CH 24

Chapter 24

Qi Yu slept restlessly, as if he could constantly hear Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan whispering in his ears. They discussed letting him starve, even though he knew they deliberately ate and drank by his bedside, being intimate. Once, in a daze, he even saw Duan Qiufeng lifting Qi Jinglan’s clothes, covering their heads. He could understand what they were doing at a glance—disgusting, too disgusting!

Qi Yu abruptly opened his eyes, leaning over the bed, retching continuously. However, apart from a sore throat, nothing came out.

Exhausted, he lay back, feeling his cold sweat.

His awakening was a bit loud, and Qin Jiulin knocked on the door, “Qi Yu, are you awake?”

Qi Yu dry coughed, his voice hoarse, “I’m awake.”

Qin Jiulin asked, “Can you get up on your own?”

Qi Yu tried and surprisingly could. After eating a bit and drinking water, he felt much better. “I can get up. Thanks, I’ll come out now.”

As Qi Yu opened the door, he saw Qin Jiulin outside, “Is it… you?”

Only now did he recognize him as the person who had persuaded him to join their team with Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan.

Recalling Qin Jiulin’s abnormal attitude towards Duan Qiufeng back then, did he sense something?

“At that time, you… did you?” Qi Yu asked.

Qin Jiulin nodded, “You were in the front, of course, you didn’t know. They were making eyes at each other behind you.”

Qi Yu was dazed for a moment, then nodded, “I see.”

These two planned to starve and dehydrate him to eliminate the obstacle. It was nauseating, he didn’t know how he endured it.

“Come out and have something to eat,” Qin Jiulin said.

Qi Yu regained his senses, touched his stomach, indeed feeling hungry.

On the table were several large bowls of meat. Qi Yu’s mouth watered at the sight and smell. Qin Jiulin handed him chopsticks, “Eat as much as you can. There’s water here too.”

Although he wanted to decline, seeing the delicious meat, he couldn’t refuse. Finally, he just said, “Thank you.”

He first took a few sips of water, moistening his throat, then started eating slowly. As he adapted, he ate like Qin Jiulin and Liu Zhongyuan, even feeling unsatisfied after finishing a bowl.

Surprisingly, he felt no stomach ache. Confused, he touched his stomach, “Strange…”

Qin Jiulin and Liu Zhongyuan, looking at the last bowl of meat, asked, “Still eating?”

They were almost full but could eat more if needed. Yet, compared to them, Qi Yu needed it more.

Liu Zhongyuan casually handed the last bowl, not filled to the brim, only half full, “Eat, Qi Yu.”

Qi Yu hesitated, “I’ve eaten a lot already…”

Though he said that, his gaze remained glued to the bowl of meat. Obviously, he wasn’t full.

“And, eating this much seems… problematic?” Qi Yu added.

“Just eat. We’ll talk after you finish,” Liu Zhongyuan said.

Qi Yu glanced at Qin Jiulin, who quietly added, “After eating, clean up the bowls and the kitchen, then come to the living room. We have something to tell you.”

Then the two left for the living room, leaving Qi Yu alone. Without any pretense, he slowly finished all the meat in front of him, not even letting the soup go to waste.

Now he finally felt a bit full in his stomach. After cleaning up the dining room and kitchen, he walked hesitantly to the living room, where he saw Qin Jiulin and Liu Zhongyuan huddled together, discussing something.

Qin Jiulin turned to him, waving, “Come over.”

Qi Yu walked over somewhat reservedly, sitting on the sofa across from them. “Mr. Qin…”

Qin Jiulin interrupted him, “Actually, it’s Qin Jiulin. You should know him; this is Liu Zhongyuan. You can call us brothers, Qin Ge or Liu Ge.”

Qi Yu nodded, “Qin Ge, Liu Ge, um…”

Qin Jiulin didn’t make it difficult for the seventeen-year-old. “Okay, let me tell you something first. After that, you can go to the bathroom, and as for the clothes… I’ll get you some new ones later.”

Qi Yu obediently sat on the opposite side, “Sure, thank you, Qin Ge.”

Qin Jiulin continued, “Tell us about your situation before.”

Qi Yu briefly explained his previous situation, and Qin Jiulin, after thinking for a moment, stroked his chin, saying, “Considering your condition, plus the days of starvation, we only gave you a bit of meat and water. Yet, after waking up, you could get out of bed and walk. Moreover, eating so much all of a sudden didn’t affect you…”

“What do you think?” Qin Jiulin asked.

