"Pardon?" the young man asked, his voice gentle yet tinged with concern. He stood about the same height as Cheung Qi, clothed in a white polo shirt, slim pants, and a black apron tied around his waist.
His dark hair fell softly around his face, and his deep-brown eyes were fixed on Hei Bao, searching for a sign of what might be troubling him.
His hands moved automatically, wiping down the front desk, though his attention was entirely on the stranger before him.
"Sir? Are you all right?" he asked again, his tone insistent, pulling the pack leader from the depths of his thoughts. The whispers and giggles from the café's other patrons reached Hei Bao's ears, grounding him in the present moment.
He glanced around, his face reflecting a sense of being lost. Then he bowed to the man at the counter before slowly walking away, but as he turned around, he noticed the air around the cafe felt warm and peaceful.
It made him frown; instead of bringing comfort, the atmosphere filled him with unease. Ever since his husband died, he had found it impossible to experience peace. This moment felt unreal and unfamiliar to him.
The doorbells chimed again, and Cheung Qi appeared,
"Yo, Hao Mingyu!" his voice echoed inside the café as he greeted the person alone at the counter.
Hao Mingyu's gaze swept past Hei Bao and landed on Cheung Qi. He immediately broke into a warm smile, his pure white teeth showing, and greeted his friend with genuine enthusiasm.
"Great to see you back again," He said, lifting his right fist toward Cheung Qi, and they shared a friendly fist bump.
Cheung Qi glanced nervously over his shoulder, tugged Hei Bao closer, and introduced him with a hint of pride.
"This is my boss."
In Lycan practices, personal connections and family information are kept private for security reasons within their clans. As a result, when they are out, they refer to family members as 'boss' or 'master.'
Hao Mingyu's attention shifted to the pack leader.
"Oh, I see. It's nice to meet you, sir," he said, his tone courteous but slightly curious.
Hei Bao regarded him with an unreadable expression while gently prying his younger cousin's hand from his waist and turning away, his lack of response conveying indifference.
Cheung Qi's face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly apologized to Hao Mingyu,
"Sorry about that, one second," he said, his voice tinged with regret and hurried after his elder cousin, who was now sitting by the window, absorbed in the menu book.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, frustration edging his voice.
"Do what?" Hei Bao's tone turned icy, his eyes shifting to a deep ocean blue.
A knot of anxiety immediately twisted in Cheung Qi's stomach. He recognized the shift in his cousin's gaze; it was a warning sign that things would turn unpleasant soon if his response or reaction proved unsatisfactory.
"I told you I was hungry. But what did you do? You were dilly-dallying," the pack leader snapped, his face darkening with irritation.
Cheung Qi swallowed hard, his nerves fraying. He forced a nervous smile and stepped beside him.
"Okay, okay, my bad. Calm down. What do you want? I'll order it for you right away," he said, his voice betraying his anxiety.
Hei Bao exhaled sharply, closing his eyes momentarily as his expression softened.
"This is the last time you bring me to this place, understand?" he said, his tone final.
Cheung Qi, feeling confused and apprehension, nodded without pressing further, wary of aggravating the volatile mood.
"I understand. What do you want?" He asked slowly.
Hei Bao opened his eyes, scanned the menu, and pointed to the item with fried potatoes, smashed corn, and grilled meat.
"That one? Got it, and for drinks?" Cheung asked, trying to keep his composure as he stood beside him.
"This one, fresh cucumber with lemon and mint," Hei Bao answered curtly.
"Okay, wait here," Cheung Qi said, heading back to the counter to place the order alongside his, hoping the tense atmosphere at their table had already eased up.
"Is everything all right?" Hao Mingyu asked, concerned, upon seeing him wearing an exhausted expression. Chueng Qi immediately showed an assured smile and replied,
"Yes. Are your sets A and C available?" he asked, and Hao Mingyu quickly checked on the computer.
In a secluded part of the woods, Gou Feng finally buried Fei Nian's body. Although it was already afternoon, he remained isolated in the quiet forest.
The wind whistled through the trees, and the rustling of fallen leaves echoed in his pointed ears. Sweat glistened on his brows from the heat of the day.
