The news that Liu Zhenqing was to serve as an envoy spread. At this time, Liu Zhenqing had become a well-known old bachelor. Rumors spread throughout the capital that the newly appointed regent still coveted Liu Zhenqing, and seeing as he hadn’t married yet, he had decided to cast the princess aside.

Everyone speculated that Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t be able to escape his fate this time, and would be married off to the Kingdom of Xiheng.

The envoy contingent was about to set off, and Liu Zhenqing said his farewells to his master and the others before leaving. Fortunately, his old grandfather had gone to the south last time to recuperate and spend time with his grandson Yuan Jin, or he would have been furious upon hearing the news.

The team advanced for several days before entering the western region. After passing through the next city, they would reach the border town where the Huo Family Army was stationed. The sun was growing hotter and hotter.

The carriage slowly rolled to a stop, and Liu Qiao’s voice sounded outside: “Master, there is a long queue at the city gate.”

The voices of the other officials could be heard – they had probably gotten out of their carriages to ask why they had stopped.

“My Lord, do you want to show your identification and get through early?”

“Follow everyone else and don’t cause trouble for the common people.” There was a mix of nationalities on this side of the border, and seeking special treatment would only bring misfortune upon them.

Liu Zhenqing had the highest status here, so the others naturally listened to him.

The carriage pulled forward and stopped in increments. Through the carriage curtains, one could hear the occasional piece of gossip from people on the road nearby. Most of the chatter was about small skirmishes on the border. The farther west they went, the more they heard about the Huo Family Army, and the reputations of the Huo brothers, Huo Feihan and Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing was feeling fretful. He removed layer after layer of clothing, but still felt that the carriage was stuffy and hot. He wanted to take it all off, but could only eat ice to keep himself cool. He casually played with his Rubik’s Cube as his mind churned.

They would get there in three days, and then he would see…..

During the past two years, there letters from the Huo Family Army in the west never stopped. It was all correspondence between him,Huo Feihan, and Li Xingruo, some about serious matters, and some about trivialities. They maintained close contact. Not long ago, a letter mentioned that Li Xingruo was pregnant and would be giving birth soon, so he should get there just in time.

As for the other guy, well, Huo Fenglie hadn’t contacted him at all over these two years. Liu Zhenqing had thought the bastard would continue to stick to him and constantly send letters to make his presence felt, but that didn’t happen at all.

If Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo hadn’t occasionally mentioned him in their letters, Liu Zhenqing would have never known how he was doing over there. 

However, his brother and sister-in-law only provided limited details. The most he knew was that he was doing well in the army, and his position had gradually risen with his military achievements. He was now a veritable major general of the Huo Family Army.

“The major general of the Huo family is truly invincible. I heard there was a gang of bandits harassing people at the river, so the major general took a small group of cavalry and wiped out the largest gang in the west. They had been causing trouble here for over twenty years, ah.”

“Yeah, I already knew that the general of the Huo family was very capable, but I didn’t expect there to be a major general. Our western region is becoming more and more stable. They manage themselves strictly, and never treat the common people harshly. My caravan is much more at ease.”

“That’s right, we used to worry about the small border countries besieging us from all sides. Now the major general can lead troops to fight alone, and the two brothers guard us together. Who would dare to offend them?”

“Didn’t a small country find an excuse to send troops to test the strength of the two brothers? In the end, they were scared off by the brothers and sent people to apologize and say it was a misunderstanding. Even though Xiheng isn’t on good terms with us, they dare not provoke us easily, right?”

“It’s said that their regent and our eldest princess have divorced, so negotiations must be started up again.”

“What negotiations? It’s probably another marriage.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curled in contempt when he heard this. Had everyone heard the gossip about him?

In the next second, he heard someone say: “I think the princess of Xiheng wants to marry the major general, so she asked her cousin to start these peace talks.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned. What princess?

“Oh, I understand. That princess once followed their country’s general to harass the border, but they were defeated by the major general. If not for the fear of affecting the relationship between the two countries, she might have been killed. From then on, the crazy girl started to pester the major general and come over to our side every day in spite of her status. Last time, she hit a noble lady who’s close to the major general, and was driven back across the border.”

