Chapter 102: Torturing you? I’m rewarding you!
Feng Xuexiang lay on the bed, his eyes shimmering and his cheeks slightly flushed.
“Ashi,” he called out softly, with a tone of barely restrained pleading.
“Don’t move,” Yu Shi, sitting on top of him, pressed his slightly raised upper body back down with one hand.
Yu Shi gently and carefully asked Feng Xuexiang if he still remembered anything.
“So, you have some impression of Jiang Mang… and you also remember Feng Zaixing, and how he said he could take you to find the jade scroll?”
“Yes, he said he was from the Li Dynasty and a disciple of Chi Heng,” Feng Xuexiang replied, unable to stop himself from shifting again. “Ashi, I’m uncomfortable, I…”
Yu Shi firmly held him down and smiled, saying, “Didn’t I tell you not to move?”
He continued to ask questions, promising to satisfy Feng Xuexiang after a while if he answered truthfully.
Feng Xuexiang, caught in an uncomfortable position, was tormented but couldn’t bring himself to get angry as he looked at Yu Shi’s face. Instead, his heart felt a mix of emotions—bittersweet, soft, and tingling.
No matter how pitifully Feng Xuexiang looked, Yu Shi didn’t let him off easily. After a while, he asked again:
“So what is Xuexiang going to do next?”
Feng Xuexiang’s eyes turned red, and he said breathlessly, “I’ll stay with you, I’ll definitely remember you, so please, don’t do this…”
He reached out to hold Yu Shi’s waist, but Yu Shi grabbed his fingers and pressed them onto the blanket.
Yu Shi lightly tapped his chest with his knuckles and asked, “I’m not asking about that. Do you not understand, or are you just brushing me off?”
“No, I will get all the jade scrolls. I can feel it—when I have them all, it will benefit me greatly.”
Seeing Feng Xuexiang biting his lip in restraint, Yu Shi leaned down and kissed him. “And what else?”
“Also, the old ghost in Feng Zaixing’s body seems to have moved into Feng Zaiyin’s body. He’s very dangerous, so you should stay away from him. He might hurt you.”
Yu Shi could see through Feng Xuexiang’s little schemes.
Feng Xuexiang didn’t want to mention Feng Zaiyin, so he deliberately tried to avoid the topic. But now that it had come up, he quickly said several bad things about Feng Zaiyin, trying to deceive and coax Yu Shi into ignoring him.
Yu Shi had asked almost all the questions he wanted to ask. Finally, he gently stroked Feng Xuexiang’s cheek and asked, “Do you still remember the snowy mountain?”
Feng Xuexiang sensed something in his expression and hesitated, not answering right away.
He had a knack for picking up on the subtle emotional changes in others.
He wanted to appease Yu Shi by pretending to remember, but he was also afraid that if Yu Shi asked more questions, his lie would be exposed.
He racked his brain, searching through his vague and boring memories, but he couldn’t recall anything related to the snowy mountain. In the end, he had to tell the truth.
“I seem to… not remember,” he said, looking at Yu Shi as if he had done something wrong.
Yu Shi, seeing him like this, chuckled softly and reassured him, “When summer comes, we’ll go there again.”
These kind and gentle words and attitude contrasted with the way Yu Shi deliberately tormented him in other ways.
Feng Xuexiang was certain that Yu Shi was intentionally tormenting him.
Unfortunately, he didn’t dare to express his anger, but when he couldn’t bear it any longer, he impulsively embraced Yu Shi and switched their positions.
This time, Yu Shi didn’t stop him. With a smile, he let him move, his hand slipping into Feng Xuexiang’s long hair, stroking down from the nape of his neck.
Feng Xuexiang’s disheveled long hair draped over his shoulders, sliding across his chest like a black snake, cool and smooth to the touch.
Feng Xuexiang’s eyes were also very dark, filled with astonishing desire. When he smiled at Yu Shi, his lips were redder than most people’s.
Feng Xuexiang truly loved the way Yu Shi looked at him—focused and affectionate. It was like a calm and deep sea, both embracing and capable of drowning him.
*
“Didn’t my uncle forget about you? So why does it seem like he’s even more obsessed with you?” Jiang Mang, who hadn’t seen much of how Feng Xuexiang and Yu Shi interacted before, grew increasingly puzzled as he observed them daily.
“He might think I’m still angry, so he’s being a bit more attentive,” Yu Shi replied.
