Chapter 55

Xiao Changyuan possessed profound internal strength, sharp hearing, and keen eyesight.
He could hear even the faintest sounds from afar.
When Chen Fashan and Jiang Cuicui fell from the ridge into the gully, he heard their movements. Shortly after, he could make out their ragged breaths, wildly beating hearts, and the wet sounds of their lips and tongues entwining.
Upon noticing this, Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly and set down the shovel in his hand.
These two actually dared to practice the demonic arts, something even he wouldn’t dare to attempt.
They truly had no fear of death.
Chen Fashan’s body was frail and weak, utterly useless, even walking left him gasping for breath.
As for Jiang Cuicui, she was his wife’s friend, and just like his wife, she was foolish. But while his wife’s foolishness was endearing, Jiang Cuicui’s was pitiable, she couldn’t even walk without falling into a ditch.
Xiao Changyuan had never seen a bigger fool than Jiang Cuicui.
Chen Fashan was a waste, Jiang Cuicui was a fool.
A waste matched with a fool, truly a match made in heaven.
But their bodies were too fragile to withstand the agony of being consumed by demonic flames. Having just taken the first step in the demonic arts, they might one day fall victim to demonic fire, their hearts corrupted, and lose control. Though Xiao Changyuan did not like them,
Jiang Cuicui was his wife’s friend.
If Jiang Cuicui were to lose control, it might traumatize his wife, frightening her so much that she would never dare to kiss him again.
So, in order to kiss his wife every day and be kissed by her in the future.
Xiao Changyuan decided to put a stop to the foolish actions of these two useless idiots.
To save their lives.
Xiao Changyuan set down the shovel in his hand and strode purposefully into Chen Fashan’s field.
Yun Pianpian was taken aback and followed Xiao Changyuan.
“Husband, what are you doing?”
Following closely behind Xiao Changyuan, Yun Pianpian soon spotted the two people in the dried, up ditch, locked in an inseparable kiss.
Her pupils contracted slightly, and her eyelashes trembled.
Xiao Changyuan stood tall and poised on the ridge, gazing indifferently at the two in the ditch.
His voice was cool and deep, compassionate yet detached, like a deity descending from the heavens.
“You cannot do this.”
Chen Fashan: ?
Jiang Cuicui: ??
Yun Pianpian: ???
Xiao Changyuan lowered his cold, distant dark eyes, looking at them calmly, his thin, slightly pursed lips parted gently.
“This is demonic.”
Yun Pianpian: !!
Yun Pianpian’s mind went blank with fright. She immediately threw her arms around him, her small hands tightly covering his thin lips, blocking the words he had yet to speak.
“Husband, don’t say it!”
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly.
His lips were sealed by her soft, delicate hands, only his deep, dark eyes were visible on his handsome face.
He looked at her quietly.
A faint trace of confusion flickered in those pitch, black, profound eyes.
Why wouldn’t his wife let him continue?
Yun Pianpian’s expression was panicked, her face pale with fear as she shook her head repeatedly at Xiao Changyuan.
A hint of pleading glimmered in her clear, bright almond, shaped eyes.
Though Xiao Changyuan didn’t understand why his wife didn’t want him to continue, he recognized the plea in her eyes.
He nodded obediently, using his actions to reassure her that he would not go against her wishes.
Seeing his nod, Yun Pianpian finally relaxed and removed her hands from his lips.
She turned her head and looked down at the two people in the ditch.
Chen Fashan and Jiang Cuicui were staring at her and Xiao Changyuan with unsettled, doubtful expressions.
Yun Pianpian’s scalp prickled instantly.
She forced a dry laugh and said, “My husband is drunk. He was just talking nonsense just now. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Regardless of whether Chen Fashan and Jiang Cuicui believed her or not, Yun Pianpian immediately grabbed Xiao Changyuan’s arm and fled the terrifying scene.
There was no way they could continue farming here.
Yun Pianpian gathered their things, led Xiao Changyuan away from the fields, and returned home.
After washing their hands and faces, they sat in the room drinking tea. Xiao Changyuan lifted his gaze to Yun Pianpian.
“Wife, why didn’t you let me stop them from practicing demonic arts?”
Yun Pianpian’s mind was a tangled mess. She couldn’t let Xiao Changyuan know the truth about the demonic arts just yet. She feared he wouldn’t forgive her and couldn’t bear the storm of his anger. She wanted to consummate their marriage first before explaining everything to him.
So, biting her red lips, Yun Pianpian mustered her courage and said, “It’s their own choice. We should respect their decision.”