“If you ask me, since the princess is so obsessed with the major general, and she has a good relationship with their regent, why not just arrange a marriage? Marrying into our Great Zhou is an honor, and would help maintain peace between the two countries. It just so happens that the major general is of an age to marry, and it’s said that he’s not yet engaged. Marrying a princess, and then marrying other noble ladies as concubines, wouldn’t that be wonderful? Hahaha.”

Liu Zhenqing scoffed when he heard this. It turned out there had been no contact because he was enjoying life here, ah. Sure enough, His Royal Highness’s method was effective. He supposed that after they parted ways, Er-gou had suddenly come to his senses and was too embarrassed to contact him. This was understandable. He had expected this day to come.

The past was nothing more than the ignorance of youth. Liu Zhenqing had watched Huo Fenglie grow up, so he naturally wouldn’t hold the puppy’s transgressions against him. He should be relieved about the situation, but for some reason, he felt a little depressed. After all, Er-gou had been so determined in the beginning, and harassed him countless times in his dreams at night.

Liu Zhenqing was quite adept at forgetting things that should be forgotten. He had even begun to think that if the rumors were true, they would have the advantage in their negotiations with Li Jinshu. If Er-gou also liked the princess, it would be the best of both worlds.

Just as he was thinking, there was a clicking sound. Liu Zhenqing looked down and saw that the Rubik’s Cube in his hand had been restored. He stared at it blankly.

He had been carrying it with him for two years. He really liked the thing, and had become accustomed to wearing it. The jade pendants he usually wore had been put to use in various ways, so it was difficult to keep one for over a year. This was the only one he had worn for so long. But according to the current situation, he would likely have to return it the next time they met.

When he thought about this jade Rubik’s Cube being re-carved and given to someone else, he felt hot and irritable. He couldn’t bear the heat, and could only pick up the ice cubes beside him and roll them across his face and neck. He also pulled his collar open and rolled them across his chest, and the coolness finally suppressed his irritability.

At this time, the contingent came to a stop, unnoticed. Everyone looked up at the city gate, only to find that it was wide open. A group of people quickly passed through and rushed down the line, only stopping when they reached the envoys’ group.

Everyone stared at their leader in amazement. He was wearing black armor and dark red robes. He seemed to have a strong, resolute face underneath his helmet, and his bearing was tall and majestic.

There was dried blood on his helmet and even on his cheeks, as if he had just come from the battlefield. A bloody, murderous aura lingered around him, and the solemn atmosphere caused everyone to calm their commotion.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief. That wasn’t…..that wasn’t…..

The person at the head of the envoys’ contingent may not have recognized the person, but when he saw the flag the other team carried, he was shocked and began to step forward to greet them. But the tall horse in the lead stepped past him without stopping, and the sound of hoofbeats slowed as they approached the carriage in the middle.

Liu Qiao saw him from a distance, but didn’t recognize him immediately. After all, this person had changed a lot, both in temperament and in figure. It wasn’t until the other party stopped in front of him, sharp eyes swinging from him to the gap in the carriage curtain, that Liu Qiao finally came to a realization: “You…..”

Without waiting for him to finish, the man jumped onto the carriage. But just as he was about to lift the curtain, he froze. The grim, murderous aura from just now seemed to vanish in an instant. The mighty man became docile, and seemed to be at a loss. Standing on the carriage frame, he removed his helmet, fixed his hair, and scrubbed his cheeks vigorously with his sleeve to wipe away the blood.

And Liu Qiao watched his actions from the side in astonishment. This was really…..Huo Fenglie, ah!

Once his appearance was just barely tidied up, Huo Fenglie took a few deep breaths to regain his dignified, calm demeanor. Then he lifted the curtain and said in a deep voice: “Qing-ge, it’s me. I came to pick you up.”

Liu Zhenqing was daydreaming as he cooled down when he suddenly heard a voice that wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. It was just slightly different, and spoke a dialogue that often appeared in his dreams.

“Ah?” Liu Zhenqing had some doubts.

Was this Er-gou?

