Chapter 38: Human Banquet
The Falcons and the doctor witnessed the interaction that took place before them and shared a look, but they stayed silent. The truth was, they had known since day one that Li Xin was different. In their world, there was no such thing as kindness, yet kindness was exactly what she represented. She had taken a bullet for someone who could be considered her enemy; this in itself demonstrated a lot of things.
There was nothing good about kindness to the Qi Clan members, but then again, neither was there anything wrong with it. It gave Qi Mo reason to show more mercy towards her than he did most people, and consequently, they too exercised more patience when it came to her.
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Day pa.s.sed into night as the sun set and the moon rose high in the sky.
Li Xin sat in the seat of a Cadillac limousine eyeing Qi Mo, who was dozing off against her, feeling disgruntled. She had no idea why she had to attend the banquet with him. She wasn"t even fully healed yet, and it was hard for her to believe that the clan was so short of members that their overlord needed to resort to dragging the injured to their events. She had just begun to feel something close to grat.i.tude towards him, but now that she was once again being dragged into who knew what sort of h.e.l.l, she was p.i.s.sed again.
"You are safer in his presence," Red Falcon commented in a low voice from the seat across from her. He had noticed her dissatisfied expression. While it was true that the villa was safe, he felt obligated to voice Qi Mo"s intentions.
Li Xin threw him a look of disbelief. Was there something wrong with his head? What part of being in Qi Mo"s presence was safe? She had gone out with him twice and nearly died both times. Even though it was her fault, ultimately, the cause always lay with the overlord. Safety was the last thing his presence brought her. The villa seemed a much more viable safety option, being that it was so heavily guarded that no one would attempt an attack there.
"Is there a problem?"
Qi Mo"s stony voice sounded in her ear from where his head lay with his eyes closed against her shoulder. She smiled forcefully. "No. Following Overlord Qi is my duty. I haven"t forgotten what you said about staying in your line of sight, don"t worry. I remember very clearly."
"Then wipe that loathsome smile off your face."
Her eyes widened. She wondered how he knew what she was doing, considering his eyes were still closed. What was he even? Her smile widened cynically as she sat there, fulfilling her role as a human pillow.
In a short while, three luxurious limousines parked outside the Wind Clan"s residential gate, which had long been stationed on either side with elegantly-dressed security guards. Three men stood upright right at the entrance to the gate. One of them, an old man with silvery grey hair, walked towards their vehicle with a smile on his face. He was flanked by two middle-aged men who looked alike. More men stood behind them, keeping watch.
Li Xin observed their extra formal attire, then looked down at her own outfit: she was simply wearing jeans paired with a T-shirt. She turned to look at the Qi Clan members, then wondered why she bothered. Qi Mo seemed to own exclusively formal suits; the man didn"t seem to wear anything else. His men were also perpetually dressed in black tie clothing. She shrugged nonchalantly. Whatever. She liked what she wore.
When the others stepped out of the car, she followed suit, opening the car door and stepping out.
Upon seeing the Qi Clan members come out, the three Wind Clan members quickened their approach, beaming amicably. Li Xin was about to slam the car door shut when Yellow Falcon grabbed the door before it closed, glaring at her. She looked at him strangely.
She was still wondering what was up when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Qi Mo was staring at her coldly, his gaze emitting a silent warning. Meanwhile, Yellow Falcon was subtly crooking his finger at her, his body slightly bent forward in respect. It was only then that she realized what was going on. s.h.i.t. She bit her lip. In her haste, she had forgotten that she was a servant and Qi Mo was the overlord; she quickly bent forward and got out of the way. Qi Mo"s eyes swept over her once before he exited the car.
"Overlord Qi, we are honored that you have graced us with your presence tonight. Please come in," the silver-haired man welcomed with a cheerful smile, sticking a hand out.
Qi Mo barely glanced at him and stalked off, ignoring the Wind Clan representative"s outstretched hand. The other man chuckled uncomfortably and quickly followed after him, showing the way.
The exchange caused Li Xin to mentally shake her head in pity. She was sure they knew who Qi Mo was and his personality; yet despite that, they still put up a welcoming pretense. In the end, they only embarra.s.sed themselves. It had been an oversight on their end for thinking that Qi Mo, who was aloof at best, would shake hands with his opponent"s underling.
They followed the man inside, and Li Xin saw that the place was already filled with seated attendees. Everyone stood up when Qi Mo stepped inside; she observed that the overlord ignored them all. Instead, he simply headed straight inside with no qualms. She shrugged. He always acted so over the top.
On the contrary, their Wind Clan guide was all smiles and continuously nodded all around at the seated people. He greeted every single person, making sure to not leave anyone out. However, he was unable to get the image of Qi Mo walking confidently inside out of his mind. It was all the more blunt due to the overlord"s high ranking position, large frame, and cunningness.
She followed him inside and ended up at the residential villa on the third floor, which was a huge private room. She raised her eyebrows. They were in a lush, flamboyantly designed room that she guessed was some sort of recreation room — there was a pool table, a liquor cabinet, and an entire row of kneeling women, ready to service them.
The second floor contained an elegant ma.s.sage room. The dim lighting and scandalous decor of the place gave off a love motel vibe, coupled by the fact that the kneeling women were all dressed like prost.i.tutes. However, the atmosphere remained unchanged thanks largely to the fact that Qi Mo ignored it all. He had no time for such a trivial show.
It was easy to guess that the third floor was where the banquet would take place. The otherwise relaxed feel to the private room was marred by the fact that there was an a.s.sortment of demonic-looking decor scattered all around. Not to mention that smack in the center of the room was a long, wide table, decorated whimsically and elegantly. The white table made it clear to Li Xin what kind of "private room" this was… evidently, a very private one. Private to the point of ruining her appet.i.te.
The large dining table was filled with stark-naked women with skin like glimmering pearls and tiny, delicate bodies, all of which was exposed. The girls had their eyes shut, and their lashes quivered nervously. They emitted a sort of vulnerability that made Li Xin feel peculiar, particularly in the way they held themselves, as if they had succ.u.mbed to the fact that they would be trampled upon by men and there was nothing they could do but invite it upon themselves.
A plethora of cuisines were meticulously arranged on top of the girls" bodies. Even their nether regions were on full display; the colours of the food against the flesh of their skin made an enticing image, giving the girls" bodies a more vivid appearance. The whole display made Li Xin feel nothing but distaste.
She stood next to Qi Mo looking at the white table, then watched as he sat himself down sans expression. His carefully composed att.i.tude made it seem as if he were blind to the salacious scene before them. Li Xin couldn"t help but find it admirable, though she simultaneously wondered whether his impa.s.siveness was natural or something he had cultivated over time. She decided that the old saying about a person who witnessed a landslide from Mount Tai without the blink of an eye must have been referring to him.