“No. Someone has made contact with me.” Han Weiliu suddenly spoke.
Pei Liang raised an eyebrow. She had originally thought he would need more hints, but Han Weiliu was far more perceptive than she had imagined.
Then again, he had never been a fool. It was only that, before his family was massacred, life had been too easy for him.
He had grown up doted on by every elder in the family, living recklessly and without restraint. His only real setback had probably been his family’s opposition to his marrying the woman he loved. But after a few stubborn attempts at getting his way, his family had quickly relented.
He had only just settled his marriage arrangements when he ran off again for the sake of some personal interest.
He had never needed to think too much. As long as he followed his preferences and lived out his life as he pleased, that would have been enough—at least, that was how things had been.
Han Weiliu learned anything quickly. He had no interest in martial arts, so aside from the basic training his elders had strictly forced him to complete from childhood, he avoided everything else whenever he could.
Even so, while his martial arts might be considered mediocre in front of a top expert like Sect Leader Pei, who had diligently trained for decades, among his peers he was still above average.
At the very least, compared with the original host’s elder brother, Young Sect Leader Pei, Han Weiliu was lacking only in combat experience.
Not to mention his other “tricks and talents.” Though he was not the sort of heir to a prestigious household whom the mainstream would praise, in Pei Liang’s eyes, he was a rare all-around genius.
Han Weiliu understood her point immediately. Looking at Pei Liang, he said, “Is that why you dragged the Wangqiu Sect into the open?”
Pei Liang said nothing, but Han Weiliu continued, “Xia Yunsha and I met because of a misunderstanding. After that, she clung to me and refused to let go.”
Even though he was burdened with a deep-seated vendetta and had no interest in outside matters, Xia Yunsha had continued pursuing him over one trivial matter after another.
At first, Han Weiliu had found it irritating. But Xia Yunsha had a keen sense of boundaries. Every time she came close to driving him into a rage, she would retreat just in time, leaving him with no good reason to lash out.
No matter how harshly he spoke, he could not drive her away. In the end, she was even arrested and subjected to a beating because of him.
Han Weiliu had felt somewhat guilty about that. But then Pei Liang successively killed his father and elder brother, and everything took a sudden turn.
Pei Liang had shifted the blame onto Xia Yunsha, making it clear that she could not bear responsibility for what had happened and that the consequences would eventually fall upon the Wangqiu Sect.
Xia Yunsha, who had been clinging to him all this time, immediately severed ties with him.
He had not thought much of it before. He assumed that after suffering, she had finally learned her lesson. But now that he carefully reconsidered the matter, he realized she had probably been worried that her sect would be caught off guard by the sudden attack, which was why she had hurriedly left.
This further confirmed Pei Liang’s reasoning. Judging from Xia Yunsha’s reaction, the truth was probably exactly as she had guessed.
The Xia Yunsha who had pretended to be foolish and shamelessly pestered him was the person who had deliberately approached him after his family was massacred.
Although he had sensed that she was suspicious, he had merely assumed that she was curious about the secret behind the destruction of the Han family, like the other martial sects, or that simple greed had driven them to investigate the matter.
He had never considered Pei Liang’s line of reasoning—that the truth might be countless times more terrifying than he had imagined.
“You suspected the Wangqiu Sect from the beginning?”
Pei Liang nodded. “There’s one more thing you haven’t noticed.”
“What?”
“Assuming my reasoning is correct, and Xia Yunsha truly approached you on her sect’s orders, have you noticed that, from beginning to end, she never once influenced any of your decisions or revealed any information that would be useful to you at this point? She acted like a complete outsider who had merely become entangled with you by accident.”
Han Weiliu said nothing. If that had not been the case, he would not have merely found Xia Yunsha suspicious without knowing where to direct his suspicions.
Pei Liang continued, “So, if their real objective does not lie in the secret you carry, does that mean the secret itself—or the ‘treasure’ in your possession—has no value to them?”
“What may have value is simply your revenge.”
As she spoke, Pei Liang’s face took on an amused smile. The expression on Han Weiliu’s face made him feel so awkward that he did not know where to look.
“Because the current you is far too easy to kill, someone has to look after you.”
