Chapter 543

“Tsk, this one’s still a greenhorn.”

Watching silently, Zhang Chulan couldn’t help but let out a soft tsk.

Liu Yanyan knew even less about the Yiren world than he did.

Her gaze was as clear as a college student’s, tinged with a kind of foolishness.

“In the Yiren world, killing members of Quanxing is not a crime.”

That means, even if we really wanted to do something to you,

Neither your Liu family nor any other Yiren faction would hold us accountable.”

As Zhang Jie spoke, he leered up and down at Liu Yanyan with a malicious look.

“Y-You want to do what?”

Under the faint wave of malice Zhang Jie deliberately radiated, Liu Yanyan trembled like a quail exposed to a blizzard.

‘Jiege is so evil.’

Watching Zhang Jie’s sly grin—no different from the scum on the streets—

Zhang Chulan felt a chill rise in his chest.

“Y-You’re with the company! The company won’t let you act however you want!”

Suddenly remembering the company, Liu Yanyan clung to it like a last lifeline and warned him.

“Sorry, the company can’t control me in this regard.”

Zhang Jie shrugged indifferently.

“The company and the Yiren world are equals. We recognize all the rules of the Yiren world.”

Xu San nodded, agreeing with Zhang Jie’s words.

“You…”

Liu Yanyan stared in horror at Zhang Jie and his accomplices.

“Good thing you’re pretty—killing you outright would be a waste.

My brother here is still a virgin. You’ll be the one to turn him into a man.”

Zhang Jie casually shoved Zhang Chulan toward Liu Yanyan.

‘Jiege…’

Zhang Chulan gave Zhang Jie a resentful glance.

So what if I’m a virgin? Does being a virgin steal your rice?

Why does everyone keep making fun of me for being a virgin?

Besides, as far as he knew, all three men here were single—every last one of them.

We’re all virgins. Why single me out? Don’t I have any dignity?

‘Hm?’

Zhang Jie raised an eyebrow and shot Zhang Chulan a look.

‘Uh…’

Zhang Chulan immediately wilted.

The man in front of him was his direct superior, and the other was a powerhouse. He couldn’t afford to offend either.

‘People without power, influence, or money have no voice!’

Zhang Chulan groaned inwardly.

Of course, inwardly he groaned—but outwardly, he wore a lewd grin, rubbing his hands as he slowly edged toward Liu Yanyan:

“Since it’s such a kind offer from Jiege and Sange, I won’t refuse.

Today, I’ll finally taste what it’s like to be a real man. And conveniently,

last night you tricked me—today, let’s finish what we started.”

“Don’t come near me!”

Liu Yanyan was still just a girl of seventeen or eighteen.

She couldn’t handle this kind of pressure and burst into tears.

‘Jiege?’

Zhang Chulan turned back to Zhang Jie, asking whether he should continue.

“Enough. Stop here.”

Zhang Jie halted Zhang Chulan, who was already getting into character and eager to proceed.

Wouldn’t want to leave the poor girl with psychological trauma.

“Do you understand now?

Outside Quanxing, you’re protected by the Liu family, other Yiren factions, and the company’s rules.

But in Quanxing—where it’s survival of the fittest and no rules exist—you’ll eventually be devoured whole.”

Zhang Jie looked down at Liu Yanyan with stern authority.

“I—I just heard Quanxing lets you use your abilities freely, so I wanted to join them.

I…”

Liu Yanyan sniffled as she recounted her story.

“That’s so tragic.”

Listening, Zhang Chulan couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

As the sole heir to her family’s secret art, she’d been locked in a dark room since age five,

training day after day with corpses to control puppets.

This extreme isolation kept her from stepping outside her home until she was fifteen.

Once she mastered the full technique, her family demanded she hide her abilities and live like an ordinary person.

This “tool”-like fate ignited fierce rebellion in her.

To seek freedom, she ran away from home.

After leaving, she was drawn to Quanxing’s “do as you please” philosophy and wanted to join.

“If a Yiren can’t use their abilities, what’s the point of being a Yiren?”

As she spoke, Liu Yanyan’s voice grew more passionate, a soul-deep question.

“That’s true.”

Zhang Chulan nodded deeply, feeling it in his bones.

He’d trained hard since childhood under his father’s orders, mastering his abilities—but couldn’t show them at all.

To hide his identity as a Yiren, after his grandfather’s death and his father’s disappearance,

he was even forced to stop his daily practice.

As a result, his abilities hadn’t grown stronger over the years—they’d actually weakened.

“Your family only forbids you from using your abilities in front of ordinary people,

not from using them in front of other Yiren.”

Zhang Jie doubted Liu Yanyan’s capacity for understanding.

“Exactly!”

Zhang Chulan slapped his thigh in sudden realization.

Though the number of Yiren was tiny compared to ordinary people, there were still tens of thousands.

Liu Yanyan had no reason to feel she couldn’t use her abilities or gain recognition and fulfillment.

Her family’s corpse-controlling art wasn’t like his own Qi-Ti Yuanliu—hidden even among Yiren.

Liu Yanyan could easily seek out other Yiren. They’d all understand each other.

She wouldn’t be bound by that rule.

“Huh?”

Liu Yanyan froze, stunned.

‘This kid must’ve studied so much at home she’s lost her mind.’

Zhang Jie and Xu San exchanged a fleeting glance.

The same thought surfaced simultaneously in both their minds.

“Tell us—how did you get involved with Xia He and Lu Liang?”

Xu San tapped the table, his voice low and serious.

Compared to this greenhorn, he cared far more about Xia He and Lu Liang.

As for Liu Yanyan, he only worried about how to handle her—her personally meant nothing.

Corpse-controlling art requires powerful corpses to be effective.

Without the decades’ worth of ancient corpses accumulated by the Liu family,

The corpses Liu Yanyan controlled after fleeing were no match for any Yiren the company could send.

But Xia He and Lu Liang were different.

One was one of Quanxing’s famed Four Madmen; the other, a traitor from the Lu family, one of the four great Yiren clans.

Both possessed immense power—far greater threats than this little girl.

“I—I wanted to join Quanxing. Lu Liang said if I helped them find something,

he’d introduce me to Quanxing’s elders and make me a true member.”

Having had her psychological defenses shattered, Liu Yanyan answered every question truthfully.

«Uh…»

Xu San was again speechless with frustration.

He barely held back from laughing.