Chapter Fifteen: Peach Blossom's Pregnancy

Under the cover of night, Su Yang slipped the arsenic he had bought that day into his sleeve and stealthily made his way toward Zhang Hu’s small courtyard. Candlelight flickered inside the room. He needed to find a way to lure Zhang Hu out, so he could pour the poison into his tea or some similar vessel.

Before Su Yang could devise a plan, the door creaked open. Out stepped a man clad in black, his face half-covered with a dark cloth that left only a pair of sinister, crafty eyes exposed. Judging by his build, this had to be Zhang Hu himself.

But what was Zhang Hu doing, dressed like this in the dead of night? Was he perhaps planning to come after Su Yang? A cold sweat broke out down Su Yang’s back. If Zhang Hu intended to attack him in secret, he might very well succeed—there was no defending against a hidden dagger.

This man had to be eliminated—he was a ticking time bomb.

Before Zhang Hu noticed him, Su Yang hurried back to his own courtyard. After all, Peach Blossom was still inside. If Zhang Hu came but found Su Yang absent, he might very well turn his malice toward her.

He waited for half an hour, but Zhang Hu did not appear. Su Yang began to suspect that he himself might not be the target. To keep Peach Blossom safe, he escorted her to the sturdy servant girls’ quarters for the night, where she would be secure.

As for himself, he returned once more to Zhang Hu’s courtyard. After probing and confirming the room was empty, he slipped inside and dissolved some arsenic into a teacup. If Zhang Hu was unlucky, his corpse would be ready for burial by tomorrow.

Peach Blossom was in her cooling-off period; even if she returned, she would hardly be able to perform her duties as a woman. Ever since consuming that blood ginseng from Mount Tai, Su Yang’s strength had surged, his constitution transformed, his heart ablaze.

Fortunately, the brothel was legal here—a night spent in pleasure would do him no harm. If he met someone suitable, perhaps he could even redeem her and keep her as a concubine outside.

As for Zhang Hu’s whereabouts, Su Yang no longer cared. As long as neither he nor Peach Blossom was harmed, Zhang Hu could do as he pleased.

After nightfall, the only lively place in Yanggu County was the Emerald Spring House, where the youngest and most charming girls knew how to please their patrons. It was a paradise for men.

The truly wealthy preferred the official pleasure quarters, but alas, Yanggu County had none.

The streets were deserted under the night sky. Su Yang moved purposefully through alleys and lanes. Suddenly, a shadow darted across an intersection ahead—clad in black and built like Zhang Hu, with something slung over his shoulder. Su Yang’s brow furrowed, and he hurried after him.

Following at a distance, Su Yang realized that Zhang Hu was shouldering a sack containing a person. He trailed him to a dilapidated courtyard on the east side of town. Zhang Hu carefully opened the door, slipped inside, and lit a candle.

He threw the sack to the floor and untied the rope, revealing the pretty, youthful face of a girl. Her hair was loose, which lent her a certain tenderness. Her clothes marked her as someone of wealth, and her mouth was gagged.

“I’ll take the cloth from your mouth so you can eat something. Don’t you dare scream, or you might find a few scars on that pretty face,” Zhang Hu threatened, tracing the cold blade of his dagger along Li Doukou’s cheek. She shivered at the chill, shrinking away in fear.

He pulled the cloth from her mouth and slowly fed her tea and food, never removing the blindfold from her eyes.

“What do you want from me?” she stammered, voice trembling. “My father is Deputy Magistrate Li of Yanggu County. If it’s silver you want, I’ll have him send it. When do you plan to let me go?”

“Money?” Zhang Hu sneered. “My young master doesn’t want money. What he wants is the body of a beauty like you… Heh… When my young master has time, he’ll come and savor you himself.”

Zhang Hu’s tone was lewd and mocking. Looking at the delicate girl before him, he felt his own desire simmering, but for the sake of the plan, he restrained himself.

“Who is your young master?” Li Doukou asked, voice urgent. “If he wants women, my father has many concubines. Give him a few, and let me go. My father will forgive you and reward you with silver and beauties.”

