CH 48.2

T/N: Short note to say a huge thank to dear reader Mu for their support and Ko-Fi donation MWAH

The crowd saw a man and a woman walking towards them. They hurriedly bowed and greeted, “Greetings, distinguished guests.”

The woman with the whip in her hand, who seemed to be the leader, looked at the severely injured boy with irritation, “How come there’s another mixed-blood? Who did Qilin City offend to have this disgusting thing popping up every now and then?”

The scarred-faced man beside her flicked his sleeves, and three long black needles appeared between his fingers, “Just finish this quickly. Don’t let the City Lord see, he despises things that are neither human nor demon.”

“Fine,” the woman raised her whip and snapped it down on the boy.

The crowd around them applauded, “Great job, Lady Zuo Ling! Give it all you’ve got, beat this half-breed to death!”

The cowering boy’s body trembled as he let out a painful whimper. The whip coiled around his body, immobilizing him.

“It’s your turn, Lord You She.”

The man’s eyes turned cold, and he hurled the three dark needles. The onlookers cheered loudly, “Kill him, kill that damned half-breed!”

However, just as they thought the needles were about to pierce the boy’s head, a folding fan suddenly appeared, colliding with the needles, creating a sharp ringing sound.

Everyone was taken aback. They saw a tall man with long dark hair tied back with a slender hairband. He had an ugly mask on his face.

“You’re daring, aren’t you? Trying to save the half-breed?”

Shen Liuxiang didn’t answer, lifting the barely conscious boy from the ground. With a blink of an eye, they disappeared from the spot. Zuo Ling and You She were infuriated and immediately gave chase. However, they were no match for someone in the Harmonization stage. Shen Liuxiang escaped effortlessly.

Shen Liuxiang brought the boy back to the Cloud Pavilion and placed him on a bed.

It was only then that he noticed the boy’s face. Half of it was burned, riddled with pockmarks, while the other half bore a crimson palm print. In addition, his chin and neck were covered in bruises of various shades, a sign of immense pain.

Frowning, Shen Liuxiang took out a pill and fed it to the boy. He then called for Jin Xiaojiu to go to an herbal shop and buy some spirit herbs.

During his time at the Imperial Palace, he learned a lot from Emperor Yunyu, including knowledge of medicinal herbs for healing.

Jin Xiaojiu furrowed his brows. As a demon, he could sense the boy’s aura, which was mixed and confusing. It seemed to be neither entirely demon nor human, most likely a result of a union between the two.

Although he wasn’t as fervent as the people outside, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable. Mainly because the mixed-blood’s aura was extremely strange.

Covering his nose, he tried to clear his thoughts and ran outside to buy the herbs, following Shen Liuxiang’s instructions.

After a while, the pill took effect. The small figure on the bed moved slightly. His dark eyes flickered, and when they landed on Shen Liuxiang, he froze for a moment, looking dazed.

“What’s your name?”

Shen Liuxiang held a rejuvenating pill between his slender, fair fingers, offering it to the boy’s lips.

The boy opened his mouth and swallowed the pill, blinking his eyes.

“Xiao Qi.”

Shen Liuxiang gently patted his fiery-red hair. He didn’t press for more information. After Jin Xiaojiu brought back the spirit herbs, Shen Liuxiang prepared a warm bath, adding the herbs to the water. He lifted Xiao Qi from the bed and placed him in the tub.

During this process, Xiao Qi didn’t resist. He observed Shen Liuxiang quietly, and as he gradually noticed his injuries healing, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

“Are you helping me heal?”

Shen Liuxiang nodded and examined Xiao Qi’s messy red hair. He found a hairband and tied it, but he didn’t like how it looked. So, he removed it and redid it, this time fashioning two symmetrical little buns.

After soaking for a while, Shen Liuxiang lifted Xiao Qi out of the tub and prepared to leave to call someone.

At this moment, a faint resistance was felt from his sleeve.

“I’m a monster. Aren’t you afraid?” Xiao Qi grabbed onto his sleeve, lifting his face with a timid look.

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, then crouched down and pointed to his own face.

“Do you think I’m good-looking?”

Xiao Qi nodded obediently, “Big brother, you’re the most handsome person I’ve ever seen.”

Shen Liuxiang raised his hand and gently touched his head, “But when big brother was little, my whole body was covered in bug bites. Other kids wouldn’t play with me, they called me a monster, an ugly freak. But look.”

He paused and winked at Xiao Qi with his left eye, “Isn’t it completely different now?”

Xiao Qi looked puzzled.

Shen Liuxiang walked out of the room just as Jin Xiaojiu arrived with children’s clothing. He took the clothes, returned to the room, but found it empty.

With people coming and going on the street, Shen Liuxiang searched for a while but didn’t find Xiao Qi. He gave up the search.

He had a vague sense that something was off with Xiao Qi. His body was ice-cold, like that of a dead person.

Perhaps it was a characteristic of mixed-blood individuals.

Shen Liuxiang shielded his eyes from the sun, bought some chilled fruits from a roadside stall, and found Xu Xingchen’s figure in front of a house.

Xu Xingchen was sitting on a bench, his sweaty palm open, and a small wisp of black hair laid across it. He used a spell to check the hair’s reaction, only to find that there was none. A look of disappointment appeared on his face.

Shen Liuxiang shook his head helplessly, tossed an orange into the air, and threw it towards him.

In a residence located within the city, Xiao Qi appeared without a sound.

He silently made his way to the backyard garden and spotted a pavilion from a distance.

In the pavilion, a red-haired man lazily leaned back in a chair. His handsome features carried a wild charm. He spun a jade bead on his wrist and his eyes were cold.

He didn’t turn his head, but he sensed Xiao Qi’s presence the moment he arrived. His tone was indifferent, “Back?”

Xiao Qi answered softly, “Mhm.”

He patted the two small buns on his head and blushed slightly. Taking his time, he walked towards the man.

“How many times have I told you? They will only hurt you, maybe even kill you. No one will save you—”

Hearing movement, Wenren Qin turned his head, but in an instant, he froze.

The burn marks on Xiao Qi’s face were gone, revealing a pure and clean complexion. The bruises on his neck had vanished as well.

It wasn’t like before, where he would go out with wounds and return even more battered.

His messy, dirty hair had changed as well. He had tied it into two small buns on top of his head, giving him an adorable look.

Wenren Qin was momentarily dazed.

“Who did this?”

Xiao Qi’s cheeks turned slightly red. He was about to answer when a hawk flew down from the sky in the distance, transforming into a human shape upon landing.

“Greetings, Seventh King. Urgent news!”

Wenren Qin waved his hand, and Xiao Qi disappeared. He squinted his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and lazily said, “What is it?”

“Ninth King has rushed towards Qilin City overnight and is expected to arrive in a few days!”

Wenren Qin’s fingertip paused, and he suddenly opened his eyes, his brows furrowing.

Qilin City was located far away from the Eight Wasteland. There had been no contact between the two sides. So why had Zhou Xuanlan come all this way?

T/N: Hm…