Chapter 39: Madman

Chapter 39: Madman

Qiu Shuiyi was fuming!

What was his problem? Was it a crime to show concern?

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

Fury churned within her, and Qiu Shuiyi couldn’t help but grit her teeth, wishing she could deliver Shen Yuchao a sound beating—immediately.

She dug her nails into her palms until her eyes instantly welled up. Staggering backward, she assumed a fragile, trembling demeanor. “What does Your Highness mean by that?”

“I have no further wish to be involved with you.”

Shen Yuchao’s expression remained indifferent. “Second Miss Qiu, matters such as romance and affection are utterly unnecessary for this prince.”

Recalling Xue Ninghuan—who had just fled in tears—Qiu Shuiyi roughly grasped what had transpired.

What refined gentleman? What humble, courteous scholar? All nonsense!

To reject a young lady so heartlessly…

Tears spilled from her eyes, tracing two glistening trails down her pale cheeks.

Weeping like a rain-drenched pear blossom, Qiu Shuiyi wiped away her tears and forced a brave front—though her quavering voice betrayed her true emotions.

Afraid her voice might crack into a sob, she spoke with deliberate slowness.

“Your Highness misunderstands. Shuiyi… has never harbored any presumptuous thoughts toward Your Highness.”

“All of it… was simply emotion beyond my control. Since it has caused Your Highness distress, Shuiyi will… no longer appear before Your Highness from this day forward.”

She let out a soft sob, gave a slight curtsy, kept her head bowed low, and hurried away without looking back.

One step. Two steps.

Three steps. Four steps.

Still—no movement from behind.

Qiu Shuiyi felt utterly deflated.

If he wasn’t taken in by the act of playing hard to get, how on earth was she supposed to draw closer to Shen Yuchao in the future?

She pursed her lips and lowered her head in thought.

Were there any others in the capital—like Shen Yuchao—who faced assassination attempts year after year?

She took a heavy step forward, crushing pink petals into the mud beneath her feet.

Before she could steady herself, a tremendous force from behind yanked Qiu Shuiyi off balance, sending her stumbling uncontrollably backward.

Her gaze shifted—and a flash of silver streaked past, grazing her eyeball.

A chill shot up her spine.

Shen Yuchao swept an arm around Qiu Shuiyi’s waist and leapt backward.

The wind sent peach blossom petals swirling through the air.

Amidst the breathtaking sea of pink, two figures clad in black drew their weapons and gave chase.

After landing, Qiu Shuiyi glanced sideways at Shen Yuchao. “Your Highness…”

Shen Yuchao didn’t even glance her way, striding straight toward the two black-clad assailants.

Qiu Shuiyi: “…”

Fine.

Since this was likely her last chance to capitalize on an assassination attempt, she’d let it slide.

The two black-clad figures—one tall, one short—the tall one spoke in a deep voice: “Are you the one who harmed our master?”

“More than merely harmed,” Shen Yuchao curled his lips, his eyes utterly devoid of warmth. “I’ll be taking her life as well.”

“Young punk—anyone can boast! Your grandfather here could even declare he’ll become emperor tomorrow!” The short one roared with laughter.

“What insolent arrogance.” The tall one sneered mockingly. “Today, I’ll take your head as an appetizer for my master’s wine.”

“You’re welcome to try.”

Shen Yuchao scoffed.

The two exchanged a glance and charged forward together.

One wielded a broadsword two fingers thick; the other swung a meteor hammer, bearing down on him with fierce momentum.

Qiu Shuiyi watched anxiously—but Shen Yuchao didn’t budge an inch.

As they closed in, it was impossible to tell how he moved—but the tall man’s broadsword was effortlessly snatched from his grip, leaving him stunned with disbelief.

Shen Yuchao seized the tall man’s arm and twisted it violently. A scream tore from his throat as his forearm contorted into a grotesque, unnatural shape.

A leg lashed out viciously at his knee. With a sickening *crack*, the tall man screamed again, collapsing onto one knee.

“Old Gao!”

The short man cried out in alarm, swinging his meteor hammer downward toward Shen Yuchao’s head.

Shen Yuchao hoisted the tall man upright before him as a shield—the meteor hammer struck squarely against the man’s other leg.

“Ah!”