“That won’t do. My family is in my master’s hands. If I let you go, it’s all over for me,” Zhang Hu replied.

“Who is your master, then?”

“After my master has tasted you, your death will not be far behind, so I might as well tell you. My master is Su Yang, son-in-law to the Wang family of Jiangnan.”

“What?” Li Doukou gasped. “The Wang family’s new son-in-law? How could he do such a thing?”

“My master will soon pass the imperial exams and become a great official. Yanggu County is nothing to him; everyone here is like ants in his eyes. If I serve him well, my own future will be far brighter than anything your father could offer,” Zhang Hu boasted.

“Aren’t you afraid your master will punish you for revealing his name?” Li Doukou pressed.

“I’ve already sold my life to him. At most, he’ll give me a scolding, and besides, you’ll soon be dead. You’ll know everything on the day you’re forced into his bed,” Zhang Hu sneered.

Outside the window, Su Yang, who was eavesdropping, swore silently, wishing he could rush in and kill Zhang Hu then and there. To divert disaster onto him, to use another’s hand to kill him—such cunning.

If Zhang Hu succeeded, Su Yang would surely be executed. He was merely a ninth-rank martial artist; if the constables came, he’d be hauled away before he even understood what was happening.

Whether it was a false accusation or not didn’t matter—he would die all the same. This had all started because of him, so he would be the one to pay the price. Fortunately, he had decided to visit the brothel tonight; otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Earlier that day, the authorities had just finished searching the north city, and tomorrow they would search the west, then the south and east. Zhang Hu had moved Li Doukou to the north city to avoid detection.

Zhang Hu was more capable than he appeared—he had actually managed to kidnap Miss Li.

After feeding her, Zhang Hu shoved the cloth back into Li Doukou’s mouth, stuffed her into the sack, tied it to a pillar, and left. His footsteps faded away.

Inside the sack, a faint sobbing could be heard.

Su Yang untied the sack and removed the blindfold, revealing a pair of bright, watery eyes staring at him. Her long lashes quivered as she gazed at his handsome features, her expression full of hope.

She could tell that the youth before her was not her kidnapper. That man's voice was rough, even though he had tried to disguise it; he was clearly a brute. The young man before her, however, was gentle and refined—a savior.

Su Yang pulled the gag from her mouth. Gasping for breath, she asked joyfully, “You… you’re here to rescue me?”

He nodded solemnly and untied the ropes from her wrists and ankles. The bindings had left bruises and traces of blood.

“Thank you,” she said. “What is your name?”

In Li Doukou’s eyes, Su Yang shone with an almost otherworldly light—her dream hero come to life. She had just been delivered from the shadow of rape and murder by a handsome youth. What girl wouldn’t be smitten?

“My name is Su Yang,” he replied.

“What? Su… Su Yang?”

“You’re the Wang family’s son-in-law?”

“That’s right.”

“No… No, don’t…!” Li Doukou’s hopeful gaze instantly turned to terror. She hugged herself, shrinking back, her voice trembling.

“Miss Li, please, let me explain!”

“Is what you say true?” she asked after he finished.

“It is the truth. Zhang Hu tried to frame me. Luckily, I caught him in the act, or else you would have lost your innocence to him and believed it was I who defiled you. Thankfully, Zhang Hu was not in a hurry,” Su Yang said.

“When I return, I’ll have my father arrest and execute Zhang Hu,” Li Doukou vowed, gritting her teeth.

“Miss Li, I’m afraid you can’t go home for a while.”

“Why not?”

“I fear your father will blame me in his anger and have me killed. So I must ask you to come with me for the time being. When the time is right, I will let you go.”

It was a desperate measure, but Su Yang had no choice. He did not know Li Doukou’s temperament, and since Zhang Hu had kidnapped her to frame him, it was likely she would direct some of her anger at him as well. Su Yang knew he could not withstand the wrath of the county’s judicial officer, so he had to hide Li Doukou for now. When he was powerful enough to stand above Yanggu County, he would release her.

“Isn’t this just imprisoning me?” she asked.

