CH 25

Chapter 25

Liu Zhongyuan smiled at him, “Why so surprised? Anyway, you likely have the potential to transform into a different species. Look at yourself in the mirror when the time comes, and be amazed.”

Qi Yue suddenly became alert, “Am I… am I too?”

Qin Jiulin replied, “It’s just a possibility. Whether you’re a unique creature or a regular beastman, neither can match up to someone like Duan Qiufeng.”

Qi Yue blinked, thoughts shifting to Duan Qiufeng and then to Qi Jinglan. His eyes flashed with resentment, anger, and intense hatred, but he quickly composed himself.

To Liu Zhongyuan and Qin Jiulin, Qi Yue’s ability to hide his emotions at the age of seventeen was commendable.

Qi Yue took a deep breath, then smiled, “Speaking of which, I have to thank you. Without you, where would I be now? Maybe I would have starved to death in a couple of days.”

Qin Jiulin said, “No need for thanks. You’re safe in the villa now. If they come looking for me, just pretend not to know. If they confront you, we won’t back down. They’ll fear us.”

Qi Yue agreed, “Qin ge is right. They’ll fear us. After I become a beastman, I’ll work with you sincerely. Just hope you won’t despise me then.”

Qin Jiulin thought of Qi Yue’s potential beastman form, squinted his eyes, “What’s there to despise? It might even be highly useful. By the way, Duan Qiufeng and your sister probably realized you’re missing…”

Qi Yue sarcastically smiled, “Even if they find out, it doesn’t matter. They must think I’m dead, given my condition. They can’t imagine I’m still alive.”

Indeed, Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan had noticed Qi Yue’s absence early on. They had even searched for him yesterday but found nothing.

Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan still hadn’t found Qi Yue after a few days, and both appeared somewhat disheartened.

Qi Jinglan worried, “Qiufeng, where did Yue go? How did he manage to leave in his weakened state?”

Duan Qiufeng was unsure, “Could it be that his weakness before was just an act?”

Qi Jinglan, concerned, “He knows about us now, and we treated him poorly. He must hate us. What if he causes trouble for us in the future?”

Duan Qiufeng reassured, “No, he’s just a kid. Can he really confront me? Maybe he regained strength after waking up yesterday and left. He might be dead somewhere we haven’t searched yet.”

Qi Jinglan agreed, “That makes sense. Should we keep looking? Should we inform others in the villa?”

Duan Qiufeng decided, “In short, they won’t care. They probably think Qi Yue is dead. Let’s go back. If we delay, that Fang girl will accuse us of being lazy again.”

When they returned to the villa, they saw Fu Jingjing looking disdainful, “Out for so long, deliberately avoiding work?”

Duan Qiufeng retorted, “As if you worked diligently during this time.”

Fu Jingjing stared at him, “You…”

She hadn’t done much either during this time, and everyone knew it.

“Humph, it’s only been a few days, and your mouth is already so sharp.”

Duan Qiufeng commented, “I learned from you. I didn’t used to talk like this.”

Fu Jingjing wanted to say more, but Zhou Yiyi stopped her, “Enough, let’s clean the villa while Lin ge and Wang ge are out hunting. Many places are dirty, and the kitchen’s water supply is running low. If they return to a messy villa, they might be unhappy.”

Fu Jingjing didn’t say much, “I understand. Let’s go clean up.”

Qi Jinglan also joined in. As a woman, cleaning the villa was usually assigned to women, except for men going out to fetch water.

Today, it was Duan Qiufeng, Zhang Liao, and Zhang Wei’s turn to fetch water. After packing up, they left.

Zhang Liao remarked, “This villa area is really safe. It’s been a long time, and there’s been no danger. Initially, Lin ge said we should wait for them to come back from hunting before going to fetch water. Now, it seems we don’t need their company.”

Zhang Wei added, “Indeed, it’s very safe. There’s no danger around the villa area. Lin ge and the others have checked it thoroughly. No danger found.”

“By the way, how is the boy in the villa next door that you arranged? It’s been so long; he hasn’t died of illness, has he? The corpse will definitely need handling at that point, so the stench doesn’t spread everywhere.”

After some thought, Duan Qiufeng said, “He left.”