“Of course, Xia Yunsha herself is not capable of rescuing you from danger whenever necessary. But she is enough to make people lower their guard, and conspicuous enough to draw attention.”
Like a highly visible marker.
In the original story, Han Weiliu and Xia Yunsha had not had the assistance of a Pei Liang who suddenly went mad, betrayed her family, and killed them all. Yet they had still managed to escape danger by the skin of their teeth, even somehow killing the Pei father and son in a counterattack before fleeing safely.
Assuming that everything in this world had still followed the original plot before Pei Liang entered it, the Pei father and son had practically been about to skin Han Weiliu alive. Why, at that precise moment, would they suddenly take an interest in toying with Xia Yunsha and set aside the missing portion of the “treasure map”?
Whatever else they might have been, the two of them had plotted the massacre of an entire household and controlled one of the most powerful forces in the martial world. They were utterly deranged villains. Why had they suddenly acted like lustful lackeys with no experience of the world?
The original story had never explained this inconsistency—or perhaps the explanation lay precisely in the pages that were missing.
But Pei Liang dared to assert that, so long as this world still obeyed basic logic, there had to be something going on beneath the surface.
The web some people had spun throughout the martial world was likely even broader and more complicated than she had anticipated.
Han Weiliu’s expression grew grave. He looked at Pei Liang. “Is that why you told me to find somewhere to hide and focus on cultivating?”
Pei Liang smiled. “I also suggest that you investigate the background of that old servant of your family’s who survived.”
Han Weiliu’s expression shifted to one of disbelief and absolute unwillingness to accept the possibility.
Pei Liang smiled again. “Let me guess. He has never married, and now lives alone. Before the night your family was massacred, he had no surviving family members of his own?”
Han Weiliu said nothing, but his expression already gave her the answer.
“That old gentleman has served at your grandfather’s side since your grandfather was alive, accompanying him wherever he went. With a position like that, would it really have been difficult for him to take a wife?”
The personal attendants who served two successive heads of the family would have occupied the very top of the household servants’ hierarchy in ancient times. People in such positions were bound to possess abilities and learning far beyond the ordinary. And unlike female servants, a male servant would not have had to give up his career after marrying.
Under normal circumstances, such a man would have been highly sought after in the marriage market. In an era when marrying and having children were taken for granted, it was exceedingly rare for someone like that to remain alone all his life without some special reason.
More suspicious still was the perfectly calculated massacre.
Before making their move, the three families must have planned everything meticulously. If even one person had escaped and exposed certain identifying features of the perpetrators, all three families would have been finished.
Countless young experts had died that night, yet an old man of seventy or eighty had somehow survived.
To Han Weiliu, that old servant might have been the only person left from his family. Even if he had become wary of the entire world overnight, he would never have suspected that man.
But as an observer, Pei Liang would not make the same mistake. She remained coldly objective toward everyone’s position.
Pei Liang said, “How convenient. Living alone meant he wouldn’t have to watch his own wife and children go through all this.”
Han Weiliu’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Pei Liang in shock and fury.
Pei Liang merely shrugged. “Of course, you can accuse me of being overly suspicious. But if you can’t face the night the Han family was wiped out with cold objectivity—”
“If you don’t have the resolve to tear open those bloody wounds again and again, to repeatedly recall, investigate, and confront the experiences and suffering of the Han family that night, all so you can drag the mastermind into the light, then hide away and train hard. Once your skills are perfected, take revenge on the Jiang and Cao families. Bring everything to an end there, and that’s all.”
After saying this, Pei Liang added, “After all, on the night the family was wiped out, only those three families joined forces. That is a fact.”
“But if it were me—”
“What would you do?” Han Weiliu stared fixedly at her.
A cold look spread across Pei Liang’s face. “If it were me, then anyone who inflicted suffering upon me would be dealt with. Whether they were the blade wielded at someone else’s command, the hand holding that blade, the person who ultimately ordered it to be driven into me, or even the one who planted the idea in their mind—I wouldn’t let a single one of them off.”
Han Weiliu fell silent for a long while. Then he said softly, “Neither would I.”
His voice was quiet, as though he had finally set something down.
Only then did Pei Liang turn to him, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. “It’s good that you can think that way from the start.”
