Chapter 15 – Sword Qi

Boom! Boom! Boom!

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

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

“Shixiong!”

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

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

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

He didn’t need to do anything.

Feng Ye made this judgement.

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

Indeed, he couldn’t win.

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

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

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

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

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

“Don’t panic.”

These two short words should have been wan and powerless. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was about to break.

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

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

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

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

“Don’t retreat!” 

The man’s voice suddenly became severe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forget it, he was going to die anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This was…..sword qi…..

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

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

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

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

How was this possible?

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

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

Feng Ye noticed his gaze and offered an innocent smile.

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

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

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

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

Perfection, Feng Ye thought happily.

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Chapter 14 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 16

Chapter 13 – Creating Opportunities

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

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

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

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

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

He could, however, escape.

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

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

Fang Yang: “……”

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

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

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

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

Fang Yang: “……” So tired.

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

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

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

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

And rushed straight toward Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feng Ye briefly lost sight of him.

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

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

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

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

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

The bear’s body abruptly froze.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since there was no opportunity, he would create one.

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

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

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

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Chapter 13 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 15

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hahaha, of course, of course.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Huai gave him a doubtful look.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She then gave Liu Zhenqing a blank look.

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

Liu Zhenqing started to pull his hand back in amusement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En, Ruoruo was also very…..” 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That little eunuch…..”

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

He Chuzhou: “I drove. Why?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “You are.”

He Chuzhou: “I’m really not.”

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “What is it?”

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

How could Pei Xi actually let him stay here?

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

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

Pei Xi: “Let him wait in the car.”

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

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

He Chuzhou: “Xingxing, ah. Why?”

Pei Xi: “His name is Xinxin?”

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Change it back.”

He Chuzhou: “Change what back?”

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

He Chuzhou: “Why?”

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “No. Let’s go.”

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

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

He Chuzhou beamed with pleasure: “Okay!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi’s heart was also suspended.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He Chuzhou blinked: “What’s wrong?”

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

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

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

“Yeah,” He Chuzhou said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The doctor: “Well……you’re not wrong.”

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

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

Pei Xi understood. 

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

What had he done wrong to deserve this?

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “There is.”

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

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

He Chuzhou: “Ah?”

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “…..Be quiet.”

He Chuzhou shut up.

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Do you not work?”

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

Pei Xi: “……”

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

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

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

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

He Chuzhou’s face fell once more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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Extra 1 << Table of Contents >> Extra 3

Chapter 13 – Competing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But this current event certainly did.

Coincidentally, those two fallen trees were the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s favorite fruit trees.

When the fruit trees fell, the fruits themselves were naturally not spared. The smashed fruit oozed juices, and the fragrance attracted a nearby White-Nosed Demon Bear.

Thus, the scene before them.

Faced with a White-Nosed Demon Bear hungrily eyeing them ten meters away, Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage still did not stop bickering.

The two of them became increasingly animated as they talked, belittling themselves to the point of worthlessness. After comparing themselves for so long, which one of them was the most useless was still undetermined. 

Fang Yang was getting tired of listening to it.

Thud, thud, thud.

Dull footsteps approached.

It seemed the White-Nosed Demon Bear was also getting tired of listening to it. Although it was a demonic beast, its intelligence wasn’t low. After all, it wouldn’t be able to top the list of the most difficult beasts in the back mountain by relying on force alone.

Before attacking, it observed the three humans in front of it for a while and felt that they didn’t pose a threat, so it rushed over and brandished its enormous bear claws.

The three-meter-tall bear’s running speed was not lowered by its size. It took only a breath of time for it to rush in front of Feng Ye and Hao Chen.

And the two people continued to stand there motionless, one with crossed arms and the other waving a fan.

“Roar!” The White-Nosed Demon Bear roared again.

Due to the close distance, along with the sound of their sleeves blowing, the three of them now smelled the pungent, fishy odor of the bear’s mouth.

Huge claws swiped down from above, capable of tearing apart the hardest human skull.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, if you don’t do something, we’re going to die.” Feng Ye looked up at the claws that were bearing down toward his head.

“Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, don’t worry. Being able to perish with you is enough for me in this life.”

Fang Yang: “……”

He lamented inwardly that although he was the least in both height and age, he felt that he was the only adult present and must shoulder the responsibility of protecting these two wastes.

Moreover, he was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He didn’t understand why Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage automatically ignored him when deciding who would fight the White-Nosed Demon Bear.

Although this adult bear possessed the strength of someone at the tenth level of Qi Refining, he didn’t need to defeat it. He just needed to delay it for long enough that Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage could escape.

Fang Yang was confident in himself, so he pushed aside the two people blocking his way and used the iron sword he had brought up the mountain for self defense, slashing diagonally from bottom to top.

This was not the first time this White-Nosed Demon Bear had dealt with human cultivators, and it knew the power of this cold-shining metal. The claws swinging down suddenly changed direction mid-air.

With a clang, the tip of the sword hit the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s hardest claw.

At the seventh level of Qi Refining, a cultivator’s physical fitness was greatly enhanced, far surpassing that of ordinary mortals. But it was entirely incomparable to the natural advantages of monsters.

The White-Nosed Demon Bear was also renowned for its strength, which was at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

As a result of the collison, Fang Yang was knocked back five to six meters by the force transmitted through his sword.

Fang Yang’s proactive behavior angered the White-Nosed Demon Bear. It no longer bothered with Feng Ye and Hao Chen, and just rushed toward Fang Yang with a roar.

Fang Yang regained his footing as quickly as he could. He pointed his sword forward, spread his legs and lowered his center of gravity, and got ready to meet the enemy.

At the same time, he recalled yesterday’s advice from the mysterious big brother who lived in a bamboo slip: “Although you use great force when you draw your sword, that force is not flowing through your body in the right direction, resulting in thirty percent of the force used on your sword being wasted.”

“Power starts from the ground, then spreads to the body, arms, wrists, fingers, joints, all connected from the bottom to the top. Only in this way can the maximum force be poured into your sword.”

Sharp claws swung in front of him again. Fang Yang’s eyes focused. He followed the mysterious big brother’s instructions, exerting force from his feet, then to his body, arms, wrists, fingers, and finally to the body of the sword.

Fang Yang swung his sword fiercely, and the iron sword infused with powerful force audibly split the air before hitting the bear’s claws once more.

There was another clang.

Fang Yang’s feet sank deep into the dirt, and he slid back two or three steps.

But he stopped.

After moving two or three steps back, he stopped. He was not knocked back again by the White-Nosed Demon Bear, but actually blocked the bear’s claws, which were renowned for their strength.

Fang Yang was delighted. The mysterious big brother’s words were true.

Not far away, Feng Ye smiled. He noticed the slight change in Fang Yang’s movements when he drew the sword and knew that his lesson the previous night had not been in vain.

“What is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye smiling about?” Hao Chen suddenly asked, having paid close attention to Feng Ye’s actions.

Feng Ye immediately stopped smiling, and came up with an excuse: “My fellow junior disciple is so strong. Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, it looks like we don’t have to die. I’m grateful that we escaped the bear’s claws, ah.”

Hao Chen hid half of his face behind his fan, leaving only his peach blossom eyes exposed. He narrowed his eyes slightly, asking in a tone of disbelief: “Is that so?”

Feng Ye nodded affirmatively: “It really is.”

Hao Chen didn’t believe him, but also didn’t ask further questions.

He closed his fan and tapped his palm with the handle. His eyes were on Fang Yang, who was fighting the White-Nosed Demon Bear, but his words were for Feng Ye: “Why doesn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye step forward to help? Aren’t you afraid that your shidi will be torn apart at the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s claws?”

Feng Ye was also watching Fang Yang, observing his sword movements. After all, it had only been one night, and Fang Yang hadn’t truly comprehended his instructions. But with Fang Yang’s current strength, dealing with this White-Nosed Demon Bear shouldn’t be a problem.

Even if he didn’t win, he wouldn’t lose.

Feng Ye was very confident – not in Fang Yang, but in the sword skills he had taught Fang Yang.

So he stood there motionless and said to Hao Chen: “I’ll be of no help with my insufficient strength, so it’s better for me not to add to the bear’s murder tally.”

“Heh heh.” Hao Chen chuckled. “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is always so modest.”

Feng Ye replied without missing a beat: “I’m not being modest, just self-aware.”

Hao Chen smiled, saying nothing.

---

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Chapter 12 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 14

Liu Zhenqing brought Er-gou back to the banquet and saw that Huo Feihan had been besieged. He rushed over to help, and using his eloquence, he was able to block seven or eight out of ten cups of wine. In addition, Liu Zhenqing’s physique was such that he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, so it was no problem for him to drink alone with a group of people. 

Huo Fenglie’s friends also came to see him. 

The Yue family were old friends with the Huo family, so they naturally sent people to attend the happy event, and Yue Xuqian was brought along.

Yue Xuqian was wise beyond his years. When he saw Huo Fenglie coming over, he pretended to complain: “I rarely come here, but you’re hanging around with Xiting-ge instead of accompanying me…..”

“I…..was lending a hand.” Huo Fenglie was still young, and felt uncomfortable when he was told this.

Yue Xuqian smiled and teased him: “I never thought Huo-dage would actually marry Li-jiejie. Ai, do you think my auntie has a chance?”

Huo Fenglie immediately sent Yue Xuqian a look, not bothering to hide his jealousy at all.

Yue Xuqian’s smile grew even brighter: “I bet my family’s elders came here with the intention of…..”

“No!” Huo Fenglie said at once.

