Chapter 2: Are You a Ghost?

Over on the other side, at the Pei Manor, Pei Lianyi had just gotten off his sedan chair when a maid handed him a cup of fresh flower tea. A few shallow sips finally quelled the nausea caused by the sedan’s jolting.

He had been coddled and pampered since childhood, developing a delicate constitution. Not only that, even riding in a sedan chair could make him retch and sway, practically losing all sense of direction.

Although the distance between the Pei Manor and the Huo family home wasn’t too far, Pei Lianyi was still soaked in discomforting sweat.

Returning to his bedchamber, the servants had long since prepared several large tubs of hot water and lit fragrant, pleasant incense. They retreated outside the courtyard, quietly awaiting the Family Head’s bath and change of clothes.

The Pei family business was vast. Just the Kitchen alone occupied four large compounds, enough to accommodate hundreds of cooks, Servants, and maids.

Despite the numerous servants spread across the various courtyards, under Pei Lianyi’s management, everything was in perfect order. The people below all strictly followed the rules.

And to serve in the Pei family, the foremost rule was never to touch a single inch of the Family Head. Even more forbidden was to approach him while he was bathing.

Whenever Pei Lianyi cleansed himself with incense and water, everyone had to withdraw to a place ten zhang beyond the courtyard, heads bowed in waiting.

At this moment, inside the vast bedchamber, lamp flames flickered gently. Pei Lianyi first stepped forward to test the water temperature. Watching clear droplets fall from his rounded fingertips, he smiled with faint satisfaction, then undid the front of his clothes.

The tightly fastened garments fell to the floor. As he stepped into the water, hazy steam immediately crowded around him, veiling the man’s mature yet exquisitely toned body.

Pei Lianyi possessed broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his muscles well-proportioned and defined. Viewed from behind, his lower back dimpled delicately, like pear syrup sinking into a jar. A tiny mole on the side of his waist added a unique alluring charm.

But when he turned around, a long, crooked scar on his flat abdomen marred the beauty of his form, evoking a sense of regret.

Touching the long scar on his belly, Pei Lianyi furrowed his brow, as if still able to feel the faint pain it had once caused.

“Ziying, where on earth have you gone?”

Thinking of his beloved son, whereabouts unknown, Pei Lianyi instantly lost all desire for the bath.

Rising swiftly to properly don his clothes, meticulously fastening every button tightly, he then summoned Cao Xian and the others to come in and clear away the tub.

“Family Head, is everything… truly alright with the Huo family?” Compared to him, Head Steward Cao seemed even more worried about that failed live-in son-in-law.

“You mean Huo Jingzhao? What about him?” Pei Lianyi asked, drying his hair.

“Nothing, it’s just… the Old Servant feels he’s been a bit too calm.”

After such a day of extreme highs and lows, an ordinary person would have long since gone mad. Yet Huo Jingzhao remained as calm as ever.

Granted, it was an arranged marriage with little feeling involved, but the chance to step into a wealthy family was something money couldn’t buy… any man would be tempted! And now, with Pei Ziying’s escape, the marriage was ruined. Wouldn’t any man harbor resentment!

Hearing this, Pei Lianyi smiled dismissively, a focused look in his eyes. “It was precisely his uncompetitive, non-grasping temper that I took a liking to in the first place.”

“Don’t worry. He’s a good man. He won’t hold a grudge.”

The first time he saw Huo Jingzhao was in a newly opened Pei family restaurant.

The new business had just launched, coinciding with a festival. To boost the atmosphere, Pei Lianyi had the Shopkeeper organize an arrow-tossing competition. The winner would receive a thousand taels of silver.

At the Shopkeeper’s command, all the contestants rushed forward, all wanting to grab the best arrows and score the highest points.

Huo Jingzhao, at the back of the crowd, silently picked up the leftover thin, inferior arrows and used them to achieve second place.

Entering the final round, everyone present was excited, waiting to see if he could win the championship.

But to everyone’s surprise, Huo Jingzhao gave his last arrow to a mother and daughter who had come to Rongchu City searching for relatives.

“Young Master, are you sure about this?” the Shopkeeper asked, eyes downcast, reminding him that he was just one step away from the prize money.

Meanwhile, Huo Jingzhao had already taken the little girl’s hand and was teaching her how to throw the arrow into the vase.

Watching the man’s patient profile, Pei Lianyi, hidden in the upper pavilion, thought that this man would surely make a good father in the future.

With Huo Jingzhao’s help, the mother and daughter quickly collected the prize money amidst a round of cheers.

Who would have thought the most unremarkable, honest man would hit the target every time, and then give away the grand prize just like that? For a time, some were green with envy, while others gathered around Huo Jingzhao to ask for pointers.

Huo Jingzhao simply dusted off his sleeves where he stood and said with a faint smile, “It was just a stroke of luck.”

Pei Lianyi heard his words clearly. Looking at Huo Jingzhao’s humble features, he took a light sip of his clear tea and thought, Then let’s make sure this man’s “luck” gets even better.

Master Pei’s methods were always highly effective. Within half a month, the marriage between the Pei and Huo families was set in stone.

“I’m… quite satisfied with him.” Snapping out of his memories, Pei Lianyi put down the clean cloth and offered his assessment.

Hearing this, Cao Xian also let out a long breath of relief. “Indeed, the Family Head’s eye for people is always excellent.”

“You may all withdraw.” Pei Lianyi raised a hand to cover his mouth, blinking with a hint of drowsiness.

