Xi Lei hadn’t gone far. Firstly, he refused to get lost like Ling Yi had said, and secondly, he really wanted to know what was going on inside the vehicle, so he peeked in through the broken window.

He only got a vague glimpse of it, and was so frightened that he spun around with a pounding heart and didn’t dare look again.

Incredible things had happened one after another today, but the sum of the impact they made on him wasn’t as great as this one stunning glimpse.

. . . . . 

When he regained his freedom, Ling Yi’s lungs eagerly sucked in fresh air, even if there were pheromones mixed in.

The pheromones in this mixture included both Oser’s and his own. When he was forced to accept them from this person, Ling Yi had unknowingly released a large amount of pheromones in retaliation.

Even when his body was forced to compromise, his pheromones would not. The same was true for his eyes – at this moment, the fury in them was practically overflowing.

“Do you want to hit me?”

“Yes.”

The answer came without hesitation.

Oser released him: “Go ahead, I won’t bite you if I win.”

As soon as he said the last word, Ling Yi’s fist swung toward him.

The two men fought bare-handed inside the cabin. Oser consciously avoided using pheromones to suppress him, using the most primitive means in this one-on-one fight.

Were they in an open environment, even Ling Yi, who had trained at the military academy, would be no match for the top-tier Alpha.

The limited space became a constraint, and the stronger party was unable to gain an absolute advantage. Ling Yi’s punches and kicks made impact several times, and he received many in return. It was difficult to tell who would come out on top.

As he heard suspicious sounds coming from the vehicle, Xi Lei trembled in fear and didn’t dare look.

Then there was a loud commotion, and he subconsciously turned around. He saw the frame of the vehicle shaking violently and immediately turned back.

The noise lasted for a full quarter of an hour before stopping. Xi Lei found the silence more unbearable than that earth-shaking commotion, and it was impossible to keep from imagining what was happening inside.

He didn’t know how long this unbearable period of time lasted before the car door opened and Oser got out in a disheveled state, with obvious bruises on his face.

Although he looked roughed-up, his every move and gesture still displayed the dignity and elegance he had possessed since childhood.

Oser steadied himself and turned back to the person inside the vehicle: “Can you walk by yourself, or do you need me to carry you back?”

His tone was one of cheerful teasing, making one wonder if this was the same person as the ice-cold prince of not long before.

Another half minute passed before Ling Yi showed himself. His hair was a mess, he had blood at the corner of his mouth, and his clothing was torn.

When he hopped out of the vehicle, he sent Oser an angry glare before noticing Xi Lei.

“Why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”

Xi Lei’s anger surged, but he swallowed it back.

“You—”

He stole another glance at Oser.

“You guys—”

“Are you constipated, ah?”

Seeing how Xi Lei’s face was flushed and he was unable to say anything, Ling Yi put on a show of understanding something.

“You peeked?”

Oser gave Xi Lei a mild look, which frightened him into denying it repeatedly.

“No, no, no, I didn’t peek!”

A person born unable to lie could be seen through at a glance, but Ling Yi couldn’t be bothered to expose him.

“Excuse me, excuse me!”

A nurse rushed past, holding a blood bag.

Oser reached over and pulled Ling Yi close, sandwiching him between the Soaring Eagle and his broad chest.

He reflexively lowered his head so that his face couldn’t be seen.

The nurse was in such a hurry to reach her destination that she didn’t even recognize the crown prince, much less the person he was shielding.

Ling Yi saw her rush into the emergency room where Xi En was, and got a bad feeling.

“Is Uncle Xi En in danger?”

Xi Lei let out a belated “ah” and ran off.

Ling Yi started to follow, but was stopped by Oser: “Do you want everyone to know you’re here?”

Just as Ling Yi was about to speak, Xi Lei was driven out by the medical staff.

“Family members of the patient, please wait outside!”

“Save my dad! Please, I’m his biological son, I can donate blood!”

Xi Lei babbled incoherently.

“This is the emergency room! Please wait outside!”

Various instruments beeped and sounded alarms, and medical staff bustled in and out with tense expressions, exchanging medical terms that Xi Lei didn’t know. 

Each time the emergency room door opened, he would tense up, expecting a doctor to come out and say something, but fearing what the words would be.

At last, a doctor came out to speak with him. Ling Yi observed from a distance, and was more anxious than Xi Lei about what the doctor would say.

When the doctor finished giving his report and returned to the emergency room, Xi Lei stood there in a daze for a long time. When he walked over, he looked as if he had lost his soul.

“What did the doctor say?” Ling Yi asked anxiously.

Xi Lei’s lips trembled, and he couldn’t utter a word for a long time.

“Say something, ah!” Ling Yi urged.

“The doctor said that in addition to Dad’s new injuries, he also has a brain tumor. The trauma caused the tumor to rupture, and there is heavy bleeding. He might, might……”

Xi Lei choked up and lost his voice. Ling Yi’s eyes gradually reddened. He couldn’t believe it.

Unable to hold back any longer, Xi Lei burst into messy tears. This was the first time Ling Yi had seen him cry so miserably since childhood.

“Dad might not make it through…..”

Ling Yi was already upset, and Xi Lei’s crying only added fuel to the fire.

“Pei, pei, pei! What a crow’s mouth! This is the Royal Medical College. The best doctors in the empire are all here. My adoptive father will definitely be able to make a turnaround!”

“Wah…..”

“Stop your bawling! It’s damn ugly! You’re flinging snot all over me!”

Ling Yi stepped away in disgust, fearing he’d be contaminated if he backed away too slowly.

Xi Lei suddenly became unusually quiet. He gave a few silent sobs, and his tears cut off.

His strange behavior drew Ling Yi’s attention, and he quickly grabbed the other party.

“Lu Hulun hurt my brother and my dad. I’m going to kill him!”

“If you want to die, I won’t stop you, but make sure they finish the job. Don’t expect others to save you when you’re half-dead!”

Ling Yi shoved him, and Xi Lei’s back hit the frame of the vehicle. He slowly slid to the ground and put his head in his hands, whimpering softly.

The lip Oser had bitten was torn open again as Ling Yi bit it hard to keep his own tears from falling.

Suddenly, as if realizing that the still had one lifeline left, he grabbed Oser’s hand with such force that he practically crushed his bones.

“Your Highness…..”

Oser’s voice was incredibly cold and heartless.

“Ling Yi, I’m not a god. My pardon can only save a person from humans, not death.”

“You’ll definitely find a way. You’re the Crown Prince of the empire—”

“I’m no longer the Crown Prince,” Oser interrupted.

“You’re still a prince of the empire. Those people wouldn’t dare disobey you. Just go talk to them and say—”

He attempted to organize his words several times, but still couldn’t form a complete sentence.

“Let’s talk about what you’re good at. You’re the best at threatening people, right?”

When he didn’t see Oser react, Ling Yi was so anxious that he spoke without thinking.

“The person lying in there is your future father-in-law!”

Xi Lei, who was crouched motionless on the ground, immediately trembled.

Oser licked the bruised corner of his mouth and said: “Tsk.”

He made a phone call: “Bring that man here.”

Just a few minutes later, his guards escorted a doctor into the emergency room.

As soon as the door opened, the people inside could be heard shouting excitedly: “Doctor Lan Ze is here!”

“Doctor Lan Ze, please come and take a look at this patient…..”

The voices gradually faded, and the extremely long wait began once more.

The red light indicating that a rescue was in progress eventually went out, and the new doctor came out surrounded by a group of people, all of them wearing expressions of relief.

“How wonderful, thank you for this. I never thought such a complicated operation could be completed so smoothly.”

“The operation was so intense that I didn’t get a good look at most of the things you did. Can I request a copy of the recording so I can watch it in slow-mo?”

Another young nurse said forthrightly: “This is the person His Highness specifically ordered to be protected. If not for Doctor Lan Ze, our entire department would have lost this month’s bonus.”

“Not only will your department’s bonus for this month remain intact, it will be doubled.”

“Really? — Your Highness Oser!”

The young nurse was startled to find that the speaker was His Highness Oser himself.

When the medical staff heard about their bonus, the fatigue brought about by the operation was swept away by excitement.

“Your Highness Oser, did you know that if the tumor in the patient’s brain wasn’t discovered in time, it would have taken his life within three years at most?”

“Although it’s not quite right to say this, the discovery and removal of the tumor due to the patient’s injuries was a blessing in disguise.”

“It’s fortunate that we had Doctor Lan Ze, the empire’s top surgeon, in charge of the operation, and the patient was able to escape death. If Your Highness intends to reward Doctor Lan Ze, please reward him generously.”

Everyone responded: “Yeah, that’s right! Your Highness, Doctor Lan Ze is the hero of this operation!”

Doctor Lan Ze, the center of attention, said nothing. The eyes exposed above his mask were as sharp as a scalpel, and he showed no deference even to Oser.

Oser said with a faint smile: “Doctor Lan Ze has saved a life, so I will of course reward him handsomely.”

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I have a few words to say to Doctor Lan Ze in private.”

Everyone tactfully left. The two guards who had escorted Doctor Lan Ze here earlier remained, standing to his right and left.

In this safe environment, it looked more like they were keeping him in custody rather than keeping him safe.

Xi Lei stood up and gave Doctor Lan Ze a ninety-degree bow.

“Thank you for saving my father’s life! I’ll do anything to repay you for saving him!”

Lan Ze glanced at him indifferently: “It was nothing. The patient’s case was very novel. I’m just happy to have gained experience in this area.”

“Although it’s not clear whether it’s hereditary, please feel free to come see me if you end up having the same tumor.”

Xi Lei: “……”

The words were pleasant, but still sounded like a curse.

But his father’s adopted son still hadn’t expressed his gratitude, and Xi Lei turned back to him in dissatisfaction: “Doctor Lan Ze is my father’s savior. Shouldn’t you at least say thank you?”

A man jumped out of the severely damaged black Soaring Eagle, and the medical staff would have been startled if they were still there. 

Lan Ze, however, revealed no surprise at his appearance.

“Hurry up!” Xi Lei urged him, like an elder admonishing a disobedient child.

Ling Yi rolled his eyes and turned to ask Oser: “Your Highness, you just said that you want to reward this doctor handsomely. How much will the reward be?”

“Let me think about it.” Oser pretended to contemplate. “He saved your adoptive father’s life, so let’s reward him by keeping him alive for now.”

Xi Lei stared with wide eyes.

Ling Yi: “I should really thank Doctor Lan Ze well.”

He also gave Lan Ze a formal bow: “My adoptive father is the most important person to me. Without you, he might not have made it through this. I sincerely express my gratitude to you.”

He straightened up and asked: “But do you feel any regret for not being able to cut into my neck?”

“A little bit,” Lan Ze said expressionlessly. “After all, there aren’t many opportunities to operate on the gland of a living Alpha.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” Xi Lei’s head felt like it was shrouded in fog. He asked Ling Yi: “Do you know Doctor Lan Ze?”

“Unfortunately. Just a day ago, he was calculating how many times he could slice my neck while keeping me alive.”

“I’m confident that I could have kept it above sixty-eight. Considering your physical condition, I might even have made it to eighty.”

Having said this, he sighed with genuine emotion: “You’re right, it’s a shame I couldn’t have verified it personally.”

Even if Xi Lei was an idiot, he could have figured this out. “You’re saying that Doctor Lan Ze is Lu Hulun’s man?”

“But what you said before was incorrect. You said that I learned how to save lives, but use that knowledge only for killing.”

Lan Ze removed his mask, revealing a slightly stern expression: “I can save people too.”

---

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Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12

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

Chapter 24 – Challenge

“Lu Chengye wins.”

The referee made the final decision.

There was sparse applause from the audience. This was the last match of the selection tournament. Lu Chengye, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, had competed against Zhang Ji, who was at the same level. 

The two fought for nearly a hundred rounds, but Zhang Ji made a minor mistake at the end, which Lu Chengye took advantage of to end the fight in one blow.

Lu Chengye was the final champion of this competition, as well as the winner of the earth-level magic weapon. This was a rather unexpected result. After all, everyone had initially thought that Fang Yang would be the champion, but he didn’t even make it to the finals.

He hadn’t even shown up for the afternoon rounds.

No matter what his reasons were, if he didn’t come, then he didn’t come. Nobody knew why he was absent, including the referee and the sect leader watching from the viewing platform.

He was just an insignificant junior disciple. If he didn’t cherish the opportunity to compete, there were others who would.

Therefore, when it was Fang Yang’s turn to compete, the referee waited for half an incense stick as required and then promptly declared Fang Yang’s defeat.

Lu Chengye turned his wrist to hold his sword upside down. Then, with an unconcealable expression of pride, he clasped his fist toward the fellow disciples in the audience who were applauding him.

