Several men rushed forward with their weapons raised. Even the toughest, most resilient body would be beaten until it couldn’t straighten up under such an assault.
Huo Jingzhao did not resist when he was beaten. He lay motionless on the deck, only lifting his head to gaze in Pei Lianyi’s direction. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. That deep, night-like look was a kind of reassurance, tinged with a subtle, wild arrogance.
“Is that all the strength you’ve got?” Feeling the rain of fists falling on his body, the man turned his head and sneered at the enforcers. “Less than a woman’s strength.”
“This damn brat! He’s got the nerve to provoke us—!”
“Hit him! Beat him black and blue!” Hearing this, the burly men flew into a rage, rolling up their sleeves and striking even harder.
Pei Lianyi had no idea what was happening. From his angle, all he could see was Huo Jingzhao seemingly begging for mercy, only to provoke the thugs into even more frenzied brutality.
“Huo Jingzhao…” Listening to the thud of constant blows, Pei Lianyi’s lips trembled uncontrollably beneath his Black Veil, his face filled with a deep struggle.
“Argh—!”
In the chaos of the beating, someone used too much force. Their fish hook suddenly slashed across the side of Huo Jingzhao’s face. The unmarred skin instantly oozed threads of crimson blood.
“O-oh no… Everyone, stop!” Seeing blood on the deck, the men all halted immediately.
This rabble had only intended to teach him a lesson; they never imagined actually drawing blood. Now, they were all a bit panicked.
In a space they didn’t notice, Huo Jingzhao wiped his cheek with his hand. Smelling his own sweet, coppery blood, he laughed.
That smile was like a gluttonous wolf swaggering through a gladiator pit, its snow-white, chilling teeth clearly visible. A flicker of smugness and mockery crossed his handsome face.
Enough… stop hitting him…! Seeing Huo Jingzhao beaten to the point of near death, Pei Lianyi’s heart twisted into a tight knot of hemp rope. After a brief hesitation, he stood up quickly and left the passenger boat.
Just as he was about to step forward and intervene, the gawking bystanders on the shore suddenly began discussing the man:
“Hey! Isn’t that Young Master Huo? How come he can’t even afford a boat ticket now?”
“Tch, obviously. Ever since the Pei family broke off the engagement, the Huo family’s been even more… well… I heard their roof beam even collapsed a few days back. Looks to me like the family line’s about to end!”
Though Rongchu City was large, word traveled fast among the common folk, rivaling a village intelligence network.
For a prominent family like the Pei family, any whisper of trouble spread across the entire city at once.
Pei Lianyi heard their words with a heavy heart. Huo Jingzhao had not only suffered a vicious beating but was also being talked about and ridiculed in broad daylight. And all of it—for helping him.
Gazing at the man’s heaving back, his own heart pounded like thunder, yet his legs felt pinned to the ground, unable to move.
Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing larger, the enforcers felt a bit guilty. They threw down a final warning and swaggered away.
“Poor thing… an honest man bullied into this state…”
The common folk sighed and commiserated for a while, cursing the Pei family as rotten eggs, before gradually dispersing.
“Quickly, get up… The ground is… very cold.” Once the crowd had gone far away, Pei Lianyi stepped forward on his exquisite, pure-white boots to stand before Huo Jingzhao.
“Cough…” Huo Jingzhao buried his head, steadying his breath, and staggered to his feet.
“Careful…!” Pei Lianyi wanted to help him, but just as he was about to touch the man, he recalled something and abruptly stopped his outstretched hand.
Noticing his hesitation, Huo Jingzhao shook his head. “Just a minor injury. It’s nothing.”
Still trying to be tough, even when bleeding. Pei Lianyi lifted a corner of his Black Veil, his clear, shallow eyes fixing directly on the man.
“It needs to be bandaged quickly…” He leaned closer to Huo Jingzhao. Just as he was about to examine the man’s wound, he suddenly caught a whiff of an unfamiliar, alcoholic scent and asked, “Have you been drinking?”
