CH 403

Chapter 403 – The Color of her Lips

“Is it over, just like that?”

Claire watched everything unravel dumbfoundedly.

Lin Xiao showed him too many unimaginable things already, and his persona also changed rapidly. First from that arrogant bastard, to the daring lecher, then the cunning fox, and lastly the ruthless killer. Claire didn’t even know which one was Lin Xiao’s act and which one was the real him.

“Sister Ying, are you alright?”

After the fight ended and the living dead retreated, Lin Xiao quickly rushed over to ShenDai Ying.

“I’m fine… but what was that?”

She’s never seen any magic tool like that before.

“I don’t know either, Elena noticed it.”

“It was her?”

As a demon, Elena could probably perceive energy that humans couldn’t, so she was able to warn her when darkness secretly used that tool.

While they were talking, everyone else rushed over and after they all got up to date, they started discussing their next steps.

Although darkness escaped, he couldn’t have gotten far. He was hit by a mystic bullet and his stomach was almost opened up.

It was a good thing they had Elena and could rely on her skills to easily catch up to him as long as they went in the right direction.

The problem was, which direction would he escape to?

“He probably ran back to report our information to the apostle?” Elena guessed.

“Possibly, but that’s not what’s most important.” Lin Xiao shook his head.

According to ShenDai Ying, he looked very reluctant when using that bomb in the end. He could have used it earlier but he purposely hid it until the very end, like something that had to be hidden.

“Since he was still forced to use it, then that means he was willing to reveal the secret to complete something important.”

“More important… Caesar?” This time Elena was right.

Darkness had said that his target this time wasn’t Lin Xiao, but two people, Claire and Caesar… killing Claire off was understandable, but he was persistent in eliminating Caesar, there must be a deeper reason.

“I’m guessing that Caesar must have got something on them in Yellowstone, so that’s why they completely surrounded Yellowstone, in order to put Caesar to sleep… which means that as long as we find Caesar, we can find darkness!”

“That’s right!… There’s no time to lose, let’s go!”

ShenDai Ying was fully motivated like she was trying to make up for the failed ambush earlier. She pulled out Snow that was embedded into the ground and prepared to set off.

When she touched the handle, she felt something go along her finger and into her body, like a remnant of the black aura from earlier. She shivered and was shaken but quickly recovered, she shook it off and didn’t think much of it.

And so they continued to push on, but one person wasn’t cooperating.

Actually, it wasn’t like Claire was purposely standing there and not moving, she just really didn’t know what to do. She was happy that Lin Xiao saved her, but ashamed for her powerlessness and arrogance… anyways, it was like Claire was completely shut down and couldn’t even speak.

“Oh, almost forgot about the tomboy.”

As they were about to leave, Lin Xiao saw that Claire was still standing in the same place, so he couldn’t help but scratch his head and walked over to her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“…”

Claire didn’t say anything and just nodded in a trance.

“Oh no, she was scared stupid.”

Now that it’s come to this point, he didn’t need to act anymore and told her everything.

“Claire, I was just lying when I said I was going to assault you, and when I said I was going to train you into a maid, it was just to trick them while also scaring you a bit because of your attitude from before… anyways, sorry.”

“But you did save me…”

“Uh, I already said that was just incidentally, so don’t mind it and you don’t need to be grateful, and… definitely don’t think too much of it.” Lin Xiao glanced back at Elena who was acting coldly and ShenDai Ying who was smiling like a flower and felt a bit guilty, so he immediately drew a clear line between them.

“Don’t… think too much of it?”

“Cough… anyways, I’ll give you two choices. First, go back right now. I’ll get Tom and Yao Zi to protect you on the way back, you’re injured and need rest.”

“No, I’m not going back! I want to go with you to save them!” Claire interrupted Lin Xiao before he could finish.

“Heh, I knew that you wouldn’t be willing to do that… then it’s option two, I’ll bring you along, but you have to follow my orders, and as a member, you can’t do anything on your own, can you accept that?”

“I… o-okay.” Claire bit her lips and hesitated for a bit but still nodded.

It was funny, back in the city, she was the arrogant and bossy commander, and Lin Xiao was the investigator from who knows where now it was completely reversed and he was the leader and she was the one who was dragging them down and had to be a yes-man to join their team.

“As long as you listen, I won’t let anything happen to you… okay, let’s go.” After convincing Claire, Lin Xiao felt much better and called for everyone to leave.

But when he turned around, his hand was grabbed by Claire.

“Claire?”

“Um…”

In that instant, when she was holding Lin Xiao’s hand while coyly looking down, that cute manner shook him. It was like time flowed back and he returned to his university campus where his childhood friend that he never saw as a woman finally became an attractive girl from a tomboy.

“Um… Lin Xiao, earlier you said that if you win, you would let me kiss you.”

“Eh? D-did I say that?”

Lin Xiao could keep calm against strong enemies but was flustered at Claire’s shy words.

This girl didn’t suddenly develop feelings for him, right…

“Lin Xiao, I learned today for the first time that you also had those kinds of perverted thoughts about me… although you said you were joking, you must be like Andrew and want to tie me up and roughly assault me, right?”

“Ah? I don’t, don’t be ridiculous…”

“It’s just thinking about it, there’s nothing to be ashamed of and I-I don’t mind.” Claire shook her head and endured her embarrassment, “I just know that you saved me and didn’t do anything strange to me. Even if you had perverted thoughts, you… are not like that lecher Andrew.”

“Of course we’re not alike, I’m a gentleman.”

“Although I really didn’t like you before, you saved me. Even if you used me as bait, that doesn’t change anything, without you, my corpse would have just been dumped away by Andrew… so, I need to thank you no matter what.”

“Uh, there’s no need to be so formal, right, it’s awkward, I… hm?”

Just when Lin Xiao wanted to make an excuse to leave, he suddenly got a whiff of a faint fragrance and then immediately after that, he felt a soft sensation on his cheek.

“Lin Xiao, I know that I treated you very poorly before, so it’s fine if you don’t forgive me, anyway… thank you.”

After thanking him, Claire ran next to Yao Zi and followed behind everyone out of their sight and got ready to leave.

She left Lin Xiao dumbstruck and still immersed in that kiss.

What was that? He was just joking and she actually took it seriously and kept her promise to kiss him.

He gently touched the place she kissed and there was something red on his fingers.

“As expected of the leopard queen, everything red left behind by other women would be lipstick and whatnot, but your lips left blood…”

Claire’s lips were still covered in blood from her injuries and she didn’t even wipe it before kissing him. Lin Xiao didn’t know whether should be complimenting her straightforwardness or should he say that she didn’t have any awareness as a woman.

But, as for that kind of personality, he didn’t hate it.