Chapter 43: Such a Well-Behaved Boy

"Um... here are your clothes. I’ll give you some privacy," Wen Qian said, placing the clothes on the sofa. "Call me when you’re done changing, okay?" With that reminder, she turned and headed for the bedroom.

But just as she reached the doorway, she realized two people had followed right behind her.

"You two..." She was a bit baffled. ’I know men and women should keep their distance,’ she thought, ’but since when do men need to keep their distance from other men?’

"I was just following Qianqian in." Yin Zhi blinked, not wanting to miss a chance to be alone with Wen Qian.

’But who would’ve thought that after just two steps, that eyesore of a stinking snake would follow along.’

Gu Mian raised an eyebrow, his cool gaze sweeping over Yin Zhi without a word.

’He simply didn’t want Wen Qian to be alone with this kid.’

’This guy from the Tiger Clan isn’t just resourceful; he’s also quite an actor in front of Wen Qian. In the Beast World, he’s insufferably arrogant, but before Wen Qian, he acts as meek as a kitten.’

Although the three of them had only been in the room for a few minutes, Wen Qian was already learning what it meant for each day to feel like a year.

’Everyone looks perfectly normal, so why is the atmosphere so... strange?’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

A soft knock sounded, followed by a pleasant, youthful voice from outside the door: "I’m changed!"

It was clearly the newly transformed Yellow-tailed Robin.

Wen Qian was the first to open the door, eager to escape the oppressive atmosphere in the bedroom. At the same time, she was a little excited to see what the Yellow-tailed Robin looked like after transforming.

What appeared before her was not the tall man she had expected, but a delicate-featured, shy-looking young man.

The young man was only a head taller than Wen Qian. He nervously twisted the hem of his clothes with both hands, looking timid.

"You..." Wen Qian opened her mouth, at a loss for words for a moment. ’This little guy can’t be... not yet an adult, can he?’

"I... I’m Li Jiu." Li Jiu timidly glanced at the two men behind Wen Qian. Then he said softly, "Thank you all for saving me."

Wen Qian raised her hand to ruffle his chestnut-colored hair. ’This kid looks so well-behaved.’ But just as her fingertips touched his hair, he flinched, shrinking his shoulders to pull away.

Her fingers hung awkwardly in mid-air. After a moment, as if realizing something, Wen Qian turned and snapped, "Yin Zhi! Stop glaring at him!"

Caught with a fierce expression, Yin Zhi lowered his head, looking aggrieved.

Seeing this, Gu Mian’s brow relaxed slightly. He stepped forward, looking down at the young man before him, and asked in a low voice, "When did you arrive on Blue Star?"

"A-About half a year ago," the young man said in a low voice. He stole a glance at Yin Zhi before adding, "I couldn’t transform after I arrived, and then... I was caught and sold..."

Then, he was suddenly able to transform again, but before he could even be happy about it, he was taken to the basement by bad people... a truly pathetic tale.

Gu Mian nodded. He didn’t need to say the rest; they already knew what happened.

"Um..." Wen Qian scratched her head, deciding to ask anyway.

Wen Qian: "Are you an adult?"

She remembered Yin Zhi saying that Beastmen mature early, with their bodies finishing development around the age of twelve.

The Beastman in front of her looked to be about five-foot-nine, and his build was worlds apart from Yin Zhi’s and Gu Mian’s.

Wen Qian’s first instinct was that he wasn’t an adult yet—that he was under twelve.

"I am an adult!" the young man said, nodding emphatically. Then he held up both hands in front of Wen Qian, making a gesture for the number fifteen. "I’m already fifteen!"

Even though she knew that fifteen for a Beastman was different from fifteen for a human, Wen Qian still sucked in a sharp breath. ’Such a young number.’

"So, will you get any taller?" she asked, like a curious child.

Shaking his head again, the young man looked a bit embarrassed. "No. We Se Dan are all small... I’m actually considered tall for one of us."

"I see..." Wen Qian nodded in understanding. ’So it’s a species thing.’ She considerately rolled up the overly long section of his sleeves and reassured him, "You’re not small. They’re just too tall."

"R-Really...?" The young man’s cheeks flushed slightly, but he still looked at Wen Qian expectantly.

"Of course!" Wen Qian gave his head a good ruffle, her smile brilliant. "Go wait on the sofa. I’ll bring your apple over."

Li Jiu: "Okay!!"

Running back to the sofa, Li Jiu sat up perfectly straight while hugging a throw pillow, looking like a model student.

Meanwhile, Wen Qian went into the kitchen to prepare some fruit for Li Jiu.

This left Yin Zhi and Gu Mian staring at each other, their thoughts a mystery.

Finally, it was Yin Zhi who spoke first. "It seems Qianqian really likes him."

"Mm." The man raised an eyebrow, leaning casually against the doorframe. Unlike Yin Zhi, he didn’t get jealous over every little thing.

’He knew Wen Qian well. Her fondness for Li Jiu stemmed mostly from curiosity about a newcomer, not the kind of affection Yin Zhi was thinking of.’

Seeing the man’s calm expression, Yin Zhi calmed down a bit. He thought for a moment, then turned and followed Wen Qian into the kitchen.

"Qianqian, let me." This time, however, it wasn’t because he was jealous.

’He remembered the doctor said that Qianqian needs to rest.’

"It’s okay, I’m just washing a few apples," Wen Qian said with a smile. ’Now that Li Jiu has transformed, I don’t have to take care of him the way I did before. He can just grab an apple and eat it himself.’

"Then I’ll help you carry them." Taking the plate from Wen Qian’s hands, Yin Zhi affectionately nuzzled her neck a couple of times, his eyes full of tenderness.

The warmth from his nose lingered on her neck, making Wen Qian blush for some reason. ’When will my little tiger ever understand that, as a male Beastman, he can’t be so intimate with girls?’ she thought.

By now, Gu Mian had sat down next to Li Jiu, and the two were talking about something in low voices.

Yin Zhi set the fruit platter down, his expression looking quite indifferent.

It was only when the two mentioned the Critical Stone that his eyes snapped up.

"You know about the Critical Stone, too?" Yin Zhi stared at him, a chill in his gaze.

Startled by Yin Zhi’s gaze, Li Jiu flinched, shrinking his shoulders. He looked timidly toward Gu Mian, and only spoke after seeing his calm expression. "Yes! It’s in this room... n-no, just a fragment."

Yin Zhi’s brow furrowed. Although he could sense the Critical Stone, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the Critical Stone Fragment like Li Jiu could.

’The Se Dan before me is far less powerful than I am. To be able to do this, he would have to be... an Inspection Envoy?’

Yin Zhi: "Are you an Inspection Envoy?"

"S-Sort of..." Li Jiu’s voice was soft. Under Yin Zhi’s scrutinizing gaze, he explained in a low voice, "I’m a descendant of an Inspection Envoy. If I inherited my father’s genes, I was supposed to go to the Critical Space after coming of age to guard the Critical Stone... But by the time I was born, the Critical Stone was already gone."

So, if he hadn’t come to Blue Star, he never would have known he had this ability.

"Then tell us, where is the Critical Stone now?" Gu Mian said calmly. He wasn’t in a hurry to return to the Beast World, but the Critical Stone was incredibly important to it. Having it was better than not.