but now she was absolutely convinced: the Sun family’s Eldest Young Madam had secrets piled on secrets.
She tried to pull the drawer open, but the furniture was heavy and well-made. With Li Yan Er’s current strength, she couldn’t budge it.
Frustrated, she gave up. Instead, she found a spot under the footstool by the bed, crawled in, folded her legs crosswise, and waited for night—when husband and wife would return.
She and Gu Shi Yi had guessed right.
A brief separation really did feel like a fresh marriage. Not long after it got dark, the two came back.
Through the carved gaps in the wood, Li Yan Er watched the Sun family’s Eldest Young Master enter first. The Eldest Young Madam followed, smiling, her voice gentle enough to pour over rocks.
“Husband, you’ve been tired all day. I had them prepare hot water. Would you like to bathe?”
He nodded. Standing before the bronze mirror, he opened his arms. The Eldest Young Madam stepped close and began to undress him.
But as the Eldest Young Master watched her reflection—obedient, soft, perfect—his brows tightened.
“I’m asking you,” he said flatly. “When are you going to send her away? The more I look at her, the less I can stand it.”
The Eldest Young Madam’s hands paused for the briefest heartbeat. Then she answered smoothly, as if nothing had happened.
“Soon. I already wrote to my maternal grandfather. He said after some time, he’ll find an excuse and send someone to pick her up. Then we can tell everyone she fell ill and died.”
Li Yan Er went cold.
Her? Who was her?
Little Miss?
Were they… planning to get rid of their own daughter?
And the tone made it worse. It didn’t sound like a temporary move. It sounded like abandonment—wrapped in polite words and sealed with a smile.
Because she was a half-demon body.
Then the Eldest Young Master spoke again, disgust thick in his voice.
“If I’d known you were a half-demon body, I never would’ve married you. Now both sons and the daughter take after you. If it weren’t for Da Lang and Er Lang having spiritual roots and being able to cultivate, I would’ve divorced you long ago.”
The Eldest Young Madam didn’t even flinch. It was like she’d heard these words a thousand times. Her smile didn’t break. She only lowered her lashes and spoke softly.
“Husband, I didn’t choose the blood I was born with. And children born from a half-demon body do have many defects. It’s my fault the children suffer. If you despise me, it’s only right.”
Her eyes reddened instantly, turning pitiful on command.
“I know I’ve failed you. How about… when my maternal grandfather’s people arrive, I go back to the Qian family with them as well…”
She looked like she might truly cry.
“No matter how you treat me, my heart won’t change. I can endure anything. As long as you feel happy and satisfied, I’ll be content.”
It worked.
The Eldest Young Master’s face softened. He sighed and turned toward her.
“It’s not that I hate you. It’s just… we have three children. The daughter is one thing. But the two sons—yes, they have spiritual roots, but their temper is savage. They kill at the slightest thing. They’ve been sent to the mountains under elder supervision, but the elders all say the same thing: their talent is frightening, and their nature can’t be restrained. The higher their realm gets, the harder it’ll be to suppress.”
He exhaled, jaw tightening. “One day, they might become a disaster for our Sun family. Every time I face the elders, I feel guilty.”
His voice turned colder. “And if our branch doesn’t produce a normal heir, what then? Let the second branch take over?”
His expression sharpened into ice.
“If it really comes to that, I won’t care about the husband-and-wife bond anymore.”
Divorce her. Remarry.
A legitimate son born of the main wife was the true heir. No matter how capable the sons born of concubines might be, the clan elders would never recognize them the same way.
He regretted it. Of course he did.
Back then, he’d been blinded by the Gu family’s background. Before the marriage, the Sun family had investigated. Other than rumors about this Eldest Miss’s birth mother being morally rotten, they’d heard nothing about any flaw in her health.
He’d smugly thought, If her birth mother weren’t such a mess, how would it ever be my turn to marry her?
In many cultivation clans, a legitimate eldest daughter wouldn’t be married out. Even if she couldn’t cultivate, she’d often be trained to manage the household—or the family would bring in a son-in-law.
