QingWu bolted after sinking her teeth into him, leaving Xiao Chenyuan alone in the study.
The tingling sensation on his fingertip hadn't subsided, the itch spreading like wildfire, making the fine hairs on his neck and behind his ears stand on end.
For someone accustomed to the icy coldness of sinister energy, the unusual heat coursing through him was so foreign, so vivid, that it was impossible to ignore.
"Summon Situ Jing!" he barked.
Moments later, a limping, bald man shuffled into the room. Xiao Chenyuan's gaze locked onto his face—swollen and red like an over proofed bun. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he averted his eyes, his tone barely masking exasperation.
"Forget it. You may leave."
Even the cold-hearted Dread King couldn't help but feel a pang of pity at Situ Jing's sorry state, his life seemingly dangling by a thread.
Situ Jing felt like crying, but the swelling around his eyes turned his tears into blurry streaks, and his voice emerged as a pitiful snuffle.
"My lord... Xiao Chenyuan... my dear A-Yuan... you've got to save me this time. If this streak of bad luck continues, I won't survive much longer!"
Xiao Chenyuan inhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, genuinely baffled.
"How did you manage to get yourself into this shape?"
A few days ago, he had been stung by hornets, then tripped and face-planted on flat ground. While still human-shaped at the time, today...
Well, at least he wasn't dead. That counted as "intact," right?
Tears streamed down Situ Jing's face as he recounted his misfortunes. Could he admit that while walking by the Manor's pond, he had slipped, fallen in, twisted his ankle, and scraped his knee? And just when he'd climbed out, face-first, he had landed in a nest of toads?
Then just now was starving beyond reason, he'd decided to light the stove in the kitchen to find some food—only to set his hair on fire in the process.
By the time Situ Jing finished his tale, Xiao Chenyuan was utterly silent.
"The Queen must know something," Situ Jing whimpered. "Just a few days ago, she told me to 'take care of myself!'"
Xiao Chenyuan recalled the uninvited guest who had visited the Manor on the day of the spirit-walking ritual. It was from that night onward that Situ Jing's streak of misfortune began.
"She just left," Xiao Chenyuan said, glancing at Situ Jing's pitiful state and shaking his head helplessly. "Go on."
Situ Jing immediately scurried after him, thinking that if he didn't cling to the Queen's support now, he might not survive the night.
"So, my lord, why did you summon me at this hour?"
Xiao Chenyuan fell silent. The sight of Situ Jing's bun-like face had jolted him back to reality, dissipating the strange sensations and heat he had been struggling with earlier.
"It's nothing. I think... I overdid it."
He thought back to the bowl of ginseng soup from earlier that evening—too much of yang energy.
Situ Jing blinked in confusion. "Overdid what, exactly?"
In Yuanwei Courtyard, QingWu had just finished washing up and was about to turn in for the night when she heard that Xiao Chenyuan had come again. Thinking he had finally realized her earlier taunts and returned to seek revenge, she rolled up her sleeves with the spirit of preparing to battle him for three hundred rounds.
But the moment she stepped out and saw the bun-faced Situ Jing standing beside him, she stopped in her tracks. Her expression turned solemn. "A... bun spirit? Situ Jing, how do you manage to switch identities every day?"
The amused snickers of Lü Qiao and Hong Rui filled the air.
"My Queen! Have mercy and save my miserable life!" Situ Jing wailed.
"You truly are..." QingWu started laughing, heartlessly so. But her laughter gradually faded, and her brows furrowed. "I knew you'd have bad luck, but I didn't think it'd be this bad..."
Encountering a Night Wanderer could indeed bring misfortune. And Situ Jing had practically danced on the Night Wanderer's head that night, so it was no surprise that his bad luck had doubled. Still... this level of misfortune was almost fatal.
"I've tried everything—soaking in pomelo water, using my master's talismans to ward off evil—it's all useless!"
"The worst part is that the misfortune comes in all sorts of strange ways. You can't guard against it at all!"
With tears welling up in his swollen eyes, Situ Jing wailed, "Who on earth did I offend?"
"What do you think?"
"That ghost emissary... from that night?"
QingWu chuckled darkly, and her laugh sent shivers down Situ Jing's spine.
"Come here. Let me suppress it for now." Taking out her judge's brush, QingWu drew a red mark at the center of Situ Jing's forehead, sealing his misfortune for temporarily.
In an instant, Situ Jing felt a rush of relief, like he could breathe properly again for the first time in days.
"Am I cured? Will I live to see tomorrow's sun?"
"I've only suppressed your misfortune for now. Tonight, you'll need to stay here in my courtyard. To truly resolve this, we need to trace it back to its source."
Hearing this, Situ Jing felt a chill down his spine. The prospect of staying in QingWu's courtyard terrified him. It wasn't just about the bad luck anymore—staying here felt like he was setting himself up to be part of a bigger disaster.
Wasn't this basically planting grass on the King's head?
"Tonight, I'll stay here as well," came Xiao Chenyuan's calm but firm voice.
