T/N: So sorry for the sudden hiatus! Between going on vacation and getting Covid for the nth time, I didn’t have the time or will to translate!

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From the moment he boarded the car to the airport, and from the airport to the moment he boarded the plane, He Chuzhou was in a dilemma.

Although he and Pei Xi had become much closer recently, they could at most be summarized as friends. Was this normal behavior between two male friends?

He tried to imagine the scene of Wu Qing helping him do his tie and touching his Adam’s Apple—

Forget it. He was a little nauseated.

But Pei Xi wasn’t the type to get so close to others, ah. Giving him such sweetness out of nowhere, could it be that…..he also had that kind of intention toward him?

No wonder they said that things develop in the opposite direction when they reach an extreme.

As soon as this conjecture popped into his mind, the elated feeling reached its peak and then instantly cooled.

It was impossible. How could it be possible?

He was so polite with him the day he went up the mountain. How could he have changed so suddenly? He Chuzhou hadn’t cast black magic on him.

He reached up and rubbed his brow with mixed emotions.

Damn. Why are you becoming more like a guy who has more confidence than he’s earned? He just tied a tie for you, why are you already thinking about where to go on the honeymoon?

Could it be that that day on the mountain, he accidentally maxed out a certain level of favorability?

Was it so easy to do?

If that was the case, could he find a way to bring him up there a few more times…..

“Huh?”

Yun Ji had suddenly taken out his phone and poked him in the arm with it: “What are you thinking about? Your expression could create an episode of The Legend of Zhen Huan.”^[1]

He Chuzhou was distracted : “It’s nothing.”

Yun Ji: “Then why do you keep touching your tie? If it’s not tied properly, just untie it and tie it again.”

“Huh?” He Chuzhou seemed to finally return to his senses, turning to look at him uncomprehendingly: “How did you know Pei Xi gave me this tie?”

Yun Ji: “……?”

He Chuzhou lowered his head and tidied it up again, his face full of pleasure: “I don’t need your help. Pei Xi did it for me before I left. It’s perfect.”

Yun Ji: “ ? ? ? ”

Yun Ji looked as though he’d seen a ghost: “Brother, did I say I would help you?”

Yun Ji: “No, who asked you? ? ?”

He Chuzhou paid him no mind. He thought for a moment, then took out his phone and snapped a photo of his tie, edited a paragraph of text, and sent them off together.

At the same time, Wu Qing, who was comfortably lying on a beach overseas and watching the sunset, received a message. He picked up his phone and opened it.

Wu Qing: [En, looks fine. Much better than those old-fashioned colors you used before. It shows your good aesthetic taste.]

He Chuzhou: [Pei Xi gave it to me.]

Wu Qing: [ ? ]

Wu Qing: [Blegh, you sent this just to show off to me?]

He Chuzhou: [No, I just want to ask you something.]

He Chuzhou: [He specially bought me a tie and helped me put it on personally. Do you think he has some kind of feelings for me?]

Wu Qing: [ ? ? ? ]

Wu Qing: [Are you sick? An old married couple is still playing the game of marriage first, love later? How old are you?]

Wu Qing: [If you want to play, then play, but you still want to shove it in my face? Am I a cheap person?!]

Wu Qing: [Blocked. Idiot!]

Watching the newly sent message turn into an exclamation mark, He Chuzhou felt rather regretful.

Heaven knows, he was just asking. Why did no one understand him?

*

*

Xie Ling: [How’s it going?]

Pei Xi: [The situation is currently optimistic.]

Xie Ling: [See, what did I say? The odds that he likes you are ridiculously high. It’s a sure thing, right?]

Pei Xi: [About 70%. Not entirely sure. I need to take another look.]

Xie Ling: [That’s fine, it’s not like he’s going to run away. So what are you going to do next?]

Pei Xi: [I haven’t planned anything. He’s on a business trip and won’t be back until Saturday.]

Xie Ling: [On a business trip at this critical moment? Tsk, luckless virgins just can’t eat anything good. What about you? What are you doing?]

Pei Xi: [I’m watching him report his itinerary to me.]

Xie Ling: [ ? ]

Pei Xi: [It’s about every ten minutes, which is more punctual than you getting to work on time.]

Xie Ling: [……]

Xie Ling: [Maybe I didn’t make it clear before. I can teach you to pursue someone, but I have no intention of being part of your love

 play.]

Pei Xi: [We’re not together.]

Xie Ling: [I know, ah.]

Xie Ling: [But why do I always feel like I’m being smeared by your inexplicable love games?]

Xie Ling: [So evil.]

What?

Pei Xi read Xie Ling’s words thoughtfully, then switched to the chat box with He Chuzhou.

Two minutes ago, He Chuzhou said that he saw swans that hadn’t flown south for the winter on a frozen river.

Twelve minutes ago, He Chuzhou said that the northern air was like a freezer, and chilled his lungs when he breathed in.

Twenty-two minutes ago, He Chuzhou said that he had gotten off the plane and was going through customs.

Thirty-two minutes ago, He Chuzhou lamented that the plane had actually circled in the sky more than ten times.

Was this also considered romantic behavior?

After separating, he sent messages to Pei Xi frequently, sharing every little detail of what he was experiencing with the other party.

From this point of view, it really……

But this phenomenon had been going on for a long time.

Was it possible that He Chuzhou had fallen in love with him so early on?

Or was he just a chatterbox?

Pei Xi was deep in thought. When he saw Pei Yueliang passing by, he picked her up and took a picture in the mirror on the side wall.

As soon as he put her down, He Xingxing came over and rubbed against his legs, acting spoiled.

Pei Xi sighed helplessly, picked up the dog with great effort, and took another photo.

And He Chuzhou, who was rushing to his workplace, received three messages in a row – two images and one text.

He clicked on them one by one. The first photo showed Pei Xi holding the kitten in one hand with Pei Yueliang resting two little paws on his chest, looking adorable with her ears sticking straight up.

In the second photo, Pei Xi had picked up the dog with both hands. He Xingxing had happily put his paws on his shoulders, stuck out his tongue, and was looking at the mirror excitedly.

Pei Xi: [Your son doesn’t seem to realize he’s no longer a puppy that weighs a few pounds. He saw me holding Pei Yueliang just now, and insisted on being held too.]

He Chuzhou enlarged the photo. Pei Xi was wearing loose, light-hued house clothes. His hair lay softly across his forehead as he looked at his phone with his eyebrows lowered, looking clean and tender.

A little farther down, his cuffs had slid from the wrists to the elbows, revealing a section of slender white forearm. The curves of his wrists were slender and beautiful, and He Chuzhou could easily encircle them with his palms with space left to spare.

He stared for a long time, rubbing his itchy fingertips.Then he saved the photos and typed a reply: 

[There’s no need to spoil him. He’s already grown and should be aware of his own weight.]

Your father wants to hug him but can’t, and you, a dog, are begging to be hugged over there. What kind of behavior is that?

*

*

The location of He Chuzhou’s business trip wasn’t at the same latitude as Wancheng, but it was at the same longitude, so there was no time difference between him and Pei Xi.

It was already evening when the plane landed. He met with his business partners and was entertained over dinner, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock when he returned to the hotel, which was neither early nor late.

He reported to Pei Xi as usual. As he showered, he wondered whether he could use Xingxing and Yueliang as a cover to get a few minutes of video. Unexpectedly, when he came out and took a look, Pei Xi had sent him a screenshot of a game.

Pei Xi: [/image]

Pei Xi: [I just found a game on my phone and opened it to take a look. Did I download it myself?]

He Chuzhou hadn’t thought he would be interested in opening the game, and couldn’t help but think of it fondly: 

He Chuzhou: [No, I helped you.]

Pei Xi: [Have I played it?]

He Chuzhou: [You did, ah. You said it was fun and you really liked it. Do you want to play?]

Pei Xi: [I can’t play games.]

He Chuzhou was naturally aware of this, and was waiting for him to say it: [That’s okay. I taught you once, and I can teach you a second time.]

He Chuzhou: [/invite.jpg]

A trace of unruffled success flashed in Pei Xi’s eyes, and he replied with an [Ok]. He moved Pei Yueliang off the pillow and got in bed, pulling the blankets over him as he sat against the headboard.

The game was indeed a good cover. There was no need for him to deliberately say anything, and He Chuzhou happily came to him according to his wishes.

As expected, he was able to communicate with him clearly over the phone for at least the next two hours.

The game had recently launched a new play mode called “Escape from Death,” which was similar to an escape room, and he heard it had good reviews.

It was just a pity that the game required at least three people to participate. He Chuzhou could only reluctantly pull Wu Qing in, and submitted an optimization suggestion for the game:

Three people is too many and one person is too few. I suggest adding a two-player level, which would be optimal.

“What made you think of playing a game with me, ah?”

As soon as Wu Qing entered, he opened the voice chat in an interrogative manner, chewing something in his mouth. He Chuzhou asked what he was eating, and he replied: “I got bored late at night and went to the kitchen to fish out a squid. It’s so squishy.”

“Smack your lips a little quieter.”

He Chuzhou clicked him into the group, then flew to the NPC lineup: “Go in and first report your location and everything around you.”

Pei Xi: “Okay.”

Wu Qing: “No problem.”

The screen went black, and then the game began. The three people were randomly confined to different prison cells.

Wu Qing: “My room is round. There are no candles inside, but there are some outside. There’s also a curved red arrow on the wall.”

The game had a full voice control system, so even though the three people were in different places, they could hear each other’s voices.

He Chuzhou: “Understood. I just stole a jailer’s key and opened the door. Xinxin, what is there around you?”

Pei Xi spun his perspective to look around: “My cell is square, with an unlit candle inside. There are no candles in the corridor, and there is a white arrow on the wall pointing to the right of where I was facing.”

“To the right…..” He Chuzhou pondered: “What is it made of?”

Pei Xi: “Stones and broken bricks.”

Wu Qing: “Mine is bluestone, with no broken bricks!”

He Chuzhou: “Okay, get closer to the cell door and see what’s at the end of where the arrow is pointing.”

Wu Qing: “There’s nothing, ah, just a thick fog…..oh, there’s a round bronze mirror.”

He Chuzhou: “I wasn’t asking you.”

Wu Qing: “ ? ”

Pei Xi: “I also have a bronze mirror here. Square, tilted toward the corner. But I can see a figure walking around. It must be a jailer.”

He Chuzhou: “Is the jailer carrying a knife or a baton?”

Pei Xi: “It looks like…..a baton.”

He Chuzhou: “Got it. Wait for me.”

Very soon, Pei Xi heard footsteps getting closer and closer, accompanied by the sound of somebody falling to the ground. He Chuzhou then appeared in front of his cell door with an iron rod and a bunch of keys.

Pei Xi was surprised: “How did you find me?”

“It’s not a very large area, and each of the bronze mirrors has a different shape.”

He Chuzhou opened the cell door with a key: “Come out first. Why do you still have a cold buff?”

Pei Xi couldn’t explain and didn’t know where to look for it.

He Chuzhou: “It’s fine, wear my outer robe for a while, it’ll be gone soon.”

Pei Xi was astonished when he was able to interact with it: “You can take off your equipment and give it to others in this game?”

He Chuzhou: “Yeah, otherwise how could we say that it has a very high degree of freedom? Tsk, how come you look so good in my clothes in this game?”

“I really can’t take it anymore!”

Wu Qing was unable to bear it: “Brother, may I ask if this is some kind of couples’ game? I’m still in prison, can’t you do something about me??”

He Chuzhou: “Oh. I forgot. What’s nearby? Tell me again.”

Wu Qing: “I already told you!”

He Chuzhou: “I wasn’t listening just now.”

Wu Qing: “……”

Damn! You really couldn’t play games with a couple!

Wu Qing was not far from them. The round bronze mirror was an easy-to-find clue. He Chuzhou just killed a jailor on the way and turned a corner to rescue him.

Wu Qing was speechless: “So the footsteps that passed by my door was you. Why did you go to the farthest person instead of the nearest one?”

He Chuzhou: “You had a candle inside, but Pei Xi didn’t. Can’t you see that he’s cold?”

Wu Qing: “? ? ?”

Wu Qing: “We’re playing a game, why are you talking about hot and cold? Are you sick?”

Wu Qing: “Besides, what the hell would a candle do!”

Pei Xi pursed his lips and politely didn’t laugh out loud.

After putting on the swordsman’s outer robe, the cold buff on his body still hadn’t disappeared.

After pacing around the cell, he realized that this buff could dispel the fog and prevent the people next to him from being slowed down.

The three-player levels were very easy, and theirs was the simplest one. As long as they found the key to the prison door and escaped, they would win.

As for clues, it was obvious that the different-shaped bronze mirrors were crucial.

He Chuzhou told Wu Qing to stay where he was and watch the candle, because a jailer would come over once it went out. While it wasn’t difficult to kill a jailor, it would greatly reduce their efficiency.

After some exploration, they found that each bronze mirror could be rotated. The first one faced the entrance, and light coming from outside could be refracted in another direction through the mirror.

“It seems that as long as we can pass this beam of light to the last bronze mirror, we’ll know where the key is hidden.”

As He Chuzhou voiced his speculation, his eyes were fixed on Pei Xi’s character.

While he searched for clues, the swordsman controlled by Pei Xi stood silently and obediently beside him, helping to dispel the debuffs brought by the surrounding fog.

Thinking of the photos Pei Xi had just sent him, he rubbed the edge of the phone with his fingertips, feeling ready to stir up trouble.

If he couldn’t hug him in real life, could he at least hug him in the game?

But if he suddenly turned around and gave him a hug while searching for clues, would that make him look like a psycho?

He gnashed his teeth and secretly wondered if, should they run into a jailor later, he could pretend to be frightened and jump into Pei Xi’s arms.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he walked a long way before realizing that Pei Xi hadn’t caught up with him. Looking back, he found the swordsman stuck in a crack in a wall, unable to get out.

He was momentarily stunned, then walked back while trying not to laugh: “Why didn’t you tell me you were stuck?”

“I was just about to.”

Pei Xi, who had finally gotten himself stuck with great difficulty, said with poise: “The terrain here is complex, and I’m not very familiar with walking.”

Wu Qing was sitting by the candle in boredom, and interrupted when he heard their conversation: “It’s okay, you don’t have to walk. Make Lao He act like a horse and —”

“Let me carry you,” He Chuzhou said.

Wu Qing: “? ? ?”

Pei Xi: “You can carry people?”

“Of course.” He Chuzhou reached out and Pei Xi nodded in agreement. In the next second, one swordsman was lifted horizontally by the other.

With bamboo hats covering their faces and long hair like a waterfall, they looked very pleasing to the eye against the foggy background.

Wu Qing couldn’t comprehend it: “Why are you carrying him like that? There’s clearly a faster and more convenient way.”

He Chuzhou said haughtily: “He would have to dismount to interact with the mirrors if I carried him horseback. It wouldn’t be as convenient as this.”

“…..”

The corners of Wu Qing’s mouth twitched.

Damn, if I couldn’t hear the way the corners of your mouth are stretched to your ears, I might have believed it.

He crouched alone in the hallway, watching as He Chuzhou happily ran around like a silly dog with Pei Xi in his arms. He rolled his eyes and grumbled: “What dumbass teammates. I really can’t stand it.”

“I only agreed to come here because he was giving me a headache. They don’t fucking hug each other enough at home, but they have to stick to each other in a game. Sticky, sticky, lovey-dovey. Can’t they treat me like a human being…..”

He Chuzhou fiddled with the last mirror and followed the beam of light to the key’s hiding place: “What are you mumbling to yourself over there?”

“So you do know I’m a human being.”

Wu Qing said sarcastically: “I was saying that I don’t want to play with just you two anymore. Let’s play a five-player game next time so I can have two normal teammates!”

As soon as he said this, he went out and changed the game from a three-person match to a five-person match.

Not long after, two teammates joined simultaneously. One was named Coriander Sauce and the other, Doesn’t Eat Coriander. It seemed they were acquaintances and had queued together.

Once they formed a team, Doesn’t Eat Coriander was the first to speak: “Hey, what are your levels? Newbies or veterans? We’re in a hurry to score points, don’t drag us down later.”

This schoolboy’s big mouth made Wu Qing laugh: “If you’re worried about strangers dragging you down, just go play with people you know, ah. You could also play with three players. Why run wild to a five-player game?”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander: “Nonsense, we came together. How can that be running wild? Besides, the three-person game is full of idiots we can’t even carry. It’s unbearable.”

“Uncle, from your tone, you must not be very good, ah.”

Coriander Sauce, a girl, turned on her microphone and giggled: “I guess you’ll have to rely on us to carry you for a while. Do you know how to lie down?”

“Uncle?”

Wu Qing was in disbelief: “Who are you calling uncle? Do you know how to speak?”

“Okay, opening it.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t be bothered to delay for their nonsense, and directly queued up to enter the map.

The group was silent for a while before Doesn’t Eat Coriander opened his mouth again with a tone that was much milder and friendlier than before: “Xiao-gege, do you know each other?”

He Chuzhou didn’t answer him: “When you’re on the map, report your location first and we’ll gather up.”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander: “Okay, oh.”

Coriander Sauce gave a meaningful laugh and imitated Doesn’t Eat Coriander’s tone: “Okay, oh~”

Pei Xi said nothing. Wu Qing couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to them, and didn’t say anything either.

Since the game was different, the way they were distributed was different as well. When the game lit up, Pei Xi found that he and Coriander Sauce were locked in adjacent cells.

The other party naturally saw him, but walked around a few times and pretended not to notice him.

Pei Xi didn’t have the habit of talking to strangers, and continued to observe the surrounding environment. Very soon, he heard Doesn’t Eat Coriander exclaim in surprise: “Swordsman-gege, we’re in the same cell. What a coincidence.”

Swordsman-gege?

Pei Xi’s eyebrows rose slightly.

He Chuzhou’s words seemed to stick in his throat at that title. After a moment, he said with a tsk: “It sounds awful. Don’t call me that.”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander: “Wh….what?”

Even if his voice couldn’t be considered that of a male god, it was certainly no exaggeration to say that it was pleasant to the ear. How could it sound awful?

The corners of Pei Xi’s’ mouth curved up.

Wu Qing had no compunctions about laughing out loud. He pinched his throat and began to report on his location: “Swordsman-gege~ I’m in a water dungeon. There’s a shark in a cage under the water. It’s so scary, come and save me.”