“Rest assured, Miss Li, I will not mistreat you. Your food and drink will be provided, and I will attend to you myself. In fact, there is a simpler solution—to kill you and silence you forever. No one would ever know, and I would be free.”

Li Doukou trembled at his words, her pitiful eyes enough to stir compassion.

“But I have chosen the hardest path, one that could destroy my entire family if I make a single mistake. Yet I take it for your sake. Please, Miss Li…”

“Very well… I agree,” she replied after a moment’s thought, realizing it was perhaps the best outcome for her. She followed Su Yang obediently as they slipped back to the Wang estate.

Fortunately, the Golden House was secluded and rarely visited.

Li Doukou was seventeen or eighteen, her face still showing traces of youth, but her budding beauty was evident, her figure and bearing more refined than Wang Xiahe’s, with the air of a well-bred lady.

After locking Li Doukou in the inner room, Su Yang carried the sleeping Peach Blossom back. The poor girl was exhausted, still sound asleep when he laid her on the bed.

Li Doukou, petite and delicate, exclaimed in surprise when she saw Peach Blossom. “Who is she?”

“My maid, Peach Blossom,” Su Yang replied.

“A maid?” Li Doukou was startled. Why would a master care so tenderly for a servant, carrying her in his arms no less? And the maid, so bold as to let herself be carried by her master? In her own home, such a thing would be unthinkable. In any respectable household, for that matter.

“She is also my woman,” Su Yang added, seeing her curiosity.

“Oh, I see.”

He settled Li Doukou in the inner chamber and slept outside himself.

Name: Su Yang (Quasi-Immortal)
Incense Merit: 80
Level: Ninth Rank, Blood-Burning Stage
Techniques: [Incense Division] [Qi Gazing Art]
Lifespan: 112+
Family Progress: To accelerate your family’s development, you must produce heirs; if one of your women conceives, you will gain 30 merit points!
Daily Reminder: Endurance today is for digging up graves tomorrow—guard your life well.

“Huh?” Su Yang murmured as he noticed the family progress bar had advanced. Had Zhang Hu died?

He leapt from bed and dressed, hurrying to Zhang Hu’s courtyard. Knocking brought no answer. Heart pounding, he pushed open the door to find a body sprawled on the ground, blood streaming from every orifice, eyes bulging in death.

Exhaling deeply, Su Yang stared at Zhang Hu’s corpse, feeling both nauseous and fearful. It was his first time killing a man, even if it was by poison.

With the greatest threat in the Wang estate now gone, Su Yang could settle in, fathering offspring to perpetuate his line, seeking immortality and eternal joy.

Zhang Hu’s body needed to be disposed of. Leaving it in the estate would be dangerous; if it was traced back to him, or if Li Doukou was discovered, all his efforts would be for nothing.

He stuffed the corpse into a sack, wiped away the blood, and carried it to a river in town. There he slashed Zhang Hu’s face, bound the body with stones, cut open the belly, removed the organs, stuffed them into the sack, and hurled it into the water.

From that night on, Zhang Hu ceased to exist.

The next morning, Peach Blossom eyed Li Doukou warily until Su Yang explained everything, after which her face broke into a radiant smile.

A maid soon arrived to summon them for breakfast. Su Yang told Peach Blossom to stay home, still uneasy about Li Doukou and wanting to be cautious.

Before he left, Peach Blossom stopped him—her period was two days late. Could she be pregnant? Su Yang decided to take her out that afternoon to confirm with a doctor. If she truly was with child, he would need to make preparations.

Once he reached the eighth rank, he could take Peach Blossom and leave at any time, but if things could be resolved peacefully, all the better.

“Brother-in-law,” Wang Xiahe greeted him, her youthful face shining with a gentle smile. Her opinion of Su Yang had improved considerably in recent days.

Even his mother-in-law, Liu Wenxiang, now looked at him with affection—all except the cold-faced Wang Chunxiao.

Su Yang mused that if not for Wang Chunxiao, living with his wife’s family, his sister-in-law, and mother-in-law as a family of three wouldn’t be so bad.

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