Chapter 165: Someone Was Taken Away

Wen Qian sat before a faintly fragrant dressing table, completely absorbed in admiring her makeup.

The massive crystal mirror before her, polished until perfectly smooth, clearly reflected her delicate features.

Her eye makeup was especially stunning. The makeup artist had used a powder derived from phosphorescent forest insects to create highlights that made her face appear even more refined and vibrant.

Lost in admiration for her makeup, Wen Qian failed to notice the door being gently pushed open. It wasn’t until a strange yet familiar figure suddenly appeared in the crystal mirror that she whipped her head around.

Xi Zhen had somehow appeared behind her, still dressed in a white gown, her red-rimmed eyes glaring.

"How did you get in?" Wen Qian frowned, standing up warily.

The woman’s eyes burned with a mixture of anger and resentment. She stared at Wen Qian in silence, as if she were looking at the most heinous of criminals.

Startled by that gaze, Wen Qian instinctively grabbed whatever was on the table and hurled it at the other woman before she could take another step.

But... Xi Zhen didn’t even try to dodge.

She let the bottles and jars strike her, her movements only quickening. The next moment, a handkerchief soaked in a strange substance was clamped firmly over Wen Qian’s mouth and nose.

"Mmph—"

Instantly, a wave of dizziness washed over Wen Qian. Her consciousness receded like a tidal wave, and she plunged into darkness...

"Bitch! You think you can steal my man?" the woman cursed viciously, pulling a gleaming dagger from out of nowhere. She gently tapped Wen Qian’s cheek with the flat of the blade, her eyes radiating murderous intent.

But the thought of Chi Heng suppressed her murderous urge with a wave of fear. She was afraid of Chi Heng, so she didn’t dare deliver the killing blow.

’But even if I don’t kill her... Chi Heng will never let me go after this, will he?’

’With a sharp blade in hand, the urge to kill naturally follows.’

Suppressing her fear, the woman’s gaze on Wen Qian turned icy once more.

She slowly bent over, staring intently at Wen Qian’s beautiful face as if trying to make certain of something.

"I gave you a chance. Why did you still choose to stay with the Wolf Clan...?"

A gentle breeze slipped quietly through a crack in the window, seeming to carry a whisper of mystery with it.

At the same time, the woman’s grip on the dagger tightened. She stared, transfixed, at Wen Qian’s radiant face, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip.

"In your next life, remember not to covet what isn’t yours." The woman sneered, then violently raised her hand and stabbed down at Wen Qian.

Just then, a black snake, like a bolt of black lightning, coiled around the woman’s ankle with imperceptible speed.

Before the woman could react, the snake’s sharp fangs had already pierced her flesh.

Instantly, a sharp pain shot through Xi Zhen. Her strength then vanished, extinguished like a candle in the wind.

Her body swayed precariously. Despite her struggle to stay upright, she quickly collapsed to the floor.

With a loud BANG, the door was kicked open. The black snake coiled around Xi Zhen’s ankle swiftly retreated from the room.

A tall, well-built man appeared, his hands in his pockets, walking slowly toward them out of the backlight. His cold, sharp eyes, like the brightest, chilliest stars in the night sky, were locked onto the person on the floor.

Xi Zhen’s first instinct was to flee, but her body wouldn’t obey her. She was limp and powerless, completely immobilized.

Lifting her chin slightly, she could only watch as the man reached down and steadily gathered Wen Qian into his arms, his movements both gentle and firm.

After confirming Wen Qian had only fainted, the man carefully settled her into a soft nearby chair.

He turned slowly, his icy gaze like a volley of daggers aimed straight at the collapsed form of Xi Zhen.

When she saw the man’s dark green eyes, Xi Zhen’s face went white as a sheet. Large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. A purplish-black stain was rapidly spreading from the snakebite on her ankle.

"Who gave you the audacity... to touch my person?"

Gu Mian advanced on Xi Zhen one step at a time, each footfall heavy and deliberate. A biting chill emanated from him, his once-noble features now terrifying in their fury.

Xi Zhen’s lips trembled. She wanted to protest, but between the creeping poison and her own terror, she couldn’t utter a single word. Her eyes filled with despair as her body began to twitch uncontrollably.

Gu Mian stopped before her, looking down as if inspecting a worthless insect.

"Do you know the name of the snake that just bit you?" The man idly toyed with the watch on his wrist. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "It’s a Black Mamba. An ordinary Beastman bitten by one will be dead within five minutes."

The woman’s lips quivered. Her beast ears and tail began to twitch, and then... even her pupils started to lose focus.

Gu Mian had no desire to watch any longer. He swept an arm around Wen Qian’s waist and, with a cold expression, pushed open the window...

A crimson Red Beast was hovering in the air, its wings outstretched. Upon seeing its master, it immediately swooped in obediently. Gu Mian lifted Wen Qian onto its back, and in the next instant, the Red Beast flapped its wings and soared into the sky...

It was a day of great importance for the Wolf Clan, so security was noticeably lighter. Combined with the fact that a Red Beast’s flying speed far exceeded that of a Xuan Beast, Gu Mian was able to leave with Wen Qian easily.

Catching an unintentional glimpse of a red figure flashing across the sky, Chi Heng finally sensed that something was wrong.

’The guards he’d sent to protect Wen Qian had yet to return, and within the Wolf Clan, only the Old Wolf King was known to ride a Red Beast. But the current Wolf King was sitting right beside him, so who did this Red Beast belong to?’

His expression was placid for a moment, but in the next, Chi Heng disregarded the stares of those around him and dashed toward the castle. A clamor of footsteps followed as the Wolf Clan guards hurried to catch up.

Upon seeing the scene inside the room, everyone was stunned...

Countless bottles and jars were scattered across the floor. A massive wolf lay nearest to the dressing table, her eyes wide and vacant. A trickle of blood stained the corner of her mouth.

Chi Heng merely frowned. He scanned the room, searching for any sign of Wen Qian, but found nothing. Just then, a gust of wind blew in, and his gaze fell upon the wide-open window. His expression shifted imperceptibly.

In the wake of this disturbance, the banquet quickly concluded. Chi Heng kept the matter quiet, instead summoning a physician to determine Xi Zhen’s cause of death.

The cause of death was quickly ascertained: snake venom.

Chi Heng’s thoughts were a tangled, heavy mess. He sat with his hands clasped over his knees, his gaze still.

’As for the person who took Wen Qian, he already had a suspect in mind.’

’Someone who can control venomous snakes and move freely within the Wolf Clan’s territory... Who else could it be but that man from the Gu Family?’