“Got it,” He Chuzhou said. “You’re also unpleasant to listen to.”

Wu Qing: “……”

Coriander Sauce: “Pfft.”

Perhaps because He Chuzhou was treating everyone equally, Doesn’t Eat Coriander was mollified. After a short pause, he began again: “Swordsman-gege, how long have you been playing this game? You seem to be at a really high level.”

He Chuzhou continued to ignore him: “What’s the situation on the other side?”

The moment Pei Xi opened his mouth, Coriander Sauce rushed to answer: “We’re in a forest prison.”

He Chuzhou: “I didn’t ask you.”

Coriander Sauce was stunned: “Ah?”

He Chuzhou: “Xinxin.”

Pei Xi hummed: “It’s very narrow, surrounded by trees and vines. There are animal skeletons in the corners. My legs are also entangled by the vines on the wall.”

He Chuzhou: “What about outside?”

Pei Xi: “There’s only a small path covered in withered vines, and the rest is blocked by fog.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay.”

“Wa, Swordsman-gege, you’re so smart.”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander didn’t hold back his praise: “We just queued up for a bunch of games where our teammates were fumbling around in the dark. None of them were as reliable as you.”

“Your equipment is really good, ah. It’s not available anymore. Did you create your account during the public beta?”

“Your hat is so handsome, and so is your character. It fits your voice so well.”

He Chuzhou: “Number Five.”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander: “Huh? Calling me Number Five is too unfamiliar. Swordsman-gege, just call me Cori-cori. Is there anything I can help you with?”

He Chuzhou: “Stand over here.”

Doesn’t Eat Coriander: “Okay. Here, Gege? Isn’t it too close to the corridor? The guards might—”

The noisy calls of ‘gege’ instantly disappeared.

He Chuzhou quickly snatched the keys from the waist of the jailor who had just stabbed someone, then stepped on the corpse of Doesn’t Eat Coriander and silently left the cell.

Surprisingly, nobody noticed the lack of that person’s voice in the audio.

Wu Qing was concentrating on teasing the shark underwater, and Pei Xi was being wildly hit on by the suddenly lively and enthusiastic Coriander Sauce.

Coriander Sauce: “Xiao-gege, you’re a boy, aren’t you? Looking at your ID, I thought you were a girl.”

Pei Xi’s ID was randomly generated by the system, and did indeed look a bit like a girl’s.

Coriander Sauce: “You sound so young, are you a university student? Are you double-queuing with your roommate?”

Coriander Sauce: “Did you just start playing this game? I see you don’t know this place is called a forest prison.”

Coriander Sauce: “I’m a university student too, a senior. I’ve been very free recently. Do you want to add me as a friend so we can play together?”

Pei Xi clicked into the team chat and lowered the volume.

This time, he didn’t have to wait long before He Chuzhou arrived. He ignored Coriander Sauce, who was closer to him, and went straight to Pei Xi to open his cell door.

Coriander Sauce then realized that her counterpart was missing and asked: “Swordsman-gege, where is Number Five?”

He Chuzhou adjusted his angle and unlocked the door: “He was too noisy and got stabbed.”

“? ? ? ? ?”

“Stabbed?!”

Coriander Sauce was so agitated that her voice cracked. She was quick to rectify it: “No way. Swordsman-gege, you stabbed him? We’re teammates, ah, and my friend has very strong logical thinking skills. Without him, we might get stuck!”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Pei Xi, who hadn’t spoken in a long time, suddenly said with a warm tone: “My boyfriend is also very talented.”

As soon as he spoke, the swordsman’s movements stopped briefly on his way in.

Coriander Sauce was completely silent.

When He Chuzhou crouched down to help untie the vines wrapped around Pei Xi’s ankles, she could be heard hesitating to speak several times over the receiver.

It was like she couldn’t find a suitable tone to continue speaking. Her next words sounded particularly strange, as if she had been embarrassed into anger: “The swordsman is your boyfriend? Why didn’t you say anything when we entered the game? You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Wu Qing laughed again: “Classmate, what status do you have? What status does your friend have? Why should others report to you?”

Coriander Sauce: “Uncle, who are you and what right do you have to speak here?”

Coriander Sauce: “So impressive, stabbing a teammate. What kind of quality is that, ah? Don’t you understand that this is a team game?”

Coriander Sauce: “I’m telling you, don’t play games with couples, it’s so unlucky. If you like to show off so much, can’t you be more conscious and team up to play a tile-matching game?”

The vines were in a complicated tangle, and it took some time for He Chuzhou to untie them. He helped Pei Xi up and turned to the indignant Coriander Sauce: 

“If you keep making noise, I’ll stab you too.”

---

[1] Also known as “Empresses in the Palace,” this 2011 drama is full of harem intrigue. ⮐

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Chapter 56 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 58

When He Chuzhou woke up in the morning, he found someone in his arms.

He subconsciously pulled him tighter into his arms at first, and when he regained his senses and forced himself to open his eyes, he met Pei Xi’s bright, clear gaze.

“…..?”

His doubt was written on his face, and what slowly emerged from the tip of his thoughts was: “Darling, why are you here?”

Pei-calico manually helped him open his eyes more, and his question was 90% similar to He Chuzhou’s: “Chuzhou, where is this? Where are we?”

He Chuzhou stared at him for a moment. With a sleepy yawn, he closed his eyes and hugged him again: “The weather was nice, so I took you out to camp.”

Pei Xi placed an arm around his back and idly tapped the base of his neck with his fingertips: “Shouldn’t we sleep outdoors when camping?”

“Says who?”

He Chuzhou’s voice was hoarse due to sleepiness: “It’s not about experiencing primitive life. Camping is just during the day. There are so many insects and ants at night, and I can’t bear to see you suffer that.”

Pei Xi still had something to say, but he had only uttered a single syllable when someone pinched his cheeks and manually muted his microphone: “Honey, I won’t ask how you got into my room, so don’t question me either, okay?”

Pei Xi: “Okay?”

He Chuzhou: “I’m sleepy, stay with me for a while.”

Pei Xi: “But I’m not sleepy. I slept well.”

He Chuzhou: “Then hug me a little while longer……”

His voice became increasingly sticky, with the trailing sounds blending together. It was obvious that his brain was mostly unconscious.

Pei Xi could only smile. He put his hand on the back of the other’s soft hair and rubbed gently.

He looked like a big dog. A big dog even clingier than He Xingxing.

Alright, then I’ll lie with you for a while.

In the end, they got up early and went downstairs. Nearly everyone else in the villa was still asleep.

Xie Ling, however, had gotten up even earlier than them. He was dressed neatly, making an early-morning phone call in the courtyard. It was unclear if he was reporting his stay away from home to his girlfriend or was busy with work.

When he saw them coming down, he hung up the phone and waved: “Leaving so early?”

He Chuzhou replied: “En, going back to work.”

The two weren’t very familiar, so Xie Ling didn’t have much to say to him. He couldn’t exactly say, “Hey, Bro, guess what, I found out you’re a virgin last night,” could he?

But after saying goodbye, he specifically told Pei Xi in a cryptic manner: “Don’t forget what I told you last night. Give me a call if you have any questions.”

Pei Xi looked puzzled when he heard this: “What did you tell me last night — wu?”

He turned mutely to He Chuzhou, asking with his eyes: “Why did you cover my mouth?”

“What he means is that he’ll remember. You can rest at ease,” He Chuzhou finished with a smile, and without giving Pei Xi a chance to speak, he took this person directly to the car.

Pei Xi sat down in the passenger seat and regained his freedom of speech: “Why didn’t you let me ask? I don’t remember what Xie Ling told me last night.”

He Chuzhou had a good excuse: “He just told you last night, but you completely forgot after one night’s sleep. It would be too hurtful to say that out loud.”

Pei Xi: “What if it’s something important?”

He Chuzhou: “From his tone, it didn’t seem like an urgent matter. I’ll ask him indirectly for you later.”

Pei Xi had extreme trust in him, and nodded without any suspicion: “Okay, but why is Xie Ling here? Is he camping with us too?”

He Chuzhou drove the car out of the villa’s gate and cruised down the winding mountain road that was yet to dry. The wheels rolled over numerous dead leaves and branches that had shaken free during the rainstorm: “Pretty much.”

Pei Xi thought carefully: “I never thought he had the potential to be a third wheel.”

He Chuzhou: “Indeed.”

Pei Xi: “Was it just the three of us? Or were there others?”

He Chuzhou: “We followed a group. The people in the villa are…..”

This was why the saying existed that when you tell one lie, you must tell a hundred lies to cover it up.

He Chuzhou dealt with Pei Xi’s many questions by talking nonsense all the way. By the end, he didn’t even know what he was saying, and to his surprise, Pei Xi didn’t have any doubts at all.

When they got home, Pei Xi asked if he was going to the company.

He Chuzhou gave it some thought. When he looked at today’s work schedule, he ultimately decided to work from home.

He not only had to deal with his own work today, but also had to help Pei Xi deal with some of the company’s inconvenient backlog.

After a meal, he worked in the study while Pei Xi played a game opposite him.

It was the same game as last time, but it had entered the official launch phase from public beta, and there were even more active users.

His character was still online at the entrance to the Heavenly Gates. The title [Humanoid Player NPC No. 002] above his head had disappeared due to being outdated, and he was no different from ordinary players.

He controlled the character to walk around in a circle. Without He Chuzhou leading him, the entire game seemed particularly boring.

He couldn’t find anything fun, so he simply took out the white dragon mount He Chuzhou had given him and sat on it to look at the scenery.

Travelling past Wutong Mountain, he recalled the Jin Ling that looked like a dog and quacked like a duck. He was preparing to land to see if there were any changes to its appearance, when he heard a slightly annoyed sound from the person opposite him.

He looked up and asked: “What’s wrong?”

He Chuzhou was sluggish, but typed harder as he replied: “I have to go on another business trip.”

Pei Xi asked him: “Do you not want to go?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.” He Chuzhou tilted his head to look at him from behind the computer. “Since I’m going on a business trip, what are you going to do?”

Pei Xi said as a matter of course: “Stay at home, ah.”

…..That was indeed the case.

He Chuzhou silently retracted his head and sighed.

Ai, how upsetting.

Even Pei-calico didn’t cling to him as much as before.

The game character landed in front of the Jin Ling, but Pei Xi had forgotten his original purpose for coming here. His attention shifted.

He thought for a moment, then set down his phone, stood up and walked to He Chuzhou, and then sat in his lap. This face-to-face position made it easy for him to hold the other’s face, eyebrows raised slightly: “Is someone reluctant to leave me?”

He Chuzhou let go of the mouse and hugged him: “Ah, I can’t bear to leave.”

Pei Xi: “How many days will the business trip last?”

He Chuzhou said it would be four or five days. An idea suddenly flashed through his mind, and he hinted: “Xinxin, let me ask you – if you suddenly woke up and found that I had taken you to a foreign country, would you be angry?”

Pei Xi narrowed his eyes: “You want to secretly take me away when I’m sleeping?”

He Chuzhou hummed: “Yeah? Is it really obvious?”

Pei Xi: “Tell me.”

“Okay.” He Chuzhou stopped being torn and said in a low voice: “In fact, I don’t just want to steal you away. I wish I could shrink you down and put you in my pocket so that I can carry you wherever I go.”

As he spoke, the study door was pushed open by He Xingxing.

The big dog walked in with a swagger, followed by a carefree kitten. The two sat side by side on the carpet and stared at them curiously.

Pei Xi was helpless: “Chuzhou, you’re so clingy.”

“The scope is too large. I don’t cling to everyone, only to you.” He Chuzhou raised his head with an expectant face. “So do you want to come with me?”

Pei Xi gestured around and said: “With both of us gone, what should be done with these two?”

He Chuzhou: “Don’t worry, when the auntie comes to clean, she’ll pour them food and shovel their poop.”

Pei Xi: “But the auntie will leave after cleaning. Four or five days is such a long time. Can they stay at home by themselves?”

He Chuzhou: “They can keep each other company.”

Pei Xi: “They aren’t familiar with each other yet. Didn’t you say that Pei Yueliang has only been here a few days? It would be better for me to stay at home and watch them in case a fight breaks out.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Times had changed. The cat and dog were really more important than him.

*

*

“Pei Xin…..Xi, your express delivery.”

Holding his cell phone in one hand, He Chuzhou used the other to offer the express delivery he’d just picked up at the door to Pei Xi.

He had just changed clothes, and hadn’t even had time to button his shirt to the top when a call came in from work.

Pei Xi took the delivery and watched him go to the balcony to answer the phone, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

It seemed he had been neglected before.

He kept feeling like He Chuzhou was coaxing him, as if giving special attention to a patient.

But most of the time, he didn’t need to be coaxed anymore.

He’d talked about him being sticky the day before, when he was worrying about him and wanted to take him along wherever he went. It seemed this really was He Chuzhou’s wish.

Could it be as Xie Ling said, that He Chuzhou…..liked him back?

“Print out the documents the other party sent you earlier, stamp them, and bring them over here today.” 

“The brochure information should also be as complete as possible.”

“Just follow the driver and come right here. No need for a translation assistant.”

It was almost nine o’clock when he hung up the phone. His flight was booked at ten o’clock, so he had to rush to the airport soon and was in a hurry.

When he returned to the room, he saw Pei Xi unboxing the package. He asked him what he’d bought as he walked straight to the closet to find a tie to wear.

Just as he took out a black one, it was snatched away from him. He turned his head in confusion to see Pei Xi put the black one back in its place, then hold up a dark blue tie he had never seen before: “Try this.”

He Chuzhou was taken aback: “Is this the delivery you just received?”

Pei Xi nodded. He wrapped the tie around his hand and helped him button the top two buttons on his shirt.

As he approached, He Chuzhou almost subconsciously slowed his breathing, and he could barely move his eyes.

After struggling for a long moment, he finally found his voice: “Why…..would you suddenly buy this for me…..”

“I saw it and thought it suited you, so I bought it,” Pei Xi said. He placed the tie under his shirt collar and started to tie it for him.

He had never helped someone put on a tie before, aso it took him a while to adapt to the unfamiliar angle. And the person in front of him was He Chuzhou, so he was inevitably a little nervous and uneasy.

However, when he noticed that He Chuzhou was even more nervous and uneasy than him, he blinked softly and felt that everything had become easier.

He could see that this person was doing his best to control himself, but still couldn’t bring his disordered breathing back to normal. His shoulders were unusually stiff, and even his Adam’s Apple was moving subtly.

There was no doubt that if he put his palm on the other person’s chest at this moment, he would feel a strong and rapid heartbeat.

He Chuzhou was indeed in a confused state of mind.

Pei Xi had bought him a tie…..

Pei Xi had helped him button his shirt…..

Pei Xi was helping him tie his tie……

He didn’t even have a chance to think about why. His head was dizzy from this overly intimate behavior, and his eyes lowered to fix on Pei Xi’s cold, porcelain-white face.

Seeing how he was staring at He Chuzhou’s collar intently, his mouth went dry. Colorful bubbles poured continuously into his stomach, flooding him uncontrollably…..

Then his Adam’s Apple was gently brushed.

His breathing immediately became heavy, and an electric current immediately flowed throughout his body, mixing with his blood as it rushed south.

Pei Xi moved away after the touch and looked up: “He Chuzhou, are you thirsty?”

Almost at the same time he met a pair of deep, dark eyes, his hand was forcibly enveloped by a larger, warmer palm.

Pei Xi’s heart moved slightly. He quickly suppressed the gleam that flashed through his eyes, leaving only calmness: “What’s wrong?”

He Chuzhou stared at him in bewilderment and suspicion, almost urgently trying to decipher the emotions in his eyes. As they gazed at each other at such a close distance, the waves in their eyes kept surging before being forcibly suppressed.

Perhaps because the results of his search weren’t satisfactory, his Adam’s Apple rolled up and down several times before he finally closed his eyes and said in a low voice: “Nothing. I was just going to remind you to close the windows before you go to sleep.”

After saying this, he released his hand and retracted his gaze. He quickly put on his jacket and picked up the suitcase beside the bed: “I’m leaving now. Call me if you need anything.”

He left in a great hurry, both his footsteps and his back revealing a sense of fleeing after being unable to hold his own.

The door opened and closed with a crisp sound.

Pei Xi followed him out of the room and gazed in the direction He Chuzhou had left. Then he looked down at his index finger where he still felt a phantom touch.

He couldn’t control the slight curve of his lips.

---

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Chapter 55 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 57

Rocks, firebrands, and a rain of arrows seemed to vent their anger, continuously damaging the border city’s wall.

Their fierce momentum caused the people of Xiheng to tremble in fear. After all, nobody had expected that the indomitable war god would encounter such a simple misfortune at the foot of their city. Heroes respected other heroes. They were very much in a trance, and found it difficult to withstand the other party’s rage.

However, their prince didn’t devise a plan of defense, but directly ordered a charge to get Liu Zhenqing’s body back, whether he was alive or dead.

Facing such a mad prince, all of the previous events had already crushed the peoples’ inner defenses. Even the secret guards thought their master was crazy.

The lieutenants looked around at each other and braced themselves. One of them stepped forward and announced on the spot that according to the Imperial decree, Prince Li was mentally ill, and they would take military power upon themselves going forward.

Li Jinshu abruptly turned toward those who had begun to resist him, looking at his subordinates standing together one by one with disappointment and anger toward him in their eyes.

At once, he comprehended the trap Liu Zhenqing had set for him. He had actually stepped so deep into it without realizing. Sure enough, he had been tricked by Liu Zhenqing. He just couldn’t understand why Liu Zhenqing was willing to risk his life to get away. This wasn’t something an intelligent person would do.

But he currently had no time to think. His men had staged a coup, and even with his secret guards trying to protect him, Li Jinshu realized the situation was hopeless.

Soon after, there was a new commander on the border city wall. He avoided fighting and only defended, waiting for orders from the emperor of Xiheng, while Li Jinshu was put under custody.

After a fierce wave of attacks, the Huo Family Army was ordered to withdraw. They also had to go back and see the general’s condition before making a decision.

Taking advantage of the retreat, Liu Qiao, who was hindering the archers, and Zheng Wei, who was observing from a distance and assisting Liu Qiao remotely, evacuated one after the other.

It wasn’t until nighttime that the people hiding in the darkness of the city wall emerged. That location was the complete opposite angle to where the archers were originally standing on the city wall.