That would save him from following the original story, where seeking revenge kept uncovering unexpected masterminds, leading to one betrayal after another until his temperament changed completely and he lost all hope in the world.
If he had been wary from the beginning, perhaps things would have turned out better.
She also couldn’t understand why novels set in the jianghu always loved creating situations in which the protagonist was condemned by the entire world.
In her opinion, it really wasn’t that serious. Manipulating public opinion was something she was good at. She simply enjoyed dragging those who hid behind the scenes and spread malice into the sunlight.
But first, she still had to improve her martial arts.
Pei Liang continued, “You’re still too weak. If you remain in the open, then no matter how unwilling you are, you’ll easily become someone else’s pawn.”
“Besides, if you disappear for several years without leaving a trace, then if the people behind the scenes want to use your Han family as bait to stir up trouble, their plans will most likely be forced to stall after your disappearance.”
After all, Han Weiliu was the only one with a legitimate claim.
“If you move from the light into the shadows, you can watch from there and see who becomes impatient and makes a move. That way, clues that had originally reached a dead end might deliver themselves straight to you.”
Han Weiliu knew that Pei Liang’s proposal accomplished several goals at once. He looked at her. “And you? What benefit do you get from all this?”
Pei Liang answered frankly, “What I seek is to stand above everyone else.”
Wealth and power were simply her instinct for survival.
“Of course, that’s only the foundation. I’ll achieve those things even without you. As for my other motive, I already told you from the start.”
“I don’t like it, so I’m going to change it.”
Because she didn’t like the Pei family as it was, she had decisively cut the throats of the Pei father and son and smothered Old Madam Pei to death. By the same logic, because she didn’t like the jianghu as it was, she could reshape and reform it by the same means.
Although Han Weiliu had long known about her ambition, hearing her say it aloud still stirred a surge of heroic passion within him.
But in the next instant, he suddenly found himself reaching out and gripping Pei Liang’s chin.
From her pupils, Han Weiliu saw his own expression—
Evil. Savage. Filled with aggression.
He lowered his head, as though pouring out all the darkness behind him and venting it upon Pei Liang.
Han Weiliu revealed a bewitching smile. “Woman, I asked you a question, so answer me! Don’t keep making decisions for me.”
“Understand?”
Pei Liang was a little surprised. So this was how childish he became when driven into a corner? It was almost as though he had turned into a different person.
Still, she wasn’t surprised. In the original story, he had eventually fallen into complete darkness. There must have been signs of it from the very beginning.
But Pei Liang was hardly the sort to let herself be controlled.
She raised her right hand and placed it against Han Weiliu’s waist.
Han Weiliu had no idea what she was doing at first. Inwardly, he even mocked her, thinking that she had no idea how to resist.
A playful look appeared on his face. “What? Are you planning to tickle me until I let you—mmn!”
He had no idea what Pei Liang did. Her hand landed in a certain spot, then pinched, scratched, and pressed.
Han Weiliu felt an unprecedented wave of tingling numbness explode from his waist and shoot straight to the tips of his nerves. His entire body nearly went limp.
The hand that had been gripping Pei Liang’s chin domineeringly instinctively withdrew.
Han Weiliu was completely stunned. He didn’t even understand what had happened, and he could hardly believe that the shameful, useless sound just now had come from him.
He stared at Pei Liang, dumbfounded. The evil savagery in his eyes faded, replaced by his usual expression.
But after returning to normal, he seemed to experience another shock altogether. His face was now filled with fresh astonishment and bewilderment.
Then his entire face flushed red. Pointing at Pei Liang, he stammered, “You—you…”
Pei Liang patted him on the cheek. “Don’t put on a tough act in front of me for no reason. The more a man tries to act tough around me, the more I enjoy making him cry.”
Han Weiliu’s scalp nearly exploded.
Before this, he might have interpreted “making him cry” as suppressing him through power and strength.
But not anymore. He was certain Pei Liang meant exactly what she said.
The two of them had once been engaged, after all, and she was the woman he had loved—although he had been deceived, the feelings he had given her had been genuine.
How could Han Weiliu dare remain there? At that moment, he only wanted to flee.
He didn’t even have the time to deal with the strange sensation that had appeared in his body.
Just then, Hongxiu and Qingyi entered carrying massage oils, equipment, and materials for making fragrances.
