Chapter 147

Hu Xiaotian said: "They are traitors, I am a… heart… thief." He drew out his tone, his eyes fixed on Murong Feiyan's chest; to her, it seemed he was staring at her bosom, his gaze lecherous and lustful! Wanting to steal this young lady's heart is no easy task, she sneered: "Don't forget, I'm the one who catches thieves."

Fortunately, Hu Xiaotian's fiery gaze didn't last long; he asked concernedly: "Have you eaten?"

Murong Feiyan shook her head.

Hu Xiaotian immediately summoned Wan Changchun, telling him to prepare some food for Murong Feiyan, while he continued drawing talismans.

Murong Feiyan found the strange symbols he drew quite curious as well; Hu Xiaotian then handed her the bloody talisman stained with a bloody handprint. On this point, both Murong Feiyan and Hu Xiaotian shared the same view, believing these handprints were man-made, certainly not the work of any ghosts or gods. As a renowned female constable of the capital, Murong Feiyan possessed extraordinary keenness in tracking clues; she leaned close to Hu Xiaotian's ear and whispered, "I'll handle this matter. If they dare to cause trouble again tonight, I will surely ferret them out." As for how she would ferret them out, she did not say, and Hu Xiaotian did not ask. Each to his own, as the saying goes; Murong Feiyan would not speak rashly about uncertain matters.

Hu Xiaotian finished drawing these talismans, had Murong Feiyan stay for a meal, then went alone to affix the talismans, and incidentally checked the nine incense burners he had set up the previous day; as expected, six of them had been knocked over, their incense ash scattered all over the ground. Seeing this, the Wan family dared not act rashly, so they have left things as they are to this day.

Hu Xiaotian lifted each incense burner upright, re-lit the incense and set it properly, then affixed the talisman, the English talisman.

After the night rain had just ceased, the air was filled with a damp yet fresh scent. Hu Xiaotian had twice rescued two lives of the Wan family; now the entire Wan household revered him as a deity. When he affixed the talismans, no one dared to disturb or question him.

Today Hu Xiaotian finally arrived at Le Yao's residence; after not seeing her for a day, she was visibly much more wan. Thinking she might be ill, he asked with concern, "Are you all right?"

Le Yao shook her head, yet her beautiful eyes revealed infinite worry; she whispered, "Last night I heard ghostly wails..."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "How could that be? There's no such thing as ghosts!"

A hint of confusion appeared on Le Yao's pretty face, for Hu Xiaotian had recently been appearing as a spirit summoner, speaking previously with almost divine certainty. Now he said there were no ghosts.

Hu Xiaotian also realized he had spoken out of turn; he laughed and explained, "You are so beautiful and kind that even an evil spirit would be reluctant to harm you—unless it's a lustful ghost!"

That remark made Le Yao's face flush red; she pouted her cherry lips and coquettishly said, "You're such a bad person; I'll have nothing to do with you from now on." Unconsciously she revealed the bashful manner of a young maiden. Little did she know that such bashful shyness most easily stirs a man's heart; Hu Xiaotian felt an unbearable itch. Gazing at the bewitchingly beautiful Le Yao, he wished he could embrace that bubbling, lovely young widow and indulge in fond affection. Hu Xiaotian clearly understood in his heart that his feelings for the young widow were not love; strictly speaking, it was pity mixed with possessive desire. He silently reminded himself to retain some integrity, never to become a despicable opportunist. Yet Le Yao's face was truly too captivating; Hu Xiaotian's gaze stuck to it, unwilling to look away for a while.

Le Yao felt shy and uneasy under his gaze, lowered her head, her long, curly lashes fluttering once. She whispered, "Master Hu, I truly heard it last night. Someone outside was calling my name..." As she said this, she lifted her head, her pretty face full of alarm.

"Man or woman?"

Le Yao bit her cherry lip: "A man's voice, he called 'older sister' outside..."

"Older sister?"

Le Yao, somewhat apprehensive, took a step forward and knelt: "Master Hu..."

Hu Xiaotian hastily reached out to help her up; Le Yao's pair of bound hands were held in his palm, soft and smooth, warm and moist like jade. If Hu Xiaotian didn't have a hint of taking advantage, it would be strange. Although this fellow has so far behaved like a proper gentleman, his mind has already begun to wander into improper thoughts.

Le Yao's beautiful eyes were misty, tears streaming as she pleaded, "Please, sir, take me away from here; I cannot stay another moment in the Wan household..." She began to sob softly. Hu Xiaotian helped her rise; overcome with grief, Le Yao's delicate body went limp and she fainted into his arms. Hu Xiaotian held a soft, fragrant jade in his embrace; this heart-to-heart, flesh-to-flesh steadiness—how could a single word "refreshing" suffice? Such a calamitous-level beauty as Le Yao possessed tremendous lethal power and irresistible allure over Hu Xiaotian, a lecherous fellow.

Hu Xiaotian may be lecherous, but this fellow possesses a superbly calm mind; even with a beauty in his arms, he remains proper, yet while enjoying this chest-to-chest sensation, he notices Le Yao's heartbeat clearly accelerating, and inwardly he startles—could this young widow not have fainted? He calls her name; Le Yao still keeps her beautiful eyes tightly shut, unmoving. From her sudden acceleration in heartbeat, Hu Xiaotian infers that Le Yao is ten to ** feigning a faint. Could it truly be that his charm is irresistible, that the young widow's spring heart has stirred, prompting her to stage a faint and throw herself into his arms in a fragrant, enticing act? On second thought, however, it seems somewhat unlikely; although he does have some charm, it seems not yet exaggerated to that extent.