“Mm.” Huo Jingzhao tilted his head, his deep eyelids drooping.
“When did you start?”
“A few days ago.”
A few days ago? Wasn’t that exactly when Ziying ran away from the wedding?! Thinking that Huo Jingzhao was likely drowning his sorrows alone over the broken marriage, Pei Lianyi felt his heart twist into a tangled mess.
Despite the ache in his heart, fearing the man might sink into despondency, Pei Lianyi still straightened his face. Putting on the posture of reprimanding a junior, he said, “You have to work every day. Heavy drinking will cause problems. If something happened to you, what would your parents at home do…”
“Are you managing me on Pei Ziying’s behalf again?” Huo Jingzhao interrupted him, his voice low.
Are you angry? Hearing the voice tinged with alcohol, Pei Lianyi was a little surprised.
In his eyes, Huo Jingzhao had an absolute good temper. He hadn’t uttered a single sound when beaten like that just now, yet now, he was angry over a few casual words of his.
Discovering the man also had a childish side, Pei Lianyi instantly softened his tone. “No. It’s just that the Pei family doesn’t like people who drink all day.”
“Is it you who doesn’t like it, or Pei Ziying who doesn’t?” Huo Jingzhao pressed.
Pei Lianyi’s face heated up. Raising his eyes to meet the man’s, he said, “I don’t like it. I just… I fear for your health.”
A dashing smile instantly bloomed on Huo Jingzhao’s face. “Liquor emboldens cowards, as they say. If I hadn’t had some wine today, I wouldn’t have had the chance to run into Master Pei, let alone get the opportunity to speak with you.”
Hearing that he had wanted to see him this much, an inexplicable flutter rose in Pei Lianyi’s heart. He spoke hoarsely, “First, let’s find a place to treat your wound.”
Being on the wharf, the most discreet place was naturally a boat. Hearing Huo Jingzhao say there was wound medicine on the boat, Pei Lianyi abandoned the Old Doctor wailing about ten times the silver and swiftly walked with the man towards the Boat Dock.
Entering the spacious flat-bottomed boat and seeing the dry straw mats on the floor, Pei Lianyi looked somewhat ill at ease.
Having refused Huo Jingzhao’s invitation that day, he had never imagined he would actually end up alone with the man in such a shabby place.
Turning and seeing Huo Jingzhao close the thick boat door, Pei Lianyi, who had just had a moment of wanting to retreat, felt his heart clench. His back against the wooden board, he didn’t even know where to hide.
Seeming to perceive his unease, Huo Jingzhao lit a Kerosene Lamp and explained, “The wharf attracts a mixed crowd. Locking the door keeps anyone from barging in. Master Pei can also remove your veil and get some fresh air.”
His considerate words made Pei Lianyi freeze in his tracks. Standing still for a moment, he faced the man and untied the Black Veil.
Watching the richly bordered Black Veil slide off his face and be clenched in those slender fingers, Huo Jingzhao swallowed hard.
Luckily, at that moment, Pei Lianyi’s attention was drawn to the ornaments inside the boat and didn’t notice his abnormality.
A row of cabinets stood beside the straw mats. They were made by Huo Jingzhao from scrap wood, using trees he’d uprooted during a training incident when he’d lost control. After regaining his senses, he’d built them.
To cover the frightening gouges on the wood, he’d embedded things like shells and conches into them.
Admiring the colorful shells, Pei Lianyi was a bit stunned.
“Did you collect all of these?” he asked softly.
Who would have thought that the seemingly dull and honest Huo Jingzhao had such a zest for life in private?
“…Sort of.” Actually, he’d overturned a patch of the sea, and Sang Sha spent an entire night picking them up. Huo Jingzhao silently added to himself.
“Master Pei may touch them,” seeing Pei Lianyi looking so intently, Huo Jingzhao put down the Kerosene Lamp and said slowly, “You’re the first person to come here.”
Pei Lianyi didn’t touch the shells. Instead, he touched the Cactus on the cabinet.
This was a rare find in a damp, rainy water city like this.
