Those with a hard mouth but a soft heart were not to be trusted.

For example: Pei Xi refused cleanly and neatly, but still accompanied him to walk the dog at night.

Of course, he explained this behavior to himself as an equal exchange.

He Chuzhou had cooked dinner and washed the dishes afterwards. There was nothing wrong with walking the dog with the other party so that He Chuzhou could familiarize himself with the environment.

They met a few kids at the lake who were very interested in He Xingxing. He Chuzhou wasn’t stingy, and happily crouched down to play with them for a while, including but not limited to making He Xingxing stand at attention and then lie down.

Pei Xi had seen these children before. They lived in the building next door, but he had never had contact with them.

He was good-looking, but had a cold face, and the occasional children he met would just stare at him, but not dare approach or talk to him. 

Unexpectedly, He Chuzhou was popular with children.

But after some thought, this was natural. After all, He Chuzhou was different from him – he always had a smile on his face and was easy to get along with.

After going for a walk, He Xingxing climbed into the balcony nest and rested with his chin down. He was very good, and didn’t make any noise or trouble. As expected of the most intelligent dog in the world, he was very aware of being a guest.

Not only did the dog’s owner shamelessly move into his house, he also bombarded him with messages during work hours. Pei Xi was so vexed that in order to get some peace and quiet, he had to threaten to block him if he messaged again.

Pei Xi spent most of the day dealing with that dog owner. He was particularly tired tonight and had no energy to work, so he went straight back to his room to rest.

But after taking a shower and lying down in bed, he didn’t feel so sleepy anymore.

When he drew the curtains, he happened to see the bright neon lights outside and suddenly felt that some things in the world were truly mysterious. 

The person he’d argued with until he was red in the face at the auction a few days ago was now sleeping in the room next to his, and there was even a dog sleeping on the balcony.

He should be able to face any outrageous things in work or life for a long time to come, since the most outrageous thing had already happened to him.

As he was thinking about this and that, he fell asleep at some point.

He awoke at seven o’clock the next day, just in time to hear someone scratch softly at the door a few times. Then came the sound of footsteps pattering away.

Pei Xi’s brain wasn’t functioning well after waking up, and he sat on the bed in confusion until he remembered that there was a dog at home. Those few scratches just now must have been He Xingxing scratching the door and then walking away.

He covered his eyes and waited until his mind was clearer, then got up, got ready, and exited the room. He Chuzhou came out of the kitchen with breakfast just then, and their eyes met. Pei Xi’s words stuck in his throat.

He Chuzhou’s eyes were clear, and he was as calm and relaxed as usual. This was clearly different than when he was brain-addled.

Pei Xi came to a realization: “You’re well again?”

He Chuzhou was indeed well, but there was a ninety-nine percent chance that this was only temporary. He had suffered intermittent amnesia twice, and felt that he had discovered something, so he honestly reported it to Pei Xi.

Pei Xi sat down and listened intently: “So what you’re saying is that sleeping is the switch that turns your memory loss off and on?”

He Chuzhou nodded: “En, judging by the current situation, that seems to be the case. I guessed right.”

Pei Xi breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Alternating between states was better than continuous amnesia. At least he would get a day off in between.

“Ai, I’m really sorry about all this.”

He Chuzhou’s apology was particularly sincere, especially in front of his table of homemade breakfast: “I didn’t expect such a ridiculous thing to happen, and that I would cause you so much trouble.”

A person would be polite and courteous when receiving benefits from others. What could Pei Xi say? He could only lower his head to drink the porridge with a cold expression and spit out an indifferent sentence: “It doesn’t matter.”

He Chuzhou remembered something: “Oh, by the way, if some of my abnormal behavior disturbs you at work, you can just block me. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Pei Xi stopped drinking porridge. He raised his head and said uncertainly: “You…..remember?”

He Chuzhou: “What does President Pei mean?”

Pei Xi: “The things that happened while you were out of your mind.”

He Chuzhou: “Ah, I remember everything.”

The temperature of his face quickly rose.

Holding the spoon, Pei Xi didn’t know whether to keep eating porridge or change to chopsticks and select some food. Similarly, he didn’t know whether to look at He Chuzhou or look down at the table.

But on second thought, it didn’t feel right.

He wasn’t the one who did those things. He was just an innocent victim. Why should he be embarrassed?

Thinking about it this way, he immediately became sure of himself. He didn’t prevaricate or evade, but looked directly at the person who should be embarrassed.

But there was absolutely no hint of embarrassment in He Chuzhou’s expression. Not even any polite discomfort.

He seemed to have no such thing as face. Calm and composed, he felt no shame at all for the things he had done. Or, perhaps he didn’t feel there was anything to be ashamed of.

When he saw Pei Xi staring at him in silence, he asked innocently: “What’s wrong? I thought remembering would be a good thing. It at least proves that my brain still works.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “It’s nothing.”

He once again looked away and lowered his head, frowning slightly. 

How could this person be so shameless?

The meal was very quiet. But just as Pei Xi set down his spoon, He Chuzhou spoke up again as if he had been counting the time until he finished eating: “President Pei, can you spare two minutes to discuss something?”

Pei Xi took a tissue and wiped his mouth: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou tapped his temple: “I think I’ll have to trouble you for a while due to my illness. It’s quite time-consuming to run back and forth, so until I recover, will you please take me in, President Pei?”

Pei Xi subconsciously wanted to ask, Haven’t you already brought all your luggage in? But he quickly responded: “You mean you have to stay with me until you’re well? Including when you’re in your right mind?”

He Chuzhou smiled: “Right, President Pei’s comprehension is very good!”

Pei Xi was choked to speechlessness by his bluntness.

How could someone be so thick-skinned and unreserved?

He was half a patient while brain-addled, so it was fine to be a little more tolerant. But when he was in his right mind, the two people who still didn’t get along well would run into each other at all times. Wasn’t it a little—

He Chuzhou: “Of course, in return, I’ll be in charge of three homemade meals per day and washing the dishes.”

Pei Xi: “Okay.”

Pei Xi: “Cough…..whatever you want.”

“Then from today on, I’ll trouble President Pei to take care of me.”

He Chuzhou immediately fulfilled his promise and collected the plates and chopsticks. As he did so, he asked Pei Xi with a smile: “I’ll throw in a driving service for free. Shall we go to work together later, President Pei?”

Excessive.

Both of their companies were located in the city center. He Chuzhou’s was farther away in terms of straight-line distance, so it wasn’t exactly on the way. The two of them didn’t talk much in the vehicle other than He Chuzhou asking Pei Xi what he wanted to eat that evening. The whole process was quiet, with only upbeat music playing in the car.

They were competitors who had little in common. Apart from work, their only common link was the events of the past two days, but it was difficult to bring up either one as a topic of conversation.

As soon as they arrived at their destination, Pei Xi got out of the car and left. His actions were so decisive that He Chuzhou didn’t even have time to ask if he wanted to be picked up after work.

He…..shouldn’t want to, right?

After all, the busy President Pei was different from him, a lazy fellow who got off work on time every day.

The tall figure with a slim waist and long legs quickly vanished from sight. He Chuzhou withdrew his gaze and called Wu Qing.

It was natural for someone with a disordered schedule to be asleep at this time. After a long while, he answered the phone and asked He Chuzhou vaguely: “Why are you disturbing my sweet dreams so early in the morning?”

He Chuzhou: “Brother, next time you want to dig up my past, can you be more tactful and save me some face?”

Wu Qing’s brain short-circuited: “When did I dig up your past?”

He Chuzhou: “Didn’t you call me a virgin? And you were audacious enough to mention teaching me to use a condom. Have you no shame?”

Wu Qing turned over and said: “Aiyo, I was just telling the truth, but here you are wanting to settle accounts with me, ah. Didn’t you call me first? Besides, what need is there to save face in front of me?”

He Chuzhou: “Someone else was there.”

Wu Qing: “Really? Who was it?”

He Chuzhou: “My first kiss partner.”

He paused after speaking, then suddenly turned his head and glanced in the rearview mirror: “Tsk, I was just chatting, why did you embarrass me…..”

His next mutterings were too soft for Wu Qing to hear clearly.

Of course, it could also be that his previous sentence was so shocking that Wu Qing was dazed: “F-f-first kiss partner? What the hell?”

“Who was your first kiss?”

“Where did you have your first kiss?”

He Chuzhou: “You said that in an interesting way, ah. Where else would my first kiss be other than on the mouth?”

He Chuzhou: “You go back to sleep. I’m hanging up.”

Wu Qing: “ ? ? ? ? ? ”

Wu Qing: “Come back! I can’t sleep now!”

Wu Qing: “Hey! You old virgin!”

Wu Qing: “You just called to show off!”

*

*

Pei Xi got home very late. He Chuzhou had already eaten dinner, and had specially prepared a new meal for him to accommodate his schedule.

One bag of luggage was definitely not enough, so when He Chuzhou got off work, he’d packed up and moved some more.

He Chuzhou happened to be walking the dog when Pei Xi got home, and came back after Pei Xi finished eating and went to his room.

It was different than Pei Xi had imagined, that they would bump into each other at all times. The two didn’t even see each other while living under the same roof.

If not for the hot and extremely delicious dinner, he would have hardly sensed the other’s presence.

Was this a good thing? Of course it is, Pei Xi thought.

And he had to take back what he said before. He Chuzhou, the dog owner, was actually as conscientious as his dog.

But very soon, he was slapped in the face by reality.

Slapping time was before seven o’clock the next morning. Location: his bedroom. He was woken up before his biological clock, and opened his eyes to find He Chuzhou gingerly lifting the blanket and trying to sneak into bed.

Pei Xi stared at him expressionlessly: “What are you doing?”

Seeing that he’d been caught, He Chuzhou immediately stopped trying to climb into bed and covered him with the blanket. Then he crouched at the bedside and pitifully hooked a corner of the blanket with his fingertips: “Wife~”

Pei Xi reached out and ruthlessly pulled the blanket away from him: “Go back to your room.”

He Chuzhou: “The guest room is so cold.”

Pei Xi: “What month is it now?”

He Chuzhou: “I was born with a cold body, with flesh of ice and bones of jade.”

Pei Xi: “Turn up the heat.”

He Chuzhou: “The heater is too dry, it’s not good for the skin.”

Pei Xi: “Just bear with it.”

He Chuzhou: “But I’ll become ugly, and you’ll lose face when you take me out.”

Pei Xi: “When did I say I’d take you out?”

He Chuzhou: “Then at least we shouldn’t sleep in separate rooms, ah. What kind of couple sleeps separately?”

Pei Xi: “This one.”

He Chuzhou was stumped for a moment. Feeling even more wronged, he rested his chin on the bed exactly like his son, He Xingxing: “Xixi, after being bitten by a snake once, you can’t be afraid of ropes for ten years.”

Damn, this person was indeed handsome.

But he was also really annoying.

“Don’t pretend to be well-behaved, it’s useless.” Pei Xi said angrily, “I’m perfectly fine, you’re the one who was bitten by a snake.”

He Chuzhou interpreted his rebuttal as him stubbornly refusing to admit it, and tried to negotiate with him: “Xixi, please let me sleep with you. Just sleeping under the blanket, I promise I won’t do anything. I absolutely won’t bully you.”

“How could you bully me?”

Pei Xi realized something and his face darkened, all sleepiness vanishing: “What did you mean about being bitten by a snake?”

“When we slept together for the first time, I hurt you. Your skin was broken and swollen, and you cried for half a night.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t help but complain in a low voice, not noticing Pei Xi’s expression getting uglier and uglier: “I know you’re angry, but isn’t it too hasty to separate and divorce me just because of this?”

“It’s not that I can’t do it, it’s just that I don’t know how. People with no experience are like this. Wu Qing failed in seconds during his first time.”

“I’ve been looking for information and studying hard, but the instructors in the videos say that learning must be combined with practice, and you won’t let me into bed.”

“And you’re too sensitive, Honey. You tremble wherever I touch you and cry out whenever I kiss you. Your whole body is a minefield. I’ve been so careful. I never had such difficulties when playing Minesweeper before.”

“Everyone needs to grow. We’re a couple, so we should be more patient with each other. You see, you squeezed me so hard that night, but I endured it and didn’t say anything, ah.”

The sound of his murmuring got quieter and quieter. Seeing that Pei Xi remained silent, He Chuzhou was overjoyed and thought he had persuaded him, and was about to climb into bed while the iron was hot.

As a result, as soon as his knee pressed down on the soft surface of the bed, a foot impacted his lower abdomen and kicked him off.

Pei Xi sat up. His hair was a little messy, and his face was flushed. Gnashing his teeth, he gritted out words one by one: 

“Get out and make breakfast. If you dare step into my room again, I’ll break your legs.”

---

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Extra 3 << Table of Contents >> Extra 5

Liu Zhenqing never went to the brothel again after the incident there, because when Huo Fenglie was asked why he was there, he answered directly: “Because Qinge-ge was there.”

Huo Fenglie was quiet and reticent, but he followed Liu Zhenqing in everything. Liu Zhenqing felt he had set a bad example, so he could only instruct him earnestly: “It’s not that you can’t go to that sort of place to watch the performances and have fun, but remember to be chaste and not go into a room alone with a girl like this time. Don’t emulate me in this regard, learn from your brother. Before your brother married your sister-in-law, he had never even touched the hand of another woman. This is a good Huo family tradition, and you must maintain it.”

Huo Fenglie regarded Liu Zhenqing with calm, dark eyes. Seeing this, Liu Zhenqing felt he was unable to lead by example, and felt guilty for lecturing him, so he simply stopped going to that place.

Even without going to brothels, there were many other places in the city where Liu Zhenqing could play, such as various poetry meetups, qin clubs, and other gatherings. Liu Zhenqing was relaxed and carefree, able to have fun anywhere, so there were naturally countless rumors. And it was difficult for people like Huo Fenglie, who had to study at the Imperial Academy, to attend such occasions.

So every time he returned from the Imperial Academy during holidays, Huo Fenglie would almost always go to see Liu Zhenqing first, on guard against all situations.

Perhaps it had become a habit – Liu Zhenqing would go to the General’s Manor on these days and wait for Huo Fenglie to arrive, then the four of them would go out to eat together.

Therefore, Huo Fenglie never took a carriage, but rode on horseback and rushed back to the General’s Manor at full speed.

But this time, he was nowhere to be seen. Only his brother and sister-in-law were home.

