Chapter 10 : Husband and Wife

When Jiang Shiqiu returned, Ji Yu couldn’t help but scrutinize him repeatedly. She truly couldn’t understand why, with his immense ability to alter people’s memories, he had chosen to create such a ridiculous identity for himself.

Could it be that because her biological father was once a son-in-law, it would be natural for him to also marry into the family?

“Wife, what’s wrong?” Noticing her gaze, he smiled and asked, his eyes gentle.

Ji Yu remained silent for a moment before replying, “Nothing,” and then closed her eyes to rest.

Speaking too much could lead to mistakes. In an unclear situation, it was wisest to stay rational and observant. It was best not to act recklessly until she had a clearer understanding of his identity and motives.

Assuming she was unwell, Jiang Shiqiu carried her back to the room to rest, adjusted the blankets for her, and said softly, “Wife, have a good rest.”

She knew how powerful this man was, so she didn’t dare pretend to sleep in front of him, allowing her weak body to fall into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she looked inside the house and didn’t see that figure. She finally breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. She didn’t know how long she had slept, but she felt weak and exhausted.

The window was tightly closed, and the room was dimly lit, leaving her uncertain of the time.

“Hongxiao,” she called softly.

Moments later, Hongxiao entered.

Seeing Hongxiao, Ji Yu finally felt relieved and couldn’t help but wonder if Jiang Shiqiu had altered the memories of all the demon hunter, so he wasn’t planning to take action against them.

If that were the case, they should be safe for the time being.

Ji Yu pondered this and asked, “…Where is he?”

She couldn’t bring herself to say “Jiang Shiqiu” without feeling a pang of unease. The name seemed too significant for her.

Despite knowing the danger, the name “Jiang Shiqiu” felt particularly special to her.

Hongxiao immediately understood who she was referring to and replied with a smile, “Master Jiang went with Young Master Xu and the others to investigate Yanyue Villa.”

Ji Yu was momentarily stunned, then looked a little strange.

Could it be that Jiang Shiqiu was genuinely taking on the role of the Commander of the Demon Division and was diligently helping to resolve the issues at Yanyue Villa? Or was he merely toying with the demon hunter, intending to watch their predicament unfold?

Many demons have this bad mentality of playing tricks on people for fun. They play tricks on demon hunters and then devour them.

The situation was unclear, so Ji Yu did not continue to make random guesses and asked about the situation at Yanyue Villa.

“It’s not good,” Hongxiao said, her expression serious. “After dawn, everyone at Yanyue Villa disappeared. All the people vanished, including the Moon Master and others. We are also trapped, with no way to leave… Daoist Xu and the others suspect that the people we saw earlier, including the Moon Master and the housekeeper, might have been puppets controlled by the demons…”

The wedding last night had obviously been unusual. The people from Yanyue Villa seemed normal but were likely not living beings anymore.

“…If it hadn’t been for Master Jiang arriving in time, we would surely have faced a fierce battle, and the casualties would have been unimaginable.”

Saying this, Hongxiao felt a wave of relief.

Given her Young Master’s condition, such a situation would have been very disadvantageous for her. It was possible she might have been forced into becoming a bride at the wedding. If the marriage contract had been established, the consequences would have been dire.

Hongxiao grew angry when recalling the events from last night. “Chen Qingzhe is truly despicable, trying to shift the blame and frame the Young Master. He deserves it!”

Although Chen Qingzhe and Ji Yu were related by blood as siblings, Hongxiao held no affection for him.

In her view, Chen Qingzhe was a member of the Chen family, and had nothing to do with the Ji family.

Ji Yu looked at her in confusion. “Deserved what?”

Hongxiao smiled. “Master Jiang has already taught him a lesson. Chen Qingzhe must have been badly injured and is probably still in bed now.”

Hearing this,Ji Yu’s expression became even more strange. 

Realizing it was already close to noon, Ji Yu considered for a moment and then asked Hongxiao to help her get up.

“Young Master, what are you planning to do?” Hongxiao asked as she helped Ji Yu get ready.

Ji Yu glanced at the sky and absently said, “I want to go outside and have a look.”

Though concerned about her health, Hongxiao would not interfere with her decision. She could only nag a little while following Ji Yu out.

As they stepped out, a distinct, foul odor immediately assailed them.

Ji Yu looked towards the courtyard ahead. The spring rain continued to fall, making the plants and trees in the courtyard damp and lush, just like yesterday.

However, the scene now looked more desolate, with the smell of corruption in the air could no longer be concealed.

Ji Yu thought about the underground chambers at Yanyue Villa, which were similar to those in Longquan Palace, last night’s wedding, and the enigmatic Jiang Shiqiu…

Everything seemed like this spring rain, obscuring all the truths and preventing the reality from becoming clear.

Ji Yu held an oil-paper umbrella and walked in the rain. As expected, Yanyue Villa was very quiet. There were no people around, and even the puppet servants had vanished.

The people of Yanyue Villa were indeed gone, seemingly disappearing overnight.

Ji Yu went to Taofeng Courtyard. It was empty there as well. She then moved to the main courtyard of the master’s residence, which was equally deserted.

