Author: Yi Xiuluo (易修罗)

Synopsis:

As the first genetically mutated Alpha in the empire, His Highness Oser had zero compatibility with all Omegas.

No matter how strong his pheromones were, no Omega could receive his frequency waves.

Ling Yi, a civilian Alpha with top scores in the Military Academy, had a bright future but was sentenced to death for manslaughter.

In order to survive, he had only one choice – 

Ling Yi: Don’t you want your own Omega?

One glance will render me unable to extricate myself, and releasing pheromones will result in a response.

Only I will be able to sense your pheromones, and only my body will resonate with yours.

Transform me, mark me, turn me into a unique Omega who belongs to you alone…..

However, the result was the complete opposite. After his transformation, Ling Yi’s pheromones made him a match for all Alphas.

His Highness Oser, at the age of thirty-five, gained his own Omega…..as well as love rivals across the whole empire.

Oser: You mean that he matches me 100%, but I’m only 1% of who he matches with?

Imperial physician: To be exact, it’s 0.00000……

Oser: …..Heh.

Imperial physician: But he is 100% compatible with you. Any emotional fluctuations on your part will affect his pheromones, so it would be best if you restrain yourself, Your Highness. Do you understand what I mean?

Oser: Nope.

Total Chapters: 104

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Tags: futuristic, ABO, drama, humor, enemies to lovers, strong MC

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Chapter 1	Chapter 27	Chapter 53	Chapter 79
Chapter 2	Chapter 28	Chapter 54	Chapter 80
Chapter 3	Chapter 29	Chapter 55	Chapter 81
Chapter 4	Chapter 30	Chapter 56	Chapter 82
Chapter 5	Chapter 31	Chapter 57	Chapter 83
Chapter 6	Chapter 32	Chapter 58	Chapter 84
Chapter 7	Chapter 33	Chapter 59	Chapter 85
Chapter 8	Chapter 34	Chapter 60	Chapter 86
Chapter 9	Chapter 35	Chapter 61	Chapter 87
Chapter 10	Chapter 36	Chapter 62	Chapter 88
Chapter 11	Chapter 37	Chapter 63	Chapter 89
Chapter 12	Chapter 38	Chapter 64	Chapter 90
Chapter 13	Chapter 39	Chapter 65	Chapter 91
Chapter 14	Chapter 40	Chapter 66	Chapter 92
Chapter 15	Chapter 41	Chapter 67	Chapter 93
Chapter 16	Chapter 42	Chapter 68	Chapter 94
Chapter 17	Chapter 43	Chapter 69	Chapter 95
Chapter 18	Chapter 44	Chapter 70	Chapter 96
Chapter 19	Chapter 45	Chapter 71	Chapter 97
Chapter 20	Chapter 46	Chapter 72	Chapter 98
Chapter 21	Chapter 47	Chapter 73	Chapter 99
Chapter 22	Chapter 48	Chapter 74	Chapter 100
Chapter 23	Chapter 49	Chapter 75
Chapter 24	Chapter 50	Chapter 76
Chapter 25	Chapter 51	Chapter 77
Chapter 26	Chapter 52	Chapter 78

He didn’t know if it was because of Huo Fenglie’s intent, fiery gaze, but Liu Zhenqing’s heart felt like it was aflame, and he was inexplicably uneasy. There was even a moment where he didn’t want to hear the answer.

“Qing-ge.”

Liu Zhenqing jumped: “Ah?”

“Qing-ge wants to know?”

Liu Zhenqing was truly shocked. He immediately broke away from Huo Fenglie’s embrace, then turned back around to face him and said. “You really have someone you like? Why haven’t you ever mentioned it? Is it a kid from the Imperial Academy? Which girl is it, ah?”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if he was excited, eager for gossip, or…..uncomfortable.

He watched Huo Fenglie anxiously, waiting for an answer. But Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes and suddenly said: “Not a girl.”

Liu Zhenqing’s original eagerness turned into confoundment at Huo Fenglie’s words. He stared at Huo Fenglie in bewilderment and said: “If not a girl, then…..a boy? Er-gou, you…..”

Huo Fenglie said directly: “I’m not into all men. Just him.”

Hearing Huo Fenglie say bluntly that he liked someone put Liu Zhenqing in a trance. “Who is it, ah?”

“I don’t want to tell Qing-ge for now.”

Liu Zhenqing said in dissatisfaction: “Er-gou is actually keeping a secret from me? When he reached out to pinch his nose, Huo Fenglie grabbed his wrist.

Liu Zhenqing was startled. The force around his wrist was very similar to the feeling of being pressed down in his dream.

“He doesn’t like me yet, so I want to keep it a secret for now.” Huo Fenglie suppressed his impulses as he said these words. He didn’t want to take the risk of Qing-ge hating him.

Liu Zhenqing was truly in shock, and he was still in a daze as he waited for Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan to come back that afternoon.

Er-gou had someone he liked, it was a boy, and he hadn’t captured his heart yet. No wonder he had refused his family’s marriage arrangements. 

Among Liu Zhenqing’s friends was Song Xingmu, who liked both men and women, so he didn’t have a problem with this. He just felt a little empty inside when Huo Fenglie talked about this matter so seriously. It gave him the illusion that his own child was about to set sail.

Liu Zhenqing sat in a pavilion under the setting sun, watching Huo Fenglie practice martial arts near the stream.

His weapon moved like a dragon, his form strong and vigorous. He really was steadily growing into a good man.

When Liu Zhenqing turned around, he saw Li Xingruo’s shoulders shaking with laughter and Huo Feihan fiddling with the tea set on the table, an awkward look on his face.

“Are you surprised or not?” Liu Zhenqing asked speechlessly.

“Surprised, ah.” Li Xingruo said with a smile.

Liu Zhenqing sent her a suspicious look, then asked Huo Feihan: “Huo-dage, what do you think?”

Huo Feihan quickly shook his head, as if he had no opinion at all.