The tall man howled in agony—before Shen Yuchao flung him aside like a lifeless sack.

“I’ll kill you!”

Witnessing his companion’s惨状, the short man’s eyes turned blood-red with rage—a torrent of grief and hatred surging within him. He swung his meteor hammer with ferocious, unrelenting force.

Shen Yuchao calmly raised the broadsword.

At the instant the blade was about to meet the meteor hammer, he abruptly changed direction—wrapping the chain tightly around the sword’s hilt before hurling it back.

The short man was struck full-force in the chest, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

Shen Yuchao retrieved the sword and advanced—step by step.

An aura of grim oppression clung to him, like the King of Hell himself descended from the heavens. With every step he took, beneath his feet lay bleached bones and the shades of evil spirits.

The shorter man stumbled back two steps, finally revealing a trace of fear.

"You... you..."

Shen Yuchao raised his blade indifferently and cleanly sliced through the shorter man's Achilles tendons.

"Ah, it hurts... it hurts so much..."

The shorter man collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Shen Yuchao disgustedly furrowed his brow and planted his foot on the shorter man's chest. "Since Mu Yurou could still send assassins after me despite being injured, it seems her wounds aren't too serious."

Gritting his teeth through the pain, the shorter man gasped, "It's... it's not our master's fault. It was me... me and Old Gao who acted on our own..."

The taller man craned his neck, venom lacing his words. "How dare you harm our master! You deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces—death is too good for you!"

Shen Yuchao suddenly let out a cold laugh. "That woman, as always, truly has a way of making men lay down their lives for her."

"Don't you dare insult our master!"

Seeing the shorter man vomiting blood from the pain yet still defending his master, the smile vanished from Shen Yuchao's lips.

He suddenly bent down, peering down at the shorter man. His pupils were as dark as if ink had been poured into them, gleaming intensely.

Yet deep within his eyes lay a chilling, abyssal cold, concealing turbulent undercurrents.

He parted his lips and spoke slowly, "All of Mu Yurou's people deserve to die."

The long blade was slanted into the earth.

With a forceful tug at his wrist, the string of prayer beads snapped.

The smooth beads skittered, some falling onto the shorter man's body, others rolling into the verdant grass, crushing fallen peach blossoms, until one stopped short against the beaded flower on Qiu Shuiyi's embroidered shoe.

Her hand picked up the prayer bead.

Its surface was smooth, its touch warm and soothing, like premium warm jade.

Qiu Shuiyi closed her palm.

In her line of sight, she clearly saw Shen Yuchao pinch a prayer bead between his fingers, slowly crouch down, and press it into the shorter man's eye socket.

"Ah! Aaaaaah!"

The pain felt as if a spike had been driven into it. Blood gushed out continuously as the shorter man howled in agony, his body twisting and writhing in an attempt to escape.

Shen Yuchao took his foot off the shorter man's chest, shifted direction, and stomped down on his eye.

"Aaaaaah!! Kill me! Just kill me!"

The shorter man bellowed hoarsely.

Shen Yuchao smiled gently, his voice soft and intimate, like a lover's whisper.

"Wouldn't that be letting you off too easily?"

He picked up another prayer bead and forced it into the shorter man's remaining eye.

The shorter man's face was now drenched in blood, his expression impossible to discern.

He shouted loudly, "If you have the guts, kill me!"

Shen Yuchao rose to his feet unhurriedly, as leisurely as if he were strolling in his own courtyard, and methodically gathered the prayer beads.

Then, he pried open the shorter man's mouth and began stuffing the beads inside, one by one.

At first, the shorter man could still emit guttural, choking sounds.

But by the end, no sound came out at all.

The March wind still carried a lingering chill.

The peach blossoms rustled in the trees, petals falling like rain, settling in his hair and on his shoulders.

Beneath the blossoms, he appeared the epitome of a refined gentleman—elegant, graceful, and radiant.

Yet a cold dread seized Qiu Shuiyi, half her body stiffening, unable to move.

Her eyes were filled with shock.

A slight movement in her palm brought her into contact with that prayer bead.

Only now did she understand.

Under the bright sky, with the scorching sun blazing, evil spirits find it hard to roam.

Only by cloaking oneself in a human guise can one walk among the living.

A devout Buddhist wears prayer beads, yet a demon uses them to suppress evil.