Xiao Changyuan was taken aback. His dark, profound gaze fell on Yun Pianpian’s delicate, fair face.
“But they might die.”
Yun Pianpian didn’t dare to meet his eyes.
She lowered her head and muttered incoherently, “Maybe they prefer to live and die together.”
A pale, slender hand suddenly gripped her chin.
She was forced to look up.
Her eyes met Xiao Changyuan’s dark, profound gaze.
His expression was cold and unreadable as he stared at her, as though scrutinizing her words.
Under the dangerous intensity of his dark eyes, the air grew thin, and Yun Pianpian almost dared not breathe.
Distractedly, she asked, “Husband, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Changyuan stared into her eyes, his pale, slender fingers stroking her delicate chin, his voice cool and low.
“My wife is more ruthless than I imagined.”
Yun Pianpian’s heart tightened slightly, her voice trembling faintly.
“Does my husband dislike my ruthlessness?”
“No.”
Xiao Changyuan’s dark gaze grew even more profound.
“On the contrary, I quite like my wife’s ruthlessness.”
Yun Pianpian froze in surprise.
Just as she was lost in thought, her arm was suddenly pulled.
After a dizzying spin, Yun Pianpian’s body fell into a broad, warm embrace.
Panicked, she lifted her head, about to speak, but Xiao Changyuan’s scorching, fervent kiss descended.
It stole all her breath away.
Yun Pianpian’s heart raced wildly.
Her startled body gradually grew limp and powerless.
As if floating among the clouds, her mind starved for oxygen, she felt dazed and disoriented.
Xiao Changyuan released her red lips, gently nibbling her sensitive earlobe, his breath hot, his voice low and husky.
“Because my wife must only be gentle with me.”
Yun Pianpian, muddled and entranced by his biting, her eyes wet and red at the corners, suddenly heard these words, and a string in her mind seemed to snap with a buzz. She opened her teary, dazed eyes and instinctively asked, “What if I’m also ruthless to you, husband?”
Xiao Changyuan took her soft, white earlobe into his mouth, biting and licking it fiercely twice.
Satisfied, he heard Yun Pianpian let out a soft, urgent gasp.
His gaze dark and intense, he murmured hoarsely, “Then I will punish my wife harshly, just like this.”
Yun Pianpian felt a surge of fear, shrinking back in fright.
But Xiao Changyuan refused to let her go, holding her body tightly as he captured her red lips in a storm of kisses.
Yun Pianpian was left breathless by Xiao Changyuan's kiss, her heart filled with fear.
She kept comforting herself inwardly.
Only two more days.
Her period would be completely over in two days.
Then, she would give herself to Xiao Changyuan and take the opportunity to lay all her cards on the table, explaining the whole story to him.
Once they were completely honest with each other.
She would no longer have to live every day burdened with guilt and fear toward Xiao Changyuan.
Yun Pianpian dreamed of the day arriving as soon as possible.
The next day, Yun Pianpian directed Xiao Changyuan to plant the remaining saplings in the fields. Since the household seasonings had run out, she had Xiao Changyuan drive the ox cart, and the two went to the county town to buy more. After purchasing the seasonings, as they were about to drive the ox cart home, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.
Several burly men surrounded a scholar, shoving his shoulders.
People around them scattered, unwilling to get involved.
Yun Pianpian didn’t want to meddle and was about to ask Xiao Changyuan to take a detour through the side streets to avoid the main road and leave the city.
But then she caught sight of Jiang Sheyu.
He had been pushed to the ground, scrambling to gather the scattered papers and paintings. As he bent down to collect them, his pale, slender hand was brutally stomped on by a foot. He winced in pain, his face turning pale, his long brows furrowing, and his refined, handsome features contorted in agony.
As if sensing someone watching him, Jiang Sheyu lifted his elegant, delicate eyes.
He looked at Yun Pianpian with a pained expression.
Their gazes met.
Yun Pianpian turned her small face toward Xiao Changyuan and said, “His name is A’Yu, he’s the teacher from Jiangjia Village. Husband, let’s go help him.”
Xiao Changyuan frowned unhappily. “My wife was so ruthless the day before yesterday, yet today she’s soft, hearted again.”
Yun Pianpian couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so she resorted to sweet, talking. “Women are fickle, you know. Today I want to save him, but maybe tomorrow I won’t. Husband, I really want to save him today. Could you please go help him?”
Yun Pianpian blinked her large, dewy almond, shaped eyes, wrapped her arms around Xiao Changyuan’s arm, and looked up at him with a pitiful, pleading expression.
Xiao Changyuan reached out with his pale, slender hand and pinched her soft, delicate cheek.
