Ch58 - Plotted against

Ji Qinghuai closed the door hurriedly and the relaxed and nonchalant facade crumbled instantly.

He leaned against the door, clenching his clothes tightly and trying his best to curb the strange feeling in his body.

He knew that this was caused by the scent of blood just now. The poison in his body was quietly aroused and began to affect his consciousness.

When he remembered what had happened previously, he didn’t dare to stay near Xie Yan, fearing that he would do something on impulse and hurt him. Thus he ran back to his room using an excuse.

He also knew that he could no longer suppress the poison in his body. Each episode would only be more and more difficult to control in the future. However, talking about it wouldn’t benefit anybody, it would only make the people around him worry more. He would keep it a secret as long as possible.

In the evening, the capital that had been sunny for two days was drowned in rain again. Although the rain wasn’t heavy, the weather was made worse by the unbridled cold wind. By the time Ji Qinghuai remembered that the balcony window was wide open, the ground was already wet.

He mopped up the water stains on the floor, dried the mop and looked at the gloomy sky outside. He walked inside while saying, “Yanyan, let’s order take-out for dinner.”

Xie Yan was busy dealing with work and when he heard Ji Qinghuai mention dinner, he looked at the time and found that it was already past five o’clock.

“En.”

He sat down next to Xie Yan, took out his mobile phone and started choosing dishes. He wasn’t really hungry and didn’t have the patience to scrutinise the dishes, so he chose a restaurant he frequented often and picked two dishes randomly.

He put down his phone. “It’s a little cold, I’ll go take a shower first.”

While standing up, he accidentally knocked over the glass with his hand.

With a “bang”, the glass fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

He looked down at the few pieces of glass that had landed at his feet. Ji Qinghuai went to get the broom and turned his head to see Xie Yan bending over to pick up the largest fragments.

“Don’t touch it!”

It would have been fine if Ji Qinghuai didn’t yell out, but the sudden cry made Xie Yan pause suddenly and his finger grazed the shard and was cut open.

Bright red blood flowed down the wound, running down Xie Yan’s white, clean fingertips before dripping onto the glass shards.

Ji Qinghuai sucked in a deep breath.

He walked over quickly and pulled out a tissue to help Xie Yan wipe off the blood on his hands. He said with a slight frown, “I’ll sweep up the fragments, don’t pick it up with your hands again in the future.”

Xie Yan originally wanted to explain, but looking at Ji Qinghuai’s solemn face and concern for him, his heart warmed and the explanation turned into words of reassurance.

“It’s just a small injury, it’s okay.” Xie Yan said. His thumb gently wiped over the wound on his index finger and the thin cut disappeared in a flash.

Ji Qinghuai looked away from Xie Yan but his frown didn’t relax. He quickly cleared up the broken pieces on the ground and put the broom back where it belonged, not daring to look at Xie Yan the whole time.

Ji Qinghuai quietly returned to his room and took his pyjamas. As he had mentioned to Xie Yan earlier, he went to the bathroom to take a shower but he didn’t use hot water. Instead, he doused himself with cold water, trying to suppress the odd sensation in his body.

However, it didn’t seem to work.

What should I do…?

Ji Qinghuai didn’t dare to go out rashly. He dressed and stayed in the bathroom for a while. His hand was propped up on the sink, and he breathed deeply to calm himself. The cold water droplets dripped from the ends of his hair, sliding down his shoulders and into the collar of his shirt.

He didn’t know how long it took but the strange feeling in his body finally receded. He raised his head and looked into the mirror with a somewhat blurry vision. He reached out to open the door in a trance.

Outside the door, Xie Yan happened to pass by and Ji Qinghuai, who didn’t hear his approaching footsteps, was caught off guard. His originally calm mind became messy again.

Look at his hair still dripping with water and the water stains on his neck, Xie Yan reached out and tried to help him wipe it off. “Blow dry your hair first, don’t catch a cold…”

Xie Yan’s hand had just touched Ji Qinghuai when Ji Qinghuai jerked backwards to avoid it, “Don’t touch me!”

Xie Yan was stunned.

Ji Qinghuai realized that his tone was a little harsh and immediately felt regretful. He lowered his voice and said, “I want to sleep alone tonight. I won’t eat dinner anymore, don’t disturb me.”

After saying that, he didn’t pay attention to Xie Yan and quickly walked into the nearest room and locked the door behind him.

Facing the sudden outburst and desire to sleep in separate rooms, the first thought would be that they were fighting. However, Xie Yan didn’t think in that direction at all and finally noticed that something was wrong.

The poison in Ji Qinghuai’s body had flared up again.

Xie Yan walked over and knocked on the door. “Huaihuai, are you okay?”

He waited for a moment but didn’t hear Ji Qinghuai’s reply. The room was also very quiet, and the person inside didn’t make any movements.

Xie Yan knocked twice, but Ji Qinghuai remained silent.

Anxious, he took two steps back and kicked the door open.

At the same time, Ji Qinghuai’s figure suddenly leapt out of the room. Before Xie Yan could react, his wrist was grabbed forcefully and his back slammed into the cold wall.