“Is Huo Fenglie trying to scare us to death? Liu Zhenqing could have been shot,” Song Xingmu said in displeasure.

“You’re unwilling for him to get hurt?” Yi Chuan put away the longbow and strang-shaped arrow feathers. That was a little gadget that Huo Feihan, Liu Zhenqing, and Song Xingmu had made for fun. It was for hunting competitions, not for killing.

“How could he be injured, ah? It’ll just hurt for a while.” Song Xingmu’s lips curved. “Come on, let’s go to the military camp.”

Yi Chuan was surprised: “But didn’t Young Master Liu’s letter tell us to go back before heading to the capital. If we show up at the military camp, we’ll cause suspicion.”

Song Xingmu coughed.

Yi Chuan knew that Song Xingmu was just worried, so he could only accompany him for a while and secretly take a look at the situation before departing.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie were recovered. The first soldier to receive them saw that they were covered in blood, and both of them seemed to be unconscious. When he tried to separate the two, he was yelled at.

“The arrow ran them through, don’t act rashly. We’ll carry them into the tent together.” It was the King of Hell Han Ye, who was traveling with the army. Everyone naturally listened to him.

Like this, Huo Fenglie embraced Liu Zhenqing tightly as they were carried back to the tent.

There were only three people in the tent, including the Medical Valley master and apprentice. Very soon, the broken arrow was removed.

The soldiers on guard caught Han Ye when he came out and asked: “How is the general?”

“The arrow was extremely poisonous! Bring all of the prepared medicinal herbs to the tent!” Han Ye said sharply.

Everyone had thought that based on how the general was injured, the wound wasn’t too serious. But when they heard that poison was involved, and with Han Ye wearing such an expression, everyone’s faces changed.

They immediately followed his instructions, only to see buckets of black water being sent out continuously. The atmosphere in the camp gradually became uneasy.

Such a scene naturally fell into the eyes of various spies in the army.

It took almost three days and three nights.

When the miracle doctor and Li Xingruo came out of the tent, everyone was nervous upon seeing their appearances.

Huo-furen, whom everyone thought to be fierce, actually had red eyes and looked like she’d been crying. The old miracle doctor was also sluggish and pale-faced.

Yunci and Yunqian ran up to their mother to inquire.

Li Xinruo shook her head, and her tears fell.

“Your Second Uncle and Uncle Liu…..are gone.”

As soon as this was said, the surroundings went absolutely silent.

Han Ye opened his mouth and announced again: “Even the gods could not have saved them from Xiheng’s poison. Please accept my condolences.”

None of the soldiers in the outcome could accept such an outcome right away. Several military doctors went in and out, and all came to the same conclusion. Their great general and the future general’s wife had indeed been killed by Xiheng.

There was a wave of grief among the army. They wanted to rush out to fight the Kingdom of Xiheng, but they were soldiers and had to obey military orders.

News soon spread, and every country was shocked.

Li Jinshu was one of the first to find out. He didn’t believe it, and sent people to investigate. Many people died before he received an answer.

They were really dead. Both bodies had been seen.

The two were placed in the same coffin under the eyes of everyone.

Li Jinshu felt it was absurd, but at the same time, he was in somewhat of a daze. He couldn’t figure it out. He really couldn’t figure it out…..

Who could give him an answer to what happened and why? 

Li Jinshu would be tormented by this question for the rest of his life, and the emperor, who had regained power in Xiheng, naturally wouldn’t let him off.

Far away in the capital, Yuan Jue also received a military report. When he read the content therein, he overturned the table, completely unable to believe his eyes.

He was unable to think clearly right away, and his first reaction was that it was fake. They wanted to fake their deaths to escape! They wanted to escape from him!

Yuan Jue believed that this was the most likely possibility.

However, the Kingdom of Xiheng also sent a letter requesting peace, which proved that they thought Huo Fenglie was dead. They didn’t want to pay for the sins of a madman, so they were willing to negotiate peace and avoid war.

Yuan Jue no longer cared about such things. He randomly appointed a military official to temporarily take over Huo Fenglie’s position, and then immediately sent his confidants to escort their bodies back. He intended to see if the corpses were real!

After half a month, news that the general and his wife had died in battle at the border spread, and everyone mourned.

Although Huo Fenglie had done something unorthodox when he left, he was still welcomed by the common people when he returned. Intermittent crying could be heard from the crowds.

The coffin was sent directly to the General’s Manor. Although the Liu family felt that this was inappropriate, faced with the intimidation of the General’s Manor, they dared not raise objections and went there to mourn.

So when Yuan Jue, He Cong, and other officials entered the General’s Manor, the place was filled with crying.

Yuan Jue’s face was shadowed as he walked forward, and no one seemed to see any expression on it.

When he finally reached the mourning hall, he found Yunci and Yunqian there on their knees keeping vigil. The grief-stricken expressions on the two childrens’ faces halfway convinced He Cong at the outset. After all, children couldn’t act so realistically.

He looked at He Lan, who had arrived earlier, as well as Bai Su standing next to him. Both of them wore confused, dazed expressions of grief. He Cong knew his cousin well, and knew that he was incapable of putting on an act like this.

He Cong had a good idea of the truth. The world was unpredictable, and even the god of war would die in battle one day. It was just that the emperor might not believe it.

When everyone saw that the emperor had come, they naturally knelt down to salute.

Behind the crowd, one could see a double coffin. Its lid was open, and there were vague human figures within.

Yuan Jue’s brow furrowed. He didn’t approach the coffin. It was unknown if this was because of his status or for other reasons, but to the martial arts masters, his breathing seemed to be out of rhythm.

He Cong was prompted to go investigate, and even brought along an Imperial Physician, but they were immediately stopped and questioned by the angry Mo Yu and Mo Qi.

These two fellows thought they were here to cause trouble, and leaped up angrily as if they were about to bite them, but they were stopped by a grieving Uncle Tian.

He Lan could only step forward and ask his cousin: “What are you doing? They’re dead!”

These words seemed to be directed at the emperor, but Yuan Jue gave no reaction. He just continued to stare gloomily at the coffin.

He Cong also had a lot of grievances. It was unjustifiable to bring an Imperial Physician to examine the bodies. After all, the bodies had been transported back to the capital publicly, so they must be dead.

But he could understand the emperor’s concerns. These people had once challenged the emperor and were a hidden danger, ah. The emperor naturally wouldn’t believe they had died so easily. He could only come up with an excuse: “There is worry that Xiheng has set a trap. This physician is proficient in Xiheng’s poisons, so he should take another look. Besides, there isn’t even a corpse odor after so long…..”

Indeed, death spots were only gradually appearing on the two people. Their skin color was ashen, but there were no signs of decay.

“What? Is it so difficult for those of us from Medical Valley to identify corpses? And how could this Imperial Physician treat a person even my master couldn’t treat? You’re questioning my willingness to save my own family’s second uncle, ah!” Li Xingruo slowly walked out from behind. Her cold face and white mourning robes were extremely eye-catching.

He Cong’s expression froze, and he glanced at the emperor. Was the only way to do this by force?

But in the next moment, Li Xingruo said with a scoff: “Forget it. If you want to look, then look. You’ll drop the idea after you do. Your Majesty, I also don’t want to believe that they’re gone just like that, that they worked so hard just to come to this point.”

Li Xingruo’s words contained an underlying implication, and her cold gaze swept over Juan Yue. She pulled the two children away, and after seeing her like this, the others could only move away as well.

Yuan Jue’s complexion worsened, and he waved a hand for the Imperial Physician and He Cong to proceed.

He didn’t believe it. He didn’t believe these two people could be gone just like that.

He Cong was a martial arts master, and he knew these two were dead at a glance. However, whether it was the result of a drug or not depended on the Imperial Physician. But no matter how capable the Imperial Physician was, how could he compare to the doctors of Medical Valley?

The Imperial Physician, under great pressure from the questioning of Medical Valley, went forward to examine the patients. Gritting his teeth, he turned back and shook his head at the emperor.

Yuan Jue, who had been silent all this time, suddenly narrowed his eyes. His expression changed drastically, and he rushed over before anyone could react.

Inside the coffin, the two young men lay side by side, no life to their pale faces. Their stiff hands were clasped tightly with their wedding rings on.

Liu Zhenqing still had the jade Rubik’s cube on him, and the Chunjun sword was placed next to Huo Fenglie.

The faces were their faces, and the bodies were their bodies, but there was no breath in them.

Yuan Jue stared at the two people in the coffin, seemingly stunned. He was in a daze for a long time before he reached out to touch Liu Zhenqing inside.

In the next second, a black shadow flashed by. The secret guards protecting Yuan Jue also appeared quickly, but they were a step too late.

Yue Jue looked at the person holding his wrist and wasn’t surprised at all.

“Your master is dead.” Yuan Jue gave Liu Qiao a dark look and said, “You didn’t protect him. Why did you come back alive?!”

Liu Qiao scoffed and ignored him. He just thrust Yuan Jue’s hand away and said: “Don’t touch him! You’ll dirty Master.”

“What did you say!” He Cong’s face was so dark that it practically dripped ink. A palm slapped the side of the coffin, and with a crack, the jade thumb ring that Yuan Jue had been wearing broke into pieces.

That…..had been chosen for him by Liu Zhenqing when he was about to take power.

Liu Qiao raised his head and said coldly: “I said you’re not worthy! Master said he would never see you again!”

Yuan Jue’s dark face seemed to pale in an instant as the blood rushed from his face. His expression gradually became ferocious.

Just as He Cong was about to square off with Liu Qiao to give the emperor a way out, Li Xingruo stepped forward. “That’s enough. Can they not rest in peace even after they’re dead?”

Almost nobody present dared to speak.

At this moment, Yuan Jue looked at the two people in the coffin with eyes full of ruthlessness and said: “How will it look if they are placed in one coffin while not yet married? Someone come and separate them.”

Everyone present was shocked and angry when they heard this.

Liu Qiao directly unsheathed a sharp blade and blocked the coffin, while Mo Yu and Mo Qi also stood resolutely in front of it.

Li Xingruo stepped forward and said: “The emperor has issued an Imperial edict granting their marriage. They have already decided to spend their lives together, and being buried together is the greatest comfort for them. Should they be made to rest alone? Your Majesty wouldn’t be so cruel.”

Li Xingruo’s words were already very impolite, but the emperor’s words were even worse. Wasn’t this embarrassing? Everyone knew that the two of them were determined to be together even in death, otherwise such a thing wouldn’t have happened. If the emperor insisted on separating them, it would be inhumane.

“It doesn’t comply with regulations if there is no wedding ceremony,” Yuan Jue said agitatedly. The broken jade ring in his hand cut into his palm.

Standing in front of everyone, Li Xingruo pointed at the coffin and said: “My husband is gone, and now our Second Uncle is gone too. Could it be that the emperor is bullying the orphans and widow of the Huo family?”

There was inevitably some ruckus in the hall. Li Xingruo’s expression was extremely unsightly as she cursed Yuan Jue in her heart. Separating the coffins was nothing, but she was unbearably angry and aggrieved.

Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian stood out and shouted: 

“Don’t touch Second Uncle and Uncle Liu!”

“Uncle Liu said that no matter if in life or death, he’s a member of our Huo family!”

There was really no way to extricate oneself gracefully.

Ji Qinglin, the temporary acting prime minister, stepped forward at this time and whispered in the emperor’s ear: “Your Majesty, there are people watching outside the General’s Manor. Their love story has already spread throughout Great Zhou. If the coffins are forcibly separated…..”

Ji Qinglin’s warning only stimulated Emperor Yuan Jue’s heart. In the end, he slowly lowered his eyes and agreed to close up the coffin.

But Yuan Jue’s next order was puzzling. He actually wanted to personally watch the sealing of the coffin and its burial. Not only that, he would send people to guard the tomb day and night in the name of worship. In fact, they were required to keep watch over the tombstone on the grave and inspect even an ant crawling by.

How could Li Xingruo not be aware of his intentions? But she didn’t intend to hinder him. After the funeral, she stayed indoors and refused to leave.

As time went by, Yuan Jue grew anxious and restless, and would sneak out of the palace now and then to stare at the tomb in a daze.

One day, he suddenly awoke from a nightmare in the middle of the night. He seemed to have dreamt about two people walking away hand in hand. Yuan Jue took his men out of the palace that night and went to the cemetery, then ordered them to start digging up the grave.

The subordinates were astonished upon hearing this order. Was their emperor really so afraid of General Huo that he had developed a mental disorder?

But it was difficult to disobey an order from the emperor. Even though they felt guilty toward the general, they had no choice but to raise their shovels.

Yuan Jue thought that they must have escaped, and that someone would come to stop them from digging up the grave to prevent him from discovering the truth. So if someone came to stop them, they definitely……

But nobody came to stop them. Even Liu Qiao, who should have been there, didn’t show up. Even when the tombstone fell and a hard object was dug up, nobody came.

Yuan Jue’s face was ashen under the moonlight and he seemed unable to stand steadily.

The coffin appeared, its heavy lid nailed shut. Everyone looked toward the emperor, feeling that if they pried it open, it would really be too……

Yuan Jue’s lips trembled, and a fishy taste spread in his mouth. He swallowed hard.

He couldn’t even open his mouth to tell them to open the coffin, as if he feared learning the truth.

His wavering eyes suddenly flashed as he saw the burial objects piled up in the tomb passage. There were weapons and jewelry, two of which looked familiar – a white jade paperweight and a whetstone.

The white jade paperweight was a gift from him when he became Liu Zhenqing’s student, and the whetstone was a joking token of brotherhood between him and Huo Fenglie when they were in Xiheng.

Yuan Jue finally couldn’t hold on any longer, and a mouthful of blood spurted into the air. The people around him were alarmed, and quickly supported him. Trembling, Yuan Jue said: “Fill it in. Restore it. Return it to its original state.”

The men could only fill it in with soil once more. One of them seemed to feel something subtle and strange in the soil while digging, but thinking of the people in the coffin, he remained silent.

If the coffin had been opened, they would have seen that the ground had been hollowed out.

As Yuan Jue gazed at the restored tomb, there was only one thought in his mind: They weren’t dead. They couldn’t be dead. They must have found a way to escape. That had to be it.

He didn’t have to verify anything. He was the emperor. There was no need to waste his time on this. In any case, the two people who posed the greatest threat to him had relinquished their identities, so he should just regard them as being dead. All he needed to do was be a good emperor.

He just needed to be a good emperor…..

The next day, Li Xingruo was somewhat anxious when she heard that everyone guarding the tomb had left. Some time later, she heard rumors that the emperor was ill, and that his condition was so serious that all of the Imperial Physicians had been summoned to the palace.

“Feihan, judging by Yuan Jue’s actions, he should have guessed it, right?” Li Xingruo couldn’t help but frown as she looked at the tablet. After some thought, she said, “That’s right, they were already prepared for Yuan Jue to come to the right conclusion.”

After exiting the small Buddhist chamber, Li Xingruo gazed far to the south.

At this time, a carriage was swaying along a path leading south.

The coachmen were Yi Chuan and Song Xingmu, with Liu Qiao riding a horse behind them.

Fighting on the battlefield, digging up the grave, the tattoo, planting the tree…..endless pain came like a nightmare before finally, Huo Fenglie felt a ray of warm sunshine. He cracked open his eyes and felt the light shining through the curtains in the carriage. It was spring sunshine.

As his vision expanded, Huo Fenglie spied a jade cube on the cushion beside him, which was held in a slender white hand.

Huo Fenglie then felt that he was leaning against someone’s shoulder. When he raised his eyes, he saw a face that looked like a white jade sculpture, radiating a bright glow in the sunlight. He had beautiful features and a thin stroke of eyeliner on his eyes, making them look more like the peach blossom eyes of the past. He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to spy two red spots near the end of his left eye, like moles.

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie slowly opened his eyes. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyelids shook for a moment, and when he opened his eyes, they were full of ripples. His mental state was much better than Huo Fenglie’s, and as if coming to a realization, he turned with an expression of pleasant surprise.

“You’re finally awake.” Liu Zhenqing straightened up so that Huo Fenglie could lean against him more comfortably. When he twisted to kiss his head, he found that Er-gou was crying. Liu Zhenqing quickly raised a hand to wipe away his tears and said soothingly: “Were you scared? It’s my master’s fault. He adjusted the effects of the medicine, and I felt like I was actually dead. I panicked too when I woke up. You woke up later than me because your physique is so good and you had to take twice the amount. But it’s fine, I inspected you and there’s nothing wrong.”

The false death drug specially developed by the miracle doctor had put them in a state of suspended animation, so while being buried alive wasn’t a problem for them, recovery would take a long time.

Before they left Medical Valley, Liu Zhenqing had asked his master to improve upon the existing drug. It wasn’t until his master received a letter from him that he realized that his disciple had long planned to escape through death.

Liu Zhenqing saw Huo Fenglie staring at him infatuatedly, and could only lower his head to rub their noses together, coaxing Er-gou in a hoarse voice: “What’s wrong? My precious Er-gou. We succeeded. We left the capital. We’re free. Aren’t you happy?”

He looked up and met a pair of affectionate black eyes. They seemed to gather all the light in the world as they gazed at him like they always did, full of his image.

“Qing-ge, I missed you so much.” Huo Fenglie finally spoke. It was as if he was complaining to the present Liu Zhenqing about the innumerable times in the past he had yearned for him.

Liu Zhenqing thought that the false death had caused Huo Fenglie to have some psychological barriers during this period. After all, they hadn’t seen each other in two months, ever since they spent those three days and three nights in the tent, taking the false death drugs and receiving acupuncture. Although they had spent most of the time in a state of suspended animation, Liu Zhenqing himself was also feeling a little tense.

There was a flash of affection in his eyes, and he gave a soft hum: “I missed you too.” After saying this, he lowered his head and kissed Huo Fenglie.

The gentle kiss expressed his endless love, which was as vast as an ocean, wrapping around the two of them.

After the kiss, both of them had tears in their eyes. Liu Zhenqing suddenly raised his eyebrows with interest and said: “I’m really a treacherous minister, ah. Not only did I run away, but I also kidnapped the great war god of Great Zhou. We’ll have to live an idle life from now on. Aren’t you afraid of getting bored?”

Huo Fenglie looked down at Liu Zhenqing with longing desire, as if he couldn’t bear to blink even once. He endlessly cherished this new life without pressure: “With Qing-ge, nothing is boring.”

