Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Tonight Will Teach Him a Lesson

About half an hour later, the two returned. Both were a bit bruised, but the heir apparent of Marquis Wu’an looked much worse, with two fresh sword marks on his face. Jiang Liu Yun only had some cuts in his clothes; his face was fine.

Jiang Liu Yun admitted to himself that he had taken the chance to get even. The old brat had been snide to his sister.

The heir glared hard at the room where Yu Zhi Yi stayed. This woman was ridiculous. She said nothing yet ordered him to mobilize the Yamen. If the Yamen came up empty tonight, not only would she lose face, but his Marquis Wu’an Manor would also be shamed.

Yu Zhi Yi acted as if she didn’t notice his dark look. [Anyway, tonight will teach him a lesson.] She only checked Jiang Liu Yun up and down to be sure he wasn’t hurt, then said: “Don’t be so rash next time. What if you got injured?”

Jiang Liu Yun grinned, showing neat white teeth: “Don’t worry, sister. That old brat is no match for me.”

The heir, only a few years older and being called “old brat”: “…”

“It’s late. Go rest,” said Yu Zhi Yi.

They had traveled all day. Even the strong soldiers felt tired. With Yu Zhi Yi’s permission, they went to rest. Resting did not mean leaving their charge unguarded. The team already had a watch schedule: twenty people split into three shifts through the night.

As captain, the heir could skip a shift if he wanted. But he prided himself on being generous and sharing hardships with his men. He rarely used special treatment. Tonight, he planned to take the middle shift. It was still early, and his watch would be around midnight. He decided to bathe and rest first, then eat a late snack before his shift.

He had the waiter bring hot water. After dismissing the waiter, he undressed and climbed in. The farther south they traveled, the warmer the weather. It wasn’t springtime yet, but it was much milder than in the Capital City. Soaking in the warm water, he rested his arms on the rim and closed his eyes to recuperate.

Though his eyes were closed, his brows stayed drawn together. The thought of spending another month with that female charlatan annoyed him. If that woman were just a normal young miss, her ignorance wouldn’t matter. The trouble was she was both ignorant and arrogant, and she loved to boss others around. He hated people like that most, the ones who know nothing yet act like they run the world. And she was a woman. If it were a man, pressure, bribery, or a quiet beating would solve it. Those methods couldn’t be used on a woman.

He began to regret it. The Capital Halberd Guards had female guards. For this mission, the commander had planned to assign two of them. He felt women were troublesome and refused. He should have let them come. If that female charlatan acted up, the women could have had a “good talk” with her.

Somehow, he drifted into sleep.

In his sleep, a warm hand slid over his chest. At first it moved carefully, testing and roaming. Seeing he seemed sound asleep, it grew bolder, inching lower into the water.

The heir felt something wrong. He snapped his eyes open and grabbed the misbehaving hand.

“Lord, you’re hurting me,” a soft, sweet voice sounded by his ear.

He turned and saw a fair, pretty miss leaning over the back of the tub, her eyes wet and brimming with tender charm. For a moment, he lost focus gazing into those eyes, and the strength in his hand loosened.

The woman smiled, her hand growing even bolder. Teasing him, she loosened her clothes and lifted a leg to step into the tub.

His eyes grew hazy and his breathing quickened. But unlike her wild look, his face slowly began to turn bluish.

Just as they were about to go further, the Gold Pendant hanging at his neck burst into golden light. The light was scorching, and the burn jolted him awake.

In the instant his gaze cleared, a “woman” covered in blood appeared before him. Her face was scored with messy scars, and both eyes had fallen from their sockets. The “woman” let out a scream, as if burned. The shriek was not like a normal woman’s. It had jumbled echoes and a hoarse undertone like a man’s.

“Hiss!” The heir couldn’t stop himself from shouting: “What in the world!”

He slapped the edge of the tub and jumped out, then realized something was wrong. He looked down. His body was smeared with fresh red blood. In the blood clung yellow-white bits of something he didn’t recognize, disgusting beyond words.

The “woman” lifted her head. Her two eyeballs swung with the motion, and her empty sockets gleamed with eerie black light.

“Lord, come play with me,” the mixed, inhuman voice cooed, and “she” cackled before lunging at him with both arms.

Only then did he see the two hands had long nails. The nails were pitch-black and shone with a sharp, wicked edge.

He wanted his sword, but his legs felt nailed to the floor. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t dodge, much less draw a blade.

Fear and sorrow surged in him. [So there really are ghosts in this world.]

At last, the two black claws reached his face. He shut his eyes in despair.

Suddenly, the burning pain at his neck flared again, along with the “woman’s” terrified scream. He opened his eyes on instinct. A wave of golden light swept out, and the “woman” turned into black smoke that vanished in a blink.

“Ah!” he cried out, and only then realized he was still sitting in the tub. There was no female ghost, and the tub held water, not bloody filth.

He panted hard. After a long time, when his breathing calmed, he cursed: “It’s all that female charlatan’s fault!”

If that woman hadn’t muttered about the inn being unclean, he wouldn’t have had this nightmare.

Then he felt something else was wrong. His neck hurt, like a burn. He pulled off the Gold Pendant. His mother had given it to him, calling it a Protective Talisman she had begged for him. She had told him to wear it always, even while bathing. He despised that, and every time he tried to take it off, his mother somehow found out and sent it back. After a few times, he got annoyed and simply kept it on. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary Gold Pendant. No one could see anything inside, and it didn’t hurt the heroic image of the heir of Marquis Wu’an.

Right now, the Gold Pendant still radiated heat, so hot it stung the pads of his fingers.