Although Great Zhou was open about these things, he thought that Huo-dage would be embarrassed that his little brother liked a man – but he showed no reaction at all.

But that was fine. Liu Zhenqing cleared his throat and said: “That brat still won’t tell me who it is. Do you have any clues?”

Li Xingruo just about spit out a mouthful of tea, then gave Liu Zhenqing a thumbs-up.

Huo Feihan watched his little brother training in the distance, and suddenly said: “It’s no use trying to figure it out. My didi is stubborn.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and said with some worry: “Yes, ah, this kid is stubborn, and if the other person doesn’t like him back…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s complicated emotions instantly transformed into anxiety. Perhaps it was the disaster he’d encountered at birth that had made Huo Fenglie different from others since childhood. He rarely cried. The last time he’d seen him cry was when he was very young. When Liu Zhenqing was sick, others had teased Huo Fenglie that he would die, so he laid beside his bed and guarded him day and night, fearing that Ox-head and Horse-face, the guardians of the underworld, would take him away.

When Liu Zhenqing woke up, Huo Fenglie’s eyes were swollen from tears. If Huo Fenglie were to cry now due to matters of the heart, Liu Zhenqing’s own heart would break. It would be best if the other party could understand Er-gou and like him back. After all, Er-gou was so good. He was talented in both civil and military affairs, and was flawless, ah. How could someone not be moved by his affections?

Just as he was lost in thought, Li Xingruo suddenly smiled mischievously and said: “Ai, it would be great if you were the one Er-gou likes.”

Liu Zhenqing froze. He immediately stared at Li Xingruo and nearly stuttered: “…..What?”

Li Xingruo looked at him with half-closed eyes.

They had grown up together, and naturally had a good understanding of each other. Even Huo Feihan felt a little strange when he saw Liu Zhenqing’s reaction.

Normally, if Li Xingruo made such a joke, Liu Zhenqing would shamelessly go along with it.

But now, seeing how shocked he was, the two of them sensed that something was fishy.

“I think it would be great if he liked you,” Li Xingruo said with a grin.

Liu Zhenqing was embarrassed. After having such a dream that day, how could he not be? “You must be joking. I’m his big brother.”

Li Xingruo said: “You’re the one who’s joking. Good things should be kept within the family. If he must choose a man, it would be best for him to choose you. You know him inside and out, and you’re not his biological brother, so why are you afraid? Er-gou grew up under the eyes of us three, and if he’s hurt by someone else, which of us wouldn’t be sad, ah? So how about it, Shixiong? Just sacrifice yourself, get with Er-gou, and come into the Huo family as my sister-in-law.”

The silver-tongued Liu Zhenqing could only curse with a beet-red face: “Are you out of your mind?!”

What a ridiculous fantasy!

The two of them began quarreling, and the two Huo brothers naturally came over to intervene. Each person held one of them, attempting to separate the two.

In the evening, when they talked about going to the East Palace, it was basically the same as Liu Zhenqing had expected. It was unlikely that a large-scale battle would take place in the west, but there were constantly minor skirmishes. The generals originally stationed there were old, and were unable to control the situation. It was difficult to accumulate military merits in a peaceful and prosperous era. The Crown Prince wanted to train Huo Feihan to shoulder the responsibility of the Huo Family Army in the future, and would naturally pave the way for him. Therefore, Huo Feihan planned to stay in the west with his family for the foreseeable future, and would set off after a period of time.

Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing leaned against each other and drank under the moon.

“It’s finally come to this. My life is going to be boring, I might as well go west with you guys,” Liu Zhenqing said, already bored stiff.

“If you go, what about the Crown Prince? Although Great Zhou is stable now, the Crown Prince has yet to succeed the throne, and the process might not be safe. You should stay here by his side and advise him, so that we can all rest assured. And your old man is getting on in years. You should stay for him too.”

Huo Feihan naturally didn’t need to say these things – Liu Zhenqing knew all of this very well, and was just complaining.

“Say…..do you want me to find you a personal bodyguard?” Huo Feihan said out of nowhere.

Liu Zhenqing looked at him in bewilderment: “Bodyguard?”

Li Xingruo brought over some tea and snacks, and said: “It’s not like we don’t worry about you. You’re so prone to causing trouble. You never studied poisons well, and you’re no good at martial arts. How can you get by just by relying on your brain? Feihan and I won’t be here, and the Crown Prince will be out of our reach, so it would be best for you to have a bodyguard with strong martial arts skills.”

“No need.”

Before Liu Zhenqing could speak further, Huo Fenglie came over bearing grilled fish and said directly: “I can be Qing-ge’s bodyguard.”

“Nonsense,” said Huo Feihan. “You still need to study at the Imperial Academy.”

Li Xingruo smiled evilly and said: “Being a bodyguard means keeping close by. Doesn’t Fenglie have a sweetheart? Will he be able to take care of him?”

Huo Fenglie immediately tensed up. He sent a cautious glance toward Liu Zhenqing, then looked at Li Xingruo as if in surrender.

Li Xingruo snickered.

Liu Zhenqing felt a little strange. He really couldn’t conceive of the second son of the Huo family being his bodyguard, but after hearing Li Xingruo’s words, he also felt that Er-gou was putting him in second place to his ‘sweetheart.’

It turned out that it was time for Liu Zhenqing to find a partner, someone who would wholeheartedly put him first and always. 

Otherwise, when Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo left, the Crown Prince ascended the throne to become emperor, and Er-gou was with his sweetheart, the bond between himself and this world would grow weak again, and he would be lonely once more.

Huo Feihan was indeed concerned about the matter of a bodyguard. He was about to travel a long distance away, and was more worried about Liu Zhenqing than about his own brother. If both the older and younger brothers were unable to do it, he had to find someone else for Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing had originally wanted to say that he didn’t need a bodyguard, and that if he didn’t leave the capital, no one would dare provoke him. 