Qi Yu blinked, a bit puzzled. When he seemed to be thinking, he appeared to realize something, but he also looked uncertain. Hesitatingly, he said to Qin Jiulin, “Could it be because…”

Qin Jiulin cut in, “There’s nothing to hide. You indeed show signs of becoming a beastman, and the possibility is quite high. After all, can an ordinary person have your condition?”

“But hasn’t the time passed already?” Qi Yu questioned.

“Who told you time has passed?” Qin Jiulin countered.

The timing of someone becoming a beastman isn’t fixed. Initially, there are more cases, but even later, ordinary people can become beastmen. It’s rare, like a one in a million chance. Qi Yu happens to be one of them, and not just an ordinary beastman—he directly became a different species of beastman.

“I didn’t know because no one told me. So, I really can…” Qi Yu started.

“Yeah, you really can. And looking at your situation, you might not be an ordinary beastman. Perhaps…” Qin Jiulin said.

“Ordinary beastman?” Qi Yu questioned.

“Do you still not know?” Qin Jiulin asked.

Qi Yu shook his head, looking a bit confused, “What is it if not an ordinary beastman?”

Qin Jiulin smiled, “There are different types of beastmen. One is an ordinary beastman, like the two you met before.”

“Wang Ge and Lin Ge? They were a red fox and a pigeon,” Qi Yu recalled.

“Yeah, after transformation, their appearance, size, combat capabilities, etc., are no different from ordinary animals. They are called ordinary beastmen,” Qin Jiulin explained.

“And… there’s another type?” Qi Yu inquired.

“There’s another type that, after transformation, differs significantly from ordinary animals in terms of size, appearance, combat capabilities, and many other aspects. They’re called different species of beastmen,” Qin Jiulin elaborated.

“Different species of beastmen? Different species? What does that mean?” Qi Yu asked.

“You’ll understand later,” Qin Jiulin chuckled.

“Later?” Qi Yu questioned.

“After you become a beastman. These days of eating, drinking, and sleeping well will help you get through the most difficult time. By then, show us what animal you transform into,” Qin Jiulin explained.

Qi Yu thought to himself that it seemed like they were implying he could become a powerful different species of beastman. He wasn’t sure if he had that luck. Besides, how significant is the difference between different species of beastmen?

With these thoughts, Qi Yu believed he had to wait a long time to find out. However, he didn’t expect to witness the so-called variant beastman the very next day.

As Qi Yu stepped out of his room in the morning, he saw a massive tiger lying in the living room. And this tiger was exceptionally… exceptionally…

Of course, the most eye-catching were the black and red patterns, along with the black and red eyes. The most lethal, of course, was the size—just one tiger almost filled the entire living room.

Qi Yu was startled, staring blankly at Qin Jiulin. He even forgot to speak until Liu Zhongyuan came out of the bathroom and patted his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Yu shakily pointed at the massive tiger in front, “This… this… this…”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “This is your Qin Ge. Oh, right! You didn’t know yet.”

Qi Yu slowly came to his senses, “Ah… Qin Ge?”

Qin Jiulin slowly transformed into human form, casually took the bathrobe from the sofa, put it on, and tied the belt. He turned to look at Qi Yu, “What’s wrong?”

Qi Yu’s eyes widened, unbelievably looking at Qin Jiulin, “Qin Ge, you really are Qin Ge! Then just now… just now was?”

Liu Zhongyuan explained, “That was your Qin Ge, didn’t you know yet?”

Qi Yu, still in disbelief, stammered, “Qin Ge, you mean… you’re a variant beastman?”

Qin Jiulin confirmed, “Yes, did you notice the difference between my beast form and ordinary animals?”

Qi Yu nodded, “I noticed, the difference is significant. You can easily distinguish between ordinary beastmen and different species of beastmen at a glance.”

Qin Jiulin sat on the sofa, “That’s good to know. By the way, your  Liu Ge is also a variant beastman. He just didn’t show you because after transforming, the whole living room couldn’t contain him. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to see it in the future.”

Qi Yu, still dumbfounded, looked at Liu Zhongyuan beside him, “Liu… Liu Ge?!”