Both Zhang Liao and Zhang Wei were momentarily stunned. “What does that mean?” Zhang Liao asked.

Duan Qiufeng replied, “Actually, when Jinglan and I went to look for him today, we found that he was no longer in the villa. We searched around today but couldn’t find him anywhere. Maybe he went out and hid on his own.”

Zhang Liao questioned, “Why would he hide? Is he recuperating? You even brought him food and water. Is he so ungrateful? Recovers and then runs away?”

Duan Qiufeng’s eyes flickered with guilt. “Who knows? Maybe he dislikes us. When he got sick, we kicked him out.”

Zhang Liao remarked, “Well, that’s a possible reason. Wang Ge and Lin Ge didn’t object. In the entire villa, only you and his sister were willing to take care of him. Probably hates everyone else except you two.”

“That’s unavoidable… Maybe he didn’t want to cause trouble for you.”

Duan Qiufeng added, “Okay, let’s not discuss this. He won’t come back to the villa for sure. Let’s wait and see; maybe he’ll contact me and Jinglan.”

When Wang Boming and Lin Yuze returned and heard that Qi Yue, who was staying in the neighboring villa, was missing, they didn’t say much. They just gave meaningful looks to Duan Qiufeng and Qi Jinglan.

“Since he’s gone, then he’s gone. It doesn’t concern us. But you, Qi Jinglan, if he’s alive, he’ll definitely come back to find you. Don’t let him cause trouble for us when he does.”

“We chased him away before because he was useless. In this world now, people without value can be treated in any way. If he resents us and causes trouble, we won’t be polite, understand?”

Qi Jinglan nodded with some fear, “I understand. Lin Ge, if Yue comes to find me, I will definitely persuade him.”

This statement sounded like Qi Yue would surely come back to cause trouble later, but no one contradicted it. The atmosphere became tense, even Fu Jingjing, who usually liked to talk, remained silent.

Wang Boming said, “Alright, we’ve brought back the prey. You guys go cook in the kitchen. Yuze and I will take a shower. Remember to call us when it’s time to eat.”

Fu Jingjing smiled and stood up, “Wang Ge, don’t worry. I won’t forget to call you, no one can forget.”

She watched the two of them go upstairs and then quietly looked at Duan Qiufeng. Unexpectedly, Duan Qiufeng was indeed involved with Qi Yue, just as she had suspected.

“Humph,” she snorted. Since that was the case, she let it be. After all, she wasn’t without suitors. Duan Qiufeng probably betrayed Qi Yue when they were together. She blamed herself for not noticing it earlier.

Although it felt unfair to Qi Yue, it was inevitable. People for themselves, heaven for all! Fu Jingjing suddenly thought of a possibility: perhaps Qi Yue didn’t leave on his own but was jointly killed by this couple?

After disposing of the body, they came back and claimed he was gone. Couldn’t find him anywhere? That must be it! In the past, it was a lawful society, so they couldn’t do anything wrong. But now it’s different.

If someone dies and everyone knows who did it, as long as it doesn’t affect them, they won’t care. Now they are openly together, so did they kill Qi Yue to get rid of trouble?

She sneered. It turns out that Qi Yue is Qi Jinglan’s real younger brother. For the sake of a man, they conspired to kill their own brother. What a good woman!

Thinking that Qi Yue might not have left on his own, but was killed by this couple, she couldn’t help but feel a chill. She realized she needed to be careful when dealing with Qi Jinglan in the future.

People who show their temper openly are not scary; the most frightening are those like Qi Jinglan. On the surface, she seems innocent and helpless, needing care and assistance to survive, but her heart is ruthless!

Zhou Yiyi approached her, “Jingjing, what’s wrong with you?”

Fu Jingjing said, “You startled me!”

Zhou Yiyi asked, “Hmm? Is everything okay? Are you daydreaming?”

Fu Jingjing blinked, thinking it’s better to remind her good friend. So, she told her speculation. Zhou Yiyi looked unbelieving, “My god, is this true?”

Fu Jingjing said, “Who knows if it’s true or not? Just be aware of this possibility. Stay away from Qi Jinglan in the future. She seems gentle on the surface, but who knows what she’s thinking.”