Seeing an unfamiliar young maid in the Eldest Miss’s room, they were somewhat surprised.
“Which household is this girl from? When did she come in?”
Pei Liang replied lazily, “She looked clever, so I casually chose her to come in and serve me.”
Then she asked, “What are we doing today?”
A shy smile appeared on Hongxiu’s face. “Miss has been training harder and harder lately. We were worried that you might be overworking yourself, so we specially prepared rose essential oil.”
“It will mainly be applied to your chest, shoulders, back, legs, and hips, accompanied by massage techniques centered on rubbing, kneading, and pressing. It should leave you feeling wonderfully relaxed.”
Pei Liang smiled and took Hongxiu’s hand.
She clicked her tongue in admiration. “Hongxiu, your hands are so fair and delicate, like peach blossoms in the third month of spring, and as soft as dough. Simply gathering them into one’s palm and kneading them would be the ultimate pleasure in this world.”
“And yet these hands also possess such extraordinary skill. Every time I enjoy them, I feel as though I’m ascending to the heavens, practically dying of pleasure. What am I going to do once you’re gone?”
Hongxiu’s face flushed scarlet, like a foolish woman being coaxed around by her lover’s sweet words. The cleverness with which she had mocked Jiang Xun earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Qingyi, who naturally refused to be left out, also joined the competition for favor. Even her usually calm expression now held a trace of jealousy.
“Miss only ever thinks about Hongxiu. You’ve practically forgotten all about me.”
“Then again, all I do is make fragrances. You can’t see or touch them, so naturally they can’t compare with Hongxiu’s vivid beauty.”
Pei Liang hurriedly placated the beauty. “Nonsense. Qingyi’s virtues are like water and air—how could their importance ever be fully expressed in words? You’re the very reason I’m still alive.”
Qingyi lowered her head and smiled, finally deciding not to argue further.
Han Weiliu had originally intended to take the opportunity to leave, but the sight before him left him dumbfounded.
His family upheld strict moral standards. Only his Third Uncle was something of a womanizer, though even he kept few concubines. Han Weiliu had once seen his Third Uncle coaxing a woman.
The scene before him seemed strangely familiar.
Although he had been hiding in the Slashing Moon Manor for quite some time and knew that these two maids, originally prepared for Jiang Xun, were favored, he had never expected them to be favored in quite this way.
For some inexplicable reason, Han Weiliu felt a sourness in his mouth, along with a sense of frustration.
Could it be that she flirted like this with any handsome man or woman? Then what had the way she treated him earlier meant?
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Hongxiu say, “I’ll go wash my hands first. You help the young lady change.”
At those words, Han Weiliu’s hands felt as though they had been scalded. He hurriedly tried to find an excuse to refuse.
Yet in the next instant, his body once again slipped beyond his control. An unwilling expression suddenly surfaced on his face.
He looked at Pei Liang and gave her an impish smile. “Fine. I’ll help the young lady change.”
Pei Liang raised an eyebrow. Did this virgin really want to play?
Thus, under [Han Weiliu]’s amused gaze, she spread her arms wide.
“Come on!”
[Han Weiliu] was caught off guard. He had only been “born” recently. Although he possessed the original personality’s memories, he had no direct experience of many things.
Ethics and morality were concepts he could not understand. Naturally, he understood even less about relations between men and women.
[Han Weiliu] merely felt that this woman was actually daring to let down her guard in front of him. Did she think that, relying on her cleverness and the inexplicable luck that had forced him back once, she could afford to underestimate him?
[Han Weiliu] absolutely refused to admit that he had been defeated so easily just now. He reached out, and the sound of cloth tearing rang through the room.
Hongxiu and Qingyi, who were preparing things nearby, looked up in confusion. They saw that the little maid had actually torn the young lady’s clothes apart with brute force.
Hongxiu hurriedly snapped, “Hey! What kind of servant are you? Don’t think that just because the young lady has a good temper, you can act spoiled because you’re favored. Do you believe I’ll have you thrown out?”
Pei Liang merely waved her hand lazily. “It’s fine. She was born with tremendous strength and has never been able to handle delicate work. I knew this would happen.”
“It’s only a torn dress. Leave it be.”
