Chapter 50: Wei Ji leaned over, supporting the car roof with one hand. "It's me, open it..."

Pei Jiqing carried Zhizhi through the dilapidated streets, their feet on cracked concrete pavement, cigarette butts and broken glass wedged in the cracks.

The air in the downtown area lingered with the mixed scent of motor oil, cheap synthetic food, and pheromones. Several Alphas squatted in a corner, puffing away, the murky smoke mingling with the sweetness of illegal drugs.

A single Omega with a child was truly conspicuous.

From further down the alley came the sounds of vandalism and the curses of a drunk. Zhizhi leaned closer to him.

The security camera on the corner had long been smashed, leaving only its bare metal frame.

Pei Jiqing, guarded by two bodyguards, walked through the narrow alleys of the old city, impassable to vehicles.

The road had been in disrepair for a long time, and potholes held water from the previous night's rain, sending up muddy splashes as wheels passed over it.

He wore a plain cotton and linen shirt and dark trousers, yet beneath the fabric, his slender figure remained unmistakable. His wrists, revealed by his rolled-up sleeves, were distinctly bony. His skin was so pale you could almost see the pale blue veins. His black hair fell softly at his neck, evidently a sign of meticulous care.

The little girl in his arms, resting on his shoulder, accentuated his slender figure.

A passing drunk squinted at him, then froze the moment he took in his face. Even through the mask, his slightly upturned eyes and the air of dignity that permeated him clearly indicated this Omega had no place in such a place.

The old house had fallen into disrepair, its walls peeling like cracked skin, revealing the blackened bricks beneath.

Weeds grew wildly in the yard, reaching half a man's height. A few wild vines crawled through the cracked window frames, creeping freely through the empty rooms.

Pei Jiqing led his daughter through the ruins, their footsteps making a creaking sound on the broken bricks and tiles.

Zhizhi clutched his fingers tightly, curiously surveying this unfamiliar, dilapidated place.

They arrived at a secluded corner in the back hills.

This was the spot Wei Ji had chosen personally—secluded enough, quiet enough, safe enough to keep the deceased away from the grudges of the living.

There was no tombstone here, to prevent those seeking revenge by finding Pei Jiqing's mother's grave. There were no flowers, only a crooked old locust tree and a few unassuming stones marking the spot.

Pei Jiqing squatted down, brushing aside the thick layer of fallen leaves, revealing the damp earth beneath.

"Grandma sleeps here."

Pei Jiqing slowly knelt on the damp grass, his knees sinking into the soft soil. He leaned forward and kowtowed three times, his forehead touching the ground as dew on the grass tips wet his temples.

"Baby, can you please say hello to Grandma?"

"Daddy, is Grandma really sleeping here?" She tilted her head, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

"Yeah." Pei Jiqing reached out and brushed away the grass debris from the ends of her hair. "It's right down here."

Zhizhi squatted down, and with his little hand, he touched the grass like his father: "Will grandma be scared? It's so dark down there."

Pei Jiqing remembered that night with cold rain, and the sound of Wei Ji's shovel digging the soil was particularly harsh.

"No," he whispered, "Grandma is very brave."

The rain in his memory was icy cold. Pei Jiqing was kneeling in the mud at that time, and the urn in his arms was as cold as ice. Wei Ji's breathing was heavy, mixed with the muffled sound of the shovel digging the soil.

"It's deep enough." Wei Ji said, reaching out to take the urn, but Pei Jiqing hugged him tighter.

Pei Jiqing seemed to hear Wei Ji's hoarse voice that night again: "It's time to go, it's almost dawn."

When he was half-supported and half-carried away, the last thing he saw was pitch black.

"Dad?" Zhizhi tugged at his sleeve.

Pei Jiqing came back to his senses and found that he had shed tears unconsciously.

Zhizhi's little arms wrapped around his hands: "Daddy, don't cry."

Pei Jiqing squatted down and said, "I won't cry."

Back to this place.

He almost forgot the direction.

The downtown area has become more and more dilapidated over the years.

The land here is barren, and it was contaminated by pheromone drugs many years ago.

He no longer has any nostalgia for this barren land.

What he misses is always the people sleeping underground.

Pei Jiqing originally wanted to stay for a short time and then leave, but the car was blocked halfway.

The tires made a harsh friction sound on the rough road, and the car body suddenly stopped. Pei Jiqing subconsciously reached out to protect Zhizhi beside him, and the seat belt hurt his collarbone.

"What's going on?" He frowned and looked forward.

Two modified black off-road vehicles rushed out from the shadows and forced them to stop in the middle of the road. The dazzling beams of light from the headlights penetrated the windshield, illuminating the car palely.

The driver, Lao Chen, cursed and tapped the steering wheel with his fingers: "Mr. Pei, I'll go down and take a look."

He deliberately lowered his voice, but Pei Jiqing could still hear the tension.

The two bodyguards in the back seat had straightened their backs.

The bodyguard in the passenger seat pressed the headset and reported the situation in a low voice, while the other one unbuttoned his suit, with his right hand vaguely resting on the back of his waist. The bodyguard was given to him by Liang Yi.

Zhizhi was awakened by the sudden brakes, rubbing her eyes and burrowing into her father's arms. Pei Jiqing pulled her to the inside of the seat, his fingertips swiping across the window control button, and the glass rose silently to the top.