On the viewing platform, Sect Leader Ji stood up and straightened his robes. He had found this competition somewhat boring. This group of junior disciples, including the champion in front of him, had all displayed mediocre performances.

They weren’t bad, but they were also far from good.

He glanced at Cao Zirui beside him. He was at Foundation Establishment stage, and had been specially invited to today’s Qi Refining stage competition. Sect Leader Ji’s original intent was to broaden his disciple’s horizons.

When it came to swordsmanship, cultivation wasn’t everything. It all depended on one’s comprehension. There were some common people without spiritual roots who became chivalrous heroes by relying on their superb swordsmanship.

Sword skills were extremely innovative. Although the outer sect only taught the basic chops, slashes, thrusts, and stabs, and did not have a complete set of sword moves, everyone had his or her own ideas on how to use these basic moves in a comprehensive manner.

The movements of some people were cumbersome and full of flaws, but there were others who were extremely talented in swordsmanship. They were the same basic movements, but they performed them more smoothly and tightly than others.

Cultivating with one’s head down was just divorcing oneself from reality and acting blindly – which made it difficult to achieve great success. It was still necessary to learn more from others and combine the strengths of every school in order to become a real sword master.

Therefore, although Cao Zirui was already at Foundation Establishment, he could still learn a lot from watching the Qi Refining stage competition.

Unfortunately, after observing for an entire day, the results were disappointing. Nobody had used any eye-catching sword moves. Watching so many rounds was just a waste of time.

Cao Zirui still wore his usual expressionless face. He was clearly the same age as the teenage onlookers in the audience, and those teenagers would occasionally call out an excited “Good one!” toward the thrilling fights in the ring.

But Cao Zirui was like an iceberg, mature beyond his years and with a facial paralysis that persisted till the end.

From morning until afternoon, there were dozens of both exciting and boring competitions, but he perpetually wore the same look – expressionless.

When he was done looking at his precious disciple, Sect Leader Ji turned toward Elder Zhou. The two of them reached a tacit understanding. The results were out, and the two of them would announce that the Qi Refining stage competition was officially over.

Are you going to do it or am I? Sect Leader Ji asked with his eyes.

You do it, Elder Zhou responded with a look, stroking his beard.

“Ahem.” Sect Leader Ji cleared his throat and announced: “The champion of this selection tournament is…..”

The three syllables “Lu Chengye” were already at the tip of his tongue, but just as they were about to come out, there was a commotion amongst the audience.

Sect Leader Ji frowned as he looked toward the movement below the platform. He was rather displeased. Who was so ignorant as to make noise while he was speaking?

Elder Zhou and Cao Zirui also noticed the disruption in the audience, and looked down as one.

Two figures could be seen – one in black and one in white, they split the gathered audience like the sea. Not only were those on the platform looking at them, the people below were also watching their sudden intrusion. 

The man in black daoist robes walked in front. Holding a sword in his right hand, his steps were as swift as the wind. Although he possessed an ordinary appearance, he gave people a sense of awe, like an unsheathed sword, and those along the way subconsciously moved out of his path.

And the man in white daoist robes followed closely behind him. Compared to the ordinary-looking man in front, he was a handsome young master. He held a closed fan in one hand, his peach blossom eyes curved in an irrepressible smile.

Feng Ye walked directly to the viewing platform. He looked up at the displeased sect leader and promptly saluted with his sword in his arms: “Sect Leader, this disciple Feng Ye wishes to challenge the champion of this competition…..”

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the nearby person who had yet to come down from the ring: “Lu Chengye.”

With just a few words, it was like pouring cold water onto hot oil, causing an immediate explosion.

Amid the uproar in the arena, Sect Leader Ji’s displeasure intensified once more. He suddenly shook his sleeves, and the terrifying pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator instantly filled the entire area.

This group of Qi Refining stage disciples were stunned, and wilted like eggplants hit by frost.

Many people swayed on their feet when Sect Leader Ji released his wave of oppression, but Feng Ye stood firmly in place without a change of expression.

This surprised Sect Leader Ji for a moment. A person with high cultivation could see through the strength of those with low cultivation at a glance, and he could naturally see that this junior disciple challenger was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

His cultivation was close to the bottom across all sects.

And judging from his age, this likely wasn’t his first year as a disciple. A junior disciple who had been cultivating for two or three years and had only reached the third level of Qi Refining was clamoring to challenge the champion who had gone through numerous rounds?

This couldn’t be described as mere arrogance. This fellow named Feng Ye must have eaten the hearts of all the White-Nosed Demon Bears in the back mountain, otherwise how could he be so bold?

Sect Leader Ji had initially planned to ignore the other party and continue to announce the champion, but Feng Ye didn’t reveal the slightest hint of fear under pressure. Although this person was at a low cultivation level, his courage and comprehension were greater than most of the people present.

Therefore, instead of directly refusing him, Sect Leader Ji said irresolutely: “The competition is over. Once you lose, you don’t get another chance. No one is exempt from this.”

Otherwise, if everyone came to him and asked to challenge the champion, what was the point of this competition?

Feng Ye maintained his salute and explained in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant: “I didn’t lose. I didn’t sign up for the competition at all.”

Sect Leader Ji was surprised once more. There were so many people competing that he couldn’t keep count of them. He had just assumed that Feng Ye had lost his previous round and was unresigned, so he came to issue another challenge.

But this fellow hadn’t even registered his name? That meant that he didn’t even have the courage to try his luck in the Floating Island Secret Realm. That such a person was now here to issue a challenge was unbelievable.

Although he couldn’t figure it out, the same words still applied: “The competition is over.”

Sect Leader Ji gave his answer. This was his final decision, and he was not going to make an exception. Rules were rules. It would be unfair to everyone if someone who hadn’t registered was able to challenge the already-selected champion.

Feng Ye replied: “This disciple is not here for the competition.”

He suddenly lifted his head to look at the sect leader high above, saying: “I am here to challenge him personally. Regardless of whether I win or lose, he will still be the champion and the earth-level magic weapon will still belong to him. I am only here to challenge him to a duel.”

The situation that had been suppressed through great effort by Sect Leader Ji became chaotic again, because Feng Ye’s words…..were too shocking. 

Lingxiao Sword Sect did not allow internal fighting between fellow disciples, but if the feud between the two parties truly reached the point where they had to fight, the sect also provided a solution. 

That was a duel. In order to prevent this method from being abused, there existed a rule that if the challenging party was defeated, he would be directly expelled from the sect. 

And the person being challenged could choose whether or not to accept, with no punishment if he lost the duel.

Feng Ye was making an enormous gamble. With his level of cultivation, once he was expelled from the sect, he would likely not have another chance at immortality in this life.

And the one he was challenging was someone who was superior to him in all aspects.

Was this fellow trying to find an excuse to quit the sect? He was unwilling to retire in obscurity, so he was doing it in such a high-profile way? This was the conclusion that many people came to.

What else could explain Feng Ye’s futile challenge?

Sect Leader Ji and Elder Zhou exchanged glances. Although they didn’t have the same thoughts as the others, they felt that Feng Ye was attempting to strike a rock with an egg, overestimating his abilities. With such a gap in cultivation, how could he prevail?

But since Feng Ye had brought up the idea of a duel, which was a challenge allowed by the sect, they wouldn’t stop him. As for whether or not the challenge would be accepted, Sect Master Ji glanced at Lu Chengye on the stage.

Feng Ye’s challenge must be accepted by Lu Chengye. The onlooking junior disciples were astonished, and looked at Lu Chengye as they came to this realization one after another.

The expression on Lu Chengye’s face wasn’t good. When he saw Feng Ye coming to challenge him, he had actually guessed the reason.

This guy was here to seek revenge for that brat Fang Yang. How dare a useless person at the third level of Qi Refining challenge him? Lu Chengye was furious, but in the wake of his initial anger, he slowly became satisfied.

This was the perfect opportunity to beat up Feng Ye, this soft persimmon who had always been protected by Fang Yang, and make him understand the meaning of fate.

A weakling like him is destined to be trampled underfoot his entire life! Lu Chengye thought with a look of ridicule on his face.

He gave his answer in front of everyone: “Answering Sect Leader, this disciple is willing to accept the challenge.”

He looked at the nearby Feng Ye with a malicious smile on his lips. It would be easy for an accident to happen. Feng Ye could stand in the ring, but it was difficult to say if he would come down intact.

Feng Ye stared across the crowd at Lu Chengye on the stage. When he heard the other’s reply, he smiled for the first time yet.

---

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Chapter 23 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 25

Xi Lei was petrified, his expression slack.

His Highness Oser, who he had admired since childhood, was using his pheromones as an inescapable net, and the always-irritating Ling Yi had turned into a little white rabbit, obediently playing the role of captured prey.

When he came to his senses, he realized that he was making a very poor first impression on His Highness Oser.

He immediately dropped his defensive posture and gave him a standard military salute: “Your Highness Oser!”

After saluting, he clarified incoherently: “Your Highness, it’s true that you’re my spiritual idol, but the dream man, soulmate stuff was all fabricated by this person here…..don’t believe him!”

But Oser completely ignored his existence, slowly made a semi-circle, and stopped face to face with Ling Yi.

Ling Yi had not spent nearly as much time around him as Tang De, and during their limited contact, Oser often had a smile on his face.

Though it often contained a sneer, mockery, or ridicule…..and rarely contained any good intentions.

This, however, was the first time he had seen a layer of frost on that sculpted face.

No wonder Tang De had said this was the angriest he had ever seen His Highness.

Ling Yi looked away, avoiding eye contact.

“Your Highness gave me this car, so I went out for a drive.”

“I didn’t intend to leave without saying goodbye. Didn’t I drive it back again?”

The people hearing his words didn’t believe it, and the one saying them felt even guiltier.

One of the windows was shattered, and Ling Yi had violently broken through a checkpoint on the way out, so there were several dents and dings, as well as bullet holes and other deformations.

It was a luxury car when it went out, and a piece of scrap metal when it came back. In a word, it was tragic.

Oser opened his mouth and said in a blank tone: “Get in the car.”

He glanced at Xi Lei, who was confused about the entire situation, and said: “You too.”

Oser took up the largest area inside the vehicle, crossing his long legs. Ling Yi sat next to him and leaned his elbow on the armrest with his chin resting on one fist, trying his best to act nonchalant.

Opposite him, Xi Lei sat with his legs together and his hands on his knees, just like a primary school student.

This scene felt familiar. Just an hour ago, there were the same number of people, the same seating, and an outsider who was completely confused.

Xi Lei desperately tried to catch Ling Yi’s gaze, willing him not to act rashly: Are you crazy? You’re sitting on the same seat as His Highness Oser?!

Ling Yi simply treated the person in front of him as air. After all, it wasn’t his first time dealing with such a situation.

A lighter flared with a click. Oser tilted his head slightly, the flame flickering between his slender fingers.

From Ling Yi’s perspective, his emotions were perfectly concealed under the shadow of his long, thin eyelashes.

Ling Yi had to admit that this mere act of lighting a cigarette was enough to charm scores of Omegas.

If only the person in question wasn’t His Highness Oser.

But when the first puff of smoke slowly curled from Oser’s mouth, Ling Yi no longer harbored any appreciation.

Even Xi Lei opposite him leaned back stiffly.

Although smoking was strictly prohibited in the military academy, the instructors couldn’t help but light up a cigarette during breaks, and it wasn’t uncommon for students to catch them.

It was during such a situation that Ling Yi and his friends learned that there was a special kind of tobacco for Alphas that could enhance the effects of their pheromones.

Without it, Oser’s pheromones carried a natural sense of oppression.

And with the enhancement, it would be an understatement to call his pheromones a biological weapon.

Ling Yi held his breath as long as he could: “Your Highness, isn’t it inappropriate to smoke in a confined space?”

Oser once again exhaled white smoke: “You call this a confined space?”

Ling Yi: “…..”

The car doors were open and the window was shattered, so calling it a confined space was a bit of a stretch.

But even with the doors and window wide open, the concentration of pheromones still increased a person’s stress.

Oser’s left hand naturally came to rest on Ling Yi’s right leg.

“Xi Lei.”

“Yes!” Xi Lei replied reflexively.

After answering, an expression of delight crossed his face: “Your Highness knows my name?”

“Xi En’s eldest son, the same age as Ling Yi. You grew up under the same roof, but have a bad relationship.”

“You study at Luban Military Academy, have excellent grades, strictly abide by school rules and regulations, and have only received one warning.”

“You graduate next month, and have applied to join my guard corps.”

Oser concluded unhurriedly: “Am I correct?”

Xi Lei was flattered: “I didn’t expect Your Highness to know so much about me.”