He resembles a Buddha, but he is a demon.

"Host," the system, which rarely spoke unprompted, suddenly chimed in. "I'm sorry. I forgot to inform you of Shen Yuchao's true nature."

Her hand clenched tightly, the bead digging painfully into her palm.

Yet a smile spread across Qiu Shuiyi's face.

At this moment, a genuine spark of interest ignited within her for Shen Yuchao.

What was so interesting about a gentleman who always wore the same gentle smile?

A madman—that was what stirred the desire to explore.

Her eyes curved slightly. "It's fine. A madman is even better."

"If he's a madman, then staying by his side might just net me more lifespan."

Of course, whether she could actually live that long would hinge on her own wits.

But after all... the greater the challenge, the richer the reward, right?

The system was stunned, utterly unable to comprehend how anyone could walk willingly into the lion's den.

"Host, you need to seriously rethink your plan to approach Shen Yuchao. He really will kill you."

"He won't," Qiu Shuiyi stated with utter certainty.

She could sense that Zuo Yi was setting up opportunities for her and Shen Yuchao.

He did this because he wanted Shen Yuchao to have someone who truly loved him.

For a head guard to consider his master’s affairs to this degree was proof enough of his loyalty.

On the other hand, only a master who treats his subordinates well enough would have men bold enough in their loyalty to overstep and worry about his personal life.

This showed that Shen Yuchao’s temperament was usually quite stable.

Only at certain times would he be unable to suppress the darkness within, unleashing the beast that gnawed at him.

Was it that woman named Mu Yurou?

What was her relationship with Shen Yuchao?

What bad blood was between them?

How curious.

The tall man was so frightened by the shorter man’s miserable state that his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

Seeing Shen Yuchao slowly approaching him, a look of resolve flashed in the tall man’s eyes.

His lips twitched, and suddenly, he spat out a poisoned needle.

Shen Yuchao tilted his head just in time.

Seizing the moment he dodged, the tall man mustered a sudden burst of strength, lunging toward the shorter man’s corpse.

He slit his own throat on the nearby blade, collapsing beside the shorter man, eyes wide open—dead with unfulfilled hatred.

Both his legs were broken; she couldn't fathom what kind of determination drove him to endure the pain and lunge forward.

With a cursory glance at the two corpses, Shen Yuchao caught sight of Qiu Shuiyi standing motionless in his peripheral vision and slowly walked toward her.

Somehow, blood had stained his hand, droplets trickling down the back of his hand one by one.

*Plop.*

A blood-red flower bloomed on the ground, eerie and sinister.

With a smile gentler than the spring sunlight of March, he spoke softly, “Second Miss Qiu, you see? I, this prince, can kill.”

Qiu Shuiyi wore an understanding expression. “They tried to kill you first, Your Highness.”

Shen Yuchao’s smile faltered.

“I haven’t yet thanked Your Highness for saving me earlier. Shui Yi… I’m sorry.” Qiu Shuiyi pursed her lips, looking pitiful. “I forgot that Your Highness dislikes speaking with me. I’ll leave now…”

Shen Yuchao raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Qiu Shuiyi took a step, her eyes suddenly widening. “Your Highness, be careful!”

Shen Yuchao frowned.

Sensing something, he turned sharply—but it was too late.

An arrow shot like light, *thwip*, piercing through flesh and sinking deep into his chest.

Shen Yuchao grunted, his face darkening as he reached behind his back and yanked the arrow out.

Instantly, blood gushed forth.

Qiu Shuiyi whipped her head around just in time to catch a glimpse of a black hem hidden among the tree branches.

There was still another one hiding!

Gritting her teeth, Qiu Shuiyi hurried forward to support Shen Yuchao. “Your Highness, are you all right… Ah!”

Another arrow shot over, passing straight through the gap between them.

Shen Yuchao, already unsteady, staggered from the arrow’s force.

Qiu Shuiyi was just holding him and was pulled down by his momentum. The two of them tumbled together.

Beneath them was a slope, and they rolled down one after the other.

Qiu Shuiyi tightly covered her head.

After rolling for who knows how long, her body suddenly went airborne. She let out a scream as she was pulled into an embrace.

The scent of blood seeped into her nostrils from all directions.

*Splash—*

Water sprayed everywhere.