Bloodkiller - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Stealing Jade

“Brother Yao… Brother Yao… Cough, Yao Chuan!”

Yao Chuan snapped out of his daze and found Qian Ling waving a hand in front of him.

His mind was in disarray and his heart unsettled. Embarrassed, he coughed and forced a serious tone. “The day’s nearly over, everyone’s worn out—I must’ve drifted off for a bit. What were you saying again, Brother Qian?”

Qian Ling scowled and mocked him, “You were practically living in brothels not long ago. Don’t tell me now that you’ve suddenly turned over a new leaf and started acting like a gentleman? I was saying my wife, Yulian, is heading back to Qian Manor tomorrow. Maybe she could take a look at Lin Yi’s injuries?”

“Absolutely not!” Yao Chuan blurted out.

“Why not?” Qian Ling’s frown deepened. “Yulian may be my wife, but her skills come from her father—an expert doctor who once saved my life. If anyone can help Lin Yi, it’s her.”

Yao Chuan forced a smile. “Of course, your wife’s medical talents are known far and wide. It’s just… Lin Yi’s condition is… complicated. Please trust me on this—there’s no need to involve her. I promise he’s in good hands.”

His voice was uncertain, his face red, and his manner clumsy—scratching his head, avoiding eye contact. If Qian Ling could see, he might’ve noticed how uncomfortable Yao Chuan was. But being blind, he could only sigh and let it go.

“Well, I won’t press. But Lin Yi was hurt right under my nose, so I do feel responsible.”

“Rest assured,” Yao Chuan said. “It’s not serious. A few days of rest, and he’ll be fine. It’s just…” He trailed off, sighing.

Later, after parting ways, Yao Chuan wandered to the kitchen. It was about dinner time, and he helped prepare some simple porridge and vegetables before heading to the west wing.

Despite the mansion being vast, it should’ve only taken minutes. Yet, riddled with guilt and dread, Yao Chuan dragged his feet for nearly half an hour.

His thoughts drifted to that night—how he and Lin Yi had fought with fiery passion until Lin Yi collapsed. Only then had he come to his senses and carried him back to the Qian Mansion in secret. Not wanting to alarm the household, Yao Chuan had tended to Lin Yi himself. Unexpectedly, Lin Yi had developed a fever the next day, and Yao had to keep up a web of lies to cover everything.

Earlier that day, Lin Yi had started showing signs of waking. Panicking, Yao Chuan had fled the room, only returning when he felt safe. But even then, anxiety gnawed at him—was Lin Yi awake? Would he seek revenge?

He stood outside the room now, heart pounding, unsure of what to expect. With a few soft knocks, he called out, but no one answered. His worry escalated.

He rushed in—and was immediately met by two teacups flying straight at his face.

He dodged them both, but not the splashes of hot tea.

“Why didn’t you dodge!?” came an angry voice.

Lin Yi sat at the table, fully dressed, eyes blazing. He looked almost like his usual elegant self—except for the paleness of his face.

Relieved, Yao Chuan placed the food down. “You’re too skilled. I had a tray in hand. Couldn’t dodge in time,” he joked. “But look—your tea is still warm enough to scald.”

Lin Yi glared, then turned his head. “You hurt me. But I’ll let it go with those two cups of tea. We’re even now.”

Yao Chuan froze. Lin Yi was being serious. He wasn’t joking. That night—he was just going to gloss over it?

Yao Chuan forced a laugh. “Don’t worry. Only you and I know what happened. No one else ever will.”

“Really? You’ve forgotten about that servant girl?”

“I knocked her out before leaving. She’s still unconscious… or at least, she was,” Yao said, trailing off as he saw Lin Yi’s expression darken.

Then it hit him—if Lin Yi had only lost his strength due to drugs but remained conscious, that meant he remembered… everything. Every intimate, humiliating moment.

Lin Yi confirmed it. “The drug didn’t dull my mind. I remembered it all—every second. That incense… ‘Blow Frost Powder.’ I was careless.”

“Why were you caught off guard?” Yao Chuan asked.

“It wasn’t just carelessness,” Lin Yi said grimly. “This goes deeper. Have you heard of the Qinglong Gang? Once a small waterway crew in Hangzhou—now the biggest gang in Jiangnan. They’ve got powerful backers.”

He then recounted his visit to Nuanxiang Pavilion, a place he usually avoided but had gone to under false pretenses to sniff out Qinglong Gang connections. He met a charming courtesan named Ping’er, who hinted at the presence of the gang’s leaders in the building that very night. Lin Yi cleverly got her to reveal the location of a hidden chamber where important meetings were held.

After drugging Ping’er and sneaking to the room, Lin Yi overheard a conversation. It revealed that someone had been captured and tortured but refused to talk. The gang was hunting for his accomplice using a powerful tracking drug—Soul-Chasing Incense.

Lin Yi realized that they were chasing someone important. Just as he prepared to leave quietly, he was ambushed. That delicate-looking servant—likely a man—had poisoned him. And not just with Soul-Chasing Incense, but with Blow Frost Powder, an aphrodisiac used for breaking people through shame and control.

He passed out.

When he woke up, he had no strength, but the heat raging in his body told him what kind of drug it was. Worse, he had acted on that desire—and Yao Chuan had been the one with him.

“I checked the symptoms,” Lin Yi now said, lowering his voice. “There’s a red crescent mark on my shoulder—the same one that appears after exposure to Blow Frost Powder. You said it was gone, but now it’s back. I think… one encounter didn’t fully cleanse it.”

Yao Chuan looked alarmed. “You mean… it’s not over?”

Lin Yi nodded. “My internal energy is slowly returning. But the poison might resurface… And when it does, only intimacy with a man can suppress it.”

Yao Chuan froze. He could see where this was going.

“Brother Yao,” Lin Yi said, gaze steady, “I need your help. If the poison returns… if the heat returns… you’re the only one who knows and whom I trust. Help me again. I’m not asking you to love me. Just help me survive.”

Yao Chuan was stunned.

“I’ll even give up my position as Qingfeng Village leader if you want,” Lin Yi offered.

“What do I need that title for?” Yao shot back, frustrated.

“Then name your price,” Lin Yi said. “What do you want in return?”

Yao Chuan thought for a moment. His face turned serious. “Break off your engagement with my junior sister.”

Lin Yi stared at him. “So that’s it. You want her. That’s your price.”

“Call it what you want. But she deserves better than a man involved in… this.”

Lin Yi sighed. “Fine. I’ll end the engagement. You have my word. But in return, when the poison flares up again… you’ll help me.”

Yao Chuan looked away, clearly conflicted. “This is madness… but I’ll do it.”