His dark, profound gaze gradually grew more intense.
“I’ll deal with you when we get home.”
If they weren’t in a public place, Yun Pianpian thought, Xiao Changyuan would probably press her against the cart and bite her ear, not stopping until she cried.
Fortunately, when they were outside, Xiao Changyuan could restrain his emotions.
He wouldn’t act as recklessly with her as he did at home.
Xiao Changyuan stepped down from the ox cart and slowly walked toward Jiang Sheyu.
Jiang Sheyu’s hand was still pinned under the bully’s foot.
Without a word, Xiao Changyuan reached out and brutally twisted the bully’s arm. The bully let out a pig, like squeal of agony. The other burly men around him rushed to attack Xiao Changyuan, but they were no match for him. In no time, Xiao Changyuan had knocked them all to the ground.
“Spare us, great hero! Spare us! We’ll never dare to do it again!”
The large, burly men prostrated themselves on the ground, weeping and begging Xiao Changyuan for mercy.
Xiao Changyuan lowered his cold, aloof gaze, arrogantly looking down at them, as if he were observing a group of lowly, insignificant ants.
His thin lips parted slightly, and from his pale mouth, he coldly uttered a single word.
“Scram.”
The burly men felt as if they had been granted a pardon, weeping with gratitude as they cried out, “Thank you, great hero, for sparing our lives! Thank you, great hero!”
With that, the burly men scrambled away in a panic.
Jiang Sheyu got up from the ground and cupped his hands in a salute to Xiao Changyuan, expressing his gratitude.
“Thank you for saving my life today, young hero.”
Xiao Changyuan cast a cold glance at Jiang Sheyu, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Jiang Sheyu limped after Xiao Changyuan, speaking politely, “I am Jiang Sheyu. May I ask your esteemed name?”
Yun Pianpian had intended to leave after rescuing the person, but she never expected to hear that name.
So this was Jiang Sheyu, the male supporting character from the original novel!
Yun Pianpian had only seen A’Yu once before. At that time, he was standing in the courtyard teaching children to read, his voice clear and resonant, his demeanor as elegant as a crane. Yun Pianpian had never spoken to him, so she didn't know his real name, only that Jiang Cuicui called him A’Yu.
In the original work “Song's End,” Chu Yi had many followers, but Jiang Sheyu was his most important subordinate, without equal.
Jiang Sheyu was exceptionally talented, proficient in astronomy and strategy, serving as Chu Yi's right, hand man. He helped Chu Yi subdue other followers, secure financial support, and recruit soldiers. The plan to kill Xiao Changyuan was also proposed by Jiang Sheyu.
After Chu Yi ascended the throne, he appointed Jiang Sheyu as prime minister. Even Ye Suxin trusted Jiang Sheyu implicitly.
However, there was one passage in the original novel's ending that Yun Pianpian never fully understood.
After Xiao Changyuan's death, Jiang Sheyu visited the ruins of the Liang Kingdom, the birthplace of Ye Suxin and Chu Yi, where the first half of the novel unfolded. From the local government office, he retrieved a file and obtained an old letter.
After reading the words on the letter, Jiang Sheyu's lips curled into a faint, subtle smile.
He traveled a long distance by carriage to deliver the letter to Ye Suxin.
At that time, the coronation ceremony for the empress was imminent. After reading the letter, Ye Suxin burst into tears, laughing and crying hysterically. Jiang Sheyu watched it all with an amused glint in his eyes, his expression compassionate as he said, “No matter what choice you make, Your Majesty, I will remain loyal to you unto death.”
Ye Suxin looked at him with tear, filled eyes.
Her gaze, full of charm and vulnerability, met Jiang Sheyu's smiling face.
“I want to be the empress.”
Jiang Sheyu smiled gently. “Tomorrow, you will be the empress.”
Ye Suxin then burned the letter in her hand with a candle flame.
The next day, the coronation ceremony.
Ye Suxin wore an exquisite and luxurious golden phoenix crown, draped in a vermilion robe embroidered with golden phoenix patterns, the hem trailing on the ground like a phoenix's tail. Standing side by side with Chu Yi on the city wall, she appeared dignified and elegant, accepting the thunderous bows and cheers of the crowd.
Though she wore a smile on her face, her heart bled incessantly.
Jiang Sheyu knelt below the city wall, a faint smile on his lips as he gazed up at the graceful and noble Ye Suxin, his expression filled with pity and affection, as if he were looking at a flower on the verge of withering.
Ye Suxin had become the most esteemed woman in the world.