Yue Xuqian stifled a laugh: “Then I’ll help you keep an eye on the matter and tell you if there are any signs.”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, and could only nod. There was anxiety in his eyes, but it was no use being anxious. He was still a child, and there was nothing he could do.

As they were talking, they saw two elegant young men, one tall and one short, walking toward their table.

Yue Xuqian asked: “Who are these two…..”

Huo Fenglie took a look and said: “They’re the two young masters of Imperial Preceptor Bai’s family. The elder brother is Bai Yu, and the younger one is Bai Su. We all study at the Imperial Academy together, and Bai Su is my classmate.”

Having said this, Huo Fenglie stood and greeted them.

“Second Young Master, my didi is bored staying with us. Please take him out to play.”

Bai Su playfully stuck his tongue out at Huo Fenglie. He had a very lively personality, and was obviously familiar with the other boy. 

In contrast, Bai Yu had a gentle temperament, clear eyes, and a scholarly air to his every move, which gave people a very comfortable feeling.

Standing together, the Bai brothers had a rare and outstanding disposition.

Huo Fenglie nodded in agreement. Bai Su gave a polite smile, and was about to leave when he was stopped by his little brother. 

“Gege, didn’t you want to get acquainted with Young Master Liu? Fenglie is very familiar with him, he can help introduce you.”

Bai Yu’s neck turned red from embarrassment when he was exposed by his little brother. He was a young man born into a scholarly family, so he was naturally very thin-skinned. 

“Don’t…..they’re busy, so I won’t disturb them.”

The Bai and Huo families could only be regarded as officials from the same dynasty, with no deep friendship between them. Adding to that the age difference, Bai Yu was not familiar with Huo Feihan, and much less familiar with Liu Zhenqing. 

How could he have the nerve to approach and disturb the other person at this time? Just as he was feeling awkward, he looked up and met Huo Fenglie’s black and white eyes.

“Brother Bai wants to meet Qing-ge?” Huo Fenglie asked frankly.

Bai Yu was initially a little embarrassed, but seeing that Huo Fenglie was asking seriously, he gave an honest nod: “Young Master Liu is a great talent. I’ve read many of his articles and admire him very much. I’ve hoped that we would meet someday, but I don’t need to speak to him now. I’ll speak to him next time.”

Bai Yu always felt that aside from reading and painting, he had nothing to show for himself, unlike the brilliant and unrestrained Liu Zhenqing. He felt like he had to accomplish something before he could befriend the person he admired.

“Qing-ge is a very good person. You can talk to him whenever you want,” Huo Fenglie said after some thought. According to his understanding of Liu Zhenqing, the man liked people with Bai Yu’s personality the most – docile, well-behaved, and very easy to tease and bully.

Bai Yu thanked him shyly, then left Bai Su behind and returned to his elders.

Their tablemates were all young boys around the same age, many of whom were classmates. After sitting down, Bai Su naturally began chattering and laughing with everyone.

Yue Xuqian nudged Huo Fenglie with his elbow and said: “Didn’t you call him Xiting-gege before?”

When had he become ‘Qing-ge?’

Huo silently drank his tea, offering no explanation.

Yue Xuqian sighed and spoke again: “Xiting-ge really has a lot of admirers wherever he goes. Aren’t you afraid that fellow just now will like Xiting-ge?”

Huo Fenglie was stumped for a moment. His mind had been so focused on the fact that Liu Zhenqing attracted so many women that he hadn’t considered men as a threat.

The clever Yue Xuqian pointed at Liu Zhenqing within the crowd. That person was radiant with delight, shoulder-to-shoulder with others, and there were indeed quite a few men looking at him with impure eyes.

Huo Fenglie suddenly felt a little dejected: “Qing-ge doesn’t like men for now.”

Yue Xuqian patted his shoulder in silent consolation.

After three rounds of drinking, many people had already passed out. Looking again at Liu Zhenqing, a faint tinge of pink had appeared on his jade-like face, making the two moles at the corner of his eye extremely eye-catching.

A nearby drunk man couldn’t help but dizzily reach out to touch that stunning face, but iron claws grabbed his wrist halfway there.

When the man’s eyes focused, he saw that it was Huo Fenglie.

He was about to take the brat to task for being unruly, but was startled by the sudden pain in his wrist. He looked again at Huo Fenglie, and upon seeing the warning on his young face, he could only smile awkwardly. When the other party let go, he quickly withdrew his hand and looked for a chance to leave.

Liu Zhenqing was playing a drinking game with the others when he suddenly felt a tug at his sleeve. Turning around, he saw a pair of chopsticks with crystal clear fish meat being handed to him. As soon as he saw who was holding them, Liu Zhenqing boldly swallowed the food in one gulp.

Sure enough, there wasn’t a single fish bone.

He had been drinking from the start, and had barely eaten anything. Drinking in such a way was certainly harmful to the body, but with the atmosphere like this, who had time to eat, ah?

But it was different for Liu Zhenqing. He had an assistant to feed him. Huo Fenglie took a seat next to him and continued to feed him food, removing bones and picking out peppers as necessary. In short, he prepared it well and picked up just enough at a time for one bite.

Huo Fenglie handed it over, and Liu Zhenqing opened his mouth.

Somebody noticed this and joked: “Whose didi is this Second Young Master, ah? Your elder brother is about to pass out and hasn’t had a single bite of hot food.”

Huo Feihan was lying on the table, and quickly raised his head when he heard his name, peering at his little brother sitting across the table with Liu Zhenqing.

Huo Feihan was used to this, and had no hard feelings at all. He just said with a smile: “Who said he’s my didi? He’s the one our family raised for Zhenqing.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Zhenqing hugged Er-gou as if hugging his own baby and said, not to be outdone: “You have a wife, so it’s naturally your wife who should take care of you. I’m still a bachelor, so what’s wrong with Er-gou taking care of me? I think you’re just jealous.”

“Jealous, jealous, so jealous. Liu Xiting, you’re lucky. You’re spoiled by the crown prince, protected by Huo-dage, and pampered by the second Huo brother. You even have good looks, and all the young maidens and wives like you. You’re simply the public enemy of the rest of us men! I think the heavens must owe you from a previous life, so they only made you responsible for enjoying this one.”

Everyone laughed again, and on account of Liu Zhenqing’s good luck, they made him drink more.

Since everyone had “blessed” him with cups of wine, Liu Zhenqing had to drink them.

*

*

Li Xingruo ate and drank her fill in the room, waiting for a long time before she heard the door open. When she turned around, she watched as Huo Feihan staggered over to her and drunkenly embraced her.

She quickly helped him to the bed, cursing: “Didn’t I ask Liu Zhenqing to help block drinks for you? How are you still this drunk?”

“Zhenqing…..fell down too..…haha…..”

Li Xingruo was momentarily speechless: “Forget it. You lie down first. I’ll go make you some hangover soup.”

When she tried to leave, Huo Feihan held her waist tightly and refused to let go: “Don’t go…..Madam…..Madam…..Ruoruo. My wife…..I like my wife so much. Hehe, I finally brought you home.”

Li Xingruo blushed. “Feihan…..I’ll be back soon.”

“Ruoruo, I thought…..I would never have a chance with you in this life. Thanks to Zhenqing, thanks to him…..”

Li Xingruo’s eyes were gentle, and she coaxed him for a long time before he let go. It seemed that he was truly drunk.

Helpless, she assisted him in changing his clothes, covered him with a blanket, and then changed into a simple outfit to go out. Li Xingruo liked to personally make things like hangover soup, and would add some medicinal herbs to make it better for the body. 

After leaving the room, she heard the bustle of people being sent away one after another. She knew that Liu Zhenqing would definitely be staying in the Snow Catkin Courtyard, so she would have Er-gou bring him some hangover soup later. 

Just as she was walking through the courtyard gates, she caught sight of a person lying on the rockery in the large courtyard, sleeping silently under the moonlight. 

Li Xingruo recognized Liu Zhenqing at a glance, and her face immediately darkened. It seemed that the two of them had come together just now, but Huo Feihan had come to the room while Liu Zhenqing had lay down elsewhere. The servants were busy in the front, so nobody had noticed him until now. 

Huo Fenglie had just sent his friend off when he discovered that Qing-ge was missing, and immediately went to look for him. 

“Qing-ge,” Huo Fenglie called out softly, trying to help the man up.

But Liu Zhenqing was drunk. He hated it the most when someone disturbed his sleep, and would struggle hard if anyone touched him.

If the other person was stronger than him, he would push at them wildly. And if the other person was weaker than him, he would drag them into his arms and make them behave.

Although Huo Fenglie was stronger than Liu Zhenqing, he had always treated him like porcelain and naturally used less force.

Liu Zhenqing pushed him a few times, then pulled him down and tried to hug him to stop him from making noise.

The rockery was already bumpy, and the footing was inevitably unstable as he was being pulled. Huo Fenglie practically fell into Liu Zhenqing’s arms.

He managed to prop himself up and lift his head. Liu Zhenqing, who had been lying on his side, was now lying completely on his back beneath him.

The two were so close that their noses were almost touching.

Their breathing invisibly intertwined.

Such a close situation hadn’t happened again since Huo Fenglie had refused to share a bed with Liu Zhenqing.

It had happened so suddenly now that Huo Fenglie’s heart was beating like a drum and he was in a complete daze.

The young man’s blood was boiling, and he didn’t know if it was because of the intoxicating moonlight or Liu Zhenqing’s alcohol-tainted breath.

Liu Zhenqing smacked his cherry-red lips unconsciously, and they seemed to exude some kind of magic.