“Where’s Qing-ge?” Was the first thing Huo Fenglie said upon his return.

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo had become accustomed to this. Over the years, they had become completely convinced of Huo Fenglie’s feelings toward Liu Zhenqing. It was a pity that Liu Zhenqing might not be able to wait long enough.

Huo Feihan didn’t dare to speak, and could only glance at Li Xingruo.

Unafraid of making trouble, Li Xingruo said straightforwardly: “A noble family that returned to the capital some time ago took a fancy to Shixiong. The two families seem to be interested in matchmaking, so today Shixiong took the girl to eat dinner at Heavenly Cuisine. He said he’ll meet us here at the General’s Manor in the evening.”

The expression on Huo Fenglie’s face turned ugly at once.

Li Xingruo continued: “Ai, among the children of the wealthy and powerful in the capital, only Shixiong has not yet married. Even though Old Father Liu has always turned a blind eye to my shixiong, he’s finally become anxious, and my shixiong can’t wait any longer…..”

As soon as Li Xingruo finished speaking, Huo Fenglie was gone.

At Heavenly Cuisine.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t move his chopsticks once, but spoke gently to the girl across from him.

The girl was beautiful, with a soft personality, and felt a lot of admiration and affection for Liu Zhenqing. Liu Zhenqing also seemed pretty good, and she thought they could try to get along with each other.

In terms of age, Liu Zhenqing still found it difficult to adapt. This person was eight years younger than him!

However, he had a lot of fun chatting with the girl. Liu Zhenqing’s personality was naturally attractive to girls, and at this time, she was already laughing and calling him Xiting-ge.

“Qing-ge!”

Suddenly, a shout came from under the windowsill Liu Zhenqing was leaning against. Liu Zhenqing was stunned. He knew who that was without looking down. After all, there was only one person who called him that.

Liu Zhenqing looked in bewilderment at Huo Fenglie, who had appeared below. The other party seemed to be somewhat out of breath. “Fenglie?”

He was about to say something, but Huo Fenglie ran straight into the building, likely to find him.

This was awkward. After all, he had invited someone out for dinner alone. Er-gou could be a very well-behaved kid at times, but he inexplicably lacked emotional intelligence at other times. 

“Uh…..” Liu Zhenqing was about to speak, when Lu-guniang across from him said sympathetically:

“Isn’t that the second young master of the Huo family? I’ve heard that the two of you have a very good relationship. Since we’ve met him by chance, how about we sit together?”

Liu Zhenqing thought, this girl has a really good temperament. Just as he was thinking, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

Liu Zhenqing called out, then saw Huo Fenglie push the door open and walk in boldly and majestically.

Liu Zhenqing and Lu-guniang were both amazed.

It was Lu-guniang’s first time meeting Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing had only seen the person before him a month ago, but he…..he seemed to have changed a little. Had he grown taller again? He was taller than Liu Zhenqing. Had he gotten stronger? When he walked toward the light, it indeed cast different shadows across his face, illuminating the contours of it.

Perhaps it was the influence of the Huo family blood that gave his face a sense of majesty. When he stepped inside, it was like he was walking on wind, swift and fierce. The atmosphere in the room was instantly suppressed. This was a manner of bearing honed on the battlefield.

After coming in, Huo Fenglie only spared Lu-guniang a glance before focusing his gaze entirely on Liu Zhenqing. His yearning was about to boil over, but this person in front of him was having dinner with someone else. If it weren’t for his clenched fists as a constant reminder, he felt he would be unable to bear it.

“Qing-ge.”

“Why are you here? Are you looking for me?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

Huo Fenglie hesitated: “Didn’t you say we would get together tonight?”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie with even more bewilderment.

Huo Fenglie said bluntly: “I came here ahead of time to order the dishes Qing-ge likes to eat.”

Liu Zhenqing really didn’t know how to react. This explanation seemed reasonable, but also not.

“Have…..you eaten yet?” Liu Zhenqing asked automatically.

Huo Fenglie shook his head.

So he came here to order food when he was hungry? Was this necessary?

Liu Zhenqing was confused, but didn’t overthink it. Er-gou was still hungry, so they would eat together.

After inviting Huo Fenglie to sit down, he turned to the dazed Lu-guniang across from him. Thinking that Huo Fenglie’s aura had frightened her, he quickly introduced them to one another.

Huo Fenglie regarded her with an unwelcoming expression and gave a simple greeting.

Liu Zhenqing saw that Huo Fenglie had a coffin-like face again. Since he was a child, it seemed he was not adept at interacting with women. If it continued on like this, how would he get married in the future?

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw Lu-guniang in front of him look at Huo Fenglie. Her face turned red by increments and she lowered her eyes, saying in a soft and nervous tone: “Second Young Master Huo, do you like the dishes on the table? Would you like to order more?”

Liu Zhenqing: “……”

Liu Zhenqing naturally noticed the difference between how Lu-guniang treated him and how she treated Huo Fenglie. Her blush in front of Liu Zhenqing was that of a girl looking at a handsome man, but her blush in front of Huo Fenglie was more of a ‘face is hot, heart is palpitating’ look. 

The corners of his mouth twitched when he realized the difference. It couldn’t be! Liu Zhenqing’s blind date liked his little brother?

Thunder and lightning filled Liu Zhenqing’s head. He didn’t have any designs on Lu-guniang, he just found it a little amusing. Suddenly, he came to the realization that Lu-guniang only seemed to be two years older than Huo Fenglie. The two of them liking each other would be reasonable, wouldn’t it?

Ai? Er-gou was old enough to get engaged?

Er-gou had grown up? And could compete with him in the same field of love?

At this realization, Liu Zhenqing strangely felt like his own son had grown up.

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Lu-guniang on the other side take the initiative to actively talk to Huo Fenglie. She was a girl with personality and fought for what she liked. Liu Zhenqing was able to coax her into ladylike laughter and got along with her well, but when she met someone she liked, this gentleness transformed into passion.

It was a pity that she met this blockhead Er-gou.

Out of three sentences, Huo Fenglie only replied to one at most, and his attention was distracted.

What was Huo Fenglie doing?

When Liu Zhenqing looked down, he found that Huo Fenglie had already picked the bones out of a plate of fish for him.

There was fish on the table. Fish from Heavenly Cuisine, which Liu Zhenqing liked very much. This time, he didn’t move his chopsticks. Before, nobody picked out fish bones for him – and he didn’t know how he developed the habit, but if no one picked the bones out of the best fish for him now, he would lose his appetite.

And Er-gou seemed to have also developed a habit. When he saw fish on the table, he would disregard everything else and pick bones out of the fish meat first.

Lu-guniang was amazed at Huo Fenglie’s thoughtfulness as she watched him using the serving chopsticks to pick bones out of the fish meat and place it on a communal dish. Then she saw Huo Fenglie push the prepared dish directly to Liu Zhenqing’s right side: “Qing-ge, eat.”

Lu-guniang: …..He prepared it specifically for one person?

Liu Zhenqing didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. After all, this had become a habit ingrained in his bones. He was more interested in if Huo Fenglie would respond to Lu-guniang’s advances.

But unfortunately, Huo Fenglie was extremely indifferent. Even though Lu-guniang wasn’t hurt by this indifference, Liu Zhenqing could no longer bear it, and couldn’t help but chime in several times. Not because he wanted them to get together – he just wanted the atmosphere to be less awkward. But Huo Fenglie looked over several times with a heavy gaze, which made Liu Zhenqing feel like he was meddling in the business of others and causing trouble.

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw Huo Fenglie change out the tea in his hand and begin pouring wine. It seemed he was in a bad mood.

Huo Fenglie didn’t drink much alcohol, because he had a low tolerance and got drunk easily. He rarely drank while outside, or when in the presence of someone he didn’t know well.

So Liu Zhenqing tried to gently stop him, but Huo Fenglie avoided his hand.

Liu Zhenqing froze. Huo Fenglie seemed to be truly angry.

This situation was very rare, and it flustered Liu Zhenqing a little. So he didn’t listen carefully to what Lu-guniang was saying, and only heard Huo Fenglie say suddenly: “Didn’t Lu-guniang come here to meet Qing-ge today?”

There were instant black lines across Liu Zhenqing’s face. Why was he talking like that? Was he drunk? So soon?

Lu-guniang was also embarrassed by his words, and ultimately said in a shy tone: “It’s because of my family…..Xiting-ge is very good. I admire him very much, but I…..I prefer men who are a little more valiant. I’m sorry, Xiting-ge. This is what I wanted to tell you today.”

Liu Zhenqing: “Um…..it’s okay.”

When she was finished speaking, Lu-guniang sent Huo Fenglie a shy look and mustered the courage to say: “Then…..is Second Young Master Huo…..engaged?”

Liu Zhenqing truly thought that this girl was an admirable person, ah. She was quite interesting. If she could become friends with Huo Fenglie…..

“I have a sweetheart!” Huo Fenglie said abruptly.

Startled, Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Huo Fenglie: “What?”

Huo Fenglie turned his head toward him and said word for word: “I have a sweetheart.”

Liu Zhenqing cried out in his heart – the child he had watched grow up had a sweetheart and he didn’t even know?! He’d actually missed out on such a huge piece of gossip?!

Just as he was alarmed, he saw Huo Fenglie sway and suddenly fall toward him.

Liu Zhenqing hurriedly supported him. Lu-guniang, who had been stunned by Huo Fenglie’s words just now, saw this and said in fright: “What’s wrong with Second Young Master Huo?”

“Oh, he’s fine, he just can’t drink much and got drunk. I’ll send him back, otherwise he’ll start acting crazy. Apologies, Lu-guniang. I’ll send a carriage to take you back home.”

“Don’t worry about me, just take care of the Second Young Master,” Lu-guniang said with a wave of her hand.

“Qing-ge…..Qing-ge……” Huo Fenglie murmured repeatedly, as if truly drunk. He was clinging to Liu Zhenqing, and when he could no longer hold the other up, Liu Zhenqing transferred him to his back. Huo Fenglie was like an octopus, clinging tightly to Liu Zhenqing no matter how he moved.

Liu Zhenqing was accustomed to this, but to Lu-guniang, this scene was a bit stimulating.

This was what happened when a man got drunk?

Lu-guniang looked in astonishment at Liu Zhenqing, who was just barely able to carry the person on his back. Just as she was about to help, her eyes widened – because on Liu Zhenqing’s back, Huo Fenglie suddenly raised his eyes and gave her a frigid glare, as if warning her not to come over.

Lu-guniang was struck dumb, completely uncomprehending.

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie hugged Liu Zhenqing even tighter. He tilted his head so that his lips were almost pressed against Liu Zhenqing’s fair, slender neck, making Lu-guniang blush.

Those cold eyes and his serious expression seemed to be declaring something to the person in front of him.

Even if Lu-guniang wasn’t clever, she would have still been able to see it.

So his sweetheart was…..was…..

Xiting-ge also seemed to allow his behavior…..

Had she discovered a forbidden secret? So was this the reason Xiting-ge had never married?

Oblivious, Liu Zhenqing took this person out of the restaurant and called for a carriage, personally taking him back to the General’s Manor. But the drunken Huo Fenglie loved to cling to Liu Zhenqing, and once again pressed him down in the carriage. This time, however, there was no awkward situation. Liu Zhenqing didn’t struggle, and just let Huo Fenglie hold him, feeling a little dazed. Huo Fenglie had truly grown up. The weight on top of him was heavier.

Indeed…..he had grown up. He had a lover, and was still hiding it from him.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if something had been stolen from him.

Did he have a brother complex?

Liu Zhenqing was lost in thought for some time, then couldn’t help but tease Huo Fenglie: “Er-gou, tell Qing-ge who your sweetheart is, ah?”

“Qing-ge.”

“That’s me. I’m asking you a question, tell me who your sweetheart is…..”

“Qing-ge.”

“People are usually honest when drunk, but you only know how to call my name, ah. Little fool.” Liu Zhenqing laughed.

“Qing-ge……”

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 11 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 13

Chapter 16 – The North Sea

“Cough, cough. Can anyone help me?” A weak, muffled voice could be heard, as if the person was being pressed underneath something.

Feng Ye was stupefied. Then he remembered that Fang Yang was still underneath the carcass of the dead bear.

The brain had been directly pierced. Regardless of how strong the monster was, it had perished on the spot.

Its claws had lost strength halfway through their swing, and the huge bear carcass had crashed to the ground squarely on top of Fang Yang.

Condensing sword qi had consumed a great deal of Fang Yang’s spiritual power. His limbs were weak, and he no longer had the strength to push away the heavy bear carcass on top of him.

He had intended to wait quietly for rescue, but didn’t expect that Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage were so unreliable that neither of them thought of coming to his aid.

In the end, Fang Yang could only speak out.

Feng Ye hurried over and dragged Fang Yang out from underneath the carcass.

Hao Chen started to pretend to help, but when he saw Fang Yang covered in a mixture of dirt and blood that could have come from either human or bear, he truly couldn’t bear to dirty his white daoist robes, so he just watched from the sidelines.

The first thing Fang Yang did after once again seeing the light of day was suck in a deep breath. He calmed his internal energy, which was disordered due to overconsumption. Then, eyes shining, he said to Feng Ye as if presenting a treasure: “Shixiong, did I just condense sword qi?”

Was he asking for praise? Feng Ye understood what Fang Yang meant. The youth’s mentality was uncertain, and he was eager to gain praise for the slightest achievement. 

But Fang Yang’s performance had been acceptable, so Feng Ye met his request. He smiled and patted Fang Yang’s head, just like patting a puppy.

Fang Yang felt that it wasn’t enough, so he turned his head to look at Hao Chen and repeated: “Hao-dage, did I condense sword qi?”

Hao Chen hadn’t expected to be asked for praise, and went momentarily blank. Head pats had already been used, so he could only flatter: “Heroes emerge from among the youth. You are worthy of being a disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

Fang Yang was elated. With a silly smile on his face, he asked questions left and right. He asked again inwardly, but the Mysterious Big Brother had already mysteriously disappeared again.

Just like the night before, once the other party cut off communication with him, Fang Yang had no way to contact him.

Fang Yang was a little regretful. After all, compared to being praised by Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage, he would rather be praised by this mysterious person who seemed to be super powerful.

Seeing that Fang Yang had rested enough, Feng Ye suggested: “Come on, let’s pack up and go down the mountain. You still have to participate in the competition tomorrow.”