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Le Yao's unconscious state; to say this young widow's acting skills are top-notch—if not for her sudden quickened heartbeat alerting him, he would almost have been deceived by her. But another doubt quickly surfaced in his mind: why would she deceive him? Could she have a ghost in her heart? Her behavior right now is outright seduction; a woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea, truly hard to fathom.

Hu Xiaotian horizontally lifted Le Yao and carried her to the bedside, setting her down. Seeing Le Yao's face like peach blossoms, her breath like orchids, he felt a stir in his heart: "Since you're acting with me, don't blame me for not being courteous; I'll certainly give you this lesson." He bent his body, gradually drawing closer to Le Yao's pretty face, his mouth hovering about an inch from hers, motionless.

Le Yao was indeed feigning a faint; although she closed her eyes, she could still feel Hu Xiaotian's face continually drawing near, his scorching breath constantly blowing onto her face. Le Yao felt both shy and anxious, having thought this fellow was a chaste gentleman who would remain proper in her embrace, never expecting him to be outright a lustful opportunist taking advantage of the situation. She was hesitating whether to awaken now when suddenly she felt her cherry lips touch something scorching warm and soft; her heart leapt in alarm.

Without further hesitation, she suddenly opened her beautiful eyes, only to see Hu Xiaotian standing beside the bed with a half-smile, his right index finger pressed firmly against her lips: "You awake?"

Only then did Le Yao realize she had guessed wrong; two blushes rose on her pretty face.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I'm leaving."

"Master Hu..." Le Yao softly called from behind him, but Hu Xiaotian did not turn back.

The night was deep, like a black cloth soaked in rain, heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Hu Xiaotian lifted his head and drew a long breath. The recent events made him realize that the young widow Le Yao was not as simple as he had imagined; could her feigned faint merely be a ploy to gain his sympathy so as to leave this place? Or perhaps beneath her seemingly pure exterior lay some unknown secret? Earlier he had suggested taking her away, but she had firmly refused; now she suddenly pressed to leave, and with such urgency—what could be the reason?

Wan Changchun's voice sounded from the side: "Sir Hu!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Old Wan, did you hear ghostly cries last night?"

Wan Changchun glanced around, then nodded somewhat fearfully.

"Male ghost or female ghost?"

"A male ghost..." Wan Changchun's voice trembled slightly; the concept of ghosts and gods had long been ingrained in his heart, and he feared being heard by them.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and asked, "What did he call?"

Wan Changchun stepped closer to Hu Xiaotian, his voice trembling: "I died a miserable death..."

Hu Xiaotian decided to spend the night at the Wan household; this was the result of his discussion with Murong Feiyan. He wanted to see what sort of vicious ghost that had been wreaking havoc on the Wan family actually looked like. The fact that Hu Xiaotian would stay overnight was not publicized; only Wan Bocheng and Wan Changchun knew.

Wan Changchun led Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan into the eastern side of the Wan mansion's Qingzhu Garden for temporary lodging; this was where Wan Bocheng usually played chess. If it weren't for Hu Xiaotian as an honored guest, Wan Changchun would not have yielded the place. The Wan family had guest rooms in the front courtyard, but since Wan Changchun considered the front courtyard free of hauntings, he specially arranged for Hu Xiaotian to stay in the rear courtyard, giving him and the vicious ghost a chance for close contact.

After Wan Changchun had made the arrangements for them, he hurried off. Since the haunting the previous night, everyone in the Wan mansion has been panic-stricken; after dark, aside from the night-watch servants, most people have shut their doors and stayed inside. Following Wan Bocheng's intention, they wanted to assign guards to the nine incense burners, but Hu Xiaotian told him there was no need for such a fuss; letting things take their natural course was best, just as before.

Hu Xiaotian himself does not believe in ghosts or gods; Murong Feiyan is also an atheist. Hu Xiaotian is convinced that the so-called vicious ghost is certainly someone in disguise; he simply does not know whether the impersonator will appear tonight.

Hu Xiaotian closed the courtyard gate, yawned lazily, and said, "Are we going to sleep or to retire for the night?"

Murong Feiyan blinked her eyes; is there a difference between sleeping and retiring for the night?

Seeing her give no response, Hu Xiaotian added, "Are we to sleep together or separately?"

Murong Feiyan's pretty face flushed crimson; she spat, "A dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water—shameless as can be—who would sleep with you?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Just imagine, as a dignified ninth-rank county magistrate, there are plenty who would throw themselves at me! If I wanted someone to attend my bed, a single order would have unmarried young ladies from the Wan mansion lining up all the way to the government office gate."

Murong Feiyan truly could not tolerate this fellow's thick skin; she raised her fist and clenched it before him, her joints cracking like firecrackers.

Hu Xiaotian felt a chill despite himself; the power of that pink fist was not to be underestimated. Well aware of the principle to stop while ahead, he hastily changed the subject: "How about we make a plan instead?"

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