Liu Zhenqing leaned down and kissed him again. As they kissed, Huo Fenglie discovered that something wasn’t right. He tried to push Liu Zhenqing away, but found that his strength had not yet recovered.

Liu Zhenqing’s hands had become unruly. Huo Fenglie’s clothes were lifted up, and fingers stroked his chest.

“Qing-ge?” Huo Fenglie said in a strained voice.

Liu Zhenqing gave him a wicked smile: “Don’t be afraid, it’s just a side effect of the drug. It’s hard to control yourself when you wake up, so a reaction is normal. The rebound will be especially severe for your body. Some relief will help you recover.”

“N…..no need.” He was currently unable to move, which made him even more uneasy. Huo Fenglie didn’t want to drop a rock on his own foot.

But how could Liu Zhenqing miss such an opportunity to bully him? He smiled and stretched out his hand, causing Huo Fenglie to tremble all over.

“You know what, Er-gou? Qing-ge likes the way you can’t move, and can only let me do whatever I want. It’s so cute.”

Huo Fenglie was frightened. He felt he was about to be bullied to death, and said hurriedly: “We’re in a carriage……”

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow, then called shamelessly to those outside: “We’re busy, don’t lift the curtain!”

Song Xingmu seemed to be cursing at them, but Huo Fenglie could no longer hear clearly. Because Liu Zhenqing had already laid down with him in his arms. A kiss followed and, unable to move, Huo Fenglie could only allow himself to be bullied.

When the carriage stopped, Huo Fenglie seemed to have recovered quickly after his special treatment and was able to disembark the carriage by himself. On the contrary, even though he had recovered first, Liu Zhenqing had not yet woken up.

Huo Fenglie found that they were parked at a pier, and saw Yue Xuqian approaching from a distance.

Huo Fenglie didn’t know of the follow-up arrangements yet, and heard Yue Xuqian say that a boat had been prepared according to Liu Zhenqing’s arrangement. They were to be sent out to sea.

Song Xingmu then said that long before they left the south, Liu Zhenqing had asked him to help find an island and build a house there. Song Xingmu had originally thought it would just be used as a villa, but didn’t expect that he had long been making plans for a refuge. Given the current situation, they would naturally have to remain on the island for three to five years.

Huo Fenglie was somewhat surprised. They hadn’t yet expressed their feelings to each other at that time, but Qing-ge had already devised such a plan? A warm current flowed through his heart. After carrying Liu Zhenqing to the boat, he clung to him even more, just like the child he had once been.

They sailed for many days before arriving at the small island Song Xingmu had chosen. The island was neither too big nor too small, rich in resources yet located in a remote area. There were many vessels on the island, along with sufficient daily necessities and some homeless seasonal laborers. Everything had been provided.

From a distance, a familiar face could be seen standing on the shore. It wasn’t surprising that Han Ye was here. After all, his master was also there to help them recuperate. However, Qiao Jin was also squatting on the dock in wait.

Holding Liu Zhenqing in his arms, Huo Fenglie gazed at the island from afar. Seeing the buildings there and the curling smoke from cooking fires, he felt an inexplicable sense of peace in his heart.

“This will be our home from now on,” Liu Zhenqing said slowly.

Huo Fenglie looked over to find that Liu Zhenqin’s eyes were filled with a smile, like twinkling stars.

He was looking at their future home, while Huo Fenglie’s eyes were solely on him.

“En. Our home.”

A year later, the island was increasingly full of life, at long last covered with lanterns and red silk.

Wedding invitations were received across Great Zhou, and several waves of people secretly entered the sea by ship.

A wedding banquet was quietly held on the island.

At last, they witnessed the two lovers finally marry, destined to grow old together.

The End

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Chapter 147 << Table of Contents >> Wedding Extra 1

T/N: I’m posting the last two chapters together! Thank you all for sticking with this story! There are a ton of extras that I’ll be putting out these next few weeks, so stay tuned!

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Great Zhou brought 200,000 troops to blockade the border of Xiheng, and Xiheng also had 200,000 troops stationed there. The two sides were evenly matched, and neither dared to act rashly, but as the party in the wrong, Xiheng naturally took the initiative to send envoys to negotiate.

Under pressure from Li Jinshu, the Xiheng envoys could only shamelessly say that the prince and Liu Zhenqing had hit it off at first sight and regarded each other as brothers, so he was invited to be their guest. When the time came, they would naturally send him back, and if General Huo was worried, he could come as a guest too.

Such a statement sounded dignified, but it was simply making fools of them. Not only were the envoys of Great Zhou unable to bear it, but even the Xiheng envoys felt that it burned their mouths. They had the impression that their prince was just as the rumors said, finding this lousy excuse to start a war in order to compete with Huo Fenglie.

After several failed negotiations, the atmosphere became increasingly tense, and the Huo Family Army continued to advance toward the border. From the top of the Xiheng border city wall, a dense black line could be seen on the horizon. That was the shadow of General Huo. By then, the people were already in a panic.

If a great number of powerful people, including the emperor and Li Jinshu, hadn’t been present in the border city, the common people likely would have already fled.

Inside the border city teahouses, all kinds of gossip abounded. Some said Li Jinshu had gone crazy, some said he was losing power and was using the war to maintain his influence, and some said that he finally intended to rebel and become emperor. Even more said that Li Jinshu was enchanted by a beauty from Great Zhou just like he had been many years ago, and, ignoring the safety and interests of the people of Xiheng, intended to exchange a city for a single person.

When the common people saw the envoys coming in and out, they discussed it even more. They felt like fish on a chopping board, with the person holding the knife deciding their fates.

In fact, the border city had experienced numerous wars, and were already a hardy people. It wasn’t normal for them to be so anxious and restless in such a short period of time. This naturally drew the attention of the higher-ups, who sent people to investigate.

In a small alley leading to the residential area, a caravan was stationed.

A dark shadow flashed in and immediately let out a loud groan, which attracted the attention of the people reading in the courtyard.

Yue Xuqian looked up at Qin Yu, who had just killed a person, and said: “I’ve scattered information in such disorder, but he’s already found us so quickly? Li Jinshu is indeed impressive.”

“Should we switch locations?” Qin Yu asked.

Yue Xuqian smiled and said: “According to Brother Liu’s instructions, we’ve basically completed all the steps. It’s time to retreat. If we stay, we’ll only be a hindrance.”

Qin Yu nodded: “I’ll escort you out.”

“Where are those two?” Yue Xuqian asked.

“They’ve gone to that location to practice. After all, there can’t be any mistakes.” Qin Yu frowned slightly as he spoke.

“Why? Do they still feel it’s risky?” Yue Xuqian asked.

Qin Yu said: “They fear making a mistake.”

“One must fight to live on the field of death,” Yue Xuqian said with a faint smile.

On the other side, there were several more patrols atop the city wall. One guard was walking when he heard the sound of air breaking. But he saw nothing, just some rubble piled up nearby. The guard didn’t think much of it, and continued on his way.

Inside the palace.

“You’re not really going to snatch that person from Huo Fenglie, are you? What if they really invade?” the young emperor inquired.

“Then we’ll fight. Does the emperor think I’ll lose?” Li Jinshu said indifferently as he reclined on a bench.

The young emperor’s expression turned unsightly: “This emperor doesn’t want to see the Kingdom of Xiheng fall into war because of such a foolish thing.”

“Foolish?” Li Jinshu’s tone was displeased. “I’m living my most interesting life now. How can that be foolish?”

The young emperor was so angry that he could barely speak.

The Imperial Tutor stepped forward and said: “Your Highness, what do you intend to do next? Will you just keep delaying time like this? Wait until a fight breaks out?”

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “I’ve contacted the two border countries to put pressure on Great Zhou. I want to see if Huo Fenglie can continue to maintain his blockade here.”

Upon hearing Li Jinshu’s preparations, the old Imperial Tutor felt relieved and persuaded the emperor to back off.

As a result, just after leaving, they ran into Liu Zhenqing in the gardens.

Liu Zhenqing was sitting in the garden drinking tea, with Liu Qiao standing next to him. The young emperor saw him from a distance and didn’t think he was all that good-looking. Why had Li Jinshu suddenly gone crazy and insisted on competing with Huo Fenglie over him?

When the young emperor arrived here under such embarrassing circumstances, he hadn’t met Liu Zhenqing. And after being humiliated by Li Jinshu, he couldn’t help but walk over to take Liu Zhenqing’s measure.

As soon as he drew closer, he heard Liu Zhenqing speaking.

“Liu Qiao, what do you think I should do? Although the general treats me well, our Liu family is not well-received in Great Zhou. But it’s different for Prince Li. Since he is willing to grant me a position among the royalty, no one will look down on me anymore.”

Liu Zhenqing’s lamentations utterly shocked the young emperor. When Liu Qiao notified Liu Zhenqing that the young emperor had departed, Liu Zhenqing smiled as he drank his tea and massaged his waist. In recent days, Huo Fenglie would come every now and then at night. The two of them were like newlyweds, yearning for each other day and night, and naturally couldn’t control themselves when they met. It was Liu Zhenqing who sacrificed himself voluntarily to calm Huo Fenglie’s anxious mood.

Liu Zhenqing had told Huo Fenglie to go back and make arrangements for the Huo Family Army in order to avoid subsequent complications.

Huo Fenglie did as he was told, and Mo Qi and Mo Yu and others were successively promoted to important positions. The allocation of troops was arranged, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

Everyone was filled with admiration for Huo Fenglie, and thought it was amazing that he could still remain so calm.

Only Li Xingruo, the miracle doctor who had just arrived along with Han Ye, gradually touched upon the truth. Zheng Wei, who had escorted them there, didn’t ask any questions and just picked up his adoptive son a few days later. It was inconvenient for them to stay in the military camp, so they found a place to stand guard nearby.

On this day, Li Jinshu was leisurely playing chess with Liu Zhenqing. “Huo Fenglie has arrived with his army. The cavalry can now be seen from the city walls.”

“So you don’t intend to let me go?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Li Jinshu said with a smile: “If I was afraid, I wouldn’t have abducted you in the first place. I’ve received a return letter from Great Zhou’s emperor. He doesn’t seem to be very good at doing business. I offered him a city, but he wouldn’t trade you for it.”

Liu Zhenqing hesitated: “He would have to be truly spineless to agree to that exchange. It has nothing to do with me, it’s because he would never do something to discourage the country’s troops.”

“Indeed, I made the wrong judgment,” Li Jinshu said, dropping a chess piece. “However…..when the survival of his country is at stake, will he care about a subject’s wife?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and placed a move. “I’ve read the history of the Kingdom of Xiheng.”

Li Jinshu paused and looked at Liu Zhenqing.

“The Yuan clan of the Great Zhou Dynasty is less than a thousand years old. In the past, the predecessor of Xiheng was more powerful than Great Zhou, but a thousand years later, that predecessor is no longer here and our Great Zhou still exists. Do you think it is so susceptible to disaster?”

Li Jinshu’s eyes narrowed slightly. If the person in front of him was the real Liu Zhenqing, he should guard against him. If he wasn’t, then……these words were just to mess with him.

He teasingly changed the subject: “You’ve said that Huo Fenglie has many masters around him, so why hasn’t he tried to save you after being at the border for so long? Regardless of success or failure, he should have at least tried. Bringing his army here is just to maintain face for Great Zhou. Could it be that……I was right last time, and he doesn’t want you anymore?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled, saying: “Prince Li is still trying to brainwash me, ah. You really won’t give up.”

Li Jinshu said: “I’m just saying – a substitute is just a substitute. You’re not Liu Zhenqing, and you’re not worth his effort. You should know how to choose the right master.”

“I also want to know, if I’m just a substitute, is it really worth the prince’s effort to cause a war just to keep me?”

Li Jinshu narrowed his eyes and said: “What if I feel like you’re more than just a substitute? After all, you still owe me an explanation. Perhaps I’ll receive an unexpected answer.”

Liu Zhenqing said: “It is the prince who hasn’t completed the conditions. The prince can’t force me to give him the answer.”

“I feel like I’ve been tricked, but it’s fine. I’m able to slowly look for evidence and make my own conjecture.” Li Jinshu smiled and said, “This process is also very interesting.”

“What sort of conjecture has Your Highness made?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows and leaned closer: “For example, that you’re the genuine Liu Zhenqing.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression barely changed at all under Li Jinshu’s observation. He just narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smug smile: “And what if I am?”

Li Jinshu’s expression changed instantly: “How…..is this possible?”

Liu Zhenqing slowly dropped the last piece. The black and white chess pieces filled the entire board. He stood and clapped his hands, saying: “I’m just saying whatever. Your Highness, please continue to guess.”

With that, Liu Zhenqing turned and left.

Li Jinshu’s heart was beating like a drum, and he was sweating all over. Speculation was one thing, but if he was right, if this was real……it would simply be the ecstasy of regaining what had been lost.

All of a sudden, Li Jinshu looked down. His face shifted. On the chessboard where he’d had the upper hand just now, he had at some point been defeated. He had actually…..lost.

This time, Li Jinshu went even crazier. He madly sent people to keep an eye on Liu Zhenqing and to investigate all the information there was on him. Anything and everything, he wanted to grasp it, painstakingly probing for the truth.

But his behavior seemed particularly out of place during this tense situation, and the rumors that he had gone mad grew increasingly numerous and believable.

Due to the higher security, Huo Fenglie was unable to visit Liu Zhenqing. At most, he could only go to Liu Qiao and take a look from a distance. But this didn’t affect Huo Fenglie’s heart. As long as he could look, he was able to leave with peace of mind and continue to work hard for their future.

A few days passed, and war was at their doorstep. A giant crossbow-propelled bolt shot through the city gate and marked the beginning of the confrontation between the two armies. The commanders under Huo Fenglie challenged them one after another, shouting: “Hand over the general’s wife!”

Li Jinshu had already brought Liu Zhenqing to the military camp. The situation was worse than Li Jinshu had imagined.

The young emperor had taken his people back to the Imperial City, and was beginning to secretly gather military power behind Li Jinshu’s back, and the remaining forces were still trying to persuade Li Jinshu. He was a bit uneasy about the current situation. Although he wasn’t afraid to fight, fighting would delay his time with Liu Zhenqing, so he naturally didn’t want it to come to that.

Therefore, his best option was to wait for support from the other countries and continue to put pressure on Great Zhou. They had worked together like this many times and had a natural tacit understanding.

Under this kind of pressure, exchanging one person was akin to a marriage connection, so the switch would definitely take place.

But very soon, the two countries sent letters to express their polite refusal. Even if there was profit in it, they had to refuse under the circumstances.

Because their two countries were blockaded at the gates by a 50,000 strong army headed by Dai Tingyu in the southwest, if they wanted to support Xiheng, they must grit their teeth and fight their way out. This had originally just a matter of making noise, in hopes that acting as a threat would stop the fighting. But now, it would evolve into actual war if they took a step forward. Dai Tingyu had also led his men to shout that if they dared to delay their general in picking up his wife, their countries would be the next to be destroyed.

Their countries were not like Xiheng, which was on equal standing with Great Zhou. If they competed here to see who was more ruthless, what would they do if Huo Fenglie turned around to attack them?

They didn’t want to sacrifice themselves for another’s gain, so they had no intention of participating for the time being.

Li Jinshu hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.

But it was strange. How could Huo Fenglie have known his plans and arranged people in advance. And why wasn’t that 50,000 strong army confronting Western Shu? By changing their location, weren’t they afraid of losing the southeast? If Huo Fenglie had issued the order without authorization, how could the emperor allow it?

Li Jinshu’s anger gradually increased, but the problem wasn’t too serious for him to handle. He currently still had the upper hand.

Just then, a military report came in. The Western Shu’s army had actually begun to harass Xiheng from the other side, threatening to take back the land they had lost hundreds of years ago.

What was going on? Xiheng and Western Shu only shared a small border and had nothing to do with each other. Western Shu wasn’t qualified to attack Xiheng. They were merely contemptible buffoons.

The new king of Western Shu must be a lunatic, right? Biting everyone in sight? Biting Great Zhou first and then Xiheng?

But it must be said that this new king was indeed putting pressure on Li Jinshu, since their main forces were focused here to deal with the Huo Family Army. Xiheng’s defenses had long grown weak, easy to attack but difficult to defend. If Western Shu disregarded, there would definitely be trouble.

Moreover, once the king of Western Shu took the lead, other fence-sitting countries would eye the weakened Kingdom of Xiheng and perhaps have wicked intentions of allying with Great Zhou. The situation could be reversed in an instant.

Coupled with the accumulation of various minor problems, Li Jinshu actually felt a sense of frustration rising within him. He had never faced such a troublesome dilemma in all his life.

Had he been too presumptuous in his initial plans? He’d thought he was able to read peoples’ minds as he devised his strategies, so where had he gone wrong in the end? How on earth had he gotten himself into this predicament?

Li Jinshu read the battle report and felt his heart tighten. Abruptly, he had an intuition and stood up, hastening toward the tent where Liu Zhenqing resided.

Upon entering, he found Liu Zhenqing leisurely reading a book by the fire. Li Jinshu suddenly recalled their previous conversation. How had Liu Zhenqing been so sure that the stability and safety of Great Zhou wouldn’t be in jeopardy? Could it be that all of this was……

Looking back, Xiheng had become plagued with internal and external troubles within the span of a month. Although there had originally been various underlying problems, Li Jinshu had been dismissive of them. But no one had the ability to instigate all of these problems so quickly.

Li Jinshu stared at Liu Zhenqing in a daze and asked: “Did you do all of this?”

Liu Zhenqing put away the book: “What is the prince talking about?”

Li Jinshu’s heart once again started to beat wildly. He narrowed his eyes: “I want to know the answer to that puzzle. If you don’t tell me…..”

Li Jinshu suddenly closed in on him, but had to dodge a dart. When he looked up, he saw Liu Qiao stuck to the top of the tent. Li Jinshu had been slow to react, and quickly realized something wasn’t right.

In fact, at this distance, Liu Qiao could have killed Li Jinshu. He had the advantage even with there being a hostage, so why hadn’t he taken the opportunity? Had he missed? Or did they not want to fall out for the time being?

Li Jinshu was puzzled, and couldn’t figure it out. He could only look up at Liu Zhenqing with his eyes blown wide, practically bursting with suspicion.

