“The prefect,” Xue Sha whispered, “I didn’t expect the prefect to be such a powerful expert.”
An Jiu didn’t speak but instead crept up to the rooftop.
Lifting a roof tile, the warm yellow lamplight from inside spilled out.
“The Lord has worked hard today,” a woman’s voice said.
Hearing this voice, Xue Sha stiffened, looking into the room in disbelief.
A well-dressed woman smiled and took the handkerchief from a maid’s hand to gently wipe the face of a scholar-like middle-aged man. The man held her hand in return, “My lady, now that you are with child, leave these tasks to the servants.”
“This is nothing.” The woman spoke softly.
An Jiu estimated the woman to be around 25 or 26 years old, fair-skinned and beautiful, her gentle smile seeming to have water to squeeze out. The way she looked at the prefect was filled with tender affection, completely different from Xue Sha’s description. And the prefect himself didn’t seem like the type who indulged in perversity.
Xue Sha’s face darkened. He flicked a finger, and a wisp of fragrance drifted into the room.
The prefect’s wife subtly changed expression, taking out a handkerchief to lightly cover her nose.
All the maids in the room collapsed. The prefect’s wife supported the falling prefect and laid him on the couch, then went to open the window and climb out.
Xue Sha, sensing the incoming killing intent, jumped down from the roof, about 20 feet away.
“Jade Beauty,” Xue Sha said.
“What are you doing here?” Jade Beauty asked coldly, her expression devoid of any warmth, as cold and sharp as an eternal, unmelting glacier, even more so than before.
This was the Jade Beauty Xue Sha was familiar with. He felt a slight joy, “I knew you were just pretending. I have something to discuss with you.”
“No matter what it is, don’t come find me. I’m the prefect’s wife, my name is Zheng Yuhua, there is no Jade Beauty.” Jade Beauty’s mouth curved in a smile, “Everything about him is real, not an act. He allows me to live a simple life, whoever comes to ruin this, will be my enemy.”
It turned out the murderous aura was not for protecting someone, but for preserving her own peaceful life.
“Let’s go,” An Jiu suddenly said.
Jade Beauty was greatly startled, completely unaware that another person was hiding there.
Seeing Xue Sha unwilling to leave, An Jiu spoke again, “Since she’s now an ordinary person, we no longer need her.”
Xue Sha’s throat rumbled as he stood there for a long time before finally speaking, “I wish you… a lifetime of peace and prosperity, with children and grandchildren.”
Jade Beauty’s expression softened slightly.
She couldn’t make out Xue Sha’s expression in the darkness, nor did she want to say more, so she simply replied, “Thank you.”
Xue Sha ran off, and An Jiu jumped down from the roof, glancing at Jade Beauty before leaving the prefect’s residence.
An Jiu found Xue Sha in a dead-end alley.
“Are you alright?”
Xue Sha didn’t respond.
An Jiu used the tip of her foot to rub the fallen pieces of stone on the wall, waiting for him to calm down.
“You took off the lotus leaf, what were you doing with it in the middle of the night!” Xue Sha complained.
“Alright, I understand you’re seeing everything in a negative light right now.” An Jiu put the lotus leaf back in her embrace.
Xue Sha grabbed his hair, “She wasn’t like this before!”
“I know.” An Jiu shrugged, “I wasn’t like this either.”
Xue Sha paused, “Like what?”
An Jiu said, “Not so normal. Until I met Chu Dingjian. Your Jade Beauty probably had a similar experience to mine. But I should clarify, I don’t have any sadomasochistic tendencies.”