“How did you manage to raise it?” He held the fat, succulent stem of the Cactus in his hands, looking entranced.
“By roasting it.” With Internal Energy, nearly roasting it to death. Huo Jingzhao added internally again.
“What?” Pei Lianyi turned his head to look at him.
Huo Jingzhao narrowed his dark eyes in a secret smile, but his lips answered, “Sometimes, when I’m exhausted from work, I take it to the beach. I strip off my clothes and put it on my body to sunbathe.”
The moment he heard that the man would put a Cactus on his body, Pei Lianyi, as if pricked by its thorns, hurriedly put the pot down.
“I originally planned to invite Ziying here,” Huo Jingzhao suddenly said.
Pei Lianyi pinched his trembling hand and spoke hoarsely, “If Ziying saw it, he would definitely like it too.”
“It seems our conversation today always circles back to Pei Ziying.”
Huo Jingzhao quietly circled around behind him, his expression slightly dark. “When might I get a chance to talk with Master Pei… just the two of us?”
Pei Lianyi lowered his head, confused and annoyed by his words. He’s the one who keeps bringing up Ziying, yet he blames me for it.
“What do you want to talk about?” He tried his hardest to ignore the sour feeling bubbling in his heart, turning his head to ask in return.
Huo Jingzhao looked at him intently. “Master Pei wore a Black Veil today. It was very beautiful. When I first saw you, I thought you were some noble house’s cherished young madam.”
Hearing the word “madam,” Pei Lianyi instantly flushed bright red.
If these words had come from anyone else’s mouth, he would have ordered his servants to slap them across the face, ensuring that foul mouth could never utter another offensive word.
But spoken by Huo Jingzhao, Pei Lianyi could only close his eyes in humiliation and whisper, “Jingzhao… you’ve crossed the line.”
“…” Huo Jingzhao’s breathing clearly grew heavier.
Just then, a muffled boom suddenly came from outside the boat, followed by a violent rocking of the cabin.
“Ah…! W-what’s happening?” Pei Lianyi hurriedly grabbed the boat panel, asking in bewilderment.
“Someone’s probably ramming boats to seize territory,” Huo Jingzhao answered, also grabbing a rope.
With many boats at the wharf, spaces for overnight stays were very limited. Every evening, some would use ramming to drive others away. Fearing their boats would be damaged, some would leave with their tails between their legs.
“Hold on tight. There’ll be a second one soon,” Huo Jingzhao warned.
“Wh…what? Agh—!” Pei Lianyi hadn’t even processed it when another loud boom sounded right by his ear.
His body was pampered. Suffering from constant motion sickness in sedan chairs, he naturally couldn’t withstand such violent shaking. Soon, he was dizzy and disoriented, unable to tell direction.
“Huo Jingzhao…!” Losing his balance, Pei Lianyi cried out in alarm, instinctively reaching out his hands towards the man.
“Careful.” Huo Jingzhao immediately wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him firmly into his arms.
The rocking continued for an unknown amount of time, not stopping until Pei Lianyi’s face was pale and he was nearly ready to vomit.
He looked up, only to see that his hand, clutching the Black Veil, was now pressed against Huo Jingzhao’s solid chest.
Having not been touched by anyone for so many years, Pei Lianyi froze, his legs feeling slightly weak.
Huo Jingzhao immediately withdrew his hand and took half a step back. “I touched Master Pei. My apologies… Master Pei, shall you chop off my hands?”
In the confusion, Pei Lianyi didn’t catch the feigned panic in his voice. He only shook his head. “It’s nothing. Don’t I still need to bandage your wound?”
“Sit down.”
Huo Jingzhao did as he said and sat on the straw bed to wait.
Seeing him sit properly, Pei Lianyi relaxed and approached with the cotton cloth dipped in medicine.
From this angle, he could clearly see Huo Jingzhao’s thick black hair, his neat hairline. Even more, he could see the scar at the junction of his scalp and forehead…!