But just as he finished speaking, they heard the sound of two objects slicing through the air overhead.

Two Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples wearing black and white daoist robes came flying in on their swords. When they were three meters above the ground, they leaped off with swift movements.

When the two people landed, the first thing they saw was the huge bear carcass. Then they turned to look at the three people next to it.

One of them asked doubtfully: “Was it you guys who killed this White-Nosed Demon Bear?”

Feng Ye took stock of these two people’s identities. They were at Foundation Establishment and were likely inner disciples responsible for clearing out monsters in the back mountain. Because of the stir the White-Nosed Demon Bear made, they had been drawn over to check on the situation. 

With their identities clear, Feng Ye answered: “Strictly speaking, it was him who did it.” He pushed Fang Yang forward.

Fang Yang staggered a step before quickly stabilizing himself, then scratched his head sheepishly.

The two inner disciples saw that Fang Yang was covered in blood, and thought he had been seriously injured. They immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and lifted Fang Yang up onto their swords, saying: “Hold on, we’ll bring you in for healing!”

“Wait, I’m not…..” Fang Yang was hauled away with a dumbfounded look on his face. Before he could finish speaking, the cold wind blowing into his face made the words lodge in his throat.

Feng Ye stood there, unable to stop himself from laughing.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, let’s go down the mountain too.”

Hao Chen’s voice sounded in his ear, and Feng Ye remembered that there was a sticky piece of candy stuck to his side.

Feng Ye’s joyful mood suddenly became a bit downcast. Today’s trip should have been relaxing, but there were so many twists and turns along the way, and all of them had something to do with Hao Chen. Although Feng Ye had also jabbed back, he still felt that Hao Chen should shoulder most of the blame.

Although Feng Ye disdained him, he still went along with Hao Chen’s words and descended the mountain with him.

But on the way, Feng Ye found that the sticky candy always plastered to his side was now unexpectedly distant.

This could be considered distance only compared to the usual. Hao Chen would normally stand less than a meter away from him, but now, once he touched the one-meter boundary, Hao Chen would veer away.

Feng Ye skewed his eyes as the reason suddenly came to mind. It was because when he had pulled Fang Yang out from under the bear carcass, he also got blood on him. Thinking back to how Hao Chen had started to help but ultimately didn’t, Feng Ye came to a conclusion:

In addition to being vain, this fellow also had a fear of getting dirty.

The day was neither too hot nor too cold, yet he was fanning himself the whole time. Feng Ye, in his very straightforward way, thought Hao Chen was just being conceited. There were very few female disciples in their sect, otherwise Hao Chen, with his deceptive appearance of a dandy, would have been surrounded by many young women.

However…..this was not a disadvantage, but rather something Feng Ye could make use of.

Feng Ye abruptly stepped to the right toward Hao Chen, who immediately took a step away.

Suppressing a smirk, Feng Ye reached out to place a hand on Hao Chen’s shoulder. His blood-stained right hand.

Hao Chen unfolded his fan and used it as a barrier to firmly separate himself and Feng Ye.

Pretending to be hurt, Feng Ye looked at his hand: “Is Fellow Daoist Hao Chen avoiding me?”

Hao Chen gave him an insincere smile and said duplicitously: “Not at all.” Having said this, he put down his fan with great determination.

Feng Ye moved his hand a little closer when he heard this.

Hao Chen watched the bloody, fishy-smelling hand come closer and closer, about to leave a messy handprint on his spotless white robes. His eyebrows twitched. Ultimately, when Feng Ye’s hand was about to come down on his shoulder, he couldn’t endure it any longer.

He took an abrupt step back and said quickly: “It’s like this, Fellow Daoist Feng Ye. I suddenly remembered that I have something to do, so I won’t go down the mountain with you.”

Without waiting for Feng Ye to agree, he quickened his pace down the mountain ahead of Feng Ye, as if fleeing.

Feng Ye stood there, smiling triumphantly as he watched Hao Chen leave. At last, he had found a method to deal with this sticky person.

About a quarter of an hour after Hao Chen left, the smile on Feng Ye’s face was completely gone.

He closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. Once he confirmed that Hao Chen had really gone far away, he suddenly turned back.

Returning to the bear’s carcass, he picked up the broken tip of the iron sword. This sword was full of fissures, and using it to pierce the bear’s thick, hard skin was undoubtedly a fantasy.

But when the iron sword came into Feng Ye’s hands, with no sign of force being exerted, it stabbed into the bear’s dantian almost like cutting tofu.

Once a monster died, the spiritual energy in its body would dissipate over time. And when the dantian was pierced, the spiritual power gathered there sought the gap and rushed out in a flood.

The leaking spiritual power created a breeze, blowing the bangs over Feng Ye’s forehead.

Feng Ye suddenly reached out, his movements so rapid that they were difficult to see clearly. Like lightning, he caught a trace of escaping spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy of low-level monsters was multi-faceted, but among this mixed energy he managed to grasp a strand of extremely pure spiritual energy.

This energy was inconspicuous, but once Feng Ye grasped it, he immediately sensed that it was abnormal.

He felt a chill in his clenched palm, as if he was holding something covered in ice that hadn’t melted for a thousand years.

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes in thought. This was the reason the White-Nosed Demon Bear had suddenly advanced in cultivation, and the source of this energy could only be Hao Chen.

Such a cold aura…..Feng Ye considered it for a while before suddenly thinking of a place.

A place where there was no sunlight all year long…..the vast North Sea.

Feng Ye shivered internally. If Hao Chen actually came from the North Sea, he didn’t know what his identity was.

Feng Ye didn’t know much about the North Sea, only that the personnel situation there was rather complicated. The Lord of the North Sea loved to recruit subordinates, and he himself probably didn’t know how many of them he had.

Feng Ye, an outsider with nothing to do with the North Sea, knew even less. The North Sea was at the northernmost tip of the heavens, and he lived so far away that he had rarely actually dealt with anyone from there.

The North Sea covered a vast area. For convenience of management, it was roughly divided into five sections of sea, which were managed by five extremely powerful sea lords.

And under the five sea lords were various minor stewards with complex class structures, who usually did some minor trade in the mortal world.

As for the one above the five sea lords, he was the true Lord of the North Sea, who had lived for who knew how many years and could be regarded as a living fossil even in the heavens – the legendary Kunpeng^[1] that could soar up to 90,000 li.

Feng Ye pondered Hao Chen’s name and thought that he couldn’t be so unlucky. This was the Kunpeng whose true form was big enough to blot out the sun and sky? He truly deserved the name Hao Chen – very heavy.

No, no, no. Feng Ye internally shook his head. This shouldn’t be the case.

After all, the most well-known fact about the Lord of the North Sea was that he loved to sleep. It was said that because he had lived for so long, he felt that life was boring and could only sleep.

It was nothing for him to sleep for hundreds or thousands of years. Sometimes when he was sleeping on the sea, there was so much snow accumulated on his belly that people thought it was a new iceberg.

How could I have bumped into such a sleeping god by chance? Feng Ye comforted himself.

The only clue he had at present was the cold spiritual energy in his hand. It didn’t mean anything. Apart from the North Sea, such energy may exist in other places. Hao Chen’s true identity still required further investigation.

With this in mind, Feng Ye loosened his clenched fists. He had been holding that cold aura for so long that much of the chill had dissipated, and it soon returned to the world like ordinary spiritual energy.

Feng Ye looked at the bear carcass at his feet with its dantian pierced open. In order to leave no evidence, he used his sword to create numerous wounds, making it look as if it had been eaten by wild beasts.

Only after he had taken care of everything did he actually leave and go down the mountain.

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[1] Kunpeng (鲲鹏): A divine creature that can change between a giant bird and a giant fish. ⮐

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Chapter 15 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 17

Pei Xi stood there stupidly.

On the other side of the phone, Pei Yansong had likely never expected a young man to talk to him like this. He was momentarily stunned and offered no rebuttal.

When Pei Xi finally recovered from his shock and tried to snatch his phone back, he heard Pei Yansong yelling angrily: “Nonsense! Who are you to say that to me—”

His voice stopped abruptly.

He Chuzhou cursed him as an old fool and hung up the phone.

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi’s expression was blank: “He Chuzhou, what are you doing?”

He Chuzhou dropped his previous aggressive attitude and lowered his hands despondently, turning to Pei Xi: “Xixi, do you really want to divorce me?”

“If so, I’m willing to help you. You don’t have to pay back the money I invested in Pei Group. If you need anything in the future, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Pei Xi: “…..The money you invested in Pei Group?”

He Chuzhou replied gloomily: “But I also have a condition. Xixi, can you promise that after you divorce me, you’ll live your life away from your father’s control? That you won’t let him treat you like an object and marry you away to someone else in exchange for benefits?”

Pei Xi: “……”

The phone rang again. He didn’t have to think to know that it was Pei Yansong calling back to send punitive forces against him.

Pei Xi held his throbbing forehead and spread his hand toward He Chuzhou: “Give me the phone first.”

He Chuzhou glanced at the caller ID and frowned: “He’s going to scold you again, isn’t he? Don’t be afraid, Xixi. I have your back. He won’t dare do anything to you. I’ll warn him right now, if he doesn’t take care to restrain himself, I’ll kick him out of his position as President of Pei Group!”

Pei Xi’s forehead throbbed even more violently: “What do you mean, kick him out? Give me back my phone.”

He Chuzhou: “Xixi—”

Pei Xi: “Three.”

He Chuzhou: “Believe me, there’s really no need—”

Pei Xi: “Two.”

He Chuzhou quickly placed the phone in Pei Xi’s palm.

Pei Xi: “Wait for me here. I’ll settle the rest with you when I’m done…..we’ll talk slowly.”

After that, he went to the study with his phone, where he fooled Pei Yansong by saying that his phone had been stolen by a mentally disabled person. When he returned to the living room, He Chuzhou was still standin there waiting for him without having moved a step.

How surprisingly obedient.

Pei Xi approached him and placed his phone casually on the coffee table: “Tell me, what did you mean by him selling his son to you, and what’s this about investing money in Pei Group?”

He Chuzhou raised his eyes to look at him, then lowered them again: “Xixi, is it really me who’s lost his memory, and not you?”

Pei Xi: “Just say what I told you to.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay, then if I do, can we not separate or get a divorce?”

Pei Xi: “Two.”

He Chuzhou: “Ai, don’t count, don’t count, I’ll tell you!”

In the next twenty minutes, Pei Xi finally figured out He Chuzhou’s current brain narrative. The details were as follows:

The Pei family had encountered a once in a thousand years financial crisis (?), and a large amount of liquidity needed to be injected.

Pei Yansong sought help everywhere, and in the end, only the wealthy He family was willing to lend a helping hand.

However, there was a condition. That was, the two families needed a marriage. Only if Pei Xi and He Chuzhou married would the He family be willing to inject the funds to help the Pei family overcome their difficulties.

The result was self-evident. Pei Yansong “sold” Pei Xi to He Chuzhou at a sky-high price, and the two married according to the interests of both parties.

…..It was really unreasonable.

Pei Xi didn’t know where He Chuzhou had gotten the idea for such a strange script, and there were still incomprehensible flaws in it: “Why would you spend so much money to marry me? How does this benefit you?”

He Chuzhou’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

Pei Xi changed his method of questioning: “Since I’m the one who needed your help, why don’t you take the lead in this relationship instead of always deferring to me and being servile?”

He Chuzhou still didn’t speak, but his eyes flickered even more intensely.

Pei Xi: “You don’t want to say it.”

He Chuzhou probed: “Is it okay if I don’t say it?”

Pei Xi nodded: “That’s fine. I’ll ask a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement later. You can tell me what you want right now—”

He Chuzhou: “It’s because I’ve always had a crush on you!”

Pei Xi was stunned: “……What?”

He Chuzhou felt that he had failed to keep his secret and his wife was about to run away, so he simply threw the broken jar to the ground: “I’ve known you since Junior High School, and I’ve liked you for over ten years.”

“I was actually really happy when I heard that Pei Group was in trouble and needed help. I wasn’t taking pleasure in your misfortune – I just felt like I finally had a chance to make you notice me.”

“I hadn’t intended to put forward any conditions. I just wanted to help you, but some rumors I heard coupled with Pei Yansong’s attitude made me realize that you might not be living well at home, so I sounded out proposing marriage between us to Pei Yansong.”

“I didn’t expect Pei Yansong to actually agree. I swear I wasn’t trying to take advantage of the situation. Maybe a little bit. But the most important thing was that I wanted to take you away from that home.”

“When you were in school, you were so absorbed in your studies that I didn’t dare disturb you. Later, you were obsessed with work and I didn’t dare delay you. Now, I finally have the ability to be close to you and take care of you. Don’t say I’m being servile – I wish I could make offerings at your altar.”

The room was very quiet. Pei Xi couldn’t hear any sound other than He Chuzhou’s voice.

He didn’t know if this was the reason, but he was drawn into the whirlpool of words, the tide eroding this brain.

It wasn’t until his calf was bumped by the border collie, which was wandering around in boredom, that he woke up from his trance.

His heartbeat was momentarily disordered, and it wasn’t easy to pull his wandering awareness back to its original place.

This was a very unfamiliar feeling that was difficult to describe in words. Even though he knew He Chuzhou wasn’t in his right mind and that his words were all nonsense, he was still entangled by emotion.

It was strange. Why did he feel this way?

Was it because he hadn’t been cared for in so long?

Or was it because the person who fabricated it was unaware of his own fabrication, so the earnestness he offered was pure and unmarred?

Pei Xi was at a loss due to his unprecedented mood, and was even a little helpless in the face of this unfamiliar He Chuzhou. He didn’t know what to say.

But He Chuzhou didn’t know what he was thinking.

He just saw him frowning in silence, and thought that his deliberate actions had made him angry. The thought of being single again overwhelmed him with grief, and he couldn’t contain it any longer.

“Honey, did you figure this out long before? Is that why you want to divorce me?”

“I was wrong for deceiving you and I have no objection to you divorcing me. I deserve it.”

“But I’m afraid that Pei Yansong will berate you again if you go home, and say that you’re useless for not being able to tie me down.”

“So if we get a divorce, can you not tell your father right away? I’m afraid he’ll marry you off to someone else.”

“No, if others can do it, why can’t I? They can’t possibly like you as much as I do. They’re also not as good-looking or rich as I am.”

“Honey, Xixi, do we have to divorce? Can’t we just stay together?”

