Extra: First Encounter
Emerald green.
Sunti Street.
At the end of a deep alley.
The dusk was like thick ink, staining the ancient stone walls.
Fourteen-year-old Ji Linshen curled up in the cold shadow of the corner.
The severe pain in my abdomen was like a red-hot iron, and every breath was accompanied by tearing pain.
The dark coat had long been stained by the constantly flowing blood, becoming heavy and sticky, clinging to the skin.
Warm blood beads dripped along the corners of the clothes, hit the rough stone road, and bloomed into shocking dark red flowers.
He tried his best to hold his breath and listened attentively to every sound coming from the alley.
The faint noise in the distance was blocked by the wall, and nearby there was only the rustling sound of the weeds on the wall in the evening breeze.
There were no hurried, chaotic footsteps of someone chasing someone.
This relaxed his nerves, which were stretched to the limit, a little.
The dizziness caused by excessive blood loss came like a tide.
The scene before my eyes began to spin and blur, and my consciousness became a little hazy.
Ji Linshen bit the tip of his tongue hard. The sharp pain brought him a moment of clarity, but his body felt heavy and cold as if it were filled with lead.
Entrance of the alley.
Fifteen-year-old Huo Beiyan walked by with his hands in his pockets and a slightly unfocused pace.
His eyes casually swept across the depths of the dark alley.
His footsteps paused slightly.
The curled-up figure in the shadows and the glaring dark red bloodstains on the ground caught his attention.
He raised his eyebrows, with no expression on his face, and walked in.
The footsteps echoed clearly in the quiet alley.
He stopped in front of Ji Linshen and looked down at the dying boy on the ground.
Huo Beiyan used his toes to nonchalantly test Ji Linshen's calf and said, "Hey, are you dead?"
The voice was clear and bright, typical of a teenager, but with a hint of coldness.
Ji Linshen's body trembled violently.
He raised his head with difficulty.
The blood loss made his face pale as paper, but his eyes, sunken in his eye sockets, were sharp, cold, and full of vigilance and alertness, like a wounded beast.
The moment Huo Beiyan saw his face clearly, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes, and then a playful arc appeared at the corner of his lips.
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice with a hint of understanding: "Huh...it's you?" His eyes swept over Ji Lin's bloodstained abdomen: "The one who killed that stupid mafia idiot?"
Ji Linshen's Adam's apple rolled with difficulty, his cracked lips moved, and his voice was hoarse: "Why... want to use me... to exchange for a bounty?"
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from the throat, with a strong smell of blood.
Huo Beiyan sneered when he heard this, then stood up and put his hands back into his trouser pockets with a bit of youthful arrogance: "Exchange money?"
He shook his head, his tone filled with undisguised contempt: "I've disliked that idiot for a long time." His eyes fell back on Ji Linshen's pale face, and he changed the subject: "Can you leave? If you keep bleeding like this, you'll be dead soon."
Ji Linshen tried to move his body, but the severe pain made him groan and cold sweat seeped out of his forehead.
He gritted his teeth and said in a weak but clear voice: "I can't leave."
Huo Beiyan stared at him for two seconds and said nothing more.
He took a step forward, bent down, put his arms through Ji Linshen's armpits, and lifted him up with force.
The action was not gentle at all, and it even touched the wound, causing Ji Lin to gasp in pain.
"Look, you helped me get rid of this annoying idiot." Huo Beiyan supported him and moved step by step towards the alley entrance.
The voice rang in Ji Linshen's ears, with a bit of casual charity: "This young master is kind enough to save you once." He glanced at Ji Linshen sideways: "What's your name?"
"Ji Linshen." Ji Linshen endured the pain and answered in a low voice.
"Huo Beiyan." The young man clearly stated his name, his tone as if it was a matter of course: "Remember, your savior."
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