But from that day on, Ye Suxin, whose singing voice had once surpassed that of a nightingale, never sang again.
After countless trials, the music and songs had all fallen silent, only the blood, red imperial power remained, eternal and unyielding.
As for the old letter Jiang Sheyu had handed to Ye Suxin, the author never revealed what was written on it. Just like this ending, though the male and female protagonists had overcome countless obstacles to finally be together, this seemingly perfect conclusion carried an indescribable sorrow.
Yun Pianpian snapped back to reality and looked at the gentle and refined Jiang Sheyu.
Jiang Sheyu was Chu Yi’s most trusted subordinate.
If he could be swayed to serve Xiao Changyuan, then Chu Yi would no longer pose a threat to Xiao Changyuan.
Thinking this, Yun Pianpian cast a kind and benevolent gaze toward Jiang Sheyu.
“My husband is named Shitou.”
Yun Pianpian wanted to win over Chu Yi’s subordinate, to make Jiang Sheyu defect to Xiao Changyuan.
Hearing this, Jiang Sheyu turned to Yun Pianpian. “Do you know me, miss?”
Yun Pianpian nodded. “I once saw you teaching children to read in Jiangjia Village.”
Jiang Sheyu bowed politely to her. “For the kindness you’ve shown me today, I will repay it a hundredfold in the future.”
What she wanted was precisely Jiang Sheyu’s promise of abundant repayment.
Yun Pianpian asked, “Why did those people treat you like that?”
Jiang Sheyu replied slowly, “I come to the bookstore every month to sell my calligraphy and paintings. They are from a rival bookstore and wanted me to sell my works to them instead. I refused, so they tried to break my hand to prevent me from selling to this bookstore ever again.”
Yun Pianpian frowned. “These people are far too arrogant.”
As they spoke, a commotion erupted up ahead.
Guards were posting an imperial edict on the city wall, and a crowd of commoners gathered around, chattering excitedly.
“Xiao Changyuan has passed away!”
“That tyrant deserved this long ago!”
“This is Xiao Changyuan’s retribution!”
Yun Pianpian froze, rooted to the spot.
For a moment, she thought Xiao Changyuan had truly died.
Her mind went blank.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
Panic, stricken, she turned her head, searching for Xiao Changyuan.
He stood right beside her, his handsome face dark and brooding as he stared at her.
Only after confirming that he was safe and sound did the frantic beating of her heart finally settle.
Sensing that Xiao Changyuan seemed displeased, Yun Pianpian asked, “Husband, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Changyuan said coldly, “How much longer are you going to stand here talking to him?”
Yun Pianpian was taken aback, realizing his patience had reached its limit.
She immediately replied, “I’m done speaking. Let’s go.”
“Wait…”
Jiang Sheyu called out to stop them, limping as he hurried over and handed them the scrolls in his hand. With an elegant and refined demeanor, he said, “For saving my life, I have nothing to repay you with. These are all my own paintings, I sincerely hope you will accept them.”
Seeing him limp, Yun Pianpian’s compassionate heart stirred, and she wanted to ask Xiao Changyuan to give him a ride. But fearing Xiao Changyuan’s anger, she swallowed her words. She reached out and took the scrolls from Jiang Sheyu, only to find that there was also a storybook among them.
As if sensing her confusion, Jiang Sheyu politely explained, “The inspiration for these paintings came from this storybook. If you’re interested, you can take a look at it.”
Just as Yun Pianpian was about to express her thanks, Xiao Changyuan, unable to bear it any longer, tightened the reins and drove the ox cart away from the spot.
After returning home, Xiao Changyuan pressed Yun Pianpian fiercely onto the bed, lowering his head to nibble on her ear.
Yun Pianpian, brought to tears by the biting, sobbed and pleaded for mercy until Xiao Changyuan finally relented.
It was the last day of her menstrual cycle, and she didn’t want to touch cold water, so Xiao Changyuan had been the one cooking for her these past few days.
Xiao Changyuan went to the kitchen, and Yun Pianpian, feeling bored, picked up the storybook Jiang Sheyu had given them and began flipping through it idly.
Before long, her face turned deathly pale.
It was a supernatural novel.
The story told of the Crown Prince of the Demon Realm, who, after being severely injured and losing his memory, was found by a peasant girl. The peasant girl fell in love with the amnesiac demon prince at first sight. To escape the advances of a local bully, she deceived the demon prince, telling him he was her husband. The demon prince drove away the village bully for her, and the two quickly fell in love, with the peasant girl even becoming pregnant with his child.
The first half of the story was heartwarming, but in the second half, the plot took a sharp turn.