“Your Highness, if you want to know the answer, then take me to Huo Fenglie. I’ll tell you once we meet.” Liu Zhenqing seemed to deliberately deescalate by offering a condition.

Li Jinshu was suspicious for a long moment, but the desire in his heart to find answers was unbearable. Even though there seemed to be a problem, Li Jinshu weighed the pros and cons and ultimately nodded: “I can let you see him from the city wall. You must give me an answer. But I won’t let you go, even if…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips curved: “Even if it puts Xiheng in danger? Li Jinshu, you really are a lunatic.”

They were similar, so similar that Li Jinshu felt like he was being tortured to death. But he was about to hear the answer. As long as he knew the answer, he could rest at ease.

People around him said that Li Jinshu was crazy, but he begged to differ. At first, he had just wanted a substitute to accompany him through these days of boredom. Now, he needed to know if his guess was correct and whether there was really such a magical thing in this world.

Accompanied by the beating drums of both armies, Huo Fenglie soon led his troops to a distance of twenty meters in front of the border city, confronting the enemy from below.

And Liu Zhenqing was finally brought to the city gate.

Li Jinshu took Liu Zhenqing’s arm and led him to the wall.

Liu Zhenqing could see Huo Fenglie astride Chen Jiangyue in the distance just by lowering his head. Although it had only been a few days since he’d seen him, he was already filled with longing.

Huo Fenglie below stared straight back at Liu Zhenqing. His black and white eyes flashed, and he shouted: “I’m here to take you back!”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose in a peerlessly beautiful smile, his face nearly as bright and passionate as it had been in the past.

Li Jinshu was momentarily stunned, and almost couldn’t control himself as he pulled Liu Zhenqing back a step: “I’ve fulfilled my promise. Tell me, who are you, and are you the one behind those things?”

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Li Jinshu. He suddenly laughed, whispering: “Haven’t you guessed it?”

Li Jinshu looked at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief: “Proof…..do you think I’ll believe anything you say?”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and, just like back then, gave Li Jinshu a look that said he was determined to win.

“More than ten years ago, I came to you in order to protect someone else. I let you put your name on me, but in the end, I wasn’t able to save the person I wanted to save.” Liu Zhenqing looked at Li Jinshu and took a step forward.

Li Jinshu inexplicably took a step back.

“Now, I’ve come to you once again to protect someone else, but do you think I would make the same mistake twice? Li Jinshu, have you enjoyed the situation I prepared for you?” Liu Zhenqing said unhurriedly.

Li Jinshu almost stumbled a step, but in the next moment, he fell into ecstasy and began to laugh wildly: “It’s you, it’s really you! You’re Liu Zhenqing!”

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow at the jubilant Li Jinshu, but his eyes swept around. Because at this moment, everyone was looking at Li Jinshu as if he was a madman. Even his adjutant looked bewildered. Liu Zhenqing had been speaking in a voice that only the two of them could hear, but Li Jinshu had no such scruples, and everyone could hear what he shouted.

The prince was calling another person by the name of someone who had been dead for years. Wasn’t this insanity?

But Li Jinshu didn’t notice the situation slipping out of control.

“Liu Zhenqing, you fool, you admitted your identity to me. Do you think I’ll let you go? I won’t make the same mistake twice. No matter how difficult the situation is, I’ll never let go of you! Hahaha!” Li Jinshu was endlessly thrilled.

Li Jinshu shouted to Huo Fenglie down below: “Huo Fenglie, he’s mine! Of you two brothers, the elder couldn’t defeat me, and the younger can’t even think about defeating me! If you want war, there shall be war!”

Huo Fenglie just gazed at him coldly. With a wave of his hand, orders were relayed. The army approached, and the earth seemed to tremble.

Although the guards of the border city were also making preparations, other lieutenants stepped forward to try to persuade Li Jinshu that this was really no time to start a war.

And at this moment, a eunuch rushed up to deliver an Imperial edict.

Li Jinshu was very displeased at the interruption, but the eunuch had to read the edict, so he pretended to listen. 

As a result, when the Imperial edict was read, it turned out that Li Jinshu’s military power was to be confiscated on the grounds that he was unwell. Along with the eunuch came other military officials of Xiheng.

Although they were rather intimidated by Li Jinshu, the various rumors this past month had caused them to waver, so they had come to sound him out.

Li Jinshu’s face was unsightly when he heard this, like that of an enraged leopard. He first glanced at Liu Zhenqing and scoffed. Then, he took the Imperial edict and tore it to shreds.

“Don’t disturb me, get out of here!” 

In the past, people would be quick to obey Li Jinshu when he was in such a temper. But when he spoke now, he suddenly found that these people weren’t scurrying away, but were instead standing motionless.

For the first time, his authority as Regent was being challenged.

He was shocked at first, then said with a sneer: “Are you seeking death?”

The second he spoke, he killed the nearby eunuch. Such insane behavior baffled the others even more.

No matter what, they really couldn’t allow a madman to lead them into war, ah.

But just as Li Jinshu called his secret guards to deal with them according to the principle of “those who obey me will prosper and those who disobey me will perish,” he felt a moon-white figure flash by his side.

Li Jinshu was startled, and when he turned around, he saw Liu Zhenqing standing atop the city wall. If he leaned back just a little, he would fall.

“What are you doing!” Li Jinshu was horrified.

“Naturally, I’m returning to my beloved,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Li Jinshu suddenly laughed: “Archers, on your mark!”

At his command, all bows and arrows pointed at Huo Fenglie.

“Liu Zhenqing, you were never this crazy before. Unless you can come back from the dead, even if you jump down and Huo Fenglie saves you in time, I can have my men shoot thousands of arrows and kill you both at such a short distance.”

Li Jinshu hadn’t had any concerns about bringing Liu Zhenqing up here with him. Unless he was crazy and intended to commit suicide here, it was impossible for him to do such a thing.

Li Jinshu asked himself if he had driven them to the point of committing suicide for love, and felt it was unbelievable. Such behavior made him laugh.

He believed that a person as intelligent as Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t make such a decision.

But Liu Zhenqing just gave him a slight smile. Li Jinshu watched Liu Zhenqing tilt backwards. His heart constricted and he rushed forward to pull him back, shouting: “You think I won’t kill you, but I’m telling you, if I can’t have you, nobody else can either!”

Liu Zhenqing laughed as he began to fall: “Li Jinshu, I know you won’t let me go, but if I can’t be with the one I love, then death doesn’t matter.”

These words fell into the ears of many.

Everyone watched in amazement as Liu Zhenqing jumped off the city gate. Li Jinshu appeared to be unable to react. Why was Liu Zhenqing always surprising him and exceeding all of his expectations? This feeling was really too terrible.

The sound of hooves followed, and a tall figure flew up to catch his lover mid-air, holding him in his arms.

Li Jinshu beheld this scene when he rushed to the wall. His heart was overflowing with fury, but he still struggled. He knew he must make a decision. Liu Zhenqing was about to be taken away. If he really left, he would never come back, and Li Jinshu would lose him completely. What should he do? He hesitated for a moment with a raised hand, but the moment he swung it down, it was proven that Li Jinshu was indeed someone who would destroy a thing if he couldn’t possess it.

But rather than all of the arrows firing, only a few managed to fly out toward the falling people. As everyone looked up, screams sounded from the city gate. With his rapid skills, Liu Qiao knocked down the archers above. Even though there were some who slipped through the net, he had the assistance of long-range arrows from an unknown source.

But none of this attracted Li Jinshu’s attention.

Because he was watching the arrows fly toward Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing, seemingly in a panic. One arrow whizzed by close to Huo Fenglie, but the moment he spun around while holding Liu Zhenqing, an arrow plunged fiercely into his back. According to the length of the arrow’s tail, it should have pierced through Liu Zhenqing as well. But because Huo Fenglie was shielding the other person so tightly in his arms, Li Jinshu was unable to see Liu Zhenqing’s injury.

There was no movement when the two people fell onto the horse. They appeared to be dead as Chen Jiangyue ran off with them.

Li Jinshu’s heart trembled. He wanted to go and grab that person, but was stopped by his subordinates, who proceeded to anxiously warn him.

Li Jinshu watched as, enraged by their general being shot, the Huo Family Army began a long-range attack on the Xiheng border city to the sound of claxons.

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Chapter 146 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 148

Chapter 3 – Soft Persimmon

The chickens and roosters raised by the sect were public property and naturally couldn’t be killed at will, so Fang Yang strongly opposed Feng Ye’s answer.

Feng Ye couldn’t resist his shidi, who was full of enthusiasm after being fed chicken soup by him just now, and reluctantly jumped into the pit he had dug for himself. The two of them reached a compromise and agreed that Fang Yang would wake Feng Ye half a shichen after the rooster crowed each day.

However, Feng Ye still had a trick up his sleeve. He had only promised Fang Yang that he would get up, not that he would practice swordplay with him.

Young people. They were so naive and gullible.

Feng Ye feigned being distraught, but the corners of his lips rose where Fang Yang couldn’t see them. He gave himself a thumbs up for his adult wisdom.

The daily work had been completed, and the next step was free time. The inner sect disciples had to attend classes and practice martial arts, but it was completely different for the outer sect disciples.

Lingxiao Sword Sect had adopted a completely free-range management approach to its junior outer disciples, and their training depended entirely upon themselves.

Fang Yang and Feng Ye were at two extremes, one too conscientious, and the other too unconscientious.

As for the rest, most of them were somewhere in-between. They would train, but weren’t as demanding of themselves as Fang Yang.

Fang Yang was already a top student among the junior disciples, and was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, so all the others were also at the Qi Refining stage.

They either had not established their foundation, or had not yet achieved inedia. All outer disciples needed to eat. The sect very humanely set up a cafeteria at the foot of the mountain to facilitate the meals of the outer disciples.

It was noon, and after cleaning the training square, Feng Ye and Fang Yang prepared to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

This was one of the few rest times Fang Yang had each day, and after the meal, he would go off on his own to practice swordplay again.

And as for Feng Ye..…he would take a nap. Although he seemed to have slept for a long time, the dream had disturbed him and he hadn’t rested well at all.

Heaven and earth were vast, but catching up on sleep was the most important thing of all.

The useless shixiong played his role very competently today.

Feng Ye’s plan was very good, but before the two of them reached the cafeteria entrance, they were blocked by someone.

The person blocking their way was a familiar face. There were many junior disciples in the outer sect, but because Lingxiao Sword Sect occupied a vast area, the junior disciples lived scattered all over the place and usually didn’t interact with each other. Thus, Feng Ye didn’t actually know many of his fellow disciples.

If Fang Yang was the first, then the person in front of them was the second.

It was just that his relationship with this person was different from his relationship with Fang Yang. To be specific, it was one of enmity.

This person had a pair of triangular eyes, and although his facial features were fairly regular, he tended to look a little dour, as he was always scrutinizing people.

Feng Ye noticed him, and Fang Ye naturally did too.

Fang Yang treated people with unreasonable sincerity and enthusiasm, and almost never took the initiative to make enemies with people – except for the one in front of them.

Just on account of seeing his face, Fang Yang’s expression turned cold. He shouted to this person who was blocking the way forward: “Lu Chengye, what do you want?”

Lu Chengye had been amongst the disciples who entered the sect at the same time as Fang Yang. He also had three spiritual roots like Fang Yang, and therefore also trained in the outer sect.

However, he wasn’t a teenager of fifteen or sixteen like Fang Yang, but a mature young man of eighteen like Feng Ye.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, he had missed the sect’s enrollment period two years ago, but managed to make it the year previous. He joined the immortal sect and earned the title of an overage repeater.

Although he had begun to cultivate immortality a little later in life, because he was older than the others, he possessed more resilience and comprehension than them.

He wasn’t as diligent and hardworking as Fang Yang, but he was still one of the best among this batch of junior disciples.

Lu Chengye and Fang Yang had no personal grudges against each other. The cause of their enmity was…..because of Feng Ye.

In addition to training, junior disciples must also complete tasks assigned by the sect. But in fact, the sect wasn’t very strict about these tasks. As long as they were completed, the administrator in charge of inspections didn’t care who did them.

As a result, an underground black market was born. Some people already had some savings at home before going to learn at the Lingxiao Sword Sect, and they naturally lived a life of luxury and never had to do any chores.

Training was tiring enough, so rather than spending their time performing pointless labor, they preferred to pay someone to do it for them.

On the other hand, there were those who came from poor families. Even after becoming a member of an immortal sect, they still planned to save some money to send to their families in the mortal world.

Thus, deals were made.

One paid and the other worked, an even exchange. This could be considered a legitimate business.

But some people were unwilling to pay, and also didn’t want to do chores. They targeted honest people who looked easy to bully and used force to compel them to lend a hand.

As luck would have it, Feng Ye was the soft persimmon Lu Chengye had targeted.

After all, Feng Ye was very ordinary in every aspect, with an ordinary appearance and an ordinary name. Even if someone came to the sect to ask after him, most people would be unaware that such a fellow disciple existed.

Moreover, Feng Ye was quite useless. After three years of training, his cultivation had barely reached the third level of Qi Refining. At one level per year, it could be considered steady development.

But in the eyes of most people, this was a soft persimmon. If they didn’t come and squeeze it, they would feel they’d lost out.

A month ago, Lu Chengye, who felt he would lose out if he didn’t take the opportunity, naturally approached Feng Ye. He cornered him, and was threatening him with his fists when Fang Yang saw them. As a good young man, Fang Yang certainly wouldn’t sit idly by and watch this kind of bullying, so he stepped in to rescue Feng Ye from peril.

He got to know Feng Ye because of this, and since they lived close to each other, their relationship grew increasingly better. 

Fang Yang bore no goodwill toward Lu Chengye, a local tyrant who used his cultivation to bully his fellow disciples.

Lu Chengye also didn’t like Fang Yang, this self-proclaimed hero who meddled in the affairs of others. But he didn’t have the confidence that he could beat Fang Yang, who was also at the seventh level of Qi Refining, so he had no choice but to give up.

However, he still held a grudge against the two of them. He would make a few sarcastic remarks whenever he got the chance, and today was no exception.

Lu Chengye said with an enigmatic look on his face: “What can be done? There’s only one way to the cafeteria and you won’t let people go there?”

Fang Yang didn’t fall for his provocation. He wasn’t good with words, and had almost never had the upper hand in previous arguments with Lu Chengye. Furthermore, it was not the behavior of a gentleman to gain satisfaction through aggressive speech. Since he was a sword practitioner, he should speak with the sword.

Instead of wasting time arguing with Lu Chengye, it was better to practice his swordplay more.

Fang Yang came to a decision and tugged Feng Ye along to skirt around Lu Chengye.

But as they passed by, Lu Chengye said in a voice so low that only they could hear it: “Do you think protecting this waste will do anything? The inner sect examination is about to begin, and your useless shixiong definitely won’t pass. When the time comes, just wait and see how I deal with him.”

Fang Yang’s footsteps came to a sudden halt. He clenched his fists tightly, and the anger he had been suppressing showed signs of breaking out.

This was exactly what Lu Chengye wanted. The Lingxiao Sword Sect had a free-range management style, which appeared loose and easy.

But despite such looseness, there were several golden rules that could not be violated, one of which was that disciples were not allowed to fight amongst themselves. Those who stirred up trouble would be expelled from the sect without mercy.

The cafeteria wasn’t far away. It was currently lunchtime, and there were many people around. If Fang Yang couldn’t hold back and took action first, his guilt would be confirmed, and there would be only one result waiting for him: being expelled from the sect and never again having the opportunity to become immortal.

Although Lu Chengye seemed to be targeting Fang Yang, his actual target was Feng Ye. After all, without Fang Yang’s protection and with Feng Ye’s limited skills, he would be at his mercy.

Fang Yang was also aware of this, but the young were always prone to impulsiveness. At this moment, he was so infuriated by Lu Chengye’s words that he lost control of himself.

Just when he was about to move, Feng Ye suddenly pressed down on his shoulders.

Walking beside Fang Yang, Feng Ye had naturally heard every word Lu Chengye said.

Moreover, he also knew that the “waste” Lu Chengyu referred to was him.

Contrary to Fang Yang’s anger, he wore a calm expression devoid of anger, as if he was just a punching bag that couldn’t fight back or retaliate.

Fang Yang reflexively tried to break free from Feng Ye’s grip, but was unexpectedly unable to shake him off.

In terms of physical fitness, he, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, should be far superior to the third level Feng Ye, but he was unable to move under Feng Ye’s grip.

Feng Ye looked at Lu Chengye’s expression of sarcasm and malice and smiled, saying only one thing: “Then I’ll be waiting for you.”

Having said this, he continued forward with Fang Yang, only releasing his grip once they were out of Lu Chengye’s sight.

Fang Yang looked at Feng Ye’s hands, then at his ordinary face, and had a moment of doubt: was his useless shixiong actually useless? 

Feng Ye’s next words dispelled his doubts.

Patting his chest with a sigh of relief, Feng Ye said gratefully: “Fortunately, nothing happened. Shidi, don’t be impulsive. Letting him insult me a few times won’t hurt anybody. Come on, let’s go eat first, and then I can sleep……”

Useless-shixiong really is useless, Fang Yang thought expressionlessly. Only a waste would just think about sleeping and eating. As for practicing swordplay, there was no such thing in the world of the useless. Correspondingly, there was also no such thing in Feng Ye’s world.

Fang Yang didn’t refute Feng Ye’s suggestion to eat first, but still couldn’t help but warn him worriedly: “After the inner sect examination in a few days, I’ll be admitted and won’t live at the foot of the mountain anymore. If Lu Chengye…..”

If Lu Chengye were to cause trouble for Feng Ye, Fang Yang would naturally be too late to stop him after entering the inner sect. This was also why he must urge Feng Ye to practice his swordplay. He hoped that after he left, his useless shixiong wouldn’t be beaten too badly.

Fang Yang didn’t finish his sentence, but Feng Ye was aware of his worries. He inwardly lamented that if Fang Yang hadn’t intervened that day, he would have beaten Lu Chengyu until he was unrecognizable.

Fang Yang-shidi’s worries were completely groundless. His useless shixiong was only useless in front of others, but not where others couldn’t see…..so he would wait for Lu Chengye, who loved to squeeze soft persimmons, to come and experience it for himself.

These were Feng Ye’s thoughts, but it wasn’t easy to express them to Fang Yang, so he just rubbed his shidi’s head comfortingly to signal that he shouldn’t worry.

