Chapter 16: Green Eyes (16)

Shen Qiuxun looked up alertly, peering out over the heavy steel plates. In the swirling storm, a black figure stood there. The violent gale only lifted a corner of his clothing.

His brow jumped. It was the man who had been smoking with Xu Zhiyuan earlier. Had he not agreed with Xu Zhiyuan and come alone to silence him?

【When an Alpha’s mental power condenses to a certain degree, it can form a mental domain out of thin air, capable of halting a storm.】

The System explained helpfully.

‘So flashy. I want an entrance like that too.’

【At this moment, shouldn’t you be concerned for your life?】

‘Oh, right. What’s his rank?’

The System wanted to tell him that scanning ranks was basically dancing on the edge of the rules, but he glanced hesitantly at his host looking upwards and swallowed these words into his database.

【A-Rank Alpha.】

‘One rank lower than Xu Zhiyuan?’

【That’s one way to put it.】

But the gap between S-Rank and A-Rank was clearly different from the gap between A-Rank and B-Rank. A-Rank meant his strength was only A-Rank, while S-Rank meant the rating scale only went up to S-Rank.

‘Then there’s nothing to worry about.’

【You have a solution?】

The System felt this discount host he’d picked up was a complete mystery, seeming to know a bit of everything, as if no difficulty could stump him.

‘Wait for death. Why should I struggle?’

【…】He retracted his previous thoughts.

Shen Qiuxun’s gaze was unfocused. The next second, he saw the black-clothed man already standing before him, looking down from above. His deep pupils held a kind of murky gray in the darkness, a very contemptuous look, as if looking at a toy.

In fact, Jiao Ye initially had some interest in this Beta branded by Xu Zhiyuan. But standing before this person, unsure if he was friend or foe, the man was actually daydreaming. He was like a penned lamb, only able to cower in a corner and wag its tail pitifully when danger arrived.

Shen Qiuxun looked up, his bangs slightly poking his eyes. Sitting against the wall, his tone was calm: “May I ask who this brother is?”

“Hah, you’re not worthy of knowing my name.”

‘He’s not even playing along with this ancient-style youth. Doesn’t understand the rules of the jianghu at all.’

【You seem to handle things with ease.】

‘It’s alright. When I’m scared, I just tell a cold joke to comfort myself. Why else would there be a saying about dying with a smile on your face?’

【…】

Jiao Ye sensed his distraction, and a wave of disgust rose in his heart. He suddenly attacked, aiming straight for the lamb’s fragile neck. He could almost already imagine the scene of the delicate lamb struggling in his grasp. Xu Zhiyuan’s plaything would tremble under his hand. As for revenge?

Why would Xu Zhiyuan harm their cooperation over a diversion?

Shen Qiuxun tilted his head. The fist wind lifted his bangs. Thick brows, dark eyes, lashes about to take flight, a smooth nose bridge—a trace of light seemed to glide over them. His expression was calm, without a hint of panic.

The strong liquor-scented pheromones lingering on him were extremely domineering. The thick oppressive pressure was impossible to ignore, faintly making Jiao Ye feel a burning pain.

This pain altered his attack path… but only that.

Jiao Ye was momentarily dazed by the beauty. When he reacted again, the Beta originally crouched at the wall base had already jumped far away as if encountering something filthy, standing behind a thick steel plate.

Jiao Ye’s hand made a grabbing motion. His impression of the person before him immediately changed. An ordinary Beta could never have such sharp reflexes… but to think of resisting an Alpha was still too fanciful.

“I underestimated you.” Jiao Ye had lived years licking blood from his knife edge. Forced to restrain himself for several days for the mission, finally encountering a somewhat interesting prey, he felt his blood boil with a long-lost fervor.

He stepped forward, wanting to mobilize his mental power, but felt something off in his body. Unknowingly, his arm had already lost all sensation!

Gray spread from his palm up his arm. In just two seconds of shock, the eerie feeling of powerlessness had extended to his shoulder.

“What did you do?”

Shen Qiuxun was stuck right at the edge of the mental domain, just able to avoid the storm. He tapped the steel plate: “A little drug. You know, I work part-time at a pharmacy.”

“You’re courting death…”

“I’m not.” Shen Qiuxun extended his index finger, pointing it in Jiao Ye’s direction. His smile was insincere, just pulling at the corner of his mouth: “You are.”