His back started throbbing in pain and he frowned. He looked at Ji Qinghuai’s state and was shocked.

Ji Qinghuai’s complexion was dreadful and the originally clean and clear eyes were bloodshot, shooting a deathly glare at Xie Yan. His hand gripping Xie Yan’s wrists were trembling slightly, still struggling despite reaching this state.

“You calm down…”

Before Xie Yan’s words fell, Ji Qinghuai leaned over and suddenly opened his mouth to bite Xie Yan’s neck. His teeth tore through the flesh, and the warm blood flowing out was forcibly withdrawn.

The sensation was not pleasant at all. Xie Yan raised his head slightly, his hand unconsciously tightening as he felt his blood being drained out.

Outside the window, a storm arrived unannounced, only to abruptly stop. Ji Qinghuai’s consciousness gradually returned with the receding storm. He loosened his grip on Xie Yan and slowly let go of him.

Xie Yan’s body swayed and fell forward uncontrollably.

“Yanyan!” Ji Qinghuai hurriedly supported Xie Yan and the two tumbled to the ground together.

On his neck, blood was still flowing out along the wound. Xie Yan’s face was also a little pale. Ji Qinghuai was distressed and full of self-blame as he apologised helplessly. “I’m sorry… I couldn’t control it…”

Xie Yan shook his head, “I’m fine.”

Ji Qinghuai knew that Xie Yan was comforting him and his heart was even more stifled, “Why didn’t you fight back…”

With Xie Yan’s ability, it wasn’t difficult to break free from Ji Qinghuai, and Ji Qinghuai would rather have Xie Yan beat him up than let things develop into this.

“Stupid cat.” He rubbed Ji Qinghuai’s hair to soothe him. “You’ve been conspired against.”

The moment Ji Qinghuai completely lost control, Xie Yan figured out what was going on.

Thinking about it carefully, Ji Qinghuai’s abnormality today should have started in the afternoon, and it was the first time that he experienced two episodes in a row within the same day. He found this very strange and eventually figured out the cause after a little recollection.

When the poison in Ji Qinghuai’s body flared up on both occasions, he had seen the same thing – Blood.

One was that bloody rat tail, and the other was his.

But why was Ji Qinghuai so sensitive to blood? The answer was in that bottle of juice.

What happened at the entrance of the neighbourhood seemed to be an accident, but it was actually a set-up.

Using apology as an excuse, the other party first made Ji Qinghuai drink the spiked fruit juice and then sent the bloody rat tail over. This silently stimulated the poison in Ji Qinghuai. When Ji Qinghai lost his consciousness, one of the two would be injured, regardless of whether Xie Yan struck first or faced the attack head-on. The outcome would depend on what Xie Yan chose.

What a good calculation.

Xie Yan sighed softly, “I was careless about what happened today.”

How could he have imagined that the key to the event would be a bottle of juice and that the rat tail was not only a trigger but also a hint?

If Xie Yan had guessed correctly, that was Lin Shuye’s tail, and the other party was trying to tell him that Lin Shuye was in his hands.

No wonder Qin Lang and the others hadn’t found a trace of him. It turned out that he was in someone else’s hands.

Having explained this, the whole thing became clear. Ji Qinghuai gritted his teeth and slammed his fist onto the ground. “Damn it!”

He asked Xie Yan, “What are we going to do next?”

“Get up first. Isn’t it cold sitting on the ground?” Xie Yan asked.

Ji Qinghuai: “…”

Ji Qinghuai only reacted after this reminder. He hurriedly helped Xie Yan up and the two went back to the room, changed their clothes and sat on the bed to continue Xie Yan’s analysis.

“From today’s events, we can see that this person knows us very well. Only your family, me and Xu Luo knows about your poison. It is very unlikely that the news spread from these people. I think my speculation is more likely. They may have captured Lin Shuye, who revealed the fact that you were poisoned.”

“They?” Ji Qinghuai wondered out loud.

“En. That person who impersonated me, he might be one of the fugitives,” he explained.

“Fugitive?” As Ji Qinghuai listened, he became more and more puzzled.

“My Master’s former subordinate. Later, he betrayed my Master and escaped from prison. I’ve been looking for him.”

“Oh…” Ji Qinghuai understood and said after thinking for a while, “Yanyan, we’re too passive like this, we have to think of some countermeasures.”

However, Xie Yan replied, “Since he has gone this far, he will have a plan for the next stage. It’s just that the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, so we can’t guard against them.”

Ji Qinghuai was very disgusted with this behaviour of doing things behind his back. If he came to make trouble in public and lost, he would admit defeat. What ability did that person have to scheme against others in secret?

He asked bitterly, “What should we do?”

He didn’t want to be used anymore. This time, he was a blood-thirsty man, what if the other person wanted him to kill Xie Yan next time?

“Play it by ear.”

“En.”

The next thing to do was to start a battle of wits.

As the sun rose, Xie Yan had a rare desire for sleep and didn’t wake up until noon. Ji Qinghuai sat on the bed and stared at him with a slightly aggrieved expression.

“Yanyan, I cooked porridge. Do you want to drink some?” he asked worriedly.

Hearing this, a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Xie Yan sat up and said, “Then I have to have a taste.”