She surveyed the area and found it in disarray, likely due to the demon hunter who had come to investigate. However, there was no dust, as if someone had been living there continuously.

After observing all this, she was about to leave with her umbrella when she unexpectedly encountered a group of people coming toward her at the door.

The leader of the group saw her and broke into a gentle smile, calling out with affection, “My wife!”

The one surrounded by the group was none other than her “husband.”

Hearing the word “wife”, Ji Yu felt a slight pain in his head. He swallowed the words “I’m not your wife” that were about to come out of his mouth and looked at him silently.

Jiang Shiqiu approached her and said, “It’s cold outside. Why aren’t you resting indoors?”

Ji Yu’s gaze slowly shifted from his extraordinarily handsome face to the group of demon hunter nearby. She cautiously replied, “I couldn’t sleep after waking up…”

Jiang Shiqiu took her cold hand, chilled by the early spring weather, and said helplessly, “If I had known you didn’t take care of your body, I should have taken care of you myself.”

Ji Yu’s expression stiffened. She felt at a loss for words, unsure how to respond. She was still not used to having a “husband” and couldn’t adapt to the role of a “wife,” nor did she know how to interact with this “husband.”

The only thing she could do was try not to provoke him and maintain the current calm facade, buying time and opportunities for survival for everyone.

Jiang Shiqiu, with eyes full of affection for his “wife,” said something to the group of demon hunter and then led Ji Yu back.

He held the umbrella for her, walking slowly to match her pace, and said, “Your health isn’t good, you should rest well. Take care of yourself and avoid dangerous places in the future. It would break my heart… Let me handle dangerous matters from now on.”

Ji Yu listened in silence, not taking his words to heart.

When demons and evildoers are trying to deceive people, they always present the most pleasing facade, only revealing their true, cruel nature once they’ve achieved their goals.

Back in the room, Jiang Shiqiu personally wrung out a warm towel to wipe her face and hands, warming her cold fingers in his hands.

Ji Yu watched him busily tending to her, her fingertips slightly curled.

She had to admit, Jiang Shiqiu was very attentive as a “husband.” He took care of her himself, as if they were a newlywed couple.

With Jiang Shiqiu around, Ji Yu felt unable to do much and had to curl up on the couch like an invalid.

As time passed and the sky began to darken, Ji Yu’s anxiety grew.

Nighttime was the most dangerous period. Last night’s wedding had already shown the danger, and with the added uncertainty of Jiang Shiqiu’s true nature, Ji Yu had little hope for the demon hunter survival.

If a group of demon hunter were to die here, it would definitely attract outside attention. The demon hunter sent to replace them would likely be of a higher level and should be able to deal with the demons of Yanyue Villa.

Ji Yu ate her dinner absentmindedly. She had little appetite, but with a man beside her diligently serving her food and urging her to eat more, she had no choice but to eat quietly.

When she finally couldn’t eat any more, she said, “I’m full.”

Jiang Shiqiu looked at her, his gaze moving from her calm face down to her abdomen, as if to confirm she was truly full.

Ji Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, when that warm hand rested on her lower abdomen, she tensed up.

“Hmm, you are indeed full,” Jiang Shiqiu said, but then added with some dissatisfaction, “My wife, you ate too little. It’s not good for your health.”

Ji Yu didn’t know what to say, thinking that this demon was really too good at pretending to be human.

After dinner, only faint light remained on the horizon, and Yanyue Villa was about to be swallowed by darkness.

Before nightfall completely enveloped the villa, the other demon hunter arrived. The guesthouse, which was originally quite spacious, became cramped with the sudden arrival of so many demon hunters.

These demon hunters had naturally come for Jiang Shiqiu.

In their eyes, Jiang Shiqiu, the commandant of the Royal City Demon Division, was extremely powerful. If anyone could resolve the predicament of Yanyue Villa and lead them safely out of this place, it was Jiang Shiqiu.

They placed all their hopes on Jiang Shiqiu, looking to him for guidance.

Jiang Shiqiu didn’t ask them to leave instead, he sat down with Ji Yu, holding her hand, completely unconcerned with the crowd’s gaze.

Ji Yu felt somewhat stiff. She wasn’t used to being so intimate in public. Although, in these people’s eyes, she and Jiang Shiqiu were “husband and wife” and it wasn’t considered unusual, she knew the truth was far from it.

“Master Jiang, it’s getting dark,” someone said. “What should we do? Once night falls, there might be no safe place in Yanyue Villa.”

Last night’s events had already shown them how dangerous Yanyue Villa could be at night.

They were very afraid that once darkness completely took over Yanyue Villa, they might be possessed by ghosts again, losing control and not knowing what they were doing, putting them in an extremely dangerous situation.

Jiang Shiqiu’s attention was focused on Ji Yu, as if he found her discomfort amusing. Indifferently, he said, “It’s fine. If any of you become bewitched, I can help dispel it. Besides, this is also a good opportunity for exploration. We might discover the truth about Yanyue Villa.”

“Really?”

Although they were a little worried, everyone thought that they had not gained anything during the daytime in the past few days, and the wedding that took place last night was the only anomaly.

Danger often comes with opportunity, and this saying was quite fitting in this context.

The greater the danger, the more likely you are to find the truth.