Huo Fenglie felt his brain and heart heat up, and lost his mind.

Li Xingruo had originally planned to not bother Huo Fenglie when she saw him arrive, but then she saw Liu Zhenqing holding him in his arms. She knew Liu Zhenqing was drunk and thought that Huo Fenglie was unable to struggle his way free, so she started forward to help.

Under the bright moonlight, even though she couldn’t see their faces clearly, she could see a man pressing another man down on the rockery in an ambiguous manner, the distance between them so negligible that it looked as if they were about to kiss. Li Xingruo stared in a daze.

Considering Er-gou’s usual attitude toward Liu Zhenqing, Li Xingruo still thought he had a brother complex. But looking at the scene in front of her, that didn’t feel right. After all, Er-gou couldn’t be considered a child any longer.

Just as she was lost in thought, Li Xingruo suddenly froze. Her pupils shrank, and she goggled at the scene on the rockery in disbelief. 

Er-gou…..was actually kissing her shixiong!

It was a brief moment of contact, and in the next second, Er-gou was stimulated into foolishness. He jumped up from Liu Zhenqing’s arms, held his face, and began to flee.

That handsome little face had turned red.

But he stopped halfway through rushing away. He rubbed his face vigorously, then turned around, picked up Liu Zhenqing, and returned to the Snow Catkin Courtyard.

Li Xingruo was in such shock that she didn’t even cook the hangover soup, and ran swiftly back to tell Huo Feihan the gossip she had just witnessed.

His family’s little brother was actually going to be given away!

But Huo Feihan had already fallen asleep. It wasn’t until the next morning that he awoke with a start to find that he had missed his wedding night. He quickly apologized to Li Xingruo, who was slowly waking up beside him.

Based on her temper, Huo Feihan felt that she would definitely be angry, but Li Xingruo was drowsy after waking up. She grinned, saying with a stifled laugh: “You’re awake. I’m going to tell you a shocking secret.”

Huo Feihan: ? ? ? ?

Li Xingruo: %#&*

Huo Feihan: ! ! ! ! !

“Really!” Huo Feihan was stunned. “Er-gou really…..”

Li Xingruo said: “Your little brother is actually going to be his wife.”

Huo Feihan was dumbfounded. Li Xingruo immediately said: “What? You’re unwilling, ah!”

Frowning, Huo Feihan said: “But…..Zhenqing likes women, ah. Wasn’t there that Li Jinshu incident before, where he said he couldn’t accept men? How could he possibly accept Er-gou?”

“Then let’s make a bet. I bet that Er-gou will definitely win my shixiong.”

Huo Feihan shook his head, saying: “Although I also want him to be family, Zhenqing treats him as his own little brother. Er-gou is a little dull and can’t flirt with Zhenqing, so I’m not optimistic about their future. I just hope this won’t cause Zhenqing trouble. He’s so soft-hearted. Besides, Er-gou is still young, and it would be even worse if he’s just acting on a whim. Ai, I’ll have to give him a scolding later. How could he rely on Zhenqing being drunk to steal a kiss?”

Li Xingruo said: “That’s true. Perhaps Er-gou likes Zhenqing as a woman. He has that kind of face, after all. But it’s better not to scold him. Just pretend like you don’t know anything.”

Thus, the two of them decided to wait and see what happened.

Of course, the most important thing at the moment was to make up for their wedding night.

On the other side, Liu Zhenqing gradually woke up. The windows were bright and clear, the sky filled with a morning glow. Liu Zhenqing turned to find a person curled up on the small couch under the window sill.

He was accustomed to this and turned slightly to the side, which woke up Er-gou.

Er-gou rubbed his eyes: “Qing-ge…..”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and waved, then patted the bedside.

Huo Fenglie hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help walking over and lying down next to him. Liu Zhenqing wrapped him in the blanket and said with a smile: “Isn’t there enough space for you to sleep here? Didn’t you like sleeping with Qing-ge very much before? Now you don’t want to.”

Huo Fenglie choked and didn’t dare to answer, but Liu Zhenqing didn’t press. He was just teasing him. Instead, he smiled and said: “Were you worried that I drank too much and would feel uncomfortable in the middle of the night, ah?”

Huo Fenglie nodded obediently.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart melted. What a cute and well-behaved little brother. He held Huo Fenglie and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Huo Fenglie was struck dumb. It wasn’t like such an intimate action hadn’t happened before, but when he thought of the secret kiss he stole last night, and the lips that had just been imprinted on his cheek, Huo Fenglie’s entire being froze.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t let him go. Instead, he stuffed him under the quilt and started to hold him while making mischief.

When Huo Fenglie rushed out of bed with a red face, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help laughing. He just thought Er-gou was ticklish and couldn’t handle it.

Ah, another refreshing day.

---

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(Alt Universe) Extra 8 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 10

“There may be side effects.”

The doctor closed the exam forms and pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down: “The family of the patient should be mentally prepared.”

“I’m not his family member,” Pei Xi explained, then asked, “What kind of side effects?”

The doctor put his index and middle fingers together and tapped his temple meaningfully.

Pei Xi: “He’s mentally ill?”

The doctor: “Oh, that’s not the case. The patient hit his head during the car accident and has a concussion that could cause some side effects, but it’s nothing serious. It will just take time for the injury to heal by itself.”

Pei Xi asked again: “What are the side effects?”

The doctor: “There are many possibilities: insomnia, sleepiness, lack of energy, excessive energy, amnesia, or memory confusion, all of which have precedent.”

The conversation between the two took place at the door of the ward. The person inside had already woken up, and was lying in bed with his arms behind his head, yawning comfortably.

Pei Xi turned his head to glance at He Chuzhou.

…..There were many possibilities, but he felt that this person fit none of them.

The driver who caused the rear-end collision was someone else. Pei Xi was just playing the part of a responsible citizen throughout the whole process, and since this person was fine, there was no reason for him to stay any longer.

He was in a hurry to meet Mr. Zhang. Whether He Chuzhou experienced side effects or not had nothing to do with him.

It was just that for some reason, accidents happened one after another.

As soon as he reached the car after leaving the hospital, Dong Han received a call from Mr. Zhang’s assistant, who said that Mr. Zhang had to leave for something urgent. All matters would be discussed after he returned.

After politely hanging up, Dong Han turned around from the passenger seat and asked: “President Pei, what do we do now?”

Pei Xi closed his eyes and rubbed his nose, feeling more tired than upset: “Go back.”

This was a wasted trip. He’d had to run around a hospital for no good reason, and his work was delayed because of an unworthy person. Pei Xi was really not in a good mood.

With his morning plans disrupted, he could only move the rest of his schedule forward.

As usual, he worked overtime at the company until 8:00. When night fell, he packed up and went downstairs after a reminder from Assistant Dong Han.

After eating dinner at a nearby restaurant, he was considering whether to go home or return to the company and finish the remaining work, when a call suddenly came in.

The caller ID was just the perfunctory character “He,” referring to the person lying in the hospital with side effects in reserve.

Pei Xi answered the phone. His manner of speech wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t good either. “What is it.”

He Chuzhou: “Honey, why aren’t you at home? Where did you go, ah?”

Pei Xi’s face darkened, and he decisively hung up the phone.

Unexpectedly, within a few seconds, the other party called again. Even when he was hung up on repeatedly, he continued to call.

Pei Xi was annoyed. When the other party called once more, he picked up: “He Chuzhou, are you sick? Do you not know how to look at which contact you’re calling?”

As if in confirmation, there was a moment of silence.

Pei Xi didn’t have time to waste with him. Just as he was about to hang up, he heard the person on the other end say: “Honey, stop joking with me. How could I not recognize your voice?”

Pei Xi: “…..What?”

He Chuzhou: “Where have you been? If you’re not feeling well, don’t go running around. Give me an address, I’ll pick you up and take you home right now.”

Pei Xi felt a chill all over his body at the repeated address of “Honey.” Thinking of the doctor’s words that day, he wondered if these were the so-called “side effects” that needed time to heal naturally.

But whether or not this was the case, it had nothing to do with him.

Pei Xi: “You don’t need to worry about where I am. If you’re feeling unsound, call your parents, don’t call me anymore. I’m hanging up.”

He Chuzhou hurriedly said: “My parents went abroad.”

Pei Xi’s finger paused above the screen. He hesitated, then put the phone to his ear again: “Abroad?”

He Chuzhou gave a hum. His voice sounded a little aggrieved: “They can’t come back at short notice.”

Pei Xi: “Then call another relative or friend.”

He Chuzhou: “They’re all busy.”

Pei Xi: “Do you think I’m idle?”

He Chuzhou: “Of course not, you’re the busiest!”

Pei Xi: “Then I’m hanging up.”

“Hey, don’t, Honey…..”

He Chuzhou lowered his voice and said pitifully: “I know you’re still angry, but can you at least tell me where you are? It’s so dark outside at night, I’m really worried about you being out there alone.”

“……” Pei Xi took a deep breath. “He Chuzhou, if you don’t know where to go, you can return to the hospital and stay there. I wasn’t the one who hit you, so don’t waste my time.”

“Also, I’m not your ‘honey,’ so stop calling me that.” After that, he disconnected and drove home.

It was quiet all the way there. He thought He Chuzhou had given up, but as soon as he drove into the community garage, his phone chimed several times in succession. The screen lit up to show that he had received several WeChat messages:

He Chuzhou: [Honey, don’t be angry (T . T)]

He Chuzhou: [I promise I’ll never do it again. I’ll listen to you obediently in the future. If you say stop, I’ll stop, and if you say move, I’ll move. If you say no, even if the arrow is on the string, I’ll endure it.]

