Early the next morning, Wei Liao carried a hot bowl of porridge over to Qin Yi's room. He shook his head, knocked on the door, and asked in a jovial voice, “Jiaojiao, are you awake?”

Silence was his reply. Wei Liao did not mind that Qin Jiaojiao was still asleep. He knocked again and spoke louder, “Jiaojiao, time to wake up.”

10 minutes later, Wei Liao sensed that something was wrong. If she was sound asleep, his racket would have caused her to wake up by now. He should not have been greeted by silence.

Wei Liao immediately kicked the door open, only to be greeted by an empty room.

Wei Liao knew something was up. He placed the bowl down and turned to leave when he collided into Qin Hanyu.

Upon seeing Qin Hanyu, Wei Liao's eyes lit up. He ignored the pain in his nose and pulled Qin Hanyu towards Qin Yi's empty room, “Hanyu, quick! Jiaojiao is gone!”

Qin Hanyu frowned and consoled the anxious Wei Liao, “Wei Liao, calm down.”

Qin Hanyu's gentle voice had a calming effect on Wei Liao. He pointed at the bed, concern present between his brows, “Hanyu, Jiaojiao is gone. I didn't even see her when I came over this morning.”

Qin Hanyu took a whiff of the air, which held a faint fragrance. His gaze changed, realizing where she had gone.

Knowing his friend's feelings for Jiaojiao, Qin Hanyu sighed and patted Wei Liao on the shoulder, attempting to console him, “Wei Liao, forget about her. You'll find a better one.”

Wei Liao's face became pale white as his lips started trembling. He looked at Qin Hanyu in disbelief, “Hanyu, you're saying that Jiaojiao… Jiaojiao is dead?”

Wei Liao could not believe Qin Hanyu's words. Just the day before, that delicate and adorable little girl had called him older brother Wei Liao… Had she actually died after a night of sleep?

Qin Hanyu's gaze was profound, with a coldness that was more profound than Qin Yi's. To him, Jiaojiao was just an outsider and her death did not matter.

It was only because of their relations.h.i.+p did Qin Hanyu continue explaining, “The air here has a faint scent that is used for hallucinations. Inhaling large quant.i.ties will cause one to fall unconscious, meaning someone seized her in the middle of the night.”

Qin Hanyu's explanation immediately gave Wei Liao an idea of who it was. In the entire stronghold, there was only one poison ability user.

Wei Liao's eyes turned red as he turned around and rushed out. Qin Hanyu's eyes turned cold as he stopped Wei Liao, “What are you doing? You can't beat her.”

Wei Liao knew that he could not win Chuchu, the fact that poison ability could suppress his gold ability made it obvious, but Chuchu's rank was also higher than his own. However, how could he give up just like that? How could he resign himself to that fate?

The person that was like a bright moon was his heart's desire. In just a few days, he had completely fallen for her, despite knowing he was no match for her. Even knowing that, he could not stop himself.

How can one stop something like emotions?

“Wei Liao, calm down. Have you forgotten our task? There are people here waiting for us to rescue them! Could it be that you're willing to give up on all those people just for one girl?”

Qin Hanyu's words caused Wei Liao to stop right in his tracks. He shut his eyes in pain as the scene of Qin Yi smiling at him appeared in his mind.

“I understand,” Wei Liao uttered after much difficulty.

Qin Hanyu finally relaxed. Luckily, he had stopped Wei Liao just in time. He was afraid the man's impulses would ruin all of their hard efforts.

“Hanyu, why is that Chuchu so ferocious? You saved her on a whim last time, so why is she so dead set on you?”