“Honey, I swear I’ll treat you well forever. You don’t know, but I’ve liked you since Junior High, from the moment I first saw you.”

“At that time, you were wearing a short skirt and pole dancing at a school celebration. Your legs under the skirt were slender and white, and your waist above it was even thinner and whiter—”

“He Chuzhou!”

Pei Xi’s full heart disappeared in an instant. Not kicking this man out of his home was the last trace of dignity he would reserve for the other party.

He Chuzhou’s eyes grew redder: “You’re still yelling at me.”

Pei Xi squeezed out from between his teeth: “Yelling at you? If you have the guts, then yell back.”

He Chuzhou shrank his neck and whispered: “I’m sorry, I don’t have the guts.”

Pei Xi: “Then go put the dog food and dog bowl away, and bring your luggage to the guest room. Don’t make me say it again.”

He Chuzhou stared blankly, silently chewing over Pei Xi’s words a couple of times. Then his eyes lit up: “Honey, you’re agreeing to let me stay?”

Pei Xi turned his face away: “Whatever you want.”

He Chuzhou: “Th-th-then we’re not getting a divorce?”

Pei Xi: “If you ask me one more question, you’ll be following me to the Civil Affairs Bureau. We can still get one.”

He turned his head and stared straight into He Chuzhou’s eyes, saying in a very serious manner: “I don’t wear skirts, and I don’t pole dance.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t wear them, I do.”

Happiness came on so fast. He Chuzhou’s mood immediately changed from overcast to sunny, and he immediately started to pull his suitcase to the guest room. 

But after taking two steps, he was so exuberant that he simply stepped back, took Pei Xi’s face in his hands, and kissed him hard: “My wife is so good!”

Pei Xi was stunned silly by the kiss. He was appalled when he realized what what was happening and pushed him away with force, rubbing his hand back and forth over the place he had kissed.

He Chuzhou was pushed back half a step. He watched Pei Xi’s actions in astonishment, and the joy in his eyes was gradually replaced by disbelief: “Honey, are you rejecting me?”

Pei Xi really wanted to ask back, shouldn’t I? But out of humanitarian tolerance for a patient, he forced himself to hold the words back. 

But silence could also be interpreted as an answer. He Chuzhou was even more hurt, and mumbled as if the sky had fallen: “My wife dislikes me. How can this be? My wife is actually repulsed by me…..”

Pei Xi couldn’t stand it anymore: “Shouldn’t I? Who knows what your mouth has done on others?”

“On others? My mouth is on my face. Why would it do anything on others?”

He Chuzhou felt wronged to death: “Honey, do you suspect that I’ve kissed someone else? I haven’t. I never have since childhood. Other than Shitbag, I’ve only ever kissed you. My mouth has only ever been used for eating and for you, so don’t wrongly accuse me.”

…..What kind of lewd words were these?

This was totally irrelevant. Pei Xi couldn’t be bothered to respond, but He Chuzhou was unwilling to give in: “Honey, don’t you believe me? It doesn’t matter, I have witnesses. Just wait, I’ll prove it to you right away.”

He took out his cellphone and called someone. Pei Xi didn’t even have time to react when a sleepy voice answered: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou: “Lao Wu, let me ask you a question. Have I ever been in a relationship?”

Pei Xi now knew who was on the other end of the phone.

It was He Chuzhou’s best friend Wu Qing, who changed boyfriends more often than he changed clothes. He was unscrupulous and known for being a playboy, just like He Chuzhou.

But the doctor had said that he shouldn’t use the logic of reality to go against the patient’s logic. Fearing that Wu Qing would tell him the truth and make the situation worse, Pei Xi planned to directly snatch the phone away.

He never could have expected that every word out of Wu Qing’s mouth would be beyond his expectations:

“In a relationship? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you the one who looks down on all men and women who come to your door? And now you’re asking me if you’ve ever been in a relationship. Has being single turned you stupid?”

“Are you trying to start trouble by asking me this, you old virgin? Should I walk you through using a condom step by step? You idiot.”

He Chuzhou hung up the phone contentedly after being scolded: “See, Honey? I didn’t lie to you, I really was a virgin before I married you.”

“But Wu Qing doesn’t know that I’m married, and that I’m not a pure virgin. I know how to use condoms, and I’m very accurate. I don’t need him to teach me.”

Pei Xi’s long silence at this juncture contained many complicated factors, including that this idiot didn’t know he was still a virgin and may not know what to do in the bedroom.

Was it because of a strong desire to win and his deep obsession that his memory-addled self felt that he was actually very good in areas he was unfamiliar with?

And this playboy was actually a virgin?

Was this…..legitimate?

Then what were those rumors he’d heard before?

He Chuzhou saw that Pei Xi was silent again, but didn’t look angry anymore. He was frowning with who knew what on his mind, and one could only guess at his mood: “Honey, are you dissatisfied with anything?”

Pei answered casually: “No.”

In the end, whatever kind of person He Chuzhou was had nothing to do with him. Apart from clearing up some misunderstandings, it had no impact on his life.

At most, seeing this person wouldn’t disgust him as much as before.

He Chuzhou: “Really?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

After saying this, he felt the place he had just wiped being kissed again, very hard and loud.

Pei Xi’s face turned colors: “He Chuzhou! Do you have any manners?!”

He Chuzhou stared at the hand Pei Xi had raised again: “Look, you’re going to wipe it again. I said I haven’t kissed anyone else, but you’re still disgusted with me.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Taking a deep breath, he clenched his hand and lowered his arm stiffly.

Whatever. It was just a kiss. It didn’t cost him anything.

He would just consider it compensation for misunderstanding him for so long.

“I’m not disgusted with you.” He forced himself to appear unruffled. “Put your luggage away quickly.”

He Chuzhou was coaxed once more. But before picking up his suitcase and going to the guest room, he asked Pei Xi: “Honey, I’m not familiar with this neighborhood. Will you go with me to walk Shitbag tonight?”

Pei Xi didn’t even consider it: “No, walk him by yourself.”

After a two-second pause, he was unable to bear it: “And change your dog’s crappy name back!”

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Extra 2 << Table of Contents >> Extra 4

Liu Zhenqing was a frequent visitor to the Drunken Spring, the largest brothel in the capital. There was, after all, very little entertainment in ancient times. This place was considered to be the liveliest establishment in the capital at night, with everything from food and drink to entertainment. One could occasionally come across some interesting things, join in the fun, and listen to gossip. Ultimately, it was a good place to kill time.

Liu Zhenqing was beautiful, wealthy, generous, and knew how to please women. The girls in this establishment wanted to accompany Liu Zhenqing even for free. 

Although there were countless stories about Liu Zhenqing’s love affairs with various courtesans here, the girls all knew in their hearts that no one had truly been with Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing’s habit of keeping himself clean made the girls in the establishment like him even more. Many of them had given him their hearts in truth, but they could only love him secretly.

In the largest private room on the second floor, a few obviously drunk men sat on the floor laughing.

“Feihan has a wife now and won’t play with us anymore.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a rare Courtesan Night. We all have wives, but we’re not controlled to death like Huo Feihan, so we came just to watch.”

“Aiya, don’t tell me we still have a single person here?”

Everyone sent Liu Zhenqing mocking looks. He softly tapped his wine cup and said: “I think that if you have a wife, you should be like Huo-dage and only be with her. After all, if you already liked her enough to marry her, what’s the use of spending time with other girls?”

They were all displeased by these words. “Then why haven’t you gotten married?”

“Because I want to spend time with other girls,” Liu Zhenqing shot back smoothly.

This scumbag’s remark caused everyone to burst into laughter.

At this time, a young girl came in to serve them wine. Such a young girl wouldn’t accompany the guests, so she just kept her head lowered and left after serving the wine. But one of the young masters was drunk and, seeing the pretty little girl, he took her into his arms. The girl was so frightened that she struggled and begged for mercy with tears in her eyes.

Just as the young master was about to use threats and coercion, he suddenly heard someone pound their wine cup down hard on the table.

When everyone saw that it was Liu Zhenqing, they immediately warned the young master.

The young master also recalled that he must not do anything to embarrass the girls when out drinking with Liu Zhenqing, and immediately smiled and released the young girl.

“Xiting still likes to play the hero and save damsels in distress,” someone said wryly.

“Aiya, that’s not the case. I just think it’s embarrassing for a man to bully a girl,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

As they were laughing and chatting, the Courtesan Night began. Courtesan Night was a time for them to show off their talents. Each girl would go onstage and perform, and customers would buy flowers to toss onto the stage. Whoever received the most flowers would be the winner. And that courtesan would have the right to choose her partner for the night.

Without saying a word, Liu Zhenqing bought 500 taels of flowers, ready to reward anyone who performed well. Others had also come to support their favorite girls.

“I say, it’s useless for us to join in the fun. Xiting is here today. No matter which courtesan wins, she’ll definitely choose him tonight.”

“Yeah, this is unfair!”

“Next time, don’t invite Xiting to this kind of thing!”

Liu Zhenqing smiled, saying nothing. Courtesans sometimes wanted to borrow his name, and on the nights they weren’t receiving customers, they would spread gossip to boost their reputations. Liu Zhenqing was happy to cooperate. 

But he never expected that there would be a girl smart enough to use him to win the title of Top Courtesan.

Dong Yun was familiar with Liu Zhenqing. She had a good figure and danced well, but generally speaking, it would be very difficult to stand out tonight. So when she came onstage, she deliberately asked the qin player to pretend to be injured and unable to play.

Dong Yun feigned helplessness, and finally looked to Liu Zhenqing for help. Liu Zhenqing was famous for his qin skills, and under everyone’s encouragement, he also went onstage to play. He didn’t hate such small tricks.

And Dong Yun didn’t hide it. She said when he came onstage: “Please help me, Young Master. I’ll definitely repay you in the future.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled gently and just asked which song she wanted, then sat down to accompany her.

However, when Liu Zhenqing came on stage, more people looked at him than at Dong Yun. After all, many people who attended such an occasion liked both men and women. Seeing Liu Zhenqing, who was more beautiful than any other girl who had taken the stage and whose skills were truly unparalleled, they naturally couldn’t help but take a few more glances. Due to their statuses, they usually didn’t have the opportunity to see him.

And at this moment, under the background candlelight and atmosphere-creating fragrance in the brothel, Liu Zhenqing looked like a dream, as beautiful as an immortal. In addition to his casual manner after drinking, his qin-playing posture was elegant and romantic.

Not only were the women stunned, but many men were also staring with wide eyes.

A man’s waist could be so slender? His posture could be so good? His face could be so beautiful? The brilliance of his eyes was captivating even when they weren’t focused on a single individual. How thrilling would it be if he looked at them?

The more they looked, the more they marveled. He truly deserved Drunken Spring’s title of “unparalleled beauty.” 

If they could obtain him by spending a fortune, countless people here would be willing to spend all they had.

But given the other party’s identity, they could only imagine it without daring to do anything else.

Liu Zhenqing could actually sense everyone’s furtive glances at him while he was playing, but he kept feeling like one of those gazes was more intense, to the point of making him uncomfortable.

There were many ruffians in the capital who had been dealt with by him. Few people dared to provoke him before, much less in the present. How could they dare to offend him?

Liu Zhenqing glanced over casually, but there were too many people around and he was unable to locate the source of that gaze. He couldn’t see Huo Fenglie, who was staring at him from a distance with blazing eyes.

Dong Yun was the last performer, and left a stunning impression on everyone. She was named Top Courtesan, and took the opportunity to extend an invitation to Liu Zhenqing. Everyone was envious, but among those voices of envy, it was unclear who that envy was directed toward. 

Huo Fenglie was already accustomed to such scenes. He just went to the room next to Dong Yun’s with a sullen expression and pretended to be an ordinary guest.

He had realized in recent years that Liu Zhenqing’s romantic nature was a falsehood. He had followed Qing-ge into brothels numerous times, and although Qing-ge flirted with others, everyone abided by propriety. But Huo Fenglie was still worried, ah. He was still too young in Qing-ge’s eyes, and had no position or qualifications. He could only keep a close eye on him for the time being to prevent others from snatching him away.

And Huo Fenglie’s behavior every time he made an appearance here was naturally noticed by the proprietor. The proprietor was very good with people and knew that Huo Fenglie wasn’t here to enjoy himself, so she only sent someone to deliver wine and didn’t send anyone to entertain this guest.

But tonight, something unexpected happened. An ambitious person had come. After a while, the inexperienced Huo Fenglie smelled an unfamiliar scent, but remained leaning against the wall. He concentrated on listening next door and didn’t pay attention to it.

After an untold length of time, he suddenly heard Dong Yun’s sweet voice next door: “Young Master Liu, give it a try. Please, please just try it.”

“…..That…..Okay.”

Huo Fenglie’s face paled. Without a care for the girl pouring wine in his room, he rushed out of this room and into the next.

Going over excuses in his mind, he was about to knock on the door and stop them when he suddenly heard a woman’s scream.

Huo Fenglie’s expression emptied. No longer caring about excuses, he simply kicked open the door.

“Qing-ge!”

As soon as he entered, he was struck dumb.

And so were the two people inside.

Dong Yun’s white arm was placed on a table, where Liu Zhenqing was giving her acupuncture. His technique, however, was so poor that he’d made her bleed.

“Um…..Fenglie? Why are you here? What happened?” Liu Zhenqing said in bewilderment. Huo Fenglie’s entrance had been so fierce. He’d even kicked in the door.

“I….heard a scream and thought…..someone was up to no good.” Huo Fenglie’s mind had gone blank. No excuse he had prepared could explain his behavior just now, so he could only make up some nonsense. He didn’t know if he was anxious or if it was because he was telling a lie to Qing-ge, but Huo Fenglie felt his breathing quicken and his entire body began to feel hot.

Liu Zhenqing was instantly amused. Wasn’t it normal to hear such a sound in a place like this? Ai? Wait!

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes widened, and he said: “W….why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to come here until you’re eighteen?”

Huo Fenglie was suddenly unable to utter a word. His mind was full of the rules set by Qing-ge. It seemed that since he wasn’t an adult until age eighteen, he had no right to express anything and could only hide in the dark. He hated the age eighteen rule, but it had been set by Qing-ge and he had to abide by it.

Just as Huo Fenglie was thinking wildly, he sensed that something was wrong. He seemed unable to hear the sounds around him, and only Qing-ge’s figure could be seen in his line of view.

