CH 23

Chapter 23

Wasn’t it because something had already happened?

And where did this example come from? Wasn’t it from Duan Qiufeng, along with Qi Jinglan and the Qi siblings?

Qin Jiulin didn’t know the specifics, but he was aware that the news came from Duan Qiufeng. Moreover, Qi Yue indeed transformed into an atavistic (variant) beastman.

It was said that during an expedition, Qi Yue was critically injured and near death. Unable to save him, Duan Qiufeng resorted to a desperate measure: he removed the beastman core from Qi Yue’s heart and fed it to Qi Jinglan. Initially, it was just an experiment, but unexpectedly, Qi Jinglan truly became a beastman.

Of course, she became an ordinary beastman, not a variant one.

This news was almost useless because no one would think of trading an ordinary beastman for a special one with a beastman core.

Unless under extreme circumstances, like what Duan Qiufeng and the others mentioned, However, whether their situation was as they described remained unknown.

Xia Liansheng targeted him precisely because he knew about their situation. He felt foolish for not noticing the secret dealings between Xia Liansheng and Qin Jiuzhen.

After all, Xia Liansheng had been exceptionally kind to him. He was so kind that even when he showed slightly more favor to Qin Jiuzhen or others, Qin Jiulin had no suspicions. It was precisely because he was blinded by Xia Liansheng’s kindness that…

Liu Zhongyuan, “Jiulin, Jiulin?!”

Qin Jiulin was momentarily lost in thought before responding, “What?”

Liu Zhongyuan remarked, “You seemed lost in thought just now. Is that man really that difficult to deal with?”

Qin Jiulin chuckled and shook his head. “There’s nothing difficult about him. He’s just… a bit unsightly.”

Squinting, Liu Zhongyuan commented, “Indeed, I’ve been observing for a while, and he does seem rather unimposing, without any threat.”

Qin Jiulin replied, “Let’s wait and see what he’s up to.”

Liu Zhongyuan questioned, “Isn’t it already evident?”

Qin Jiulin inquired, “What exactly is evident?”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked. “You…”

Qin Jiulin: “Do we need to think about it? Dealing with two and a half-beastmen individuals, killing them is much simpler for us than hunting.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “That’s true.”

Qin Jiulin: “I don’t know when he’ll make a move. The waiting time is a bit unbearable.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Should we kill him when the time comes?”

Qin Jiulin smiled. “Why kill him? In this kind of world, keeping an ordinary person alive is the greatest torment for him.”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked. “You’re right.”

Suddenly, Qin Jiulin thought of something. He felt he should go check on that Qi Yue. If Qi Yue is still his little boyfriend and treats him well, then… Staying alive wouldn’t be torture.

Seeing him getting up, Liu Zhongyuan asked, “What are you going to do?”

Qin Jiulin replied, “He came to me before, and the communication wasn’t very pleasant. At that time, he had a minor with him, Qi Yue, who was only seventeen. Qi Yue has a beautiful sister named Qi Jinglan. The man is called Duan Qiufeng, and he has a romantic relationship with Qi Yue. But secretly, it seems there’s something going on between him and Qi Jinglan.”

Liu Zhongyuan was stunned. “Ah… is that so?”

Qin Jiulin: “I want to see if this poor boy has realized he’s been deceived.”

Liu Zhongyuan, “Need any help?”

Qin Jiulin: “Help with what? A person pretending to sleep can never be awakened. If he still has a chance, two reminders are enough. If he’s beyond help, then let him face the consequences.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Sure, I’ll go too.”

Qin Jiulin: “Let’s go.”

They didn’t get too close, but rather, they stood at a distance, watching the villa from a high place. With their enhanced vision, even from this far, they could see clearly.

Liu Zhongyuan pointed to someone and asked, “Is that the man, the one who came out with a woman, Duan Qiufeng, as you mentioned?”

Qin Jiulin nodded. “That’s him, and the woman beside him is Qi Jinglan. It’s strange, though. I don’t see Qi Yue. Where could he have gone?”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Hey, do you see they’re holding food? It seems like they’re heading towards that villa. What could they be doing? Sneaking out for a meal? But that doesn’t make sense; they didn’t avoid others when they came out.”

Qin Jiulin: “Let’s wait. Once they leave that villa, we’ll go take a look. If my guess is correct, Qi Yue might be there.”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Qi Yue doesn’t live with them?”

Qin Jiulin: “Who knows? We’ll check it out later.”

The two waited, while Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan continued their amorous activities in the villa. As for the food and water they brought, it was evident that they consumed them themselves.

Upstairs in a room, Qi Yue had gone without food or drink for three consecutive days. He was now weak, only having the strength to breathe.

