Chapter 10: A Sudden Onset of Discomfort

It is not hard to imagine the audacity of these wretched servants, harboring such items by their bedside, and how they must have lewdly fantasized about their master in private.

As the object of this "fantasy," Jiang Luan felt goosebumps rise all over his skin; every pore on his body recoiled in disgust.

The two servants knocked their heads against the ground until they were covered in blood, wailing, "Spare us, Young Mistress!"

"I have no interest in watching you perform self-mutilation. Speak—where did you get this?" Jiang Luan asked coldly.

The erotic storybook was exquisitely typeset and illustrated with masterful skill; it was clearly not something two low-level servants could have produced on their own. He wondered how many more such books existed and whether they were already circulating widely.

Jiang Luan frowned. He had originally intended only to punish these bullies who preyed on the weak and to squeeze some money out of them; he had not expected to uncover such a serious issue. While he was not well-acquainted with the original owner of this body and did not know how debauched the previous master had been, he was now the Young Mistress of the Qi family. His reputation was now tied to the family’s name, and there was a clear difference between a reputation for being a flirt and being the subject of lewd, illicit literature.

The two servants exchanged glances, hesitating and remaining silent.

Qi Shaolin, who had been guarding the door, sensed that something was wrong and rushed in. "Wife, are you hurt? What is that..."

"Hey!"

Jiang Luan was in no mood to deal with Qi Shaolin right now. He pushed the face leaning toward him away as if he were shooing a dog. "Stop it, be good!"

Qi Shaolin stood still, looking instantly aggrieved, and fell silent.

Seeing that the two servants kept their mouths shut with no intention of confessing, Jiang Luan turned to Zuo Lang.

"Xiao Zuo, you came from the Prince’s estate. You must have seen how the Prince deals with disobedient servants, right? Tell me about it."

"Yes." Zuo Lang lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "I had the misfortune of witnessing the Prince execute two people. One was by pouring molten lead, and the other by flaying.

"For the one subjected to molten lead, burning hot tin or lead is poured down the throat. The heat is so intense that the person is essentially cooked from the inside out, emitting the aroma of roasted meat, unable even to scream. Yet, they do not die immediately. The molten metal solidifies in their belly, and they are hung on a wall by hooks, left to suffer for several days before they finally expire."

The room went deathly silent. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Zuo Lang. The thin, frail boy seemed not to notice as he continued:

"As for flaying, as the name suggests, it involves peeling off a person’s skin. The cut is usually made along the spine, separating skin from flesh, and spreading it out like the wings of a butterfly. The executioner at the Prince’s estate was highly experienced; the victim could remain alive even after being flayed, and would linger for ten days while submerged in a vat of wine before slowly dying."

The two servants stared at Zuo Lang with wide eyes, as if looking at a demon; they couldn't even make a sound, and a puddle of yellow liquid began to pool between their legs.

It wasn't just them—even Jiang Luan was terrified. He swallowed hard and subconsciously leaned toward Qi Shaolin, feigning composure as he asked, "And what crimes had those two committed?"

"One picked up the Prince’s jade pendant and did not return it in time, and the other spoke recklessly, spreading rumors about the Prince," Zuo Lang said calmly. "Neither would confess their guilt when caught, so they were subjected to these extreme punishments."

"..."

Jiang Luan looked at the two kneeling men.

They seemed to snap out of their stupor and scrambled forward, fighting to confess. "I’ll say it! I’ll say it!"

"Young Mistress, this book was stolen from the cousin! We only have this one copy!"

What the hell? Where did this "cousin" come from?

Jiang Luan mentally reviewed the Qi family tree. He didn't recall Qi Yuheng having a daughter. Could it be a relative from the maternal side?

Seeing the confusion on Jiang Luan's face, one of the servants took the initiative to explain, "The cousin is a child adopted by the old master some time ago, named Qi Baili. Because there is no blood relation, he isn't on the family register, and due to family rules, he has always been kept living outside."

The other added, "The cousin has always been fond of literature and writing, often compiling his own stories. This book was also compiled by him, and he hired someone to draw the illustrations."

"How many of these books does this cousin have?" Jiang Luan asked.

"A... a hundred or so."

Good grief—it seemed this wasn't just a personal collection. Jiang Luan could easily imagine the damage to his already non-existent reputation if these books were to circulate. What was wrong with this original owner? Why did he have enemies everywhere?

