Being held by the collar of his back was a novel experience for Zhang Haike.
However, he couldn't savor the novelty. The force Zhang Qiling applied to his collar was too great, and combined with the resistance of the water, Zhang Haike felt that if he didn't break free quickly, he would surely perish from being dragged by the clan leader.
So, as Zhang Qiling swam, he felt the old fellow beneath him begin to struggle frequently.
Although he loosened his grip accordingly, returning Zhang Haike to freedom, a vague thought began to form in his mind—
He felt that this Zhang Haike was the most restless person he had ever held.
…Although he couldn't recall who he had actually held before.
For the two handsome Zhangs, the rather gentle whirlpool posed no danger. Soon, they broke the surface and climbed onto the shore along the stone steps beneath their hands.
Zhang Haike shook the water off his body, but the damp feeling still clung to him, making his waterlogged wounds uncomfortable.
And at this moment, a peculiar steam wafted over—
He looked over and was shocked to discover that the clan leader in front of him was shrouded in white mist, having almost dried himself?!
If any other Zhang family member were present, they would likely have knelt in submission. But standing here at this moment was Zhang Haike, so he could only silently close his jaw and begin to ponder the reality of the scientific world.
“Clan Leader, you are…?”
“Tattoo.” Zhang Qiling glanced at Zhang Haike’s wide-eyed expression, paused, and slightly pulled open his collar to reveal a hint of the dark ink of a Qilin.
Then, Zhang Qiling seemed to have a new question. He tilted his head and looked for a moment at the Sanskrit tattoo on Zhang Haike’s neck, which had appeared due to strenuous exercise. He said in an extremely flat tone:
“You can’t?”
Zhang Haike: …I truly thank you for using a question mark this time.
Zhang Haike wanted to speak but stopped. This time, he truly had no room for rebuttal. He had seen Qilin tattoos before, and even the overseas Zhang family had more peculiar tattoos.
But even that younger brother from the overseas Zhang family who had a tattoo of the Red Boy, his tattoo didn't have a heating function!
So, after struggling for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: “I’m very sorry, Clan Leader, I can’t.”
Zhang Qiling said nothing, merely nodding with a sincere expression.
Zhang Haike no longer knew what kind of image he had in the clan leader’s mind.
…It couldn’t be the image of a subordinate who appeared wearing a human skin mask, got beaten up, was useless with map keys, was afraid of the dark, and couldn’t perform?
Zhang Haike: …Can I restart?
And at this moment, Zhang Haike’s wrist throbbed with intense pain!
In fact, his cut wrist had been throbbing faintly after being in the water, and he had consistently ignored it. But now, for some reason, the pain suddenly intensified and, as if alive, shot from his wrist to his forearm in an instant!
Zhang Haike knew something was wrong and abruptly raised his arm—
He saw a bulge, about a finger’s length, moving repeatedly beneath the skin of his forearm, each shift bringing a knife-like pain!
…Could it be that the leeches in the water had burrowed into the wound on his wrist and had now fully awakened, feeding on his flesh within his arm?!
His cold saber was instantly raised. Zhang Haike knew that this cut might damage the meridians in his hand, but there was no room for hesitation now. If the leeches reached his torso, his chances of survival would be slim.
But just then, a pale, slender hand suddenly blocked the tip of his saber.
Zhang Qiling, thinking of something unknown, looked up at Zhang Haike. With a sudden exertion of force, he disarmed Zhang Haike of his cold saber in the blink of an eye.
The cold saber was slightly more delicate than the Black Gold Ancient Saber. The blade spun around Zhang Qiling’s fingertips before stopping abruptly!
Zhang Haike saw two flashes of saber light. The beautiful saber technique instantly captured his attention, making him involuntarily exclaim “Good” in his heart.
And in the next second, a stinging sensation came—
He then realized that a deep gash had been made on his arm near his elbow. Zhang Qiling’s movements had been so fast that he only felt the pain when the wound began to bleed.
But this did not shock him. What shocked him was that after slicing his arm, the cold saber did not stop at all. With the same sharpness, it sliced across Zhang Qiling’s own palm.
The pure blood, coveted by countless elders of the inner clan, slowly flowed out, as warm and smooth as pure jade.
Zhang Qiling, however, showed no regard for the blood. He merely glanced down briefly, then flipped his wrist and pressed his palm onto the wound Zhang Haike had just sustained!
The Qilin blood seeped into the wound, and Zhang Haike felt a fiery heat.
This heat surged into his forearm like a fiery dragon, rapidly encircling the bulge!
The leeches, reveling in their feast, felt a life-threatening terror at this moment. The subtle power of the Qilin made it tremble all over. It scrambled back the way it came, emerging from the wrist wound in an instant.
And the moment it appeared, the Fa Qiu Finger struck like lightning! Zhang Qiling extracted the leech, now plump and round from feeding, and flung it violently onto the ground.
The leech could not withstand such immense force. Before it could even struggle, it exploded like a water-filled balloon, forming a small pool of blood on the ground.
Only then did Zhang Qiling retract his bleeding hand.
Zhang Haike jolted awake and quickly found the remaining bandages from his bag. Seeing Zhang Qiling wrap his hand, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He witnessed the power of the Qilin’s pure blood for the first time, his heart surging with emotion. He finally understood the obsession of those elders, and a sense of worry also arose.
…If the clan leader would bleed so readily, how could he be safe in the Zhang family in the future?
So, when Zhang Qiling had finished wrapping his bandage carefully and was about to hand the rest back to Zhang Haike, he was met with Zhang Haike’s troubled expression. Zhang Haike said, seriously and solemnly:
“Clan Leader, you shouldn’t have bled!”
Zhang Haike suddenly remembered his previous conversation with Zhang Qiling in the manor, where Zhang Qiling had clearly said, “I know I shouldn’t bleed,” yet now he had done so without hesitation. A hint of rebellious anger arose within him.
“You clearly said before that you wouldn’t bleed for the Zhang family. Do you know those people in the inner clan—”
“Not for the Zhang family,” Zhang Qiling suddenly interrupted him, his gaze calm as he looked over.
Zhang Haike’s words were instantly choked off. He froze in place.
Zhang Qiling did not reply further. He simply picked up his flashlight and shone it into the distance.