Am I a Little Cold-Blooded? (Add Me to Your Fan Group)

"Wulin... my uncle is dead."

Xie Xie stared at the podium that had been blasted to pieces, his voice low and hoarse with strain.

The ringing boom of the explosion still echoed in their ears.

A second ago, his uncle had been standing onstage, holding a speech draft and addressing the crowd. The next, he had been blown into a mess of flesh.

He neither cried nor shouted.

Tears could not bring back the dead, and rushing forward would only get him killed.

He had understood that truth from a very young age.

As the explosion ended, the smoke gradually cleared.

A man wrapped in a black robe emerged from beneath the podium, four soul rings rising from around his feet.

He raised a hand and pulled to the side, and more than a dozen green-black holes appeared around him.

Pale skeleton monsters crawled out through the openings, their bony frames clattering loudly against one another.

"A four-ring Soul Elder!"

Tang Wulin's heart tightened. He reached out and grabbed Xie Xie's arm. "Xie Xie, now isn't the time to grieve. Get upstairs and hide first! We'll talk after the city guard arrives!"

"Damn Evil Soul Masters..."

Xie Xie ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "One day, I'll fight them to the death!"

His words were fierce, but his feet did not move a single step forward.

He had not been blinded by rage.

His uncle's death could not simply be left at that. He had to stay alive—only by staying alive would he have a chance to settle the score himself.

He took a deep breath and forced down his surging emotions, then turned and followed Tang Wulin upstairs into the restaurant.

"This restaurant is still some distance from the square. Those skeletons aren't going to come running in here, are they?"

Tang Wulin muttered as he walked. He called it a prayer, but in truth, he had no confidence either.

Evil Soul Masters were all lunatics. There was nothing they would not do.

The two entered the restaurant hall one after the other.

Thanks to the restaurant's excellent soundproofing, not a trace of the explosions outside could be heard within.

The guests inside continued eating and drinking as usual, with the sounds of toasting and laughter rising one after another.

It was like an entirely different world from the blood-soaked chaos outside.

Tang Wulin paused, opening his mouth as if to shout something, before closing it again.

What was he supposed to say? That an Evil Soul Master was killing people outside?

If the crowd panicked, even a stampede could kill a whole group of people. That would only make things worse.

The guard should arrive soon enough anyway. Better not to stir up trouble.

Xie Xie did not say a word the entire time. His face was cold as he headed straight for the private room.

He had neither the energy to explain anything to anyone nor any obligation to soothe the emotions of strangers.

He pushed open the private room's door and entered.

The table was covered with dishes, all still steaming hot.

Fang Yuan and Gu Yuena had already picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

"What happened?"

Fang Yuan glanced at the two of them, a piece of fish still held between his chopsticks. "Why are your faces so long? Did someone owe you money?"

"Something happened outside."

Tang Wulin pulled over a chair and sat down, his voice muffled. "An Evil Soul Master bombed the deputy mayoral election event. Xie Xie's uncle... is gone."

"Oh."

Gu Yuena responded without even raising her head, picking up some vegetables and chewing them slowly.

"Then hurry up and eat." Her tone was as calm as if she were commenting that the dishes were a little salty today. "You need to be full before you have the strength to attend a funeral."

Tang Wulin choked on the spot.

Damn.

That was way too vicious, wasn't it?

The guy's own uncle had just died outside. How could she say that so casually?

As expected of Boss Gu Yue—she never cared whether others could take what she said.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue a little, but did not dare.

After all, she was powerful and well-connected.

"This grilled fish is decent. Don't just stand there, you two. Dig in."

Fang Yuan pushed a plate of grilled fish toward the middle, breaking the awkwardness.

"Mm." Xie Xie answered, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

He picked up his chopsticks, steadily took a piece of fish, and slowly chewed it.

There was no expression on his face—no choking sobs, no furious rage.

It was as if the person who had just died outside was not his own uncle.

He also seemed not to have heard Gu Yuena's cold-blooded remark, showing not the slightest hint of anger.

Fang Yuan glanced at him from the corner of his eye a couple of times, feeling somewhat impressed.

Not bad. He was a real man.

His relative had died right before his eyes, yet he could still suppress his emotions and sit down to eat calmly.

That kind of temperament was stronger than that of most adults.

If it had been him?

The chopsticks in Fang Yuan's hand paused.

If his mother had died before his eyes, he would probably have gone mad on the spot. Forget eating—he would count it a mercy if he did not turn all of Eastsea City upside down.

He had lived for over twenty years in his previous life and seen plenty of partings and deaths. He had long since grown numb to death.

But this life was different.

He had been given another chance at life, and he had a mother who protected him so fiercely. That familial love was more precious than anything.

Once something was lost, it could never be recovered.

That was why he understood better than anyone that being alive mattered more than anything else.

Tang Wulin sat there and took two bites of rice, but he simply could not swallow.

His mind was filled with the skeleton monsters outside and the shattered podium.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally looked up at Gu Yuena.

"Boss Gu, that Evil Soul Master downstairs is a four-ring Soul Ancestor, and he summoned a whole bunch of skeleton monsters... Can you have your bodyguards do something about him?"

"Just consider it helping Xie Xie vent his anger!"

"No."

The two words rang out crisply.

They had not come from Gu Yuena.

They had come from Fang Yuan.

Tang Wulin froze.

He had already prepared himself to be turned down by Gu Yuena. He never would have expected Fang Yuan to be the one who spoke.

That kid usually looked so soft and harmless. Though he did not talk much, he was not normally this cold and distant.

"Little Brother Fang Yuan? Why?"

His face was full of confusion. "Didn't the school teach us to punish evil, promote good, and help each other? Aren't... aren't we friends?"

