Free Web NovelChapter 212: Chapter 191: Never Felt Heartache
What?!
Really? Is it true?!
Yu Lan snapped her head up, her eyes—more brilliant than the finest gems—staring anxiously at Qi Jingshen.
She opened her mouth, trying to speak.
It was only when no sound came out that she suddenly remembered Qi Jingshen had sealed her mute point.
She instinctively raised her hands and immediately signed a series of questions.
"Are they really here? When?"
"You’re not lying to me!"
"What are the terms of the exchange?"
Seeing Yu Lan get so worked up over a single piece of news, her immediate concern being for Huo Zhanting and the others, Qi Jingshen felt a flicker of displeasure.
He immediately followed up with a blunt question.
"Are you that desperate to see Huo Zhanting and the others?"
"Have I not treated you well?"
’I let her hit me, curse me, and bite me.’
’The bite mark she left on my neck hasn’t even faded yet.’
’During our time on A8 Star, I basically treated her like a princess, catering to her every reasonable request.’
’Is she really that eager to run to Huo Zhanting and the others? What’s so bad about staying by my side?’
Qi Jingshen himself didn’t even realize his words were dripping with jealousy.
A guard at the door reminded him,
"Boss, it’s almost the appointed time."
"Then let’s go,"
Qi Jingshen commanded coldly.
He stood behind Yu Lan and slowly began to push her wheelchair forward.
It was just like every other day on A8 Star, completely ordinary.
A passerby who considered himself an acquaintance greeted them, not forgetting to add a word of advice:
"Qi Dazhuang, taking your Female Master out for a stroll again?"
"A8 Star isn’t safe lately. The First Legion and Second Legion have both arrived, and a lot of people have died in the crossfire."
"You and your Female Master should stay inside as much as possible for the next few days. Just wait for this all to blow over at home."
Qi Jingshen gave a slight nod to show he understood.
Little did the passerby know, the very mastermind behind the recent power shift in the Chaotic Star System was right in front of him.
Watching Qi Jingshen push Yu Lan’s wheelchair forward, a trace of envy flashed in the man’s eyes.
’So what if his Female Master is in poor health? At least he’s her only Beast Husband.’
’For a male, having a Female Master’s exclusive affection is the kind of thing that would make you wake up laughing in your sleep.’
「Half an hour later」
「A8 Star Port, Chaos Star」
A First Legion Starship was already docked there. It was pitch-black with sleek, sharp lines, and the unique banner of the First Legion snapped in the wind.
Huo Zhanting, Su Xingye, Li Yucheng, Jun Lin Yuan, Pei Shiyi, and Sheng Yiqing all stood outside the warship, waiting anxiously for Qi Jingshen to appear.
"Dammit, how much longer is Qi Jingshen going to be? It’s almost the appointed time."
"He’s not just messing with us, is he?"
Li Yucheng paced back and forth anxiously. The usually high and mighty head of a top consortium now had dark circles under his eyes, a result of the days spent worrying over Yu Lan’s disappearance.
Jun Lin Yuan and the others were in no better shape. All of them looked utterly exhausted, their eyes bloodshot.
Su Xingye heard him and immediately refuted it coldly,
"He won’t."
"We’ve already agreed to Qi Jingshen’s conditions."
"The Empire and the First Legion will not hold him accountable for his recent actions."
What Qi Jingshen did this time was simply too big.
He had continuously leaked various royal secrets, leaving the populace disillusioned and the aristocracy in shock.
The Royal Family’s reputation had plummeted to an all-time low, and calls for its dissolution grew increasingly loud, reaching a fever pitch.
Within just a few days, there had been no fewer than three separate attacks on the Royal Family spontaneously organized by citizens.
It had forced Belina to issue a live-streamed apology and promise reparations, which had only barely managed to quell the uproar.
As for Qi Jingshen, who had caused this whole situation, there was no way Belina would let it go. She probably wanted to flay him alive in her sleep.
The condition for Yu Lan’s return was that Huo Zhanting and the others had to join forces, pressure Belina into dropping the matter, and give Qi Jingshen time to establish a firm foothold in the Chaotic Star System.
That was Qi Jingshen’s condition for returning Yu Lan.
Honestly, it was a difficult request.
But it wasn’t completely intractable.
In fact, the men had been prepared for Qi Jingshen to make some exorbitant demand.
Li Yucheng had even mobilized all the funds of the Li’s consortium in just a few days—a sum in the tens of quadrillions.
Huo Zhanting, Su Xingye, and Jun Lin Yuan had similarly made preparations.
So for Qi Jingshen to only ask for this one thing... it was impossible not to read into it.
’What is Qi Jingshen actually trying to do?’
As the men were stewing in their anxiety and apprehension,
the sound of a wheelchair rolling across the ground broke the silence.
In an instant, all of them snapped their heads toward the sound.
Despite her disguise, the moment Yu Lan actually appeared before them, they recognized her at a glance.
It was as if they recognized her soul before they recognized her face.
Their gazes swept over Yu Lan, and when they saw that she was in a wheelchair and had to be pushed, their expressions instantly darkened.
"Lanlan!"
"Qi Jingshen, what the hell did you do to her?!"
Every last one of them roared in fury.
They instantly transformed into their beast forms and charged toward Qi Jingshen and Yu Lan.
For some reason, watching the furious crowd rush toward him, Qi Jingshen felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
The green-eyed, black-haired man lowered his head to Yu Lan’s ear, his hot breath ghosting over the delicate skin.
"Female Master, don’t you forget about me after you go back to them."
"If we’re fated to meet again,"
The man let out a low, husky, and magnetic laugh.
"I’ll let you see what I’m really working with."
He didn’t give Yu Lan any time to react.
Raising a hand, he quickly tapped a few points on the beautiful female’s neck and waist.
A current of energy surged from deep within Yu Lan, bringing a sense of release, as if some long-standing obstruction had finally been cleared.
"COUGH! COUGH, COUGH!!"
Yu Lan let out a series of harsh coughs.
Then she heard Qi Jingshen’s voice continue,
"Female Master, your Beast Husbands are about to reach you."
"I’m leaving first."
"You must remember to miss me."
’Psycho!’
Yu Lan was about to retort when, in the next instant, Huo Zhanting rushed over and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Lanlan, are you all right?"
His powerful, muscular arms clamped around her waist. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, his heart pounding like a drum.
His molten golden eyes were filled with overwhelming worry.
Yu Lan’s gaze swept over the exhausted faces of Su Xingye, Li Yucheng, and the others gathered before her.
Her own eyes instantly filled with heartache for them.
Reaching up, she gently smoothed their furrowed brows. "I’m sorry. I made you all worry."
"I’m fine."
"Qi Jingshen wouldn’t have dared to do anything to me. He just sealed my acupoints because he was afraid I’d make a scene."
Yu Lan quickly explained everything that had happened during her time with Qi Jingshen.
Everything, that is, except for the part where she had hit him with a whip.
「Meanwhile」
Watching this scene unfold from the shadows nearby, Qi Jingshen’s expression darkened.
’Yu Lan had never looked at him with such heartache!’
