TRYMBPIETM 85: Revival of All Things (6)

The dining room was very quiet.

Except for Chi Qingzhou, the rest of the Chi family was trembling, and no one answered Fu Wenan’s question.

The unusual silence only made Fu Wenan’s fear grow stronger.

He wanted to raise his head, to observe the expressions of Chi Qingzhou and the others.

But he couldn’t move.

It felt as though he had lost control of his body, his whole self frozen in place, unable to move even his eyes.

Amidst the extreme tension, Chi Qingzhou’s voice rang out from the head of the table.

“Qi Qi, Aunt Yu’s beef is really good. Would you like to try this dish?”

“Woof woof.”

After the response, the conversation stopped, and the only sound that followed was the faint noise of chewing.

In that moment, the Chi family and Fu Wenan felt a chill run down their spines.

They knew very well that Chi Qingzhou and the big black dog were eating beef, but the images that flashed in their minds were all scenes of their own deaths.

Fu Wenan’s lips trembled, cold sweat running down his back, soaking his freshly changed shirt.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why Chi Qingning treated Chi Qingzhou the way he did.

It was because he wanted to live.

He wanted to say something, to break the eerie and terrifying atmosphere, but as his eyes fell on those long, irregular shadows, the courage he had barely mustered deflated like a balloon.

The chewing sounds and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks resumed for a few minutes, and just as Chi Qingzhou was focused on eating, he suddenly spoke again.

“Dad, why aren’t you eating?”

When his name was called, Chi Jianming jolted, quickly raising his head, his face pale, forcing a smile as he nodded.

“I suddenly remembered something about the company. I’ll eat now, I’ll eat now.”

Chi Qingzhou blinked and, in a very considerate tone, gently advised, “Don’t think about work during mealtime. Otherwise, your food will get cold. Don’t you think so, Brother?”

Hearing this, Chi Xiaoyuan immediately grabbed his chopsticks, haphazardly picking some food from the plate in front of him, and said, “Qingzhou is right. Dad, we’ll deal with the company matters after we finish eating.”

Chi Jianming shot a harsh look at his eldest son, but as soon as he noticed Chi Qingzhou looking his way, he quickly smiled and nodded again.

Chi Qingzhou’s voice carried a strange sense of satisfaction as he spoke, “That’s right. Health is the most important thing.”

He glanced around the table, with a hint of regret as he said, “I finally came home, but it’s a shame Mom isn’t here. Otherwise, it would have been a family reunion dinner.”

His gaze naturally fell on Chi Qingning.

Chi Qingning felt a shiver run down his spine, almost leaping out of his seat.

Suppressing the panic in his heart, he forced a smile and said, “It’s a bit of a shame, but Mom has important matters to attend to and must prioritize those. If second brother wants a family dinner, we can have one after Mom is done with her work. There will be plenty of time.”

“Really?” Chi Qingzhou tilted his head, his hazy peach blossom eyes full of genuine curiosity. “Well, let’s wait for the next time then.”

Chi Qingning felt relieved, unknowingly slumping back into his chair, experiencing a sense of luck that he had survived.

Chi Shuhong shoved rice into his mouth with his chopsticks, not daring to look up, as if thinking that Chi Qingzhou wouldn’t notice him if he kept his head down.

Chi Qingzhou gave him a glance but didn’t cause him any trouble.

Fu Wenan noticed Chi Qingzhou’s gaze and felt an ominous premonition rise in his heart.

He gripped his chopsticks tightly, trying to imitate Chi Shuhong and lower his head to eat, but his trembling hands betrayed his fear, delaying him from doing so.

Chi Qingzhou smiled.

He said lightly, “Speaking of which, this is my first time having a meal with Mr. Fu. When I’m not around, does Mr. Fu often join the family meals?”

Fu Wenan didn’t respond.

He lowered his head, looking at the faintly swaying long shadows on the floor, his hand holding the chopsticks stiff as a stone.

“I… I am Qingning’s fiancé,” Fu Wen Nan heard himself say.

Chi Qingzhou slowly acknowledged, “I see. You and my younger brother have a really good relationship. Make sure to keep it up.”

His tone sounded like that of an older brother warning the fiancé.

Fu Wenan forced a smile that was uglier than crying, nervously nodding.

Chi Qingzhou was satisfied.

He smiled as he urged everyone to hurry and eat, “The food will get cold if we wait too long.”

The Chi family smiled along, quickly lowering their heads to eat.

Fu Wenan glanced at the shaking shadow on the floor, not daring to voice any objections. He randomly grabbed a bite of food and began eating with great effort.

The room quieted down again, with only the faint sounds of eating from a few people and Chi Qingzhou’s occasional voice inviting the big black dog to try some new dishes.

Fu Wenan struggled to swallow, carefully glancing at the big black dog.

Overwhelmed by fear, his mind gradually cleared, and he began to realize that the big black dog was most likely not just an ordinary dog.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that, if not for Chi Qingning’s timely gesture toward Chi Qingzhou outside the villa, the big black dog might have done who knows what.

For such a non-human creature, killing people must be commonplace, right?

Fu Wenan thought of the powerful masters worshipped by the Fu family, and a sense of urgency arose in his heart.

Once this meal was over, he would have the chance to contact those masters and see if they could find a way to suppress Chi Qingzhou.

They were from the Great Dao Temple, and someone like Chi Qingzhou, who clearly wasn’t human, would likely be afraid of them… right?