“This drug is called Bone-Dissolving Water on the black market. Five seconds for the whole arm, ten seconds for half the body, thirty seconds and you’ll faint. Just sleep your way to hell.” Shen Qiuxun spread his hands.

Jiao Ye’s eyes turned bloodshot. Barely controlling the half of his body that still responded, he desperately wanted to rush over and tear him to pieces.

“But you’re an Alpha. If you go find a blocker now, maybe there’s still hope.” Shen Qiuxun lifted his eyelids, lifting his chin towards the alley exit. His pale face held a touch of ghostly aura.

Jiao Ye looked at him suspiciously, wanting nothing more than to flay him and pull out his tendons: Always catching hawks, never thought a hawk would one day peck his eyes out!

His expression wavered, and finally, he staggered towards the alley entrance: Once he recovered, he would make this reckless Beta beg for death but find no peace.

Only after he was far away, certain he wouldn’t return, did Shen Qiuxun finally let out a breath. The storm tangled his hair. He hurriedly lowered his head and burrowed into the encircling steel plates, feeling utterly miserable at this moment.

【Where did you get Bone-Dissolving Water?】

‘What Bone-Dissolving Water? Just concentrated anesthetic… mixed with a little something else, of course.’

A little concentrated laxative.

【…】

Shen Qiuxun lowered his head, smoothed his hair, and yawned: ‘I work under the table at the pharmacy every day. What’s wrong with collecting a little salary?’

【Makes sense.】

One person and one system, having survived the calamity, were peacefully enjoying the time within the storm. Then the air paused eerily again. Calm enveloped this area. In the distance, metal eaves were torn apart by the storm, the remaining metal skeletons groaning helplessly in the air. But in his spot, there was no sound of wind at all.

Shen Qiuxun’s brow jumped. He thought the black-clothed man’s Alpha physique was special, his anesthetic already cleared, and he was flying back to settle accounts.

A slight sound came. Shen Qiuxun turned alertly. Xu Zhiyuan, who had separated from him at the alley entrance, stopped breathlessly to the side, dragging a person in his hand.

Those grass-green eyes looked at him eagerly.

The sound of wind faded away, leaving only the man’s rapid breathing spreading in his ears.

Shen Qiuxun relaxed. He craned his neck to look over. The person being dragged looked familiar. It was Jiao Ye.

Xu Zhiyuan tossed the person, whose life or death was unknown, aside. He crouched down, pushed aside his scarf, his thumb brushing past the corner of the eye, carefully checking him from head to toe. Only then did his brow slightly loosen. He keenly sensed the trace of plantain-scented pheromones lingering in the air: “Jiao Ye really came to make trouble for you?”

Shen Qiuxun nodded, even remembering to tattle: “He wanted to kill me.”

Xu Zhiyuan glanced coldly at the person on the ground. He knew this guy had been sneaking around doing something.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness nothing happened.

“I’ll kill him for you.”

Shen Qiuxun hesitated: “Can we just… forget it? I remember he’s still quite… respectable.”

“Respectable?” Xu Zhiyuan crouched, grabbed the man’s neck with one hand, and lifted him up: “It’s no trouble.”

Shen Qiuxun thought he meant something like a barefoot man not fearing a shoe-wearer.

The man slowly regained consciousness. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he struggled violently, but couldn’t make a sound because his throat was gripped. Only when he realized Xu Zhiyuan’s cold indifference did he look at Shen Qiuxun with bloodshot eyes.

A Beta was always gentle and kind. He would surely save him.

“Let him go first.”

A bright light burst in Jiao Ye’s eyes: If only he could escape today, he would repay this a hundredfold tomorrow!

“Kowtow to me three times, and I’ll let you go. How about it?”

Xu Zhiyuan released his hand, glanced at the expressionless Shen Qiuxun beside him, and tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Jiao Ye desperately wanted to tear them apart right now, but the moment he moved, a vicious slap landed on his face, making him see stars.

Finally, swallowing his humiliation, Jiao Ye kowtowed three times to Shen Qiuxun.

‘Satisfying.’

Shen Qiuxun sat down and waved at Xu Zhiyuan: He had let him go. Whether Xu Zhiyuan let him go wasn’t under his control.