Ordinary people rely on memories to anchor their emotions, but Feng Xuexiang had grown accustomed to losing his memory, so he relied on intuition for his feelings.
He placed great importance on his “feelings.”
When it came to Yu Shi, his “feelings” were the strongest. But these feelings, lacking the foundation of memory, were like rootless duckweed, leaving him uneasy.
Being the kind of person who couldn’t feel at ease, he clung even tighter.
In this sense, Feng Xuexiang’s emotions were stronger than those of ordinary people—more intense, harder to control, and a bit more obsessive.
At the root of it all, he feared losing what he cared about, so he would go to any lengths to hold on to everything he liked.
Showing weakness, being accommodating, and openly expressing his feelings were all methods he used to hold on.
If anyone assumed that Feng Xuexiang’s “softness” in front of them was his true nature, and thought they could easily b*lly him because of it, they’d be mistaken.
Just like the current “Feng Zaiyin,” who believed his slight disdain was well concealed, but in reality, it was all too obvious.
On the other hand, Mr. Wu from the Crisis Bureau, who had come with Feng Zaiyin, seemed to approach the situation with more caution, Yu Shi thought.
“Are you saying that, besides the four jade scrolls in my possession, the Crisis Bureau also has four volumes? And with only one volume missing, the Crisis Bureau wants to cooperate with me to retrieve it from the final disciple’s tomb?” Feng Xuexiang asked.
He looked at the two men before him. Although the formation concealed them from others, he could see it clearly—they both carried the same deathly aura within them.
The identical aura of death. They shared the same origins.
“Yes, indeed. We’ve long heard of the Feng family’s spirit demon’s exceptional abilities. The last time we explored Chi Heng’s tomb, we heavily relied on Ninth Master Feng. So this time, we also wish to invite Ninth Master Feng to join us,” Mr. Wu, also known as Huang Yuren, said with a warm and friendly smile, his words laced with flattery.
“Is that so?” Feng Xuexiang asked directly, “Then who will the final jade scroll belong to once it’s found?”
“We’re inviting Ninth Master Feng to oversee the mission. If Ninth Master Feng contributes more during the tomb exploration, the item will naturally be entrusted to him for safekeeping,” Huang Yuren replied, lowering his stance and speaking with genuine sincerity.
Then, suddenly shifting the tone of the conversation, he added, “However, our Crisis Bureau also hopes to study the jade scroll. If Ninth Master Feng is willing to let us research the jade scroll, not only will the jade scroll be yours, but the four scrolls currently in the Crisis Bureau’s possession can also be handed over to you!”
“You from the Crisis Bureau are surprisingly generous,” Yu Shi remarked as he walked over to stand beside Feng Xuexiang.
Feng Xuexiang, who had been observing Xin Liu and Huang Yuren, saw Yu Shi approaching and lowered the leg he had propped up, preparing to stand and offer him a seat.
This private little sitting room had only two chairs facing each other. Xin Liu and Huang Yuren occupied the long bench, while Feng Xuexiang sat alone on a single sofa.
Yu Shi placed a hand on Feng Xuexiang’s shoulder, keeping him from getting up, and stood beside him as they spoke.
Huang Yuren glanced at him a few more times, maintaining her polite demeanor. “Naturally, our Crisis Bureau has always maintained a cooperative relationship with the four great families of the southern lands. We hope to strengthen our ties with the Feng family in the future.”
However, as she watched their interactions, there was a hint of frivolous scrutiny in her gaze.
“Can Mr. Wu truly make such decisions on behalf of the Crisis Bureau?” Yu Shi asked.
Huang Yuren smiled confidently. “Though I’m young, I currently hold the position of deputy director, so my words do carry weight. Besides, with Ninth Master Feng being so formidable, who would dare break a promise and offend him?”
Of course, at this moment, she dared to say all the right things and agree to any conditions. After all, once they lured him into her master’s tomb, Chi Heng’s tomb, he would never be able to leave.
After leaving, Huang Yuren and Xin Liu got into the car.
As soon as they were in the car, Huang Yuren sneered, “Senior Brother, you said this Feng Xuexiang was something special, but all I see is that he’s just good-looking.”
“You even said he resembled Master a bit. But Master would never be so submissive to a man like he is,” she added with disdain.