So he’d thought he’d scored a bargain.
He married her with a full smile. And she really was skilled—music, chess, calligraphy, painting, cooking, accounts. He’d thought he’d married treasure.
When Da Lang and Er Lang were born, their violent tempers had seemed like a child’s problem—something discipline would fix.
Then the daughter was born.
The midwife stumbled out, shaking like a leaf, holding an infant whose lower body was covered in scales.
Only then did he realize he’d been tricked on a scale that made his teeth ache.
But by then, it was too late.
The Eldest Young Madam blinked once, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She nodded obediently.
“Husband, don’t worry. If it ever comes to that… you won’t even need to say it. I’ll step down on my own.”
The Eldest Young Master was all bark in public, but in front of tears he melted fast. And the Eldest Young Madam—one hand resting on his chest—traced lightly, teasingly, as if without intention.
Somehow, it lit the little fire he still had.
He bent down, scooped her up, and carried her toward the bed.
“It’s strange,” he muttered. “The moment I step into your room, I…” He tightened his hold. “Let’s try again. Maybe this time we’ll get a normal one.”
Shoes flew off. A silver hook clinked as the bed curtains were pulled aside.
Then husband and wife rolled into the depths of the bed.
Under the footstool, Li Yan Er listened, eyes narrowed, mind racing.
After all that talk, she could sum up three things.
First: that fake Gu Shi Yi was also a half-demon body. All three children had problems. The little daughter was the worst—half her body covered in scales. The eldest and second sons seemed physically fine, but their personalities were twisted.
Second: the Sun family’s Eldest Young Master knew everything, and he was helping his wife hide it. The way he spoke, he despised her more than he cared for her. For now, they were tied together like grasshoppers on the same rope and couldn’t pull apart, so they covered it up. But once real interests were on the line, he would abandon her without hesitation.
Third: watching coldly, Li Yan Er didn’t believe the Eldest Young Madam loved him all that much either. Her face was icy toward servants, indifferent toward her daughter, yet she could cry on command for her husband—acting fragile as a white lotus. But while she sobbed, her hand behind her back was pinching her own palm so hard it had to hurt.
That kind of acting could crush a whole industry of leading stars.
So this was a pair of masked husband and wife—each comforting the other, each lying to the other.
And above her head…
Li Yan Er listened to the sounds and clicked her tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. She looks so dignified and proper in the daylight. Who knew she’d be this uninhibited in bed—screaming whatever she can think of.”
Then she grinned to herself.
“If Shi Yi were here, she’d be glowing. Eyes shining. Ready to take notes.”
Oh, she was absolutely telling her when she got back. Shi Yi would die of jealous rage.
The noises didn’t last long.
A few minutes at most. The Eldest Young Master let out a low roar, and the bed stopped creaking. Only heavy panting remained.
“Husband,” the woman purred, “you’re… you’re amazing…”
Li Yan Er could hear the fake sweetness in it, but the man didn’t. He even sounded pleased with himself.
“That half-demon body of yours does have its uses.”
He rolled onto his back, breathing until it steadied, then asked, “About what you said earlier… the Gu family really has a Buddha Bone Relic?”
The Eldest Young Madam replied softly, “They do. Back then, when my maternal grandfather married my mother into the Gu family, he demanded that Buddha Bone Relic as the bride price. The Gu family refused. Later, they agreed that after my mother married in and bore a legitimate son, once six years passed, they would lend the Buddha Bone Relic to the Qian family for three years to study… but afterward…”
Afterward, Gu Shi Yi’s birth mother ran off before Gu Shi Yi even turned six. The agreement between the Gu and Qian families became void, and Gu Shi Yi’s maternal grandfather had raged at home, cursing his shameless, disgraced daughter until he was hoarse.
The man thought a moment, then said, “If that thing can really strip Da Lang and Er Lang of their viciousness and stabilize their minds, then no matter what, I have to get it.”
The Eldest Young Madam’s face lit up. She nestled into his arms.
