Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 228 - 167: Two Great Cities, the Black-Haired Youth Covered in Wounds, and Abandoned
"System, can you look up this boy’s identity? He can’t be just anyone. That dark, cold aura isn’t something an ordinary Beastman child would have." Otherwise, she wouldn’t have doubled back.
An Jin’s gaze fell on the boy’s exposed skin. It was a terrifying, crisscrossing mess of scars, both old and new.
’What in the world did he go through?’
"For now, I can’t look up random characters who aren’t part of the main story."
Mirror Mirror shrugged, expressing its utter helplessness. "My dear Host, you chose an infrastructure-building system, not a dating-sim one. I don’t have the authority to view character information on demand."
"You’ll have to raise his favorability to ’Friendly’ to unlock that feature."
An Jin turned to look at the unconscious boy on the ground. The sight of his shocking injuries made her hesitate.
’Fine, I guess I’m a bleeding-heart. I just can’t bring myself to walk away. I might as well help him and try to raise his favorability while I’m at it.’
’I’ll see which tribe he’s from and send him back when the time comes.’
...
The faint scent of medicine hung in the air. Qi Yuan opened his eyes. He shifted his gaze slightly, and his cold eyes fell upon a slender figure bustling about not far away.
He froze.
He seemed to have regained a bit of strength. He was about to raise his hand, gather his power, and eliminate this reckless female, but the meticulously wrapped bandages on his arm stopped him.
"..." A flicker of surprise crossed Qi Yuan’s dark, abyss-like eyes. Slowly, he tried to lift his arm, then let it drop. Only then was he sure it wasn’t a dream.
’This strange female bandaged my wounds?’
A puddle on the ground reflected the light of the Crystal Stones in the cave. In it, he saw his reflection: he was covered in bandages, his body half-covered in black scales, with two horns on his head and a tail resting in a slight curl on the floor.
’Damn it. That old bastard actually beat me into this uncontrollable half-beast state.’
A grim shadow fell over the boy’s dark eyes.
"Oh, you’re awake."
Hearing the movement, An Jin turned around, her hands smeared with a thick, green herbal paste. She offered a small smile to the cold, wary boy. "There was a Demon Beast outbreak here not too long ago. Did they attack you? You lost so much blood and were passed out."
"I have some medicine with me. It should help ease your injuries a bit."
Qi Yuan said nothing. He just watched her every move with those dark, gloomy eyes, like a wild animal on high alert, utterly devoid of any sense of security.
He looked up, watching as she took out a small vial, opened it, and held it to his lips.
"..."
"You’re not going to drink?"
An Jin raised an eyebrow. She took a small sip herself before offering it to him again. "It’s just a simple healing remedy. If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it when you were passed out."
Only then did he stir, leaning forward like a wary cat to sniff the small ceramic vial.
It was, in fact, a blend of healing herbs. He often chewed on them when injured, and the potent smell was seared into his muscle memory.
Some of the cold vigilance in his eyes faded.
With An Jin holding the vial, Qi Yuan lowered his head and drank the medicine. He pursed his lips, a touch of moisture now glossing their thin, pale surface. The gloom in his eyes receded slightly.
He took a few shallow breaths before asking in a low, weak voice, "...Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you save me?"
’His attitude improved the moment he drank the medicine, just as I thought.’ What An Jin could never have guessed was that the boy’s suddenly gentle expression was only because he lacked the strength to make a move. He was secretly plotting to make her his first emergency food supply, planning to eat her to regain his power.
Unexpectedly, the boy’s voice was clear and youthful, soft and pleasant to the ear—a far cry from the ferocious demeanor he’d displayed moments ago.
It was the kind of voice that could easily make someone let down their guard.
"I was just passing by and decided to help," An Jin said curtly. "Don’t read too much into it. I’d do the same for an injured puppy or kitten, let alone a Beastman."
’A puppy? A kitten?’
’What are those?’
A strange look crossed Qi Yuan’s face. He braced himself against the stone wall to stand, but he’d lost too much blood. His body was limp, and he couldn’t muster any strength.
His vision went black, and he started to collapse. An Jin caught him just in time, helping him lean back against the wall. She inwardly sighed at how thin and frail he was, feeling as light as a slender twig.
"You’re too badly injured. Just rest for now. Here, you can have the rest of my medicine."
An Jin shoved a Beast Skin Bag into his hands. Then, glancing at the darkening cave entrance, her voice became tinged with urgency. "I have to go now. Just take the medicine orally. And remember, don’t take it all at once. Spread it out over a few doses."
With that, she was gone.
Qi Yuan coldly watched her retreating figure until it disappeared. He tried to move his hands but was too weak to break free of the bandages. He could only lament that his meal for the day had been fortunate enough to escape.
’If she comes back tomorrow, though...’
The born Hunter planned to beguile his prey with a display of weakness, luring it right into his trap.
Still, she had been in such a hurry to leave. ’Will she even come back tomorrow?’ A strange, inexplicable anxiety stirred within Qi Yuan. That female had left without even giving him any food. ’Tomorrow, I will definitely eat her.’