However, Huo Feihan felt that the Crown Prince would not allow Liu Zhenqing to serve as a court official, given his temperament. But there may be some things he would rely on Liu Zhenqing to do, so it was best to train a guard who was trustworthy and dedicated to Liu Zhenqing.

Very soon, the two of them brought back a reticent boy and named him Liu Qiao. His training was arranged entirely by Huo Feihan. As for the fact that Huo Fenglie always challenged him to compete with him when he returned, the less said, the better. 

Before Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo were scheduled to set off, the Imperial Examinations came to an end and the Imperial Academy held a Peach Blossom Banquet. The Crown Prince was originally invited to attend, but he was busy, so he designated Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing to go in his stead.

Everyone knew that the two of them were favorites of the Crown Prince, and had come to survey the talents for him. They were naturally warmly received, aside from the old gentleman of the Imperial Academy who still remembered the trouble they had caused and regarded them with glares.

However, Liu Zhenqing was in high spirits.

“Why are you so excited today?” Li Xingruo asked curiously.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “It’s a rare chance to come here. With my sharp eyes, I don’t believe I can’t tell which young man Er-gou likes. And aren’t you guys his biological brother and sister-in-law, ah? Aren’t you curious at all?”

Li Xingruo almost laughed out loud, and Huo Feihan said awkwardly: “We’re curious, of course we’re curious…..”

“Let’s go!” Liu Zhenqing said. “Let’s head to Er-gou’s dormitory first! I recall that Er-gou shares a room with the second son of the Bai family – could he be the one?”

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(Alt Universe) Extra 13 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 15

Chapter 18 – Misunderstanding

Due to the delay, it was already afternoon when Feng Ye and Hao Chen returned to the sect.

The way back to their rooms was through the main hall square, which was crowded with people today.

Feng Ye looked from a distance and saw the group of people lined up in a long queue. They were signing up for the competition, which was to be held the next day. There were only four days left before the journey to the Floating Island Secret Realm, and the seventy-nine junior disciples who could participate would be selected tomorrow.

Afterwards, they would rest for two days before being led to the entrance of the Floating Island Secret Realm.

But this had nothing to do with Feng Ye. Just like Hao Chen, he had no interest in this secret realm.

However, although they weren’t interested, the unconcealed conversations of the junior disciples they passed by inevitably entered their overly-sensitive ears.

“Have you heard about that fellow named Fang Yang?” A junior disciple standing in the square said to his companion as Feng Ye walked past.

Fang Yang?

This key word caused Feng Ye’s ears to prick up again, and he came to a stop.

Hao Chen also heard the conversation between the two disciples. He had little interest in that naive boy Fang Yang. Even though Fang Yang had cultivated sword qi at the seventh level of Qi Refining and seemed to possess extraordinary comprehension, Hao Chen’s feelings remained unchanged.

There was no shortage of outstanding people in this world, but even so, those who could stand at the same heights as him were rare, or perhaps virtually nonexistent.

Although there was a connection from heaven to earth, it had always gone top to bottom. There was no way for the human realm to actively connect to the heavens. Just like the distance between heaven and earth, the distance between gods and humans was difficult to cross.

Moreover, even the gods in heaven were divided according to level. As the Lord of the North Sea, Hao Chen was undoubtedly at the top.

This was a matter of destiny. The number of gods in heaven was fixed. Reality was not like the mortal imaginings in storybooks, where one could break through the boundary and become a god after reaching a certain level of cultivation.

Gods were all born gods. Each had their own duties and titles, which were bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Dao when they were born.

As Kunpeng, he was born as the god who guards the North Sea.

It was no exaggeration to say that he could soar up to 90,000 li. When he transformed into his Peng form, his fully spread wings could even block out the sun.

The ability to steal the sky and change the day^[1] was only one of the supernatural powers he was born with.

Fate was determined by heaven. Although it may sound cruel to those born with mediocre talent, in the heavenly realm, this was an ironclad fact that could not be shaken.

The level of one’s ability was determined from the moment they were born. This seemed like a gift from heaven, but it was also a shackle.

Therefore, although Hao Chen moved around the human realm in human form, he never really took humans seriously. Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or Nascent Soul, they were all equally insignificant in his eyes.

Feng Ye was a tiny bit higher than them in his estimation, because this fellow was most likely not human and was probably from heaven.

But whether Feng Ye indeed came from heaven or his guess was wrong, Feng Ye was just someone with ulterior motives, and Hao Chen didn’t believe that this person had power to rival his own.

The number of gods in heaven who measured up to him could be counted on one hand. Some Hao Chen knew, and some he didn’t. But from the perspective of personality, Feng Ye was unlike any of them.

He was currently matched with Feng Ye, but he was just playing around. He never did anything substantial, just fooling around with the intention of having fun.

Otherwise, if he really wanted to, wouldn’t he just use force to make Feng Ye reveal his true identity?

But that would be too boring. He was already bored enough.

Thus, he would rather use all sorts of childish means with Feng Ye, rather than adopt a more mature and efficient method.

Hao Chen’s interest was limited to Feng Ye. As for Fang Yang, this naive person, he had no other thoughts about him except for using him to find clues.

Therefore, he was uninterested in the conversations of those around him.

Feng Ye, however, stopped.

So Hao Chen also stopped, and even considerately raised his fan as a cover for Feng Ye’s eavesdropping.

Unfortunately, while the two people chatting didn’t notice Feng Ye and Hao Chen suddenly stop, Hao Chen’s fan movements were so conspicuous that they couldn’t help but look over.

Feng Ye: “……”

Hao Chen gave him an apologetic smile: “Oops.”

Nothing good had happened after meeting this person. Feng Ye was inwardly disdainful. Then he thought that since he had already been exposed, it would be too shameful to continue eavesdropping.

So he stepped forward and took the initiative to chat with his fellow disciples: “I heard you two talking about Fang Yang. I’m a good friend of his. What happened?”

