Villainous Fake Eunuch (11)

Once again, Song Xu Yi spent her day enduring the Great Demon King Gu Ruyu’s incessant pinching of her face.

Perhaps due to resignation or sheer familiarity with Gu Ruyu’s constant proximity, Song Xu Yi found herself gradually becoming accustomed to his presence.

Despite the system’s indignant cursing towards Gu Ruyu, Song Xu Yi consoled it by saying, “In a past world, I saw a stress relief toy made of gel that people squeezed when under pressure. Maybe Gu Ruyu just likes the sensation of pinching my face…”

Song Xu Yi realized that she was no match for Gu Ruyu’s overwhelming strength. With Gu Ruyu being all-powerful and his entire team consisting of his subordinates, Song Xu Yi could not resist him and had no choice but to let go.

However, despite Song Xu Yi’s endurance, Gu Ruyu seemed to be growing more and more irritable for no discernible reason.

He wanted to be with Song Xu Yi every day but always felt dissatisfied in her presence, as if something was amiss. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, which frustrated him greatly.

Due to Gu Ruyu’s constant presence in Song Xu Yi’s carriage, she inevitably came into contact with his subordinates who came to report on business. They seemed to have deemed Song Xu Yi as trustworthy and did not keep many secrets from her. Through this process, Song Xu Yi discovered something intriguing: not all of Gu Ruyu’s subordinates were from the court!

Gu Ruyu had a specialized group of subordinates who operated clandestinely and possessed unique skills, along with a strict management system.

They were fiercely loyal to Gu Ruyu, which explained his extraordinary abilities.

This newfound knowledge piqued Song Xu Yi’s curiosity about Gu Ruyu’s origins. Who exactly was he?

The plot summary for Gu Ruyu revealed nothing about his background or origins, only his treacherous act of causing chaos and allowing enemy forces to infiltrate the country.

Intrigued by the possibility that Gu Ruyu’s past might be linked to his present treachery, Song Xu Yi became more observant when interacting with him and his followers.

Unfortunately, Song Xu Yi’s physique was that of a military failure, making her an easy target for the group of people who operated under Gu Ruyu’s leadership. Moreover, they had their own unique code language, which even with Song Xu Yi’s system as a cheat, she was unable to decipher.

Undeterred, Song Xu Yi relied on her system to gather intelligence. Although she did not uncover Gu Ruyu’s background, she did discover the ruthless management system employed by his organization. Physical punishment was commonplace, and limb-breaking was considered a mild form of punishment.

One day, Song Xu Yi caught sight of several bloodied individuals searching for Gu Ruyu.

As the group of assassins dressed in pitch-black attire approached, Gu Ruyu disembarked the carriage and headed towards a nearby thicket, where the dense foliage obstructed Song Xu Yi’s view. Remaining in the carriage, Song Xu Yi feigned reading her book while deftly tapping into the system within her mind…

The system dutifully relayed the situation on Gu Ruyu’s side:

“Surname Gu is incredibly composed! His demeanor is frosty and unyielding, while the group of people before him are prostrating themselves…”

“These individuals are apologizing to Surname Gu for their unsuccessful assassination attempt. They plead for him to punish them!”

“Hey, it appears as though they are addressing Surname Gu as ‘Your Highness’…”

“What ‘His Highness’? Do you mean to say the King of the Underworld?” the system angrily rebuked.

“Surname Gu, who covertly partakes in assassination, is not a good person!” the system concluded with a curse aimed at Gu Ruyu. It continued, “Incredible! Gu Ruyu looks downright terrifying when he’s angry and chooses not to utter a single word. I’m curious how he manages his subordinates, who all seem to fear him. It seems that one of them is on the verge of hacking off their own limb with a blade…”

“So many of these people are willingly cutting off their own arms, yet the unscrupulous Gu Ruyu doesn’t intervene!!”

