Chunlu once told her that they had served the master for many years and had never seen him care so much for any woman in the inner quarters. Even when the favored concubine, Shao, was bedridden for half a month due to illness, the master never stayed by her side day and night like this. At most, he would visit her a few times and offer a few words of concern, but he would never stay for more than half an hour, let alone stay overnight.
Hearing this, You Shuyao felt a complex and conflicted feeling. She thought Huo Jingsha was arrogant and haughty, a man who disdained romantic love, indifferent to women, and ignorant of love. His sudden infatuation with her was truly incomprehensible to her. Compared to being moved, she felt more panic, because she couldn't reconcile this image with the cruel and ruthless demon from her past life who was adept at killing people through various cruel methods.
She truly hadn't expected that Huo Jingsha, who seemed solely focused on his career and indifferent to everything except investigating cases and handling official duties, would be so devoted to a woman once he decided to treat her well. He not only took care of all her daily needs but also never hesitated to spend money on her, ensuring she received the best of everything. Even more remarkable was his attentiveness to her feelings, spending all his free time by her side. This gave her the illusion that he treated her as if she were his wife, sharing a life of mutual support and devotion.
In her past life, she successfully seduced Huo Jingsha, but during the time they were together, he never did anything considerate or said anything tender to her. He would only break into her room on certain nights and then silently make love to her, never like he does now, accompanying her to meals, taking her for walks in the garden, or telling her about who he met, what he did, or whose house he raided that day; if he obtained any rare treasures, he would present them to her immediately like treasures, showing them off, and then childishly ask for a reward before he would be satisfied.
"This luminous pearl is said to be the largest one ever retrieved from the East China Sea in ten years. It's even bigger than the one on the Empress's phoenix crown. That corrupt official Liu Pingchuan actually hid this treasure in his family's ancestral cemetery. If the Emperor hadn't ordered every coffin in his family to be dug up and inspected, I wouldn't have known he had so many rare treasures hidden away. Even if his family had hundreds of members, they couldn't spend them all in ten lifetimes."
You Shuyao stared at the luminous pearl in his hand, which was as big as a child's fist, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Although the treasure was good, its origin was still something to be wary of.
"This thing... you took it out of a dead person's coffin?"
"That's right, what's the point of piling things up when the person is dead? Things that you can't take with you when you die are better used to light the way for my Yao'er at night, that would be making the most of them."
Her lips twitched. "Aren't you afraid that this thing, taken from near a dead person, will be tainted with bad luck?"
"Don't worry. A fortune teller once said that I was born with a malevolent spirit that can ward off all evil and gloom. Even if it's taken from a coffin or snatched from a ghost, once it's in my hands, it will be completely devoid of evil and suppressed, unable to cause any trouble. Besides, I've already had someone send this bead to the temple and asked the abbot to perform a ritual for it before the Buddha. With me protecting you, no evil spirit can invade your body."
Huo Jingsha smiled wickedly, exuding a wild and unrestrained charm, but his embrace was gentle and tender. His long fingers lightly caressed her waist, stimulating a dense, ticklish sensation that aroused an unspeakable desire in her.
Looking at the beads forcibly pressed into her palm, she was speechless. She genuinely believed the man's malevolent aura and the resistance to evil spirits, for he was truly wicked. No matter how corrupt an official or how vicious a villain, those who fell into his hands always met a tragic end. It seemed there was no one he couldn't handle. Even after ransacking homes and beheading people, he would return to eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual, living a life of pleasure and prosperity—utterly heartless and carefree.
Tsk tsk tsk... Ordinary people would avoid demons and monsters, but demons and monsters would avoid him.
He was very close to her, and when he spoke, his deep, husky, magnetic voice surrounded her ears like a feather, tickling her heartstrings and making her feel all over. Even though he had told her to rest, he kept babbling in her ear, talking about all the treasures he had unearthed.
"You've been talking unusually much today, how am I supposed to sleep?" she glared at him.
"I noticed you weren't sleepy, so I wanted to talk to you to distract you, and then my stomach stopped hurting, right?"
"..." Uh, it seems that's really the case. Because she had been listening to him talk and was distracted, the lower abdominal pain from her period didn't seem so bad anymore. And his big, warm, and thick hands gently kneaded her stomach, and the heat made her feel much more comfortable.
"Other women would be overjoyed to the point of fainting if I gave them such a luminous pearl, but you didn't show the slightest bit of delight."
That proves I am not a greedy person.
"That's right, my Shu Yao isn't even afraid of death, why would she care about those vulgar material things? Only I am the treasure in Yao'er's heart." Huo Jingsha chuckled smugly, and at the end, he didn't forget to flatter himself, pecking at her cheeks and nibbling at her earlobe, enjoying the intimate whispers and flirtatious banter with her.
Oh my... I just said he couldn't say sweet words, but now he can spout these cheesy things so easily! And to the point of being utterly irresistible! To say I'm not moved at all would be a lie.
If it weren't for the deep-seated blood feud she had accumulated over nine lifetimes with him, she might have already fallen irrevocably into his gentle embrace. Even now, with lingering resentment, a single glance from his affectionate eyes would still irresistibly draw her in. Unfortunately, the shadows he cast upon her were too great, each and every one etched into her heart with unforgettable pain. Therefore… the barrier in her heart cannot be easily erased with a few gentle words of flattery, tenderness, and affection.
She had experienced and tasted his cruelty; she had endured and resented his ruthlessness. Once he learned that she was an assassin sent to take his life, he would immediately and mercilessly withdraw all his affection and kill her in the most cruel way. Therefore, although he gave her the tenderness he had never given to anyone else, almost so gentle that it could melt hearts, it did not prevent him from turning his back on her ruthlessly later.
Shu Yao told herself that she must always remain clear-headed and never plunge headlong into it, otherwise there would truly be no way to recover.
She can't bear the consequences!
You Shuyao gently played with the luminous pearl in her hand, her eyes lowered, trying to ignore her deep, dark eyes.
If you don't look at it, don't pay attention to it, and don't care, you won't be disturbed or let it control your emotions.
Huo Jingsha stared at her, lowered his head and planted a kiss on the top of her head, enjoying the quiet time of their close embrace. Little did he know that his little woman had secretly hidden her feelings of love and had been desperately trying to keep him out of her sight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