He Chuzhou: [Honey, forgive me. /sobbing]

He Chuzhou: [I really know I was wrong.]

He Chuzhou: [The path of abandoning your home is too difficult, bring Zhouzhou with you. /sobbing /sobbing]

What was he talking about?

Pei Xi could now be sure that this person really had a problem with his brain. He was about to block him, but was stopped in his tracks by what he said next: 

He Chuzhou: [Are you at the company?]

He Chuzhou: [Can I come pick you up?]

He Chuzhou: [/holding head in grievance.jpg]

He Chuzhou: [But will the security guards open the door for me if I don’t have an employee badge? Honey, if I wait at the door, will you come down to get me?]

The company’s security guards were on duty 24/7, and there were also employees in the programming department who were still working. If He Chuzhou really went to find him with great fanfare, Pei Xi didn’t dare imagine what would come out the next day.

Why was this person so irritating?

Pei Xi suppressed his anger and sent his home address.

Pei Xi: [I’m staying here tonight. It’s safe. Don’t come find me. We can talk tomorrow if you have something to say.]

Pei Xi: [/picture]

Pei Xi: [And look carefully, there are a lot of lights around. It’s not dark at all.]

He paid no more attention to what the concussion patient read or replied to. Pei Xi put his phone away and went upstairs. He habitually showered as soon as he got home, and after coming out of the bathroom, he went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

When the doorbell rang, he was holding his coffee and about to go to the study and continue working. At the sound, he could only put down the coffee and go to the door.

He casually asked who it was, but nobody answered.

As a result, he looked through the peephole to see who it was, and his impatience immediately soared.

He opened the door with a cold expression, and before he could ask “What’s wrong with you?”, he was hugged tightly by the other party. His feet even lifted off the ground for two or three seconds, and he was almost unable to breathe.

“Honey, why did you secretly buy a house for yourself? Do you really not want me anymore?”

There was a huge difference in strength between the two. He Chuzhou rendered Pei Xi unable to break free with just a little effort: “Don’t, ah, it’s difficult to find a wealthy man like me on the market. I promise I’ll be obedient in the future, so just compromise, Honey.”

“I’ll transfer the house to you later. And if you’re unhappy in the future, just make me go, don’t go away by yourself. I get worried when I don’t see you.”

“My wife smells so good, ah. Did you change your shower gel? This scent absolutely suits you.”

Pei Xi tilted his head back and pushed hard against his shoulders: “He Chuzhou, let go!”

“I won’t.” Not only did He Chuzhou not let go, he also buried his head and rubbed it around in a very scoundrelly manner: “If I let go, you’ll run away again. I haven’t hugged you in an entire day.”

What did he mean, he hadn’t hugged him in an entire day?

They had never come within three meters of each other.

Pei Xi: “If you don’t let go, I’ll divorce you.”

In the next second, the arms constraining him were immediately withdrawn. He regained his freedom and quickly took two steps back to distance himself from He Chuzhou.

He Chuzhou stood there like a large, downtrodden dog, looking pitifully at him with downcast eyes. This was the complete opposite of his usual high-spirited self.

An angry “scram” caught in Pei Xi’s throat.

And he didn’t know if it was because He Chuzhou’s dog imitation was so good, but it gave him the illusion that he could actually hear a dog barking.

He Chuzhou: “Honey…..”

Unknown source: “Bark, bark!”

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

He turned around with confusion in his eyes and unexpectedly discovered a border collie puppy, which had lay down at some point on the cabinet under the projection screen.

The puppy had a red collar around its neck, and was looking at him curiously with bright puppy eyes. It shuffled its front paws occasionally and barked softly as if to join in the fun.

Pei Xi’s eye twitched. He looked back at the humanoid canine: “Your dog?”

He Chuzhou whispered: “He’s your dog too.”

Pei Xi’s expression hardened: “Coming here in the middle of the night is one thing, but you brought your dog with you too?”

He Chuzhou: “He’s your dog t—”

Pei Xi: “If you say it’s my dog one more time, I’ll call the security guards to throw you and your dog out!”

He Chuzhou gave an ‘oh,’ then changed his words weakly: “He’s your son too.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Forget it. Calm down.

Pei Xi, you’re a normal person. Don’t bother with the mentally impaired.

“Okay, you’ve seen that I’m fine and safe now. You can go back.”

Pei Xi turned around and drove the border collie off the cabinet, then grabbed the leash and led it to the door: “Take your son with you and see yourselves off.”

He Chuzhou didn’t take the dog. His gaze remained fixed on Pei Xi: “Honey, won’t you come back with me?”

Pei Xi: “No. And as I said before, don’t call me ‘honey.’”

He Chuzhou appeared even more depressed: “Okay. Xixi, can I stay with you?”

Pei Xi: “What are you laughing at?”^[1]

He Chuzhou was at a loss: “I’m not laughing.”

Pei Xi: “If you’re not laughing, what are you xixi-ing about?”

“You won’t let me call you ‘honey,’ so I can only call you Xixi.”

He Chuzhou scratched his head: “Or do you want me to call you Peipei? But your father’s last name is also Pei, so it feels weird.”

Pei Xi: “……Get out.”

He Chuzhou stood firm and said: “I really can’t stay?”

Pei Xi said expressionlessly: “No.”

He Chuzhou whispered: “But it’s so empty when you’re not home. I won’t be able to sleep well.”

Pei Xi: “Then go to a hotel.”

He Chuzhou: “Hotels don’t allow pets.”

Pei Xi: “Don’t you have a bunch of bed partners? Have one of them come over and sleep with you.”

He Chuzhou: “Ah? Since when have I had bed partners?”

Pei Xi: “How should I know?”

“I don’t have bed partners, ah, only a wife.”

He Chuzhou was extremely wronged: “Honey, you can hit me or scold me when you’re angry, but you can’t put that label on me. And there was a section of streetlights that were broken on my way here.”

Pei Xi didn’t get his meaning: “Do you want me to fix them for you?”

He Chuzhou: “It’s too dark. I’m scared.” 

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Then take another route.”

He Chuzhou: “The car is almost out of gas. I can’t take another route.”

Pei Xi swore that other than the times he’d faced Pei Zhen before, he had never experienced such a strong urge to beat someone up: “He Chuzhou, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

He Chuzhou said in a low voice: “Xixi.”

Pei Xi: “Don’t call me that.”

He Chuzhou pursed his lips. His eyes were desolate.

Pei Xi: “Don’t play the victim. These tricks won’t work on me.”

He Chuzhou: “Oh…..”

The border collie: “Wu…..”

Pei Xi: “……”

Ten minutes later.

Pei Xi took a blanket out of the bedroom and threw it onto the sofa. He was too tired to be bothered with the pile of dog food, dog bowls, and a dog bed on the balcony that He Chuzhou had brought up from the car.

This person had planned to stay here long-term.

He could tolerate him for one night at most, but he would immediately find a way to have him picked up the next morning.

He Chuzhou’s long arms and legs were curled up on the sofa, and it was difficult for him to turn over: “Xixi, there’s no guest room for me to sleep in?”

Pei Xi: “You can sleep on the sofa or in the car. Your choice.”

He Chuzhou wisely hugged the blanket and lay down obediently: “This sofa is so soft. It’s more comfortable than a bed. My wife has really good taste.”

Pei Xi couldn’t be bothered to pay him any attention. He poured a bowl of water for the dog and touched its head. Then, without even looking at He Chuzhou, who was staring at him from the sofa, he turned around and went to the study.

The weather was overcast tonight, and the stars were hidden behind clouds. As it got closer to midnight, those clouds dispersed a bit and some stars began to appear.

Pei Xi rubbed his nose and turned off the computer, then stood and left the study. As he went to the bedroom, he remembered something and sent a casual glance toward the living room.

The person on the sofa was sleeping awkwardly. One foot and half of the blanket were outside the bounds of the sofa, with the other half rolled up enough to just press under his body. It would all fall to the floor if he turned over.

Pei Xi withdrew his gaze and touched the door handle. A rustling sound came from the living room.

When he looked again, he saw that the other half of the quilt had fallen. He Chuzhou was curled up on the sofa in thin clothes. The puppy lay obediently in a fuzzy dog bed not far from him, and when it saw Pei Xi, it politely wagged its tail.

It was a dark and windy night. The door to the master bedroom opened and closed, and the living room returned to silence.

The puppy put down its wagging tail and fell peacefully asleep. He Chuzou was also asleep, facing the inside of the sofa. The blanket covering him tightly again concealed his face, with only a small section of his head exposed.

*

*

The next morning, Pei Xi woke up on time according to his biological clock.

He hadn’t forgotten the troublemaker in the living room. After he tidied up and came out of the bathroom, he called his assistant Dong Han, intending to have him call He Chuzhou’s assistant to take him away.

But whether it was because it was too early or the other party was delayed by something else, the phone rang for a while without an answer.

He switched to WeChat and found Dong Han, walking out as he edited a text.

As soon as he opened the door, the aroma of food that hit his face made him pause.

Looking up, there was already a ready-made breakfast on the dining table. The living room was empty, with the blanket neatly folded and placed on the sofa. The balcony had been cleaned up without a single dog hair left behind.

As he approached the dining table, he spied a piece of paper underneath a glass of warm milk. On it was a string of words in cursive script:

[President Pei, thank you for taking me in. I’m very sorry for causing trouble all last night. All of this is to express my apologies. My cooking skills are average, but my intentions are as good as ever~]

It was signed ‘He Chuzhou,’ with a messy heart scribbled beside it.