That position and size struck Pei Lianyi like thunder, as if throwing him back to the night he had been humiliated by the Ghost-Faced Man.
Pei Lianyi dropped the cloth. His voice trembling, he asked, “That… that wound on your head. How did you get it?”
Huo Jingzhao also froze. It took him a moment to react.
A real oversight, slipping up this way… The excitement he’d felt that night when this man hit him with the vase was matched only by his current exasperation.
“It’s rather embarrassing, to be honest… Does Master Pei truly wish to hear?” he asked.
“Answer me truthfully.” Pei Lianyi’s brow furrowed tightly.
“It’s my own uselessness.” After a long silence, Huo Jingzhao pulled a flask of wine from under the bed. His voice turned hoarse. “I couldn’t hold onto Ziying.”
As he spoke, he buried his face in his palms, his shoulders faintly trembling.
“A mediocre man like me… even drowning my sorrows in drink, I still managed to crash into the table corner and split my head open. No wonder he looks down on me.”
“Master Pei, you can’t blame Ziying… can’t blame him. He should be with someone better.”
His build was lean yet muscular. Even sitting, he was like an undulating mountain range. But now, he appeared so wretched and despondent.
Pei Lianyi completely abandoned his suspicions. Huo Jingzhao’s depression over the marriage was, in the first place, the Pei family’s fault. Suspecting him in return… it truly wasn’t right.
“I’m so useless…” Huo Jingzhao raised the flask, tilting his head back to down more wine.
“Don’t drink any more!” Pei Lianyi hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
“Don’t stop me—” Huo Jingzhao’s eyes were red as he roughly pushed him away.
“Ah!” Pei Lianyi’s hand knocked against the boat panel, the pain instantly twisting his features.
Seeing the purplish-red bruise bloom on his delicate skin, Huo Jingzhao’s expression flickered briefly, but he made no move to express concern.
Enduring the pain, Pei Lianyi crouched down and took the flask from his hand.
“If you want to drink, come to the Pei Manor in the future, and I will drink with you. But now is not the time.”
“Master Pei…” Huo Jingzhao looked at him with blurry eyes.
“Rest assured. When Ziying returns, I will definitely give you an explanation,” Pei Lianyi promised again.
Huo Jingzhao let him take the flask, then covered his face with his hands in apparent shame and confusion. “I’m sorry… I was drunk today. I acted completely out of line. Master Pei… you should go back first.”
Pei Lianyi saw that the sky was growing dark. Left with no other choice, he went along with the suggestion and left the Boat Dock.
The moment he was gone, Huo Jingzhao shed his drunken guise in an instant.
He stood up, efficiently changed into black clothes, and put on the fierce Ghost Warrior Mask.
—
The Old Doctor had been busy all day in the city. By the time he returned to his dwelling, it was the third watch of the night.
He pushed open the door, planning to collapse straight into bed. Suddenly, a clap of thunder rolled, illuminating a man sitting majestically in the main hall.
“Y-you, you…! Who are you?!” Staring at that sinister, bizarre ghost mask, the Old Doctor crumpled to the ground in terror.
Huo Jingzhao raised his hand. A fierce blast of Palm Wind abruptly threw open the medicine chest. He asked coldly, “What illness did that person on the boat today have?”
As soon as his words fell, the medicine chest exploded with a bang, shattering into wooden splinters.
“Ah—! I-I am a doctor! I cannot reveal a patient’s private matters…” The Old Doctor clung to his last shred of professional ethics, refusing to speak.
“Private matters?” Huo Jingzhao scoffed. With a wave of his large hand, the razor-sharp wooden splinters drew blood in an instant.
“Before me, your father, he has no private matters.”
“Y-you… you’re his husband, aren’t you—!” At this life-or-death moment, the wounded Old Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and suddenly wailed.
Thunder rumbled outside the window. Hearing that one sentence, the wood that was about to pierce his throat came to an abrupt halt.
Huo Jingzhao slowly withdrew his Palm Wind. Coldly, he said, “Old fool. Your words… just saved your life.”
