The Beautiful Pariah Thought He Could Be Loved - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Didn’t He Say He Liked Me? Then Why…

“I was afraid you’d contradict me, and how embarrassing would that be?” Xin Qishu said, being very mindful of He Lüqing’s moods.

“I wouldn’t have contradicted you.”

Xin Qishu: “Then I know what to say next time, husband.”

The two walked out of the main gate and turned left into a bustling street. Amidst the cries of street vendors, He Lüqing asked out of the blue:

“Have you ever called Fei Jia ‘Brother’?”

His voice was calm, as if it were just a casual question. But the palm of the hand holding Xin Qishu’s was covered in sweat. Xin Qishu couldn’t help but steal a glance; He Lüqing’s posture was dignified, his pale green eyes looking straight ahead, devoid of any emotion.

Xin Qishu didn’t know where to start. When He Lüqing didn’t hear an answer for a long time, the grip on his hand became painfully tight.

He Lüqing’s voice turned icy, like an icicle in the depths of winter: “Yes or no?”

“Yes.”

Lüqing’s pace suddenly quickened. Xin Qishu, lost in thought, didn’t keep up and stumbled a few steps as he was dragged along.

“He isn’t Xin Sha’s son. Why did you call him brother? Did you call Xu Qiyao that too?”

“Uh, I used to.”

A look of displeasure appeared on He Lüqing’s face. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at Xin Qishu with a resentful gaze: “Will you call anyone that from now on?”

Lüqing felt a sour tang in his heart. He hadn’t expected the Fayu Pavilion to send an outsider who knew nothing; the impact of his physical disability was greater than he had imagined.

Unlike the scar he had intentionally left on his face to prevent Xin Qishu from acting out in the future, he hadn’t lied to the boy—Lu Bai’s formation had been tainted with something unknown. His arm truly would not grow back.

Losing his dominant hand made He Lüqing irritable. He felt defective. The streets were full of whole, healthy people, and only he looked like this. This sense of being “unique” was entirely different from before; previously, no matter how talented someone was, the physical baseline was the same. Now, it was different. Lüqing didn’t care about the gaze of others, but he cared about Xin Qishu’s.

He began to obsess over Xin Qishu’s every move. He feared Xin Qishu would show disgust, feared he would choose someone else, feared he would leave him. If that happened, his plan would fail utterly.

But strangely, putting the plan aside and speaking purely from an emotional standpoint, He Lüqing didn’t like Xin Qishu looking at anyone else.

Doesn’t he like me? Why is he still looking at others?

“Of course not,” Xin Qishu said. He wasn’t a child anymore. He tilted his head and explained, “I grew up in the Kuangjin Realm when I was little, did you know?”

“Oh?” Lüqing didn’t know. His expression softened slightly.

“They said I was born right during the Demon Abyss civil war. To protect me, they sent me to the Kuangjin Realm. Fei Jia was born with cultivation, so they sent him to protect me.”

“It was just the two of us back then, and money was tight. It was too awkward for him to call me ‘Young Palace Master,’ so we told everyone we were brothers.”

“Then I went to the Fayu Pavilion and met Ye Yi.”

“I heard Yang Li mention that,” He Lüqing said.

“Mhm. And then I met Yang Li, and then… I met you.” Xin Qishu smiled. Just a few days ago, he was troubled and depressed by these people and events. Now, thinking back, it felt as though everything was in the past.

“It’s really nice,” Xin Qishu said sincerely.

Lüqing let go of his hand and touched Xin Qishu’s forehead, whispering, “It’s really inconvenient having only one arm. Even to touch you, I have to let go of your hand first.”

Xin Qishu rubbed against his hand and said softly, “Don’t worry, it will get better.”

…

“Great Master! You’ve finally arrived!” An excited voice called out nearby.

The two looked toward the source.