“Husband, you’re wonderful. Da Lang and Er Lang having a father like you—it’s a blessing they earned in a past life.”
Then she leaned in and kissed him, long and sweet.
The man’s breathing quickened again.
And they started again.
Below, Li Yan Er’s brows lifted.
“The Gu family has… a Buddha Bone Relic…”
A Buddha Bone Relic. Just the name made it obvious—Buddha’s bones. Even someone who didn’t cultivate knew that was treasure. No wonder the Qian family had demanded it when they married off their daughter back then.
So… Shi Yi’s cousin wanted that Buddha Bone Relic?
After that, Li Yan Er didn’t hear anything else important. But she noticed something even stranger.
This Eldest Young Master…
His time was short. His frequency was high.
The first round lasted about five minutes. After that, it wasn’t even five.
And yet he kept going—stubborn, relentless—again and again.
Forget “quality.” That kind of spirit almost deserved respect.
“Isn’t that… kind of abnormal?” Li Yan Er muttered to herself.
All her basic health knowledge came from her original world. And Shi Yi had said people in this world weren’t exactly the same as people there, so maybe… maybe this world’s men were like this?
Like rabbits?
When the two were finally exhausted and asleep, Li Yan Er took advantage of the deep silence of night and slipped back to Gu Shi Yi’s courtyard.
Gu Shi Yi hadn’t slept at all. She paced the room with her hands behind her back, the door slightly ajar. When she saw the little clay doll squeeze in through the crack, she let out a huge breath of relief, scooped her up, and set her on the table.
“Yan Er. You weren’t spotted, right?”
Li Yan Er nodded, smiling bright. “No one was around, and I didn’t trigger any formations. Relax.”
Gu Shi Yi turned, closed the door, then sat at the table. “Well? Did you hear anything important?”
Li Yan Er nodded so hard her little head practically bobbed off. “Those two husband and wife are both trash.”
Then she told Gu Shi Yi everything—every detail from the bedroom, every line she’d overheard—without missing a single word.
Gu Shi Yi’s expression took a full tour: wide-eyed shock, a sharp inhale, a deep frown.
When Li Yan Er finally finished, Gu Shi Yi rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful.
Li Yan Er leaned forward. “So? Did you figure something out?”
Gu Shi Yi nodded gravely, then asked in a deadly serious tone, “So… what exactly is a half-demon body good for?”
Li Yan Er nearly choked.
“I told you all that,” she hissed, “and that’s the only part you kept?”
Gu Shi Yi saw her best friend’s little face twist so hard it looked like the clay might crack. She cleared her throat and hurriedly straightened up.
“Ahem. Fine. Listen—the Sun family’s Eldest Young Master has a big problem.”
“Huh?” Li Yan Er stared. “Shouldn’t your cousin be the bigger problem? How is it him? What big problem?”
Gu Shi Yi looked solemn. “His kidneys are weak, and he blows too fast.”
Li Yan Er’s vision went black for a second.
Even with the patience of a saint, she was finally driven mad by her best friend’s filthy obsession. She stormed forward and kicked Gu Shi Yi’s elbow.
“Talk like a normal person!”
Gu Shi Yi clutched her elbow, looking wronged. “I am talking seriously…”
She took a breath, then launched into it like she’d been waiting all her life.
“Look. Spiritual qi is richer in this world. People live longer, get sick less, and our bodies are stronger. That means… men’s performance is generally better too. Normally, from start to finish, it should be at least an hour. You’re telling me the Sun family’s Eldest Young Master lasts only a few minutes. That’s obviously premature.”
Li Yan Er looked so furious she seemed ready to smoke from the head.
“Why do you even care? That’s your cousin’s problem! You should care about the Buddha Bone Relic—if nothing else, care about Little Miss. Your niece’s future!”
Gu Shi Yi waved her hands frantically. “No, Yan Er—something’s off. It’s not just that he’s short. It’s that he’s short and frequent. That’s not normal. That’s really not normal…”