Chapter 61
Unexpectedly, Mu Cai was abruptly swept off his feet, with a chubby child being stuffed into his arms.
It had to be said, the toddler was as heavy as they looked. Mu Cai was unsure how Qin Zhongjin managed to hoist the child single-handedly without a change in his expression. The moment the toddler crawled onto Mu Cai's chest and settled down, they nearly squeezed the breath out of him.
Of course, given Mu Cai's current state, he didn't need to breathe.
The toddler was having a great time, waving chubby arms around, scrambling up and down Mu Cai with wide eyes, and gurgling with laughter from time to time. They seemed to be enjoying themselves without interacting with Mu Cai.
There wasn't a trace of tension given their impending capture by enemies.
Mu Cai internally sighed, extending a hand to hook Qin Zhongjin's neck to keep from falling. His other hand was securing the toddler's arm, preventing them from hopping onto his chest again.
Though his eyes were closed, Qin Zhongjin seemed to know that Mu Cai was ready. Perhaps due to his ethereal form, the person in his arms felt light as a feather. Apart from the weight of the little chubby child, to Qin Zhongjin, Mu Cai's weight was almost negligible, as effortless as lifting a feather.
His breath was steady, imperceptibly tightening his arm around Mu Cai, and prepared to leave the building.
Just then, a harsh, untimely cry echoed from a corner of the room, "No, you can't… take him away!"
Qin Zhongjin halted his steps and turned around.
Following the sound, Mu Cai saw again the terrifying human-skulled figure, shrinking involuntarily into Qin's grip. Ironically, he, now a ghost himself, was afraid of humans. Regardless, no one in the room ridiculed him.
Keeping his eyes closed, Qin Zhongjin "looked" toward the corner where Director Jin was. His upright figure stood like a sword unsheathed, with an impressive presence.
Upon witnessing Old Jin's state and obsession with the painting despite his current dire state, Zhang Jianjun could not help his frustration.“Look at yourself! Do you value your life or that painting?!”
However, it was as if Director Jin didn’t hear him. His sunk eyes bulged as he exclaimed, “That is mine! I… bought it, it cannot be taken away!”
The red sword pattern on Qin Zhongjin's forehead flickered slightly.
The hand that was originally clutching Mu Cai’s shoulder suddenly opened. With just a light pointing gesture, Old Jin's previously struggling skeletal body shook violently. His wide eyes closed, and the entire person fell to the ground in an instant.
Zhang Jianjun shivered all over.
Zhang Jianjun had encountered the Patriarch of the Qin family as a child, and he was just as young as now, mercilessly killing terrifyingly malicious ghosts. As time passed, Zhang Jianjun approached his fifties, but Qin Zhongjin remained young. Coupled with his serious demeanor, Zhang had always felt a mixture of fear and respect for the Patriarch.
Now, Qin Zhongjin's imposing presence and ability to knock his friend down with just a gesture, genuinely frightened Zhang Jianjun. He immediately knelt to kowtow and tried to explain on Old Jin's behalf, "Patriarch Qin, Old Jin's mind is deluded; he didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive him."
Upon hearing this, Su Yao looked at the man across from him in amazement.
So, he was the Qin family's Patriarch?!
Although he belonged to the same generation as his grandfather, he looked so young!
Qin Zhongjin didn't pay attention to the kowtow but said directly, "Call an ambulance. He needs medical attention immediately."
The man's voice was low, and it was hard to discern his emotions. However, Zhang Jianjun heaved a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you, Patriarch, for saving him."
When he had visited Old Jin earlier, he noticed that his friend's condition was seriously alarming. However, he didn't expect him to become this emaciated in just a week. Although Zhang Jianjun had called for Su Yao, a junior, to help, he knew that he had been isolated from the world since childhood, and while his theoretical knowledge was abundant, he lacked practical experience.
Zhang Jianjun had been prepared to persuade Old Jin and even take drastic measures if necessary. However, he didn't expect the Patriarch to appear at the critical moment, wielding his sword and pulling a plump child out of the painting, saving Old Jin almost instantly.
He quietly looked up at Qin Zhongjin, who was holding the glamorous spirit in red, his expression unchanging. Zhang Jianjun couldn't help but sigh inwardly, true to the Patriarch's reputation. He seemed unaffected by what would devastate the sanity of ordinary people, including Su Yao, despite his various talismans. He even managed to resolve Old Jin's situation effortlessly.
Truly worthy of being called the Patriarch!
Qin Zhongjin didn't know what the other party was thinking, and he had no interest in probing it. Holding Mu Cai, he turned to walk out. As he passed by Su Yao, Qin Zhongjin paused.
Su Yao's eyes widened.
Qin Zhongjin said, "Are you Su Lianzhou's grandson?"
Su Yao immediately responded, "Yes."
"And did Su Lianzhou send you to find me?"
Su Yao nodded, "My grandfather sent me to Beijing to find you. He said I have a destined calamity and karmic affinity here."
Qin Zhongjin nodded, "I understand, follow me then."
Su Yao hurriedly responded. He looked down and spotted Mu Cai nestled in Qin Zhongjin's arms.
His ink-black hair cascaded down, and his breathtakingly beautiful eyes were akin to stars in the sky, intently observing him.
