Chapter 64: The Crimson Allure of Blood and Fire

Lin Xiao was fuming with anger. My foolish brother, he thought, you actually helped someone poison your own brother. Thankfully, he’d recently been practicing control over his body and managed to spit out the concoction added to his cola in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He still didn’t know exactly what kind of poison Barbara had given him, but this sort of behavior severely violated his bottom line.

Without hesitation, Lin Xiao picked up Will and headed straight for Barbara’s house.

On the way, Will cried bitterly. He never expected Jonathan to be so angry, to the point of storming off to confront Barbara.

“Will, have you ever considered—if Barbara were under someone’s control and gave you a packet of poison, and I didn’t notice it in time—what do you think would have happened to me?” Lin Xiao lectured him earnestly. He didn’t believe Barbara would harm him deliberately, but accidents couldn’t be ruled out—she might have been manipulated.

Only now did Will realize what he had done wrong. He was too young to understand such things; as soon as Barbara started crying, he agreed to help without a second thought, never considering the consequences of his actions.

When they arrived at Barbara’s house, Lin Xiao had Will call her out. As the girl stepped outside and saw him waiting by the roadside, she hurried over, her face shy as she asked, “Do you need something, Jonathan?”

Lin Xiao snorted coldly and retorted, “Do you really not know why I’m here? Why did you poison me? What was in that poison?”

Barbara’s face changed dramatically. She glanced at Will, who stood with his head down, silent, and instantly understood what had happened. “No, it wasn’t poison, it was…” she stammered, covering her face and bursting into tears.

Lin Xiao didn’t intend to press her too hard, but this time the matter was too serious—poisoning was no trivial affair.

“Then what was it? Tell me.” Faced with Lin Xiao’s stern questioning, Barbara suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting his, and answered in anguish, “It was a love potion. If you drank it, you’d fall in love with me—completely, unreservedly, without hesitation. I know it was foolish, but I never meant to hurt you, Jonathan.”

“A love potion?” Lin Xiao murmured to himself. Did such things really exist? Considering the existence of supernatural powers, perhaps a magical potion wasn’t all that strange.

“Who gave it to you?” Barbara froze, uncertainty written all over her face. Jonathan’s intuition was too sharp; he immediately guessed the potion came from someone else.

“I can’t say. I promised her I wouldn’t tell. If I do, she’ll come after me.” Lin Xiao shook his head in exasperation. Did she really think this was a game? If it weren’t for their past bond, he’d have given her a harsh lesson right now.

“Not going to tell me? Fine. This is your first warning. If there’s a second time, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” With that, Lin Xiao turned and walked away. Barbara collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She knew it was over between them—she could never hope for Jonathan’s love in this lifetime.

He took Will with him, and as they drove away from Barbara’s neighborhood, Lin Xiao suddenly pulled over and got out, signaling for Will to follow.

“What are you doing, Jonathan?” Will asked, puzzled.

Lin Xiao motioned for silence and whispered, “She’s bound to go find the person behind this. I want to see who gave her that love potion—and whether it really was a love potion, or something else.”

Although Barbara claimed it was a love potion, Lin Xiao wasn’t entirely convinced. He had too many enemies these days; who could say if this wasn’t some plot by one of them? He had to be cautious.

Only by uncovering the one behind this and clarifying the truth could he put his mind at ease. Otherwise, the thought of an enemy lurking in the shadows, always plotting against him, was intolerable.

They returned to the vicinity of Barbara’s house. The girl was still crouched by the roadside, crying. After a dozen minutes or so, she finally stood up and wandered down the street in a daze.

Lin Xiao quietly led Will after her. Barbara left her residential area and walked alone along the main road, her steps aimless and lost.

Seeing the direction she was heading, Lin Xiao grew curious. She seemed to be walking toward the Dark Forest.

Sure enough, after more than half an hour’s walk, just as the sun was setting, Barbara reached the edge of the Dark Forest—a region near Joey’s former home, close to their current residence in the Knocknora Villa District.

Barbara walked straight into the woods, while Lin Xiao and Will kept their distance, following silently. Barbara was in such a miserable state that it was impossible for her to notice them.

They passed through a good portion of the forest. Lin Xiao glanced up at the sky, feeling unsettled. The direction Barbara was heading led directly toward the forest behind their own villa.

In other words, her destination was in the woods just behind the hill behind their house. An ominous feeling crept into Lin Xiao’s heart.

Could it be that the mastermind had been hiding on the hill all along, spying on their family?

Sure enough, Barbara finally stopped at the back side of the hill behind their villa. There, beneath several tall trees, stood a wooden cabin—elegant and quaint, exuding an antique charm.

Barbara climbed the porch steps and knocked on the door. It quickly opened to reveal a woman in a black veil and a black trench coat.

Lin Xiao signaled for Will to fall back. He began to circulate his magical energy, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

At the door, Barbara broke down in tears. The woman embraced her, gently stroking her back in comfort; the two seemed to share a close bond.

Lin Xiao stealthily approached the cabin. Suddenly, the woman seemed to sense something. She turned in his direction and, with a wave of her hand, a thick tree trunk tore itself from the ground and hurtled toward him.

Realizing he’d been discovered, Lin Xiao dodged aside, then shot forward in a lightning-fast slash, charging right up to the two women.

“Jonathan?” Barbara exclaimed in shock.

Lin Xiao did not answer. He raised his hand like an axe, swinging it viciously at the woman in black.

But his vision blurred—the woman had vanished as if by teleportation.

No, it wasn’t “as if”—she truly had teleported.

“Stop. I’m not your enemy.” A gentle voice sounded behind him, melodious and pleasant.

Lin Xiao turned to see the black-clad woman standing at the foot of the steps, her black veil lifted to reveal a face of almost unparalleled beauty.

Her features were exquisitely delicate; her long hair was a soft, tawny gold; her eyes shone with the brilliance of stars. When she smiled, the entire forest seemed to fall silent, awed by her beauty.

Lin Xiao was momentarily dazed. She was so beautiful—almost unreal, as if she’d stepped out of a painting.

She didn’t resemble the traditional Western beauties; she seemed to be of mixed Eastern and Western heritage. Her figure was graceful, her face soft and alluring, blending the best qualities of both backgrounds.

But beyond her beauty, her aura was even more remarkable—elegant, mysterious, dignified, yet not lacking in poise. She embodied every quality a man could ever fantasize about.

As for beauty, even Jessie paled in comparison to her, like a country girl with no place on the stage—rustic to the extreme.

Lin Xiao was not unaccustomed to beautiful women. He’d seen countless stars from Hong Kong and the mainland, and in terms of looks, they were not far behind. But none could match the unique air of this mysterious woman.

It was a charm that could intoxicate, an allure that swept one away in rapture.

Born to enchant!

Fiery as flame, deep as blood—an allure that was utterly irresistible.