Liu Zhenqing treated Huo Fenglie as his own little brother, and was about to discipline him when he saw the other’s body sway. Then Huo Fenglie lost his balance and leaned against the door.

Shocked, Liu Zhenqing rushed forward to support him before he could fall. 

But then Huo Fenglie took him into his arms.

Hot breath gusted against Liu Zhenqing’s throat. The heat of his body could be felt through their layers of clothing, not to mention the other’s tenseness and trembling. 

“Qing-ge…..Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie was already somewhat out of his mind, and could only mutter to himself.

Liu Zhenqing knew something wasn’t right. Before he could take Huo Fenglie’s pulse, he saw a young girl rushing toward him in a panic. But when she glimpsed this scene, she was so frightened that she immediately fled. Liu Zhenqing came to a sudden realization.

Dong Yun beside him seemed to understand something, and quickly explained: “It’s probably the incense here. I’m sorry, Young Master Liu. It seems like this young master was affected by accident.”

“Get the antidote!”

Dong Yun stared. This was the first time she’d heard Liu Zhenqing speak so impolitely, and she was instantly flustered: “Young Master, this…..this is just for fun. It’s not a poison, so why would there be an antidote, ah? Perhaps this is the young master’s first time smelling it, and he couldn’t handle the effects. How about we find him a girl?”

“No need!” Liu Zhenqing tsked. He rummaged around in his robes, but found that he hadn’t brought the medicine bag from Medical Valley.

“Ah?” Dong Yun stared, and could only say: “Then…..just leave him…..by himself. It may take a few more times and be a little uncomfortable…..Young Master Liu, how about we make some space for the young master?”

What she meant was to let Huo Fenglie handle his problem here on his own.

Liu Zhenqing frowned. Although Huo Fenglie had clearly reacted while holding him, and he could actually feel it a little, he wasn’t willing to let his beloved Er-gou experience such embarrassment in a place like this. He decided to go back and retrieve the medicine left to him by his master.

This place was close to Liu Manor, so Liu Zhenqing asked for a carriage and planned to take Huo Fenglie straight there.

Liu Zhenqing held Huo Fenglie and coaxed him for a long time before leading this dazed person out.

After pushing Huo Fenglie into the carriage and telling the driver where to go, he also climbed onboard. As a result, as soon as he lifted the curtain, he was grabbed and dragged inside. By the time Liu Zhenqing could react, he was already being pinned down by Huo Fenglie, who was of a height with him, but was obviously stronger.

In this posture, a certain thing became particular evident. Liu Zhenqing was stunned at first – then his face reddened when Huo Fenglie began to move according to instinct. Liu Zhenqing felt his embarrassment spread, making his scalp tingle and his skin feel as if ants were crawling on it.

And there was also a strange sense of oppression.

He had originally thought it was just a fun supplement and wouldn’t affect his rationality too much, but this was basically like some kind of drug. Did he think Liu Zhenqing was a girl?

Liu Zhenqing was both angry and amused. He decided to end this ridiculous farce, but just as he opened his mouth, his vision went dark. At the critical moment, Liu Zhenqing moved his hand.

By the time he reacted, Hou Fenglie was lightly nibbling the back of his hand.

Just in time. If not for his conditioned reflex, he would have been kissed just now.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes widened. He was about to push Er-gou away when the other’s eyes suddenly opened and stared straight at him. It should be difficult to see anything in the dark carriage, but Er-gou’s eyes were as black as obsidian, and Liu Zhenqing could see them clearly. His heart inexplicably trembled, as if he was being stared at by some terrible beast. The aggression in that look made him want to run away.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly returned to his senses and turned his wrist, hitting Huo Fenglie right in the ribcage. When the pain came, Huo Fenglie finally regained some rationality.

“Ah….Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie seemed to feel what he was doing, and his face immediately reddened in shame. He rolled over and shrank into the corner of the carriage.

He wasn’t very old, after all, and even though he was facing someone he had liked for a long time, this kind of thing still put him in a fluster.

Once Liu Zhenqing got over the initial shock and embarrassment, he didn’t overthink things. This was only a teenager under the influence of drugs.

“Calm down, just bear with it for a while. Wait until we get to Liu Manor, and you can take some medicine.” Liu Zhenqing felt sorry for Er-gou, who was facing such a situation for the first time, and said: “Don’t be afraid. It’s alright, Qing-ge is here.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer, but he began to shake again and was obviously in great discomfort. Seeing that there was still half the journey to go, Liu Zhenqing could only sit up with a cough and face the main door curtain. Sitting with his back to Er-gou, he said: “If you really can’t bear it, just relieve yourself. Qing-ge won’t look, so don’t be shy.”

“No…..I won’t. I…..I can bear it.”

He clearly sounded as if he was on fire, but Huo Fenglie’s personality had always been like this. Liu Zhenqing didn’t say anything further, and just hoped the journey would be swift.

But their luck was poor, and they were caught in a traffic jam when passing a busy road, unable to move forward or backward. Liu Zhenqing’s face paled.

He looked back at Huo Fenglie, who seemed as if his body was about to explode, and could only say with a cough: “It’s going to take a while here. You…..don’t hold it in and cause problems for yourself.”

After saying this, Liu Zhenqing lifted the curtain and was about to get out.

Huo Fenglie suddenly grabbed his arm from behind and said: “Qing-ge, don’t go!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, but didn’t look back. Perhaps sensing the boy’s embarrassment, he wondered if Er-gou was experiencing this situation for the first time. He was still feeling uneasy, so he didn’t let him go, ah. But if he didn’t let him go, would Er-gou have the nerve to do it?

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Er-gou say: “Qing-ge, can you just stay here and cover your ears?”

Liu Zhenqing thought about it for a moment, then smiled helplessly. He covered his ears obediently, saying: “I won’t look back. I’ll keep my eyes closed and guard the door for you. Don’t worry.”

Huo Fenglie sat behind him, staring at him with a deep gaze. He didn’t retract the hand holding Liu Zhenqing’s arm when he covered his ears, but slid it to his shoulder.

Liu Zhenqing only felt the hand on his shoulder, and was unaware of what the other hand was doing.

He seemed to hear Huo Fenglie’s voice, but there was a fight going on outside and it wasn’t quiet enough. Liu Zhenqing was covering his ears and couldn’t hear anything. He thought the sound was just breathing, unaware that these heavy breaths were whispering two words.

“Qing-ge…..”

Then the hand on his shoulder suddenly clenched. Liu Zhenqing felt the pain of Huo Fenglie’s grip, then an impact against his back as the other’s forehead fell onto it. The hand on his shoulder fell to his thin waist, and a chin landed on his shoulder. 

It was a quiet, intimate embrace from behind.

Liu Zhenqing hadn’t felt anything when this happened earlier in the day, but now he felt a little uncomfortable. He had no hearing or vision, but he still had his sense of smell.

Just as his mind was completely blank, he heard the driver say that he was able to continue on.

This voice startled Liu Zhenqing so much that his heart skipped a guilty beat.

And Er-gou behind him also released his grip. Perhaps due to embarrassment, he shrank back when Liu Zhenqing turned around to ask him how he was.

It wasn’t until Huo Fenglie got to Liu Manor, took the antidote, and fell into an exhausted slumber in Liu Zhenqing’s bed that the thrilling night came to an end.

But that night, Liu Zhenqing’s sleep was uneasy. In his dream, a giant wolf stared at him and pinned him down with its claws. Then the giant wolf lowered its head, as if about to feast.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 10 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 12

Chapter 15 – Sword Qi

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three-meter tall White-Nosed Demon Bear rushed Feng Ye. Every time its feet hit the ground, the rocks there trembled slightly.

The tips of its claws shone with a cold light as they stabbed toward Feng Ye. He didn’t move, but quickly assessed the situation. Should he take action?

“Shixiong!”

Before he could make a decision, Fang Yang’s voice abruptly sounded beside him.

A ray of silver light suddenly appeared from the side and blocked the claws heading toward him.

Feng Ye was momentarily stunned by the sight of Fang Yang running over to shield him, and he retracted the five fingers he had extended from his daoist robes.

He didn’t need to do anything.

Feng Ye made this judgement.

Was Fang Yang, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, unable to defeat the Foundation Establishment White-Nosed Demon Bear?

Indeed, he couldn’t win.

However, if Fang Yang had his help, that might not necessarily be the case.

Fang Yang intentionally drew the bear out of range of his Useless Shixiong, feeling like he was under double the pressure. He could still hold on for a while before, but it was different now. Every time his sword impacted the claws of the bear, the increase in force made his hands numb.

There were also several cracks in the iron sword. This wouldn’t work. He was simply unable to handle a monster in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Just when Fang Yang was about to shout for Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage to run away, a voice sounded in his ears.

It was the voice of that man whose origins were a mystery but whose voice was very pleasant.

“Don’t panic.”

These two short words should have been wan and powerless. 

But perhaps because the man’s voice was steady and composed, it inexplicably made Fang Yang want to trust him.

Fang Yang’s flustered heart calmed down. He was a little glad that he’d brought the bamboo slip with him.

“This monster has the upper hand in strength. Don’t fight it head-on. Use force in your wrists when you wield your sword. The sword’s momentum should be as swift as lightning and as lingering as water.”

Fang Yang did as he was instructed, and the numbness in his hands was substantially relieved. The crisp force generated by his wrist movements acted upon the body of the sword, causing it to break away from the bear’s claws as soon as it hit, thus negating most of the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s force.

“Huh?” Hao Chen exclaimed in surprise. When he first saw Feng Ye standing there motionless, he thought he’d misjudged the fellow, that he was hard-hearted and uninterested in doing anything for this cheap shidi he’d picked up.

Who would have thought that the silly, naive person he had never paid attention to could, against all expectations, block the attacks of a monster at Foundation Establishment stage.

Hiding his hands in his sleeves, Feng Ye pinched his fingers together and watched Fang Yang fighting the monster with a look of powerless anxiety.

Hao Chen glanced at Feng Ye’s expression and thought that even if Fang Yang was a little stronger than he’d thought, he would never be able to defeat a Foundation Establishment monster. He wanted to see if this so-called shixiong was that cruel-hearted.

Hao Chen wasn’t wrong. Although Fang Yang could temporarily wrangle the White-Nosed Demon Bear, he very soon showed signs of losing.

With a crack, the iron sword, which had collided with the bear’s claws several times, made a shattering sound under the heavy force.

This was an ordinary iron sword, which everyone in Lingxiao Sword Sect possessed. The fact that it could survive so many strikes from a monster showed that it was of extremely good quality.

At present, a visible crack appeared down the middle of the sword.

It was about to break.

Fang Yang panicked at this realization. Once the sword broke, he would be unarmed and at the mercy of the monster.

In his panic, Fang Yang made a mistake in his sword movements and the bear’s claws passed through the gap in his defense toward his side. Although Fang Yang made a timely correction, the bear’s claws still left a bloody wound on his left arm.

The scent of blood stimulated the White-Nosed Demon Bear, and its blood-red eyes darkened even more. The tip of its nose twitched slightly and it bared its fangs, filled with fighting spirit.

On the other side, the combination of a nearly broken sword and an injured arm almost made Fang Yang lose the courage to fight. He couldn’t help but take a step back.

“Don’t retreat!” 

The man’s voice suddenly became severe.

Fang Yang paused his retreat at this scolding, but the fear in his heart remained.

He looked at the giant bear that was rushing over again and shouted in a state of mental collapse: “I can’t beat it…..”

“Not necessarily.” The man answered. Time was running out, and his voice was hurried. “As it draws near, look for its weakness and deal a fatal blow.”

That was easy to say. Regardless of whether a weakness could be found, the ability of his nearly-broken iron sword to pierce the hard skin of this monster was still in question.

The giant bear was on Fang Yang in an instant. Because of the man’s scolding, Fang Yang was unable to escape. At present, he had no choice but to fight to the death.

He stared with wide, fearful eyes as the bear’s claws attacked from both sides.

Those claws were rushing toward his head, trying to smash it to pieces like a melon.

The bear opened its mouth wide, saliva flowing out along with a fishy smell.

Wait. This is the weak spot, Fang Yang suddenly realized.

While attacking, the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s biggest opening was exposed.

All he needed to do at this moment was draw his sword and pierce the demon bear’s mouth, dealing a fatal blow.

But…..but…..could the iron sword in his hand pierce the bear’s mouth…..or would it break upon impact?

Fang Yang didn’t know. He was hesitant and panicked. Four words echoed in his mind: It’s going to break…..

“It won’t break!” The man’s voice was firm.

“It really will break!” Fang Yang could clearly sense the condition of the sword in his hand. Although this Mysterious Big Brother was indeed very accomplished in swordsmanship, Fang Yang was the one actually holding the sword, and he was more willing to trust his own judgement.

“You’re a sword cultivator. If you can’t trust the sword in your hand, then what can you trust!” The man’s voice was slightly questioning.

Fang Yang’s heart, which had been full of fear and hesitation, immediately became firm. Yes, ah, as a sword cultivator, if he didn’t trust the sword in his hand, then what could he trust?

Forget it, he was going to die anyway.

Fang Yang hardened his heart and threw away all of his cowardice and doubts. His mind was blank. All he could see was a giant bear so tall that it had to bend down to attack him.

He ignored the incoming claws on both sides and the strong wind that practically stung his skin, focusing on the bear’s mouth that was getting closer and closer.

Then, at the critical moment, the man roared: “Now!”

Silver sword light flashed like lightning cracking through the night sky, piercing like a bolt into the bear’s mouth.

The tip of the sword hit its fangs. Although the teeth of the White-Nosed Demon Bear were not as sharp as its claws, they were also weapons that should not be underestimated.

The iron sword, which had been hanging on by a thread, unsurprisingly broke.

Due to the force of the reaction, the other half of the sword tumbled through the air dozens of meters away.

The eyes of Hao Chen, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, widened slightly in disbelief.

He saw the broken iron sword, but also…..a blade formed from spiritual power pierced through the mouth and nose of the White-Nosed Demon Bear and out the back of its head.

This was…..sword qi…..

Sword qi was a crucial watershed for sword cultivators. It was said that only when one truly cultivated sword qi could one be considered a sword cultivator.

However, there were no guidelines for understanding sword qi. It all depended on one’s comprehension and opportunities. Some dull-witted people might never be able to generate sword qi even if they had formed a golden core.

Even someone as talented as Cao Zirui was only able to do it when he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

This youth with mediocre talent could actually comprehend sword qi at the seventh level of Qi Refining?