Only then did the two women hesitate and turn back around.
The tearing had been done with remarkable precision. Pei Liang’s clothes now hung loosely from her body, revealing large expanses of snow-white skin, her delicate and sharply defined collarbones, her graceful, slender arms, the full, proud curve of her breasts, her firm, slender waist, the clear and elegant lines of her hips, and her long, beautiful legs.
Everything was half-hidden and half-revealed without seeming indecent, perfectly embodying the allure of being more tantalizing when partially covered than when fully exposed.
Although [Han Weiliu] and Han Weiliu were secretly fighting for control, they shared the same body. At that moment, the inexplicable heat rising in his heart could not be denied.
[Han Weiliu] mistook the sensation for the excitement he felt in anticipation of bloodshed and slaughter.
Sure enough, an eager expression appeared on his face, and his eyes filled with aggression.
His hand first settled on Pei Liang’s neck. Her slender, graceful throat was as elegant as that of a proud swan. The collarbones beneath it, along with the clearly defined line of her jaw, made it impossible for [Han Weiliu] to look away.
In a low voice tinged with the scent of blood, [Han Weiliu] said, “What a lovely neck. With just a little force, I could snap it.”
“Bright red blood would burst out, spattering your skin before flowing down from here—” He brushed a finger over her collarbone. “That would be a beautiful sight.”
His gaze continued downward, and a sickly flush appeared on his face. “Such skin, so delicate it looks as though it could be pierced like window paper without even using inner force.”
“If I tore out the heart inside, would it still be beating just as it is now?”
[Han Weiliu] felt heat spreading throughout his body. His gaze grew hazy, yet he was certain this was the irresistible urge to kill he had always known. There was no doubt about it.
But in the next moment, Hongxiu came over carrying a tray of bottles and jars and shoved him aside.
“If the clothes are torn, then they’re torn. Since the young lady doesn’t blame you, continue serving her properly. Why are you just standing there like an idiot?”
As she spoke, she set the wooden tray down and briskly removed the remnants of Pei Liang’s clothes.
[Han Weiliu] felt his scalp prickle. An electric current seemed to shoot through his body, followed by a sudden warmth at the tip of his nose.
Something was wrong. He reached up and touched it, only to find a smear of red on his fingers.
Blood?
Why was his nose bleeding? Had he been poisoned? Had Pei Liang slipped poison into him?
He raised his head and glared at Pei Liang, looking as though he had finally realized he had been careless. With a cold laugh, he said, “So that’s why you didn’t resist at all. You had a fallback prepared.”
“Very well. Consider yourself lucky to have escaped with your life today—”
Before he could finish, Pei Liang reached toward him. [Han Weiliu] assumed she was about to attack, but she merely pinched his cheek lightly.
In her eyes was a desire that made him uneasy. It was not the same murderous desire he felt; it was something he could not understand.
Pei Liang’s voice rang out, full of amusement. “You’re adorable. I thought you would be dreadfully boring, but I’m growing fonder and fonder of you.”
The main events of the original story took place several years later. That meant Han Weiliu was still quite young at this point—only eighteen or nineteen.
He had once been carefree and unrestrained, but after his entire family was slaughtered, all his thoughts had become consumed by revenge. He carried the weight of his suffering everywhere he went.
Pei Liang had originally thought that, given Han Weiliu’s current circumstances, age, and mental state, she would feel no interest in him in that particular way.
She had never expected him to possess such a distinctive side. He had mistaken sexual desire for the urge to kill. Though he appeared violent and bloodthirsty, he was actually just putting on a brave front while remaining utterly ignorant and confused.
He was simply too adorable.
After she finished speaking, Han Weiliu seemed to shudder. The sickly expression faded from his face, and he returned to normal.
Then he did not even dare look at her.
He lowered his head and fled.
Hongxiu grumbled, “What kind of servant is that supposed to be?”
Seeing that Pei Liang did not care and even seemed to be enjoying herself, she decided not to say anything more.
While Pei Liang lay down to enjoy the beauties’ attentions, Han Weiliu ran straight to the deserted rear mountain of the Pei residence.
Only after he had been away from everyone for a long while and confirmed that no one was nearby did he finally stop.
Then he exploded. “Come out!”
