Chapter 22 Part 3

“And also…”

He handed Qixue a cloth bundle. “When off duty, you can change into this and walk around Cuiwei Palace. Who knows, the noble one might take a liking to you.”

“Alright, go get your waist tablet. You’ll be in charge of sweeping the courtyard. It’s not that I don’t want to favor you, but those who serve the consort personally are appointed by His Majesty himself. I have no authority to reassign. Bear with it for now.”

Qixue received his waist tablet and went to his quarters—a small room with a damp musty smell upon entry, but at least it was his alone. Qixue tidied it up simply, and soon it was clean and dry.

He opened the bundle from Supervisor Cui and found a set of palace maid’s clothes inside. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Why would wearing a palace maid’s skirt make him more appealing to Xu Taifei? Did the consort prefer women?

But Supervisor Cui was being cryptic, and Qixue couldn’t figure it out. He obediently went out to work.

Over the next few days, Qixue gradually adapted to palace life. He had yet to see Xu Taifei, but word had already spread throughout Cuiwei Palace about the stunning newcomer they had.

However, Qixue keenly noticed that not all gazes directed at him were kind. Some people didn’t hide their malice at all, deliberately targeting and tormenting him.

Dumping filth in the courtyard, spilling his meals, ganging up to ostracize him, and so on. Since he was new and wanted to observe the situation, Qixue held back for the time being. But these people seemed to see him as a pushover and grew even more brazen.

That afternoon, Qixue returned to his room and found the door lock pried open. Pushing it open released a sour stench—floors and walls splattered with swill, and several snakes coiled on the bed sleeping.

“…”

The snakes were docile, non-venomous king snakes. Qixue ignored them, closed the door expressionlessly, touched the jade token hanging around his neck, and summoned the Buddha Ghost.

This was the first time Qixue had summoned the Buddha Ghost. The man-eating demon was enormous, nearly ten feet tall, with tough, blood-red skin, a ferocious and savage face full of saw-toothed fangs, and long tusks that could easily pierce a human body.

But after Xuan Yang’s training, the Buddha Ghost didn’t dare act up in front of Qixue. It plopped down on the ground, head bowed deeply, utterly obedient, awaiting orders.

Qixue said, “Tonight, I want you to teach a few people a lesson. You can scare them, but don’t bite them or take their lives.”

“I’ll use the jade token to find them shortly. Remember their scents, and tonight I’ll release you.”

The Buddha Ghost nodded to show it understood and returned to the jade token.

Qixue opened the door and headed straight for those people. They were all responsible for cleaning one of the small halls and usually gathered together—no need to hunt them down one by one.

Qixue entered the small hall and spotted the four of them talking. Seeing him, they burst into laughter in unison. “He really came!”

“You knew I’d come?” Qixue stopped and asked calmly. “So it was you who messed with my room.”

“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with your room? What does it have to do with us?”

To avoid leaving evidence, the four denied it vehemently, but their faces were full of mocking contempt, as if they were certain Qixue could do nothing to them.

Qixue said nothing, just stared at them quietly. Gradually, the inner servants fell silent, unnerved by his gaze. They asked hostilely, “What are you looking at?”

Qixue gave a gentle smile. “As long as you didn’t go in, it’s fine. My room isn’t safe to enter. You’ll have nightmares tonight.”

The four exchanged glances and burst into laughter. “Are you delirious?”

Qixue’s intimidation sounded like he was just scaring children, with no deterrent power at all. However, Qixue was too lazy to argue with them verbally. He had only wanted the Buddha Ghost to remember their scents in the first place, and now that his goal was achieved, he turned and left.

Late at night.

Qixue randomly found an empty room that night and quietly waited. As soon as the time came, he transformed into Rabbit Tuan, bit the jade token in his mouth, went out to find a secluded spot, and released the Buddha Ghost.

Not long after, shrill screams came from the four men’s room. They scrambled out on all fours, shouting nonstop, “Demons! There are man-eating demons!!”

After they fled, Rabbit Tuan quickly recalled the Buddha Ghost and slipped back to the empty room. Almost everyone in Cuiwei Palace was startled by the four men’s cries. They panicked, threw on their clothes, and rushed out of their rooms. “Demons? Where are the demons?”

Supervisor Cui was also alarmed and hurriedly sent someone to summon the Zhu Yan Guards. But even after the Zhu Yan Guards searched the entire Cuiwei Palace, they didn’t find a single trace of any demons.

As for demon qi, there was indeed some in the four men’s room, but the entire Imperial Palace was teeming with great demons, and thick demon qi permeated the air constantly. It was impossible to distinguish the Buddha Ghost’s scent.

The Zhu Yan Guards found no trace of demons and eyed the four suspiciously. “Did you all mistake a nightmare for reality?”

“No! How could the four of us have the exact same nightmare? There really were demons!”

“But you don’t have a single wound on you. If there really were man-eating demons, how could you escape unscathed? And why can’t we find any trace of it now?”

The four stammered, unable to explain why the demons had suddenly vanished.

