Chapter Twenty-Six: Ashor, Evil?

Descending the mountain alone, Aishuo felt a twinge of annoyance and a trace of disappointment that Muye hadn’t come along. But then she remembered that, with Muye gone, there was no one to restrain her, and she could act freely—this thought made her break into a cheerful grin. The corners of her lips curved in an enchanting arc, and her eyes sparkled with unconcealed delight. Gazing out at the capital, flickering with myriad lights beneath her feet, she gave a sly smile, her eyes glinting with mischief as she took in the sprawling, extravagant mansions of the officials. In her mind, a brilliant plan was already taking shape.

Without a sound, she arrived at the gate of one such official residence, leaping onto a tall tree in front of the entrance. From her sleeve, she drew out a veil and carefully put it on. In a flash, she darted forward. The guard at the gate barely had a chance to cry out before a whiff of delicate fragrance sent him collapsing to the ground, the hand he’d raised falling limply to his side. All Aishuo had done was wave her hand.

She strolled through the gate with effortless ease. The mansion was indeed vast and everywhere was brightly lit; servants patrolled the grounds at regular intervals. But any servant who caught Aishuo’s eye, regardless of whether they saw her or not, was swiftly dispatched—she showed no mercy.

Aishuo wandered through the vast estate as if it were her own garden, unimpeded and at leisure, savoring her freedom. Rounding a corner, she entered a bedchamber. It was empty, the air scented faintly with sandalwood. She approached the wardrobe, opened it, and took out a dark-colored cloak, slipping it on with flair. From a nearby ornate box, she gathered up all the silver notes before leaving the room.

Ahead lay the most beautiful courtyard in the mansion, elegant and refined. A small pond separated it from the main house, its surface dotted with lotus blooms—white as snow, red as fire, and blushing pink. At the left end of the pond was a small wooden bridge. Matching the setting, Aishuo crossed it with graceful composure, plucked a pink lotus, and brought it to her nose, savoring its fresh, delicate fragrance.

In the courtyard, the doors were tightly shut and candlelight flickered within. From inside came sounds of coy pleasure. Aishuo blushed and felt an intense disgust; she hardly needed to guess what was happening in that room. What a jarring contrast to the courtyard’s tasteful serenity! She was about to leave, when a wicked idea suddenly sprouted in her mind.

Gathering her energy into her palm, she struck the door with a single blow. Instantly, a dark figure slipped in on the wind of her palm strike; with a subtle movement of her hand, the door closed behind her. If she hadn’t deliberately made a noise, the occupants might never have known someone had entered.

A startled scream rang out from the sandalwood bed draped in red curtains—a woman, disheveled and flushed, her clothes in disarray, stared in shock at the “man” standing by the table in dark attire. Meeting the woman’s gaze, Aishuo’s eyes grew cold. Without hesitation, she turned away, her refusal absolute and unyielding. The woman lowered her tear-filled eyes in silent shame.

“Who’s there?” came an impatient male voice from behind the woman. The man poked his head out, glaring furiously at the intruder who had dared disrupt his pleasure.

But in the next instant, his eyes lit up, fixed intently on “him.” He reached for a robe, threw it on, left the bed, and strode towards Aishuo. “Such a beauty…” he leered, gripping Aishuo’s chin with his thick, greasy hand, his eyes alight with lust.

Without a word, Aishuo produced a silver needle and jabbed it into the back of his hand, stepping away with an expression of utter disdain. Fat and greasy, with the face of a pig and that revolting leer—he was an eyesore she could barely tolerate. It was restraint enough not to kill him on the spot.

Rubbing his hand, the man tried to tease her, “Pretty thing, have you come for me? Have you fallen for your lord? Gender means nothing to me—come here.”

With that, he tried to pull Aishuo into his arms. Hearing his words and seeing his disgusting face, Aishuo felt a wave of nausea rise. Clutching her stomach, she unceremoniously vomited all over him, then stepped further away.

She’d never seen anyone so repulsive.

The man looked down at his soiled robe, brushed at it indifferently, and continued his advance, grinning lewdly as he reached out with a hand thicker than Aishuo’s thigh, aiming to wrap it around her waist and drag her to him.

Aishuo stomped hard on his foot, making him yelp and let go, jumping in pain. The next moment, she appeared before him again, a wicked smile on her lips, driving her knee up with force. The man doubled over, clutching his groin and shrieking, but still managed to pant, “Pretty thing, is this playing hard to get?”

Aishuo could stand it no longer—she was starting to regret coming in. Holding four silver needles between her fingers, she drove them mercilessly into his body. Did people not remember her reputation as the Poison Enchantress? So full of energy, were you? Then let’s see you put it to the ultimate use.

Her task complete, Aishuo departed, leaving only a graceful silhouette behind. The man froze at first, then soon after was consumed by an uncontrollable fire…

The next day, Aishuo sat by the window in a teahouse, sipping her tea and watching the bustling street below, while whispers drifted to her ears.

“Have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“About what happened to Second Master Jiang last night!”

“Oh, that? Of course, who hasn’t heard! It’s all over town—heh heh.”

“No one knows how it happened, but last night Second Master Jiang became so frenzied he tried to… with anyone he saw, man or woman. I even heard—get this, he didn’t spare the guard dog at home!” Here, the speaker lowered his voice for effect.

Everyone burst into laughter.

As a martial artist, Aishuo didn’t miss such a delightful bit of gossip. Hearing this, she nearly spat out her tea and choked—she hadn’t expected him to be quite so “full of energy.”

“Ha! Ha ha!” She couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her own handiwork.

The group turned to look at her, puzzled, and, thinking her mad, moved to sit further away, continuing their conversation.

Aishuo stifled her laughter and listened with even greater interest—though it was hardly eavesdropping when she was so blatantly attentive.

“That’s right! And this morning, the doctor’s diagnosis: Second Master Jiang overindulged himself and will never again be able to perform his husbandly duties. He’s no better than a eunuch now!”

At this, Aishuo covered her mouth, struggling not to laugh, but her heart swelled with pride. Hmph, did you expect anything less from me? She’d planned from the start to make him a eunuch—since he was so spirited, she’d done him a kindness: let him ruin himself by his own hand. Hmph, wasn’t that merciful of her?

“They say he was drugged, too! Imagine someone daring to go after Second Master Jiang!”

“Well, serves him right. Calling him ‘Second Master’ is being generous. With his brazen lust, kidnapping women, flouting the law—he’s overdue a lesson.”

“Exactly, exactly!”

Aishuo was positively giddy, her eyes crinkling with mirth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. She drew a deep breath to calm herself, left money for her tea, and walked away from that exhilarating place with a light, buoyant step.

———End of Chapter———

Please add to your collection, please add to your collection, please add to your collection~ Mili only asks for your collection!