Ling Yi smiled covertly. He wasn’t surprised that Oser had conducted a detailed investigation of everyone related to him.

Xi Lei continued: “Since you know me well, you know that I must warn you purely due to that guy’s involvement!”

“Don’t be fooled by his pretense of being well-behaved. You don’t know how bad he was in school. A person like him undermines military discipline—”

He sent Ling Yi an agitated glare, and grew even angrier when he didn’t show any remorse at all.

Xi Lei wanted to discuss this matter in depth and get an objective judgement from His Highness Oser, but from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Oser resting his hand on Ling Yi’s leg and gently caressing it.

No matter how he looked at the situation, it seemed like Xi Lei was a victim who couldn’t bear it anymore and went to the other party’s parent to complain.

But the perpetrator didn’t change his behavior, and although the parent didn’t take a stance, his every move revealed his tendency to protect his child.

Even if Xi Lei was an idiot, he would still be able to see that something strange was going on.

Oser flicked the ash from his cigarette and said: “Speak.”

This command wasn’t addressed to anyone, and neither of them spoke.

The surroundings fell into silence, and even Oser had no intention of adding anything further.

Xi Lei observed Ling Yi, who was also looking back at him.

After a while, Xi Lei asked carefully: “Your Highness, were you speaking to me?”

This time, Oser got straight to the point: “You didn’t go home last night. Where were you?”

Xi Lei’s expression visibly froze: “How…..did you know?”

“You won’t tell me?”

Oser gracefully brought the cigarette to his lips, puffing and exhaling. The smoke diffused in the air, and his pheromones seemed to take visible form.

Ling Yi finally understood why Oser had lit a cigarette.

This was an interrogation.

Oser’s fingers tapped rhythmically on his leg, and Xi Lei counted the taps as if counting the length of his future criminal sentencing.

His palms that were originally flat on his knees clenched into his school uniform. Beads of sweat ran down his cheeks to his chin. He struggled not to move, but in the end, he couldn’t stop them from dripping.

—Splat.

A bead of sweat fell onto the back of his hand.

Even Ling Yi couldn’t bear to watch.

“Xi Lei, where were you last night?”

He really wanted to know too.

“I…..” Xi Lei bit his lip. “I can’t say.”

“You don’t need to tell me,” Oser said serenely. “I’ll just go ask the eight students who left school with you without permission and see what they have to say.”

Ling Yi straightened his back, starting to grow tense: “What do you mean, eight students?”

Oser handed him his phone: “I suppose you know them all.”

What Ling Yi saw was a very familiar photo. He swiped backward rapidly, and one student file after another passed before his eyes.

He and Xi Lei had a bad relationship, and they each had their own small group in class. The eight people in the photos were their respective good brothers.

Why would these nine people, who never associated with each other and always clashed when they met, run away from the dormitory together?

Ling Yi recognized the severity of the matter, and his tone became serious: “Xi Lei, what on earth is going on?”

Xi Lei was very reluctant to say anything, and admitting it in front of Ling Yi would humiliate him even more. But since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to speak.

“Last night…..we went to the prison…..”

“You attempted a prison break?!”

Ling Yi nearly stood up, but Oser pushed him back down.

“Are you crazy? A group of students trying to break into prison?”

“We got to the prison and tried to climb over the fence, but the guards discovered us. We had no choice but to knock two of them out, and another one raised the alarm…..all we could do was escape.”

Xi Lei didn’t know that Ling Yi had been transferred to a different prison that night. Going to the detention center where he was previously held was simply risking his life in the wrong place.

“Your Highness, I personally organized that discipline violation. The others committed the offense under my instructions. Please hold me solely responsible!”

“I’ll hold you responsible,” Ling Yi said angrily. “Are you stupid? Leading a group of cadets to break into a prison – if you were caught, even if you didn’t go to jail, you would be expelled! Your future would be ruined!”

“You’re stupid!” Xi Lei shouted back with no trace of politeness. “If I didn’t save you, you’d die! What’s more important, a life or the future?”

“What touching brotherly love, ah,” Oser interjected sarcastically.

“We’re not brothers!” the two retorted in unison.

Oser: “Since the relationship between you is so poor, why take the risk of breaking into the prison?”

Xi Lei’s eyes flickered left and right: “Even though he lives in my house, and I can’t drive him away, and he has a bad character…..I promised my dad that I would take care of him no matter what, so I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die, could I?”

He felt embarrassed after saying this, and said rudely to Ling Yi: “But let me make it clear in advance that my friends were only there for my sake; they didn’t actually want to save you.”

“…..Tsk.” Ling Yi turned his head to the other side and ignored him.

“I’m done with you. Get out,” Oser said coldly.

Ling Yi didn’t turn his head away from the window: “Get out and get lost.”

Xi Lei: “……”

He stormed out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind him. 

“It’s your turn.”

Ling Yi thought in despair that perhaps pulling the man down by the collar and kissing him would be more effective than any explanation.

“How are my classmates?”

“So far, so good. Whether that changes in the future depends on my mood.”

Oser slowly rubbed the cigarette butt with the pad of his thumb, gaze fixed on his hand.

“If your adoptive father wasn’t in critical condition, would you have come back?”

Ling Yi’s lips moved uneasily, and his answer was indistinct: “The empire is so big. Wherever I go, I’ll still be within Your Highness’s control.”

“Be honest. I’ll put out the cigarette.”

“I wouldn’t have,” Ling Yi said truthfully.

“As I was driving down the highway with the wind blowing into my face through the broken window, I had only one thought in my mind—”

“It feels so good to be free. I spent three months in prison. Three months without being able to breathe fresh air. If there had been a second choice, I wouldn’t have turned back.”

Ling Yi lowered his eyes, aware that these words were thoroughly courting disaster.

“Your Highness wanted to hear the truth. These are my true thoughts.”

A smile finally appeared on Oser’s face.

It was a cold smile.

He twisted the cigarette twice in the ashtray and put it out.

“Ling Yi, your weakness is that you care too much. A person like you who has so many weaknesses would be easily manipulated if you escaped, and you would return to die obediently.”

“Do you know how You Lin has lived abroad for so many years without any ties or worries?”

“…..I don’t know.”

“Because his entire family was killed and he was the only survivor. Lu Hulun didn’t even spare his fiancee’s family.”

Ling Yi stared, dumbfounded. He knew that Lu Hulun was cruel and ruthless, but he didn’t expect this degree of insanity. 

“I tolerated you using me to escape the death penalty, and I knew you didn’t actually intend to keep your part of the deal.”

“But your adoptive father, the eldest son who doesn’t seem very smart, the youngest son whom you risked your life to protect, everyone you care about, your classmates and friends – can you protect them all?”

Cold sweat ran down Ling Yi’s cheeks again, but this time, it wasn’t due to the pressure of pheromones. Rather, it was because of all the terrible possibilities running through his head after hearing Oser’s words.

During the three months he was incarcerated, Lu Hulun had many opportunities to attack his family. The only reason he didn’t take action was because he wanted them to witness his death with their own eyes before settling accounts one by one.

If Tang De hadn’t appeared in time today, he and Xi Lei would have become fish on the chopping block.

Oser was right. He was too naive. The vortex he’d created would only suck more innocent people into it, and without Oser’s help, he wouldn’t even be able to survive alone like You Lin had.

Oser grasped the back of Ling Yi’s head with one hand and forced his face toward him.

His lips were roughly pried open. Unlike Ling Yi’s token peck on the lips, this was an unbridled invasion.

Foreign Alpha pheromones invaded. Plundering and domineering, they left complete destruction in their wake.

Their incompatible pheromones fiercely repelled each other, taking turns fighting for control within his body. Ling Yi trembled all over as he tried to convince himself not to resist.

Just before he could reach the limit of his endurance, Oser let him go. His face reflected in Ling Yi’s dilated pupils.

“Ling Yi, no matter where you escape to, the only one in this world who can protect you is me.”

---

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Chapter 9 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 11

Ji Qinglin had been beaten by Liu Qiao, and even if he didn’t come to ask for an explanation, he should have at least been bothered by it. But Liu Zhenqing didn’t expect Ji Qinglin to come to deliver gifts the next day, leaving him bewildered.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t like talking with Ji Qinglin. Holding a conversation with such a cunning person involved a lot of beating around the bush, and was a waste of brainpower. He preferred people who were simple and straightforward.

“After all this talk, you want me to advise His Highness to make arrangements for outside scholars?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Why didn’t you say it directly?”

Ji Qinglin looked somewhat awkward: “I mentioned it to His Highness, but he didn’t seem very interested…..”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head lightly. Ji Qinglin could be considered brilliant, but he was muddle-headed when it came to matters of the heart.

“The weather changes so fast. Do we still need to go out to dry clothing at this critical moment?” Liu Zhenqing pretended to look outside.

Ji Qingling instantly understood, and his expression changed: “It was my recklessness.”

The old emperor had only been out of power for a few days. If they attempted to innovate at this critical moment, it could easily go wrong, especially for the easily influenced students. Thus, doing nothing was the better choice. No wonder the Crown Prince hadn’t given any feedback on this proposal. It wasn’t because the Crown Prince didn’t think it was a good proposal, but because the timing wasn’t right.

Ji Qinglin was well aware of how serious this matter was, and knew that he shouldn’t move forward with his idea, so he stood up and said his farewells.

Just at that moment, a servant came to report that Bai Yu had arrived. Ji Qinglin’s steps paused.

Liu Zhenqing smiled. He surmised that Bai Yu had heard of Ji Qinglin coming here, and had come over in case Ji Qinglin intended to make trouble for Liu Qiao.

With a roll of his eyes, Liu Zhenqing stood and sighed as if talking to himself: “I heard that a strange case turned up in Qilian County recently, involving a lot of people. His Highness will likely select someone to handle it. If Ji-daren wants to go…..”

Ji Qinglin looked at Liu Zhenqing in puzzlement, thinking that perhaps the Crown Prince intended to choose him to handle the case.

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Tell me if you need any help. Whether it’s things…..or a person.”

Ji Qinglin’s expression immediately changed, and after a few breaths, he bowed deeply to Liu Zhenqing.

“It is my duty to assist His Highness, but I fear I am not capable enough. If His Highness does choose me, I request that you intercede to ask Brother Wangshu to help me.”

This boy could be taught. Since he didn’t want those two people to meet, they should just leave the capital.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t trying to play matchmaker. It was just that he had met Bai Yu’s new friend a few times during the tax money case…..and although that person was a talent, he wasn’t worth becoming close friends with. Bai Yu was pure of mind, and easily admired a person’s talent, but he didn’t have a deep understanding of human nature. Since Bai Yu called him Xiting-ge, he naturally had to help him screen people. If someone wasn’t suitable, then there should be no more contact between them.

Liu Zhenqing brought Ji Qinglin out and saw Bai Yu walking quickly in the distance. He was taken aback when he saw the two of them, and seemed a little nervous at first. But when he looked into Ji Qinglin’s eyes and recalled what had happened the day before, he immediately avoided his gaze and stopped in his tracks.

If he hadn’t been worried that Ji Qinglin had come to the manor to ask for an explanation for the beating, that Xiting-ge would dislike him, or that he would be disrespectful to Xiting-ge and Liu Qiao would beat him again, he wouldn’t have come back. He didn’t want to see this bastard at all.

Because of his impulsive actions last time, Ji Qingling’s heart palpitated when he saw Bai Yu, and he couldn’t help but take a few steps forward.

At this moment, a servant not far away suddenly screamed: “Look out!”

Liu Zhenqing looked over and saw a large rock falling from the sky right toward Bai Yu. 

Bai Yu glanced back, but it was too late for him to dodge. At that moment, Ji Qinglin’s eyes blew wide and he rushed over at a speed that exceeded his physical limit, but the force and distance weren’t sufficient to push him out of the way. Ji Qinglin could only hold him tightly in his arms and press him to the ground, using his own body to shield him.

Bai Yu’s mind was blank as he stared at Ji Qinglin, and he felt his heart freeze.

Ji Qinglin might die! He only had his old mother at home, and had finally embarked upon a successful path. How could he…..

But Bai Yu just saw Ji Qinglin smile at him, years of restraint and aloofness transforming into affection in his eyes, even deeper than when he had forcefully kissed him that day.

He…..really does like me.

Bai Yu’s mind went from blankness to a plethora of wild thoughts.

And Ji Qinglin’s expression went from resigned affection to a blank look.

Ai? Why….was it taking so long?

“How long are you two going to keep lying down?” came Liu Zhenqing’s smiling voice.

The two of them returned to their senses and turned their heads, only to see Liu Qiao standing next to them.

Liu Qiao held up a piece of rockery that was bigger than him with one hand, looking at them with puzzlement on his face.

