Chapter 198: Coveted

Chapter 198: Coveted

Starlight scattered like sleet across the wilderness.

The Milky Way in the clouds reflected off the shimmering river, and in the profound silence, the water and moonlight intermingled in radiance, adding an extra touch of elegance.

"Hahe, are you sure this is alright?" Outside the ramshackle cowshed, a short man carefully tugged at the other man's sleeve.

"What're you scared of!" The man's ears were bare on both sides—he was the one who had roughly grabbed Qin Jiao during the day. "If it weren't for this brat, would my ears have been shot off? Are you my bro or what? Why do you keep stopping me!"

Hahe's voice sounded strange—perhaps his throat had been injured at some point. Listening to him, it always sounded like he had a wad of phlegm stuck in his throat, as if with just a few more words, he'd hock a loogie right in your face.

"I swear on Lord Jiayi, of course I'm your bro!" the short man said urgently. "I'm all for you getting revenge, but if you just charge in and cut off his ears, I'm worried the Chief'll come down on us!"

The short man hesitated, then said, "I don't think the Chief wants him dead that badly. Why don't we mess with him some other way?"

Hahe thought it over and felt the short man's words made sense. "What do you suggest?" he asked.

The short man narrowed his eyes and chuckled slyly, his gaze landing on Qin Jiao, who was currently slumped against the firewood pile.

The young master, rattled around for so long, had just dozed off. The youth's fine, jade-carved features were half lost in shadow, half softly kissed by moonlight. Perhaps due to his injuries, he slept restlessly, his long lashes trembling slightly—like a delicate blossom on a spring bough, easily drawing the lustful gaze of bees and butterflies.

"I heard the Chief Priest say he's the King of Lingnan's treasure. Raised all spoiled and fussy—look at that skin, soft as white jade, and that face, so handsome. Long legs, tiny waist..."

The short man let out a filthy laugh. "The King of Lingnan shot your ear off with one arrow back then... now... don't you wanna try his guy?"

"This..."

Hahe really did hate Xienai and Qin Jiao. Back then, he was ordered to snatch a young Qin Jiao and blew it, and Xienai shot his ear clean off. Over the years, he'd been laughed at nonstop in Mengqin—everyone called him "No-Ear Pig" and "Good-for-Nothing Dog."

For over a decade, his hatred for Qin Jiao and Xienai had only festered. During the day, with Wutuyin around, he had to bite his tongue. Finally, he'd made it to this moment, and he was dead set on making Qin Jiao pay for every laugh and sneer he'd endured!

Sure, the idea of banging the King of Lingnan's guy was tempting... "But... I'm into chicks." Hahe frowned and muttered.

"Pants off, ain't it all the same?" the short man taunted. "Don't tell me you're chicken?"

That got Hahe's blood boiling. "The hell you say I'm scared? Watch me—I'll do him right now!"

With that, Hahe shoved aside the grimy curtain and barged into the cowshed—but Qin Jiao was gone.

"Where is he!"

Hahe's jaw dropped. He was right here a second ago!

"There! He's running! Chase him!"

The short man looked around and spotted Qin Jiao booking it southwest.

"Damn it, when the hell did he wake up!" Hahe cursed, his face turning beet red. "Go after him!"

Qin Jiao didn't dare stop, stumbling and lurching toward the main tent of the royal court.

Though Qin Jiao had little affection for his critically ill biological father, right now the man was a trump card Qin Jiao could use to save his life.

As he ran, Qin Jiao silently thanked his luck that a little calf had been nudging his injured head. If he had truly slept through it, he would have been completely at their mercy.

"Stop running! Get back here!"

Hahe and the others hadn't expected that Qin Jiao, despite looking so frail and being injured, could run so fast. Seeing Qin Jiao about to disappear among the felt tents, Hahe shouted loudly, "Someone! Catch him!"

Hahe's shout shattered the silence of the night, and Qin Jiao's heart pounded even harder. Seeing more people giving chase, Qin Jiao thought quickly and finally ducked into a random felt tent.

From the outside, the tent had seemed quiet and dark—Qin Jiao assumed it was empty. But the moment he entered, a chorus of sharp, clear cries erupted inside:

"Ah! Help!"

"Who... who are you?"

"Wah, Brother Wuliel, there's a bad guy here..."

It was a tent full of little girls.

The oldest of the children looked about seven or eight, the youngest just over a year old. The children huddled together in fear, the older ones shielding the younger, clinging tightly to one another.

A dim oil lamp flickered inside the tent, its wavering light reflecting off the girls' pairs of crimson eyes.

Crimson-eyed girls.

Qin Jiao's heart tightened.

In this tent were the missing "Xiaoxiang Goddesses" from Xiaoxiang Commandery!

Qin Jiao was frozen in shock. By the time he snapped out of it and tried to flee again, Hahe and the short man had already caught up.

"Run! Keep running!"

Hahe's eyes blazed with fury. The moment he arrived, he kicked Qin Jiao in the back: "You worthless piece of trash! I was going to let you enjoy yourself, and you still refuse?!"

Caught completely off guard, Qin Jiao was sent flying by the brute force of the kick. As he slammed heavily to the ground, he felt as if his internal organs had been knocked out of place. Agony radiated from his back, spreading through his entire body.

"Since you won't die from pleasure, then die from pain!" Hahe said lewdly as he drew a delicate, sharp curved blade from his waist. "Ungrateful thing—I'll cut off your ears and feed them to the wild dogs!"

With that, Hahe strode toward Qin Jiao, grabbing him by the hair and forcing his head up. Qin Jiao, wracked with pain and powerless to resist, could only let it happen. The young master's lips were purple, his breath coming in pained gasps, as if he might suffocate at any moment.

Seeing this, the children in the tent burst into terrified wails. The short man immediately shouted at them, "Quiet down, or we'll cut your ears off next!"

Hahe's twisted, ferocious face loomed closer to Qin Jiao. It was only at this close distance that Qin Jiao saw—where Hahe's ears had been severed, the flesh was covered in dense, ugly, malformed pustules.

Revolting tumors, cold and bone-devouring eyes... Qin Jiao felt as if the man before him was a disgusting Sharp-crested Snake—venomous and utterly horrifying!

The cold blade touched his ear, and Qin Jiao felt a chill shoot up his spine.

No, I can't just accept my fate!

With that thought, Qin Jiao suddenly drove his elbow into Hahe's abdomen. The young master, enduring the searing pain in his organs, struggled desperately. "Cough... let me go! Or we'll die together!"

But Qin Jiao's struggle only made Hahe hate him more. "Damn you, still trying to ambush me? Fine! I'll just send you to your grave right now!"

Originally, Hahe had only intended to cut off Qin Jiao's ears as "an eye for an eye," but now he seemed to have lost all reason. Recalling the decade of ridicule he had endured, murderous intent suddenly blazed in Hahe's eyes!

"Die!"

In a flash, Hahe roared and thrust the blade toward Qin Jiao's vulnerable neck. But at that critical moment, a young man's furious shout came from outside the tent: "Hahe! Stop!"

In the next instant, the youth charged in like a hunting leopard. Hahe hadn't expected the newcomer, and the boy slammed his body between Qin Jiao and Hahe, knocking them apart!

"Ah...!"

Qin Jiao was thrown hard to the ground, a pained groan escaping his throat.

"Men! Take Hahe and the others away, and hand them over to my brother for punishment!" After forcefully separating Qin Jiao and Hahe, Wuliel immediately ordered the guards behind him to seize them.

Then Wuliel hurried over and helped the grimacing Qin Jiao up. "Quick! Go fetch the shaman!"

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