Through the brown glass, he saw several dark figures getting out of the opposite car, and the leader was walking towards them slowly.

Lao Chen was already standing in front of the car, with his arms outstretched in a blocking gesture.

The street lights had been in disrepair for a long time, and only the lights of the other car cast distorted shadows on the asphalt road.

He thought Liang Yi was once a dodder that was a vassal of the former Shen family, weak and submissive.

Until he was at his wit's end, he reluctantly asked Liang Yi for help, but unexpectedly met a pair of eyes as sharp as knives.

He didn't expect that he really wanted to clean up his family by himself.

Pei Jiqing left Ling City, and his first stop was the lower city district.

Liang Yi planned to arrange for them to leave temporarily.

Suddenly, there was a chaotic sound of fighting outside the car. The muffled sound

of collisions, painful groans, and messy footsteps mixed together, which was particularly harsh in the silent night.

Pei Jiqing immediately covered Zhizhi's ears and pressed her little head against his chest.

"Dad..." Zhizhi grabbed his clothes in fear.

He quickly pressed the central lock, and the car windows and doors made a "click" sound of locking at the same time. Pei Jiqing's heart was beating like a drum. He subconsciously hugged his daughter tighter, and his other hand had already touched the gun hidden under the seat.

At this moment, the car window was suddenly knocked.

"It's me, open it."

The familiar voice made Pei Jiqing's tense nerves relax slightly. He carefully lowered the car window, leaving a gap to reveal Wei Ji's face, and then slowly lowered it.

Wei Ji leaned down with one hand on the roof.

In the moonlight, his brow bone was stained with someone's blood, making him look evil and wicked. The corner of his mouth was curled with a cynical smile. The earring on his left ear shone with a cold metallic luster in the night, and swayed slightly as he tilted his head.

"It's done."

Wei Ji waved and greeted Zhizhi, who was holding the gun, with a smile: "She looks so much like you. Hello, daughter, how are you."

Zhizhi suddenly stuffed herself into Pei Jiqing's arms, wanting to crawl into Pei Jiqing's clothes. She was very scared and only felt safe when she smelled Pei Jiqing's pheromones.

It was obvious that Zhizhi was nothing like her steely Alpha father. Instead, she was like Pei Jiqing, delicate and timid in some ways.

Pei Jiqing patted Zhizhi on the back and remembered that he had promised Wei Ji to be Zhizhi's godfather in Nan'an.

Wei Ji casually put the pistol back on his waist, and the metal buckle made a crisp "click". He leaned half of his body in, and softened his voice deliberately: "Did you get scared?"

Zhizhi buried her face in the crook of her father's neck, with only one wet eye peeking out.

"Don't be afraid," Wei Ji took out a piece of fruit candy from somewhere, the colorful candy wrapper sparkling in the moonlight, "I'm here to apologize."

He deliberately placed the candy in his palm, keeping just the right distance - not to make Zhizhi feel offended, but also to be able to see the candy's packaging clearly.

The sweet aroma of the candy mixed with the bitter orange scent of Pei Jiqing's pheromones made her relax her tense shoulders a little. But she still didn't stretch out her hand, but just looked at Wei Ji timidly.

Wei Ji chuckled: "You are so timid, you said you were my goddaughter, why do you look like you've seen a ghost when you see me?"

"She's only three years old." Pei Jiqing patted his daughter's back helplessly.

As Pei Jiqing emerged from the car, Zhizhi in his arms, several glaring headlights shone directly onto the ground not far away. The bodyguards Liang Yi had sent were subdued and disarmed. One had a gash on his forehead, blood trickling down his cheek, a dazzling red in the bright sunlight.

"Don't hurt them,"

Wei Ji casually shook his hand and scoffed. "I was trying to talk things over, but they were the ones who started it."

Pei Jiqing looked at the most seriously injured bodyguard, now huddled in agony on the ground. He sighed softly, "We'll let them go later."

"As you say," Wei Ji replied nonchalantly.

Just as they were about to leave, the bodyguard with the bleeding forehead suddenly struggled to raise his head. He shouted hoarsely, "Mr. Pei! ... You absolutely cannot go with him!"

His voice was filled with unmistakable pain and anxiety.

Pei Jiqing paused, the night wind ruffling his hair. Zhizhi shifted restlessly in his arms.

Pei Jiqing looked back at them: "If you want to reduce your responsibilities after you go back, it means that I left voluntarily. It has nothing to do with you."

The bodyguard said: "Mr. Pei!"

Pei Jiqing carried Zhizhi and just got into Wei Ji's car.

Wei Ji stood outside the car door, staring at the subdued bodyguards with a sinister look. Under the moonlight, Wei Ji's right thumb slowly stroked across his neck, and made a gesture of cutting the grass at its roots to his men.

"Wei Ji." Pei Jiqing suddenly spoke, his voice neither loud nor soft. Wei Ji immediately turned around, and the fierce look on his face instantly subsided, and he changed his face to an innocent expression.

"Let them go." Pei Jiqing's fingers gently patted Zhizhi's back. The child was already sleepy. "They are just following orders. Don't do things too far."

Wei Ji curled his lips: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

He waved to his men, turned around and opened the car door. The engine roared to start, and the headlights pierced the darkness, making those people look even paler. The car lights disappeared, and the bodyguard muttered

, "It's over now."