At the Li Residence, servants were tearfully welcoming a young man. The man was tall, dressed in lotus-root colored robes, fanning himself haphazardly with a folding fan. “Don’t be in such a hurry. Take me to see the bodies first.”

“Yes, of course. There is already another Master examining them.”

It was Ye Yi.

How did I end up running into him of all people… Xin Qishu looked at He Lüqing hesitantly. “Do you think Ye Yi believes in us?”

Lüqing stored his sword in his storage space. “Whether he believes us or not, we need to change our appearance before sneaking in.”

Xin Qishu held him back. “Ye Yi definitely knows about you. Your missing arm is a dead giveaway. I should be the one to go in.”

He Lüqing finally snapped. Since Xin Qishu woke up, he had maintained this “helpful” attitude.

He grabbed Xin Qishu’s chin, his fingers digging into the cheek meat, his pale green eyes flashing with a dangerous light: “Do you think I am weak now?”

Xin Qishu looked at him with concern, placing his hand over the back of He Lüqing’s. “Lüqing.”

After a long silence, He Lüqing let go and turned his head away in a huff. His expression shifted several times before he stuffed a white jade pendant into Xin Qishu’s hand. He said sullenly, “Then don’t go in as a cultivator. Change your method. Remember, avoid Ye Yi if possible. I’ll be right outside the residence. If you encounter danger, crush the jade.”

Xin Qishu nodded. He knocked out a servant who was heading out, put on his clothes, and transformed his face to match the servant’s before slipping into the Li Residence.

…

“Black qi is spreading over the corpses. It is indeed a murder committed by a ghost,” a voice he didn’t recognize said.

Xin Qishu peeked from behind a rockery. The speaker was a handsome youth.

“See! I told you my intuition was right!” A lavishly dressed middle-aged man grinned at the youth and Ye Yi.

“Hmph,” the youth replied, clearly not fond of the middle-aged man.

The man laughed awkwardly and suddenly looked toward the courtyard. Xin Qishu jumped and pulled back his head. But the man had already seen him and shouted, “You over there! Why are you slacking off? Come here and pour tea for the guests!”

“Knows nothing but how to be lazy all day.”

Xin Qishu nervously licked his lips and stepped out from behind the rockery. The leaves in the courtyard rustled as he lowered his head and entered the room.

Xin Qishu didn’t know how to serve people. He poured tea for the three in order. Throughout the process, the gazes of Ye Yi and the youth fell on him intermittently. Xin Qishu broke into a cold sweat; his movements faltered, causing one cup to overflow while the other two were just right.

The master of the house impatiently told him to go stand in the corner.

Standing in the shadows, Xin Qishu’s forehead was covered in a fine sweat. Thinking that the two shouldn’t be able to see through He Lüqing’s illusion, he forced himself to listen to their conversation.

The youth said, “It doesn’t look like an evil spirit. You can solve this by hiring a Taoist priest. I’ll be taking my leave.”

The master of the house quickly stopped him. “We did hire one! The priest… died on the spot! His death was exactly like my three sons!” He lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing something.

“What? Where is the priest’s body? I didn’t see it just now,” the youth asked.

“He wasn’t part of my family… the body was buried long ago.”

The youth slammed his hand on the table.

Ye Yi spoke up. “The priest died too? That’s unusual. Little friend, are you certain it was a ghost that killed them?”

A normal ghost wouldn’t have much ghostly qi and could kill one person at most. This ghost killed three and then managed to kill a priest? What did this ghost experience in life? And what role did the priest play in this story to be worth the ghost’s energy to kill?

“I’m certain. I am a Medical Cultivator,” the youth replied.

A Medical Cultivator? Xin Qishu was slightly surprised. Medical Cultivators usually aren’t allowed to leave their mountains until they’ve mastered their craft. This youth looked no older than himself, yet he was already so skilled.

The middle-aged man said, “Every night, it sounds like someone is wailing in my ear! Please, save me!”

“Then this ghost won’t be easy to deal with…” Ye Yi mused. “Do you have any guesses about the ghost’s identity?”