When he first arrived in the dump forest, Gou Feng had stripped down his shirt and dug a grave for the corpse. His muscular arms and defined abs were visible as he worked with the shovel, a sight that could incite desire or envy in others.
With the task complete, Gou Feng sat beneath a Nara tree, his gaze fixed on the freshly covered grave. He stared down at his hands, filth with dried blood, his expression and eyes blank, deeply thinking about what he had done earlier.
Before burying Fei Nian's corpse, he had first cut off the four limbs with an axe he always kept behind his car seat, placing them in a black plastic bag alongside the remaining parts. The sound of chopping and bones cracking still echoed in his ears, haunting him like a persistent song.
He had been performing this grim task since he was 15, yet despite his experience, he could not shake the sense that this was wrong. Trembling, he held his hands close to his chest and closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind and tense body.
"It's all right, you didn't do anything wrong. You've done this countless times. It's all right, it's okay," he mumbled repeatedly, visibly showing the routine he had followed for many years that worked all the time. His body slowly eased, and his mind calmed.
Placing his right hand on the tree for support, Gou Feng slowly stood up, dusted off his pants, and put his shirt back on. He took one last look at the grave, bowed, and left holding the shovel in his left hand with no promise of inner peace, only the assurance of what he knew to be true.
A comforting assurance that no one would ever find Fei Nian's body, regardless of how thoroughly they searched, because this place is one where no other race can enter without the blessing of the Lycan leader.
Anyone who dares to enter the woods will find themselves trapped by a toxic miasma, a cruel invention of Cheung Qi meant to keep intruders at bay.
The miasma, a relentless force, is always active and has never been deactivated, even when Gou Feng, who is already immune to its effects, is nearby.
The miasma is merciless. It wraps around a person with the cold efficiency of a leech, claiming their life in mere seconds.
This brutal, unfeeling mechanism gives the woods their unsettling stench of rotting corpses throughout the woods, including the entrance. Each corpse has a distinct odor, which helps Gou Feng avoid getting lost.
Only those whose immune systems have accepted the pack leader's blood can withstand the poison and escape its deadly grip. For everyone else, the woods are a suffocating trap, a grim reminder of Cheung Qi's ruthless foresight.
Even if someone manages to enter and exit, they still won't be able to find Fei Nian's corpse, for Gou Feng ensured her body was planted in a soil swarming with worms and maggots, making his job thoroughly clean.
Continuing his journey, the view of the grave slowly faded as he reached the side of the road where his car was just ten steps away. He kept walking, but suddenly, a wave of dizziness attacked him.
He quickly stopped on his track, squinted, and shook his head, trying to understand what had happened. He looked down at the ground, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself.
When he opened his eyes again, he noticed red ants marching on the road, carrying food. This sight triggered a memory from his past, causing him to frown and feel disheartened.
"Ge!" The voice of a young child suddenly echoes behind him, startling him so much that he spun around, desperately searching for the source. But the area was empty, leaving him feeling a wave of confusion and unease.
Shaking off the strange feeling, Gou Feng strode swiftly to his car and climbed inside, his breath coming in ragged gasps as if he had just run a marathon.
He sank into the car seat, leaning forward with his eyes tightly shut, intending to rest momentarily. However, an unexpected memory he had not yet disclosed to Hei Bao resurfaced, interrupting him.
"A-Feng, did you venture into the woods again? Did I not warn you of the dangers? What if you encountered a wild animal or lost your way? How would we ever find you?" The voice of a fifty-year-old man, laced with concern and a touch of exasperation, resonated in his mind.
"Please, don't cry. Gege is sorry. I'm just worried about you. What if you got lost? With Mom and Dad working, it's only the two of us. Aunt isn't here as well. How could I possibly find you on my own?" The reassuring voice of a young man echoed in his thoughts, trying to console him despite his distress.
Gou Feng's eyes flew open, now filled with unshed tears. A tight knot formed in his throat, rendering him unable to breathe well, but he managed to release a shuddering sigh. His heart ached with a profound sense of regret and longing as he murmured through his tears, resting his forehead against the steering wheel.
"Dad, Ge, I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking with quiet sobs.
To be continued.