The two people exchanged a glance, then the one who had mentioned Fang Yang at the beginning answered Feng Ye: “It just happened a while ago. I heard that he single-handedly killed a White-Nosed Demon Bear that had suddenly advanced to Foundation Establishment in the back mountain.”

So that’s it, Feng Ye thought to himself. He had thought Fang Yang had gotten into an accident.

However, the speed at which gossip traveled within the sect was truly astonishing. It had been less than an hour from the time Fang Yang had been taken down the mountain by the two inner sect disciples to when Feng Ye had walked down, but the news that Fang Yang had killed a White-Nosed Demon Bear had already spread.

Hao Chen was unsurprised by how fast it spread. After all, he had already discovered while chatting with people that although these sword cultivators seemed serious and rigid, there was a gossipy young maiden under every icy face. If not, then the rumor that he and Feng Ye were practicing dual cultivation wouldn’t have spread so widely and become known to everyone.

Presently, among all of the junior disciples and managers in charge of miscellaneous matters at the foot of the mountain, perhaps only Feng Ye and Fang Yang, the subjects of the rumors, were unaware of them.

And as the only person who knew the entire truth, Hao Chen was not going to tell Feng Ye. He felt that the identity of a cultivation partner was quite good. No one would suspect him if he stayed by Feng Ye’s side. On the contrary, he would receive some fantastical benefits.

Now that he knew what was happening, Feng Ye was ready to leave. Just as he was about to say farewell, another junior disciple said in bewilderment: “Foundation Establishment stage?! Doesn’t the White-Nosed Demon Bear only reach the tenth level of Qi Refining when it reaches adulthood? And that Fang Yang…..he seems to be only at the seventh stage of Qi Refining?”

His companion said with a nod: “That’s right. The highest level of cultivation among our junior disciples right now is the seventh level of Qi Refining, and there are only a few of them. As for the White-Nosed Demon Bear, it seems to have suddenly mutated and advanced to Foundation Establishment. The inner sect disciples in charge of clearing monsters out of the back mountain checked, and it was definitely at the Foundation Establishment stage.”

Another person exclaimed: “He’s only at the seventh level of Qi Refining and was able to kill a White-Nosed Demon Bear at the Foundation Establishment stage. It seems there’s already a definitive winner in tomorrow’s competition.”

His companion echoed: “Yeah, we’re just trying to get a spot in the Floating Island Secret Realm. No need to think about winning the championship.”

As the two of them talked back and forth, Feng Ye took advantage of a brief pause to cut in: “Many thanks for letting me know. I have something to do, so I’ll take my leave now.” 

The two junior disciples nodded politely to Feng Ye, then continued to chatter about personal matters.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen continued to walk toward their rooms.

On the way, Hao Chen casually brought up a topic based on the conversation they’d overheard earlier: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, do you think your shidi will be able to win tomorrow?”

Feng Ye crossed his arms, pretending to think hard. Then he said with modesty that masked his pride: “Nothing is absolute.”

Feng Ye felt that it was a sure thing for Fang Yang to win the competition at his current level. After all, it was Feng Ye himself who’d taught him. But it was better to not draw attention, so he didn’t say anything definite.

Hao Chen spread out his fan and waved it, saying a bit meaningfully: “If Fellow Daoist Feng Ye participates in the competition, there will be a different champion.”

Feng Ye raised an eyebrow: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen seems to have misunderstood my strength?”

Hao Chen couldn’t help but smile when he heard this, a rare smile that came from the heart: “There is no misunderstanding.”

No matter who you are, to me, you’re just as weak as everyone else, Hao Chen thought.

Feng Ye stared at Hao Chen’s smile. Then he also smiled from the bottom of his heart, but didn’t refute or say anything else.

The two of them arrived at their residences, said their duplicitous goodbyes, and retired to their separate rooms.

These two people who didn’t care about the Floating Island Secret Realm naturally had no idea how intense the discussion outside was. Nearly all junior disciples intended to compete for a spot. Even though most of them knew their abilities were limited, they simply wanted to snatch one of those seventy-nine places.

But there were still a few people aiming for the championship. The temptation of an earth-level magic weapon was too great.

They had originally had some confidence in themselves, but who would have thought that Fang Yang would suddenly defeat a Foundation Establishment stage White-Nosed Demon Bear today? With this strength, he was almost certain to win the championship.

Those who had originally wanted to compete for the championship couldn’t help but lament having no chance to win, but some had other thoughts in mind.

Lu Chengye heard other people saying that Fang Yang was certain to win the competition, and was so angry that his clenched fists made a creaking sound. Not only had that nosy brat Fang Yang once snatched the person he had his eye on, but he also intended to steal his earth-level magic weapon tomorrow? 

Although the magic weapon was meant to be the prize for winning the competition, Lu Chengye felt that such a good thing should belong to him. 

But Fang Yang seemed to be truly strong, and he feared he would be unable to beat him. If…..there was a way to destroy his cultivation…..wouldn’t he be unable to compete?

The more Lu Chengye considered it, the more excited he became. Greed and jealousy were the perfect helpers, and almost instantly, a vicious plan took form in his mind.

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[1] To steal the sky and change the day (偷天换日) means to change the truth of things in order to deceive others. ⮐

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Chapter 17 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 19

Huo Fenglie didn’t let go when he was sent home. The General’s Manor seemed to be accustomed to this kind of behavior.

But Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan knew the truth. Er-gou had a very good tolerance for alcohol, and was hiding it.

Huo Feihan looked at Liu Zhenqing guiltily, feeling like he was helping his brother cover up the truth and hinder Liu Zhenqing’s blind date. He looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. Li Xingruo smiled and asked about the events of today.

“Let’s not talk about it right now. Hurry up and get the hangover pills.” Liu Zhenqing was being held tightly, and wasn’t as strong as Huo Fenglie. When he set him on the bed, Er-gou nearly dragged him down with him.