The surroundings were deathly silent. No one answered.
Han Weiliu’s patience ran out. “I told you to come out! You wandering ghost, you lecher! Hiding inside someone else’s body and taking advantage of them—if you have the nerve, then come out and face me!”
“What are you making such a fuss about?”
Han Weiliu heard a voice inside his own mind. It was impossibly clear and impossibly eerie.
The other person sounded somewhat languid, yet the impression he gave was like that of a beast that had just finished hunting. Blood still dripped from its claws as it dozed lazily.
Though it was not aggressive for the moment, it was frightening enough to make Han Weiliu’s heart tremble and his spine turn cold.
“Who exactly are you?” Han Weiliu asked, forcing down the terror in his heart.
“Who am I?” The other voice gave a mocking laugh. “You’re a useless wreck. You can neither avenge yourself nor bear the pain of your family’s destruction. You couldn’t even accept that you were the one who caused your entire family’s death. So you dumped everything on me instead.”
The other voice seemed to ring right beside Han Weiliu’s ear, lashing at his soul again and again—
“But don’t worry. I’m not like you. I won’t be as weak and evasive as you are. I’ll kill every last one of our enemies and sleep on their flayed skins. I don’t need to rely on a useless piece of trash like you. If you still want revenge, then don’t get in my way. Hand your body over to me completely and hide in a corner to cry.”
Han Weiliu was nearly furious enough to die. When had he ever evaded reality?
The pain of his entire family’s destruction was certainly difficult to bear. It was even harder to accept that he might have brought it about himself. But when had he ever shirked his responsibilities or backed down?
Did he really care what some wandering ghost from who-knew-where had to say?
Yet Han Weiliu knew in his heart that the moment the other spoke, he had already understood everything. Just as this 【Han Weiliu】 could never mistake himself for anyone else, he could not mistake the other either.
Han Weiliu said quietly, “No wonder strange things have been happening to me lately. No wonder my vision sometimes shifts, and I even find myself moving against my own will.”
The 【Han Weiliu】 inside him sneered. “That’s because you’re an idiot. By the time you’ve taken your revenge, your enemies may well have already died peacefully in their beds.”
The other’s repeated contempt infuriated Han Weiliu. He had no idea why this inexplicably appearing version of himself was so arrogant.
He countered, “You make it sound as though you’ve accomplished something. Have you killed even one of our enemies, or uncovered a single clue about any of the plots?”
“……”
【Han Weiliu】 let out a scornful laugh. “If you weren’t occupying this body and wasting your days doing nothing, the Jiang and Cao families would have been slaughtered by now.”
Han Weiliu nodded. “So, in other words, you haven’t?”
“That’s only because I wasn’t in control of myself then.” 【Han Weiliu】 sounded both irritated and embarrassed. “If only I could have been free for even a moment—”
“Stop boasting. I know my own abilities.” Han Weiliu said, “If I went straight in and fought them one-on-one, forget the Jiang and Cao families—even Jiang Xun alone could take me down.”
【Han Weiliu】 said, “…Killing someone doesn’t necessarily require fighting them face-to-face.”
“If you’re talking about using poison, setting aside how we’d know which seat they would take or which pot of tea they would drink from, even if it succeeded, they would die without anyone knowing the truth. That would only preserve their reputations after death, and I absolutely refuse to let that happen. I want their crimes exposed to the world. I want them to die while being cursed and reviled by everyone under heaven.”
【Han Weiliu】 mocked him. “Then what about those three from the Pei family? Are they still lying in state with all the dignity of a proper funeral, their deaths mourned in splendor?”
“You’ve been deceived into stupidity by that woman.” 【Han Weiliu】 sneered. “What does it matter to you how the world judges them? You and I carry a blood feud. Killing our enemies is what matters. As for how they die and what happens after, they can go argue it out with the ancestors of the Han family in the underworld.”
“All I want is to wash away the disgrace of the Han family’s destruction with the blood of our enemies.”
Han Weiliu felt there was no point in arguing with him. If he truly abandoned all restraint, then what would become of the reputation that the Han family’s forebears had painstakingly built over a hundred years?
The Han family had already suffered one undeserved calamity. At the very least, something of them had to remain in this world. They could not die innocently, only to leave behind nothing but countless curses and accusations.
