Chapter Twenty-Nine: Master Chen Gets Into Trouble

Hearing Master Chen say that, my heart suddenly jolted.

Fox hands?

What could that mean? For a moment, I even wondered if this girl called Bai Qi was... a monster? And not just any monster, but a fox spirit?

I glanced instinctively at Master Chen, who was busy tearing apart some cured meat, seemingly unaffected by what he had just told me.

“Uh... Bai Qi!” I called out suddenly, stopping in my tracks.

“W-what is it?” Bai Qi seemed a bit dazed by my sudden shout, her voice soft and hesitant.

I turned to look at her more closely, then my gaze lingered on her hands...

Immediately, I frowned.

How to put it...

I hadn’t noticed before, but now I realized that each of Bai Qi’s fingers was shorter than usual—about two centimeters shorter—and they were slender with somewhat pointed tips...

Rose noticed me scrutinizing Bai Qi’s fingers and quickly shoved her own hands deep into her pockets, her expression shifting.

Only then did I realize...

Bai Qi’s fingers had some kind of defect.

But I didn’t quite understand the connection between Bai Qi’s finger deformity and the “fox hands” Master Chen mentioned.

“Sorry about that,” I said to her apologetically.

“It’s... it’s nothing,” Bai Qi replied, her pale face tinged with a faint blush, looking every bit the innocent young girl.

“What’s going on with your hands?” Since Master Chen ignored me, I stopped hiding and asked openly.

“They’ve been like this since I was born,” she said softly.

I was about to say more when Master Chen suddenly shouted in a hoarse voice, “Sanqi, go ahead and check the path, watch out for those blood grass spiders...”

I was taken aback.

That’s when it hit me—Master Chen was trying to send me away.

I didn’t understand why.

Was he planning to...

Thinking it through, I suspected Master Chen had some ulterior motive. Perhaps he was tempted by Bai Qi’s appearance, and having been alone in the forest for so long, he was ready to make a move on the young girl?

My suspicion wasn’t baseless; after all, I had witnessed Master Chen’s behavior in the hunting grounds—he always had women around at night, once even seven seductive women entered his room at the same time.

He held his own against seven women without faltering. The next day, it was those seven women who limped away.

It had stunned me at the time.

Now, I seriously doubted that Master Chen intended to harm Bai Qi in this secluded forest.

In such a remote place, if he wanted to, no one would stand in his way.

To be honest, people who live long in the wild follow the forest's laws: survival of the fittest, strength above all. If you try to stop them, these hunters won’t hesitate to pull out their shotguns on you...

Though I, Sanqi, didn’t consider myself a good person, I couldn’t just stand by and watch this girl get mistreated.

So I remained silent and stood my ground.

...

Seeing I didn’t move, Master Chen frowned and snapped, “What are you dawdling for? Sanqi, hurry up!”

I hesitated. “Master Chen, what exactly do you want? Can you tell me?”

He was stunned, probably not expecting me to ask directly.

After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said again, “Sanqi, just go!”

This time his tone was serious, as if he’d resort to force if I didn’t comply.

I was even more convinced then.

Master Chen definitely had a problem, and not a small one.

I stubbornly stood my ground. I wasn’t about to leave just because of his orders. Did he really think he could do whatever he wanted right in front of me?

“Sanqi... you...” Master Chen’s dark gaze fixed on me, his words almost gritted out through clenched teeth.

The air grew thick and silent.

Suddenly, Bai Qi whispered, “Well... maybe you should go, Sanqi.”

Her words made Master Chen freeze in place—and me too, confused.

Was this girl an idiot? Didn’t she realize he was trying to protect her?

Bai Qi looked at me softly and said, “It’s okay.”

I was at a loss.

If the person involved didn’t mind, I could have stayed, but here...

Damn!

If she didn’t care, what was I still insisting on? It would just be foolish.

So after a long look at Master Chen and Bai Qi, I waved my hand and said nothing, heading forward first.

...

The forest was utterly quiet, not a sound to be heard, which made me unusually free and easy.

“What a damned stubborn ghost!” I muttered to myself, using a stick I’d picked up to clear the dense grass.

No kidding! Good advice just turns into meddlesome trouble.

After wandering through the grass for nearly half an hour, I figured if they were having their fun, it should be about over.

Holding the stick, I started heading back.

About ten minutes later, I vaguely heard a man’s heavy breathing calling my name.

“Hu hu hu... Sanqi... hu hu hu... Sanqi!!!”

Listening closely, it was Master Chen’s voice, which made me freeze.

Then a chill ran down my spine.

What kind of sickness does this old man have? Why shout my name while he’s... you know?

Could it be...

That Master Chen is into men?

The thought sent shivers through me as I shuddered and instinctively turned to head back.

But just a few steps in, I stopped, listening carefully to his calls.

Frowning, I realized something was off.

Having spent so much time in the hunting grounds with Master Chen, I’d never heard him call my name during intimate moments with any woman.

As I pondered, Master Chen’s voice rang out again.

“Sanqi... Sanqi!”

His heavy breathing shifted to urgency.

I finally understood.

“This is bad, something’s wrong!”

Without hesitation, I dropped the stick and sprinted towards the direction of his calls.

...

Three minutes later, I saw Master Chen propped against a tree, clutching his other arm tightly, blood dripping from between his fingers...