Song Xu Yi was initially contemplating who Gu Ruyu was targeting and why this group of people addressed him as ‘Your Highness’. However, her eyes widened upon hearing the system’s words. Without a second thought, she leaned out of the carriage and shouted, “Gu Ruyu!”

In her haste, Song Xu Yi failed to address Gu Ruyu respectfully as “Eunuch Gu”.

As anticipated, Gu Ruyu heard Song Xu Yi’s call and emerged from the woods with a furrowed brow.

“What do you want to do, Xu Yi?” The system knew precisely what Song Xu Yi intended to do when she spoke up and couldn’t help but worry as it stated, “Do not get yourself tangled in this mess. Gu Ruyu’s affairs are not something you can handle…”

But it was too late! Gu Ruyu had already advanced to the front of the carriage.

Song Xu Yi was momentarily flustered. But after quickly regaining her composure, she feigned clutching her stomach and looked at Gu Ruyu with imploring eyes.

“My apologies, but I seem to be experiencing a stomach ache. The pain is quite excruciating.”

The tense air became still and silent.

Gu Ruyu remained mute, his unwavering gaze locked onto Song Xu Yi’s face. He radiated a menacing cold fury that intimidated all the attendants and assassins standing around him, who dared not even breathe too loudly.

Knowing that her performance was unconvincing, Song Xu Yi steeled herself and persisted with her pretense, recalling the imminent danger in the grove and the people who were willing to mutilate themselves.

“Eunuch Gu, my stomach really hurts,” Song Xu Yi pleaded as she leaned out of the carriage, gazing up at Gu Ruyu with pitiful eyes. She mimicked the way the little girl she adpopted used to act cute, blinking her eyes as she earnestly spoke, “Can you please send someone to find a doctor for me?”

“I saw the black-clothed people who just came running very quickly. Can you ask them to find a doctor for me?” As Gu Ruyu’s eyes grew darker, Song Xu Yi grew increasingly anxious, her voice lowering with each word until she finally retreated back into the carriage.

But Song Xu Yi didn’t expect Gu Ruyu to lift the carriage curtain and step into the carriage himself.

“I’ve never seen someone with a stomach ache who still has the energy to care about others who have nothing to do with them!”

Gu Ruyu dropped his icy demeanor and spoke mockingly, exposing Song Xu Yi’s poor disguise. As he spoke, his hand reached towards Song Xu Yi’s abdomen…

?!

“The audacious and impudent rake who has no reverence for life!” The system screamed in Song Xu Yi’s mind, its words filled with indignation.

Song Xu Yi’s face instantly flushed with embarrassment, and she instinctively tried to move away, but her feeble attempts to escape were no match for Gu Ruyu’s skilled movements.

She didn’t know where Gu Ruyu had struck, but Song Xu Yi felt utterly powerless and could only watch as Gu Ruyu applied pressure to her abdomen.

“I have offended the Princess. I am just a Eunuch, please forgive me,” Gu Ruyu said, feigning contrition, even as he continued his examination.

“The tonic water has not yet arrived, but your bowels are clear,” Gu Ruyu pressed on Song Xu Yi’s stomach slowly, then reached out and checked her pulse. Finally, he made a calm diagnosis, “Princess…may be suffering from a heart condition.”

Song Xu Yi no longer wanted to speak – she never thought Gu Ruyu would stoop so low! However, she had given Gu Ruyu the opportunity to take advantage of her, and now she had lost both the game and the soldiers. She not only failed to save those people, but also got herself into trouble. Song Xu Yi regretted her actions deeply and just wanted to find a hole to disappear into…

But to her surprise, Gu Ruyu’s mood visibly improved.

A light chuckle escaped his lips as he started to play with her hair again. Although Song Xu Yi’s stomach had been violated by Gu Ruyu, she didn’t want to bother with his hair-playing antics. She still kept her eyes tightly shut, pretending to be lifeless. However, she heard Gu Ruyu softly murmur, “Ruyu…”

?!

