Chapter 29: Volume 1 Chapter 29: How to Woo the Proud Ghost King? (10)

Jiang Zhi, who had been standing in place for a long time, came to her senses and strode into the Palace Interior.

Zhan Wu Jin, noticing the faint footsteps nearby, thought the eunuch had returned again, and his slightly relaxed face tensed up once more.

Jiang Zhi stopped her steps before him, opened her mouth, and called out: "Xiao Pihai."

The voice by her ear was utterly unfamiliar, yet the tone was exceedingly familiar.

Zhan Wu Jin clenched his hands, lifted his brow slightly, and carefully sniffed the scent in the air.

The fragrance drifting from that person before him suddenly brought back a memory buried deep in his heart.

The palace maid who had vanished beside the fire.

That night was the last beautiful time Zhan Wu Jin had left.

He had wanted to give up countless times, but her words kept echoing in his heart, urging him onward.

——Xiao Pihai, next time don't let anyone push you into the river.

The boy on the steps did not respond to her words for a long while, and Jiang Zhi realized he had forgotten her.

That made sense—before she was a palace maid, and now her voice and body had changed, so it was understandable he didn't recognize her.

Jiang Zhi smoothed her sleeves, looked around, and saw that the repaired palace was still as dilapidated as ever; glancing at the spilled slop on the ground, she clicked her tongue.

It's no wonder Zhan Wu Jin later became so perverse; such a miserable childhood would warp anyone's psyche over time.

Jiang Zhi decided to start from the root and turn him into a good person.

Knowing his virtue ten thousand years later, as long as we gradually change him now, there is still a chance.

Rolling up her sleeves, she wrapped her skirt hem together, revealing her snow‑white legs, and bit by bit cleaned the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, his voice deep and slightly hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

After Jiang Zhi finished cleaning the courtyard, she put her hands on her hips, did not answer his question, but asked: "What do you want to eat tonight?"

Zhan Wu Jin lowered his eyes, his fingers tightly intertwined, and asked the question he had pondered for years: "What is your name?"

Jiang Zhi put down the broom, walked up to him, leaned forward, brought her face close to his, and said with a grin: "I have no name; you can call me Fairy."

The Fairy who came to save you.

Zhan Wu Jin's vision beyond the black cloth was blocked by her; smelling her fragrance so near, the corners of his mouth tightened slightly.

Fairy?

He had personally seen her vanish from before his eyes.

So is she really a Fairy?

What gives him the right to encounter a Fairy?

If a Fairy saw his eyes, would such a monster as him also drive her away?

Zhan Wu Jin actually felt a surge of relief deep inside: his eyes were already blind, covered by the black cloth.

"Fairy, Fairy sister, will you still leave?"

Jiang Zhi thought for a moment and replied: "Yes."

Zhan Wu Jin's fingers resting on his leg gradually tightened into a fist, his face turned pale, and he was utterly despondent.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhi extended her jade‑like finger and gently pinched his cheek, speaking softly: "Don't worry, I will come to see you often."

Zhan Wu Jin felt the soft touch on his cheek, like the sun's warmth, seeping into his chest, yet deep down a dark thought arose.

If only.

If only the Fairy sister could stay by his side forever.

Jiang Zhi, unaware of his thoughts, withdrew her finger, pondered, and said: "Wait a moment, I'll go outside to find something to eat."

Zhan Wu Jin heard her footsteps fade and disappear; a faint fragrance lingered in the air, almost vanishing, and the warmth on his cheek slowly faded as well.

His fingers dug deep into his flesh; even the pain could not dispel the panic and despair in his heart.

He feared she would never return.

He feared she would never appear again.

Jiang Zhi, having stolen an iron pot and a large sack of rice from the Imperial Kitchen's Storage Room, panted as she brought them to the Palace Gate.

She was also a veteran of the cannon‑fodder nail‑house squad; stealing things was no big deal—she easily slipped past the palace folk's gazes and made off with all of it.

Only the weight was not light; lugging it over took great effort, but fortunately this desolate stretch had no one, and she encountered nobody along the way.

When she saw the boy standing beside the Palace Gate, Jiang Zhi blinked, walked over, and asked: "Why are you standing here?"

It was early winter.

Zhan Wu Jin's face turned white from the cold; hearing her voice, his tense body relaxed, and he replied: "Waiting for you."

Jiang Zhi smiled, thinking the young Zhan Wu Jin was utterly adorable.

Nothing like the ruthless, heartless figure he would become ten thousand years later.

Bringing the things into the palace, she lit the stove to cook rice, processed the fish she had just caught from the nearby river, and put it in the pot to simmer.

She also stir‑fried a bowl of fresh wild greens.

She served him a bowl of rice, placed it on the large stone in the courtyard's center, took his hand, and sat down beside him.

"Eat quickly."

Smelling the aroma of the food before him, he pursed his lips.

This was a meal he dared not even imagine.

Watching the boy wolf down his rice as if his stomach were a bottomless pit, he finished a huge basin of soup and a rice bowl larger than his face, not a single grain left.

Jiang Zhi saw a grain of rice clinging to the corner of his mouth, reached out, and flicked it away with her finger.

Zhan Wu Jin's body stiffened; through the black cloth binding his eyes, he could faintly make out the silhouette of the person standing before him.

A hint of scorching heat lingered on the warmth of his lips.

He paused, smelling the fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose, and the dark thoughts in his heart grew thicker.

He was reluctant to leave this brief warmth.

"Xiannü Jiejie," he called.

Jiang Zhi asked doubtfully, "What's wrong?"

The boy pleaded softly, "Don't leave, okay?"

Jiang Zhi rubbed his head and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll stay with you."

Taking his hand, she led him back into the room, laid him down and closed his eyes; Jiang Zhi sat beside him, helped pull the blanket over him, and traced his eye through the black cloth with her finger.

At night, the early winter temperature was low; the room was a bit warmer than outside, the oil lamp on the table flickered, and its shadow slanted on the wall.

Jiang Zhi had thought she would leave after that night, but she didn't expect the sky outside to gradually lighten, and she still didn't go back.

Looking at their tightly clasped fingers, Jiang Zhi somewhat understood.

When she returns, her body should not come into contact with him.

Since she had stayed, she began to plan how to help Zhan Wu Jin gain weight.

Not only should he gain weight, but she should also teach him some martial arts moves so he can protect himself.

Zhan Wu Jin was still a child; he had only been pretending to sleep, but later he fell asleep without realizing it.

After waking up, it was already noon outside.

He stumbled out of bed in a panic, running outward, his eyes covered with black cloth; if he wasn't careful he tripped on the threshold and fell outward.

Jiang Zhi, returning from the Imperial Kitchen, saw this scene head-on, quickly put down what she was holding, hurried over, and supported his body.

"Little brat, you're asking for death!"

Hearing her voice, Zhan Wu Jin's pale face lifted, his hands tightly gripping her hem, his hoarse voice filled with joy: "Xiannü Jiejie, you didn't leave."

Jiang Zhi helped him into the room and said helplessly, "I promised you I wouldn't leave."