Bai Yu’s face instantly flushed. How could he have forgotten that Xiting-ge was renovating the manor over the next few days?  Liu Qiao had thought it would be troublesome for the servants to move the rockery, so he took it upon himself. His martial arts prowess was terrifying. He was able to throw a boulder into the air with one hand, launching it from one courtyard to another – and he always caught it before it fell. Bai Yu had witnessed it several times, and there was no danger at all.

Just now, Liu Qiao had been keeping close pace with the rock, but his figure was out of view.

Bai Yu quickly pushed Ji Qinglin off of him and declared that he was fine.

He may have been fine, but Ji Qinglin wasn’t. He had just made a desperate rescue attempt, and injured his foot.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t see any significant problems, so he asked Bai Yu to send him back in person.

Since he’d been injured in order to save him, Bai Yu naturally couldn’t refuse. He called for a carriage and carefully helped the other man into it.

But after he held Ji Qinglin sit down, he couldn’t retract his hand.

Bai Yu blushed and tried to pull his hand back with slightly more force.

“You didn’t get hurt just now, did you?” Ji Qinglin’s voice was full of worry, which surprised Bai Yu so much that he forgot to take his hand back.

“You’re the one who got hurt, not me.” 

“Even if you aren’t injured, that doesn’t mean you don’t feel any pain,” said Ji Qinglin.

He felt pain all over his body after hearing Ji Qinglin’s words, but it wasn’t unbearable. “I’m a man, what’s a small collision like this? I won’t feel it anymore after a while.”

Ji Qinglin smiled faintly and said: “When you bump into the corner of the table while reading, the corners of your eyes turn red.”

Bai Yu was instantly embarrassed, and stared at Ji Qinglin in disbelief. He had noticed such a small detail? He looked up and met a pair of gentle, affectionate eyes. Bai Yu was flustered and immediately tried to pull his hand away.

But Ji Qinglin still didn’t let go. He said in a low voice: “It’s my fault for not seeing the situation clearly. I’m sorry.”

Bai Yu’s breathing suddenly stagnated. It was obvious that the other party had risked his life to save him. “I’m not so ungrateful. I know you were trying to save me.”

Ji Qinglin said: “It would be great if I had actually risked my life to save you, but it turned out to be a mistake.”

“What are you saying? Are you trying to throw yourself into danger?” Bai Yu said unhappily.

Ji Qinglin fixed him with a burning gaze and said: “If I risked my life to save you, perhaps you would repay me for my kindness…..”

“Wh…..what? Repay you?” Bai Yu was shocked by this statement.

Ji Qinglin said: “En, repay me.”

Bai Yu didn’t dare respond, for fear of what Ji Qinglin would say…..but just from the emotions contained in those eyes, his meaning was very clear.

He should repay him with himself.

Bai Yu hurriedly changed the subject, almost forgetting that the other person was still holding his hand: “You….what did you come to see Xiting-ge for?”

Ji Qinglin thought it over, and told him that he might have to leave to investigate a case.

Bai Yu immediately said: “Your movements are hindered now. Since that’s the case, it would be better to decline.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Ji Qinglin’s eyes flickered. He was just thinking of a way to convince Bai Yu to go with him when he heard the other person say unnaturally: “If you really have to go…..you were injured because of me, so….I…..I’ll come along to assist you.”

Ji Qinglin’s pupils quivered, and he said almost instinctively: “You might miss the Imperial Examinations.”

“I’m not taking the exams, so what’s the big deal if I miss them?” Bai Yu asked in confusion.

Ji Qinglin had never thought that Bai Yu would volunteer himself….he’d thought he would have to put in some effort. Bai Yu was so clever that there was no way he didn’t know that Ji Qinglin planned to have him come along. Thinking of this, his heart began to throb.

Bai Yu was waiting for an answer, and the carriage bumped over something the moment he looked over, accompanied by a forceful tug on his hand. Before he could react, he was dragged over, and Ji Qinglin kissed him almost without thought.

Bai Yu struggled out of his arms, and was so angry that he could only cover his lips and glare at him. His eyes were almost red. “You…..bastard!”

Ji Qinglin looked at him steadily: “Do you hate it? Do you hate me for doing it?”

Bai Yu was furious: “I hate it!”

There was a startled look in Ji Qinglin’s eyes. At this point, the carriage stopped and the driver notified them that they had arrived.

Without a care for Ji Qinglin’s injured foot, Bai Yu pushed him out of the carriage and quickly ordered the driver to proceed.

But Ji Qinglin, supported by a government office guard, came to the carriage window. He didn’t lift the curtain, but whispered through the gap: “Wangshu, you know how I feel. You make me happy.”

Bai Yu flushed as he was panicking inside the carriage, and became flustered when he heard this. After a long moment of silence, he said: “You…..you’re crazy. You’re the only child your mother has…..what are you thinking?”

Ji Qinglin smiled faintly. At least it wasn’t a straightforward rejection.

“I’ve already mentioned this to my mother. Haven’t you noticed how warmly she treats you when you come over? My family doesn’t have any customs against taking a male lover, and I’ve already decided that I don’t want any children.”

Bai Yu was dumbfounded.

“I’ve been dreaming about this for many years, and even the marriage procedures have taken shape in my mind. Wangshu, I’m not yet worthy of your status, but I don’t want you to be snatched away by someone else while I’m working hard. If you come with me on this trip, I’ll take it as your acceptance, and I will do my utmost to secure the approval of the Bai family and ask for your hand in marriage. If you don’t like me back, then don’t come with me, and I won’t bother you again.”

When he was done speaking, Ji Qinglin knocked on the carriage and told the driver to take him away.

Bai Yu didn’t come to his senses until the carriage began to shake. He lifted the curtain and secretly looked back, only to see that figure standing on the other side of the door, gazing over at him. Bai Yu’s face turned even redder. Those last words, so earnest and solemn, had sounded like a vow. He knew that Ji Qinglin had always felt inferior to the Bai family, otherwise he wouldn’t have kept his feelings to himself for so long, and only expressed them once his family’s honor was restored.

In fact, the Crown Prince and Xiting-ge admired him very much. His father also praised him often, and once said he wanted to marry one of the unmarried women in the family to him, which showed that he recognized his future career prospects.

But even so, Ji Qinglin felt that he wasn’t worthy of him. But how could he not be worthy? It was obvious that…..everyone recognized his worth. If he really requested a marriage, his father likely wouldn’t refuse…..

Aiya, what was he thinking! Bai Yu felt as if his cheeks were on fire, and could only cover them until he arrived home. But he couldn’t calm his throbbing heart. He knew that he didn’t hate Ji Qinglin’s actions, and even admired his talent. This was just…..too fast!

A few days later, the Crown Prince did indeed send Ji Qinglin out of the capital, and a carriage was readied to leave the city before dawn. Ji Qinglin stood waiting beside the carriage as a servant repeatedly urged him to get in. His eyes gradually darkened. Just as he was about to lift the curtain, the sound of another carriage came from nearby.

Ji Qinglin paused. Turning around, he found that it was a carriage from Liu Manor, with Liu Qiao as the driver. Ji Qinglin ran over almost without a care for his injured foot, staring straight at the curtain until the face he had been thinking about came out. 

Bai Yu felt uneasy under that direct, passionate gaze, but finally bowed and said: “Ji-daren, I’ve come to assist.”

Ji Qinglin stretched a hand out toward him and said: “Wangshu wants to come with me?”

Bai Yu was taken aback when someone pushed him from behind. It was Xiting-ge, of course.

Liu Qiao would naturally not interfere since it was Liu Zhenqing who’d pushed him, so Bai Yu could only lose his balance and fall into Ji Qinglin’s arms.

At last, his worries could be put to rest. His voice trembled slightly with nerves as he asked the person trying to extract himself from his arms, “Wangshu, you’re willing to go with me?”

Bai Yu set aside his unexpected shame and anger. Feeling the vibrations from the other person’s chest, he was dazed for a moment before replying in a whisper: “I’m willing.”

Ji Qinglin’s eyes reddened, and he almost cried. He hugged Bai Yu tightly again, then let him go. He took Bai Yu to say a proper goodbye to Liu Zhenqing and Liu Qiao, boarded their carriage, and left the capital with the rising sun ahead of them, completely missing the students traveling to the capital for the Imperial Examinations the next day.

As he watched the carriage depart, Liu Zhenqing patted Liu Qiao on the shoulder and said: “Qiaoqiao, ah, Wangshu has found where he belongs. When will you become sensible?”

“Where he belongs? Aren’t they going to solve a case together?” Liu Qiao asked curiously.

Liu Zhenqing was amused, and pinched Liu Qiao’s face: “Let’s go have breakfast.”

But before they could reach the food stands, he was hastily called back by the Crown Prince’s guards and ushered to the East Palace.

The instant he saw the Crown Prince’s face, he knew it wasn’t good: “What happened?”

The Crown Prince set down the letter in his hand with an unhappy expression: “Urgent news has come from Xiheng. Li Jinshu and the princess have had a complete falling-out and have decided to divorce. The princess will be sent back to Great Zhou, and envoys from both countries will meet at the border to renegotiate. Xiheng’s leadership has changed, and the new regent sent a request in his letter.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned: “What is it?”

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed: “You must be present, or the envoys will refuse to negotiate.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed. He stroked his chin and said: “This Li Jinshu…..hasn’t he given up on me yet?”

“Xiting…..” The Crown Prince’s expression was tense, and he appeared very hesitant.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Your Highness, you and I both understand the situation. Don’t worry about me, I’ll go. I guarantee that not only will I not suffer any losses, Great Zhou won’t either. Li Jinshu will be the only one who loses!”

The Crown Prince looked at Liu Zhenqing. This was someone he doted on, and he wasn’t happy about agreeing to the other party’s highly-motivated request, but the emperor was on his deathbed, and he couldn’t create any unnecessary trouble. He said with a sigh: “Alright. I’m sorry to trouble you this time. Feihan and the others are all in the west. With them at your side, you will be protected at all times, and they won’t let you suffer a single injustice.”

The west…..Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed slightly, and he unconsciously groped for the jade Rubik’s Cube at his waist, thinking of a certain someone who had been cruel enough not to contact him for two years.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 22 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 24

Chapter 23 – “Even without spiritual power, I will win.”

“Shixiong, my spiritual power is draining away…..I can’t control it…..I tried to stop it…..I can’t control it…..” Fang Yang was a little incoherent.

He knew that Feng Ye must have discovered the drastic reduction of his cultivation. There was nothing for him to hide anymore, so he poured out all of the suffering he had experienced in this short period of time.

When Fang Yang first realized he was losing spiritual power, he didn’t realize what it meant, and just thought he was really tired from the competition that morning. He adjusted his internal qi as usual, and reabsorbed the spiritual power that was spread throughout the world.

But…..the speed of loss was much greater than the speed of absorption, and he soon realized that something was wrong. His level dropped step by step, with unstoppable momentum. First, he fell below the seventh level of Qi Refining, then the sixth, the fifth…..and now to the third…..

The loss of spiritual power finally stopped, but this was nothing worth celebrating – because the majority of his cultivation had been destroyed over this short period of time.

Fang Yang had never suffered such a blow. He would be sixteen years old this year, but he was actually about fifteen. The biggest setback he had ever experienced was having the sugar figurine he had worked so hard to obtain snatched from him by the village bully.

But now he was faced with the fact that all of his hard work this past year had been in vain. All of it, gone in an instant. The championship and the earth-level magic weapon, things that were once just a step away from him, were now out of reach.

Fang Yang was suffering a mental breakdown and didn’t know what to do. He could only follow his instincts and hide in a corner to secretly cry. 

But he felt that crying was a very shameful thing, so he only dared to cry quietly, and tried to hide it in front of Useless Shixiong and Huo-dage.

Although his embarrassing appearance had been seen by everyone, he still rubbed his eyes vigorously in an attempt to be less of an eyesore.

Seeing Fang Yang like this, Feng Ye pursed his lips slightly. He didn’t speak any words of comfort, but asked instead: “What did you have for lunch?”

Fang Yang stopped rubbing his eyes. He was a little confused, not understanding why Useless Shixiong would ask this. He also had no idea why his cultivation had regressed. The mere fact that it had regressed was enough to devastate him to such an extent that he had no time to think about anything else.

Hao Chen discovered the key to the issue in Feng Ye’s question. It seemed this naive boy had become too popular and someone had taken action against him.

“I just…..just…..ate…..in the cafeteria…..” Despite not understanding, Fang Yang answered honestly. Even though he tried to speak normally, he still sobbed here and there.

“Did anything happen during the meal?” Feng Ye asked.

