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“What the hell…” Huang Yuliang sputtered, taken aback by Li Yan’s audacity. “What should I say to you?”
“I’m pretty sure the Lin family won’t call the police.”
Indeed, even if they clearly saw Li Yan taking Lin Qiuzi away, the girl had been imprisoned for so long that the Lin family couldn’t report it to the police, not to mention her feathers couldn’t be explained to the outside world.
“She seems to be sleeping soundly, so I didn’t wake her up. Should we call Lin Qiubai over? If it’s just the two of us, will she be scared when she wakes up?”
“Let’s hold off for now.” Huang Yuliang looked pensive. He was about to say something but then he paused and glanced around the shabby room. “You brought Lin Qiuzi here. Won’t it cause trouble for your relative?”
“I’d told her in advance that I’ll only borrow her place for half a night. No matter how the conversation with Lin Quizi goes later, we have to leave after that.”
Huang Yuliang was still a little worried. “The Lin family must be looking for her by now. She doesn’t have an ID card, and she can’t buy a train ticket. You didn’t think it through before getting her out like this.”
“That Lin guy just said we had to save his cousin. He didn’t mention any follow-up arrangements.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“You really…” Actually, what Li Yan said was right. Even Huang Yuliang himself hadn’t planned for Lin Qiuzi’s escape. Their deal with Lin Qiubai was only to find out the truth and get Lin Qiuzi out of the Lin family mansion.
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“Is it related to me?” Li Yan scratched his head. “Did I cause trouble again?”
“Your biggest trouble is Chang Mingjin.” Huang Yuliang still felt somewhat troubled inside. After all, not only Li Yan, but he himself was already entangled with Chang Mingjin.
“I’m sorry…” Li Yan lowered his eyes. “If… I mean…”
While they were conversing, Lin Qiuzi, who was on the side, made a sound like she was waking up. Opening her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment with two unfamiliar men. She was so frightened that she retreated to the corner of the bed in panic.
“Don’t be afraid…” Li Yan and Huang Yuliang raised their hands, keeping a distance of three steps away from the bed. “Don’t be scared. We won’t harm you. Just calm down.”
“Who are you guys?”
“Your cousin, Lin Qiubai, entrusted us to rescue you.”
“Qiubai?” Lin Qiuzi appeared to briefly regain her composure, but it quickly dissolved into panic. “No! No, you have to take me back!”
Huang Yuliang handed a bottle of mineral water to the agitated girl. “Don’t rush. Your brother means well. He couldn’t bear to see you suffer. If you have any difficulties that require you to be kept there, tell us. Maybe we can help you.”
“I…” Lin Qiuzi instinctively clutched her sleeve, as if not wanting anyone to see the feathers on her arms. “I have to obey, or else… or else my parents…” Lin Qiuzi became so anxious that she broke down in tears.
Li Yan and Huang Yuliang exchanged a glance. “Miss Lin, about your parents…”
Lin Qiuzi looked at Li Yan with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face. “They… are no longer alive, are they?”
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became extremely sorrowful. Obviously, Lin Qiuzi had already anticipated this, but she’d still endured being locked in the basement with the hope that her parents were still alive. Now that pillar had crumbled, and although she’d suspected it, she couldn’t bear it.
Lin Qiuzi was like a puppet. She didn’t make a sound, but her tears kept flowing.
Huang Yuliang handed over a tissue box, about to say something when Lin Qiuzi preempted him.
“I’m not human.” Lin Qiuzi pulled up her sleeve, revealing the feathers on her upper arm. “So… please take me back. I have nowhere else to go.”
Li Yan bombarded Huang Yuliang with a series of glances, silently urging him forward. His eyes seemed to say: You’re the ladies’ man, aren’t you? You’re good with the sweet talk. So, go ahead and unleash your silver tongue, Casanova!
Huang Yuliang secretly turned around and gave Li Yan’s buttocks a firm pinch, then walked over to Lin Qiuzi with a smile. “What a strange coincidence. Strictly speaking, I’m not entirely human either.”
“Yeah~ That’s right!” Li Yan almost wanted to applaud Huang Yuliang’s self-analysis.
Lin Qiuzi looked at Huang Yuliang and then at Li Yan. Surprisingly, these two people showed no astonishment or fear towards the feathers on her body, which was beyond her expectation.
“However, there is still a slight difference.” Huang Yuliang sat on the edge of the bed, earnestly looking into Lin Qiuzi’s eyes. “According to the information your brother provided, you lived as a human for a long time. These feathers only appeared during the time when your family maliciously accused you of improper behavior. Am I right?” Seeing Lin Qiuzi nod, Huang Yuliang continued, “So, you’re not a fully cultivated demon, just a half-demon with demonic bloodline. Do you understand this concept? It means you’re still half human.”
Lin Qiuzi hugged her arms. “Then… what difference does it make?”
“It won’t make much difference.” Huang Yuliang suddenly noticed the peculiarities of the Lin family. “But if it’s a family aware of their own origins, they wouldn’t imprison you just because you’re a half-demon. They all share this bloodline, and helping you control this power should be the first priority. If they’re scared because of the sudden manifestation of demonic traits, it means such incidents haven’t occurred in the family for a very long time.” Seeing Lin Qiuzi nervously biting her lips, Huang Yuliang knew his speculation was correct. “Moreover, based on what I know, the demonic traits of half-demons, that is, part of their original form, will be present at birth. Depending on the strength of demonic power, the size of these traits may vary. Why were you only discovered at the age of sixteen? Or rather, why did these traits… these feathers suddenly appear?”
“You… Please, don’t say anything more.”
“If you don’t tell us anything, we can’t help you.” Huang Yuliang turned Lin Qiuzi’s face toward him. “When, where, and from whom did you get the atavism spell? If you know…”
Li Yan felt that Huang Yuliang’s questioning style was different from usual. It not only lacked any hint of coaxing but also felt more like an assertive interrogation. Unable to bear it, he stepped forward, pulled Huang Yuliang aside, and said, “What’s wrong with you? I’m scared just listening to you, let alone her.”
Huang Yuliang glanced at the trembling Lin Qiuzi and realized he might’ve been a bit too harsh. However, her situation was definitely abnormal, even more so than the already abnormal reproduction of the half-demon community.
“It’s… it’s my father…” Lin Qiuzi wiped her eyes, and then recounted events from many years ago.
Thanks for the chapter!