Yin Zhi had been injured and unable to shapeshift. When he was finally able to transform yesterday, the very first thing he did was leave his mark on the back of Wen Qian's neck.
He never expected the mark would last only a day before Gu Mian covered it up…
"Wasn't it a cat bite?" Gu Mian's lips curled into a smirk. Seeing Yin Zhi's expression grow uglier, he added with a faint smile, "Young Master, you should know that Blue Star isn't the Beast World. Even if we have to follow rules, they won't be the rules of the Beast World."
The implication was clear: as long as they weren't in the Beast World, he could acknowledge the matter if he felt like it. If not, he could just brush it off with a few careless words, exactly as he was doing now.
"Is that so?" The streetlight cast a quiet glow at the man's feet, and a note of strained patience entered Yin Zhi's voice. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled. "I know. The rule here is that proximity is everything."
'In any case, the mark has been made, and there are plenty of Beastmen in City A who will recognize its significance.'
With the mindset of 'fend off one, and that's one less to worry about,' Yin Zhi's expression softened slightly. Then he remembered that he was the one spending every day and night with Wen Qian, sharing her bed… and his anger subsided.
Hearing the implication in Yin Zhi's words, Gu Mian didn't get angry. He gave an indifferent smile. "And what if it is? Young Master, you must be aware of the divorce rate on Blue Star, right?"
'So what if he has the advantage of proximity? I'm confident I can win her over.' Gu Mian had never been the type to be handsome and unaware of it. He knew that whenever Wen Qian looked at him, her expression was always one of awe… and since that was the case, he didn't mind using it to his full advantage.
Besides, on Blue Star, breaking up and getting back together was a common occurrence. As long as he was patient enough, even if she had chosen Yin Zhi for now, she… would be his sooner or later.
At this thought, a phrase suddenly surfaced in Gu Mian's mind: 'When someone else is the homewrecker, it's a new low. When a friend is the homewrecker, the key is not getting caught. When I'm the homewrecker… it's a legendary romance.'
He thought back and remembered seeing that line on the school forums. It was a comment from a stranger on that post with the photo of him and Wen Qian.
Gu Mian had found it amusing and memorized it at a glance, never expecting he'd have a use for it so soon.
"Mr. Gu, don't tell me you intend to be the third party?" Hearing the insinuation, Yin Zhi sneered.
Completely unfazed by the man's provocation, Gu Mian turned his back and let out a low chuckle. "Heh, the one who isn't loved is the real third party."
Watching the man's back, Yin Zhi gritted his teeth. The disdain in his eyes vanished, replaced by a seriousness that settled on his brow. 'I thought that by getting a step ahead and leaving my mark on Wen Qian, there wouldn't be any trouble. I never imagined she'd be targeted by another Beastman so soon.'
And worse, one from the Gu Family.
The Gu Family was an incredibly powerful clan back in the Beast World. Though they remained secluded in their valley year-round, their intelligence network was the most well-informed of all the clans. Moreover, their family patriarch ruled over the entire Snake Clan. Though Yin Zhi didn't know Gu Mian's status within the Gu Family, an aura like his meant he was definitely no small fry.
Yin Zhi concluded that his beast form had to be either a Yanhong or a Ju Mo.
"Young Master." A man in a black suit emerged from the shadows only after Gu Mian was a good distance away.
'If I'd known he was from the Gu Family, I wouldn't have bothered hiding. He must have sensed my presence long ago. The fact that he didn't call me out… most likely means he didn't consider me worth his time.'
Yin Zhi stared at the spot where Gu Mian had vanished, his gaze darkening. After a long moment, he spoke in a cold voice, "Ling Xuan, have someone investigate his background."
"Yes, Young Master." Ling Xuan's expression was solemn. After a moment, he asked, "Do you think the Gu Family has something to do with the Critical Stone, Young Master?"
The Critical Stone was the Guardian Stone of the Beast World, and it was of paramount importance. The stone's existence not only protected the Beast World but was also intrinsically linked to all life within it.
However, 20 years ago, the Critical Stone suddenly shattered for reasons unknown. The entire Beast World and its adjacent realms were thrown into turmoil as space twisted and merged, forming a rift. Countless Beastmen fell through this rift to Blue Star, becoming what humans would call lesser animals.
At the same time, the beast forms of many clans were also affected. After falling to Blue Star, their bodies shrank by tens, or even hundreds, of times. This was why, even though Yin Zhi's true form was a Silver Tiger, he could only transform into the likeness of a "silver gradient."
The Beastmen's bodies were affected by the new space and environment… Without the power of the Critical Stone, the larger one's original form, the harder it was to maintain it. Only their shadows could reveal their true size.
Thus, the Beastmen discovered on Blue Star were not the result of animal genetic mutation, but rather a consequence of a rupture in spacetime that caused them to fall from the Beast World. As for why the Beastmen didn't all regain their beast forms at the same time, this was something Yin Zhi had only recently figured out…
After falling into this world, their powers were weakened, and even their ability to shapeshift became uncontrollable. Many Beastmen died without ever managing to successfully transform.
In the Beast World, they were not affected by such factors and could transform naturally. But on Blue Star, they needed to draw on the power of the Critical Stone to achieve a physical breakthrough.
Yin Zhi had discovered that in City A, this residential complex had the highest concentration of transformed Beastmen. And the closer he got to Unit 11, the more clearly he could sense the power of the Critical Stone…
To prevent more Beastmen from falling to Blue Star and to bring back those already trapped here, he had to find the Critical Stone and repair the tear between their worlds.
The only problem was, as far as Yin Zhi knew, the Critical Stone had shattered into countless pieces when it fell to Blue Star. Finding them all… would be no easy feat.
Yin Zhi's own ability to sense the Critical Stone was limited; he needed the help of an Inspection Envoy. An Inspection Envoy was a chosen guardian who could pinpoint the location of the Critical Stone—even its tiniest fragments—under any circumstances.
"No, it's not that." Although Yin Zhi couldn't stand Gu Mian, he wasn't about to pin such a huge crime on him.
Ling Xuan's expression turned strange. "Could it be…"
"Stop guessing." Yin Zhi narrowed his eyes. After a pause, he said, "He's trying to steal my woman."
'Why the Critical Stone shattered is a matter for those still in the Beast World to investigate. My primary mission is to find the Critical Stone and separate the two worlds.'
Ling Xuan was dumbfounded. 'Never mind when the Young Master got a woman in the first place—the women of Blue Star are not to be trifled with!'
The Wolf Beastman who fell to Blue Star at the same time he did had listened to the sweet lies of a human woman. Not only was he cheated of his body and heart, but he was ultimately sold to some underground establishment to be gawked at… It was an absolutely tragic fate!
'That woman must be the same! She's taking advantage of the Young Master's lack of experience with relationships, preying on his innocence!'
"Young Master, you absolutely must not fall in love with a human from Blue Star!" Ling Xuan cried out, on the verge of a breakdown. He could still remember rescuing that Wolf Beastman—the man's face had been ashen, the light completely gone from his eyes.
This was all the fault of human females!!