Huo Feihan started to go and pull his brother away – what kind of sight was this? – but he was blocked by Li Xingruo.

“Even hangover pills take time to kick in. Since he won’t let go anyway, just lay down with him,” Li Xingruo said as she pretended to feed a pill to Huo Fenglie. “All right, here you go.”

When he saw his wife playing along to deceive Liu Zhenqing, Huo Feihan could only choose to aid the wicked. “What…..caused him to drink?”

Liu Zhenqing was in an awkward posture, and didn’t hesitate to climb into the bed. He let Huo Fenglie hug him from behind as he lay on his side chatting with them.

“I might have made him angry. Actually, it wasn’t my fault…..” Having said this, Liu Zhenqing told them about what had happened that day.

Both of them were delighted by this astonishing development.

“It turns out that Er-gou is more charming than you. Do you accept defeat, Liu Zhenqing?” Li Xingruo said with a laugh.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t get angry. He just patted the arm encircling him and said: “Er-gou is indeed growing more and more handsome. It’s not surprising that young girls like him, but…..”

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing looked a little strange, the two couldn’t help but get nervous, thinking he had finally discovered something.

But Liu Zhenqing simply asked who Huo Fenglie’s sweetheart was, startling them.

Huo Feihan didn’t dare continue to look at Liu Zhenqing. Li Xingruo wore a smile that wasn’t a smile.

Liu Zhenqing had originally thought that Huo Fenglie was just making up a story to ward off the peach blossoms, and was baffled when the two of them reacted like this.

“Who is it, ah? You know but I don’t! You won’t even tell me?!” Liu Zhenqing suddenly felt a little unwell. After all, he had always claimed them as family, especially Er-gou, who was probably closer to him than he was to his own family. Why did everyone else know about such an important matter, but he didn’t? He felt like he was being kept in the dark, excluded by those closest to him.

Huo Feihan absolutely lacked the confidence to lie to Liu Zhenqing, so he could only send Li Xingruo an anxious look.

Li Xingruo rolled her eyes, saying with a shake of her head: “He probably has a sweetheart, but we don’t know who it is, ah. We thought you knew, so we were going to ask you.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned: “Then how did you find out? Did he tell you?”

“That’s right,” Li Xingruo said. “He said so some time ago, when the family elders wanted to find a marriage partner for him.”

In fact, he hadn’t said anything at all. He’d just rejected them outright without giving them any face, then turned and fled.

When Liu Zhenqing heard about this marriage partner, he stared blankly for a moment and gave an internal sigh: Er-gou has indeed grown up. He’s old enough to get engaged now?

After she spoke, Li Xingruo saw that Huo Fenglie had yet to wake up. She was tactful, and said directly: “You can stay with him and take a nap. The East Palace just sent a message asking for Feihan’s presence. I’ll go with him and come back to see you in the afternoon.”

“The East Palace?” Liu Zhenqing was taken aback.

“What do you know?” Huo Feihan asked keenly.

“It may have something to do with the instability in the west,” Liu Zhenqing said.

After hearing what Liu Zhenqing said, Huo Feihan had a rough idea in mind. He immediately looked at Li Xingruo, somewhat uneasy.

Li Xingruo looked up and said: “No matter what it is, we’ll be together as husband and wife, so it won’t be too dangerous.”

Now that Great Zhou had the crown prince in charge, everyone was united. Even if other countries wanted to stir up trouble, they were unable to create big waves, and could only engage in minor conflicts at most.

So if they were to travel west, Li Xingruo would want to follow her husband, and Huo Feihan would have no strong objections.

“Oh, the husband sings and the wife harmonizes,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Li Xingruo raised an eyebrow and said to him: “If you can force out the name of Er-gou’s sweetheart, do be sure to tell us.”

After saying this, she just smiled and pulled Huo Feihan away.

Watching the two of them leave together, Liu Zhenqing could only lament that if they went west, he would only have Er-gou by his side.

Wait, if Er-gou also had someone he liked, then Liu Zhenqing…..would be truly alone.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing’s sense of belonging in this world had been weak since he traveled here. There weren’t many people he had bonds with. He always felt a bit detached, and also understood that the people around him would gradually leave and establish their own little worlds.

Liu Zhenqing considered this, consolidated the facts, and determined that he should really find a partner.

He was just daydreaming. It was about time for a lunchtime nap. After all, he did drink some wine while watching the show at noon, and although it hadn’t made him drunk, it did make him sleepy.

Liu Zhenqing had bad sleeping habits. He liked to hug the things next to him tightly, usually a pillow, and wouldn’t let go.

But today, he slept uneasily. The pillow in his arms made him feel uncomfortable, as if he was in peril. He reached out to push it away, but in the next second, there was pressure against his lips.

The somewhat messy kiss fell along with rapid breaths.

It felt like Liu Zhenqing’s breath was being stolen. He opened his eyes blearily and caught sight of a pair of deep, wild eyes that contained a pure yet dangerous light.

Liu Zhenqing’s brain was still muddled. He just felt that this pair of eyes was very familiar, but his vision was strange. At such a close distance that they were nearly touching, his vision was out of focus and he couldn’t tell who it was for a moment.

But he had already noticed that he was being kissed. Where could he have found someone to kiss? It was clear that someone was taking advantage of him. Shamed into anger, Liu Zhenqing tried to shove the person away, but they grabbed his wrists.

The signals this person was giving off were getting increasingly dangerous. Liu Zhenqing started to struggle, and the other party became gentler, as if to comfort him.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was his body’s reaction or if he was still asleep, but he felt a familiar and reassuring aura lingering around him, and he gradually began to enjoy the kiss instead of hating it.

Liu Zhenqing was taken advantage of for some time, but he soon came to his senses and had a moment of clarity. And in that moment, he finally realized who was on top of him. But he was so shocked that he stopped breathing and his brain completely shut down.

