37. Two lonely little monsters

“Since the gates of hell closed a hundred years ago, it has become rare to see demons in the human world. After you told me about the records of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins,’ I arranged for the center to borrow ancient texts from Europe. Now it can be confirmed that the demon appearing in City A is Urial, the demon summoned by Chai Jian fifteen years ago.”

“He symbolizes desire, and it was Chai Jian’s jealousy and greed that brought forth Urial back then. However, as soon as he appeared, he was severely injured by Prince Kate and managed to escape pretending to be dead, only to be sealed by your brother afterward.”

“Recently, perhaps due to the loosening of the seal, Urial sent a three-headed dog to make deals with humans and absorb energy.”

“The sealing method used by your brother at that time involved sacrificing his own lifespan.” Upon hearing Zhong Lishu’s words, Qiu Rong sighed.

Through the illusion of the Merfolk Clan Chief, Qiu Rong saw that after their parents were brutally killed, his brother used all his strength to seal that demon.

Even with the mortgage of his remaining lifespan, he could only seal Urial for fifteen years, indicating the power of that demon.

Releasing him from hell would undoubtedly cause severe disruption to the coexistence of humans and supernaturals.

“Song De was completely blinded by power. He only thought about how to peacefully endure until retirement, then pass on all the mess to the next director, so he could escape with the embezzled money.” Zhong Lishu sighed.

Now Song De, instead of retiring, found himself handcuffed, and the one inheriting his mess was Zhong Lishu, the thousand-year-old man who coughed every two steps.

“Urial is hiding in the shadows, but demons are always insatiable. Even if his identity is exposed, he will certainly continue to commit crimes. The center will undoubtedly reseal him before Urial creates a bigger mess.” Zhong Lishu finished speaking and then changed the subject, saying, “As soon as the interrogation of Song De ended, I contacted Prince Kate and explained the misunderstanding between the Vampire Clan and the Wolf Clan. Prince Kate is also willing to provide an explanation to the Wolf Clan together with me.”

“May I ask, if it wasn’t due to suspicion, why did Chief Gu ask about Prince Kate and the hospital earlier?” Qiu Rong forced a bitter smile and said, “Fifteen years ago, I was being chased by Meng Jiadong and happened to run to the affiliated hospital of A University. It was Yan… Roy who saved me.”

Upon hearing this, Zhong Lishu no longer inquired further and comforted him, saying, “Prince Kate probably just found out about the true identity of his lover and couldn’t accept it for a moment. Once he calms down, I believe you can resolve the misunderstandings between each other.”

When the center re-investigates the case from fifteen years ago, all the individuals responsible will be held accountable, including Qiu Rong’s convenient uncle.

Zhong Lishu asked, “After everything is over, will the center issue an official report? Should the part regarding the Wolf Clan be concealed?”

After all, it was an internal power struggle within the Wolf Clan, and the young leader might not want everyone to see his wounds.

Qiu Rong shook his head slowly but firmly and said, “No need.”

“This is the only thing I can do for my family,” Qiu Rong said. “My parents and my brother sacrificed their lives to stop the demon. I owe them an explanation.”

Zhong Lishu understood what Qiu Rong meant, and he nodded in agreement, implying that he would honor Qiu Rong’s family with the recognition they deserved.

Over the years, Meng Jiadong had hastily covered up the deaths of the previous clan leader’s family using a car accident, and he secretly hunted down the sole survivor of the Gu family.

Qiu Rong had been away from his homeland, living in hiding for many years. When he returned to A City, he couldn’t uncover the truth and had to reclaim the position of clan leader through his own abilities, ultimately sending Meng Jiadong to a nursing home for confinement.

“The Violations Department will ensure that Song De and Meng Jiadong receive the punishment they deserve,” promised Zhong Lishu.

After years of searching for the truth, Qiu Rong finally received an answer. It was difficult for him to describe his feelings at that moment. He wasn’t excited, nor did he feel relieved.

Uriel’s whereabouts were still unknown, and Qiu Rong’s hatred was far from over.

Before leaving the Special Management Bureau, Zhong Lishu stopped Qiu Rong and said, “Recently, Teng Tuo contacted me, expressing her feeling of being watched. She briefly fought with the person and the opponent fled. It is highly likely that the person was Uriel. Teng Tuo possesses the nature of greed and gluttony, which is the energy Uriel needs. It seems that after devouring the lives of several ordinary humans, they no longer satisfy Uriel’s needs, so he has turned his attention to Espers. Clan Leader Gu, please be extra cautious.”

“Prince Kate is still the head of the Special Task Force. If Clan Leader Gu wants to join, you can contact him.”

By mentioning the Special Task Force, Zhong Lishu was reminding Qiu Rong that he could use this opportunity to contact Yan Ling and work together as the leaders of the two clans to track down Uriel’s whereabouts. It would also increase efficiency, as they wouldn’t have to investigate the case while worrying about their relationship.

Qiu Rong returned home, feeling like a drawn-out sword sheathed. The sky had long turned pitch black, and the stars and moon were hidden behind the clouds miles away.

He aimlessly drove his car, waiting until the clouds dispersed and the crescent moon revealed itself before he slowly returned home.

The house was pitch-black, and Yan Ling hadn’t returned.

His hair was disheveled, his tie was left in the car, and he had unbuttoned two buttons of his shirt to breathe more easily, but he lacked the strength to do anything else.

Qiu Rong glanced at his phone, which had no new messages. He turned off the screen and lay back on the sofa.

The warmth of the morning’s embrace and kisses seemed to linger, but the little dog felt abandoned.