In the end, the Zhu Yan Guards scolded them harshly. Supervisor Cui plastered on a smile as he saw them off, then whirled around and berated the four furiously. “You idiots! I’m docking two months’ pay to teach you a lesson. Let’s see if you dare cause trouble for me again!”

The four returned to their room looking ashen-faced. They glanced at each other, and finally, one couldn’t hold back. “Could it really have been a dream?”

“Impossible,” another denied flatly. “That demon’s breath sprayed right on me. I felt it clear as day—realer than real. How could it be a dream?”

The man stammered, “But what if… Do you all still remember what Sang Xue said? He said anyone who enters his room at night would…”

The group jolted, recalling Qixue’s words from earlier that day. Could it really have been him playing tricks?

The leader among them steeled himself, grabbed a dagger from the cabinet, and said, “We’ll know if we ask him. Let’s go find him.”

“W-We have to go out again?”

The most timid one was already terrified and didn’t want to go looking for trouble with Qixue in the dead of night, fearing they’d run into the Buddha Ghost again.

The leader said coldly, “If you’re scared, stay behind.”

“Don’t…”

The timid eunuch feared being left alone even more and could only steel himself and follow. But as the leader pushed open the door, in that instant, he saw a massive, brutal, and hideous demon squatting right in front of it. Foul-smelling drool dripped from its mouth as it bared its gaping maw and—crack—bit the dagger in two.

“Aaahhh!!”

Another round of ear-piercing screams rang out, startling everyone into rushing outside again. But Qixue immediately recalled the Buddha Ghost, timing it perfectly. Aside from the four, no one else saw the demon.

Before being drawn back into the jade token, the Buddha Ghost cleverly devoured the broken dagger, destroying the only piece of evidence. Now, the four were utterly unable to defend themselves.

Supervisor Cui flew into a rage and docked them half a year’s pay. He also had each whipped with ten strokes. These four had always been bullies and offended many people, so the eunuchs carrying out the punishment struck viciously, flaying the skin on their lower backs and buttocks. They wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for half a month.

The next morning, Qixue entered their room with a beaming smile to visit.

He brought a basket of food. After entering, he set the basket on the table and asked gently, “Did you gentlemen sleep well last night? You all look unwell—must’ve had nightmares, right?”

“You…”

The men, sprawled on their beds and groaning in pain, instantly fell silent. They shrank back instinctively, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Qixue.

It really was Sang Xue… He wasn’t human—he was a malevolent ghost! A rakshasa cloaked in beautiful human skin! They never should have provoked him!

The most timid one broke down completely. He prostrated himself on the bed, sobbing and kowtowing to Qixue. “I’m sorry! I was wrong—I was wrong! Please don’t torment me anymore. I shouldn’t have bullied you!”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Anyway, you must be hungry. Eat up—only then can you recover from your injuries…”

Qixue took out several cakes from the basket and approached the four with a smile. At the same time, he activated the Disguise Technique. His beautiful features began to melt away, flesh dripping downward, eyeballs falling out to reveal a skeletal face…

“Aaahhh!”

The four fainted from fright. Qixue put the cakes back in the basket and left smugly.

But just as he turned, half a face peeked out from behind the door, curiously watching him.

It was the face of a beautiful woman in her thirties. Her hair was in an elegant updo adorned with a few pearl flowers, and her almond eyes gazed at Qixue clearly. “You can change your face?”

Qixue touched his face, which hadn’t fully recovered, and cursed inwardly. He quickly reverted and smiled, denying it. “Sister, are you seeing things? How could I change my face? I was just here to deliver food.”

“No, I clearly saw…”

The woman wanted to argue, but once Qixue’s features fully restored, she froze. She murmured softly, “You’re so beautiful…”

She walked in dazedly, revealing her luxurious plain-colored dress. Qixue stared blankly. He’d thought from her simple headdress that she was a senior palace maid, but this dress was far beyond what a maid could wear. Could she be Xu Taifei?

While Qixue was stunned, the woman pounced, stroking his cheek excitedly. “You’re so beautiful—you’ll get hurt staying in the palace like this… I want to protect you, raise you. Will you be my daughter?”

What?

Qixue snapped back to reality, only to be stumped again. “Are you Consort Xu? I’m A Xue, the new eunuch in the palace. I’m not a girl.”

“A Xue…”

The woman murmured Qixue’s name, seemingly hearing only what she wanted. She hugged him tightly. “I want you to be my daughter. A Xue, you’re my daughter!”

“Consort, please let go of me first. I…”

Qixue was at a loss and didn’t dare pull her away. At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside, with people calling, “Your Ladyship! Consort! Please come out—we can’t find you. We admit defeat!”

The woman flashed Qixue a playful smile. “Heehee, I was playing hide-and-seek with them. They’re so dumb—they lose every time. I won’t play with them anymore. Next time, you and I can play together.”

There was no doubt—she was Xu Taifei. Qixue never imagined he’d meet her under such bizarre circumstances, let alone that she’d want him as her “daughter.”