Yue Zhong sat in the corner, his eyes fixating on Anning.
His heart filled with reluctance, he harbored deep jealousy and resentment towards Xiao Yuan.
Yue Zhong was not having good days at the moment.
Wang Chunhua had a domineering character.
Ever since her marriage into the Yue Family, she had been oppressing Yue Zhong and his mother, resorting to beating and scolding at the slightest dissatisfaction.
Moreover, Wang Chunhua was not attractive to look at.
Yue Zhong was not handsome himself, but he had always desired to marry a beautiful girl.
Wang Chunhua did not meet his criteria for a spouse at all.
Every time he saw her, Yue Zhong felt extremely annoyed.
Wang Chunhua was also far from virtuous, and she managed the household affairs poorly, leaving Yue Zhong with neither the mood nor the energy to study.
Yue Zhong’s heart was accumulating a lot of negative emotions.
A person with normal values would find a way to resolve them or at least have an open and honest discussion with Wang Chunhua, aiming at least for a peaceful coexistence as husband and wife.
But Yue Zhong was one with a dark nature to begin with.
He attributed all the dissatisfaction in his life to Xiao Yuan.
He thought if Xiao Yuan had never existed, then it would have been him who was engaged to Anning.
If he had married Anning, how wonderful everything would have been.
Anning, so beautiful and kind, would surely get along very well with his mother and manage the household affairs meticulously, allowing him to concentrate on his studies.
He and Anning would have a loving marriage, growing old together.
The more he thought this way, the more Yue Zhong hated Xiao Yuan, wishing he would drop dead immediately.
Anning sensed Yue Zhong’s negative emotions.
Without a change in expression, she glanced at Yue Zhong and noticed he was enveloped in a dark mist.
Xiao Yuan held Anning’s hand: "What’s wrong? Is it that the food here doesn’t suit your taste?"
Anning smiled at him: "It’s nothing, I just saw something unpleasant just now."
Xiao Yuan led Anning upstairs: "There are too many people in the hall; it’s unavoidable to come across disagreeable individuals. Let’s go upstairs where it’s quiet and have our meal there."
Anning smiled and followed Xiao Yuan upstairs.
While waiting for the meal to be served, Anning pondered over the dark mist surrounding Yue Zhong.
After a moment, she recalled what it could be.
It was a very ancient type of ghost that strengthened itself by exploiting people’s negative emotions and the dark side of human nature.
An individual filled with negative emotions, who harbors habitual jealousy towards others, without a speck of light in their heart, would attract a nightmare charm.
It’s just that such entities, born in ancient times, should have ceased to exist by now. So why is there still such a thing with Yue Zhong?
Thinking of the nightmare charm, Anning grew somewhat distracted.
She didn’t eat even after the food arrived, leaving Xiao Yuan no choice but to feed her bit by bit.
By the time Anning came back to her senses, she was already half full, while Xiao Yuan hadn’t eaten a single bite.
Xiao Yuan put on a sulking face and coquettishly complained to Anning: "You’re not eating properly, and I still have to feed you. I’m starving. No, you have to feed me too."
Anning rolled her eyes at Xiao Yuan but still picked up the bowl to feed him, chiding as she did: "Are you still a child? Needing to be fed..."
Xiao Yuan opened his mouth, indicating for Anning to give him some meat.
Anning picked up some deboned fish and stuffed it into Xiao Yuan’s mouth: "Eat quickly."
After the meal, when Anning and Xiao Yuan were leaving, Yue Zhong was still in the main hall, drowning his sorrows in drink.
Anning noticed that in just that short time, the dark mist around Yue Zhong had thickened.
Anning knew that this meant the nightmare charm had grown stronger.
If they allowed the nightmare charm to grow unchecked, it wouldn’t be long before the whole Prefecture City would be cloaked in dark, cold emotions, stirring up the deepest hidden rage in everyone’s hearts. Then, the citizens would eventually start killing each other, and no one in Prefecture City would be spared from disaster.
Thinking of this, Anning felt a chill in her heart.
Back at home, Xiao Yuan asked with concern: "What’s the matter? You’ve been unhappy all day. Is something bothering you?"
Anning sighed deeply: "There is something, but don’t worry about it. You just focus on studying for your exams."
"What exactly is it?"
Xiao Yuan was very worried about Anning, asking softly as he held her hand: "I am your husband. If you have something you can’t decide on, just talk to me. We’ll think of a solution together. Two heads are better than one. And as for studying for the exams, don’t you trust me? I’ve said it before, with my skills, becoming an Advanced Scholar would be no problem, let alone a mere scholar."
Had Xiao Yuan’s initial words been quite moving to Anning, the latter part made her laugh and cry at the same time.
"Yes, you’re the best, the greatest."
Anning nestled into Xiao Yuan’s embrace: "My husband is the best: handsome, intelligent, good-tempered, virtuous, and wealthy. Oh my, how fortunate I am to have such an excellent husband."
Happy with her words, Xiao Yuan was very pleased.
"You are indeed the luckiest. Who else’s husband could compare to me in looks and learning?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fıre·net
Anning giggled for a while and then turned around, her hands encircling Xiao Yuan’s neck, and quickly kissed his lips: "The best husband in the world, you must treat me even better from now on. Aside from me and mother, you can’t glance at another woman, and you can’t make me angry. You must listen to me, and help me with everything. Do you agree?"
Xiao Yuan felt soft and sweet inside, like he had drunk honey.
He nodded eagerly: "Yes, I’ll listen to you."
After laughing and playing for a while, Anning finally told Xiao Yuan about the nightmare charm.
Xiao Yuan knew a bit about it: "Isn’t that a kind of witchcraft?"
Anning nodded: "It is witchcraft, but originally, it was an ancient ghost. I remember that such beings had disappeared over a thousand years ago. How could it have reappeared?"
Xiao Yuan’s heart tightened: "Ningning, let’s not worry about the exams; let’s head home."
Anning shook her head: "It’s unavoidable. Yue Zhong is also one of the Qingyuan people; he will return home too. If we don’t eliminate the nightmare charm, it could cause chaos across the land, and none of us would be able to escape."
Xiao Yuan hugged Anning tightly: "So, what should we do?"
Anning thought for a while: "I’ll write to Wang Chunhua and ask her to come to Prefecture City. With her here, things will be easier."
Xiao Yuan didn’t understand these bizarre and spooky matters, so naturally, he went along with whatever Anning said.
Anning added: "Find some cheery people and make arrangements for them to invite Yue Zhong out these next few days, keeping him from brooding. Let’s buy some time this way; meanwhile, I’ll make some preparations."