When he woke up with a start, he was about to get angry when he saw Huo Fenglie lying quietly next to him. 

Liu Zhenqing was immediately filled with questions. 

Wait…..what happened just now…..had he been dreaming?

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but touch his body, feeling a bit hot. He also touched his lips, and although they were a little swollen, it wasn’t too bad.

So he didn’t understand what was going on at all.

Liu Zhenqing was instinctively inclined to think it was a dream. How could it be possible? Er-gou, ah, how could he……and with the look in those eyes and his fierce actions, how could Er-gou have done such a thing to him?

Huh?

And if it was a dream?

Why did I have this dream, ah! ! ! ! ! ! !

The situation suddenly became thus: either Er-gou had made a blunder, or Liu Zhenqing himself had made a blunder.

But Er-gou was so well-behaved, obedient, and sensible that Liu Zhenqing could only conclude that there was something wrong with himself.

But he’s still a child, ah! Am I a beast?!!!

Don’t panic, don’t panic. Dreams weren’t necessarily a reflection of reality. Perhaps his body had needs, and the last person he saw had been Er-gou sleeping next to him. Er-gou’s scent was all around, which caused him to be affected. It didn’t mean anything.

Liu Zhenqing sent a covert glance at Huo Fenglie beside him. His gaze inexplicably moved to his lips, which were red and rosy…..ai, don’t look at them. He didn’t like men, not to mention that Er-gou was his little didi, ah!

In a fluster, he couldn’t help but grab a Rubik’s Cube. He placed small toys around where he slept, and there was one on Huo Fenglie’s bed. Liu Zhenqing knew this, and found it by touch.

The click-click-click sounds were disordered at the beginning, and became regular later on, evidence that Liu Zhenqing had calmed down.

Suddenly, there was movement beside him: “Qing-ge?”

His voice was hoarse, as if he had just woken up.

Liu Zhenqing froze, immediately filled with regret. He had reflected and calmed down, but why had he stayed in bed, ah? He’d clearly been released, and was able to escape.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenqing was vexed once more. Why should he have to escape, ah? It was just a small gaffe. Why did he feel so guilty?

Just as he was thinking, Huo Fenglie poked his head over.

Liu Zhenqing felt a weight on his back as Huo Fenglie leaned against him. He even rested his head on his shoulder lazily, looking down at the Rubik’s Cube in his hand.

It was a very common action, but Liu Zhenqing’s heartbeat was thrown into chaos.

Because the weight was familiar, and the scent coming closer and closer was familiar. Everything was just like in the dream.

“Qing-ge is so good at playing. Teach me?” As he said this, Huo Fenglie stretched his arms over each side of Liu Zhenqing’s ribs. He seemed to be taking the Rubik’s cube from his hands, but his posture seemed more like he was embracing him.

He originally wouldn’t have thought there was anything wrong with this posture, but Liu Zhenqing roused with a start, feeling that it was a little too much.

Liu Zhenqing turned around with the intention of asking Huo Fenglie to move away, but when he turned over, he saw how close Huo Fenglie was.

Although he wasn’t as close as in the dream, Liu Zhenqing instantly saw a familiar expression on his face, and the eyes staring at him made his heart skip a beat.

And Huo Fenglie’s gaze moved from his eyes to his lips. Even though he had kissed him passionately before, it still felt like it wasn’t enough – but now, he didn’t dare. Before, he was out of control. His emotions had completely erupted, and he didn’t care if he was discovered. But now…..

Huo Fenglie’s eyes gradually darkened. How could someone who had eaten meat go back to drinking soup? It seemed like it was becoming increasingly easy to lose control.

“Er…..gou.” Liu Zhenqing suddenly spoke up, interrupting Huo Fenglie’s slow approach.

“En?”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was all in his head, but Er-gou had looked as if he was going to kiss him. Startled, he’d instinctively opened his mouth to cut through the strange atmosphere.

Liu Zhenqing was flustered, and could only bring up a random topic: “R-right, who is your sweetheart, ah?”

Huo Fenglie tensed up. When he raised his eyes to stare at Liu Zhenqing, his expression gradually became serious, as if he was about to blurt something out.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 12 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 14

Chapter 17 – Coincidence

Feng Ye had left, but Hao Chen hadn’t.

He had told Feng Ye that he had something to do. This was just an excuse, but when he left, he remembered that he actually did have something to take care of.

Hao Chen arrived at a lake in the back mountain. This lake wasn’t large, but due to the rich spiritual energy in this location, the water was quite clear.

There were also a few docile, herbivorous monsters by the lake, lowering their necks to drink from it.

Hao Chen looked around and confirmed that no one was there. Suddenly, he opened his fan and waved it gently at his side, and an invisible barrier spread open around him.

This barrier was able to block both spiritual energy and sound, putting Hao Chen enough at ease to continue. Taking the handle of his fan, he waved it at the surface of the lake.

Something invisible seemed to touch its tranquil surface, and ripples spread out from that point circle after circle.

And as the ripples spread outward, there also came a frighteningly cold aura.

Due to the sudden drop in temperature, white frost climbed up the grass and trees beside the water.

The herbivorous monsters drinking water beside the lake lifted their heads in alarm. They didn’t understand what was happening, but that didn’t prevent them from realizing how powerful the monster in front of them was. They immediately made a wild escape from the lake.

Hao Chen didn’t care about this group of low-level monsters. He waited quietly, and after a few breaths, the rippling lake returned to calm.

But the surface of the lake was no longer clear. Instead, it revealed the silhouette of a palace.

This was not an ordinary human palace, but more like a dragon palace of legend. It was decorated with precious pearls and corals, the smallest pearl as big as a fist. These would be priceless treasures in the human realm, but here they were just placed casually.

And judging from the schools of fish, shrimp, and crabs swimming through the image, this palace was likely built underwater. Even if it wasn’t a dragon palace, it was superior to one.

