Chapter 166: Who Is Your Husband?

[Author’s Note: I’m losing my mind. A sensitive section was censored, which messed up the Chapter order and caused some content to be lost. I’ll try to fill it in later when I have time. The gist of it was: Gu Mian was taking Wen Qian back, and she casually called him ’wolf husband,’ which made him angry, and then... blah blah blah, it got censored...]

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

The giant crystal mirror before her, polished to a flawless sheen, clearly reflected her exquisite features.

​Her eye makeup was particularly stunning. The artist had used powder from glowing forest insects to create highlights, making her whole face look even more refined and vibrant.

Immersed in her reflection, Wen Qian didn’t 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 stood behind her, having appeared at some unknown moment. She was still in her white formal gown, glaring at Wen Qian with reddened eyes.

"How did you get in?" Wen Qian frowned and rose to her feet, her guard up.

The woman’s eyes seethed with hatred and resentment as she stared at Wen Qian, as if she were the most unforgivable of criminals.

As if startled by her gaze, Wen Qian reflexively snatched something from the dressing table and hurled it at her before the woman could take another step forward.

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

She let the bottles and jars strike her, her movements accelerating. In the next instant, a drug-soaked handkerchief was pressed firmly over Wen Qian’s mouth and nose.

"Mmph—"

In that moment, Wen Qian felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. Her consciousness receded like the tide, and in a near instant, she plunged into darkness...

"You bitch! You really think you can steal my man?" the woman cursed viciously as she pulled a cold, gleaming dagger from out of nowhere. She tapped Wen Qian’s cheek with the flat of the blade, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

’But the thought of Chi Heng suppressed my murderous intent with fear. I’m afraid of Chi Heng, so I don’t dare to actually deliver the killing blow.’

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

With the sharp blade in hand, the murderous impulse returned.

Suppressing the fear in her heart, her gaze on Wen Qian turned icy once more.

She slowly leaned down, staring intently at Wen Qian’s beautiful face as if to confirm something.

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

A soft breeze slipped silently through a crack in the window, seeming to carry with it a hint of mystery.

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

"In your next life, remember not to covet people who are not yours to have." The woman sneered, then violently raised her hand and stabbed straight 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 skin.

In an instant, a sharp pain shot through Xi Zhen. Then, her ability to move flickered out like a candle in the wind.

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

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

A tall, slender man walked in slowly, his hands in his pockets, his figure silhouetted against the light. His cold, sharp eyes, like the brightest, most frigid 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. She was limp and weak, having clearly lost all motor function.

Lifting her chin slightly, she could only watch as the man reached out and gently but firmly lifted Wen Qian into his arms.

After confirming that Wen Qian had only fainted, the man carefully placed her in a soft nearby chair.

He slowly turned, and his cold, sharp gaze, like a thousand daggers, stabbed straight at the paralyzed Xi Zhen on the floor.

Upon seeing the man’s dark green eyes, Xi Zhen’s face turned white as a sheet. Fat beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Where the black snake had bitten her ankle, a sickening blue-black discoloration was rapidly spreading from the venom.

"Who gave you the nerve... to touch my woman?"

Gu Mian advanced on Xi Zhen step by step, each footfall landing with heavy deliberation. A biting chill emanated from him, and his usually refined features were now contorted with a rage that was terrifying to behold.

Xi Zhen’s lips trembled. She wanted to defend herself, but between the encroaching venom 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 examining an insignificant insect.

"Do you know what kind of snake just bit you?" the man asked, casually fiddling with the watch on his wrist. Not waiting for a reply, he continued, "It’s called a Black Mamba. An ordinary Beastman would be dead within five minutes of its bite."

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

Gu Mian was in no mood to watch any longer. He wrapped an arm around Wen Qian’s waist, and with a cold look on his face, pushed open the window...

A Red Beast was hovering silently in the air, its wings outstretched. Upon seeing its master, it immediately flew over in a show of obedience. Gu Mian settled Wen Qian onto its back, and in the next moment, the Red Beast flapped its wings and soared into the sky...

It was a momentous day for the Wolf Clan, so the number of guards was significantly lower than usual. Combined with the fact that a Red Beast could fly much faster than a Xuan Beast, Gu Mian was able to leave with Wen Qian easily.

Spotting a red silhouette flash across the sky, Chi Heng finally sensed that something was wrong.

’The men I sent to protect Wen Qian haven’t returned. And within the Wolf Clan, only the Old Wolf King has a Red Beast. But the Wolf King is sitting right there, so who did that Red Beast belong to?’

His expression went still for a moment. In the next second, heedless of the watching crowd, Chi Heng bolted toward the castle. He was followed by the thunder of footsteps as the Wolf Clan guards rushed to the scene.

Everyone was stunned by the scene inside the room...

Countless bottles and jars lay shattered on the floor. A massive wolf lay nearest to the dressing table, its eyes wide and staring. Its pupils were unfocused, and a trickle of blood stained the corner of its 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 through the wide-open window, drawing his gaze. His expression flickered almost imperceptibly.

After this turmoil, the banquet quickly broke up. Chi Heng kept the incident quiet, instead summoning a physician to determine Xi Zhen’s cause of death.

The cause of death was quickly confirmed to be snake venom.

Chi Heng’s thoughts were a tangled, heavy mess. He clasped his hands over his knees, his expression quiet and still.

He already had a suspicion about who had taken Wen Qian.

’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?’