Zuo Lang seemed to sense his concern and volunteered, "The old master’s birthday is in a few days, and Qi Baili will be visiting then."

The implication was clear: he could probe for more information when Qi Baili came to offer his birthday wishes.

Jiang Luan nodded. There was no point in rushing, so he ordered, "Xiao Zuo, take these two to the woodshed for now, and find a cart to haul away this contraband."

"Yes." Zuo Lang complied and half-dragged the two trembling men away.

After they left, Jiang Luan sighed. Another plot character had appeared; it was enough to make one go bald. Furthermore, the rumored birthday of the old master was in a few days. Seeing how arrogant Prince Suping was, yet how docile he remained in the presence of the Qi clan leader, one could guess how much effort everyone would expend to curry favor with the old man.

Of course, Jiang Luan couldn't fall behind. He had to find a way to "suck up" to the old man, play the victim, and scrape together some money to prepare for his eventual escape...

As he thought about this, Jiang Luan glanced at Qi Shaolin, who was standing obediently beside him. He thought to himself: *You little fool, if I save enough money and get my health back to run away, you'll be left all alone. But since we’ve met and shared a bed for a few nights, I’ll try my best to pave the way for you so you can live a little better.*

Qi Shaolin: "??"

Seeing Jiang Luan staring at him, Qi Shaolin was full of question marks. He thought for a moment and said to Jiang Luan, "Wife, did I do well just now? You told me to be good, so I didn't make a fuss."

"Very good." Jiang Luan sighed. "My attitude was bad earlier. Did I push you hard? I'm sorry."

"It didn't hurt," Qi Shaolin said, scratching his cheek in confusion.

"..." Jiang Luan looked at the boy and thought he certainly seemed sturdy enough; all that time running around on the mountains hadn't been for nothing.

"But Wife, can you stop talking to Zuo Lang so much?" Qi Shaolin peeked at Jiang Luan’s expression. "You always listen to him and ignore me."

Looking at Qi Shaolin’s earnest attempt to "negotiate," Jiang Luan found it amusing. He had wanted to say this earlier: Zuo Lang was just a child, so why was Qi Shaolin always jealous of him?

Jiang Luan asked, "Didn't you both come here together this morning?"

"He’s always following me!" Qi Shaolin protested indignantly. "Wife, can you make him go away? I don't like this tail!"

Jiang Luan said nonchalantly, "Eh, it's no big deal. I won't let him follow you anymore."

Jiang Luan was about to tell the little fool it was time to go home when he suddenly noticed something—the little fool seemed to have gotten shorter... No, his posture was off.

Qi Shaolin was always slightly stooped when talking to him.

Jiang Luan looked around the room and realized the ceiling beams were too low. Qi Shaolin, with his freakish height, had to hunch over to avoid hitting his head. He had stood like that for a long time without a single complaint, just because Jiang Luan had told him "don't make a fuss"—he was obedient to the point of being heart-wrenching.

Jiang Luan felt a complex emotion and patted Qi Shaolin on the shoulder. "Let's go."

"Wait," Qi Shaolin reached out and grabbed Jiang Luan. "Wife, your hair is messy."

"Is this what you call messy?" Jiang Luan clicked his tongue. "It wasn't even tied up properly to begin with! I'll find that maid... what was her name... and have her redo it."

Qi Shaolin had a sudden idea. "Then let me redo it for you, Wife."

"Heh, you know how to comb hair?" Jiang Luan looked surprised.

He didn't expect the silly boy to be able to style his hair, but he didn't want to refuse either, so he stepped in front of Qi Shaolin. "Go ahead then."

Jiang Luan figured that, since he would be leaving in a few months at most, he might as well be nicer to the little fool for the time he had left.

Qi Shaolin, unaware of his thoughts, excitedly and carefully untied Jiang Luan’s hair ribbon, letting his long, waterfall-like black hair cascade down to his waist. Beauties usually had thick hair, and the original owner was no exception.

Normally, children liked to pull and tug, and for a moment, Jiang Luan was genuinely worried Qi Shaolin would mess with his hair, but to his surprise, the big man was quite gentle.

Qi Shaolin’s slender fingers wove through Jiang Luan’s silky hair, gently smoothing it out. His breathing was very soft.

Jiang Luan felt