“You wish to rescue those individuals, don’t you?” Gu Ruyu drawled while idly toying with Song Xu Yi’s hair, his tone nonchalant. “If you address me as Ruyu going forward, I may be inclined to spare them.”

“Don’t listen to him, Xu Yi!” the system protested vehemently. “After all, he only severed his subordinate’s limb. It’s not your responsibility!” Despite its objections, the system knew that Song Xu Yi possessed a tender heart and couldn’t bear to witness others suffering.

Predictably, a short while later, Song Xu Yi blushed and shut her eyes, stuttering out, “R-Ruyu…”

The system clenched its proverbial teeth in frustration – it longed to materialize and bite that detestable Gu Ruyu.

However, Gu Ruyu only smiled, his androgynous features appearing even more sinister. He leaned in closer to Song Xu Yi’s face, his eyes alight with an unusual intensity, his voice low and raspy, and his ears flushing crimson as he spoke with a hint of satisfaction, “Since the Princess esteems this servant so highly, this servant will be presumptuous and henceforth refer to the Princess as Xu Yi…”

Song Xu Yi had paid a ‘steep’ price she never expected, but the outcome was as she desired – Gu Ruyu had spared those people.

As the carriage passed through a certain prefecture, Song Xu Yi learned about a local official who had been badly injured in an assassination attempt and was being hunted by the authorities.

This official was infamous for his corruption and oppression of the people. However, since his sister was the Emperor’s favored concubine, no one dared to petition the Emperor to punish him.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but think of the black-clothed men who had almost had their arms cut off by Gu Ruyu before – was it really just a coincidence?

A few days later, another group of black-clothed men knelt before Song Xu Yi and begged her to save their leader, who was about to be punished by Gu Ruyu. Despite the system’s repeated reminders to “ignore them,” Song Xu Yi couldn’t resist agreeing to help them plead for mercy, thinking that they might be righteous and just individuals carrying out justice.

This time, Song Xu Yi struck a deal to aid Gu Ruyu with his hair for a month, in exchange for the leader’s life.

As time went on, Song Xu Yi’s influence over Gu Ruyu grew evident, and desperate individuals sought her out, imploring for assistance and willing to agree to Gu Ruyu’s various idiosyncratic requests. From singing to him, accompanying him on horseback, to reading stories, these actions brought them closer together.

Days passed uneventfully for over a month, and in just a few more days, they would reach Jiangnan.

But unexpectedly, as they passed by a cliff, an ambush was waiting for them – one aimed directly at Gu Ruyu.

Despite being the head of the organization, Gu Ruyu’s leadership was not a cohesive unit. A faction within his ranks grew increasingly discontent with his iron-fisted rule, recruiting malcontents to join their cause, planning to eliminate Gu Ruyu and take over his position. Initially, they hadn’t planned to act so soon, but Gu Ruyu’s recent drastic change in leadership style had mollified internal opposition. Fearing that their window of opportunity would close if they waited any longer, they took a gamble and attempted to assassinate Gu Ruyu.

It was evident that this faction was no match for Gu Ruyu, and they quickly revealed their vulnerability.

Song Xu Yi also witnessed Gu Ruyu’s might for the first time: Gu Ruyu’s actions were ruthless and decisive, like a demon emerging from the underworld, taking on ten people at once, leaving behind a trail of wails and suffering…

As the turmoil was about to conclude, Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to close the curtains of the carriage when she heard a sizzling sound of something burning…

Song Xu Yi did not anticipate this group of individuals to have planted explosives beneath her carriage!

By the time Song Xu Yi heard the sound of the fuse burning, it was already too late!

Amidst a deafening blast, Song Xu Yi tumbled into a familiar and sturdy embrace.

She felt a sense of weightlessness as her body collided with a solid surface, causing her to emit a muted grunt as her head made contact. A splash resounded, and soon after, Song Xu Yi slipped into unconsciousness.

The author has something to say:

Hehehe, today’s flag didn’t fall, so I’ll be bold and set another one: same time tomorrow.