Had he recovered after a good night’s sleep?

It seemed that his sequelae were much less troublesome than anticipated.

After the tossed the note into the trash, Dong Han called back. Pei Xi picked up the call, pulled out a chair, and sat down: “It was nothing. By the way, help me rearrange today’s schedule and move the meetings to this morning. I have to go out and meet a client in the afternoon.”

There actually wasn’t much work to do during this period. The projects were proceeding in an orderly manner under the supervision of the responsible personnel.

But Pei Xi was a person who couldn’t sit still, and apart from work, there didn’t seem to be anything else to fill his life.

As usual, he had a busy and mechanical day, and in the evening, he showed up at a dinner party hosted by one of his partners. It was almost twelve o’clock when he got home.

He washed away the fatigue from running around and lay down in bed. In a short while, he fell into a deep sleep under the tide of exhaustion.

However, his sleep seemed particularly short this night. It felt like he had just closed his eyes one second, and was awoken by the doorbell in the next. 

When he opened his eyes, the sky outside the window was just beginning to turn a pale grey.

Outside the door was He Chuzhou. Pei Xi assumed he was here to apologize. But when he opened the door, he saw the dog squatting at his left foot and the suitcase at his feet, and suddenly had a bad feeling.

As expected, He Chuzhou opened his mouth with a powerful statement: “Xixi, it’s okay if you don’t want to go home. I can stay here and take care of you.”

“Don’t worry, I’m easy to please. Just lend me the sofa.”

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[1] “Xixi” is a laughing sound. ⮐

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Chapter 73 << Table of Contents >> Extra 2

Chapter 12 – Jade Pendant and Bamboo Slip

Although Feng Ye was full of questions, this group of people simply looked at him with mystical expressions, not offering a reason for their behavior.

After all, how could one gossip in the presence of the subject of that gossip? Therefore, Feng Ye remained completely confused.

Very soon, he couldn’t bear the pressure of so many stares on him and quickly slipped away from the crowd with Fang Yang.

As a well-qualified sticky person, Hao Chen naturally followed close behind Feng Ye.

The three of them returned to the messy martial arts training square. The meeting was over, but they still had work to do.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen also realized the childishness of their previous behavior. The two of them didn’t continue to make trouble, and honestly swept their respective sides.

Fang Yang enthusiastically joined the cleaning team. As he swept, he told Feng Ye about his decision: “Shixiong, I’m going to go!”

Feng Ye was unsurprised, as if he’d already seen through Fang Yang’s thoughts.

He was not going to dissuade him. No matter how difficult and dangerous the path of cultivation was, it was destined to be walked by each person alone.

He only warned: “You must make preparations before you go. Healing pills, for example, and herbs to dispel miasma.”

Fang Yang thought for a moment, then said: “I still have some healing medicine, and I think there are some herbs for dispelling miasma in the back mountain. I’ll go up the mountain to look for them tomorrow.”

The founder of Lingxiao Sword Sect had chosen this location as the sect’s base, a decision that had certainly not been made lightly. This mountain range was vast, with strong spiritual energy. This made it a rare and treasured place for cultivation.

Although disciples of past generations had built many houses and palaces on the mountain, there was still a considerable area of deep, old forest that was entirely undeveloped.

This was what Lingxiao Sword Sect called the ‘back mountain.’ The spiritual energy in the back mountain nourished all kinds of spiritual medicines, plants, and monsters.

Naturally, in order to ensure the safety of the disciples, Lingxiao Sword Sect would periodically organize disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage to clear out the monsters there.

But there would always be some fish that slipped through the net. Although it wouldn’t be a big problem with Fang Yang’s cultivation, when he thought about Fang Yang leaving soon, it seemed that he, as a shixiong, had never done anything for Fang Yang.

Feeling a little guilty, Feng Ye said: “I’ll go with you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hao Chen jumped on the opportunity and said: “I’ll go too.”

Feng Ye looked at Hao Chen and thought, Sticky candy.

Hao Chen smiled back, pretending not to understand Feng Ye’s look of contempt.

Although Fang Yang didn’t believe his Useless Shixiong would be of any help, he was considerate enough to not reject his kindness.

Once the three of them finished cleaning, they agreed to meet again in the morning and went back to their respective rooms.

Having finally gotten rid of Hao Chen, Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief as soon as the door closed. It felt as if he had unshouldered a huge burden.

He searched around his room and finally found the book “Legend of Li Aotian’s Cultivation” that had been tossed under the bed.

Feng Ye wiped the book and blew the dust from it before opening it and flipping through a couple of pages.

He had not suddenly sought out this book because his tastes had changed. He still thought the book was complete nonsense.

Feng Ye had been itching to give Fang Yang pointers while sword training in the early morning, but was unable to speak up with Hao Chen present.

But then he came up with a great idea. And that idea was inspired by…..

Feng Ye flipped through about ten pages before he found what he was looking for.

The protagonist Li Aotian was looked down on because of his mediocre talent. Just as he had given up on himself, he happened to pick up a jade pendant.

He thought it was just an ordinary jade pendant, but by an unexpected coincidence, blood dripped from Li Aotian’s fingertips onto the jade pendant, awakening the old grandfather slumbering within it.

The old grandfather was certainly not an ordinary old man. He was the remnant soul of a powerful being who had been stranded there due to happenstance.

It didn’t matter how he ended up there, nor why he had found the mediocre Li Aotian.

In any case, they were together.

The old grandfather guided Li Aotian’s cultivation and growth the entire way, and successfully aided him in reaching the pinnacle of his life.

This was not the point. The point was that the words of the old grandfather inside the pendant could only be heard by Li Aotian, after his blood dripped on it and the jade pendant recognized him as its master.

What a great idea. If he could just replicate a jade pendant like this, he could avoid Hao Chen and talk to Fang Yang directly.

Flipping through the book, Feng Ye marveled at his own cleverness.

When he was finished admiring himself, Feng Ye stroked his non-existent beard. He had already placed himself into the role of the old grandfather.

Feng Ye jumped up from the bamboo couch, ready to get to work.

And then……and then, he encountered a problem.

Where was he going to get a jade pendant?

Feng Ye looked through all of the drawers in his house and came to a conclusion: 

Oh. It turns out I’m a pauper.

Although he had been impersonating someone for a month, Feng Ye, who had never cared about money, only discovered this fact today.

But as the old saying went, as long as your thinking doesn’t slip, there are always more solutions than problems.

There was no jade pendant, so he would make one out of wood.

Feng Ye used local materials, cutting some bamboo directly from the bamboo forest outside his house. He polished the bamboo into a slip two fingers wide, then picked up a brush and drew an array onto it.

He, a counterfeit grandfather, wasn’t actually going to place a wisp of his soul into the bamboo. He simply drew a communication array onto the slip, through which he could talk directly to the person on the other side in his sea of consciousness.

And in addition to the communication array, Feng Ye added a stealth array to prevent the special nature of the bamboo slip from being exposed due to spiritual energy leaking out when the array was activated.

These two arrays were simple on their own, but when drawn together, the difficulty level was completely different.

The two arrays must be linked and integrated with each other. If a mistake was made, the array would be worthless. This type of combined array that required personal modification could only be done by a master-level figure who was extremely proficient in the principals of arrays.

And Feng Ye drew very quickly, taking even less time than it took to polish the bamboo.

When the last stroke of the array was completed, it flashed briefly before sinking into the bamboo piece and vanishing.

It was done. Feng Ye looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction.

There was only one step left – getting this bamboo slip to Fang Yang. Feng Ye planned to copy the plot in the book and let Fang Yang pick it up.

It was currently near evening, and Fang Yang would be coming back from sword practice.

Thus, Feng Ye stealthily went to Fang Yang’s residence. When he saw his figure from a distance, he immediately tossed the bamboo slip to the ground.

Then he hid in the bamboo forest and waited for Fang Yang to pick it up.

Fang Yang got closer…..and closer…..and then he walked right over the bamboo slip.

Walked over it?

Feng Ye watched him walk over the bamboo slip without a passing glance.

Feng Ye: “……”

He suddenly realized his mistake. Most people would pick up a jade pendant on the ground, but wouldn’t even notice an ordinary piece of bamboo. 

Feng Ye covered his face, regretting his stupid mistake. However, he still had a chance.

Fang Yang came out soon after entering the room, holding clean clothes in preparation to bathe.

Seizing the opportunity, Feng Ye activated the array when Fang Yang walked near the bamboo slip again, and the flashing light finally drew his attention.

Fang Yang squatted down and picked up the bamboo slip, frowning slightly. He seemed to have seen the slip flash a second ago, but now it had stopped.

Fang Yang studied it for a while, but couldn’t figure it out, so he put it into his pocket and planned to study it further after he bathed.

Hiding in the bamboo forest, Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Success at last.

It had gotten darker. Fang Yang had just returned from bathing, and took a seat on the bamboo couch, looking at the bamboo slip he had picked up over and over again.

He didn’t think he had just been seeing things. This bamboo slip had indeed flashed back then, but it had stopped now, and there was nothing unusual about it.

Just as Fang Yang was about to set it aside…..

“Cough…..”

Out of nowhere, a dull cough sounded. Fang Yang jumped up from the couch in shock. He asked while looking around: “Who is it?”

A hoarse, elderly voice spoke in his ear: “Young man, is it you who woke me?”

In his room nearby, Feng Ye pinched his throat and spoke the lines in the book out loud.