After that minor episode, Feng Ye and Fang Yang entered the cafeteria to find that there were already quite a few people inside. They had to wait in line for a long time before they could eat.

And elsewhere, an unfamiliar guest arrived at the mountain gates of Lingxiao Sword Sect.

Hao Chen gazed at the rolling mountains and hidden sect therein, and with a swish, opened the paper fan he carried with him.

The weather in early autumn wasn’t very hot, but he still fanned himself.

How stylish he looked with the fan was far more important than the coolness it provided.

Hao Chen took a quick look at the terrain and saw the four big characters “Lingxiao Sword Sect” written on the mountain wall.

These four characters were massive, occupying the entire wall of the mountain and able to be seen from a great distance. It was also unknown who wrote them.

But the strokes of these four characters were swift and fierce, the breaks clean and decisive, which somewhat indicated the proudness and determination of the inscriber.

Hao Chen murmured the name again: “Lingxiao……Sword Sect.”

There was a perpetual faint smile on his lips, which made one feel as if they were bathing in a spring breeze – but when he spoke the word “Lingxiao,” that smile was three parts disdain and seven parts sarcastic.

With a snap, Hao Chen closed the fan, tapping his palm with it as he walked onward.

---

T/N: Lingxiao (凌霄) can be interpreted as “Rising to Heaven.”

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Chapter 2 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 4

On the day Pei Xi agreed to attend the auction, Xie Ling drove to the company to pick him up. 

He Chuzhou was unable to see him off in person because he had a dinner party in a neighboring city, and seemed quite regretful about it.

Pei Xi comforted him: “Don’t feel bad, most of the items on auction are calligraphy and cultural relics. You wouldn’t be interested.”

He Chuzhou: “Is buying things the only reason for me to go to the auction?”

Pei Xi: “Why else?”

He Chuzhou thought, of course it’s to improve my favorability and accompany you for a while, but unfortunately, he dared not say this. “Because I’ve heard that the scenery over there on the mountainside is beautiful, and I’ve always wanted to see it.”

Pei Xi nodded in understanding: “It’s not a big deal. It’s not far, so there will always be opportunities in the future.”

In any case, it’s not possible today, he thought.

I have something important to do tonight, so I wouldn’t take you with me even if you had time.

They set out at seven in the evening. The mountain road was steeper and more winding than Pei Xi had imagined, and it took nearly an hour for him to glimpse a corner of the auction hall among the trees.

“Why did they choose such a remote place?” he asked Xie Ling. When he saw the expansive view outside the window, he snapped a few photos with his phone and sent them to He Chuzhou.

The latter had already arrived at the dinner party. Upon receiving the photos, he very supportively filled the screen with starry-eyed emoticons, and also shared his real-time scene with him.

The brightly decorated banquet hall was filled with people toasting each other, men in suits and women in long dresses. In the center of the photo, a handful of people were gathered together, holding champagne and chatting leisurely.

The photo was well-taken, but Pei Xi wasn’t interested in a group of unfamiliar men and women dressed in bright and beautiful clothing.

He used two fingers to zoom in on the photo, then zoomed in again until the center of the photo became a figure reflected in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He Chuzhou was dawdling in the corner, seated on a leather sofa in boredom. He had broad shoulders and long legs, an outstanding appearance, and his side profile was so sharp that even a blurry reflection was enough to be stunning.

“The character of the literati is that they feel a place with mountains brings forth people of talent who are worthy of their works.”

Xie Ling glanced toward the passenger seat: “What are you looking at? Why are you in such a good mood?”

Pei Xi saved the photo to his album, then enlarged it again to continue looking at it: “A message from He Chuzhou.”

Xie Ling: “……”

“I never thought I’d see you in love, or even secretly in love. This is a dream come true for me. Thank you so much.”

Pei Xi: “You’re welcome.”

“You really think I’m praising you.”

Xie Ling was helpless: “Now that we have some free time, tell me what’s going on. Why do you suddenly like He Chuzhou?”

Pei Xi: “Because we’re living together.”

The car braked suddenly, and Pei Xi leaned forward due to the inertia. He then heard Xie Ling’s disbelieving voice: “You’re already living together? Why, ah? When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?”

Pei Xi left out the beginning and the end, and concealed the main reason: “Because of work. It hasn’t been very long. I forgot to tell you before.”

Xie Ling: “Is this something you can forget about? No way, what kind of work requires cohabitation, ah? And haven’t you been at odds with each other?”

Pei Xi: “We reconciled and have collaborated on some minor projects. It was more convenient to live together during the adjustment period.”

Xie Ling was silent for a long time: “My understanding of you has been refreshed, Brother. Is this the reason you business elites are successful? Cooperative projects are usually long-running, so how’s it been going so far?”

Pei Xi: “As you can see, I’m in love with him.”

Xie Ling: “……”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “I’m already sacrificing my time to ask you how to pursue him. Isn’t it obvious enough?”

Xie Ling: “………”

Xie Ling said tactfully: “Let’s discuss something. Can you try explaining this from the viewpoint of a friend? I’m really not used to you talking this way.”

I’m in love with He Chuzhou.

A friend of mine is in love with He Chuzhou.

Pei Xi thought about it, then refused with a frown: “No, I would be very uncomfortable.”

Xie Ling: “……Okay.”

Xie Ling: “So how did you fall in love with him? You don’t mind that he’s a fool and has a wild private life with numerous exes?”

Pei Xi’s brow, which had not yet relaxed, furrowed even tighter: “He’s not a fool. He has real talent and knowledge, and he doesn’t have exes or a wild private life. Those are just rumors.”

Xie Ling was astonished: “Rumors? Really?”

Pei Xi said firmly: “I wouldn’t fall in love with a fool with a wild private life. You don’t need to question my moral bottom line. He just looks like a playboy, but he’s actually a virgin.”

Xie Ling: “……”

Who knew that tonight his mother tongue would be speechless? “Is this something I should be hearing? And Boss, you even investigated this?”

Pei Xi: “I found out by chance.”

Xie Ling was wracking his brains for what to say next. He choked for a moment before speaking again: “Is it his…..uh, purity you’re attracted to?”

Pei Xi tilted his head: “Does that have any relevance to why I came to see you tonight?”

Xie Ling: “Of course it does, ah. I’m not familiar with He Chuzhou, so I need to get to know him first. Understanding the current progress of your relationship will help me make suggestions, ah.”

Pei Xi considered this carefully and felt that it made sense, so answer anew: “He has more than one advantage. He’s also knowledgeable, capable, emotionally stable, broad-minded, kind, sincere, considerate, patient, has excellent cooking skills……”

“Stop.” Xie Ling interrupted him midway. “I’m not asking what his strengths are.”

Pei Xi: “Didn’t you say you need to understand him?”

Xie Ling: “Yeah, so I need a more comprehensive description of him.”

Pei Xi: “I just described him very comprehensively. He has no shortcomings.”

Xie Ling: My mother tongue…..

“Can you try setting aside your biased filter?”

Xie Ling attempted to guide his thoughts: “Separate yourself from the identity of a secret admirer. Stand in the perspective of a third party and try to describe He Chuzhou as objectively as possible.”

Pei Xi frowned: “I’m very objective. If it weren’t for these objective facts, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.”

Xie Ling: “What objective facts?”

Pei Xi: “That he is excellent, without any shortcomings.”

Xie Ling was simply at a loss for words: “Let me ask you a question. Have you told him all this?”

Pei Xi shook his head.

Xie Ling sighed with emotion: “I think you just need to tell him these words. That’s half the battle. Trust me, there’s no man in the world who doesn’t like to be praised.”

Pei Xi: “He’s not such a superficial person.”

Xie Ling slowed down the car. He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to pinch himself: “Fine, let’s stop focusing on the complimenting step for now. Tell me, where is your relationship at currently?”

Pei Xi considered: “We’re business partners.”

Xie Ling: “That’s it?”

Pei Xi: “Roommates who have dinner together and walk the dog together.”

Xie Ling: “What else?”

Pei Xi: “Does it count that I went to his home and met his family?”

Xie Ling: “That’s friendship. Okay, the starting point isn’t too low. You said he’s a virgin and hasn’t been in a relationship before?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “If he hasn’t been in a relationship at this age, either his standards are super high or his brain is missing a string.”

Xie Ling thought as he spoke: “If it’s the former, you’re a top match and don’t need to worry at all. If it’s the latter…..then you need to flirt, the kind of flirting that’s so blatant it practically breaks the window paper. This kind of person has low emotional intelligence and may not get even the slightest hint.”

Blatant flirting……

Pei Xi found it difficult to understand these words for a while: “You mean for me to seduce him?”

Xie Ling: “It’s fine if you understand it that way.”

Pei Xi frowned once again: “I don’t think that’ll work, he’s not that kind of person……”

“He’s not a superficial or lustful person?”

Xie Ling could guess what he was trying to say: “I get it, I get it. Extraordinary people are different from us normies. But mental stimulation is necessary for everyone to some extent, isn’t it?”

As they were talking, they arrived at the clubhouse villa.

When he saw an attendant standing at the door with an umbrella for them, Pei Xi realized it had started to rain. It wasn’t a heavy rain, but the wind could blow it into one’s collar and chill them to the bone.

“We’ll talk later. Let’s go in first.”

Xie Ling parked the car and pushed the door open. He had only taken one step when he got so cold that he shrank his neck and complained: “Are all literati immune to the cold? I have osteoporosis and can’t bear it, ah.”

Pei Xi was also cold. Only after covering his collar and following Xie Ling into the hall did he feel better.

The main auction venue was on the second floor. Quite a few people had already arrived, and were walking around and chatting with others as they waited for the bidding to begin.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted Pei Xi. As if he had unexpectedly discovered something in high demand, he approached with a glass of champagne and started a conversation.

Others who were slower to realize the situation also began to grow interested, glancing over constantly.

Xie Ling was very adept. He sent the first person away with a few words, and before the next one came, he took Pei Xi to sit down in the first row. He pretended they were busy, and turned away those who wanted to come and make an appearance.

“This sort of occasion is troublesome. Can’t everyone just quietly bid and quietly leave?”

Xie Ling took a fruit plate from the side and placed it between the two of them: “We’re not even familiar with each other, what’s there to talk about?”

“Exactly.” Pei Xi: “Which is why I rejected you at the beginning.”

Xie Ling: “I owe you a favor.”

Pei Xi: “No need to owe me. Just continue to say what you didn’t finish just now.”

Xie Ling was impressed by his focus and eagerness to learn. He took a tissue and wiped his hands: “Okay, continuing, continuing. Where was I?”

Pei Xi said seriously: “You said to seduce him.”

Xie Ling: “Oh, right. It’s not seduction – at least, it’s different than what you think it is. This is mostly on the psychological level…..”

In the following time, including during the auction, Xie Ling explained to Pei Xi in detail the entire process of pursuing his girlfriend, as a reference.

“Give him a gift, but not something too ordinary. Give him something ambiguous, such as a shirt or tie. And if possible, help him put it on, so that he thinks of you every time he sees it…..800,000.”

“Can you cook? It’s fine if you can’t, just try something else.”

“Keep in contact. Find more topics to talk about with him, and give him more ambiguous hints. You can say anything except directly telling him you like him. You have to make him feel like his heart is being scratched, and that you’re too embarrassed to ask him head-on…..1.1 million”

“Play hard to get, okay? Keep him at arm’s length and be unpredictable. Whenever he gets close to you, immediately distance yourself from him…..’

Pei Xi carefully noted down every word he said, but didn’t quite understand some of it. That was okay, though. He would have enough time to absorb and digest it later.

The auction came to an end. Xie Ling had a fruitful harvest, and so did Pei Xi. Everything went smoothly tonight, except for the worsening of the rain.

“It’s no good. The Wancheng forecast says the rain will be heavy tonight, and won’t stop. It’ll get heavier soon, and the road down the mountain is steep and winding. How can we drive in this weather…..”

Just as Xie Ling was complaining, a staff member hastened out to inform them that it currently wasn’t safe to go down the mountain. The organizers had prepared for all of the guests participating in the auction, so that everyone could rest for the night and head out the next day.

This was a feasible option. Everyone unanimously acquiesced and went to the villa one after another.

Xie Ling rejoiced: “Fortunately, the villa is big enough. If it was smaller, wouldn’t we have to sleep in the car tonight? Come on, let’s go in too.”

He walked a few steps inside before realizing that Pei Xi hadn’t caught up with him. Looking back, he found the latter standing in the corridor, staring at the gates with a frown on his face.

“What, you still want to go back?” Xie Ling asked.

Pei Xi hummed with unclear sentiment.

Xie Ling patted him on the shoulder: “Aiya, it’s only one night. You’ll see him again when you go back in the morning. If that’s not good enough, you can find a reason to video chat with him later to ease your longing.”

It was difficult for Pei Xi to explain to him that he wasn’t longing for He Chuzhou.

Given his current condition, if he really stayed here overnight, what would he do when he woke up in the morning?

His secret being exposed was a minor issue, but if something serious happened…..

His phone rang. It was He Chuzhou.

Pei Xi’s heart settled, and he walked a few steps into the hall before answering.

He Chuzhou: “I’m almost finished here, how about you? Is it not over yet?”

“It’s over,” Pei Xi said, “but I may not be able to come back tonight.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh? Why?”

Pei Xi: “It’s raining in Wancheng, and I heard it’ll get heavier later. The way down the mountain isn’t safe, so the organizers arranged for everyone to stay overnight.”

There was silence on the other end of the line. He Chuzhou must have left the dinner party. After a while, his voice sounded again: “What are you going to do?”

What was he going to do?

Pei Xi had no idea.

But after hearing He Chuzhou’s voice, he felt a lot less upset than before: “It’s fine. I can stay up tonight and leave early tomorrow morning when the rain stops.”

“How can you go without sleep?”

The sound of a car door opening and closing came through the phone. He Chuzhou must have gotten in a vehicle. “I’ll come get you now. Wait for me there.”

“You want to come over? Don’t!”

Pei Xi instantly refused: “It’ll be foggy and rainy in the mountains. Driving in low visibility is too dangerous. I won’t have a problem, it’s common for me to stay up later at work. Don’t come over.”

He Chuzhou: “It’s okay, I just checked and the rain isn’t that heavy right now. It won’t be a problem to rush over before the heavy rain starts. Should only take a little more than an hour.”

Pei Xi was still worried: “He Chuzhou, it’s really not necessary. How about you wait until the rain stops tomorrow and then come —”

“Are you sure the rain will stop by tomorrow morning?”

He Chuzhou cut in: “Even if it stops, what if you end up falling asleep? What if you’re awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night like last time?”

Pei Xi was reduced to silence.

He Chuzhou lowered his voice and coaxed him: “Pei Xi, I’m not just worried that you’ll have memory problems in a place I can’t reach you. I’m more worried about leaving you alone on a rainy day like this.”

“I made a promise back then that I would be responsible for you. In this sort of situation, it’s impossible for me to leave you there alone. What else can I do?”

“……”

“Plus, I’m a pretty good driver. Really, I’m not kidding you. When I was young and wild, I raced on the winding mountain roads abroad, so I’m familiar with such routes. I’ll find a video and show you later.”

“It’s cold in the mountains. Listen to me and go back to your room first. I’ll call you when I get there.”

*

*

Xie Ling: “What? At this time and in this weather, he’s still going to come up the mountain road to find you???”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “Has he headed out yet?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “Oh my god, you two still haven’t talked yet?”

Pei Xi responded in the negative.

Xie Ling: “Then why is he so solicitous?”

Pei Xi: “He’s not being solicitous. He’s just fulfilling his responsibilities as a partner.”

Xie Ling: “Isn’t this too responsible?”

Pei Xi: “It’s because he’s so good.”

Xie Ling: “…..”

Xie Ling: “Enough, enough, stop praising him.”

Pei Xi fell silent and turned to look out the window.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier.

But it had been less than an hour since He Chuzhou’s call.

He gripped the tone tightly, restless with anxiety.

Xie Ling understood his worry: “Why not give him a call and ask where he’s at?”

Pei Xi glanced down at his phone. He could be seen wavering, but he ultimately shook his head; “This stretch of road is difficult to drive, and answering the phone will just distract him.”

More than half an hour later, the sound of raindrops hitting branches grew louder. The wind blew rain against the window with a pattering sound, noisy even through the glass.

The sound perturbed Pei Xi and made him nervous.

He stood at the window and looked out at the darkness, regretting more and more not refusing on the phone just now and instead agreeing to let him come.

Compared to He Chuzhou’s safety, him being discovered or making a fool of himself were trivial matters.

The rain was so heavy, the mountain road so winding, the slopes so slippery, and there was still fog…..

When the first lightning bolt flashed across the sky, he could no longer sit still: “Lend me your car.”

Xie Ling: “What are you going to do?!”

Pei Xi: “Pick him up.”

Xie Ling: “Pick him up?!”

Xie Ling’s eyes widened in astonishment: “Are you crazy? Don’t be impulsive, ah. Calm down, it’s more difficult to go down the mountain than to go up…..”

A ray of light flashed past the window, and the sound of a car engine accompanying the sound of rain was keenly noticed by Pei Xi.

He didn’t hear what Xie Ling was saying. As he looked down from the window, a call notification appeared on his phone.

He Chuzhou had arrived.

Pei Xi’s eyes immediately lit up. He let out a long breath, turned, and walked out with big strides.

Xie Ling sighed. When the other disappeared, he simply walked to the window and looked down casually.

Very soon, He Chuzhou appeared in the courtyard, holding an umbrella.

The rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see anything.

Pei Xi stood on the steps and waited until he saw He Chuzhou coming.

The emotions that swelled up within him had nowhere to vent, pushing him to walk directly into the rain over slippery ground.

He Chuzhou was taken aback at the sight, and hurried toward him to swiftly pull him under the umbrella.

“Tsk, did you bid yourself silly tonight? Why did you run out without an umbrella?”

He Chuzhou took his shoulder and led him back under the eaves in a few steps, gently patting off the water droplets on his clothes and head.

Pei Xi looked at him. His breathing was a little disordered, and his heart pounded even harder under the heavy rain.

He couldn’t speak. It was like there were waves surging underwater, unable to break through the ice above his head.

“It’s thundering.”

After a long moment, he said: “I saw lightning.”

“En, but it’s fine.”