Situ Jing exhaled a sigh of relief.
But the look on QingWu's face turned sour.
"You're staying here?" Her displeasure was plain as day. Although they'd shared a bed on their wedding night, that had been out of necessity due to the circumstances.
She'd told him before—she much preferred sprawling alone across an entire bed. Xiao Chenyuan was too large; his presence restricted her freedom to sleep however she wanted.
The man's gaze darkened.
QingWu rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever." But a wicked thought crossed her mind: tonight, she'd give him a good scare with some ghostly tricks.
As the soothing scent of sandalwood filled the room, QingWu lay against the wall on the inner side of the bed, drifting off to sleep. Just as she was on the brink of slumber, the sound of the door being pushed open reached her ears.
She immediately shut her eyes tight, pretending she'd already fall asleep.
Footsteps drew closer, stopping by the bedside.
Feeling a shadow loom over her and something pressing down, QingWu abruptly opened her eyes and grabbed hold of the arm hovering in front of her.
The first thing that entered her vision was the chiseled and strikingly handsome face of Xiao Chenyuan. His gaze was lowered, his long hair cascading freely over his shoulders—perhaps due to a recent bath, as he hadn't tied it up. This unrestrained look added a rare touch of laziness to his usual dignified bearing.
His lashes, damp with moisture, made his already deep-set eyes even more captivating, exuding an aura of noble elegance and irresistible charm.
Resting her cheek on her hand, QingWu looked up at him lazily. Her other hand gripped his wrist like it was evidence of some wrongdoing. "Making a move on me? What are you trying to do?"
Xiao Chenyuan cast her a fleeting glance, leaning closer as his body inclined forward. His hand reached past her hair, and their breaths intermingled in the narrowing space between them.
Suddenly—swish, thud!
The thin quilt that had been under QingWu was yanked away, causing her hand to slip. She ended up lying sideways on the bed, glaring wide-eyed at the man who was now walking away with the quilt in hand.
"You—what are you doing with that quilt?"
Turning back, Xiao Chenyuan regarded her with a look of mild confusion. "Would my Queen rather share the same bed with me?"
"We've shared a bed before," QingWu blurted without thinking, then patted the space beside her with an almost pitiful expression. "See? I even left room for you. Are you really going to make me sleep alone?"
Tonight, she was determined to give him a proper scare.
Xiao Chenyuan studied her expression. Though her words were flippant and teasing, there was an undeniable mischievous glint in her eyes, one that betrayed her intent to play a trick. It was more enticing than any deliberate seduction.
"Then sleep alone."
His tone was cold and unyielding. "I value my life."
QingWu gave him a sarcastic smile. "With that ginseng spirit lackey of yours boosting your vitality, are you still afraid of me draining your yang energy?"
The veins on his temple twitched at her brazen words. She was truly incorrigible.
"But doesn't my Queen always say that I'm full of yin energy? Where would I have yang energy for you to drain?"
"Pfft!" QingWu laughed so hard she almost rolled off the bed. Resting her cheek on her hand, she watched as he set up a makeshift bed behind the screen. "You're full of yin energy, but your yang fire is just as strong! Are you really not joining me? Miss this chance, and there won't be another one!"
"Not coming!" Xiao Chenyuan promptly extinguished the candle. "I'm afraid you'll kick me to death again!"
QingWu burst out laughing. So, he still held a grudge over the kick she'd given him on their wedding night!
After she finished laughing, the room fell silent.
In the darkness, only the sound of steady, even breathing remained.
Lying on her side with her cheek in her palm, QingWu peered into the darkness. Her night vision, unaffected, allowed her to observe the area beyond the screen. There was no movement.
"Xiao Chenyuan, are you asleep?"
No response.
After a while, she asked again, "Xiao Chenyuan, are you still breathing?"
Still no answer. Faint, rustling sounds began to stir.
QingWu, on tiptoe and bent low, silently crept around the screen. Squatting down, her dark pupils gleamed with a ghostly cunning and malicious intent.
Her wickedly poised claws had just extended when her wrist was suddenly seized.
"Knew you weren't asleep!"
Xiao Chenyuan felt his grip loosen. The hand he held vanished, replaced by a paper doll.
The next moment, something descended from above.
Calmly, he looked up to find QingWu suspended spider-like, hanging upside-down directly above him. Her triumphant and mischievous grin revealed just how satisfied she was with her prank.
"Scared yet? Hehehe—"
Before she could finish her ghostly laugh, Xiao Chenyuan reached out and covered her mouth with his hand, silencing her.
QingWu:...... ???
"I'm terrified," he said flatly.
Her brows arched. If you're scared, why are you covering my mouth?
A glint of amusement flashed in his phoenix-like eyes. "Afraid your drool will fall on me."
QingWu's wide eyes glared at him, as if to say, Who do you think you're underestimating?!
In the next instant, he reached up, grabbed her, and pulled her down. Shifting to the side, he pressed her beneath him.
His voice was low and tinged with exasperation. "Why must you always cause such a commotion?"