Chapter 13: Old Habits Die Hard

“When did the Valley of the Medicine King become so frugal, unable to even replace a chair with a decent one?” Night Cangming glanced sideways at Shangguan Yuheng, a mocking smile lingering on his lips.

Shangguan Yuheng lightly rubbed his sleeve, a faint crease between his brows. His junior sister was not someone who acted recklessly; her behavior today must have another cause.

He said nothing, simply stepped inside. Night Cangming cast a brief glance and followed closely behind.

Chu Yuyao was the first to notice their arrival, her gaze instantly landing on Shangguan Yuheng, surprise flickering in her eyes. She hadn’t expected to encounter him here, saving herself the trouble of seeking him out. As for Night Cangming, she ignored him entirely; though he stood out and looked quite presentable, his personality was far too unpleasant.

Night Cangming had expected that upon seeing him, Chu Yuyao would cling to him like a dog to a bone, then employ some shameless ploy. He was just thinking—if this woman dared to throw herself at him, he’d kick her out, sparing his own eyes from the sight.

Yet, she merely swept him with a cold glance, as if he were some unsightly filth, and shifted her gaze elsewhere without a hint of pause.

Night Cangming: “......”

Something felt off. Had this ugly creature really given up? Wasn’t this the classic feint to lure him in?

Realizing this possibility, his mood improved somewhat. But then, recalling the uproar over the matter of divorce, his expression soured once more.

Chu Yuyao was oblivious to Night Cangming’s inner turmoil; if she knew what he was thinking, she would have snorted in derision, turned her back, and given him nothing but the back of her head. What nonsense.

Yun Shuwan, upon seeing Shangguan Yuheng, turned pale with fright, nearly dropping the teacup in her hand, only managing to grip it in time. Damn it, why had senior brother come so suddenly—and at this exact moment?

Suppressing her panic, she calmly set the teacup aside. As she stood, her hem covered a trace of powder at the table’s corner, her wide sleeves unconsciously shielding the area coated with ‘Beauty’s Drunkenness.’ She forced herself to walk steadily toward Shangguan Yuheng. “Senior brother, what brings you here?”

“I heard that Junior Sister Chu was visiting, so I came to see.” Shangguan Yuheng’s voice was gentle and cool.

His gaze flickered to the chair with two broken legs, eyes darkening slightly. He then glanced at the pot of Mind-calming Grass on the windowsill, still damp, but he could clearly smell the scent of Severing Pulse Powder.

There were other problems throughout the room—everywhere lurked sinister poisons, sending chills down his spine. His brows furrowed. Though his junior sister was cold by nature, she had always been kind-hearted; when had she become so venomous?

His eyes grew somber as he scanned the room once more, finally stopping at Chu Yuyao. Though half her face was masked, her eyes were clear and bright, watching him with a half-smile.

“The Valley of the Medicine King’s hospitality is truly eye-opening,” Chu Yuyao remarked, glancing meaningfully at the broken stool.

Shangguan Yuheng cast a mild look at Yun Shuwan before returning his gaze to Chu Yuyao, his tone gentle yet distant. “Forgive us, Junior Sister Chu. The Valley rarely entertains guests, and these furnishings are old and neglected; we have indeed been remiss.”

With a flick of his fingertip, a flash of spiritual energy restored the broken chair to perfection.

Night Cangming scoffed quietly, “Ugly thing, the divorce scandal has shamed all five of us, and now you dare show your face here? Aren’t you afraid I’ll snap your neck?”

She glanced at him disdainfully and nonchalantly dug at her ear, “Young Master Night, is your voice so loud because you’ve trained in Lion’s Roar?”

In truth, Night Cangming’s voice was not loud at all—deep and magnetic, quite pleasing, but she deliberately said so.

Yun Shuwan looked at Chu Yuyao with admiration—was this woman stupid? Or simply too stubborn? Instead of hiding, she confronted him directly. Wasn’t she afraid he’d really break her neck? Or did she think the Heavenly Path Sect backing her made her untouchable? Night Cangming was a ruthless devil; if he wanted someone dead, not even the gods could intervene.

Still, she hoped the woman would court her own death, and Night Cangming would indeed snap her neck.

Night Cangming’s face darkened, his figure ghostlike as he appeared before Chu Yuyao, his long fingers suddenly gripping her throat, his voice icy, “I’d like to see if your neck is tougher than your mouth.”

Lifted off her feet, Chu Yuyao was nearly suffocated, struggling painfully. Yet she managed a mocking smile, “Young Master Night... so worked up, surely... I’ve hit a sore spot? Or... do you... actually miss the days I chased you, calling you Brother Ming?”

She was clearly in dire straits, but her spine was unyielding, and her words even more so.

Night Cangming’s expression was so dark it seemed ink might drip from it, his gaze vicious enough to devour her.

Damn woman, even at this point, her mouth remained hard—did she truly not fear death?

His grip tightened; he was genuinely ready to kill this ugly wretch, to end it once and for all and save himself future disgust.

Shangguan Yuheng saw that Night Cangming meant murder, and his brows knitted. As much as he disliked Chu Yuyao, he couldn’t let her die in the Valley of the Medicine King. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, a beam of azure light flashed.

Night Cangming’s wrist went numb, and he instinctively released his hold.

As Chu Yuyao fell, she deliberately tugged at him, sending both tumbling into the newly restored chair.

“Crack.”

The mended chair broke again.

Chu Yuyao was stunned; she had only meant to embarrass the dog-man for a bit of satisfaction, never expecting them to land in the chair together.

Even more awkward was the fact that she lay sprawled across his chest, exposing her honeyed skin. She absentmindedly squeezed twice.

She realized the dog-man’s physique was excellent—muscular without clothes, slender with them, the very model of a coat rack.

Catching herself, her face flushed crimson, her expression stiff.

Looking up, she met Night Cangming’s murderous glare.

A shiver ran through her, and she instantly bounced off him, only to be tripped by Night Cangming’s foot, sending her stumbling forward in an awkward, contorted posture.

Being so close to the ground, she had no time to control her body.

She thought she was doomed, about to embarrass herself again, but a fair, slender hand reached out and steadied her.

Chu Yuyao looked up in surprise; it was Shangguan Yuheng.

He smiled gently, warm as jade, “Junior Sister Chu, be careful.”

She used his support to stand, secretly grateful he’d caught her—otherwise, things would have gone terribly.

Just as she was about to thank him, she met Shangguan Yuheng’s meaningful gaze.

She paused—did this man think she’d done it on purpose?

Remembering how she’d sprawled on Night Cangming and even groped him, her face grew even more embarrassed.

“That—just now, I didn’t...”

Before she could finish, a murderous aura swept from behind, chilling her to the bone.

She turned quickly.

Night Cangming had already risen, fixing her with a dark glare, his eyes promising a slow death.

He adjusted his robe with deliberate calm and sneered, “Heh, I thought you had some backbone. Turns out a dog can’t stop eating shit.”