Still, he could not say he failed to understand the other’s thoughts. When he had first learned that his entire family had been massacred, he too had been torn between an urge to descend into madness and the rational principles instilled in him by his father and grandfather since childhood.
But then Pei Liang killed the Pei father and son and took control of the Pei family. In the ancestral hall, she had casually struck the Jiang and Cao families senseless despite being in a position of weakness. Without paying the slightest price, she had plunged the Jiang family estate into turmoil and destroyed the false reputation they had built over decades, reducing them to the laughingstock of the martial world.
On his solitary road to revenge, Han Weiliu felt as though he had been infused with an unprecedented strength.
Those enemies who had once seemed impossibly beyond his reach were, once their facades were torn away, so pathetically weak.
As long as one used the right methods, possessed sufficient information, and exploited circumstances with precision, one could make them live or die at will.
It could be said that Pei Liang had pushed open a door that had once blocked Han Weiliu’s path—a door of despair so tightly sealed that not even air could pass through.
This had made Han Weiliu rational and clear-headed. Madness and reason naturally drifted farther and farther apart, but once that divided-off existence had been formed, there was no way to force it back into one piece.
Han Weiliu did not want to continue arguing with that fellow about it, so he changed the subject. “What were you doing just now?”
“What was I doing?” 【Han Weiliu】 gave a rather smug, amused laugh. “Merely intimidating that woman a little.”
“That woman is far too arrogant. The way you act in front of her is so pathetic I can hardly stand to watch. It’s time to teach her who is truly capable of deciding life and death.”
Han Weiliu taunted him. “So, did you manage to intimidate her?”
【Han Weiliu】: “…The, the response was surely quite favorable.”
“Of course it was. She pinched my face and praised me for being adorable.”
【Han Weiliu】 exploded. “What outrageous humiliation! How could I, Han Weiliu, endure such disgrace? If you hadn’t rashly taken back control just now, I would have already taught her a lesson she would never forget.”
“Now hand the body over to me. I’ll go back and settle the matter with her.”
If Han Weiliu had not clearly felt the humiliating reaction taking place in his own body, he might actually have believed him.
He said impatiently, “Enough, enough. Stop embarrassing yourself. If I hadn’t taken back control in time, you nearly—”
“In any case, you were only just born into this world, so it’s normal that you don’t understand many things. But remember this: never tear a woman’s clothes again.”
“Why?” 【Han Weiliu】 said disdainfully. “I know what you mean. I remember all the things Mother repeatedly drilled into us as children, just as you do.”
“But why should I obey those moral rules and social conventions? Look at you, you useless coward—always hesitating and worrying, accomplishing nothing. If you won’t let me do something, then I’ll do it anyway.”
As he spoke, he deliberately provoked the original personality. “I understand now. You still have feelings for that woman?”
“Hahahaha! Excellent. The more attached you are, the more I’ll train and torment that woman, bully and humiliate her, until you’re utterly helpless to stop me.”
If Han Weiliu could have dragged him out, he would already have beaten him to a pulp.
By the time Han Weiliu had finally suppressed the secondary personality and descended the mountain, night had fallen.
He went straight to Pei Liang’s bedroom. She was just preparing to go to sleep.
Pei Liang was not particularly surprised by his sudden appearance. She simply asked, “Are you planning to leave?”
Han Weiliu nodded. “You were right. I can barely stand against the Cao and Jiang families as things are, let alone shake the mastermind behind everything.”
“I… I’m too weak.”
Pei Liang nodded as well. “So am I.”
If not for Elder Uncle Pei, Pei Liang’s life would certainly not have been this comfortable. By now, she might already have fled far away, assumed a new identity, and started rebuilding her fortune from nothing in secret.
A more difficult path would not have troubled her, but Pei Liang was very interested in martial arts. No matter the circumstances, powerful martial strength was an advantage that brought endless benefits. Thus, in this life, she did not want to spend too much energy making money.
She had thrown the Wangqiu Sect into the fray, stirring up so much trouble between the Jiang and Cao families that they had no time to concern themselves with the Pei family. Her ultimate goal was to buy herself some precious time.