A hunchbacked old person in loose robes slowly came to the center of the image, then slowly saluted Hao Chen from the other side of the lake.

This set of movements seemed to be done in slow motion. Hao Chen watched him move cun by cun, and really didn’t have the patience to watch him perform the entire set of etiquette. 

He simply raised his fan and gestured: “Prime Minister Turtle, no need to be polite.”

The standard-issue Prime Minister Turtle of the dragon palace paused.

Feng Ye was probably not very far away. Although Hao Chen felt that his barrier was perfectly solid, he didn’t want to take any risks. The sooner this conversation was over, the better.

Thus, he got straight to the point: “What did you contact me for?”

Prime Minister Turtle considered for a moment, then said: “My Lord, we took stock of all the warehouses this month and finally found what the thief stole…..”

Prime Minister Turtle moved slowly, but spoke fast. But at this moment, he slowed down for no reason, demonstrating hesitation…..or perhaps disbelief.

Hao Chen frowned and asked impatiently: “What was stolen?”

Prime Minister Turtle then gave an incredible answer: “A drop of water.”

Surprise appeared on Hao Chen’s face. He repeated: “A drop of water?”

That thief had traveled thousands of li from the mortal world to the North Sea, leaving so many rare treasures behind and only stealing a drop of water?

“A drop of extremely cold water from the abyss in the far north.” Prime Minister Turtle added: “The North Sea is very cold, especially the abyss in the far north. Humans are unable to enter. He captured an octopus spirit who had cultivated for hundreds of years to help him accomplish it.”

If the octopus spirit hadn’t confessed after the fact, they never would have known that someone had stolen something as tiny as a drop of water.

Their investigation this month was mainly for the purpose of confirming whether the thief stole only that drop of water, and thus far it appeared to be true.

But this was even more unbelievable. Leaving aside how difficult it was to come to the North Sea from the human world, the environment there was extremely unsuited to human survival. The thief would have been at constant risk of dying from the lingering chill of the North Sea.

He had risked so much just to steal a single drop of water. For what reason?

Hao Chen was just as puzzled. He had lived for so long, but this was his first time encountering such a strange thing.

He rested the handle of his fan against his chin, trying to sort this matter out from the beginning.

It all started more than a month ago. As he did most of the time, Hao Chen had been floating quietly on the sea – or rather, sleeping.

When he was tired of sleeping, he would turn over and bask in the sparse sunlight of the North Sea.

Unexpectedly, the normally quiet North Sea became noisy, with large numbers of fish, shrimp, and crabs marching in neat lines.

Hao Chen attempted to ignore this and continue sleeping as usual, but he was unable to ignore the noise. With a hint of anger at being woken up, he swung his tail and knocked over a line of shrimp swimming past him.

It was fine to be grumpy when he woke up, and it was fine to swing his tail, but he was too big. When the black fish as big as an island swung his tail, he directly raised a wave one hundred meters high.

The North Sea was silent for a brief moment, then became even noisier.

Because the true Lord of the North Sea had awoken.

After venting his anger, Hao Chen sat in the main hall and listened to Prime Minister Turtle’s brief account of the sudden turmoil in the North Sea.

An octopus spirit came to the hall to report that a human had come to steal, and had forced it into petty theft. As it spoke, it wiped its tears with the only tentacle it had left.

If not for the fact that losing a limb wasn’t fatal for this particular species, it would have been killed by the ruthless thief.

How could this be tolerated?!

How could a human be so bold in the North Sea?!

Although Hao Chen was still asleep at that time, Prime Minister Turtle had acted decisively and ordered all troops to search for the thief.

Unexpectedly, the search was so noisy that it woke up Hao Chen.

Now that Hao Chen was awake, it was naturally up to him to decide what to do next.

Hao Chen sat upon a throne made of coral. He held his chin in thought, feeling that it was truly boring to remain in the North Sea. If it wasn’t so boring, he wouldn’t have to sleep all the time.

Since he was awake now, he might as well take the opportunity to go to the human realm under the pretext of searching for the thief.

Despite such great effort, Prime Minister Turtle had been unable to find the thief. Then there was only one possibility – the thief had escaped back to the human realm.

Thus, Hao Chen had come to the human realm just over a month prior.

In order to smooth the way, he used some tricks to obtain the identity of a disciple of Tiangong Pavilion. For some inexplicable reason – which Feng Ye would label conceit –  Hao Chen insisted on using his actual appearance despite the fact that it could expose his identity.

No one had caught sight of the thief. The only one who had seen him was the octopus. However, the octopus thought that all humans looked the same, so its description didn’t hold much value. The only clue it provided was that the thief had a piece of wrinkled skin like a sea eggplant on his left cheek.

When translated, this meant that the thief had been wounded on the left side of his face, which left a very distinctive scar. But this information was useless. Appearance was the easiest thing to disguise. Moreover, although the mortal realm was not as vast as the heavens, it also wasn’t small. This being the case, how could he find that person?

But Hao Chen had another way to track him. Since the thief had been to the North Sea, he must have been stained with the North Sea’s unique chill, which wouldn’t fade in the short term.

He simply chased that cold aura the whole way in an extremely improper manner.

Although he said he was here to catch the thief, Hao Chen’s purpose was greater than that. No matter what the thief had stolen, he wouldn’t have missed it much. His North Sea was rich, and he was a true local tycoon. The main purpose of this trip was to have some fun.

In addition, he happened to pass by the scene of a murder and robbery and saw a dead body, which he didn’t treat seriously at the time.

He pursued the thief passively for over a month, following the thief’s route all the way to Lingxiao Sword Sect.

This was the place where the cold aura finally dissipated. Only then did Hao Chen realize that he had been slacking off for too long – to the point that the cold aura was completely gone.

But it was no big deal. He didn’t actually care about catching the thief, so with the mentality of having a look around, he made up a half-hearted excuse and prepared to sneak into Lingxiao Sword Sect to see if the thief had left any clues behind.