How was this possible?

Hao Chen’s disbelief at this moment was exactly the same as Feng Ye’s when the White-Nosed Demon Bear suddenly advanced to Foundation Establishment earlier.

And similarly, after denying it in his innermost being, he immediately cast a suspicious look toward Feng Ye, who was standing there quietly.

Feng Ye noticed his gaze and offered an innocent smile.

Granted, he had helped a little. At the moment of life and death, Feng Ye had used his spiritual consciousness to guide Fang Yang in striking out with this indestructible sword.

But if Fang Yang hadn’t had the courage to advance, or had the slightest hesitation in his heart, his spiritual energy wouldn’t have been enough to condense into sword qi. The result would have only been failure.

He wouldn’t have died. After all, his cheap shixiong Feng Ye wasn’t that heartless. If it really didn’t work out, he would have stepped in.

But the result wouldn’t have been as ideal as the present. Fang Yang had released sword qi, and Feng Ye himself was not exposed.

Perfection, Feng Ye thought happily.

---

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Chapter 14 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 16

Chapter 13 – Creating Opportunities

“Roar!” The White-Nosed Demon Bear bellowed fiercely as it swung its claws toward Fang Yang’s head.

There was no doubt that if the bear’s claws found their mark, his head would shatter like a melon dropped on the ground.

Fang Yang concentrated his energy into his dantian and used all the spiritual power in his body to strengthen his muscles and bones. He held the blade of the sword above his head, blocking the bear’s deadly claws once again.

A drop of sweat dripped down Fang Yang’s forehead. He had been fighting the White-Nosed Demon Bear for several rounds, and although he’d followed the instructions of the Mysterious Big Brother, he could just barely hold on. His physical strength was far from comparable to that of this monster that had long been wandering the mountains and forests.

If this went on any longer, he was certain to lose.

He could, however, escape.

Fang Yang estimated that his time was almost up. With how long he had delayed, Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage should have already run far away. Now, if he could find a chance to flee, he would be out of danger.

Just as Fang Yang had this thought in mind, he suddenly heard a round of cheering and applause: “You can do it, Shidi!”

Fang Yang: “……”

He immediately exerted force, swinging his sword to knock away the more than three-meter-tall White-Nosed Demon Bear that was blocking his view.

Only then did he realize that the two people who were supposed to have run away as planned were still standing there. They hadn’t moved at all.

While he was fighting for his life here, those two were leisurely watching the show.

When he saw Fang Yang looking at him, Feng Ye smiled and waved.

Fang Yang: “……” So tired.

Feng Ye’s carefree expression suddenly changed, and he pointed behind Fang Yang as if in warning.

Fang Yang also sensed the danger behind him. He immediately ducked and rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the cunning White-Nosed Demon Bear’s sneak attack.

The bear missed its target, and due to the inertia of its forward charge, it continued forward a few steps before stopping.

Fang Yang was on high alert, ready to deal with the monster once it turned around and charged him again. But unexpectedly…..the White-Nosed Demon Bear must have felt that the shortest human was too difficult to deal with, so it changed its opponent.

And rushed straight toward Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

Feng Ye’s smile and Hao Chen’s fanning movements stopped simultaneously.

The two exchanged glances, then tacitly ran in opposite directions. The White-Nosed Demon Bear looked left and right, sniffed with its white nose, and selected Hao Chen.

Feng Ye’s footsteps paused. He looked at Hao Chen being chased by the bear and said with feigned concern: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, run faster or its claws will get you~”

Feng Ye’s gloating was clearly evident in his rising tone.

Hao Chen narrowed his eyes and came to a sudden stop.

The three-meter-tall bear was like a small mountain, completely blocking Hao Chen.

Feng Ye briefly lost sight of him.

Seeing that the bear’s claws were about to hit him, Hao Chen swiftly raised his fan to intercept them. This fan looked like an ordinary folding fan, but under the claws of a bear that could easily break bones, there was not even a crack on it.

Hao Chen’s hand holding the fan was also very steady. When Fang Yang was fighting against the bear’s claws, he could just barely cope with the force behind the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s strikes. But Hao Chen’s hand was as steady as solid rock, and the bear’s claws were unable to advance in the slightest.

Having blocked the bear’s attack, Hao Chen would be able to directly fling away the giant bear with only a little effort.

But he didn’t do so. He simply blocked the attack and used the cover of the bear’s body to make a gesture with his free left hand.

Spiritual energy was invisibly injected into the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s dantian.

The bear’s body abruptly froze.

At this point, Fang Yang saw that the situation wasn’t good and rushed over to help.

He drew his sword behind the White-Nosed Demon Bear, intending to divert its attention and rescue Hao-dage. 

But contrary to expectations, the bear didn’t even dodge the sharp sword stabbing at it from behind.

Just as the astonished Fang Yang thought he was about to succeed, immensely strong spiritual energy began to spread out in all directions with the bear as the epicenter.

With a bang, the powerful spiritual energy threw Fang Yang into the air, and he only stopped when he hit a nearby tree.

Feng Ye took a step forward with his right foot and stood in place, stabilizing his body.

The spreading spiritual power was like a whirlwind, making his robes flap.

His brow furrowed as he observed the giant bear whose spiritual energy had suddenly surged.

“Roar!” A bellow louder than any previous one sounded, practically breaking their eardrums.

The White-Nosed Demon Bear’s body swelled as it roared. It instantly grew taller at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the tips of its claws hanging at its sides became sharper.

Panting heavily, the White-Nosed Demon Bear slowly turned its head. Its eyes were red as blood, its pupils flashing with tyrannical fury and killing intent.

“Foundation Establishment stage…..” Feng Ye murmured, staring up at the bear hungrily eyeing him.

This monster had actually broken through the threshold from the tenth level of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment in an instant and advanced.

This was utterly impossible. Not to mention that the upper limit of commonplace monsters like the White-Nosed Demon Bear was the tenth level of Qi Refining, an inexplicable breakthrough mid-battle was absolutely not something that could happen.

It was extremely difficult for monsters to advance, and it usually took dozens to hundreds of years of accumulation to break through to the next level. How could it suddenly advance like this?

Someone must be playing tricks. Feng Ye’s gaze bypassed the giant bear to land on Hao Chen, who stood behind the monster with his fan covering the corners of his lips.

Hao Chen’s eyebrows were curved, giving him an innocent and gentle appearance.  

But if the corners of his lips hidden by the fan were unveiled, his expression would look completely different.

In sum, he had been here for two days. Not only had he questioned Fang Yang, but he had also tried to question other disciples of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

However, apart from finding out that he had inexplicably become Feng Ye’s dual cultivation partner, Hao Chen was unable to obtain any information.

Unlike Feng Ye, who was still unaware of the situation, Hao Chen had happened to learn of this groundless gossip while chatting with Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples the previous afternoon. But although he was surprised, he didn’t deny it. Instead, he halfway went with the flow and accepted this identity. After all, such an identity would help him gain more information.

But even so, he was unable to gain anything valuable. Feng Ye was completely leak-proof. Nobody was aware of his true identity or actual strength.

Since there was no opportunity, he would create one.

Hao Chen decided to take the initiative to attack. Fang Yang, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, would certainly be unable to take on a monster at Foundation Establishment stage. If Feng Ye didn’t want his naive little shidi to die in vain, he would have to take action himself.

And as long as Feng Ye made a move, Hao Chen would at least be able to glean some clues from the way he attacked.

Hao Chen looked at Feng Ye from a distance with a playful smile. The corners of his lips curled behind his fan, and he said silently: “Will you help this time or not? Hehe…..”

---

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Chapter 13 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 15

That summer, the emperor’s youngest brother, King Huai, married the second daughter of Duke Shou An. This was naturally a huge event in the capital, and was even handled by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself.

There were few people in Shou An Manor, so Liu Zhenqing naturally invited a bunch of his friends to help out, waiting for this uncle to come pick up his bride.

Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing were standing at the door when Li Xingruo exited the auntie’s room.

Liu Zhenqing stepped forward and asked: “How is she?”

“Fine, it’s just morning sickness. It won’t affect anything.” Li Xingruo said disdainfully, “Can’t you look at the situation and come to that conclusion yourself? If Master knew of this, he would definitely punish you.”

“Women are more accurate at diagnosing women, ah,” Liu Zhenqing said innocently.

“I heard that after your aunt marries King Huai, she’ll go to Nanfeng City, which is near the Western Shu Kingdom,” Huo Feihan said.

Liu Zhenqing nodded and said: “Yes. This is a good ending.”

The old emperor’s health was getting worse, and the crown prince had already been allowed to take up governance of the country. If the old emperor hadn’t been reluctant to give up the power in his hands, he could have become Taishang Huang, a retired, living emperor who gave the throne to his son. But the court had already accomplished a smooth transition, and the three kings basically knew there was no hope for them.

King Huai was the first to withdraw, and asked for an Imperial decree of marriage. 

Liu Zhenqing guessed it had something to do with him getting his aunt pregnant out of wedlock.

Outsiders didn’t know the inside story, and Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo had only found out about it shortly before.

The girl from Shou An manor had initially claimed that she was in ill health and needed to recuperate, and stayed at home. Residents of the capital nearly forgot about this person, but when King Huai suddenly requested a marriage, everyone suddenly remembered that Liu Zhenqing had an aunt.

In the entire manor, only the duke and Liu Zhenqing knew the entire story.

His aunt was not recuperating from illness, but had a secret private life with King Huai. The old duke said that if she followed him in his plot to seize the throne, she would no longer be his daughter, so their relationship was not made public. It wasn’t until King Huai had completely given up his ambition that the old duke gave the nod and agreed to their marriage.

So after the marriage, King Huai would take his aunt away from the capital and go to the southernmost fiefdom, where they would spend the rest of their lives in peace while guarding Great Zhou. This also prevented outsiders from discovering that she had become pregnant before marriage.

Very soon, the wedding procession arrived. As Liu Zhenqing carefully carried his aunt out of the house, he could sense that she was tense.

He naturally understood why, and whispered: “Auntie, it’s okay. If Shimei says it’s fine, then it’s fine. She’s not a half-baked doctor like your nephew, hahaha.”

She was obviously amused, but as the two exited the duke’s manor, his aunt’s tears still wet Liu Zhenqing’s collar.

“Xiting, I’ll leave Grandpa in your care,” said his aunt. Her voice was choked with tears.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. Grandpa has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. When my future cousin is born, I’ll bring Grandpa to visit you.”

His auntie breathed a sigh of relief and said: “Okay. I also hope that by then, you’ll bring along your future spouse.”

“Hahaha, of course, of course.”

When handing her over to King Huai, Liu Zhenqing called him “Uncle” with a smile.

King Huai was naturally not fond of the brat in front of him. He had been deceived by him many times in their secret past confrontations. 

At that time, King Huai couldn’t help but think that if this kid were willing to assist him, he would definitely be the one sitting on the throne. But he would not use his beloved spouse to curry favor with someone. Now that the situation was hopeless, he just let it go.

But he was still extremely unsure, so he took advantage of their close proximity and the noise around them to whisper: “Since you can call me ‘uncle,’ why didn’t you help me before?”

He should know that if King Huai took the throne, his status would be higher than what it was now.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Naturally, I did what was best for the common people of the world.”

King Huai gave him a doubtful look.

“The world needs stability, and Great Zhou needs a benevolent ruler.”

King Huai got the gist of it. He was a war hawk. Before seizing the throne, he had been thinking about how to quickly expand his territory once he was in power, as well as which countries to attack. He longed for the prosperity and greatness of ages past, and wanted to take back all of the territories that used to belong to their Great Zhou, but the current Great Zhou could not support his ideals.

King Huai dully withdrew his gaze. Nowadays, what he cared about the most was the person in the carriage behind him.

Liu Zhenqing and the others followed the wedding procession as it set off. Since it was the crown prince who organized the events, the two didn’t have separate banquets but instead gathered in the same place. 

Li Xingruo was not willing to get into the carriage with the ladies. They would definitely urge her to have children, but she didn’t want a baby for the time being and didn’t want her peace and quiet to be disturbed. However, even though she was already married, she was advised by the older women around her to behave herself a little. No woman should ride a horse on such an occasion. 

But in the next second, Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing arrived on horseback to find her.

Huo Feihan immediately reached out to her. Li Xingruo’s lips curved into a smile, and under the disapproving looks of the crowd, Huo Feihan directly pulled her onto the horse so they could ride together.

Liu Zhenqing joked with a laugh: “Be careful the Huo family elders don’t see you.”

Just as Li Xingruo was about to retort, Huo Feihan chuckled: “It doesn’t matter. Ruoruo can do whatever she likes.”

Full of pride, Li Xingruo instantly raised her eyebrows at Liu Zhenqing and said sarcastically: “I see that you still ride crooked. Why don’t you take a carriage so that you don’t fall off?”

“Don’t insult me!” Liu Zhenqing scoffed. “My riding skills have improved a lot!”

But the slap in the face always arrived too quickly. When they were approaching the palace gates, it was so crowded with guests that his horse was startled. 

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t hold the horse back, and it reared up.

Huo Feihan saw this and was about to fly up and save him, but Li Xingruo stopped him.

Because Li Xingruo had already spotted the person jumping down from the palace.

It was Huo Fenglie, who had been called by Yuan Jue to accompany him and the crown prince.

In a flash, Huo Fenglie leaped high into the air and landed steadily beside Liu Zhenqing.

Before Liu Zhenqing could react, the reins in his hand were taken away.

A shout was heard, and along with the tightening of the reins, the horse’s entire front practically lifted up.

Liu Zhenqing slid backward and fell into the arms of the person behind him. That person had a strong chest, and even in this mid-air state, Liu Zhenqing felt as safe as if he was leaning against a solid wall.

The horse was tamed in a few moments, having caused almost no trouble to the surrounding area.

Liu Zhenqing pretended to be calm, but he was breathing rapidly. He heard a soft voice of comfort from behind: “Qing-ge, it’s okay.”

Huo Feihan rode up with Li Xingruo and said: “Is everything alright?”

Liu Zhenqing managed to calm himself: “Just a small problem.” Then he turned to look behind him in pleasant surprise: “All thanks to Er-gou.”

Standing beneath the sun, this youth had grown up a lot. The angles of his face had become more shapely, to the point that young girls would blush upon seeing him. But in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes, there wasn’t much difference.