He could still hear his brother’s whispers as he fell asleep on the last night, the distant sound of a wolf’s howl heard in a half-awake state, the tender embrace that carried him when he was exhausted, and the continuous supply of fresh blood into his mouth… Qiu Rong had a long and chaotic dream.

In the endless chase, it was the person with a small red mole on their wrist who saved him.

In a semi-conscious state, he drank the person’s blood, whimpering in their arms during the intense pain and high fever.

Qiu Rong held his throbbing head and crawled out from under the sofa.

Surprisingly, Qiu Rong, who hadn’t fallen ill in over ten years, had a fever.

He changed out of his wrinkled shirt that had turned into a dried salted vegetable, took a dizzy shower, and stumbled back onto the bed.

There was still the scent of the stuffed cat Yan Ling on the bedsheet.

Like an Alpha in the nest-building phase, Qiu Rong, who was sick, dug through the blanket, stuffed most of it into his arms, and reached for his phone on the bedside table that had been recharged.

As expected, there was no message he most wanted to see.

His wife left home while he was sick, forbidding him from contacting her proactively.

Qiu Rong, feeling bitter as a bitter vegetable, embraced the scent of his wife and fell asleep once again.

When he woke up again, it was dark outside the window.

Being alone, Qiu Rong had no interest in cooking. Without even looking, he opened a food delivery app and randomly selected a restaurant. In less than a minute, he ordered takeout. Finally, he ate without tasting the food, hastily filling his hungry belly after nearly two days of starvation.

There was an emergency medicine kit at home because neither of them fell ill often. Besides replacing expired medications, the kit had hardly been opened.

Actually, when Qiu Rong first moved into Yan Ling’s small apartment, there were no medications available.

It was only after Qiu Rong had been living there for a couple of days that Yan Ling brought a small medicine kit, saying that they didn’t keep any medications at home since they rarely got sick. But now that Qiu Rong had moved in, it was better to prepare some emergency supplies just in case.

While feeling touched, Qiu Rong also lectured Yan Ling on how one shouldn’t live alone without preparing emergency medications. What if they got injured and didn’t even have a band-aid?

After that, Qiu Rong took charge of replacing the medications in the kit.

Thinking back now, Yan Ling probably didn’t need a band-aid when he got injured. By the time Qiu Rong would have found one, he had already recovered.

Qiu Rong took out the thermometer from the medicine kit and placed it in his mouth. After a moment, he looked at it, and the mercury column went beyond 40 degrees. The body temperature of a werewolf was naturally higher, but reaching this level meant he was still running a high fever.

Qiu Rong rummaged through the medicine kit and found some fever-reducing pills, taking two of them.

When the brain is overheated, all sorts of things come to mind. Qiu Rong hugged the hoodie he had found from the wardrobe and recalled the last thing Yan Ling said to him, “Let’s not contact each other for a while.”

Sigh.

The puppy sighed.

How long is this period of time?

Qiu Rong felt like he had been sentenced to life imprisonment by his wife, and he couldn’t help but sing in his mind: “I’ve been sentenced to a lifetime of loneliness by love…”

…

As it turned out, the werewolf’s body was quite resilient. The next day, Qiu Rong’s fever completely subsided, and he regained his clarity and energy.

He still didn’t receive any messages from his wife, but after checking the call records, Qiu Rong tragically discovered that when his fever-addled brain was looping the teacher’s song “Silence,” he had actually made several calls to Yan Ling.

But…

None of them went through.

The puppy’s heart broke.

Fifteen years ago, on that night, many werewolves heard the leader’s howl and rushed to the scene. They had also witnessed the existence of Uriel, but due to the threat of the new Alpha, they all remained silent.

Now, with the central investigation reopened, these people were needed to provide statements.

After his fever subsided, Qiu Rong replied to Zhong Lishu’s message and contacted these tribe members one by one.

After sorting out his mood, he made a phone call to Huo Ye’s older brother, Huo Zhixing.

Gu Zheng and Huo Zhixing had been friends since childhood, and the sudden death of his close friend had a profound impact on Huo Zhixing.

Before Qiu Rong returned to City A, Huo Zhixing never gave up on searching forGu Zheng’s missing younger brother. At the same time, he had been secretly investigating the truth of that year. It was thanks to Huo Zhixing’s persistent questioning that those who had seen Ulier were able to recall that day after fifteen years.

Qiu Rong quickly gained the recognition of the tribe members after taking on the position of Alpha, and Huo Zhixing’s help was also indispensable.

Huo Zhixing listened quietly as Qiu Rong finished telling him the truth of that year. The call remained connected, and both of them stayed silent for a long time.

Finally, Huo Zhixing chuckled lightly and said, “Gu Zheng was indeed amazing.”

“If it were me, I would have been too scared to move. But he actually thought of using a sealing array… using his own life to seal the demon.”

Qiu Rong heard the suppressed sob from the other end of the phone. He took out the pack of cigarettes he bought when he went out in the afternoon and lit one.

The smell of nicotine filled his mouth after a long absence.

Qiu Rong thought, if Yan Ling found out about this, he probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.

Author’s Note:

As for why Qiu Rong hugged Yan Ling’s hoodie instead of the shirts Yan Ling often wore—well, it’s obvious. He was afraid of wrinkling his wife’s shirts!

Qiu Rong: I love it so much, wife, pay attention to me QAQ

(Pigeon Ruo: You dare to smoke even though you love it! Prepare to be punched by Cat Cat!)

Cat Yan: Thank you for the invitation, I’m self-isolating in the prince’s exclusive luxury coffin.

Ah ah ah! Who’s sneaking in and updating! Ah!

Now the little pigeon has been reincarnated as a puppy.

Ruo Changsheng: Woof woof woof QAQ

Dog: .

Dog: Don’t involve me in this!