Fang Yang recalled: “Nothing, ah. I just found a corner like I usually do…..that’s right!” Fang Yang finally remembered a clue: “A fellow disciple I’m not familiar with came and praised me for being so fierce.”

There was no need to think it over. This was the culprit. Or even if he wasn’t the culprit, he was associated with him.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen came to this realization simultaneously.

Feng Ye asked again: “Do you remember what he looked like?”

Fang Yang nodded, then shook his head and said vaguely: “Just…..very ordinary…..like you, Shixiong…..”

Feng Ye: “……” Was this a disguised way of saying he looked average?

He stood up from the floor, giving up finding out the identity of that person from Fang Yang.

Pfft. Although the current matter was not something to laugh about, Hao Chen couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. The naive boy was truly naive.

He continued to maintain a grave, solemn expression so as not to ruin the sad atmosphere.

Although Fang Yang was the only sad one.

Hao Chen had no feelings about this matter at all, and was just watching the show.

And Feng Ye stood there with his arms folded, frowning in thought. Even though the clues given by Fang Yang wouldn’t lead to the culprit, based on the motive, the suspect pool was fairly small.

Why did they poison him?

Resentment. Benefits.

And there was only one person with both motives.

Lu Chengye held a grudge against Fang Yang and was a strong competitor for the championship. With Fang Yang removed as an obstacle, he would be the biggest beneficiary no matter how one looked at it.

But there was no evidence…..no evidence to prove that Lu Chengye had done it. All suspicions directed at Lu Chengye originated from Feng Ye’s extremely subjective speculation.

Fang Yang wouldn’t be able to get justice for the time being – at least, not by conventional means.

With this thought in mind, Feng Ye set the matter aside for the time being. There were more urgent matters at the moment.

He took an abrupt step forward, picked up the iron sword Fang Yang had placed on the table, and went back to him. Holding it by the middle of the scabbard, he held it out to Fang Yang. His meaning was self-evident.

Fang Yang stared, and so did Hao Chen.

Such was Fang Yang’s bewilderment that he even stopped crying. He looked at the hilt of the sword in front of him, and then up at Feng Ye’s serious face. Without moving, he maintained the posture of hugging his knees.

Feng Ye pushed the hilt of the sword forward a bit and said: “Go to the competition.”

Cold and impersonal, Hao Chen thought. Feng Ye was usually very easy to talk to, and never truly got angry at anyone. But Feng Ye was a completely different person right now, callous and unfeeling.

Fang Yang had fallen to the third level of Qi Refining. Wouldn’t it be humiliating if he went to the competition?

Could he still be expected to defeat the remaining opponents with his third level Qi Refining skills, which put him close to the bottom in the entire sect?

Although Fang Yang had defeated a White-Nosed Demon Bear at Foundation Establishment stage with his seventh level Qi Refining cultivation, Hao Chen was aware that there was a level of falsity to it. The White-Nosed Demon Bear had been forced to advance by Hao Chen himself. It appeared to be at Foundation Establishment stage, but its power was still unstable, making it far inferior to a genuine Foundation Establishment monster.

Moreover, had Fang Yang truly defeated it on his own?

Although he hadn’t caught Feng Ye’s fox tail, Hao Chen didn’t believe that this fellow hadn’t helped at all.

Fang Yang’s triumph over the White-Nosed Demon Bear was an unrepeatable happenstance. Given the absolute gap in strength, it would be impossible for him to win such a battle again.

Fang Yang thought the same way. He naturally knew the time for the competition had come, but also knew it was useless for him to attend now.

He remained unmoving.

After a brief stalemate, Feng Ye handed the hilt of the sword to Fang Yang for the third time. His tone was severe, nearly ice-cold: “Take up your sword. Go to the competition.”

“But even if I go, I can’t win, ah!” Being urged again and again by Feng Ye, Fang Yang was no longer disconsolate, but was stimulated into a sort of self-destructive anger.

He glared at Feng Ye with red, swollen eyes, and shouted: “I’m only at the third level of Qi Refining, and the remaining opponents are at least at the sixth level of Qi Refining. It’s impossible for me to win!”

“It’s impossible for me to win!” After shouting at Feng Ye, Fang Yang repeated this loudly toward the floor, saying it for both himself and the others.

It was impossible. If he went there, all he would accomplish was letting everyone know that his cultivation had drastically declined and he had become a waste.

Feng Ye slowly retracted the hand holding the sword, and Fang Yang thought he had been convinced.

Feng Ye suddenly repeated Fang Yang’s words: “Impossible?”

Fang Yang felt that he was being called into question, so he tilted his head to look directly into Feng Ye’s eyes, and replied: “Simply impossible, ah. If I try to win the championship, I’ll definitely run into an opponent at the seventh level of Qi Refining, which is more than twice the spiritual power level of someone at the third level of Qi Refining. It’s impossible to win! Shixiong, you don’t understand…..”

Fang Yang abruptly cut off. He realized that his words were a bit too much, as if he was belittling the cultivation of his Useless Shixiong. Although this was a statement of fact, Feng Ye was only at the third level of Qi Refining, and couldn’t understand the difference between the third and seventh levels.

Feng Ye stared at Fang Yang, unmoving.

“A person at level three of Qi Refining can’t beat someone at level seven?” Feng Ye suddenly smiled.

A person at level three of Qi Refining couldn’t beat someone at level seven. This should have been an established fact. Fang Yang, who had once been at the seventh level of Qi Refining, was very clear about the difference in spiritual power between the two, and it was precisely because of this clarity that he believed he couldn’t win.

But when the words came from Feng Ye’s mouth, they were spoken in a frivolous tone, as if he was telling a joke.

After smiling, he spoke again.

The smile was now completely absent, leaving behind only the coldness of firm iron. He spoke with emphasis on each word: “Even with no spiritual power, I can win.”

Having said this, he ignored Fang Yang’s eyes that were wide with surprise, took the iron sword, and turned away with large strides.

With a swish, Hao Chen closed his fan and quickly followed Feng Ye’s departing footsteps.

His face was full of pleasant surprise, because he had realized that…..the real show was about to begin.

---

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Chapter 22 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 24

“Idiot, I’m your father……!”

Xi Lei stared at him as if seeing a ghost, and Ling Yi still had the urge to make fun of him during such a chaotic scene. 

“……’s adopted son. Didn’t expect that, did you?”

Xi Lei was very familiar with this face. Over the years, he could never get used to seeing it, nor could he get rid of it.

“A-aren’t you dead?”

“Not dead. Are you disappointed?” Ling Yi taunted him with a mixture of truth and falsehood: “I haven’t repaid Uncle Xi En for raising me yet. How could I die so easily?”

Xi Lei was already in a terrible mental state, and his brain instantly short-circuited when faced with such complex information.

As Ling Yi busied himself untying the knots, he just stood there dumbly.

“How long are you going to stand by and watch? If you don’t want to get caught, come and help!”

Xi Lei snapped back to his senses and hurried to help untie the ropes.

When the last knot was undone, the unconscious Xi En fell face-down and was caught in Xi Lei’s arms.

“Dad! Dad, wake up!”

His panicked voice trembled.

Blood flowed from Xi En’s head to cover his face, but the places not stained red were paper-white.

Xi Lei couldn’t detect breathing or a heartbeat, and his eyes reddened: “Dad!”

Ling Yi had already turned to look for a way out of the chaos: “Let’s get out of here first!”

“Dad is dying!” Xi Lei wailed.

“If you cry to death here, there will be no way to save him!”

“This is all your fault!”

Xi Lei lost control of his emotions: “If it weren’t for you, Dad wouldn’t have—”

His voice cut off abruptly. After he realized what he had said, Xi Lei’s face turned as pale as his dying father’s.

Ling Yi looked back at him, his eyes full of complicated emotions.

Against the chaotic background, he looked like a solitary person in the desolate wilderness.

Xi Lei even had a premonition that if he didn’t apologize at this very moment, he would lose any chance at being forgiven later.

Ling Yi turned around. He offered no accusations or rebuttals, and his voice was calmer than ever before.

“I’m going to take Uncle Xi En away from here now. If you don’t want to leave, just give him to me.”

Xi Lei was so stimulated by his calmness that his heart trembled: “I’m leaving!”

He bent down and put the dying Xi En on his back. When he stood back up, he found the entirety of Lu Hulun’s private troops in front of them.

Ling Yi stepped slightly to the left, shielding the Xi family father and son behind him.

“It turns out the Prime Minister’s prediction was correct. With this person as bait, the fish will definitely fall into the trap.”

Ling Yi stared down the leading officer, muscles tense under his clothes as he waited for the opponent to leave an opening.

The officer dismissed his overconfident behavior.

Behind him were a dozen well-trained, fully-armed soldiers. It would certainly be easy for them to take care of two unarmed youngsters, not to mention that they were carrying a half-dead burden.

“I advise you to put that person down and surrender.”

Xi Lei hollered: “Dream on! I won’t hand my dad over to you even if I die!”

The officer sighed, turning his head slightly to give instructions to those behind him.

“The Prime Minister has ordered that we capture him alive. It doesn’t matter what state he’s in, as long as he’s still breathing.”

“I’m afraid that’s not up to you.”

As that voice fell, Tang De and his guards inserted themselves between the two sides, forming an impenetrable barrier in front of Ling Yi and the others.

The officer recognized Tang De and asked unhappily: “Why are you here?”

“Excuse me, but I’ve been ordered to take everyone away safely and not leave anyone behind.”

“His Highness Oser has repeatedly wronged the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s patience is limited. Even his grandson is not permitted to do such things.”

Tang De pulled out his weapon and said: “I must take these people away today. Since we’re unable to reach a consensus, we might as well use the most primitive method to resolve this issue.”

The two sides were on the verge of conflict. Sparks flew, and the situation was about to ignite.

Ling Yi had no intention of participating, and turned back to urge Xi Lei: “Go!”

“You may go, but I advise you to choose your destination carefully.”

Ling Yi’s steps paused.

Tang De stood at the forefront without looking back, blocking the way with an imposing manner that said no one would get past him to Ling Yi.

“I’ve followed His Highness for quite some time, and this is the angriest I’ve ever seen him.”

Tang De himself wasn’t sure if his words were a threat for him to stay or a warning for him to run away.

“No matter which path you choose, there is no turning back.”

Ling Yi paused for half a second, then pulled Xi Lei up and said: “Follow me!”

Xi Lei didn’t hesitate to follow Ling Yi.

The officer was unwilling to let this duck he’d caught get away: “After them!”

Oser’s guards blocked their path, and Ling Yi’s figure quickly vanished into the rioting crowd.

“Was that man just now Captain Tang De?!”

Xi Lei followed Ling Yi, and asked this belated question while dodging left and right amongst the crowd.

All he could see was the back of Ling Yi’s head.

“So you’re not blind!”

Xi Lei didn’t understand: “Why would he save us?!”

Ling Yi led him out of the encirclement and straight to the black Soaring Eagle. He opened the door forcefully and said: “Get in!”

Before he was done speaking, a stray bullet flew over. Ling Yi reacted very quickly and pulled Xi Lei down into a squat.

The bullet hit the car window, shattering the glass.

“Get in the car! Quickly!” Ling Yi’s voice exploded in his ear along with the sound of gunshots.

The series of events happened so quickly that Xi Lei had no time to think about them one by one.

For example, where had this vehicle come from?

Why would His Highness Oser’s guard captain cover their retreat?

And more importantly, how had Ling Yi survived?

At that moment, he had no choice but to pick up Xi En and get into the back seat. Ling Yi leaped into the driver’s seat at the same time. He took off his hat and mask disguise, threw them into the passenger seat, and stepped hard on the accelerator.

The Soaring Eagle rushed to the center of the road, drifted out in a perfect arc, and zoomed forward at high speed.

The sound of gunfire continued, and Xi Lei leaned over the back seat to shield Xi En underneath him.

It wasn’t until they were getting farther and farther away from the Prime Minister’s residence that Xi Lei dared to raise his head and fasten the seatbelt for Xi En.

He was still in shock. Thinking back to the series of events that had just occurred, each was more incredible than the last.

Ling Yi pressed the accelerator to the floorboard, and wind rushed into the car through the shattered window. Xi Lei had to speak loudly to ensure that his voice reached the front seat.

“Ling Yi! You haven’t answered my question yet!”

Ling Yi tightened his grip on the steering wheel and sent a quick glance at the rearview mirror.

“What question?!”

“Captain Tang De! Why did Captain Tang De come to save us?!”

“Aren’t you always praising His Highness Oser? Maybe he was moved by your filial piety!”

Xi Lei had just considered joining forces with Ling Yi, but that idea was completely extinguished by his anger.

This person may be worth remembering when he was dead, but he was just annoying when he was alive.