Friends?

Fang Yuan sneered inwardly.

Tang Wulin really was naive.

Those lofty principles taught in school were not worth a damn in society.

Friends?

They had only known each other for a few days, and he already dared to use friendship as moral leverage?

He set down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair. The faint carefree smile on his face vanished completely, and his tone abruptly turned cold.

"There's no why."

"Take revenge for your own grievances yourself. Why should someone else fight for you?"

His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable force.

"But..." Tang Wulin still wanted to argue.

"No buts." Fang Yuan cut him off directly. "School is school, society is society. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"Treating you to this meal today is only to repay Xie Xie for what he did for me before. One thing is one thing."

"Besides, Evil Soul Masters are all lunatics with strong urges for revenge. Why should I risk being targeted by them just to stand up for you?"

His words were blunt, leaving no room for sentiment.

Tang Wulin, Tang Wulin... you really do think you're somebody.

Did he really think that sharing two meals made them friends for life and death?

Tang Wulin stood there with his mouth open, unable to say a word for a long while.

He couldn't quite describe how he felt, only that it was deeply unpleasant.

He didn't like Fang Yuan's habit of calculating everything so clearly. It was too cold-hearted.

But he had no way to refute him.

The reasoning was indeed sound.

They hadn't been close enough to begin with, so why should they expect someone to take risks for them?

If it had been him, he probably wouldn't have been willing either.

He lowered his head dejectedly and muttered, "Alright..."

"Wulin." Xie Xie suddenly spoke, his voice heavy.

"This is my Xie Family's matter. It has nothing to do with you, and even less to do with them."

He didn't raise his head, still holding his chopsticks. His tone was extremely calm.

He had never expected anyone else to help him.

He had to avenge his uncle himself for it to count.

Justice handed out through someone else's charity was worthless.

"How is it unrelated?!" Tang Wulin suddenly looked up, his eyes red. "You're my brother! Your business is my business!"

Xie Xie raised his eyes to look at him.

His eyes, which hadn't reddened even when his uncle died, suddenly turned moist.

He sniffed, forcing back the tears, then heavily patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder.

"Good brother."

The three words came out hoarse.

The two stared at each other like they were bound together through hardship.

Even Fang Yuan found it a little awkward to watch.

It wasn't that big a deal, yet they were making it seem like a life-and-death farewell.

He had no interest in playing along with their brotherly devotion. He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Sister Gu Yue, I'm full."

"You're full?"

A trace of tenderness appeared in Gu Yuena's eyes.

"It's time for an afternoon nap. Are you sleepy? Shall I take you home?"

"Mm, a little." Fang Yuan yawned.

A six-year-old body really wasn't much use. Once he was full, he got sluggish, and his eyelids started drooping.

He couldn't stay up at all.

"Then let's go home." Gu Yuena reached out, intending to tidy the stray hair over his forehead.

Just then, the Spirit Guidance Terminal on the table suddenly rang.

Gu Yuena glanced at the caller ID. Her fingertips paused briefly before she picked up the terminal and turned away, putting her back to Tang Wulin and Xie Xie as she lowered her voice.

"Hello, Di Tian. What is it?"

Di Tian's steady voice came from the terminal.

Fang Yuan had sharp ears and heard every word clearly.

"My Lord, the human who suddenly appeared downstairs and summoned skeletons has been dealt with. All humans who witnessed this subordinate's actions have been silenced. There was no exposure whatsoever."

His tone was flat, as though he were merely talking about clearing away a pile of garbage.

"Well done."

Gu Yuena lowered her voice further, nearly speaking in a whisper.

"Gather all the bodies together and burn them clean. Do not leave behind a single trace.

Little Fang Yuan is only six years old. He absolutely must not see such a bloody scene, understand?"

"Yes, My Lord. This subordinate understands."

Di Tian acknowledged the order and ended the call.

Fang Yuan closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, his expression unchanged.

Silenced?

Perfectly reasonable.

If the Dragon Clan's identity were exposed and drew the attention of the Spirit Pagoda or Shrek Academy, the trouble would be immense.

Those passersby were innocent, but compared to his and Gu Yuena's safety, what did they matter?

That was simply how the world worked. A few unimportant deaths were nothing worth making a fuss over.

Those burdened by soft-hearted compassion never lived long.

Gu Yuena put down her terminal and turned around, a gentle smile returning to her face.

She was like a completely different person from the one who had coldly ordered the witnesses silenced just moments ago.

"Little Fang Yuan, Uncle Di Tian got held up by something and won't be able to come pick us up until later. Why don't you lie on big sister's lap and sleep for a while?"

"Okay." Fang Yuan obediently answered, then yawned again before shuffling over and lying down on her lap.

It was soft, with a faint fragrance to it—far more comfortable than a pillow.

He adjusted into a comfortable position and closed his eyes.

Tang Wulin sat there as though on pins and needles.

The floor below was utterly silent, without the slightest sound, which only made him more uneasy.

He checked the time. It was getting late; if they waited any longer, they would miss curfew at the dorms.

He stood and gave Gu Yue a slight bow.

"Boss Gu Yue, little brother Fang Yuan, it's getting late. Thank you for your hospitality, but we should head back to the dorms now."

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave." Gu Yuena raised her eyes, her tone calm. "Have my driver give you a lift on the way. The school is still some distance from here."

Tang Wulin froze.

Huh?

Since when had Boss Gu Yue been this easygoing?

She was usually as cold as ice, yet today she was actually offering to take them back?

Something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong.

Something must have happened downstairs, and she did not want the two of them going down and seeing it.

Otherwise, why would she be so polite?