Although Huo Fenglie had grown rapidly in recent years, he was still only as tall as his Qing-ge and was ten years younger than him, so he could barely hold him. Huo Fenglie lowered his arms, keeping one hand on the reins and the other arm around Liu Zhenqing’s slender waist.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t notice anything wrong. After all, they were always close like this.

The palace steward came forward anxiously to express his concern, but Liu Zhenqing just smiled with a wave of his hand and let him go see to his work. Then the two people continued riding together with Huo Fenglie handling the horse. Liu Zhenqing was lazy, and just used Huo Fenglie as a pillow to recline against. As long as Er-gou was there, he didn’t need to worry.

When they arrived at the place where the horses were tied, Liu Zhenqing and Li Xingruo stopped bickering. Li Xingruo had mocked him for the situation just now, and Liu Zhenqing had turned around and said that she had a crow’s mouth. 

Huo Feihan lifted his wife down from the horse and tidied her dress. Huo Fenglie dismounted first and waited for Liu Zhenqing to come down, even supporting his waist with one hand so that he wouldn’t strain himself.

After everyone was on their feet, Liu Zhenqing was about to thank Huo Fenglie for showing up in time before he could embarrass himself – but he saw Huo Fenglie holding his hand, looking down with a solemn expression.

Because of the events just now, Liu Zhenqing had stark, painful-looking red marks on his hand.

Huo Fenglie turned and said to Li Xingruo: “Sister-in-law, do you have any ointment?”

Li Xingruo and Huo Fenglie were startled, thinking that he was injured. But when they stepped forward to take a look, Li Xingruo said speechlessly: “Something like this needs ointment? No use worrying about it. It’ll be gone in a quarter of a shichen.”

She then gave Liu Zhenqing a blank look.

When Liu Zhenqing finally reacted, he didn’t know what to say: “Why are you griping at me? I’m not the one who asked. Er-gou, do you think I’m made of porcelain?” 

Liu Zhenqing started to pull his hand back in amusement.

“But…..it should hurt.” Huo Fenglie frowned as if unwilling to let go, and sent him a conflicted look.

Li Xingruo immediately sent Huo Feihan a look. In the Huo family, from oldest to youngest, no one had enjoyed such attentive care from Huo Fenglie.

Although Huo Fenglie was still young, he had reached the age of first romance. And Liu Zhenqing hadn’t reacted yet despite Er-gou showing such care toward him?

But in the next second, Liu Zhenqing stretched his hand out to Huo Fenglie and said with a coaxing smile: “Then Er-gou should blow on it for me and Qing-ge won’t hurt anymore, hahaha.”

Seeing this person laugh so heartlessly, the two onlookers were speechless and sent Huo Fenglie looks of sympathy.

However, Huo Fenglie dithered for a moment before obediently blowing for Liu Zhenqing.

It didn’t really hurt, but it did tingle a bit when air was blown on it. Liu Zhenqing had originally wanted to embarrass the kid, and hadn’t expected him to actually take it seriously. All of a sudden, there was an unfamiliar feeling in Liu Zhenqing’s heart.

But this feeling soon vanished. Liu Zhenqing raised a hand and pinched Huo Fenglie’s increasingly straight and handsome nose, saying playfully: “Be good.”

Presently, the four of them went to watch the wedding ceremony.

“Sure enough, girls really do look good in red wedding dresses,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile. Perhaps it was because they usually didn’t wear bright red, so when they put the dress on, they looked extremely stunning.

“En, Ruoruo was also very…..” 

Li Xingruo poked him before Huo Feihan could finish his words: “What do you mean, do I not look good now?”

Huo Feihan, a simple man, realized he’d said the wrong thing and quickly apologized.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head and laughed. Li Xingruo switched targets and said: “Yes, they look good. But don’t you look the best wearing one?”

Suddenly reminded of his dark history, Liu Zhenqing was about to retort when he heard Li Xingruo say to the dazed Huo Fenglie: “Right, Fenglie? Isn’t your Qing-ge the most beautiful in a red wedding dress?”

Liu Zhenqing immediately became interested and turned to look at Huo Fenglie, awaiting his answer.

Huo Fenglie came to his senses with a start. His cheeks reddened uncontrollably, and he immediately nodded twice in silence.

Liu Zhenqing laughed and put an arm around Huo Fenglie’s shoulders, saying: “Er-gou has good taste, but you can’t hold people up to your Qing-ge’s standards in the future. You’ll definitely never find my match in this lifetime.”

Li Xingruo immediately complained: “How do you have the face to say such things?”

“Am I wrong? I look better in women’s clothes than Song Xingmu.”

“But back then, you clearly told my brother to find someone who measures up to your standards,” Huo Feihan recalled.

Liu Zhenqing exclaimed: “Did I say that? Hahaha, I forgot.”

“Irresponsible.” Li Xingruo said to Huo Fenglie with a sly smile: “Fenglie, if you can’t find someone like that in the future, blame him and make him take responsibility.”

Huo Fenglie only felt more ill at ease when he heard this.

The thick-skinned Liu Zhenqing, on the other hand, said directly: “Okay, okay, okay, I’ll take responsibility.”

“How will you take responsibility? Marry Fenglie and become his wife?” Li Xingruo asked at once.

“I…..” Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and couldn’t react for a moment. As he was thinking of how to retort, the wedding ceremony ended.

When the banquet started, there was naturally no seat for Huo Fenglie at Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing’s table.

Huo Fenglie could only go back and accompany Yuan Jue. The young prince looked at the absent-minded Huo Fenglie and raised an eyebrow, saying: “I’ve found that wherever Laoshi is, your attention is always on him.”

Yuan Jue was a clever person, and had already noticed something.

Huo Fenglie didn’t deny it. He just said: “I’m usually at the East Palace now and don’t go to the Imperial Academy anymore. I rarely have time to see Qing-ge.”

Yuan Jue said with a smile: “You blame me? I was thinking of waiting for my father to ascend the throne, and then asking him to grant you a marriage!”

Yuan Jue didn’t think there was anything wrong with Huo Fenglie being in love with Liu Zhenqing, who was ten years older than him. Huo Fenglie had been by the side of this brilliant, handsome man day and night since childhood. How could his young heart not be moved? But Yuan Jue had heard that his teacher intended to marry a beautiful woman, and didn’t know if his good brother could accomplish his goal.

When he heard Yuan Jue’s proposal, Huo Fenglie shook his head: “Qing-ge says that if the two parties aren’t in love, an arranged marriage counts as buying and selling people. He doesn’t like it.”

Yuan Jue didn’t understand why he wouldn’t take the shortcut, but he was just watching the fun.

It was already dark when Yuan Jue was taken away and Huo Fenglie had time to look for Liu Zhenqing.

On the way, he met a young man who offered him a toast.

“Thank you for what happened in the palace the day before last!”

Huo Fenglie recalled that he was a relative of the commander of the Jinyiwei, and was currently a guard in the palace. “You’re welcome. It was my duty.”

“That little eunuch…..”

“I sent him to the Dongchang. He should be fine,” Huo Fenglie said.

Young He Lan breathed a sigh of relief. The two had just gotten to know each other, and although their personalities meshed well, they hadn’t spoken much. After saying a quick goodbye, Huo Fenglie went to the main hall, but he had lost track of Liu Zhenqing.

He looked around and spotted Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo conversing under a tree.

When he asked them about Liu Zhenqing, Huo Feihan finally recalled: “Oh, someone invited him to the Drunken Spring to watch the courtesans. He seems to have agreed…..”

Before Huo Feihan could finish speaking, Huo Fenglie used qinggong to fly away.

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(Alt Universe) Extra 9 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 11

Pei Xi stared at him for a long time before finally asking with mixed feelings: “How did you get here?”

He Chuzhou: “I drove. Why?”

Pei Xi left him with: “Stay here for a while with your dog and wait for me.” He went to the bedroom and got ready as quickly as possible, then returned to the door. “Let’s go.”

He Chuzhou didn’t understand: “Go where?”

Pei Xi lowered his head and changed his shoes: “To the hospital.”

He Chuzhou instantly became nervous: “Are you feeling unwell? Where does it hurt? Is it —”

“I’m not feeling unwell,” Pei Xi cut in impatiently. “You’re the one who needs to see a doctor.”

He Chuzhou: “Me? I’m not feeling unwell, ah.”

Pei Xi: “You are.”

He Chuzhou: “I’m really not.”

Pei Xi didn’t want to argue with him: “Didn’t you say you would obey me? If I tell you to go to the hospital now, will you go or not?”

He Chuzhou was hit at a critical point, and changed his words at lightning speed: “I’ll go.”

Pei Xi grabbed the car keys and started to leave. He Chuzhou, however, remained standing in the middle of the door, blocking it.

Pei Xi: “What is it?”

With an innocent look on his face, He Chuzhou pointed to the spot next to him: “Xixi, my luggage hasn’t been unpacked.”

How could Pei Xi actually let him stay here?

He had done his best by letting him stay one night and taking off work to bring him to a doctor: “I haven’t agreed to let you stay here. Don’t leave it here with me, take it back to your own home.”

He Chuzhou didn’t reply to this topic. He just looked over at the dog and whispered: “Pets aren’t allowed in the hospital.”

Pei Xi: “Let him wait in the car.”

He Chuzhou: “But Xingxing is a little carsick. I’m afraid he’ll vomit if he goes in the car again.”

Pei Xi paused for a moment, not because of the lame car sickness excuse, but because: “What did you call him?”

He Chuzhou: “Xingxing, ah. Why?”

Pei Xi: “His name is Xinxin?”

He Chuzhou nodded: “What’s wrong with it? You’re the one who named him.”

Pei Xi felt that things were becoming more and more absurd: “When did I name him?”

He Chuzhou opened his mouth and said: “When we first got married, and you came to my house and saw him for the first time. You said his eyes were as round and beautiful as stars.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Change it back.”

He Chuzhou: “Change what back?”

Pei Xi: “What was the dog’s name before? Change it back to his original name.”

He Chuzhou: “Why?”

Pei Xi’s already limited patience was completely exhausted: “If you ask me why again, I’ll call security to kick you out.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay, okay, I won’t ask again. I’ll listen to you. If you say so, I’ll change it. Xing……no, Shitbag, did you hear that? Remember, your name has been changed back from today on.”

The border collie lay on the ground and whimpered. His ears drooped back, and it was unclear whether he was answering to his name or protesting it.

He Chuzhou wanted to take credit, but found that the other’s expression was a little strange. Thinking he’d done something wrong again, he asked cautiously: “Xixi, is there anything else you’re dissatisfied with?”

Pei Xi: “No. Let’s go.”

He Chuzhou: “Then Shitbag and my luggage……”

Pei Xi took a deep breath: “Put it inside. Hurry up, you’ve already wasted a lot of my time.”

He Chuzhou beamed with pleasure: “Okay!”

Since he couldn’t move this big Buddha away for the time being, there was no need to drive two vehicles.

Pei Xi sat in He Chuzhou’s passenger seat, thinking that if He Chuzhou didn’t need to be hospitalized, he would tell him to come back and take away his dog and his luggage.

In short, he shouldn’t even think about moving in. Pei Xi had no obligation to keep him. 

He Chuzhou stayed behind him the whole time they waited in the registration queue, following him closely and quietly, as obedient and well-behaved as a human-shaped pet.

Other than asking half a question in confusion when he saw Pei Xi making an appointment with a brain specialist.

As for why it was half a question, the reason was very simple. Pei Xi gave him a mild glance, and when his pet received the warning, he rubbed his nose and obediently shut up.

It’s fine, it’s not a big problem, He Chuzhou thought.

His wife’s new rule was that he didn’t like to be asked anything. Although the reason was unknown, the correct thing to do was to follow it blindly.

While they waited, they were unlucky enough to run into an employee from He Group headquarters.

The employee spied He Chuzhou first, and after greeting him, he discovered Pei Xi sitting next to him. His eyes immediately widened, and his expression became somewhat complex.

Pei Xi’s heart was also suspended.

He Chuzhou was currently in an abnormal state of mind. Who knew what nonsense he would say to his employee?

As he was worrying over whether to drag this person away, He Chuzhou spoke up so fast that Pei Xi didn’t have time to cover his mouth: “En, I came here because of a cold. What about you? Is there any big problem?”

The employee was flattered to receive one-on-one care from the big boss: “No, no, no, I have a common cold just like you. I can go back to work after getting an injection.”

He Chuzhou nodded, saying casually: “Okay, but if you really don’t feel well, don’t push yourself. The company has benefits. Please contact your supervisor and ask for sick leave.”

The employee nodded repeatedly. Before leaving, he couldn’t help but glance between the two of them.

Although they were sitting together, both of them were looking at their phones, one indolent and the other indifferent. There was no eye contact or verbal communication throughout the whole process, nor was there physical contact. This was no different than strangers meeting by chance at a hospital.

He seemed to have misunderstood. How could people so incompatible have come to the hospital together?

But why did he keep feeling like something wasn’t right?

Pei Xi noticed from the corner of his eye that the employee had already walked out the hospital gate and immediately looked at He Chuzhou, eyes full of suspicion and scrutiny.

He Chuzhou blinked: “What’s wrong?”

Pei Xi said in a cold voice: “Are you pretending?”

He was shameless behind others’ backs, but very dignified in front of them. Could it be that this person hadn’t lost his memory at all, and had been playing a trick on him from the start?

At the thought of this possibility, he became so angry that he even wanted to throw the registration forms at this liar’s face and walk away.

“Yeah,” He Chuzhou said.

But before Pei Xi’s expression could completely transform, he added the other half of his sentence rather aggrievedly: “Didn’t you say that you don’t want others to know about our relationship?”

Pei Xi’s anger seemed to burn on a pile of dry sand. The fire inexplicably went out, and he was stifled for a long time, not knowing what to say.

He Chuzhou’s bold complaints weren’t over yet: “I’m so miserable. I’m already married, but I don’t have a legitimate status.” 

He Chuzhou: “There are a lot of girls in our employee group who secretly call you ‘husband.’ I told the administrators to ban them from posting, but they still refused to stop.”

He Chuzhou: “Oh, and there are a few male interns who are so bold as to say that they’ll pursue you once they have money. The hell are they pursuing when they haven’t even grown all their hair yet? Taking a salary from me and still pursuing my wife? They’re just asking for trouble…..”

Pei Xi’s face switched from one shade to another. In the end, he couldn’t bear to listen any longer and pulled him to his feet: “Shut up and go upstairs. It’s your turn soon.”