Fang Yang stared blankly. Why did this line sound so familiar? As a die-hard fan of the book, he very quickly remembered where this line came from, and his expression transformed into astonishment: “Are you an old grandfather mentor?”

Old grandfather mentor?

Feng Ye’s mouth twitched.

“Cough, cough, cough.” The old voice coughed violently for a moment, then denied: “No, but you and I were destined to meet. I see that you’re also a swordsman. I can teach you a thing or two.”

According to the plot of the book, the old grandfather still had another paragraph to say about wanting to test the protagonist. But Feng Ye felt that it was too tiring to speak with a pinched throat, so he got straight to the point.

Fang Yang had no suspicions about this old grandfather who had appeared out of nowhere, and just put on his shoes excitedly: “Wait a minute, I’ll go tell my shixiong!”

Feng Ye: “……”

As Fang Yang walked farther away, he called out in a panic: “Wait!”

The receding footsteps paused, and then slowly returned.

Fang Yang’s tone was puzzled: “Why did your voice change?”

Feng Ye: “……” Oops. He’d misspoken just now due to anxiety.

But Feng Ye adjusted his thinking. It was tiring to talk with a pinched throat, and who stipulated that the jade pendant or bamboo slip must contain an old man?

He had already replaced the jade pendant with bamboo, so it was fine if the old man became a little younger.

Feng Ye returned to his senses and used his original voice instead of the voice of the body he was using. He was communicating via his spiritual consciousness, so his real voice was naturally what Fang Yang heard.

A deep male voice sounded inside the room. It was as clear as a spring valley, as firm and powerful as a ray of sunlight breaking through the overlapping shadows of the trees.

Because of this voice, Fang Yang didn’t focus on why the grandfather who’d appeared inexplicably had become a big brother inexplicably. Instead, he couldn’t help but sigh: “Big Brother, you have a really nice voice.”

The man with the really nice voice chuckled, replying with a smile: “I will teach you swordsmanship, but there is a condition. You cannot tell anyone about me.”

“Not even Useless Shixiong?”

Useless Shixiong?

Feng Ye: “……” Although he was roughly aware of his image in Fang Yang’s mind, hearing this title in person still felt like getting shot in the knee.

The pleasant voice disappeared for a moment, and when it came again, it carried an unquestionable denial: “No.”

“Aw,” Fang Yang replied with some disappointment.

“By the way.” Fang Yang suddenly remembered: “You haven’t told me who you are yet.”

The voice chuckled again, with a hint of encouragement and unconcealed haughtiness: “When you can truly stand at the top of the world, you will know my name.”

---

T/N: Feng Ye is such a clown! Haha.

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Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13

Chapter 11 – Lucky Chance

“Shixiong.”

“En?” Fang Yang’s voice interrupted Feng Ye’s thoughts. He turned to glance at him.

Fang Yang’s eyes were filled with stars, and he said with a look of irrepressible anticipation: “Is this the lucky chance mentioned in the storybook?”

Storybook? Feng Ye thought for a moment, then recalled what Fang Yang was talking about.

Although the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy put most of his energy into cultivation, humans were not plants. After training hard, they also needed entertainment activities for rest and relaxation.

Fang Yan’s entertainment activity was reading storybooks, such as the recently popular “Legend of Li Aotian’s Cultivation.” This book told the story of a grassroots protagonist who grew step by step from a despised waste spiritual root person to a powerful being who dominated the world.

In this story, numerous lucky chances fell into the protagonist’s hands as if they were free, with more zeal than porcelain scammers. Of course, this kind of story must have a like-minded senior or junior sister with a secret crush on the protagonist.

But Fang Yang probably still wasn’t enlightened yet. He still had no comprehension of the relationships between men and women. It was written into the story in a rather subtle way, and to this day, he still thought that the women around the protagonist were all just good friends of his.

Fang Yang believed that the story focused on the series of adventures the protagonist experienced, as well as how to seek treasures in various spiritual realms. It made his blood boil, and it wasn’t enough for him to read it himself – he also had to strongly recommend it to Feng Ye.

Feng Ye flipped through a few pages and became irritated with the nonsense-filled article, whereupon he tossed it into the corner of the room, where it was gathering dust.

Although Feng Ye hadn’t read much of it, he could roughly guess what Fang Yang was referring to. Fang Yang probably thought that the Floating Island Secret Realm was of the same nature as the secret realms experienced by the protagonist of “Legend of Li Aotian’s Cultivation,” and that upon going there, all sorts of treasures would fall from the sky.

This, however, was complete nonsense. Not to mention whether one possessed the luck to encounter such treasures, the dangers that one must experience during the treasure hunt were not something a disciple at Qi Refining stage could handle.

On the surface, this place was a treasure trove of rare prizes, but underneath, there was no telling how many corpses of cultivators were buried there. 

Some died at the claws of the monsters guarding the spiritual plants, while others died at the hands of their companions.

It was not uncommon for brothers to kill each other because of their greed for treasure.

Feng Ye felt that he must shoulder the responsibility of a shixiong. He cleared his throat, intending to gravely explain the dangers to Fang Yang in order to calm his heated mind.

Just then, having been silent the whole time, Hao Chen suddenly cut in: “What storybook?”

Fang Yang, a die-hard fan of the book, excitedly gave Hao Chen a brief account of the story.

This sort of silly thing is only liked by young people who have never seen the world, thought Hao Chen, proud of his age and experience.

Fang Yang felt that this brief description was still not enough, so in order to prove that the book truly was good, he also gave an example: “My shixiong also likes it a lot.”

Feng Ye, who was suddenly implicated: “……” No, I don’t like it.

“Oh?” Hao Chen’s expression became very strange, and he looked at Feng Ye with a hint of incredulity. It turns out you like this kind of thing.

No, I really don’t like it. Feng Ye understood the look in Hao Chen’s eyes and refuted inwardly.

Feng Ye wanted to explain, but seeing how excited Fang Yang was to share his favorite thing with others, he was somewhat speechless. Should he tell Fang Yang that he had used the book as a footstool?

No, no. In order not to destroy their relationship as martial brothers, Feng Ye chose to keep his mouth shut.

“Silence!”

The voice wasn’t very loud, but for some reason, it felt like thunder ringing in everyone’s ears.

The bustling square fell silent, and everyone looked up at the middle-aged man standing suspended in the air above the stone steps, and the old man with a white beard and white hair standing next to him.

There was no one present who didn’t know of these people. Even Hao Chen, who had just arrived, could guess their identities based on their Nascent Soul stage cultivation.

Those at Golden Core stage were already powerful people who could stand on their own in the cultivation world, but those at Nascent Soul stage were the real top masters.

Although there was the Body Transformation stage after Nascent Soul, no one had broken through to Body Transformation in a hundred years, so Nascent Soul was currently the highest level in the cultivation world.

If all sects in the world – big and small – were counted, there were only a few dozen people who had reached Nascent Soul stage, and they were almighty beings who commanded respect wherever they went.

Most of these Nascent Soul cultivators were distributed amongst the top-ranked sects, as elders or simply sect leaders. 

Of these two people in front of them, the middle-aged man with a stern expression was none other than the current sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect – Ji Chengyue.

And the white-haired, white-bearded man with a gentle expression was a very experienced elder in the sect – Zhou Zhiqing.

These two were both major figures whom disciples in the outer sect usually never had the opportunity to meet. Today, they were present for an important announcement.

Seeing that the crowd below was silent, Ji Chengyue said: “You should have more or less heard the reason I’ve summoned you all here today.”

There were whispers below.

Ji Chengyue frowned, and was about to scold them when Elder Zhou Zhiqing took over the conversation and said to the crowd with a smile: “That’s right, this is about the opening of the Floating Island Secret Realm.”

Ji Chengyue was helpless in the face of Elder Zhou’s interruption. He didn’t know if it was due to age, but Elder Zhou was particularly tolerant of these young disciples. Ji Chengyue, however, was the opposite. He believed that there was no order without rules.

But Elder Zhou was a highly qualified person, and it could be said that he had witnessed Ji Chengyue’s breakthrough to Nascent Soul step by step. Ji Chengyue didn’t want to confront such a veteran figure outright, so he let Elder Zhou act as peacemaker.

Elder Zhou continued: “I won’t say much about what kind of treasure land the Floating Island Secret Realm is. You should all be aware. But as everyone knows, the Floating Island Secret Realm has shown signs of collapse, so the number of people who enter, as well as their cultivation levels, must be strictly regulated.”

“A hundred years ago, our Lingxiao Sword Sect took the lead in establishing a set of rules, according to which each of the top ten sects are allocated one hundred spots for Qi Refining stage disciples and ten places for Foundation Establishment disciples.”

“Everyone present here is in the Qi Refining stage, and the quota for Foundation Establishment has nothing to do with you. As for the hundred places for Qi Refining, there are also some disciples in the inner sect who are not yet at Foundation Establishment, for a total of twenty-one. These twenty-one disciples are directly qualified to enter the Floating Island Secret Realm. The rest of you will need to compete for the remaining seventy-nine spots.”

“The selection will be held in two days, right here in this square, with random grouping and qualifying rounds. The top seventy-nine will be eligible to enter the Floating Island Secret Realm in five days. Furthermore…..” Elder Zhou’s tone suddenly dragged out.

He kept everyone on edge for a while before stroking his beard with a smile: “The champion of each match will also be rewarded with the opportunity to enter the Armory Pavilion and choose an earth-level magic weapon of their choice.”

The moment these words were spoken, the entire room erupted.