Xu Zhiyuan understood tacitly. He picked the man up. An A-Rank Alpha was utterly helpless in his hands. With his other hand, he bent a steel plate to form a shelter and reassured: “Wait for me a moment.”

Killing someone in front of Shen Qiuxun… he would probably be scared.

So Shen Qiuxun crouched there, watching him drag the man away like dragging a chicken. His face showed difficulty.

【You can’t bear it?】

“That’s not it… if the laxative takes effect, won’t Xu Zhiyuan beat the crap out of him, literally?”

The image was too beautiful to imagine. The System fell silent.

A few minutes later, Xu Zhiyuan returned, clean and fresh, showing no trace of the bloodthirsty manner he had just moments ago while ignoring curses and grinding bones to dust.

Shen Qiuxun breathed a sigh of relief. He clung to the steel plate, popping his head out: “Thanks.”

Jiao Ye was definitely trouble, and he hated trouble most of all.

The grass-green pupils contracted. Xu Zhiyuan’s ears flushed red. He lowered his head, silently took off his jacket, and draped it over Shen Qiuxun’s head, then reached out and grabbed his hand: “Let’s go.”

The heat of his palm transmitted through their touching skin.

His heart was not as calm as it appeared: So his heart had always been tugged by Shen Qiuxun, worried for his safety, willing to be a blade for another.

What was there still not to understand?

Greed was an Alpha’s nature.

Xu Zhiyuan wrapped his arm around his waist, his palm tightening, slowly exhaling a breath.

Knowing nothing, Shen Qiuxun’s vision was pitch black. He could only obediently stand up.

He only felt himself pressed tightly against the man’s back. One hand held his, the other wrapped around his back from behind. A protective posture. After two steps, Xu Zhiyuan frowned, and directly lifted him up sideways.

The violent wind howled in his ears.

The warmth of the man’s body transmitted through their touching skin, isolating the icy cold outside. This was a reliable harbor.

Shen Qiuxun ignored his less-than-dignified position:

‘This mental power is so cool. Do I have it?’

【You don’t.】

‘I hate this.’

After an unknown length of time, the two finally returned to the rental house.

“Thanks.”

Xu Zhiyuan took his jacket back, said nothing, and walked directly into his own room with a tense face.

Shen Qiuxun glanced at him, scratched his head, and went to find a change of clothes to shower. After finishing his shower and coming out, he found Xu Zhiyuan had returned, sitting at the table in a daze. Seeing him come out, he just stared blankly at him, starting to daydream, as if considering something, with a bit more cautious intent.

“?”

He looked himself up and down, finding no problem.

“What’s your relationship with that man?” Xu Zhiyuan spoke, breaking the silence, running a hand through his hair, lowering his head, and asking softly: “What man?”

“Jiao Ye?” Shen Qiuxun dragged a chair over to sit down, asking while drying his hair.

“Worried about me?” The man chuckled lightly.

“Yeah.”

“…Tsk.” Xu Zhiyuan ruffled his own hair irritably again, pulled his chair closer to Shen Qiuxun, and reached out to take the towel. He began slowly drying his hair for him.

Wet strands of hair clung to his forehead and the back of his neck, like waterweeds beneath moonlight, soaking the pale, almost transparent skin. The jet-black eyes were half-hidden under long, slender lashes, also seeming dampened by morning dew, cold and translucent.

As the warmth radiated over, Shen Qiuxun inexplicably broke out in goosebumps.

Xu Zhiyuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Colleague. Not close.” Since Jiao Ye had no sense of propriety, he should be prepared to be divided into several proper pieces.

“Then dying like this… is it really okay?”

Xu Zhiyuan hooked his lips into a smile. His hands moved down to cup his cheeks. He leaned slightly closer, his warm breath brushing against his nose: “It’s fine. Don’t be afraid… my superiors have long disliked him.”

Shen Qiuxun shot him a cold glance.

This glance made someone feel rather heated.

His hair dried quickly, a little too quickly. Xu Zhiyuan still had to work overtime tonight. He put on his jacket, draping it over his shoulders. Before leaving, he pressed down on Shen Qiuxun’s shoulder and instructed calmly: “Don’t go out tomorrow.”

Shen Qiuxun looked at him: “Hm?”

A rough fingertip grazed the bridge of his nose. The grass-green eyes were hidden in the shadows. The man explained: “It’s dangerous outside.”

Outside the window, the wind howled. It was time to go to war.