In the original novel, Han Weiliu had more or less been driven to the brink of death by pursuers not long after the Pei father and son died. With nowhere else to turn, he had trained painstakingly for several years, his mind free of all distractions.
He had never been interested in martial arts, but that did not mean he lacked talent in it. On the contrary, although he was often lazy, his foundations were solid.
Once he cast aside every distraction, abandoned his longing for the outside world, withdrew the focus he had devoted to his interests, and applied it all to martial arts, how could his progress be anything less than astonishing?
By the time he reappeared in the original novel, he was already considered a first-rate expert.
Han Weiliu looked at Pei Liang. “The fate that befell the Pei father and son cannot satisfy me. They do not deserve to lie in magnificent tombs and receive offerings from people every year.”
As though remembering something, Pei Liang said, “Oh, that? You needn’t worry about it. The three of them have already been cremated, and I scattered their ashes into a cesspit. The coffins contain nothing but a few dead pigs.”
Han Weiliu: “…”
“But I understand what you mean. We’ll make it a three-year arrangement. Three years from now, when you reappear, you can reveal the truth to the world.”
By then, Pei Liang would no longer care.
Han Weiliu nodded and gave Pei Liang one last, profound look. Then, without another word, he turned to leave.
Pei Liang called out to him. “How about I lend you a hand then?”
Han Weiliu turned back and looked at Pei Liang hesitantly, his expression complicated. “You don’t need to do this. Even if you aren’t entirely blameless, what you’ve done is already—”
Pei Liang waved a hand, cutting him off. “Of course I know that.”
“You’ll be gone for at least three years. Your Han family is already showing signs of falling into decline. After three years, how many people will still remember you is anyone’s guess.”
“I imagine you’ve already prepared yourself to face the culprit behind all this—a person whose power and influence may be so vast as to defy imagination. Even if you return from your training with enough strength to protect yourself, the road to revenge is destined to be an arduous one.”
“But I’m different. As you’ve clearly realized, I excel at unraveling clues and scheming against others. I also control the Pei family’s century-old foundation. Give me three years to develop it, and I may even be able to multiply its strength several times over.”
“You seek revenge, while I wish to change the martial world. Our goals align. You can give me a reason to act, and I can provide you with information, money, manpower—everything you’ll need for your revenge.”
Han Weiliu could not possibly have remained unmoved by those words. Yet he frowned and said, “This arrangement isn’t fair to you.”
“What you’ll be giving me is far more valuable than anything you could get from me—something practically worthless. That makes it impossible for anyone to see sincerity in your offer.”
Pei Liang smiled, her gaze growing deep and enigmatic. “That was merely a polite remark. You can spend the next three years considering my proposal.”
“It’s true that I wouldn’t pay such a price to help some unrelated person for no reason. But if you were my man, none of this would be too much.”
“Your man?” Han Weiliu did not quite understand.
Then Pei Liang said, “Young Master Han, have you ever heard of the term ‘male concubine’?”
Han Weiliu drew in a sharp breath. Shock and fury mingled as he stared at Pei Liang, his face turning crimson, his eyes filled with humiliation and shame.
He was just about to say something along the lines of, “Even at my lowest, I’m not someone you have the right to insult,” when his expression suddenly changed.
That alternate personality—the one whose eyes were filled with a kind of cruel innocence—smiled and nodded cheerfully. “Very well, woman. I agree to this arrangement.”
As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Pei Liang’s waist and pulled her against him. Looking down at her from his greater height, he said, “Just don’t regret this later.”
With that, he turned and left in a fit of wild laughter.
Pei Liang was delighted. She had never expected him to agree so readily. This had to be the smoothest one yet, right?
But Han Weiliu had just regained control of his body and was nearly furious enough to lose his mind. He did not even have time to care that they were in the Swordmoon Manor.
Lowering his voice, he spoke with such rage that it sounded as though he wanted to gnaw the alternate personality’s bones to pieces. “You actually agreed to her proposal?”
[Han Weiliu] was thoroughly pleased with himself. “And why shouldn’t I have?”
“That woman is so audacious that she exceeded even my expectations. Since she’s willing to invite a wolf into her home, I naturally won’t disappoint her.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make her kneel and beg for mercy one day, wishing she were dead, and in doing so avenge the humiliation you suffered today.”