Duan Qiufeng: “Qi Yue is really lucky. It’s been three days, and he’s still alive.”

Qi Jinglan nestled quietly in his arms. “It’s fine. If three days don’t work, we’ll try four. If four days don’t work, we’ll try five. When he’s gone, we’ll just say he was sick and couldn’t be saved. No one will suspect anything.”

She spoke these chilling words in a gentle tone, but Duan Qiufeng didn’t find anything amiss. In fact, he felt that Qi Yue was indeed dying rather slowly.

This led them to visit three times a day, but it also had its benefits—they could share affection openly here.

Duan Qiufeng: “Let’s go. It’s almost time. If we go back late, they’ll accuse us of using this opportunity to be lazy and not work.”

Qi Jinglan frowned slightly. “People can say anything. Haven’t we always finished our own work? If he had died sooner, it would have been better.”

That way, there would be no burden, and they wouldn’t have to sneak around.

The two quickly left the villa. Upon seeing this, Qin Jiulin signaled for Liu Zhongyuan to come over. When they reached the villa, they found it empty.

Liu Zhongyuan: “Someone’s upstairs. Faint breath. It’s almost gone.”

Qin Jiulin: “Let’s go up and see.”

Approaching upstairs, they didn’t need to search; the room closest to the stairs was obvious. The door was still open. When they appeared at the doorway, they noticed Qi Yue lying on the bed, barely breathing, staring at them with bloodshot eyes, as if wanting to drag them to hell before his imminent death.

However, he froze upon seeing Qin Jiulin.

Qin Jiulin could see a sudden surge of strong will to survive in Qi Yue’s eyes. His mouth opened and closed slightly, perhaps signaling a plea for help.

Liu Zhongyuan: “Should we save him?”

For Liu Zhongyuan, this Qi Yue was indeed pitiful, but pity wasn’t a reason for them to intervene, especially since he had come from the city, where there were plenty of unfortunate people.

Qin Jiulin thought of himself, “Do you know? I also have someone who is very good to me.”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked, unsure of what Qin Jiulin was talking about. “You have a lover?”

Qin Jiulin smiled. “There is someone who treats me very well and considers me a lover, but he has never confessed to me, and we’re not officially a couple. What do you think about that?”

Liu Zhongyuan: “Is he keeping you as a backup?”

Qin Jiulin: “My relationship with my family is very poor. As soon as I had money, I moved out. But while he treats me very well, he also has a good relationship with my family.”

Liu Zhongyuan didn’t quite understand.

Qin Jiulin focused his gaze on Liu Zhongyuan. “I have a younger brother named Qin Jiuzhen. He’s quite good-looking.”

Liu Zhongyuan immediately thought of the current situation with Qi Yue. Could it be that Qin Jiulin is also being deceived? No, he just mentioned that the person is good to him but has never formally committed to a relationship.

Liu Zhongyuan: “So, is this… Qi Yue situation similar to yours? Are you planning to save him?”

Qin Jiulin nodded. “Yes, I want to see what he plans to do in the future. If he acts stupid, then I’ll personally kill him.”

This way, Qi Yue wouldn’t suffer the fate of being manipulated by Duan Qiufeng, just like Qin Jiulin’s past life.

Liu Zhongyuan: “Sounds good.”

He didn’t find anything wrong with Qin Jiulin’s decision to potentially kill Qi Yue. If someone could forgive being starved to death and cheated on without any complaints, then they were truly beyond help.

So, Qin Jiulin took Qi Yue away, bringing him to his own villa. After casually throwing him into an unprepared guest room on the first floor, there wasn’t even a blanket inside.

However, Qin Jiulin did give him a simple meal and some water. After eating, Qi Yue fell into a deep sleep, but he seemed restless, his brows furrowed.

“Did you give him food?”

“What for? In this situation, we don’t need this useless pawn anymore.”

“But… are we really going to let him starve to death?”

“What’s the big deal? This food and water were originally ours.”

“But letting him starve…”

“Enough, Jinglan. Can’t you bear to let this waste die? Don’t forget, as long as he’s alive, we can never be together openly and honestly.”

“You’re right. Now is a good opportunity. He’s seriously ill, and if we don’t take advantage of this chance to let him die, it won’t be as easy later on.”

“See, I told you. Don’t worry about him. It’s been several days already; there shouldn’t be any problems. I bet he can hold on for a few more days.”

“After he dies here, we’ll just tell Wang Ge and the others. They won’t come to check; most likely, they’ll just ask us to dispose of the body.”

“That’s good…”

“Come on, baby, give me a kiss. Come and give me a kiss. Why are you shy? We’ve already done more intimate things, haven’t we? You little seductress…”