Fu Wenan paused with his chopsticks, a strong sense of premonition flooding his mind, and he realized his struggles were probably futile.

The masters were indeed powerful, but Chi Qingzhou might be even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Perhaps his pause was too obvious, because Chi Qingzhou quickly turned his gaze towards him.

Fu Wenan’s heart skipped a beat. Ignoring the plate of bitter melon, which he disliked the most, he hurriedly scooped a large portion into his bowl and began to eat quickly.

He felt Chi Qingzhou’s gaze linger on him for a few seconds before silently shifting away.

Fu Wenan sighed in relief.

He painfully swallowed the food in his mouth, not knowing how long this torturous meal had lasted. Finally, Chi Qingzhou put down his chopsticks and ended the dinner.

The moment Chi Qingzhou put down his chopsticks, everyone at the table quickly dropped theirs, straightened their backs, and put on forced smiles.

They had thought of countless excuses, wishing they could leave the restaurant immediately, but the moment they turned to look at Chi Qingzhou, all their words were choked back in their throats.

A huge, irregular shadow had unknowingly climbed up the walls of the restaurant, nearly enveloping the entire room.

The walls were damp, with irregular mold spots growing and decaying, forming what seemed to be dim, blinking eyes.

They seemed to shift positions, following the moving shadows, making the long, irregular tendrils resemble some terrifying deep-sea creature.

Everyone froze.

They stared blankly at the wall, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

Chi Qingzhou sat at the head of the table, leaning back in his chair. His misty peach blossom eyes faintly glinted with a trace of blood.

He slowly raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a pleased smile.

“I had a great time at tonight’s family dinner. As a return, I have a small gift I’d like to give everyone.”

“Are you looking forward to it?”

…

After finishing the last piece of beef with his good friend Qi Qi, Chi Qingzhou put down his chopsticks and slowly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

He looked around the restaurant and communicated with the system hidden in the shadows: 【System, help me claim the mission reward.】

The system replied quickly: 【Okay, I’ll claim it now. Would you like to specify the target for the distribution?】

Chi Qingzhou: 【Hmm… who can I specify?】

【Let me check…】 The system flipped through the backend and reported, 【The targets include all members of the Chi family, your adoptive parents, the artists and staff you’ve interacted with, as well as Fu Wenan and the Fu family. There are quite a few options, but not the master who took Bei Shen.】

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head: 【Is my mother included?】

The system answered: 【Yes, she is.】

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes narrowed into a smile: 【Then choose my mother. I’m giving a gift to the whole family today, and although Mom’s not here, we can’t leave her out. After all, we’re family, right?】

The system: 【Uh… yes. You’re right, host. Shall I proceed to distribute it to Fan Tao?】

Chi Qingzhou: 【Hmm.】

He looked at the Chi family members at the table and smiled cheerfully.

“I have a small gift I want to give you all. Are you looking forward to it?”

His voice was soft, and as soon as he finished speaking, the whole restaurant became even quieter.

No one responded to him. All their expressions were blank, as if they had suffered some unbearable blow.

Chi Qingzhou propped his hands on the table and asked in confusion, “I prepared gifts for you, but you’re not excited?”

Chi Jianming’s lips moved twice, as if he wanted to say he wasn’t excited, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

The others instinctively lowered their heads, pretending they hadn’t heard Chi Qingzhou’s question.

Chi Qingzhou was very disappointed.

He had prepared gifts for his family, but his relatives were not being very friendly.

“This isn’t good,” he said softly. “If you treat the world kindly, the world will treat you kindly in return.”

【System, is the mission reward finished being distributed?】

The system: 【It’s been claimed and is currently being distributed.】

Chi Qingzhou leaned back in his chair, quietly watching a wisp of moldy air drift out of the shadows in front of him, forming a visible shape.

He smiled slightly, moving his fingers.

More moldy air was drawn from the shadows, condensing into thin strings in the air.

The temperature in the room quickly dropped.

Chi Shuhong sensed something was wrong.

His talent was too poor, and the knowledge he had learned was unstable. His cultivation had mostly dissipated, so he couldn’t accurately identify what was happening in the room.

But he could feel the danger.

After enduring for a while, he finally couldn’t resist his instinct. Trembling, he slowly raised his head.

What he saw next was a dark grey net floating in midair.

Chi Shuhong’s pupils trembled.

He didn’t know what it was, but instinctively, he felt terror.

Suddenly, he jumped up in panic and tried to retreat.

The grey net moved faster.

Before he could leave the table, it enveloped all the Chi family members!

The invisible net ensnared each member of the Chi family, and at that moment, a vast and intense misfortune rushed toward its point of origin.

Even though the net was invisible, everyone who came into contact with it felt a bone-chilling cold.

They almost instinctively screamed and jumped out of their chairs, running around like headless flies.

Chi Qingzhou watched them with curiosity.

The most misfortune landed on Chi Jianming, followed by Chi Xiaoyuan.

But Chi Qingning had barely touched any misfortune, even Fu Wenan had more than him.

So the Fu family was involved too?

Chi Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, and the smile at the corner of his lips deepened.

The temperature in the room continued to drop.

The Chi family members and Fu Wenan felt an icy coldness seep into their bones. They could only hold on for a few seconds before they all collapsed to the floor.

Chi Qingzhou chuckled softly and stood up.

“I hope everyone will be good people from now on. Good people will be rewarded, don’t you think?”