As Mu Cai looked at Su Yao, a prompt appeared in his mind:
[Main character (shou), famous grand exorcist Su Lianzhou's heir, extremely talented in the art of metaphysics. Note, he is a love rival to the original body in both past and present lives. Host, seize the opportunity to suppress him from time to time, to achieve perfect energy stimulation.]
After seeing the script prompt, Mu Cai decided to follow the plan.
Su Yao saw the beauty in red leisurely nestled in the man's arms, his gaze flitting across his face.
He couldn't help but feel nervous.
The enchanting beauty spoke, his voice ethereal and pleasant, "What are you looking at? Jealous?"
He even laughed as he said this.
Despite the sarcastic sneer, Su Yao couldn't feel anger but instead was in awe of the beauty before him. Even the most hateful expression on his face remained enchanting, unable to incite any anger, even finding the other party's look lively and adorable.
Afraid of angering the beauty in red, Su Yao quickly defended himself, "I'm not jealous, I was just looking at…"
Before he could finish the word "you," the beauty in red seemed somewhat impatient. He swayed his legs, the silver anklets and iron chains around his ankles jingling crisply.
With a frown, Mu Cai glanced sideways at him, "Enough, you don't need to feel jealous. This man isn't all that impressive. Despite his exterior of maturity and stability, he’s cold-hearted on the inside. Besides, he's holding me and showing interest in you. He desires to enjoy the blessings of all, he's not a good person."
His words entered Su Yao's ears like a stream washing over a river bed, vanishing in an instant. One look from the beauty was all it took to completely demolish Su Yao's consciousness. Hearing the sound of the silver anklets and iron chains, he couldn't control his gaze, fixated onto the exposed legs of the beauty.
The feet were well-rounded with a beautiful arch. Against the stark black iron chains, the skin underneath was dazzlingly white. Graceful and slender ankles seemed as if they could be controlled and played with by a single hand.
Su Yao had no idea he had a foot fetish. But he looked at these feet, unable to quell the thoughts in his mind that if it were him holding the beauty, he'd definitely grasp these feet, let them tread lightly...
"Don't talk nonsense." A low voice resonated, Qin Zhongjin didn't even frown, merely stating, "He is a descendant of an old friend. I do not desire the blessings of all, the only chains in my hand belong to you."
Mu Cai: "..."
Mu Cai felt he should take back his previous thoughts. When facing him, the other party was truly indifferent! Although Qin Zhongjin seemed to have held him in his arms, there was no change in his expression, just as if he was merely completing a task. Even when he was stirring up contention, the other party was extremely calm and didn't rebuke him.
His previous thoughts were completely wrong!
The protagonist indeed had excellent determination!
However, Qin Zhongjin's brow lightly furrowed at that moment, "You should wear a pair of shoes."
Wondering how this man without even opening his eyes could see that he was shoeless, Mu Cai also questioned whether this was the right time to discuss this issue?
He was in low spirits due to his failed attempts. However, he felt comforted by the protagonist's indifference towards him. Maintaining his arrogant portrayal, he declared, "I won't wear them. I had no shoes to wear when I died, so naturally I will not wear them now."
With these words, Mu Cai then wiggled his legs a little further. Qin Zhongjin's arm slung over his legs and Mu Cai’s legs rested on the outside - they were quite free to move.
As he moved, the silver anklets and iron chains jingled yet again. His red dress swung revealing the beautiful pair of legs underneath, making Su Yao's mind dazzle once again.
Despite the fact that such a large person was acting out in his embrace, Qin Zhongjin remained unflustered. He tightened his hold, embracing the other even more firmly, his arm resting beneath the leg moved slightly backward, and his hand grasped Mu Cai's ankle, "Fine, you won’t wear shoes. But you need to behave, we have to return."
Qin Zhongjin's tone was very natural, and his facial expression didn't show an ounce of irritation. Acting out was never part of Mu Cai's nature, and he himself felt that he had perhaps gone a bit overboard. Plus, with the protagonist's tolerance, Mu Cai felt embarrassed to continue in the same way.
After thinking for a while, he reached out, pulling on Qin Zhongjin's neck hesitantly and said, "Forget it, arguing with you isn't worth it. I am tired."
Having said that, Mu Cai naturally closed his eyes and rested his head on the other's shoulder.
Throughout these back-and-forth exchanges, the little peach tree silently observed, half-understanding, half-bewildered, unsure of what the adults were discussing. But when the little tree saw Cai Cai close his eyes, it guessed that he was about to sleep. It immediately became quiet, stopped moving, and gently blew towards him, as if trying to create a gentle breeze with its leaves like before, to lull Cai Cai to sleep.
Mu Cai initially had only pretended to be sleepy, but unexpectedly, the minute he closed his eyes, drowsiness overcame him. He didn't struggle for long before he succumbed to the enveloping grogginess.
Qin Zhongjin pulled his arm tighter, making him more comfortable resting on his shoulder.
He then turned his head towards Su Yao's direction, his voice deep and hinting at some sternness, "Stop overthinking."
A chill struck Su Yao's heart, he clenched his teeth a little, then finally replied, "Elder, you worry too much."
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Author's Note:
Cai Cai fell asleep on Qin Zhongjin's shoulder, dreaming of potato and beef stew, golden soup, and barbecued beef... When he woke up however, he realized that he was a ghost and couldn't eat any of it.
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