“Yes.” The crowd immediately acknowledged and took their leave.

After the servants were gone, Pei Lianyi stood and pushed open the window a crack. A cool night breeze slipped in. Unbidden, he thought of the broken roof beam at Huo Jingzhao’s home.

If the beam was to be repaired, the plaque over the gate should be replaced too.

Thinking this, Pei Lianyi suppressed his body’s weariness and walked over to the desk. Picking up a brush, he prepared to write a new plaque inscription for the Huo family.

He was a figure renowned throughout Rongchu City. Personally inscribing a gift to make amends would be enough to save Huo Jingzhao’s face.

Grinding the ink, Pei Lianyi thought to himself, not without a touch of arrogance.

Just as he was about to pick up the Wolf Hair Brush, the candle flame in the room suddenly flickered.

“…” Pei Lianyi looked up and saw that the window had been blown open by the wind sometime ago.

The wind tonight is strangely strong, he thought silently as he walked over to close the window tight. He was about to return to the desk when another strong gust slammed the door open with a bang and, with a huff, extinguished the candle in the room.

What’s going on…?! Pei Lianyi’s lips parted in shock. A trace of panic crept onto his picturesque features.

“Someone…!” In the surrounding darkness, he frowned and shouted towards the door.

In the pitch-black night, his voice was like water sinking into thick ink, vanishing in an instant.

“Steward Cao…?! Guard Li…!” Receiving no response, Pei Lianyi still maintained his composure on the surface, but his slender fingers unconsciously clutched the front of his sleepwear. His voice contained a barely perceptible tremble.

As the Master Pei who commanded the business world of the Rong Kingdom, he had seen many storms and feared no one.

Except for one thing: he was afraid of the dark. Terrifyingly so.

The greatest suffering he had endured in this lifetime was survived in the darkness.

Just recalling it made Pei Lianyi feel excruciating pain in his abdomen.

It was precisely for this reason that the Pei Manor, located in the city center, was brilliantly lit at all times, day and night, like a dazzling pearl.

And now, this pearl had been abruptly snuffed out.

“Are you calling that old wretch with one foot in the grave, or that big oaf as dumb as a pig?”

Just then, a low, deep male voice came from outside the door. Pei Lianyi, who had mustered a sliver of courage to go and check the situation, felt his legs freeze. He stood rooted to the spot.

“You… who are you?!” Looking at the ghostly figure that had suddenly appeared beyond the door, he took half a step back.

“Heh,” a faint scoff escaped the man’s nostrils, as if mocking his feigned composure.

Pei Lianyi bit his lower lip, about to call out again for someone. But the moment the man stepped across the threshold, bringing the night wind with him, his words choked in his throat in shock.

“Unfortunately… I nearly choked them to death. They’ve already passed out. No use shouting anymore.”

Dark clouds hid the moon. Cold white threads of moonlight fell upon the man. He wore black clothes overlaid with golden-threaded armor, and on his head was a Ghost Warrior Mask adorned with red horns and blue fangs. His voice was like coarse sand scraping against flesh, making Pei Lianyi’s heart pound wildly and his face tighten.

“What do you want… don’t come any closer.” The man drew nearer step by step. The aura around him, like a dark cloud threatening to overwhelm a city, made Pei Lianyi feel a chill down his spine.

He wanted to flee, but was quickly driven to the edge of the desk.

“Breaking into the Pei Manor at night… what is your purpose?” he demanded.

Was it money? Or revenge? Pei Lianyi couldn’t recall offending anyone recently… With a thousand tangled thoughts, he could only hoarsely promise:

“No matter how much money, I will give it to you.”

Hearing that word, the man before him came to an abrupt halt.

“Money?” Huo Jingzhao tilted his head. Through the holes in the mask, his gaze roamed over Pei Lianyi’s thin sleepwear, stealing glances at this bright, clean spring scenery.

It worked…! Seeing him stop, a sliver of hope rose in Pei Lianyi’s heart. His fingers gripping the table corner tightly, he nodded again. “That’s right. I can give it to you right now.”

The man stood with his hands behind his back. His breathing behind the ghost mask quickened slightly, but he gave no response for a long time.

“How much do you… ahh!”

Pei Lianyi thought he had agreed to his proposal. Just as his heart began to ease, the man suddenly lunged forward and seized his fair neck.

“Whatever amount can buy me a night with you—that’s how much I want.”

“Ah— ugh… N-no, don’t, get… off…” Pei Lianyi was instantly so terrified he lost his voice.

The man’s hand was large and long, with firm, slightly knobby knuckles brimming with brute explosive force, seemingly able to crush human bone without much effort. Pei Lianyi’s body, raised on fine wine and rich food, was like a sheet of paper in his hand, easily torn apart in an instant.

Though it was the height of summer, the man’s hand was cold as ice, making Pei Lianyi shiver uncontrollably. He squeezed out a bewildered question:

“Are… are you a ghost?”

Hearing his naive question, Huo Jingzhao couldn’t help but chuckle lowly.

His other hand slowly moved downwards, unhurriedly pulling at Pei Lianyi’s sash.

“You want me to be one? So a ghost can possess your body?”

These wanton words were an ultimate insult to Master Pei. By the time he reacted, he was already fumbling for the vase on the desk, ready to smash it down on the Ghost-Faced Man’s head.

“You rat who dares not show your face, too ashamed to be seen! I’ll kill you…!”

The vase shattered with a crash. To Pei Lianyi’s surprise, the man didn’t dodge.