It was the same doctor as last time. He was very calm about the situation Pei Xi described: “There have been previous cases of intermittent sequelae. Rest at ease, this is a normal phenomenon.”

Pei Xi: “Is there no pattern to this? Or can it happen at any time?”

The doctor: “There should naturally be some kind of pattern. The patient’s family should pay attention to it.”

The doctor: “Oh, yes, there is one particular thing you should pay attention to. The brain of such a patient is more fragile, and he should not be stimulated. Otherwise the recovery speed will be slowed down at best, and at worst, he will not regain the ability to think normally in the future.”

Pei Xi understood this as: “He could become mentally handicapped in the end?”

The doctor: “Well……you’re not wrong.”

This sounded very troublesome. Pei Xi could only ask again: “What do you mean by ‘stimulation?’”

The doctor: “According to the patient’s current situation, try to communicate with him according to his thinking. It’s best not to force correction.”

Pei Xi understood. 

He Chuzhou was currently playing house, and not only could Pei Xi not tell him he was mentally ill, he had to play house with him.

What had he done wrong to deserve this?

Due to the special circumstances, He Chuzhou was not allowed to enter, and sat waiting alone in the corridor.

He had initially been firm in his belief that there was nothing wrong with him, but upon seeing Pei Xi come out with a bad look on his face, his heart began to hang in the air.

On the way back, he carefully considered his tone before asking Pei Xi: “Xixi, there’s nothing wrong with my brain, is there?”

Pei Xi: “There is.”

He Chuzhou’s heart tensed: “What’s the problem?”

Pei Xi: “The doctor said you’re mentally handicapped.”

He Chuzhou: “Ah?”

Pei Xi didn’t answer, and continued to look out the window. This made it impossible for He Chuzhou to observe his expression, and he could only guess anxiously: “Xixi, are you crying?”

“ ? ” Pei Xi turned his head with a perplexed look. “Why would I be crying?”

He Chuzhou: “Even though I have a terminal tumor or something and the doctor says there’s no cure, you’re keeping it a secret from me and enduring the grief and burden all by yourself—”

Pei Xi: “…..Be quiet.”

He Chuzhou shut up.

Pei Xi made up an excuse: “You’re not sick, nor do you have a terminal illness. It’s just that lack of sleep has caused some temporary memory loss. Don’t make drama for yourself.”

A question mark slowly appeared above He Chuzhou’s head: “I don’t get enough sleep even though I sleep ten hours per day? Do I need to sleep twelve hours per day?”

Pei Xi gave a casual hum, then reacted two seconds later in disbelief: “You sleep ten hours per day?”

He Chuzhou was puzzled: “Don’t we both?”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Do you not work?”

He Chuzhou: “Aren’t there still fourteen hours left?”

Pei Xi: “……”

He’d almost forgotten that he was arguing with a rich second-generation who was full of nonsense.

The corners of his mouth pulled back, and he continued to recline and look out the window: “Then that means you’re getting too much sleep. Reduce it by two hours from now on.”

He didn’t seem to want to chat. He Chuzhou very wisely quieted down and also turned down the volume of the music in the car to make it easier for him to rest.

Once they arrived home, the first thing Pei Xi did was go to the bedroom and change clothes. Then he came out to chase this person away: “Take your dog and luggage with you and go back on your own.”

He Chuzhou’s face fell once more.

Pei Xi didn’t care if he looked depressed. He just remembered the doctor’s orders and added a sentence to go along with He Chuzhou’s logic: “From today on, we are separated.”

He said this lightly, but it was like a bolt from the blue to He Chuzhou: “…..Xixi, you want to separate from me?”

Pei Xi nodded: “Yes. Not only separate, but divorce.”

As he finished speaking, the eyes of the person in front of him reddened. Those eyes that seemed to always be full of deep affection were now filled with sorrow, and Pei Xi felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

But he had clearly done nothing wrong. He was just an innocent bystander.

He uncomfortably avoided He Chuzhou’s pleading gaze, planning to cut the Gordian knot and rid himself of this person once and for all, but the phone rang at an inopportune time.

It was his father, who was accompanying his second son to relax abroad and was checking in on him as usual. Pei Xi could only distractedly pick up the call first.

Pei Yansong was still using the same old words. First, he talked about what he’d heard about the company’s current situation, then asked Pei Xi about his plans for future work, and finally pointed out the issues that he unilaterally thought needed improvement.

Whether those things would change or not was still to be decided, but Pei Xi just agreed: “Understood. Don’t worry, I’ll solve those issues—”

Pei Xi was caught off guard when his cell phone was suddenly snatched out of his hand. He froze with his hand next to his ear for two seconds, but these short two seconds gave a certain person enough room to perform.

He Chuzhou had not yet recovered from the shock of being asked to divorce. With red eyes and a hoarse voice, he said into the phone: “Pei Yansong, don’t go too far!”

“Don’t forget that you sold your son to me. He’s mine now and has nothing to do with you. What qualifications do you have to tell him what to do?”

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Extra 1 << Table of Contents >> Extra 3

Chapter 13 – Competing

“The White-Nosed Demon Bear is a common low-level demonic beast with violent and aggressive tendencies. An adult White-Nosed Demon Bear is over three meters tall, with a cultivation level equivalent to a cultivator at the Qi Refining stage.” Feng Ye raised his eyes and took the measure of the creature standing ten meters away, which was an entire head taller than him, estimating: “The one in front of us should be an adult.”

Clap, clap, clap. Hao Chen clapped, then praised with a smile: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is so knowledgeable.”

“Fellow Daoist Hao Chen thinks too highly of me. The White-Nosed Demon Bear is the most difficult monster to deal with on our back mountain culling list. All disciples of Lingxiao Sword Sect are knowledgeable about this monster. Also…..”

Feng Ye changed the subject, turning to Hao Chen with a sheepish look on his face: “To be honest, I’m not very strong. I’m only at the third level of Qi Refining. Fellow Daoist Hao Chen is at a higher level than me, so I’ll leave this White-Nosed Demon Bear in your care.”

Hao Chen maintained his smile and kicked the ball back: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye may not be aware, but although I’m at the fourth level of Qi Refining, I gained this level by taking medicinal pills. My foundation isn’t stable, and my actual strength is only at the second level of Qi Refining. Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is still a little better.”

“No, no, no, my cultivation isn’t very stable either. As Fellow Daoist Hao Chen has seen over the past few days, my swordsmanship has been neglected for too long, and I really don’t have the ability to deal with such a monster.”

“Roar!” As if to confirm Feng Ye’s words, the White-Nosed Demon Bear opposite roared. A flock of unknown birds in the forest were startled, and fled quickly with flapping wings.

The roar created a wave of sound that caused Feng Ye and Hao Chen’s daoist robes to sway, but the two men stayed firmly on their feet without taking a single step back.

Although they didn’t retreat, they also had no intention of advancing.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye also knows that our Tiangong Pavilion is a sect that focuses on the refinement of weapons. In terms of combat ability, ten of our disciples may not be able to match one disciple of your sect. Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, don’t be so modest. Your strength is definitely superior to mine.”

Fang Yang, standing behind them, listened to their conversation with an expressionless face.

He wasn’t surprised at all that the two men before him continued to shirk their responsibilities and make all kinds of excuses.

The friend of his Useless Shixiong was, of course, another useless person.

These two losers seemed to have similar interests, and were actually competing with one another to see who was the most useless one.

What was there to compare? The world of losers was too hard to understand.

Fang Yang looked up at the sky. He began to have regrets.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have promised his Useless Shixiong yesterday that he could accompany him to look for miasma-dispelling herbs.

This morning, he, Useless Shixiong, and Useless Shixiong’s good friend Hao-dage had gone up the mountain together. The beginning was relatively smooth. Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage bickered as they walked, while Fang Yang concentrated on picking herbs.

But as the two of them were bickering, some strange things started to happen around them. For example, a branch suddenly fell on Useless Shixiong’s head, and then a bigger branch fell on the head of Hao-dage.

Useless Shixiong tripped on a stone that suddenly appeared under his feet, and Hao-dage took fewer than three steps with a smile on his face before also tripping on a stone.

Later, it got even worse. A tree near Useless-shixiong suddenly fell down, hitting Useless Shixiong and no one else. 

Standing to the side, Hao-dage asked with concern if Useless Shixiong was injured. Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, the tree behind him suddenly collapsed, hitting him and no one else.

And Fang Yang attributed all of these things to…..bad luck.

Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage were too unlucky. Unlike him, who didn’t encounter any obstacles along the way. Falling branches, stumbling stones, and abruptly collapsing trees – none of it had to do with him.

But this current event certainly did.

Coincidentally, those two fallen trees were the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s favorite fruit trees.

When the fruit trees fell, the fruits themselves were naturally not spared. The smashed fruit oozed juices, and the fragrance attracted a nearby White-Nosed Demon Bear.

Thus, the scene before them.

Faced with a White-Nosed Demon Bear hungrily eyeing them ten meters away, Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage still did not stop bickering.

The two of them became increasingly animated as they talked, belittling themselves to the point of worthlessness. After comparing themselves for so long, which one of them was the most useless was still undetermined. 

Fang Yang was getting tired of listening to it.

Thud, thud, thud.

Dull footsteps approached.

It seemed the White-Nosed Demon Bear was also getting tired of listening to it. Although it was a demonic beast, its intelligence wasn’t low. After all, it wouldn’t be able to top the list of the most difficult beasts in the back mountain by relying on force alone.

Before attacking, it observed the three humans in front of it for a while and felt that they didn’t pose a threat, so it rushed over and brandished its enormous bear claws.

The three-meter-tall bear’s running speed was not lowered by its size. It took only a breath of time for it to rush in front of Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

And the two people continued to stand there motionless, one with crossed arms and the other waving a fan.

“Roar!” The White-Nosed Demon Bear roared again.

Due to the close distance, along with the sound of their sleeves blowing, the three of them now smelled the pungent, fishy odor of the bear’s mouth.

Huge claws swiped down from above, capable of tearing apart the hardest human skull.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, if you don’t do something, we’re going to die.” Feng Ye looked up at the claws that were bearing down toward his head.

“Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, don’t worry. Being able to perish with you is enough for me in this life.”

Fang Yang: “……”

He lamented inwardly that although he was the least in both height and age, he felt that he was the only adult present and must shoulder the responsibility of protecting these two wastes.

Moreover, he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He didn’t understand why Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage automatically ignored him when deciding who would fight the White-Nosed Demon Bear.

Although this adult bear possessed the strength of someone at the tenth level of Qi Refining, he didn’t need to defeat it. He just needed to delay it for long enough that Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage could escape.

Fang Yang was confident in himself, so he pushed aside the two people blocking his way and used the iron sword he had brought up the mountain for self defense, slashing diagonally from bottom to top.

This was not the first time this White-Nosed Demon Bear had dealt with human cultivators, and it knew the power of this cold-shining metal. The claws swinging down suddenly changed direction mid-air.

With a clang, the tip of the sword hit the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s hardest claw.

At the seventh level of Qi Refining, a cultivator’s physical fitness was greatly enhanced, far surpassing that of ordinary mortals. But it was entirely incomparable to the natural advantages of monsters.

The White-Nosed Demon Bear was also renowned for its strength, which was at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

As a result of the collison, Fang Yang was knocked back five to six meters by the force transmitted through his sword.

Fang Yang’s proactive behavior angered the White-Nosed Demon Bear. It no longer bothered with Feng Ye and Hao Chen, and just rushed toward Fang Yang with a roar.

Fang Yang regained his footing as quickly as he could. He pointed his sword forward, spread his legs and lowered his center of gravity, and got ready to meet the enemy.

At the same time, he recalled yesterday’s advice from the mysterious big brother who lived in a bamboo slip: “Although you use great force when you draw your sword, that force is not flowing through your body in the right direction, resulting in thirty percent of the force used on your sword being wasted.”

“Power starts from the ground, then spreads to the body, arms, wrists, fingers, joints, all connected from the bottom to the top. Only in this way can the maximum force be poured into your sword.”

Sharp claws swung in front of him again. Fang Yang’s eyes focused. He followed the mysterious big brother’s instructions, exerting force from his feet, then to his body, arms, wrists, fingers, and finally to the body of the sword.

Fang Yang swung his sword fiercely, and the iron sword infused with powerful force audibly split the air before hitting the bear’s claws once more.

There was another clang.

Fang Yang’s feet sank deep into the dirt, and he slid back two or three steps.

But he stopped.

After moving two or three steps back, he stopped. He was not knocked back again by the White-Nosed Demon Bear, but actually blocked the bear’s claws, which were renowned for their strength.

Fang Yang was delighted. The mysterious big brother’s words were true.

Not far away, Feng Ye smiled. He noticed the slight change in Fang Yang’s movements when he drew the sword and knew that his lesson the previous night had not been in vain.

“What is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye smiling about?” Hao Chen suddenly asked, having paid close attention to Feng Ye’s actions.

Feng Ye immediately stopped smiling, and came up with an excuse: “My fellow junior disciple is so strong. Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, it looks like we don’t have to die. I’m grateful that we escaped the bear’s claws, ah.”

Hao Chen hid half of his face behind his fan, leaving only his peach blossom eyes exposed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, asking in a tone of disbelief: “Is that so?”

Feng Ye nodded affirmatively: “It really is.”

Hao Chen didn’t believe him, but also didn’t ask further questions.

He closed his fan and tapped his palm with the handle. His eyes were on Fang Yang, who was fighting the White-Nosed Demon Bear, but his words were for Feng Ye: “Why doesn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye step forward to help? Aren’t you afraid that your shidi will be torn apart at the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s claws?”

Feng Ye was also watching Fang Yang, observing his sword movements. After all, it had only been one night, and Fang Yang hadn’t truly comprehended his instructions. But with Fang Yang’s current strength, dealing with this White-Nosed Demon Bear shouldn’t be a problem.

Even if he didn’t win, he wouldn’t lose.

Feng Ye was very confident – not in Fang Yang, but in the sword skills he had taught Fang Yang.

So he stood there motionless and said to Hao Chen: “I’ll be of no help with my insufficient strength, so it’s better for me not to add to the bear’s murder tally.”

“Heh heh.” Hao Chen chuckled. “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is always so modest.”

Feng Ye replied without missing a beat: “I’m not being modest, just self-aware.”

Hao Chen smiled, saying nothing.

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Chapter 12 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 14