He Chuzhou folded up his umbrella and hung it inside. He very naturally took Pei Xi’s hands in his palms to test their temperature, and said gently: “I’m here. You can sleep peacefully tonight.”

Pei Xi couldn’t put words to how difficult it was to resist the urge to hug this person tightly.

He closed his eyes. Taking He Chuzhou’s hand, he pulled him inside: “Let’s go back to the room first.”

He Chuzhou had worked all day and attended a dinner party, then drove on such a difficult mountain road in the middle of the night. He must be very tired, and needed to rest immediately.

He knew that He Chuzhou liked to hug Pei-calico when he slept. He seemed to sleep better that way.

So he would wait for He Chuzhou to fall asleep first, and then get close to him. He would hug what he wanted to hug while asleep and be none the wiser.

However, he had overlooked one important thing—

“Mr. He’s room is ready. It’s over here, please follow me.”

“……”

Pei Xi silently watched an attendant lead He Chuzhou away, then looked at Xie Ling, who was leaning against the door of the room while watching the fun.

He finally realized – it was a little late and this was in public, on someone else’s territory. They had no excuse for openly sleeping together.

The excitement that had gathered in his chest abruptly dissipated. He stood there and watched He Chuzhou enter the room opposite, at somewhat of a loss.

“He’s just across the hallway, and you still can’t bear to part with him?”

Xie Ling teased him: “Do you want to sleep in the same room with him? But isn’t it a bit early in the relationship?”

Pei Xi certainly couldn’t tell him that they slept together every night. He raised his eyes and gave him a look with unknown meaning, then went back to the room in silence.

The wind and rain got stronger in the second half of the night. Amidst the thunder and lightning, Pei Xi tossed and turned in his unfamiliar bed, unable to fall asleep.

But it wasn’t because of the rain.

Ever since the night He Chuzhou picked him up, Pei Xi had been desensitized to the weather.

Then why?

Because He Chuzhou had braved the rain and crossed the mountains and rivers to find him, but Pei Xi couldn’t even give him a hug.

He couldn’t even hug him.

But he really wanted to.

His mood tonight was out of control.

Just like the overwhelming rain, widespread and uncurbed.

It wasn’t that He Chuzhou could sleep better with him, but that Pei Xi might not be able to sleep without He Chuzhou.

There was a rustling of fabrics rubbing against each other for a long while. Then Pei Xi threw back the covers and put on his slippers. When he stood up, the phone beside his pillow accidentally lit up. Nearly 40 minutes had passed since Xie Ling had sent him a message: 

Xie Ling: [From my completely objective perspective, you seem to be a bit confused about your situation.]

Xie Ling: [What business partner is so dedicated that he’ll go up a mountain in heavy rain to find someone in the middle of the night? The ones I’ve met have never been like this.]

Xie Ling: [He hugs you when holding an umbrella and holds your hand when you walk together. If I hadn’t been at the door right then, would he have stuck to you and said goodnight while touching your head?]

Xie Ling: [Don’t worry about pursuing him, just find a way to confirm the relationship. I feel like his feelings for you are greater than you think.]

Xie Ling: [Also, friendly reminder – the methods I taught you are not only applicable to pursuing someone, but also for catching a fish that can’t wait to be hooked.]

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Chapter 54 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 56

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “No, I plan to have you send someone to deliver them safely to Huo Fenglie.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked: “You trust me so much?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled even more brightly: “Do you know who I am?”

Li Jinshu was taken aback: “Liu Xiaozhu.”

Liu Zhenqing’s smile grew. He shook his head.

Li Jinshu asked again: “Are you trying to say that you’re the general’s wife?”

“Willow catkins and apricot blossoms cannot be kept,” Liu Zhenqing suddenly said without context.

Li Jinshu’s originally playful expression froze: “How…..do you know about that poem?”

When he first met Liu Zhenqing, Li Jinshu had said this to him. It was only the two of them at that time, so it was impossible for anyone else to know. Was it a coincidence? Impossible!

“Prince Li, is the injury on your right ring finger alright?”

Li Jinshu’s eyes widened. His ring finger had only been injured once. He had been drunk and teasing Liu Zhenqing, and was injured by Huo Feihan.

Injuring an envoy would cause problems for Huo Feihan, but he was the one who’d harassed someone first, so the three of them ultimately decided not to mention it to anyone.

Li Jinshu looked at Liu Zhenqing in bewilderment, his mind full of suspicion. Many impulsive thoughts popped up, constantly tormenting his nerves.

What was going on? He had already investigated Young Master Liu’s situation very thoroughly. In terms of his age and his friendships, it was impossible for him to know what had happened back then. 

This was too bizarre. He needed answers!

“Who the hell are you! Who told you these things?”

At first, Liu Zhenqing had wondered if Li Jinshu was aware of his identity, so he designed this trap. But it was very far-fetched. Logically speaking, Li Jinshu and Liu Zhenqing had only met a handful of times, so he shouldn’t recognize him at all. Those who could recognize Liu Zhenqing were only those who knew him extremely well, so it was unlikely that Li Jinshu knew he was the actual Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing made bold arrangements based on this. And in the conversation just now, it was certain that if Li Jinshu knew his identity, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time talking nonsense.

“Do you want to know?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Li Jinshu’s expression turned sinister as he seemed to get what Liu Zhenqing meant. “The condition is to send them away safely?”

“I want to receive Huo Fenglie’s reply,” Liu Zhenqing said. “I’ll tell you upon receiving it.”

“I don’t like being threatened like this. If the answer isn’t interesting, then…..”

“Prince Li is going back on his word. I don’t like this either. You clearly should have let them go when I arrived, so I must do more than required……” Liu Zhenqing looked at him with contempt.

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “Of course I’ll keep my word. Rest assured, I will arrange for someone to send them off right away and ensure they are delivered to General Huo. After all, this is the only way to truly prove that I’m inviting you as a guest, and not…..trying to start a war, ah.”

Huo Fenglie was leading his troops back to the western battlefield, and Li Jinshu was not free of pressure. 

Presently, Li Jinshu arranged for a carriage to accompany the envoys to the border. 

And as for Liu Zhenqing, he was naturally moved into the palace with Li Jinshu.

Li Jinshu had originally thought that the masters hiding in the shadows would find an opportunity to act and rescue Liu Zhenqing, but unexpectedly, even when Li Jinshu gave him openings, they didn’t take action. It was as if they were truly content to stay here as guests. Their silence was eerie, and made Li Jinshu uneasy.

However, such uneasiness didn’t affect his mood. Li Jinshu observed the man in front of him, whose features were quite similar to those of Liu Zhenqing, and drank with a smile, and went to touch the back of Liu Zhenqing’s hand.

Liu Zhenqing evaded easily. He turned his head to look at Li Jinshu and said doubtfully: “What on earth does the prince see in me?”

He asked himself: this body isn’t as good-looking as I used to be, and I haven’t revealed much talent in front of Li Jinshu, so why am I being targeted? There were plentiful beauties around Li Jinshu, and even had even looked down upon the eldest princess.

Li Jinshu wasn’t discouraged. Instead, he lifted a lock of hair from Liu Zhenqing’s shoulder and played with it between his fingertips, saying with a smile: “At first, I was just curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes, ah, curious. How could that little brother who was living a miserable life without Liu Zhenqing suddenly change his ways and marry someone else? So I wanted to see what was so charming about you. Or if there was some kind of scheme,” Li Jinshu said.

“Life is long. It’s not uncommon to fall in love with somebody else,” Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly.

Li Jinshu shook his head and said: “If you’ve ever met someone as talented as Liu Zhenqing in your life and fallen in love with him, how could you ever fall in love with someone else? Liu Zhenqing’s death back then carved out a piece of many peoples’ hearts, but the degree of loss varied.”

Liu Zhenqing was momentarily at a loss for words: “That’s an exaggeration.”

“It’s not an exaggeration,” Li Jinshu said with a smile, “because I’m one of them.”

Liu Zhenqing stared at Li Jinshu in shock. Li Jinshu had sincere feelings for him?

He shook his head and said: “I heard that you humiliated him. I fear Prince Li is just teasing me.”

Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows and said: “At first, I didn’t believe I could actually have sincere feelings. I just wanted to conquer and possess him, like the best wild horse in the grasslands. How could I not desire him? But he died, and no matter how many years passed, I never met anyone who piqued my interest again. Day after day, I always felt like something was missing. I was bored, alone, and had no motivation to do anything. If I had known, I would have never allowed him to return to Great Zhou, even if I had to force him. I would have given him a good life and kept him by my side.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed minutely.

Li Jinshu continued with a smile: “Like me,Huo Fenglie was greatly affected. You only had to see his expression on the battlefield to know that after Liu Zhenqing died, his heart was empty. His feelings were the most sincere, so how could he like somebody else?”

Li Jinshu’s eyes gleamed as he spoke: “So I was very curious about what kind of person could change Huo Fenglie’s heart. After meeting you, I was initially a little disappointed. I felt that you were just an ordinary stand-in, and felt that such a substitute scheme was illogical. I’ve found many people more similar to him than you, his cousin, but they were boring and put me in a bad mood, so I killed them all. I’d thought such a scheme wouldn’t work on Huo Fenglie, but after seeing how the two of you got along, I felt that he was genuinely treating you like Liu Zhenqing.”

Li Jinshu smiled and said: “I was just trying to play with you, but…..”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“It turns out you and he really are alike. Similar in resemblance and intelligence, with enough cunning in just a few words that it’s difficult for people to guard against you. If I hadn’t gone back and carefully thought it over, I would have been deceived by your appearance. But the process of almost getting scammed was also very fun.” Li Jinshu narrowed his eyes like a satisfied cat. “I haven’t felt so alive…..in a long, long time.”

Li Jinshu looked at Liu Zhenqing greedily: “I already missed one. In order to make my life less boring, I’m willing to give anything to keep you by my side forever.”

He hooked Liu Zhenqing’s hair and pressed it to his lips. When he leaned in to kiss him, Liu Zhenqing pushed him away.

Looking at Liu Zhenqing’s expressionless face, Li Jinshu seemed to behold the person from that year.

He abruptly grasped Liu Zhenqing’s chin and said: “I’ll tell it to you straight. You can’t go back. Even if Huo Fenglie leads his troops to attack, he won’t be able to devour Xiheng. I will not hesitate to drag the common people of both countries into the water, but would Huo Fenglie dare? Even if he does, the emperor of Great Zhou may not agree, and I have final say in the Kingdom of Xiheng. If they are willing to give you to me, I’m willing to negotiate any terms.”

Li Jinshu smiled and moved to kiss Liu Zhenqing, but a murderous aura suddenly swept over him. He quickly dodged, and a flying knife smashed a hole in the stone bench right where he had been sitting.

Shadows swayed amongst the trees. The palace guards went to pursue the person who’d thrown the weapon, but their qigong skills were certainly not enough to catch up.

Li Jinshu scoffed coldly and said to Liu Zhenqing: “Forget it. You want to struggle for a while, and I have patience. When Huo Fenglie has no choice but to give up on you, you’ll realize there is no hope. Just obey me and I’ll make you royalty, which is better than being a general’s wife.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “It doesn’t matter if I’m royalty or a general’s wife. I just know that I belong to Huo Fenglie.”

“So straightforward.” Li Jinshu raised his eyebrows with a smile.

“And I don’t think things will turn out as you expect.” Liu Zhenqing’s eyes slowly narrowed.

Li Jinshu laughed and said: “I was able to coerce Liu Zhenqing back then. And you?”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows: “Yeah, you were able to coerce him back then because he was under so much pressure, but now……”

“You’re trying to say that he cares about the common people of Great Zhou, the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Huo Family Army, and everyone around him, but you don’t have such a kind heart? So you don’t care if we fight and become enemies because of you?”

“Prince Li really likes to hold people hostage, doesn’t he? But what I mean is that he had to worry about too many people back then, and was too busy to handle it all. But if he had focused on dealing with you……” Liu Zhenqing smiled slowly. The gleam in his eyes made Li Jinshu’s heart skip a beat. It was just like the look in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes when he looked at him during the competition and crushed him.

Li Jinshu inexplicably took a step back.

Liu Zhenqing stood unhurriedly: “I’m tired. I’ll take my leave now.”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing went back, and Liu Qiao naturally followed him in the shadows.

Li Jinshu stood in amazement. Tonight’s interaction with Liu Zhenqing made him feel even more mystified, and combined with his previous suspicions, a most unlikely and incredible idea suddenly occurred to him.

The person standing before him had looked exactly like Liu Zhenqing back then.

With such doubts, Li Jinshu couldn’t sleep that night. And the next day, before he could seek out Liu Zhenqing, trouble came to find him.

The young emperor had come from afar to visit, Empress Dowager Ci Xi had sent some people, and clan relatives had come as well.

Li Jinshu had said he had the final say in Xiheng, which was indeed the case, but as the young emperor grew up, the ministers around him had ulterior motives. Many forces second to only him had previously been calm, but he had made such a shocking move this time by stealing someone else’s wife, and Huo Fenglie had come with a large army, so the forces in Xiheng had gradually grown dissatisfied with him.

It was unknown who instigated it, but news had spread that he was bored and had nothing to do, so he wanted to fight Huo Fenglie. This completely disregarded the interests of the Kingdom of Xiheng.

You can start a war to seize land and conquer other countries, but how can you fight for the sake of fighting?

Normal people would think that such grounds for war was impossible, but since it was Li Jinshu in question, those in power in Xiheng thought it could be the case. After all, Li Jinshu had often caused trouble over the years just because he was bored or had a disagreement. It was often difficult for them to guard against such things, and this time the matter was too big and out of proportion.

Therefore, these people approached him one after another. Even if Li Jinshu continued to act on his own, he still had to deal with them, which made him somewhat beleaguered. 

Gradually, he came to realize that something wasn’t right. How could these people be so bold and even unite to go against him? Although this was bound to happen sooner or later, it felt like everything was being brought forward now. Was it really just because of the conflict with Great Zhou?

Li Jinshu was no fool. After some inquiries, he discovered that they had all received mysterious messages previously, and there were also rumors that he had gone mad. They were compelled to unite and come to test Li Jinshu’s current state.

When Li Jinshu realized what was happening, he simply laughed and sighed with feeling, because he understood that this was the work of Liu Zhenqing. It turned out he was this capable?

When the twins were delivered to the border, the army had just stopped and Huo Fenglie had already arrived.

In fact, the time difference between these things shouldn’t have been so short. Liu Zhenqing had arrived early in the morning, but made arrangements before meeting Li Jinshu.

Since Li Jinshu dared to plot against him, Liu Zhenqing would naturally bring out all of his grudges, new and old. If he didn’t cause internal and external problems for Li Jinshu, he wouldn’t be Liu Zhenqing.

When the twins woke up, it was to the sight of their uncle and mother. The were shocked and aggrieved, filled with remorse and guilt, and couldn’t help but shed tears.

“Sorry, Second Uncle, sorry…..” The two of them apologized to Huo Fenglie with all their might.

Li Xingruo didn’t stop them. She only asked: “How was your Uncle Liu?”

The two of them could only recount what happened when they met up with Liu Zhenqing.

After listening to this, Huo Fenglie understood that Liu Zhenqing intended to reveal his identity to Li Jinshu. Without saying anything more, he turned around and left.

Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian were even more upset when Huo Fenglie didn’t scold them at all.

“Mother, we’re useless.”

“Mother, we made a mistake.”

Li Xingruo let out a sigh and said: “Now that you know you were wrong, work hard to become stronger in the future. Ensure that you’re the ones saving others, and not the ones who need to be saved!”

The two children donned serious expressions and nodded firmly.

“Second Uncle will definitely rescue Uncle Liu, won’t he?” Huo Yunci asked.

Li Xingruo said with a smile: “He will. Your Second Uncle…..will do better than your father.”

The two of them didn’t know why their mother would make such a comparison. Just as they stood up to ask if they could help, Huo Yunqian suddenly felt something in his sleeve. When he took it out, it turned out to be a letter.

It was from Liu Zhenqing to Huo Fenglie. Li Xingruo quickly opened it and read through it. She rushed out to find Huo Fenglie, but he was nowhere to be seen.

On the other side, Li Jinshu was furious when the envoys returned. He needed Huo Fenglie’s reply in exchange for Liu Zhenqing’s answer, and now that answer was tormenting him even worse. He didn’t dare accept his own fantasies, but intuitively felt that everything was as he had guessed.

However, Huo Fenglie hadn’t replied. What was wrong with him? Didn’t he want to reassure Liu Zhenqing, who had turned himself over in exchange for his family’s children?

As Li Jinshu raged, the young emperor of Xiheng heard the commotion and came with his men. Others also came over to investigate the situation, but Li Jinshu was in a bad mood and had even less patience to deal with them. Fuming, he turned around and left.

He arrived at the villa where Liu Zhenqing was staying, and when he went to open the door, a dart flew over and lodged in the wood as a warning.

Li Jinshu scowled. He heard the sound of water inside, which was clearly Liu Zhenqing taking a bath.

He had built a peerlessly exquisite residence for Liu Zhenqing, which had its own private hot spring pool. It was cold here in the winter, but Liu Zhenqing had decided to enjoy himself unscrupulously on enemy territory. This kind of leisurely, fearless attitude was even more like the person in his thoughts.

Li Jinshu went to the window near the hot spring pool and knocked.

“Prince Li?” Liu Zhenqing’s lazy voice came from inside. “Why have you come to my place?”

The trouble Liu Zhenqing had caused for Li Jinshu had prevented him from bothering him for quite a while.

Li Jinshu said with a frown: “The two little devils have been sent back, but Huo Fenglie didn’t send a reply.”

There was silence inside.

Liu Zhenqing leaned against the poolside. The steam had turned his white cheeks pink, and his dark eyelashes seemed as if they were covered in thick ink, his slightly furrowed eyebrows adding to his charm. He stopped playing with the jade Rubik’s cube in his hand.

Liu Zhenqing was somewhat distressed at getting no reply from Huo Fenglie. It seemed Er-gou was angry. Just as he was deep in thought, footsteps approached from in front of him.

He was startled – wasn’t Li Jinshu outside the window?

When he looked up, a familiar figure appeared before him.

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank, and he opened his mouth wordlessly. The man pulled him out of the water and into a tight embrace, then kissed him.