How could it be possible? He’d heard from passers-by that the major general had gone deep into the northwest in pursuit of an enemy. They had come at an unfortunate time – if anyone from the Huo family came to pick them up, it shouldn’t have been Huo Fenglie. Was this an auditory hallucination?

Just as he was pondering, the door curtain was lifted. A ray of sunlight poured in first, only to be blocked by a tall figure, casting everything into shadow.

A familiar yet unfamiliar person occupied Liu Zhenqing’s entire field of vision.

Who was this?

Er-gou?

The man before bore no hint of immaturity, with sharp facial features that exuded a fierce handsomeness. Anyone who saw him would be stunned by his appearance, not to mention his temperament. It was as if his mature male hormones were ready to pounce on the person he was facing at any time.

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly at Huo Fenglie, who was also in a state of shock. Liu Zhenqing’s appearance had naturally stayed the same. This was an appearance that Huo Fenglie had long engraved into the depths of his soul, but the current state of him had only appeared in his dreams.

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, and almost instinctively closed the curtain behind him to prevent outsiders from seeing anything.

His eyes gradually took on a burning quality as he stared straight at the frozen Liu Zhenqing, and his muscles started to tense up. He had thought that when he first saw Qing-ge again, he must let the man see how much he had changed. He must be mature, stable, restrained…..

He absolutely must!

Two years of yearning and admiration had turned into obsession. He had originally wanted to suppress it and put on a facade, to treat each other as equals in status and not put pressure on him, so that Qing-ge could see his changes. For this reason, he had endured not contacting Qing-ge for two years!

But the Liu Zhenqing before him shattered all of his efforts, tearing apart his rationality with just his appearance.

The look in his eyes changed from nervous excitement to burning shock, and finally to a dangerous darkness.

“Qing-ge…..”

That voice seemed to burn him, and his predatory appearance instantly sobered Liu Zhenqing up.

He was simply stunned by this grown-up Huo Fenglie. He seemed to have changed a lot, but also not at all. Liu Zhenqing didn’t know how he was supposed to look at him.

However, the other party’s current state gave Liu Zhenqing a clear sense of crisis, and he realized what an embarrassing state he was in.

Given his status, he never thought that someone would directly break into the carriage, so he looked disheveled and unsightly.

There was still a small piece of ice in his hand, pressed to his collarbone as it slowly melted. Melted water had moistened his clothes, and a few strands of wet hair stuck to his fair neck. Water droplets continued to slide down the contours of his body into the depths of his collar, and two spots were faintly visible under the wide neckline.

Liu Zhenqing quickly began to pull his clothing up, but a large hand reached out and grabbed his wrist.

The force was so great that Liu Zhenqing trembled all over: “Fenglie…..”

Huo Fenglie’s gaze swept across his body very clearly. That obvious attitude made Liu Zhenqing’s scalp tingle, as if Er-gou was…..was…..what was he doing, ah!

His gaze ultimately rested on Liu Zhenqing’s lips. 

Liu Zhenqing pursed his mouth in a fluster, and his ice-cooled lips turned bright red.

The last trace of rationality in Huo Fenglie’s eyes broke at last.

Without any polite greetings or reminiscing about the past, Huo Fenglie fulfilled his promise.

It wasn’t his fault. It was Qing-ge…..Qing-ge…..who forced him to ruin their long-awaited reunion. He could have…..could have not bullied Qing-ge. He knew that Qing-ge was resistant, so he could have treated him gently and taken his time. He had mentally prepared himself…..it was all Qing-ge’s fault!

Liu Zhenqing already thought things had taken a bad turn when he was pulled into the other’s arms, but he was unable to resist two years ago, and that was even more the case now. Huo Fenglie pressed him down and kissed him almost instantly, not giving him the slightest chance to resist.

The familiar yet unfamiliar aura invaded Liu Zhenqing’s five senses, making him dizzy with shame and anger.

In a fit of madness, he wanted to kiss the person in front of him to pieces in order to cure his longing.

“Qing-ge, I missed you! I can finally…..see you again.”

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(Alt Universe) Extra 23 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 25