The strength of a cultivator was not determined solely by the level of their cultivation; magical weapons were equally important, and could improve the combat effectiveness of cultivators to a certain extent. Some powerful magical weapons could even help cultivators with low cultivation defeat those who were stronger than them.

And magic weapons were divided into four levels: heaven, earth, black, and yellow according to their preciousness.

Yellow grade was more common, and could usually be bought for dozens or hundreds of spirit stones. And black was more precious, costing hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones. For ordinary disciples, including inner sect disciples, unless they possessed a particularly prominent family background, just by relying on the monthly salary of ten spirit stones from the sect, it would take more than ten years to save up to buy one.

As for earth-grade magic tools, the price must be increased by several times. A few thousand spirit stones were only the base price, and a good quality magic tool could even cost tens of thousands.

Heaven-grade spiritual tools were on a completely different level than the first three grades. Earth-grade tools could still be purchased, but heaven-grade tools were in short supply. It was rare to come across one, and they could not be measured by money.

Lingxiao Sword Sect taking out an earth-grade magic weapon at this time was a big deal. Of everyone present, aside from the two weirdos Hao Chen and Feng Ye, nobody was unmoved.

“Don’t be too hasty. I have one more thing to remind you.” Ji Chengyue spoke again, pouring cold water on the situation: “The Floating Island Secret Realm not only contains panaceas and treasures, but also extremely vicious monsters. In the last decade, of the one hundred Qi Refining disciples we sent in, only half returned.”

“The opportunities inside the secret realm are indeed great, but opportunities also come with dangers. Even if you do obtain a treasure, whether or not you can return alive is still unclear. You can consider the pros and cons yourselves. We will not force anyone to join. It is entirely voluntary. Those who wish to join, please sign up tomorrow.”

This was actually everything Feng Ye had wanted to say to Fang Yang. He cast a covert glance at Fang Yang’s expression from the corner of his eye.

The silly boy who had been exuberant just now had become solemn. There was a frown on his face, as if he was considering the risks of this journey.

Ji Chengyue and Elder Zhou left first when they were finished speaking. The group of junior disciples didn’t disperse immediately, instead discussing with their friends whether to sign up.

“Only half of the people came back. This trip seems really dangerous. Zheng-xiong, what do you think?”

The person named Zhen-xiong replied: “It is indeed very dangerous, but…..those of us who cultivate fight against the heavens for our lives. As the saying goes, wealth and honor can only be obtained through taking risks. If you’re afraid of consequences, you might as well go home and farm instead of cultivating immortality.”

“Zheng-xiong is right!”

“Wealth and honor come through taking risks!”

These words were unanimously agreed upon by those around. Feng Ye actually agreed with them too. Although he wanted to warn Fang Yang of the danger, he didn’t want to discourage the youth’s enthusiasm. He just wanted Fang Yang to make his decision after clearly understanding the risks and rewards of the journey.

Having heard these words, Fang Yang’s hesitant expression disappeared and his gaze gradually became resolute. He had made his decision too.

It seems I don’t need to say anything more, Feng Ye thought with some gratification.

“Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, what do you think? Will you go to the Floating Island Secret Realm or not?” Hao Chen abruptly asked from beside him.

Of course not, Feng Ye answered inwardly. He wasn’t afraid of the danger. Those monsters in the secret realm were dangerous to others, but to him, they didn’t even qualify as a threat. Besides, Feng Ye had no interest in the so-called treasures there.

But even though he thought this way, he couldn’t say it out loud. Feng Ye skewed his eyes, donning a trepidatious expression as he proceeded to speak nonsense: “I’d better not go. I’ve heard there are terrible creatures inside that will skin and debone people.”

As he spoke, he shuddered as if truly terrified.

His acting looks just like the real thing, Hao Chen noted.

But Hao Chen didn’t expose Feng Ye. Instead, he gave an identical shudder and said: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is right. The outside world is too dangerous. It would be best for us to cultivate diligently.”

The words of these two useless people were too different from those of the high-spirited junior disciples. Everyone could only look over, wanting to see which losers were so clear-headed and aloof from worldly affairs.

Upon closer observation, they turned out to be two celebrities.

Their contemptuous looks turned to understanding. After all, they were family men and didn’t want to take risks, unlike these single fellows. 

Feng Ye once again experienced those unspeakable, meaning-laden looks from that morning.

Feng Ye: “ ? ? ? ” What in the world?

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Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12

One bow to heaven and earth…..

“Hey, do you see that person in front?”

“That Liu Xiting is an outstanding talent, but he’s also eccentric. His fiance is marrying the person he recognizes as his elder brother, but he’s happily attending the wedding banquet and helped with the reception.”

“I heard the engagement was called off because they weren’t compatible.”

“Who knows? Maybe Li Xingruo couldn’t bear Liu Zhenqing’s licentious nature, or maybe Huo Feihan forcibly seized his brother’s woman.”

“Martial Huo, Talent Liu, and Medical Li, the brightest combination of two men and one woman in the capital, have ended up like this. There will definitely be a rift between them, and they might even become enemies in the future…..”

Two idlers at the edge of the crowd were talking excitedly when they were suddenly hit in the knees and fell to the ground behind the crowd of people.

Although the two shouted out loud, the surroundings were so lively that even the people standing in front of them didn’t know there was something going on in the back.

The two cried out in pain and looked back, only to find a youth in his teens standing behind them.

The boy appeared taller and more upright than his peers, and his youthful face was cold. Eyes as dark as cold stars simply glanced at them, and the two young men suddenly didn’t dare to breathe.

Their gossip had been heard by the subject’s family member.

However, the youth didn’t make things difficult for them. He just walked between the two of them, squeezed to the front of the crowd, and stood next to the person they had just been gossiping about.

“Second, bow to honor the parents!”

They watched the newlyweds kneel down and pay their respects.

The curve to Liu Zhenqing’s mouth lifted higher and higher, and his heart couldn’t help but surge with excitement at this scene. He sensed someone beside him, and turned to find a youth standing there. He lowered his head slightly so they could look each other in the eyes.

Liu Zhenqing embraced the youth with a smile, patting his head: “Where has Er-gou been? You’re late for your brother and sister-in-law’s wedding?”

As soon as Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he saw Huo Fenglie raise his hand and offer him a piece of peach blossom cake.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and almost burst into laughter. Er-gou was so cute. He had just gotten back from helping with the wedding reception earlier and was feeling hungry, so when he saw servants passing by, he couldn’t help but say: “I’ll eat a piece of peach blossom cake to fill my stomach later.”

He forgot about it after getting busy again, but Er-gou, who had been following him around, unexpectedly remembered. Had he just gone out to find this peach blossom cake for him?

There was no obvious flattering smile on Huo Fenglie’s little face, only an expression of sincerity. A pair of eyes, black and bright, looked straight at him like small stars twinkling in the sky, serious to the point of being cute.

Liu Zhenqing’s peach blossom eyes arched into crescents with his smile. He was inherently attractive, his smile as vibrant as a rose. If the people watching the ceremony across from them happened to see him right then, they would be distracted by his exquisite face. Even straight men would blush. 

Suppressing his smile, Liu Zhenqing leaned forward and took the cake into his mouth from Er-gou’s hand. He could just barely eat it in one bite.

He secretly chewed and swallowed it. Feeling some residue at the corner of his mouth, he could only wipe it away with his tongue. 

But he didn’t notice that when Er-gou lowered his head next to him, the ears hidden behind his black hair were red, and the hand that had offered Liu Zhenqing the pastry was clenched into a fist.

Because Liu Zhenqing’s soft, cherry-red lips had accidentally brushed his index finger, and that finger was now being held and rubbed.

“Third, exchange bows with one another!”

“Er-gou, look, your brother is so awkward,” Liu Zhenqing said suddenly, trying hard to hold back his laughter.

Huo Fenglie looked over and saw that the face of the tall, mighty, handsome Huo Feihan was flushed, whether due to excitement or because of his red robes. The corners of his mouth were stiff, but couldn’t stop rising, and his eyes sparkled as they stared straight ahead.

On the surface, he had his head held high and his chest puffed out like a majestic general, but underneath, it was as if a mechanical spring had broken, and he began to move his hands and feet in an unnatural manner.

It was fortunate that he didn’t have to walk much, or he would be pointed at and mocked.

Huo Fenglie knew that his elder brother had been too excited to sleep the night before and had walked endlessly around the new house that had been prepared long ago, never satisfied no matter how he looked at it. Whenever he thought of buying something his fiance would like, he would immediately find someone to take care of it overnight.

It was the first time his brother had tormented the people in the manor like this, but the smile on his face never dropped.

The ceremony ended.

Everyone cheered and applauded. Huo Feihan was so excited that he picked Li Xingruo up horizontally. In fact, it was rare in Great Zhou for a newly-wed husband to carry the bride to the bridal chamber, and if it ever happened, the two in question would need to have a very close relationship.

The crowd surrounded the newlyweds and sent them to the bridal chamber.

Liu Zhenqing naturally pulled Huo Fenglie over with him.

When they arrived at the bridal chamber, the newlyweds went through lifting the veil and drinking the wedding wine according to tradition.

After some commotion, someone from outside delivered a message that Crown Prince Jing Yang had arrived.

It was, of course, a supreme honor to have His Royal Highness the Crown Prince come to congratulate them.

This was a good opportunity to prevent this group of people from making mischief in the bridal chamber.

Huo Feihan hurriedly urged everyone to leave together, and said to Li Xingruo before he left, “Eat if you’re hungry, don’t worry about tradition. The kitchen has stewed your favorite pork elbow…..”