“I do,” the man said, his voice weak as he wiped sweat from his brow. “I think it’s a son I kept outside the main house.”

His tone suddenly turned vicious. “That brat was a debt-collector from the moment he was born! He caused me nothing but trouble when he was alive, and now he won’t let me go even in death!”

Ye Yi asked, “How did he die?”

The youth asked, “How long has he been dead? Is the body still there?”

“I think it was an illness,” the man said. “He’s been dead for a while. The body is already in the ground.”

“You think?” Ye Yi tapped the table.

The man avoided his gaze.

“In the ground?” The youth calculated with his fingers, let out a cold snort, and stood up. “I’ll go find it myself.”

“Hey… find what? You think I’d keep a corpse in my house?”

“You over there, lead the way,” the youth pointed at the corner. The master waved his hand, and Xin Qishu followed with his head down.

The youth huffed. Before leaving, Xin Qishu stole a glance. Ye Yi didn’t seem like he was leaving; he sat cross-legged in his chair, leisurely sipping tea while the middle-aged man sat nearby, trembling.

…

Xin Qishu followed closely behind the youth. Though he was supposed to be leading, the youth was the one walking ahead. Xin Qishu knew his cover was blown and began to plan.

The Li Residence was huge. The youth led him through winding corridors. The sun was warm, and Xin Qishu began to sweat.

The youth suddenly said, “Why aren’t you leading the way?”

Xin Qishu replied as respectfully as possible, “This humble one doesn’t know where the body is.”

“You aren’t a servant of the Li house, are you?” The youth stopped and looked at him.

Xin Qishu blinked. “The Great Master has a keen eye.”

“I came looking for you,” Xin Qishu said. “I heard a skilled Medical Cultivator had come to town, and I wanted to ask for a consultation.”

“Are you the patient?” The youth scanned him. “Give me your hand.”

“It’s not me, it’s my… husband.” It had been a while since he used that word, and Xin Qishu felt a flush of shyness.

The youth raised an eyebrow. “And where is he?”

Xin Qishu was just making things up; he didn’t actually intend for the youth to treat He Lüqing. “He isn’t here. I’ll describe the symptoms, and see if you can treat it?”

The youth was noncommittal. Xin Qishu spoke vaguely: “My husband is also a cultivator. A few days ago, his right arm was cut off. No matter the treatment, it won’t grow back. Can you tell me why?”

“Hm? What was it cut with? Was there special medicine on the weapon?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is his cultivation level high?”

“Higher than mine.”

“Hiss… it couldn’t be that medicine, could it… have you two shared a bed recently?” The youth pulled his hand out of a nearby fountain and asked with a frown.

“No,” Xin Qishu said honestly. “What medicine are you talking about?”

“It’s called ‘Frost Poison.’ If a cut is exposed to it, it’s very hard to regrow. It fits your symptoms. If you touch the stump lightly and the patient feels both pain and itching, then it’s definitely this poison.”

“How do we cure it?”

“There are two types of Frost Poison: curable and incurable. The symptoms are the same. Go back and try my method; if it doesn’t work, then it’s the incurable kind, and there’s nothing I can do.”

“How do we cure it?” The youth’s words were frightening. Xin Qishu had been suspicious, but now he was genuinely nervous.

“You two just ‘do it’ once and see.” Seeing Xin Qishu’s lack of comprehension, the youth added, “A wedding night, understand?”

Xin Qishu’s eyes widened in disbelief, his face turning bright red. “How can such a poison exist in this world?”

“To be precise, the patient needs to sleep with their beloved under the same blanket once,” the youth stood up. “So, if it still hasn’t grown back after that, it might be that your husband isn’t solely devoted to you. Alright, you can go now.”

“Don’t kick me out! I’m quite interested in this Li family matter. Why not take me along as an assistant?” Xin Qishu blinked his eyes. “I mean no harm.”