Unexpectedly, he met Feng Ye.

Hao Chen initially suspected that he was the thief, but later realized he couldn’t be. The timing was all wrong.

For a month, that thief had been busy wandering the world, leaving footsteps in many locations. Hao Chen regarded him as his tour guide in the human realm and followed those footsteps to travel around.

And Feng Ye had been residing in Lingxiao Sword Sect for the past month. Although his identity was in question, he shouldn’t be the thief.

But this did not affect Hao Chen’s interest in Feng Ye. It was rare for him to meet such an interesting person in his tens of thousands of years.

So, he irresponsibly tossed the matter of catching the thief aside and instead pestered Feng Ye, vowing to unearth his identity.

However, Feng Ye had impersonated someone a month ago. Similarly, the thief had gone to the North Sea to take a drop of water a month ago and had also come to Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Could there be no connection between these two things?

Not necessarily.

The timing was too coincidental, as well as the location. There were too many coincidences, that was certain.

Therefore, Hao Chen found a fair and reasonable excuse to stay.

Hao Chen didn’t speak for a while as he sorted out his thoughts.

Prime Minister Turtle waited, but couldn’t help asking about a matter he was concerned about: “My Lord, the thief…..has he been caught?”

Compared to the real ruler of the North Sea, Hao Chen, who was extremely irresponsible and felt that catching the thief was unimportant, Prime Minister Turtle had a strong sense of collective honor. He was very angry at the thief for daring to break in, and had vowed to bring him to justice.

Hao Chen’s hand holding the fan paused for a moment. The thief…..he had lost track of him while traveling along the way.

However, as a creature capable of surviving the North Sea, the first requirement was to have thick skin. Without thick skin and a layer of fat, it was impossible to maintain one’s body temperature in the freezing environment of the North Sea.

Therefore, Hao Chen was extremely thick-skinned, which Feng Ye would have a lot to say about.

Hao Chen said to Prime Minister Turtle without a change in expression: “The thief was too cunning. I lost him.”

Prime Minister Turtle was shocked to hear this: “Even you…..”

Hao Chen nodded heavily. 

There was alarm on Prime Minister Turtle’s face: “Who exactly is this person? You’re the most powerful person in the world. How could anyone escape your pursuit?”

“This is bad.” Prime Minister Turtle’s thoughts diverged, and he immediately came up with a series of horrific scenarios: “Could it be the Yinglong from the Southern Sea? I’ve heard that he’s cruel and warlike, and has the ambition of ruling the world. I and several sea lords are worried that he might come to our North Sea…..”

“Prime Minister Turtle.” Hao Chen could only interrupt these outrageous speculations. That thief was just an ordinary human being, likely at the Nascent Soul stage. He had failed to catch him because of his own slowness, not because his opponent was too capable.

But if Hao Chen wanted to explain this without exposing his previous lie, he would have to tell another lie. It seemed the human saying was true – once you told a lie, countless lies would be needed to cover it up.

But it didn’t matter. He was the boss, and had no need to give explanations to his subordinates.

Hao Chen simply frowned, and Prime Minister Turtle didn’t dare to speak further.

When Hao Chen was about to end the conversation, he suddenly asked: “Is there a person named Feng Ye among the heavens?”

He spent most of his time sleeping, and his familiarity with the heavenly realm was no greater than with the human realm.

Prime Minister Turtle, who assisted him with government affairs, was much more knowledgeable. He thought for a moment before replying: “Among the well-known gods, there doesn’t seem to be anyone with this name. But I only know about the North Sea and the areas around it. I don’t know if there is a god named Feng Ye farther away.”

“Go investigate, and contact me when you have results,” Hao Chen commanded.

“Yes,” Prime Minister Turtle said with a bow.

His movements were slow once more.

Without waiting for Prime Minister Turtle to finish the ceremonial etiquette, Hao Chen waved his fan and ended the communication. 

The surface of the lake returned to normal, and the barrier he had erected around it dissipated as well.

Hao Chen closed his fan, and stood there thinking for a while before deciding to go down the mountain and find Feng Ye.

The heavens were enormous, a thousand times larger than this human realm. It would likely take Prime Minister Turtle a long time to search for that name.

Hao Chen had plenty of time. Compared to the short lifespan of humans, a single instance of sleep for him could last for several generations of mankind.

But at present, he was too curious about Feng Ye’s identity. In tens of thousands of years, there were few people who could arouse his interest like this.

So Hao Chen wouldn’t wait for Prime Minister Turtle to search slowly – he also intended to look for clues from Feng Ye.

Besides, there was an eighty percent chance that the name ‘Feng Ye’ was fake. It was very likely that Prime Minister Turtle would have no results, so it was best to prepare for both situations.

With this thought in mind, Hao Chen walked slowly down the mountain. Then, at the foot of the mountain, he once again met Feng Ye, who should have been long gone.

Hao Chen: “……”

Feng Ye: “……”

Neither side was prepared for this unexpected encounter.

After a beat, Hao Chen asked: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, why are you here?” Didn’t you go down the mountain quite a while ago?

Feng Ye heard the inquiry in Hao Chen’s words. He was speechless for a moment, then said vaguely: “I….took the wrong path, so it took me a while to get here.”

After answering, he threw the question back: “Why is Fellow Daoist Hao Chen here?”

It was Hao Chen’s turn to be speechless. He paused, then copied his answer: “I also took the wrong path, and got here via detour.”

“Haha, what a coincidence, ah.” Feng Ye laughed dryly, not going into why Hao Chen had plagiarized his answer.

“Yes, what a coincidence, ah. My fate with Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is truly destined by heaven.” Hao Chen offered a fake smile.

Then the two of them tacitly dropped the subject. They walked side by side all the way back, endlessly uneasy, wondering if the other person had found out what he’d done.

He shouldn’t have……right?

---

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Chapter 16 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 18

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.

---

[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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