“I worship His Highness Oser! He’s my spiritual idol!”

“He quantum sensed your worship and sent people to rescue you!”

Xi Lei was so angry that his teeth ached, but since he couldn’t beat him up, he asked another question: “Whose car is this?!”

“Mine!”

Xi Lei was incredulous. “How could you possibly own a car? And such an expensive one!”

“It’s a gift from my sponsor!”

This sounded even more incredible than the fact that Ling Yi was still alive.

“What nonsense is this? When did you get a sponsor?”

“I just found him not long ago!”

“What kind of sponsor would need someone like you? What can you do for him?!”

“Sleep with him!”

Xi Lei just about spat a mouthful of blood onto the car window: “Are you sick?!”

“Do you have medicine, ah?”

Their childish quarrel continued, just one among countless others, and Xi Lei found that he had missed their bickering. Although this annoying person was eating for free in their home, it was better than having one person on the verge of death and the other dead.

The scenery outside the window receded rapidly, and the road ahead became increasingly unfamiliar.

“This isn’t the way to the hospital!”

“Uncle Xi En is too badly injured. A regular hospital can’t save him!”

“Then where are you going if not to the hospital?!”

Ling Yi made a sharp turn, and Xi Lei was thrown from one side of the cabin to the other.

Ling Yi gave his answer: “The Royal Medical College!”

Xi Lei regained his balance and staggered to the middle back seat, asking not far behind Ling Yi’s ear: 

“Are you crazy?! How could you possibly get into the Royal Medical College?!”

Ling Yi was focused on the road ahead, and didn’t bother to explain: “I have my methods!”

Xi Lei insisted on getting to the bottom of this: “Even if you can get in, why would they treat Dad?”

“My sponsor also funds the doctors there!”

Xi Lei was stunned: “The doctors at the Royal Medical College also sleep with your sponsor?”

Screee—

Ling Yi slammed on the brakes. Xi Lei lost his balance and slammed headfirst into the front seat, then bounced back.

He covered his aching forehead, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that Ling Yi had turned around to stare at him.

Ling Yi was looking at him like he was some sort of dumb creature he’d never seen before: “Idiot!”

Xi Lei was about to curse back, but at the thought of this mysterious sponsor who was able to make the medical college help his grievously wounded father, he swallowed his anger in silence.

The medical college entrance was wide open, and the Soaring Eagle entered the underground parking lot unhindered.

Medical staff had been waiting there for some time, and immediately lifted Xi En onto a gurney. No one questioned their identities, as if they had been registered in advance.

Xi Lei ran a few steps behind the gurney before realizing that his presence was really redundant. Even if he followed, he wouldn’t be able to provide any professional medical help.

He stared in amazement as Xi En was pushed into the emergency room, and was numb for a while before he recalled the root cause of all of this.

“Hey! What’s going on with this sponsor you mentioned?”

Xi Lei had just finished speaking when he suddenly felt a buzzing sensation. His scalp went numb and the hair all over his body stood on end, his Alpha instincts on high alert.

That was an extremely aggressive barrier, created by an Alpha with much higher mental strength than his, intentionally releasing pheromones.

This was the first time in Xi Lei’s life that he had encountered such a strong oppressive force from his own kind, and he couldn’t help but adopt a defensive stance.

“Who is it? Where are they?!”

The crisp sound of leather shoes hitting the ground rang out at a regular pace, each step trodding on Xi Lei’s auditory neurons.

As he looked around for the force of the footsteps, he was surprised to see Ling Yi standing there motionlessly.

The overly strong pheromones were obviously having an effect on him as well. Ling Yi wore a solemn expression. His lips were tightly pursed, and his nails dug into his flesh.

But he didn’t have the defensive reaction of a normal Alpha. He lowered his shoulders, forcing himself to appear submissive.

The footsteps behind came closer and closer. Ling Yi didn’t need to look back. He knew who was coming by the unique smell of pheromones and Xi Lei’s increasingly complicated expression. 

He pulled up the corners of his mouth with difficulty, as if mocking Xi Lei, or perhaps mocking himself.

“Need I introduce you? Your spiritual idol, your dream man, your soulmate, and…..”

“…..My sponsor, the Crown Prince.”

---

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Chapter 8 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 10

Unprecedented fear swept through Ling Yi, the threat no less than the feeling of a cold scalpel softly brushing his skin.

No Alpha could bear to have their gland bitten by a member of the same sex and have foreign pheromones injected into them.

Their pheromones were naturally suited to aggression and plunder, and would only compete against and reject another conqueror.

Ling Yi was trapped in the cramped corner, and helplessly pressed his hands against Oser’s chest.

He was well aware of the power imbalance between the two of them. The outcome depended on whether the other party wanted to take action, not on whether Ling Yi could resist.

“Your Highness, please calm down. You like Omegas, not Alphas!”

Ling Yi felt the other party use more force, and tried his utmost to block him.

“If you weren’t obsessed with Omegas, you wouldn’t have spent a fortune for Pat to research gender reassignment surgery. You’ve waited so many years – waiting a few more days should be nothing.”

Oser stared at him closely, not hiding the naked desire in his eyes.

Once a lion awoke from a thirty-year nap, it wouldn’t be easy to coax it back to sleep.

Ling Yi panicked, and spoke without thinking in order to protect himself: “Your Highness, I’m wearing Pat’s clothing. Didn’t you say you take offense to other Alphas’ pheromones?”

“If you bite me now, it would be like marking Pat. Can you really bear such a thing?”

Oser said nothing. Instead of answering, he yanked with his right hand and two of Pat’s buttons fell off.

Ling Yi’s breathing stagnated. Oser was definitely not messing with him like before. This time, he was really aiming to achieve something!

At this moment, there was an urgent staccato knock on the door, and Ling Yi swore that it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life.

“Your Highness, someone’s knocking on the door!”

Oser didn’t move a muscle, but the completely unaware person outside continued to knock, as if they wouldn’t stop until the door opened.

Ling Yi clung tightly to this life-saving straw and tried to use a tranquil tone that wouldn’t agitate Oser: “Your Highness, the person outside seems to have urgent business.”

Oser sat in place, neither advancing nor retreating, and the two of them faced off in a stalemate.

To Ling Yi, it seemed as if a century passed before Oser slowly backed away amidst the constant knocking.

Ling Yi still didn’t dare to breathe, for fear that breathing too hard would arouse Oser’s animal instincts once more.

Oser got out of the vehicle with a dark expression, closing the door with his backhand so that there was only a small gap.

Tang De stepped forward to report despite the look on Oser’s face: 

“Your Highness, the Prime Minister was attacked on his way back.”

“Is he dead?”

“The guard who blocked the bullet died on the spot, but the Prime Minister himself was only slightly injured.”

“Humph.” Oser sneered: “A scourge will live for a thousand years.”

Tang De lowered his voice as he reported: “The attacker was arrested on the spot, but he wasn’t sent to the police station. He was taken to the Prime Minister’s office instead.”

“Name.”

“Xi En. Ling Yi’s adoptive father.”

The car door opened behind Oser with a swish: “Who did you say it was?”

Tang De was taken aback to see Ling Yi: “How are you here?”

Oser deadpanned: “He walked out on his own two legs. You couldn’t even keep an eye on one person. Your pay is docked for this month, and so is Pat’s.”

Tang De was still reeling from the shock of Ling Yi’s escape, so much so that even the salary deduction seemed insignificant.

He had clearly sent elite troops to guard all of the major passages. Although this was for the purpose of preventing those with ulterior motives from entering, they shouldn’t have allowed anyone to just swagger out.

If Ling Yi hadn’t been with His Highness the whole time, Tang De would have likely lost more than a month’s salary…..

Ling Yi jumped out of the vehicle. No longer caring about anything else, he grasped Oser’s arm tightly.

“Your Highness, my adoptive father is in danger!”

Oser said coldly: “I did make a promise to you.”

“Then right now —”

“But I can’t save someone who’s seeking death.”

Ling Yi stood there in a daze for a few seconds, then abruptly released Oser and leaped into the driver’s seat of the Soaring Eagle at a speed no one could have predicted, slamming the door shut behind him.

Tang De blurted out: “Ling Yi!”

The rear tires of the Soaring Eagle screeched counterclockwise as the vehicle backed up in a curve in front of the two men. Its frame brushed past Oser, and Tang De vigilantly pulled him back.

“Your Highness, be careful!”

The tires stopped with a squeal of friction, followed by a roar as the accelerator went from zero to one hundred in an instant. A gust of wind blew up their hair and the hems of their clothes, and when they opened their eyes again, the Soaring Eagle was already dozens of meters away.

After speeding away in a straight line, the vehicle drifted half a circle around the corner with its nose pointed toward the exit. It whizzed out of the underground parking lot, leaving only an afterimage in the eyes of the two left behind.

Tang De didn’t dare look at Oser’s expression, and immediately activated the microphone next to his ear: “Intercept a black Soaring Eagle, plate number AOS, driving from the medical college basement parking lot to the Prime Minister’s office. Block all routes immediately. Do not allow the vehicle to approach the Prime Minister’s office!”

Only then did he steal a fearful glance at Oser, and what he saw was a rage unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Even when there was no relief during his last rut, Oser hadn’t been this angry when he furiously smashed up the Royal House of Parliament. The air pressure in the underground parking lot was lower than that preceding a thunderstorm.

Tang De swallowed nervously and carefully added into the microphone: “Make sure the driver lives. No….make sure he’s unharmed.”

. . . . . 

The Prime Minister’s residence was surrounded by protestors.

The police formed a defensive line, holding huge explosion-proof shields as they pushed and shoved against those constantly rushing forward to engage in a contest of strength.

Behind the police, the Prime Minister’s guards stood in a straight line, fully-armed with guns and ammunition. As long as they received the order, they would open fire on the unarmed civilians before them without hesitation.

Covered in blood, Xi En was tied to a flag pole with his head hanging down. He showed no signs of life.

It seemed to be a warning that anyone who plotted against the prime minister would meet a similar fate.

Two officers stood next to him, one to the left and one at his back, talking quietly. No changes to their facial expressions could be seen from three meters away.

“The Prime Minister said that as long as we tied this man up here and displayed him in public, the target would show up. Do you think he’ll come?”

As the other person spoke, his eyes scanned the crowd: “Unless he wants us to kill his adoptive father, he’ll definitely show.”

“There are so many civilians here. If a fight really breaks out, it’ll be hard to deal with.”

“The Prime Minister has ordered that anyone causing trouble in front of the government office should be killed without mercy. What are you afraid of? You just need to keep your eye on the target. He can’t be allowed to get away this time.”

“I’ll follow orders.”

The Soaring Eagle was blocked by a tempestuous crowd before it could reach the government office.

Ling Yi jumped out of the vehicle and strode through the masses. He took a medical mask out of his pocket to cover his face, then removed the conspicuous white uniform and tossed it away.

A protestor wearing a black baseball cap felt something brush his head, and when he looked up, he saw only the wide, clear blue sky.

“Who stole my hat?”

Ling Yi had already vanished to the front, and pushed the baseball cap down to cover his eyes and perfectly conceal his face.

Deafening protest slogans rang in his ears.

“Impeach the Prime Minister! Make the Lu family step down! Clear Ling Yi’s name!”

Ling Yi mingled with the crowd, shouting slogans along with them as he crept closer and closer to Xi En.

His lifeless body seen from afar made Ling Yi’s heart constrict, and his hatred for Lu Hulun burned a little hotter.

He quickly made his way through the crowd of protesters, and his sixth sense alerted him to an unusual commotion behind him.

Tang De’s associates had failed to intercept Ling Yi’s vehicle, but since they knew his destination, it was only a matter of time before they found him.

He turned his head slightly and met the eyes of one of the guards.

“Captain Tang De, we seem to have found the target.”

The guard’s lips moved slightly as he conveyed the message.

Tang De’s instructions came through his headset: “Follow him, I’ll be there soon! There are too many people here, don’t cause a conflict!”

Nearby colleagues received the order and converged on Ling Yi from all directions.

Ling Yi calmly analyzed the situation. Lu Hulun’s elite troops were waiting for him to fall into the trap ahead and Oser’s guards were coming to intercept him from behind, while the police and angry protesters clashed constantly on all sides.

All of a sudden, his figure flashed before the guard’s eyes and his target vanished from sight. He quickly scanned the crowd and found that Ling Yi was already at the front of the group. Controlling his volume, he shouted in Ling Yi’s direction: “Over there!”

It all happened in a flash. Ling Yi took aim at a dull-looking policeman and went around behind him to elbow him and snatch his gun all in one smooth movement.

He fired a shot into the air, and the sound of gunfire instantly drowned out the protestors, silencing hundreds of people at once.

