Chapter 119

“What the hell?!”

Lin Tian instinctively blurted out the phrase everyone shouts in a moment of panic.

But before he could finish, a small hand forcefully clamped over his mouth.

At the same time, the person behind him grabbed his neck.

Lin Tian could vaguely feel a sharp, cold edge brushing against his throat and immediately raised both hands.

“Spare me, hero!”

At that critical moment, he didn’t hesitate for a second—he surrendered outright, raising his hands high in defeat.

Some might call him spineless for that, right?

If Lin Tian knew, he would probably invite that person to experience this situation for themselves.

Who cared who this person behind him was? Did you still want to act tough when you feel cold steel brushing against your neck?

The only way to stay alive at a time like this was to raise your hands and make yourself as non-threatening as possible!

Everything else could wait until you get past this initial standoff.

Of course, Lin Tian wasn’t actually scared. From the feel of those hands and the abnormal strength behind them, he had already guessed who was behind him.

Ji Xin of the Ji family.

Lin Tian knew this woman’s personality all too well—after all, she was the biggest villain in the original story and a stunning beauty to boot!

He wasn’t in any real danger in Ji Xin’s hands.

But…

Lin Tian honestly didn’t feel like dealing with these people anymore. Still, in a situation like this, he had to act like any normal person would.

He swallowed hard and felt cold sweat bead on his forehead. At the same time, adrenaline surged through his body, tensing every muscle.

Lin Tian forced himself to forget that Ji Xin was behind him, then deliberately sped up his heartbeat to create the illusion of panic.

…

After restraining him, Ji Xin didn’t say a word. She quietly kept one hand clamped over his mouth while pressing the other against his neck.

After a long moment, Lin Tian finally couldn’t hold back and spoke in a low voice.

“Hero, whatever you need, just say the word. Could you let me go first? I promise I won’t make a sound or try to run!”

A soft, mocking laugh came from behind him.

“Heh, pretty calm, aren’t you? Stop pretending—you can’t fake an accelerated heartbeat.”

Lin Tian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke in a low voice.

“You…what do you want from me?”

“Do you know me?”

“No, but I just saw you.”

“…”

Ji Xin fell silent for a moment before finally releasing her hands.

Lin Tian cautiously placed his hands where she could see them and slowly turned around.

One thing was certain: this woman’s powers of observation were razor-sharp.

Although Lin Tian felt slightly flustered and his adrenaline was pumping, deep down, he wasn’t nervous or afraid. Those things can’t be faked.

He knew Ji Xin’s personality.

In the original story, Ji Xin had been in charge of the Ji family’s intelligence network since childhood. This included basic operations such as gathering, analyzing, and processing information, as well as overseeing a hidden assassination unit.

According to some clichéd web novel logic, someone who runs an assassination unit should turn into a cold-blooded, ruthless demon king. In reality, however, Ji Xin had an incredibly soft heart.

That’s right—softhearted.

Though it sounds contradictory, just as the phrase “This hitman isn’t so cold” suggests, Ji Xin was indeed a soft-hearted leader of an assassination unit.

In fact, in her more than ten years in charge of the Ji family’s intelligence network, she hadn’t killed a single person.

Of course, that wasn’t something to brag about; most people would go their entire lives without ever being involved in something like killing.

But for the head of an elite intelligence and assassination organization within a top-tier aristocratic family, never having killed anyone was absurd.

In a sense, someone with Ji Xin’s personality was actually very safe.

Even if an assassination needed to be carried out, Ji Xin would never make the move personally.

Once Lin Tian realized that Ji Xin was holding him, he didn’t panic much.

If she really wanted to kill him, why would she do it herself?

“What’s your name?”

“Lin Tian.”

Lin Tian answered honestly.

The two of them were very close right now. They were in a small grove not far from the side of the castle. The space wasn’t large to begin with, and with two people squeezed in, it was impossible for them not to be pressed close together.

At this distance, Lin Tian could faintly smell the delicate fragrance coming from Ji Xin’s body with every breath.

The dim light made it difficult to see her face clearly, but her bright eyes remained fixed on him calmly.

After a long moment, Ji Xin finally spoke. Her voice was clear, carrying a trace of curiosity.

“Are you not curious why I’m treating you like this?”

Lin Tian forced a wry smile and said, “I… how would I know? We were just sitting at the same table eating— I didn’t provoke you or anything.”

Lin Tian genuinely wasn’t making that up. He really had no idea why Ji Xin had suddenly come here and taken him hostage…

The original story mentioned that Ji Xin, as the sole daughter of the Ji family, later could rival Jiang Yifeng because she herself possessed extraordinary powers. But what exactly those powers were, Lin Tian didn’t know. By the time that detail was revealed, he had already given up on the novel…

A major antagonist who wielded supernatural power suddenly dragged him into a small grove and pressed what was clearly some sharp needle or dagger against his neck…

Lin Tian knew that Ji Xin wasn’t the type to kill innocent people at random, yet he was still baffled.

Ji Xin studied Lin Tian’s expression, which seemed genuine, and then leaned in slightly. The scent of her perfume instantly grew stronger around his nose.

She suddenly smiled, her bright eyes gleaming as she spoke softly.

“Because you seemed to sense the killing intent aimed at me just now.”

Lin Tian froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

However, Ji Xin had run the Ji family’s intelligence network since childhood, so her powers of observation were no less sharp than Xuan Yuan Qingya’s.

Did she miss that fleeting trace of shock in Lin Tian’s eyes? There was no way she’d miss that.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, parting slightly, and a teasing glint danced in her gaze.

“Oh, it looks like I wasn’t wrong! Lin Tian, you can really sense my killing intent. But why is that? Even if an ordinary person noticed something, they wouldn’t have such clear awareness. Just what are you?”

What could I possibly be? Lin Tian thought. I’m just an ordinary little villain, that’s all.