Hearing her dissatisfaction, Xin Liu could only offer a forced smile, “I must have misjudged. He seems even more arrogant today, completely disregarding us. I suppose he will definitely agree to go with us.”
*
After sending them off, Feng Xuexiang noticed Yu Shi was lost in thought and not looking at him. He leaned against Yu Shi’s waist and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Yu Shi replied, “I was thinking about Mr. Wu’s words just now.”
“It all sounded so flattering, reminding me of those clearance sales in shopping malls.”
They slashed prices, offered many discounts, and practically shouted through loudspeakers to attract customers. But the one constant rule in such aggressive business practices was that there had to be profit in it.
“What are they after?”
“They’re after the jade scrolls I have,” Feng Xuexiang said with a pleasant smile.
“I think they’re also after you,” Yu Shi said.
“Are they just planning to deceive me and then team up to steal my jade scrolls?” Feng Xuexiang mused, reflecting on how he had once used the “Chi Heng’s Tomb” to deceive and kill Feng Houzhan, feeling a mix of amazement and irony.
“Ashi, don’t worry. They definitely can’t harm me.”
Feng Xuexiang spoke with casual confidence.
If it was confirmed that the final jade scroll was there, he would definitely go.
Moreover, he wanted the Crisis Bureau to bring all four jade scrolls with them.
At that point, it would come down to who could grab them.
“I’ll go with you too,” Yu Shi said.
Feng Xuexiang immediately wanted to refuse. He never wanted Yu Shi to see his less desirable side.
Moreover, the violence and bloodshed involved in competing and killing were filthy and brutal—definitely not suitable for Yu Shi.
Whenever he saw Yu Shi, he felt that Yu Shi should be in a clean and peaceful environment, living a life free of worries and hardships.
But he didn’t dare to refuse Yu Shi to his face, so he procrastinated and said, “Let’s see how things go when the time comes.”
Yu Shi had been deceived by him once before during the winter solstice, and this time he wouldn’t indulge him.
“You don’t need me this time either?” Yu Shi asked with an inscrutable expression. “I’m only asking this once.”
Feng Xuexiang sensed danger and hesitated to answer.
Yu Shi added, “If you don’t need me, I can guarantee that you won’t see me again.”
Feng Xuexiang’s face instantly paled, and he grabbed Yu Shi’s arm. “I need you!”
“Then let’s go together.”
Yu Shi’s expression softened as he advised, “So you mustn’t be careless. If anything happens to you, I’ll be in trouble as well.”
Feng Xuexiang dared not be careless. From that moment on, he began to feel a sense of crisis and grew increasingly paranoid.
He even considered whether he should quietly deal with Huang Yuren and Feng Zaiyin first.
These two had a strong aura of death about them and spoke deceitfully. They didn’t seem like good people at all. What if they intended to harm Yu Shi?
And then there was the Crisis Bureau and the other members of the Feng family.
He felt that everyone could potentially pose a threat to Yu Shi.
Perhaps he should use illusions to trap them all as soon as they entered?
And then there were the ghosts and demons inside the tomb.
What if he couldn’t keep a proper watch over Yu Shi?
He would need other people to help look after Yu Shi.
“Ashi, the tomb is dangerous. If you’re alone and something happens…” Feng Xuexiang tested the waters.
Yu Shi replied, “Then let Jiang Mang go too.”
Feng Xuexiang cursed inwardly, regretting asking that question.
“Jiang Mang? She isn’t very skilled. It wouldn’t make much of a difference if she went…”
Yu Shi said, “In that case, let’s invite the head of the Feng family as well.”
Feng Xuexiang fell silent, fearing that the more he said, the more people would end up involved.
*
When Huang Yuren and Xin Liu came again to extend their invitation, they felt the situation was almost guaranteed to succeed.
Feng Xuexiang had been blinded by the smooth acquisition of the jade scrolls earlier. His arrogance and contempt were apparent to Huang Yuren, who wished she could flatter him even more.
Dealing with an overconfident enemy was easier than dealing with a cautious one.
However, upon meeting again, Feng Xuexiang had suddenly become overly cautious, scrutinizing them with suspicious glances repeatedly.
“Where is the tomb located? I want to send someone in to scout it first.”
“How many people will the Crisis Bureau send, and who are they?”
“Feng family? Feng Zaiyin can go if he wants, but he will be the only one allowed inside.”
“Before entering, I need to…”