“The police shot someone!” Ling Yi shouted, and people screamed and fled in all directions.

Oser’s guards were pushed to and fro, and had difficulty keeping their balance, much less keeping an eye on Ling Yi amidst the chaotic scene.

“Stop running! Stop running around!”

“Where is he? Where did he go?!”

They tried in vain to direct the crowd, attempting to focus on their mission objective while preventing a stampede.

And during this interval, Ling Yi quickly shuttled against the flow of people. He took advantage of the chaos to knock down several of Lu Hulun’s men, rushing up to the bound, bloodied man on public display.

“Uncle Xi En, Uncle Xi En!”

He called out anxiously, but received no response. Xi En displayed no signs of life.

Ling Yi immediately went to untie him. But before the first knot could be undone, some daredevil suddenly jumped out and shoved the unsuspecting Ling Yi, causing him to stagger.

Just as he was about to fight back, he stopped abruptly.

The young man who attacked Ling Yi was around the same age as him, and possessed a face that had originally looked quite handsome. 

But now his hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and his school uniform was wrinkled. He seemed as if he hadn’t slept for several days, even more pitiful than a homeless person on the street.

“Don’t touch him!”

He shielded Xi En with his body, treating Ling Yi as enemy number one, as tense as a frightened bird.

He didn’t recognize the disguised Ling Yi, but Ling Yi recognized him at a glance.

That was Xi En’s eldest son – he was the same age as Ling Yi, and went to the same school, department, and classes, but forever considered him an “enemy.”

Xi Lei yelled at him hysterically. 

“Who are you?! What are you trying to do?!”

“Idiot,” Ling Yi cursed in a low voice. He pulled his mask down halfway. “I’m your father….!”

---

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Chapter 7 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 9

“Nonsense, get out quickly.” Liu Zhenqing finally spoke, but his voice was hoarse and listless from the kiss.

The expression in Huo Fenglie’s eyes changed even more, and he suddenly reached out to grab Liu Zhenqing’s hand and press it to a certain place.

Liu Zhenqing’s brain immediately crashed. His palm felt as if it had been scalded. He simply couldn’t understand how such a well-behaved puppy could act so roguishly. Was he still Erg-ou?

Could it be that the boy had held it in for so long that it damaged his brain?

Huo Fenglie let out a low groan at the pressure.

That sound made Liu Zhenqing wish he could die on the spot.

“See, I’m not talking nonsense.” Huo Fenglie’s eyes shone with a terrifying light, but his tone was aggrieved: “Qing-ge always doubts me.”

Liu Zhenqing had no words left. He was so alarmed that he couldn’t retract his hand.

Huo Fenglie gritted his teeth. Maintaining his last shred of rationality, he lowered his head to whisper in Liu Zhenqing’s ear. He didn’t do anything excessive with his hands, but murmured: “Qing-ge, it’s too late this time, so never mind.”

Liu Zhenqing: So you know this too!!!

“Next time…..”

What! He wanted a next time? Get out of here!

“Next time we meet, I won’t hold back. I’ll do everything to Qing-ge.”

Liu Zhenqing: Wait! Laozi can’t possibly like you, but you still want to continue doing this? You dummy! Sure enough, young people who were blinded by lust were mentally abnormal! You must be delusional!

No matter how Liu Zhenqing roared in his mind, he couldn’t say a word, because Huo Fenglie was too close to him, and his lingering scent made him instinctively afraid. This had happened several times now, after all, and he feared that he would be kissed again as soon as he opened his mouth.

Huo Fenglie really didn’t have time to do anything else. When he was finished speaking, he left a gentle bite on Liu Zhenqing’s earlobe.

“Qing-ge, wait for me!”

When Liu Zhenqing was called out of the carriage by Li Xingruo, he was rubbing his earlobe numbly.

Huo Fenglie had already been scolded by his brother and urged to return to the contingent. When traveling with the troops, he couldn’t be too unruly.

Faced with Li Xingruo’s teasing eyes, Liu Zhenqing was endlessly depressed. That bastard had run away after giving in to his impulses, as if he had reached the point of no return. He had turned bad at such speed that Liu Zhenqing almost couldn’t recognize him.

Liu Zhenqing could only sulk and say goodbye to Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo with a gloomy expression.

“This is a farewell gift from Er-gou,” Liu Zhenqing said dryly. “I won’t delay you, have a safe trip.”

The two exchanged glances, then hugged him one by one, telling him to take good care of himself and avoid getting into trouble.

The army set off and gradually moved out of view. No matter which angle Liu Zhenqing looked from, he couldn’t see Er-gou among the tens of thousands of people. He wanted to scold someone, but had no one to blame, and was incredibly frustrated.

He heard a whimpering sound beside him, and when he turned to look, he found that it was Uncle Tian.

Liu Zhenqing moved to comfort him. Uncle Tian was about to say something, but when he glanced down at the jade Rubik’s Cube, he descended into a violent coughing fit.

Liu Zhenqing quickly helped him calm down: “What’s wrong?”

“You….you have…..”

Liu Zhenqing looked toward the jade cube he was pointing at and said: “Fenglie gave it to me.”

“Of course I know that. This is a Huo family tradition. The Second Young Master has had that jade since he was a child. It’s supposed to be given to…..” Uncle Tian was momentarily speechless. He stared at Liu Zhenqing, lips trembling as if in a drug-induced seizure.

Liu Zhenqing was completely dumbfounded. He naturally understood Uncle Tian’s meaning. So what Er-gou had given him was…..

Uncle Tian slapped his thigh and trembled for a long time before finally accepting the facts. “It turns out…..it turns out…..ai! Young Master, you must wait for the Second Young Master to return. You can’t…..you can’t provoke him anymore. After all, you accepted his proposal gift.”

After saying this, Uncle Tian left with a sigh.

Liu Zhenqing stood there with a blank face, unable to utter a word.

Er-gou hadn’t left himself any way out, ah. What if he fell in love with someone else in the future? Would he ask for it back? But the jade had already been carved into a Rubik’s Cube!

Liu Zhenqing picked up the jade Rubik’s Cube and stared at it. Thinking about what had just happened, he could only purse his lips and sigh through gritted teeth.

What sins have I committed, ah!

At this point, Huo Fenglie’s face had cooled down a little. He was also shocked by his own actions. He had acted on impulse as if possessed. As the contingent proceeded, he secretly tied the lock of hair with a red string and tucked it into the innermost part of his robes, directly over his heart.

Gazing at the distant sky, he murmured: “Qing-ge, you must wait for me.”

. . . . .

Two Years later. At Liu Manor.

Liu Zhenqing was listening to his master’s lecture. Next to him was a fair-faced boy, who was the disciple he had been forced to accept. He had just dozed off when he was awakened by Han Ye’s voice.

“Shizu, Shifu is sleeping again!”

Liu Zhenqing awoke with a start and grabbed the medical text his master had thrown at him.

He turned his head speechlessly and glared at Han Ye, who rolled his eyes in disdain. Liu Zhenqing was depressed. Instead of attending court, he had to take classes at home. Had he known earlier, he would have asked the Crown Prince for an official position.

Just as he was stewing in resentment, he heard that Bai Yu and Liu Qiao had returned. He was instantly excited, and said: “Master, please teach Ye’er first. I have official business to attend to.” Having said this, he ran away, the jade Rubik’s Cube at his waist swaying with his movements. But not before pinching Han Ye’s chubby face in revenge.

When he arrived in the back courtyard, he heard Bai Yu and Liu Qiao conversing from afar. The rare thing was that they were having an argument.

“Y-you really angered me to death. You stupid fool, ah, why did you do that in such a situation? Don’t you know that it’s a crime to assault an official? And can he withstand a punch from you? You really are…..”

Liu Qiao didn’t seem to understand why Bai Yu was angry: “You were struggling, and I helped you. Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I…..I…..” Bai Yu choked.

Although the two had very different identities and were at opposite extremes, being a scholar and a warrior, they had a good relationship.

Two years ago, Bai Yu had served in the Imperial court for a period of time. But he really didn’t enjoy court affairs, and eventually resigned from the position. During that time, Liu Zhenqing was going to accompany his grandfather to visit his aunt and cousin, Yuan Jin, in the south, so Bai Yu went with them, thinking about painting along the way. They were naturally guarded by Liu Qiao on the journey, so the two formed a good relationship.

One was reticent, and the other was gentle, so it wasn’t easy for them to argue with each other. This situation piqued Liu Zhenqing’s curiosity.

“Didn’t you go to the government office to deliver the evidence? Did you finish your work?” Liu Zhenqing walked out to see an unusually anxious Bai Yu, and a Liu Qiao who still looked out-of-sorts.

Bai Yu immediately calmed down when he saw Liu Zhenqing, saying: “It’s finished.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “Then why are you arguing? What happened?”

The two spoke simultaneously, but their answers were completely different.

Bai Yu said in a panic: “Nothing!”

Liu Qiao said directly: “Ji-daren bullied him.”

Liu Qiao would never lie or hide anything from Liu Zhenqing, so he immediately looked in surprise at Bai Yu, whose face reddened.

Ji Qinglin was actually somewhat familiar with them. When they were traveling that year, he happened to have just joined the six ministries. The Crown Prince wanted to investigate the tax money case, and sent him to take a look first. He also asked Liu Zhenqing, who happened to be passing by, to keep an eye on the situation. In fact, he just wanted Liu Zhenqing to give the young man some guidance. 

Thus, Ji Qinglin also accompanied them on the first leg of their journey. Ji Qinglin was intelligent, insightful, and had a meticulous mind. He performed brilliantly in the tax money case and quickly solved the problem. And when Liu Zhenqing led his team to visit Song Xingmu at his place, they parted ways. Liu Zhenqing had praised him in his letter to the Crown Prince, and after returning to the capital, Ji Qinglin had taken up the important role of Chief Magistrate.

Along the way, Liu Zhenqing had seen how Ji Qinglin and Bai Yu’s relationship had gradually changed from acquaintances, to friends, and then to something more subtle. He remembered that one time when Bai Yu was helping Ji Qinglin with the tax money case, he met a scholar who was a skilled painter. They had similar interests, and became friends. The busy Ji Qinglin found out about it when he happened upon them painting together, and Liu Qiao said that at that time, there was murderous intent in his eyes.

That night, Liu Zhenqing drank too much wine and had to get up to relieve himself, and saw Ji Qingling holding Bai Yu’s hand tightly in the courtyard, refusing to let go. The two of them were at a stalemate. Liu Zhenqing couldn’t interrupt them, so he could only wait for them to finish talking. In the end, neither of them said anything. Bai Yu blushed and pulled his hand away somewhat angrily, preventing Liu Zhenqing from suffocating to death. After that, their relationship became more ambiguous until they separated.

Presently, when they had just returned to the capital, Liu Zhenqing came across an interesting case and assisted in solving it. He then handed the evidence over to them and asked them to deliver it to Ji Qinlin.

When he saw Bai Yu’s reaction, Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes slightly and asked with interest: “How did he bully you?”

“He didn’t. D-don’t say anything…..” Bai Yu anxiously tried to stop Liu Qiao.

But Liu Qiao had also developed a bit of a bad temperament under Liu Zhenqing’s teaching. He felt that he had done nothing wrong, and wanted to tell Liu Zhenqing so that he could make a judgement.

“They started arguing, and then Ji-daren held him tightly and wouldn’t let him leave. He even bit his mouth! He was very fierce!” Liu Qiao said with righteousness on his side: “So I punched him.”

When he heard this, Liu Zhenqing really had to use a lot of effort not to laugh out loud. How should he conduct a sexual education class for Liu Qiao?

Bai Yu lost his temper. His face turned even redder, and he immediately reached out to smack Liu Qiao: “You…..you…..”

Liu Qiao regarded him with even more dissatisfaction: “What did I do wrong?”

Liu Zhenqing tried so hard to hold back his laughter that he almost started coughing: “Qiaoqiao is right.”

Bai Yu was taken aback, and looked at Liu Zhenqing with shame, suspicion, and helplessness: “Xiting-ge, how can you…..that’s not…..that’s…..”

“What’s wrong? Qiaoqiao fought well. Anyone who dares bully one of us must be beaten!” Liu Zhenqing said at once.

Liu Qiao raised his head proudly at the praise.

Bai Yu wanted to cry but had no tears. He didn’t know how to explain. “It wasn’t…..bullying. Xiting-ge, how can you…..”

“No matter what he was doing, if you resisted, that means you didn’t want it. Qiaoqiao, don’t let Ji Qinglin get close to Wangshu next time. If he dares to, then beat him up.”

Liu Qiao immediately nodded.