Ji Qinghuai knew what he was smiling about. It was the incident he cut potatoes into thick sticks the last time. Until now, Xie Yan would still laugh at him.

Ji Qinghuai was not convinced. What, it’s been so long, can’t he make progress?

Hmph. He pouted and helped Xie Yan cool down the porridge. When Xie Yan finished washing up and came out, a steaming bowl of purple rice porridge was waiting for him on the table.

The porridge cooked by Ji Qinghuai not only contained purple rice, but also peanuts, red beans and red dates, all ingredients to help nourish the blood. Xie Yan tasted it and the slightly sweet taste entered his mouth. He supposed that Ji Qinghuai had added some rock sugar.

Xie Yan slowly finished the bowl and his complexion improved. He sincerely complimented, “Not bad.”

Ji Qinghuai, overjoyed and not knowing what modesty was, asked expectantly, “Mr Xie, do you want another bowl?”

Xie Yan had not been called Mr Xie for a long time. This honorific held all the memories they had, starting from the time they met to the time they fell in love. He felt a little nostalgic when he heard it.

Just as Xie Yan was about to respond, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated, interrupting what he was about to say.

He grabbed the phone and looked at the name: Qin Lang.

Qin Lang rarely contacted Xie Yan in private, but when he did, there was something very important. He had a bad premonition. Did something happen again?

He picked up the call, turned on the speaker, and then Qin Lang’s voice came out of the phone, “Xu Luo is missing.”

Xu Luo is considered one of Xie Yan’s personal friends, and it was too much of a coincidence for him to disappear at this time.

He raised his hand and kneaded his forehead. “When did he go missing?”

“This morning.” Qin Lang replied, “Xu Luo and Xiang Yunfei were attacked together in Jiangxing park. Xiang Yunfei passed out at the time and when he woke up, he didn’t see Xu Luo. He searched all over the neighbourhood but didn’t find him, so he reported it.”

Sneak attack…

Xie Yan knew who did it.

First Ji Qinghuai, then Xu Luo, is he planning to kill everyone around him?

If that’s the case, then…

“It shouldn’t be an accident.” He urged, “Qin Lang, be more careful during this period.”

Qin Lang made a sound of affirmation and hung up the phone.

After learning about this incident, he didn’t have the heart to drink any more porridge. He returned to his room and changed his clothes, ready to head to Jiangxing Park.

Ji Qinghuai was worried about Xie Yan going out alone at this time, and discussed with him, “Let me go with you.”

“No.” Xie Yan refused. “Remember what I told you and stay at home obediently.”

After that, he wore his shoes and rushed out.

Jiangxing Park was located in a suburban area and because the place wasn’t managed well, some disobedient demons would often gather in the vicinity and cause trouble now and then.

Xie Yan came here to see if he could find some clues. Their opponents had done their homework this time while they still knew nothing about them, so they had to find a breakthrough to turn the situation around.

Since the incident earlier, no one dared to go inside at this time, so the park was very quiet. Xie Yan searched for the location that Xiang Yunfei gave and found traces of fighting when he inspected the area.

Xu Luo was not like Xiang Yunfei who would be taken down instantly. Even if it was a sneak attack, he would be able to fight back. These traces should have been left behind when he fought with the other party.

Xie Yan followed the traces step by step, and his footsteps landed on a bluestone slab, making a slight noise.

It had rained last night and the ground was still wet. With a ‘plink’, water droplets fell into a puddle, breaking the silence that should not have been there.

The wind rose, blowing his slightly long hair from behind. The hem of his clothes fluttered with the wind. His expression froze and he turned around, coming face to face with a powerful force.

Two palms slammed against each other and the two demonic forces collided, but they were of equal strength. The man spun lightly in the air and landed firmly on the ground, but Xie Yan was stunned and stepped back slightly.

Stabilizing his body, Xie Yan suddenly felt dizzy, but before his body had time to recover, the man suddenly gathered his demonic power and he was overwhelmed by it.

Xie Yan looked warily at the person in front who had his back to him. If he guessed correctly, this person should be the one who had been secretly plotting against them for the past two days.

He didn’t dare to underestimate this person and spoke lightly, “May I ask who is this gentleman?”

After asking, there was a chuckle in Xie Yan’s ear, and with a smile, the man slowly turned around.

“Young Master Shen, it’s been a long time.”

Xie Yan’s body froze for a moment.

After seeing the other party’s appearance, Xie Yan’s pupils shrank sharply, and his eyes were full of shock.

Crack.

The gold-wired glasses fell to the ground, the lenses shattering. Xie Yan’s body fell to the ground heavily and he immediately passed out.

Slightly longer chapter than usual wheee

Is it just me or was JQH distracted in the first part of the chapter? The flow seemed odd at first but as I continued reading, it gave me the image that he was struggling with the poison or maybe it’s my own mediocre translating skills LMAOO GOODBYE 💀

I’m still swamped with work (somehow it keeps increasing even when im trying my best to catch up) but I don’t want to leave you guys hanging for too long especially since we’re close to the end. Chapter release is now only on Saturdays and there might be some delay but you can definitely expect an upload. #pain