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xingruo gave him an elbow to the chest, obviously unhappy with him airing her food preferences to the public.

Huo Feihan was naturally used to being beaten. He grinned foolishly, then said unnaturally with a blush: “Wait until I come back, M….Madam.”

Li Xingruo stared, then nodded with flushed cheeks: “En.”

Huo Feihan then rushed out happily.

Liu Zhenqing was about to leave when Li Xingruo called him back: 

“Shixiong.”

Liu Zhenqing instantly froze with a full-body shiver, then turned cautiously to look at Li Xingruo. Any time she called him ‘shixiong,’ she would have excessive demands.

“Wh…..what do you need?”

“Help me keep an eye on Huo Feihan. Don’t let him drink too much.”

Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief: “You scared me to death. How is this a big enough deal for you to call me ‘shixiong?’ Could it be that you’ve gotten more sensible after marriage?”

Li Xingruo sent him an angry glare and raised her fist: “Don’t force me to beat you on my marriage day!”

Liu Zhenqing immediately smiled and said: “Don’t worry, Shimei. I won’t allow Huo-dage to spoil your wedding night fun no matter what, hahaha.”

He ran out with a grin after saying this, but looked back at Li Xingruo in her bridal makeup and couldn’t help but laugh: “This is the first time I’ve seen Shimei look so beautiful. You finally look a little feminine.”

A silver needle flew toward him in response.

Liu Zhenqing ran away in fright, thinking that his shimei was truly amazing to have brought silver needles with her even on her wedding day.

When he left, he ran into Er-gou, who was waiting for him alone. Er-gou usually followed him around, so it was normal for Liu Zhenqing to see him as soon as he turned his head.

Liu Zhenqing walked forward and nonchalantly embraced Er-gou, who handed over a piece of peach blossom cake. Amused, he leaned forward to eat it.

When they arrived at the gates, Huo Feihan had already brought people to welcome Crown Prince Jing Yang.

Liu Zhenqing could see Yuan Jue following the crown prince from afar. Although they were the same age, Yuan Jue hadn’t caught up to Huo Fenglie in height.

Yuan Jue seemed to be looking around. He happily waved his hands as soon as he saw them outside the crowd, not even bothering to maintain the demeanor of His Royal Highness, Eldest Grandson of the Emperor. Presently, he tugged at Crown Prince Jing Yang’s hand.

Crown Prince Jing Yang leaned forward slightly and listened attentively to Yuan Jue’ s words. When he looked up and spotted them, the corners of his lips curled up and he waved at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing quickly brought Huo Fenglie over to pay their respects.

The crown prince didn’t allow Liu Zhenqing to kneel. He held him up and said: “No need to be polite. I just came to deliver gifts, and I’ll be off again soon.”

“You’re not staying for the wedding banquet, Your Highness?” Huo Feihan asked.

“No. If I’m here, people won’t be able to enjoy their drinks.”

“No way, we can only drink to our hearts’ content when His Highness is here,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

The crown prince gave Liu Zhenqing a helpless look, but his tone was rather doting: “You can’t fool me. If you get drunk and cause trouble, I’ll have to clean up your mess for you.”

Huo Feihan laughed out loud at this, while Liu Zhenqing donned an innocent look. It was just that after getting drunk, he had taken Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo to go and bully a few dignitaries. His Highness was so petty.

The two stood to the left and right of the crown prince, laughing and chatting. Huo Fenglie and Yuan Jue, who were also familiar with each other, were engaged in their own friendly conversation. Nobody else could get close.

The crowd of onlookers could only feel jealous. Great Zhou was presently stable, and the internal struggles between the three kings had been silently resolved by Crown Prince Jing Yang. Even the health problems he had faced previously were slowly being cured with the help of a miracle doctor.

Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was in good health, the restless three kings gradually lost interest.

After all, Crown Prince Jing Yang was capable, and none of the civil and military officials in the court had any objections. He was also the darling of the common people, and had no intention of exterminating his royal uncles. Only those with defective brains would want to rebel against the whole country.

Therefore, it could be seen that Great Zhou had a stable future. And for Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie, who could be considered confidants of Crown Prince Jing Yang, their future prospects were limitless.

Huo Feihan was a member of the Huo family, and also became a top martial arts champion. Nobody was able to match him, and he would naturally be the right hand of the crown prince after he ascended the throne. And although Liu Zhenqing didn’t seem to fit in, having achieved an average score in the Imperial Examination, anyone who had studied alongside him at the Imperial Academy knew of his talent. Not to mention that he had previously been the main force behind solving several major cases in the Imperial Court. His talent was evident to all, and it stood to reason that he would be the future prime minister.

Huo Feihan had taken the position of military general, and was considered to be the successor to the Huo Family. It was thought that Liu Zhenqing would obtain a civil service position, or even become an official in the crown prince’s palace. But Liu Zhenqing was a layabout who only wanted to enjoy his freedom, and was unwilling to serve as a court official. Up to now, in addition to his identity as a son of a wealthy family, his only position was tutor to the emperor’s eldest grandson, whom he went to the East Palace to teach alongside Huo Feihan.

The key point was that the crown prince didn’t ask them to do anything and truly treated them as younger brothers, indulging them in whatever they wanted to do. When people saw Liu Zhenqing enjoying every honor and favor without vying for a position or seeking power, how could they not be filled with resentment?

The crown prince only spoke a few words and was about to leave with Yuan Jue. Huo Feihan wanted to see him off, but the crown prince rejected him, telling him to entertain his guests well. Seeing the reluctant look on Yuan Jue’s face, Liu Zhenqing went to see them off on Huo Feihan’s behalf and asked Er-gou to bring some food for Yuan Jue.

Although there were all kinds of good things at the palace, there was still a different feeling to eating out. Yuan Jue felt much better as he held the pastry box.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t stay by himself, but he still had to go to the palace and talk to the Empress Dowager, since it would soon be time for his father’s successor to be chosen.

Once they set out, Yuan Jue glanced at the smiling Liu Zhenqing and suddenly said: “My father told me today that he wants to arrange a marriage for you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes instantly widened. He shook his head.

Following behind Yuan Jue, Huo Fenglie abruptly looked up and forward. Yuan Jue was surprised by his reaction.

The crown prince smiled and said: “Don’t worry, I know what you’re thinking and I’ve already rejected it for your sake. But you’re already so old. If you don’t marry, your old father will be worried. You don’t have a girl you like, but I’ve heard that numerous girls in the capital like you. If you want someone, no matter who they are, I can help you obtain them. Don’t miss out on the flowering season of young women.”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head: “I still feel like I’m young.”

Liu Zhenqing did indeed feel like he was young, but for a crown prince in ancient times, hearing this made him want to laugh.

The crown prince gave a silent sigh. It seemed that this little brother had not yet become enlightened. 

“By the way, the three Imperial uncles may have to leave the capital soon. Where do you think is an appropriate place to put them?” asked the crown prince.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly gave the prince a level look. “Your Highness must already have an answer in mind.”

The crown prince could only raise his hand and smack Liu Zhenqing on the head: “I’ve dealt with so much trouble for you, and now that I ask you to use your brain for once, you’re complaining?”

Liu Zhenqing touched his forehead, quick to apologize with a smile. Such a powerful backer as His Highness should not be offended. 

“I think there should be no worries about sending King Qi to the eastern coastal area. Song Xingmu’s family is there. He’s a man of many talents, but he’s best at angering people to death, so he’ll definitely be able to keep an eye on him. King Huai is skillful in battle, and also more upright, so it would be best to have him guard Nanfeng City. Seeing the difficulties faced by the common people, it’ll be difficult for him to have any wicked thoughts. The Dai family is nearby. Although they are in a period of transition, there won’t be a problem with using them as an internal source. As for that awful King Zhao, hmph, pick anywhere in the north or west. Oh, wait, the west. Huo-dage intends to go west, so send him to the north. It’s full of hardship there, suitable for reforming him.”

Liu Zhenqing had no scruples in front of the crown prince. Although the starting point was different, the results coincided with what the crown prince had expected. Generally, decisions went through the two of them before he settled on one.

The crown prince smiled and patted the back of Liu Zhenqing’s head: “Very clever. Alright, let’s have a drink next time.”

Liu Zhenqing watched the crown prince’s carriage leave and felt a little regretful. If the crown prince had stayed, Liu Zhenqing could use his power to intimidate those fellows who were about to force him to drink like crazy. 

But Liu Zhenqing also understood that him coming here today was not a good idea.

After all, the old emperor was narrow-minded. Since he himself had no ability, he didn’t want his son to be too capable, and it was even worse that he was close to a military general. 

However, the crown prince was a righteous, loyal man, and came over with difficulty to give them gifts as a show of respect, so that others would give them face. He wouldn’t deliberately invite trouble on their wedding day. After all, many of those attending the wedding banquet were close to the three kings, and even if the three kings seemed to be giving up now, it would still be easy to ignite a conflict. 

“Qing-ge,” Huo Fenglie said in an inquisitive tone.

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Er-gou: “En?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Qing-ge, are you still going to marry later?”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: “You little brat, why do you still care about such a thing? I get it. After watching your brother get married today, are you feeling lonely? Don’t worry, you’ll always be our beloved didi.” 

Liu Zhenqing held this dog’s head and kneaded it for a while. Er-gou didn’t resist, just letting him play. However, there was a sense of crisis and possessiveness in those eyes as black as obsidian.

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Wedding Extra 7 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 9