Bai Yu was anxious. How could he be Liu Zhenqing’s opponent? When Liu Zhenqing said that and Liu Qiao agreed, he was truly helpless. He could only bow his head and say: “But…..it wasn’t bullying…..I…..I was willing, Xiting-ge. Please don’t let Liu Qiao mess around. He can’t take it. Qinglin’s nose was bleeding just now. You don’t know how strong Liu Qiao is, it’s too dangerous.”

Liu Zhenqing laughed when Bai Yu admitted defeat, while Liu Qiao just looked confused and said: “Then should I beat him or not?”

Liu Zhenqing patted Liu Qiao on the shoulder: “Don’t beat him. They’re just little lovers flirting. Even if he cries when he’s bullied, they’re happy tears. Don’t get involved in this matter, lest you be blamed by both parties.”

“What…..lovers….we’re not…..yet.” Bai Yu was speechless. He really wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it. This wasn’t what he meant, ah. It wasn’t the case at all. But facing the straightforward Liu Qiao, he had no way to explain it, and could only swallow down his bitterness. If they blamed Ji Qinglin, then…..

It was just that the friend he’d met during the tax money case had sent him a letter, saying that he was coming to take the Imperial Examinations and hoped to meet up to reminisce about the past. He’d just mentioned casually that he would provide hospitality for this talented scholar, and Ji Qinglin suddenly began to act strange. He turned his head away and said that he would ask His Highness to arrange unified accommodations for examinees from other places. Bai Ye felt that his additional hospitality wouldn’t conflict with anything, so he pushed back slightly, and the other party actually just…..just…..

The more Bai Yu thought about it, the redder his cheeks became. His heart pounded wildly, and he couldn’t calm down at all. Seeing the teasing look on Liu Zhenqing’s face, he couldn’t stay here any longer, and quickly left in a sulking mood.

Liu Qiao took note of Liu Zhenqing’s instructions and regarded them as an Imperial decree, so later on…..when he saw Liu Zhenqing being bullied in certain situations, Liu Qiao heeded his master and didn’t get involved!

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 21 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 23

The interior of the Soaring Eagle was extremely spacious, with three horizontal seats in the back row forming a concave shape.

Oser and You Lin sat face-to-face, each occupying opposite seats. The seat to the side seemed to have been specially reserved for Ling Yi.

Both focused their attention on him, one with astonishment, and the other with a meaning-laden smile.

Ling Yi pretended to be calm and stepped inside, moving to take the only empty seat. But at the last second, he turned and sat next to Oser without taking time to think.

Although Oser’s seat fit two people, he was sitting in the middle of it, and when Ling Yi sat down, they inevitably came into physical contact.

You Lin’s brain short-circuited, and wasn’t sure which development was more bizarre – that Ling Yi was still alive, or that he was ignoring social etiquette.

But then, something even more surprising happened. Not only did His Highness Oser not admonish him for his rudeness, he even put his hand on the other’s leg and rubbed it affectionately.

You Lin even began to suspect that during the time he was absent from the country, the prince had become more approachable and the common people no longer had to be so careful to keep their distance.

Had class barriers completely broken down?

Had equal rights in their motherland developed to such an extent?

In just a short moment, what seemed like thousands of thoughts went through You Lin’s head, and it was as if every branch in his nerve center was abruptly cut off.

Through the thin layer of cloth, Oser could feel the tense muscles beneath his palm.

No matter how calm Ling Yi was pretending to be, his body couldn’t lie.

“Why are you here?” Oser asked with a smile.

Ling Yi replied serenely: “Your Highness took a long time coming back. I came to pick you up.”

“Since you came to pick me up, why did you get into the vehicle?”

“I’m a poor student who’s never seen such a nice car. I wanted to see whether it was comfortable to sit in.”

“Now that you’ve tried it, is it comfortable?”

Ling Yi was on pins and needles, but there was no change in his expression: “It’s not bad.”

“Do you like it? If so, I’ll give it to you.”

“…..Your Highness is very generous.”

Oser said with implied meaning: “I’m always generous to those who follow me.”

Ling Yi pursed his lips.

Oser watched his expression change with amusement, waiting to see what excuses he would make next.

“Of course I’m willing to follow Your Highness. I….would never be disloyal.”

As the two of them talked back and forth, You Lin seemed like a third wheel.

He couldn’t take his gaze away from Oser’s hand, and brainwashed himself into thinking this was just His Highness’s appreciation for the younger generation. 

“I’m sorry to bother you two.”

You Lin mustered up the courage to interrupt the dubious atmosphere that had permeated the cabin.

“Can you tell me what’s going on? Didn’t you say that Ling Yi…..was already dead?”

Only then did Ling Yi turn his attention toward the person sitting opposite him.

He looked to be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with blue hair cut in a gentle style and innocent eyes that displayed his complete faith in Oser.

It was obvious that he was another victim deceived by Oser’s lies.

“The person who died in the accident wasn’t me. He was a scapegoat found by Lu Hulun.”

“But he didn’t do it to let me off the hook. He just didn’t want me to have such an easy death.”

After Ling Yi finished his explanation, he saw Oser smiling and nodding at him, as if “praising” him for obtaining all of his outside information while underground.

Ling Yi pretended not to notice, and said flatteringly: “If it weren’t for His Highness Oser, I would have been tortured to death by Lu Hulun. He’s my savior.”

You Lin’s body trembled. He turned his head stiffly to look at Oser, interpreting the curve of his mouth as mockery directed toward him.

It turned out that His Highness Oser had already made arrangements, and You Lin had come here in vain to point fingers.

The fewer people who knew about such confidential information, the better. His Highness Oser had naturally withheld the truth from him in order to better protect Ling Yi.

How could he have thought that his savior would leave another innocent person to die?

He had even thought himself clever by coming up with an escape plan. A strategic thinker like His Highness Oser must have planned Ling Yi’s departure route long ago.

You Lin’s mood at this moment was extremely complicated. Distress from the misunderstanding mixed with the guilt of confronting Oser, and he was moved even more by Oser’s noble character. 

“I’m sorry, I said so many inappropriate things to Your Highness.”

You Lin’s apology was brimming with remorse.

“I shouldn’t have doubted you. You’ve been secretly protecting the person who was persecuted by the Lu family. I….I deserve to die!”

Oser smiled faintly and said nothing.

Ling Yi watched as the innocence in the other’s eyes became even more pure, mixed with a fanatical sort of admiration.

This person was probably beyond saving.

“Will Your Highness introduce us?” Ling Yi asked.

Oser laughed mockingly: “It’s good for you to get to know each other. This person can be considered your senior – he has much more experience than you in suffering persecution from old men.”

You Lin sat up straight and formally introduced himself: “Nice to meet you, my name is You Lin. The former Chief Justice of the Imperial Court was my father.”

“Six years ago, Lu Hulun’s second son used the power of the Lu family to illegally amass wealth. My father sentenced him to death despite immense pressure, but in return, his family was destroyed. If it wasn’t for His Highness’s help, I would have been killed as well.”

“I’ve been paying close attention to you for a long time. Lu Dawa’s death was his own fault. But since my father’s death, Lu Hulun has used all means to purge the Imperial Court, and those not under his control have been either transferred to distant places or dismissed.”

“Now, not only is the current chief justice Lu Hulun’s lackey, the entire court is filled top to bottom with his people. There will never be another judge as fair and honest as my father.”

You Lin was so moved as he spoke that he leaned forward and patted Ling Yi’s knee hard with one hand.

“Ling Yi, Lu Hulun is ruthless and vengeful. The longer you stay here, the more danger you’ll face.”

“I can take you to live abroad with me, teach you the language, and pay for your studies. Then, when the time is right, you can return to China to pursue your ambitions. At that point, you and I will join hands to assist His Highness Oser and make Lu Hulun pay in blood!”

You Lin’s eyes were bright and spirited. Even though he had suffered injustice and his family was ruined, his passion was undampened.

“Are you willing?”

Ling Yi looked at him like he was a fool: “I’m not willing.”

You Lin hadn’t expected such an unhesitating refusal: “Why not? Don’t you know that as long as you remain in the country, Lu Hulun will never give up?!”

“I have a backer.”

“Backer? You mean His Highness Oser?”

You Lin detested his naivety: “His Highness can protect you now, but for how long? He can’t keep you with him day and night.”

“I don’t know whether His Highness Oser will keep me with him day and night, but I know that if you keep your hand on my leg, you’re probably going to lose it.”

“……” You Lin was thoroughly confused.

He glanced at His Highness Oser’s expression, then at Ling Yi, and finally down at his hand.

He hesitated, then retracted his hand and leaned back until he was stopped by the back of the chair.

Perhaps everything was different from how he had imagined. Perhaps class barriers were not so easy to break, and only some individuals received special treatment.

Oser pretended to brush imaginary dust from Ling Yi’s shoulder, and assessed: “This is a nice uniform. It suits you well.”

Ling Yi confessed: “It’s Doctor Pat’s.”

“Give it back to him and tell him to prepare a new one for you.”

“No need, Your Highness. This is a doctor’s uniform, it isn’t necessary.”

“It’s necessary to me. I don’t want you wearing Doctor Pat’s pheromones.”

Ling Yi’s smile froze. 

“Your Highness, there are other people in the car.”

Oser stared at him. Only his lips moved: “Get out.”

The car door opened and closed with a gust of wind as an entire living person vanished in an instant.

Once again, they were the only two left in the enclosed compartment. Ling Yi was like prey delivered to his doorstep, and it would be a shame if Oser didn’t do something after he walked into such a trap.

He leaned over, further shortening the non-existent distance between them.

“‘The pleasure of delayed gratification. ‘A little more patience.’” Oser repeated Ling Yi’s words one by one. “Who was the one who said these things?”

“…..It was me.” Ling Yi couldn’t deny it.

“If you were as good at fulfilling your promises as you are at admitting your mistakes, you wouldn’t have had to go to such lengths to please me.”

“I didn’t intend to break our agreement.” Ling Yi endeavored to swallow past the discomfort in his throat. “I didn’t sneak out to escape.”

“If you’re not running away, did you really come here to pick me up?” Oser said mockingly.

The pheromones surging toward him took Ling Yi’s breath away.

“I just got some news that my adoptive father might be in danger…..”

“No, he’s absolutely in danger. The driver of the hijacked van is a good friend of my adoptive father’s, and he said he’s going to the Prime Minister’s office.”

“My adoptive father must think I’m dead, so he’s gone to seek revenge on Lu Hulun at all costs. I can’t let him put himself in danger.”

Ling Yi was rather anxious, fearing that his adoptive father would cause irreversible consequences due to his impulse.

“Your Highness promised to take care of my family.”

“Did you forget about the first half of our deal?”

“My adoptive father is in danger right now. By the time the operation is completed, he might be dead!”

Oser stated unhurriedly: “I’ve always been fair, and I give as much as I receive. Ling Yi, the deposit you paid has been overdrawn.”

“……”

Oser’s meaning was self-evident. Suppressing his instinctive fear, Ling Yi took the initiative to loop his arms around the other’s neck.

Top-level Alpha pheromones invaded Ling Yi through the gaps in his mental power, and his arms visibly shook.

Ling Yi closed his eyes, and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously.

After some psychological preparation, he made a decision and leaned in for a determined kiss.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…..

For the first time in his life, he experienced what it meant to feel every second like a year.

He had no idea whether Oser’s lips were soft or hard, hot or cold. His senses were numb.

It wasn’t until three years had passed that Ling Yi left the other’s lips and slowly retreated to his original position in the darkness.

There was no sound inside the cabin. Everything was still.

Had the concentration of pheromones not continued to increase to a terrifying level, Ling Yi would have suspected that the other party had fallen deeply asleep.

It took a long time for Ling Yi to overcome the tremendous mental pressure and crack open his eyes.

The other person was staring at him intently, the tip of his tongue slowly licking over his upper gums.

This was the instinctive hunting reaction of an Alpha, which he had demonstrated to Oser himself.

At that time, when he was being suppressed by Oser, he was convinced that due to the lack of a hunting reaction, Oser was just verbally messing with him and had no true interest in another Alpha.

But it was different now!

When an Alpha was aroused, they would put on this sort of primitive, lethal display.

The moisturized canine teeth could pierce an Omega’s glands more sharply and accurately, completely claiming their prey for themselves.

If the other party was an Omega and returned the Alpha’s interest, they would expose their neck to demonstrate their submission.

But if not, then they could only hope for the best.

Ling Yi loosened his arms in horror and tried to move away, but there was nowhere to retreat.

He had originally been seated in the corner, with the soft seat back and the metal body of the car forming an angle.

When Oser spoke again, his hoarse voice was like that of a lion that had awoken from a thirty-year nap.

“You were right. I really didn’t need anyone to teach me.”

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Chapter 6 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 8