The demon prince unexpectedly regained his memories. Proud and aloof by nature, he could not tolerate the peasant girl’s deception. So, he cut open her belly, took out the fully formed child, and, right in front of her, cruelly and cold, bloodedly smashed their child to death.
The peasant girl screamed hoarsely, “No!”
The demon prince raised his foot and kicked her away fiercely. “Get lost! You disgust me!”
The peasant girl fell onto the cold ground, blood gushing from her belly, her intestines spilling out. But the demon prince forbade her to die. He granted her immortality, forcing her to live in agony, hearing her cries of repentance every single day.
The peasant girl cried until she went blind, her world plunged into darkness. Yet, the sound of her child being brutally killed that day echoed in her ears forever, as if she could still hear the fully formed child, in a piercing voice, hoarsely questioning her.
“Mother, why did you lie?! Why did you let Father kill me?!”
Later, the peasant girl could no longer bear the heart, wrenching pain. In one night, her hair turned completely white, and she went utterly mad.
She became neither human nor ghost, wandering through this floating world. Whenever she saw a woman lying, she would gouge out their eyes.
“You mustn't lie. If you lie, you'll lose your eyes.”
Dressed in a blood, red robe, the peasant girl, with a deranged expression, hid behind the window and murmured eerily.
After reading this story, Yun Pianpian felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.
A bone, chilling cold crept up relentlessly from the soles of her feet.
It was a fear that struck directly at her soul.
With a creak, the dilapidated wooden window was brushed by a gentle breeze, emitting faint, fragmented sounds.
Terrified, Yun Pianpian immediately threw away the storybook in her hand.
In a panic, she glanced out the window, feeling as though a woman was staring at her from outside, wanting to gouge out her eyes.
Too afraid to stay alone in the room, Yun Pianpian rushed to the kitchen to find Xiao Changyuan.
Seeing her pale face, Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly.
“Wife, what's wrong?”
Yun Pianpian looked weak. “It's nothing, my stomach just hurts a little.”
She didn’t dare let Xiao Changyuan see the storybook, afraid he would discover she had done the same thing as the peasant girl.
Hearing this, Xiao Changyuan immediately set down the spatula in his hand, wiped his hands, and placed his pale, slender palm over Yun Pianpian’s lower abdomen. He channeled warm, rich inner strength continuously into her stomach, frowning as he asked, “Feeling better now?”
Yun Pianpian felt like crying but held back with all her might. “A little. a little better.”
She was constantly lying, deceiving him, leading him around by the nose.
Could someone as deceitful as her truly earn Xiao Changyuan’s forgiveness?
Yun Pianpian feared she would become the second peasant girl.
She couldn’t imagine the storm of fury Xiao Changyuan would unleash upon learning the truth.
She had thought that by offering herself to him, he would forgive her deception out of pity for her suffering.
She was always blindly optimistic, recklessly naive.
Thus, she overlooked the harsh reality.
But today, this storybook was like a judge’s gavel, striking hard upon her foolish heart.
Enlightening her in an instant, bringing her sudden clarity.
In the original story, Xiao Changyuan was aloof, proud, cold, and cruel, he would never forgive her.
Just as the Demon Realm’s Crown Prince refused to forgive the peasant girl.
She could not become the second peasant girl.
She could no longer persist in her delusions.
She had to mend her ways before it was too late.
She had to turn back from the path of error.
She needed to correct her mistakes in time, maintain distance from Xiao Changyuan, complete her mission, and return to the modern world as soon as possible.
She must not take Xiao Changyuan’s innocence and cause an even greater disaster.
After coming to this realization, Yun Pianpian’s mood became eerily calm.
She calmly sat at the table to eat with Xiao Changyuan, calmly served him food, calmly washed up, and returned to the room. Calmly, she took two quilts from the wardrobe and handed them to Xiao Changyuan after he had finished washing.
Xiao Changyuan was taken aback. “Wife, why are you giving me two quilts?”
Yun Pianpian calmly lifted her gaze to him. “Husband, let’s sleep in separate beds.”
Xiao Changyuan froze. “Why?”
To maintain distance from Xiao Changyuan, Yun Pianpian decided to tell the last lie of her life.
“My body is delicate and weak. I truly cannot endure the suffering brought by demonic cultivation.”
After saying this, Yun Pianpian pushed Xiao Changyuan outside the door and calmly closed it.
Xiao Changyuan stood frozen outside the door, dazed.
Suddenly, he snapped back to reality.
His reward for the night was gone, so was his punishment.
He could no longer hold his fragrant, soft wife in his arms to sleep.
Xiao Changyuan was furious.