At this time, Li Jinshu outside the window was aware of nothing: “I did as you said, but you can’t blame me for him not cooperating. It’s not that I didn’t keep my word. If you don’t believe me, you can tell your guard to take a look.”

Liu Zhenqing was suffocated by Huo Fenglie’s kiss. He was truly helpless and could only simultaneously listen to the sounds outside.

He’d known Huo Fenglie would come looking for him once he led the troops here, so he’d left a letter specifically asking him to be patient, to hold back and wait for the right opportunity. Hadn’t he read it?

Liu Zhenqing smacked Huo Fenglie in embarrassment. He couldn’t allow him to be exposed here.

But Huo Fenglie really did seem to be angry. He didn’t obey, but kissed him even harder. Just as he had lost control that night, he was silent and red-eyed. He held him and kissed him fiercely, as if to vent the pain he had experienced in recent days with no care for anything else.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t wearing any clothes to begin with. His face reddened even more, and he was a little flustered. As expected, you shouldn’t bully honest people too much. If you did, this was the result. 

As Li Jinshu was speaking, the sound of water suddenly got louder. He assumed Liu Zhenqing was angry and disappointed, and was taking his frustration out on the hot spring water.

Li Jinshu’s eyes shifted, and deliberately provoked: “But if you think about it, this is normal. After all, his fiance exchanged himself and moved into another man’s house. As a man, Huo Fenglie should be angry and try to save face, but he could also give up on you.”

Liu Zhenqing truly didn’t hear a word Li Jinshu said. He was being pressed down in the pool by Huo Fenglie, and could only cover his mouth with his arm and endure in silence the beginning moves that he wasn’t quite accustomed to.

Very soon, the sound of the water grew a bit strange.

As Li Jinshu spoke, he frowned slightly. As an amorous prince, he was naturally familiar with the pattern of these sounds. But Liu Zhenqing was the only one inside, so he didn’t think about it that way. He just thought that Liu Zhenqing was absent-mindedly stirring the water.

Li Jinshu continued his provocations: “I suppose he would rather you die here now than go back shamelessly and make people criticize and point fingers at him.”

Liu Zhenqing was already rather dazed, and thought to himself: If Li Jinshu doesn’t stop talking and go away, I probably am going to die here.

He had naturally missed his Er-gou, and was also aroused, so he wanted to be bold and take things to their conclusion. But Er-gou seemed to be taking deliberate revenge on him, and went too slow, as if taking his time to confirm that he was really there. But it was truly torturous.

If not for Li Jinshu being here, Liu Zhenqing really wouldn’t have been able to hold back his voice.

Li Jinshu tried to persuade Liu Zhenqing to give up hope and stay with him peacefully. Liu Zhenqing had been turned over by Huo Fenglie. As he looked at the large tattoo that had appeared due to the heat, his eyes filled with ripples.

“Agh…..”

After such a long time, Li Jinshu was somewhat taken aback to hear a low groan. He started to push open the window, but was once again stopped by a dart.

He said impatiently: “I’ve said so much, but you haven’t said a word. Are you not broken-hearted? Or do you not believe me?”

But as Li Jinshu waited for a long time with a scowl, Liu Zhenqing inside looked at Huo Fenglie with tears in his eyes, a pleading look on his face as he reached out to push the person in front of him. Huo Fenglie stopped briefly, and only then did Liu Zhenqing move his arm away from his mouth.

Li Jinshu heard his hoarse voice: 

“I don’t believe you.”

That voice sounded somewhat plaintive. Was he crying tears of sadness? Li Jinshu’s brow furrowed, and he said: “You……”

Liu Zhenqing suppressed the trembling all over his body and clung closer to Huo Fenglie as he said: “I know he’ll come save me. Even if I angered him, he’ll still come, because he likes me so much that he can’t live without me, just as I like him. Nothing can come between us. I like Huo Fenglie the most, the absolute most.”

As Liu Zhenqing said this, he leaned in with a smile to give his puppy a comforting kiss.

With Liu Zhenqing confessing to him so close at hand, the anger in Huo Fenglie’s chest seemed to dissipate.

Li Jinshu outside said: “I didn’t expect you to be so…..naive.”

“I’m tired. Let’s just wait and see what happens next.”

Li Jinshu suddenly heard Liu Zhenqing’s voice become unstable and intermittent. With the accompaniment of the water, he couldn’t hear clearly. He thought that Liu Zhenqing was still affected even if he wouldn’t admit it, and smiled confidently. As long as enough time passed and the trust between him and Huo Fenglie collapsed, everything would be much simpler.

However, Li Jinshu was unaware that the problem between the two was not a collapse of trust, but a collapse of self-control.

It wasn’t until he was returned to bed that Liu Zhenqing realized Li Jinshu was gone and he could speak again. His head was dizzy, and he smacked Huo Fenglie unhappily.

“Bad dog, always playing games. Did you deceive me?”

He looked up and found Huo Fenglie observing him with burning eyes. Liu Zhenqing smiled apologetically and said: “Why are you here? Didn’t I leave a letter on Yunqian telling you to follow the plan?”

“I didn’t see it. I came to get you,” Huo Fenglie said in a resolute tone. It seemed he didn’t plan to say anything more, but instead just take Liu Zhenqing away.

“You fool, ah! Even if you and Liu Qiao can come and go freely, you’ll never be able to escape with me along,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“I know it won’t be easy. I’ll determine the route today and bring enough masters with me tomorrow to attempt it…..”

“Don’t. I have no plans to leave,” Liu Zhenqing said quickly.

Huo Fenglie’s expression instantly changed. He grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s arms and said in a rather unyielding tone: “Not allowed.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. He realized that after being tricked by him, Er-gou had become a little disobedient, ah. It seemed he had indeed agitated him too much.

Liu Zhenqing could only ask: “Who do you think I’m staying here to deal with?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly: “Li Jinshu?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled. He suddenly put his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck and tilted his head back to look into his eyes.

“Fenglie, we must give up everything and leave in order to be together.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t ask whether or not he was willing, because he already knew he would agree. And if he didn’t agree…..he would do everything he could to make him agree.

In short, once Liu Zhenqing made a decision, he would follow it through.

So he told Er-gou directly that they would leave together, and slowly explained to him his actual plan.

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Chapter 145 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 147

T/N: Thank you to Parasim2323 for the Kofi donation! Here’s a double update!

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This time around, things didn’t come to an abrupt end. The two families had discussed the marriage, tokens of love were exchanged, the Imperial decree was issued, and feelings were made clear. Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t let go of this silly dog ever again.

Huo Fenglie was distracted by the kiss, and when he realized what Liu Zhenqing intended to do, he quickly supported the person who was already sitting in his arms and said in a hoarse, restrained voice: “Qing-ge, don’t…..”

“Why are you still refusing?” Lui Zhenqing’s kisses slid from his lips to the jut of his throat, shocking Huo Fenglie so much that his body felt like it was about to burst.

“Qing-ge, war is imminent. We’re setting off tomorrow, and I’m afraid…..” Huo Fenglie was already trying his best to be patient. How could he not be excited with the knowledge that his beloved had never rejected him? But if he started now, when would he be able to stop, ah?

He wasn’t even sure if his own willpower could hold him back. Liu Zhenqing underestimated his self-control.

He was really going to lose control of himself.

Liu Zhenqing knew what he was thinking, but deliberately provoked him with a bite to his throat.

Just as Huo Fenglie was about to reach his limit, Liu Zhenqing leaned in close to his ear and whispered: “Tell me, Gege, how many times did you cry beneath this willow tree before?”

Huo Fenglie’s heart throbbed, his body burning as his thoughts went back to those blighted days and nights. “I don’t know.”

There were many times, but most of the time, he wasn’t aware of his situation.

“I like this place, but it’s so full of your sad memories. I want to change that.” Liu Zhenqing’s body became increasingly pliable, stimulating his reaction. But his words were like a spring breeze blowing through Huo Fenglie’s heart, magnifying the situation to the point that Huo Fenglie gave up his negligible resistance, heart and body.

“Huo Fenglie, hold me. I want you to be inside of me, to mark me forever and prove that I belong only to you.”

There were no words more seductive than these to satisfy the silly dog’s possessiveness and fulfill his territorial instincts.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes were almost instantly covered in a layer of mist, and the rationality therein gradually vanished.

The night scenery was enchanting, the willow tree elegant. Huo Fenglie’s eyes were filled with desire, Liu Zhenqing’s full of ripples. They were in complete harmony as they gazed at each other with affection. 

After years of fantasizing, it had finally become reality. He was really feeling Qing-ge’s body heat at the most intimate distance.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t control himself any longer. This would likely be the moment he was the least gentle to Liu Zhenqing. His mind was filled with the desperate need to possess him.

Liu Zhenqing went from being carefree and romantic at the beginning, to the point of being overwhelmed. In the end, he even cried and begged for mercy, but was met with an even stronger storm. This was probably what it felt like to have one’s soul exit their body.

He lost his composure, as well as his dignity. When Liu Zhenqing came to his senses, the scenery before him rocked unceasingly, the force at his waist increasing until it seemed as if his slender waist would break.

From the willow tree to the bedroom, Huo Fenglie almost never paused, and was never satisfied. Liu Zhenqing was really alarmed, but he had no strength left and could only let himself be moved around. It was too late for regrets.

After an unknown amount of time, a bright line appeared on the horizon. Liu Qiao also returned and knocked softly on the door, pushing it open when he heard some sounds.

When he looked inside, he was shocked to see his master practically crawling on the floor toward the door, reaching out to him with a look like he was about to die.

“I can’t move. Help me.”

Liu Qiao was frightened, and rushed forward: “Master, you……”

“Have arrangements been made?” Liu Zhenqing’s voice was so hoarse that he was almost unable to produce a normal tone.

“En, en.” Liu Qiao gulped and regarded Liu Zhenqing with some trepidation. Even though his clothes were neat, the marks on his neck were still visible, and even his wrists had bright red hand marks, as if someone had gripped them fiercely. “The general…..”

“I lit incense. He fell asleep. Let’s go, Junior Sister will be here in a while.” Liu Zhenqing held onto Liu Qiao as they walked out.

He was really having difficulty walking, so in the end, Liu Qiao carried him on his back. With his superb qigong, he left the General’s Manor and went out the city gates. 

There was already a carriage outside the city gates, prepared by Liu Qiao. After boarding it, Liu Zhenqing could only lie down.

Liu Qiao hurriedly procured some pillows and blankets for his master. Seeing Liu Zhenqing’s half-paralyzed appearance, Liu Qiao was really worried: “Master, are…..are you okay?”

Liu Zhenqing was downtrodden. Although he had the medicine given by his master and hadn’t bled last night, he still couldn’t withstand Huo Fenglie’s physical strength. That nearly cost him his life. Liu Zhenqing currently felt like his bones were weak, like a bookshelf that had taken a heavy hit, rickety and about to fall apart.

It was understandable for Huo Fenglie to have difficulty controlling himself. After all, it was the kid’s first time. Liu Zhenqing only regretted his boastful behavior. He’d just been digging a hole for himself. Even after reading so many yellow books, he was still defeated by a young and inexperienced person. Liu Zhenqing was unreconciled, and could only return to fight again.

His whole body ached every time he moved. Liu Zhenqing gave Liu Qiao a look of grievance and unwillingness, saying: “Qiaoqiao, remember my words. When you’re with Qiao Jin in the future, you must be on top no matter what. It’s too miserable on the bottom.”

Liu Zhenqing had no intention of counterattacking, and was happy to lie under Huo Fenglie. But Liu Qiao’s situation was up in the air, so he still had a chance. Qiaoqiao could not be allowed to suffer the same fate.

Liu Qiao didn’t react to the fact that Liu Zhenqing unconsciously assumed he would be with Qiao Jin. He was just frightened by the state of Liu Zhenqing. How could this be such a terrible thing? Liu Qiao’s heart suffered a huge shock.

He nodded reflectively, then nodded a few more times as if to make sure to remember this lesson.

Soon after, at the General’s Manor.

Huo Fenglie sat up with a jolt, but Qing-ge’s warmth was no longer beside him. It was as if the previous night had been a dream. Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank as he realized the problem. He swiftly jumped up and ran out, but as soon as he opened the door, he saw Li Xingruo sitting in the courtyard.

“Awake? Get ready, it’s time to go to war,” Li Xingruo said calmly.

“Sister-in-law, he…..” Huo Fenglie’s tone was hurried, his body tense.

Li Xingruo raised her eyebrows and said: “According to his character, he wouldn’t just sit still and wait for death. He wanted to be proactive, but feared you wouldn’t agree, so he made the decision on his own.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression instantly sank. He turned around to leave, but was stopped by Li Xingruo.

“You still don’t understand him. If you would listen, he wouldn’t confuse you so.” Li Xingruo said: “If you chase him down and delay his plans, he’ll be upset.”

“Sister-in-law, why didn’t you stop him if you knew?” For once, Huo Fenglie spoke to her in an impetuous tone.

Li Xingruo looked somewhat angry: “Why are you blaming me? It’s your fault for being useless. If you had the ability, you could have made him unable to get out of bed last night, ah. Who can stop this fox when he wants to run away?”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly. Thinking of the events last night, he felt wronged. He had been fooled by Qing-ge again.

Li Xingruo felt a little sorry for Er-gou: “It’s because you haven’t married yet that he’s running around without any scruples. But even when you’re married, you should still listen to him, ah.” She continued: “No one can change his mind once he’s made a decision. Didn’t he say that he wouldn’t mess around this time, that he couldn’t bear to leave you, and that he would come back to marry you? You already have his guarantee. I wouldn’t have listened to him otherwise.”

Huo Fenglie was silent. He knew his sister-in-law was right. He couldn’t throw himself into confusion. Qing-ge was still waiting for him to pick him up. Huo Fenglie said no more, and turned around to prepare for the expedition. His eyes were resolute, but there seemed to be a blazing fire hidden within them. In fact, he was desperately suppressing the urge to immediately chase after Liu Zhenqing. It seemed like if he thought about it, he would disregard everything else and pursue him madly, even if Qing-ge scolded him. He just wanted to hold him tightly, but was unable to. He had to listen to Qing-ge, because Qing-ge wanted him to listen.

Seeing that Huo Fenglie was about to erupt like a volcano, Li Xingruo could only watch over him for now and keep him from collapsing. She noticed that Huo Fenglie had unconsciously clenched his fist and hurt his hand, and could only sigh. Her stinky senior brother was really giving her a hard time. He’d forced Er-gou into this state, relying on Huo Fenglie’s unconditional indulgence to bully him.

Just as she was thinking, Uncle Tian rushed over. Huo Fenglie, who had already changed into armor and was holding his sword, nearly collided with him.

“General, the emperor……the emperor has come in disguise…..”

Li Xingruo was stunned to hear this. Before she could react, Huo Fenglie vanished from in front of her. She thought to herself, this is no good. If Huo Fenglie couldn’t contain his anger, he might accidentally kill the emperor. Li Xingruo hurried to the back door.

From a distance, Huo Fenglie could be seen landing in front of Yuan Jue, who was wearing casual clothing. And behind Yuan Jue were He Cong and He Lan.

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie punched him. His strength was much greater than Liu Zhenqing’s, and Yuan Jue spat out a mouthful of blood. He Cong began to move, but Yuan Jue stopped him with a wave of his hand.

Yuan Jue raised his head and gave Huo Fenglie a cold look, saying: “I deceived you, and you hit me in return. You are the subject, and I am the sovereign. It ends here. I want to see him.”

“I didn’t hit you for myself, but for him. For that arrow.” Huo Fenglie stood forward to loom over Yuan Jue, saying in a deep voice: “I should kill you to avenge him!”

Yuan Jue gave him a dark look and said: “Stop talking nonsense, I want to see him!”

“You don’t deserve to!”

Yuan Jue’s expression instantly turned ugly, and he said in anger: “What qualifications do you have to make decisions for him? I want to see him!”

“What does the emperor want to see him for?” Li Xingruo asked, appearing from behind. “Now that things have come to this, what’s the point of seeing him? Besides, do you think he wants to see you?”

Yuan Jue frowned: “Since he’s about to leave, what’s wrong with me seeing him off?”

Yuan Jue knew that he shouldn’t take more risks, but he had the inexplicable premonition that if he came too late, he wouldn’t be able to see him. He didn’t know why he had this premonition, and only felt waves of panic, just as he had felt after killing Liu Zhenqing years ago. That feeling had tormented him for many days and nights, and he hated it so much that he had come here this time as if possessed.

He took a step forward, eyes penetrating as he said again: “I want to see him.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t seem inclined to speak to Yuan Jue, so Li Xingruo said: “You can’t, he left a long while ago.”

Yuan Jue was stunned: “What!”

“He has his own plans and is acting separately from Zhanyuan. You’re late,” Li Xingruo said.

Yuan Jue stiffened. His expression went momentarily blank, but he quickly recovered and said: “Is that so? Then the great general who guards the country should act quickly, or else Xiheng will snatch him away.”

Yuan Jue scoffed coldly before walking stiffly away.

He Cong naturally caught up with him, but He Lan remained.

He looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “Qin Yu and his adoptive father have left. They should be heading west. I’ll stay here to watch over the capital for you.”

Huo Fenglie returned to his senses and sent He Lan a frown.

“Don’t look at me like that. Qin Yu and I are your brothers, and always will be,” He Lan said firmly.

Huo Fenglie’s expression eased somewhat: “Thank you.”

“If we’re brothers, give Qin Yu a message for me.” 

“What message?”

“Tell him that I’ll wait for him to come find me in the capital when he’s done. If he doesn’t return, he’d better pray that I don’t find him!” He Lan nearly gritted his teeth as he spoke, seemingly agitated by Qin Yu leaving again without saying goodbye. But now, there were more important things to focus on.

After having his say, He Lan turned around and left.

“You have two good brothers.” Li Xingruo stepped forward and said: “Let’s go rescue those three!”

The common people in the city learned that Xiheng had provoked the general and that he was going out to fight, so they all went out to see him off. General Huo’s guards followed him out of the General’s Manor first, while the main army had gathered to wait outside the city.

The city was bustling with activity, excitedly watching the god of war they worshipped riding on horseback.

His tall form was wrapped in black martial arts robes and covered in silver armor, exuding a deep chill in the sunlight. His dark red cape fluttered in the wind, as if the sky was stained with blood. With the Chunjun Sword on his waist and a red-tasseled spear on his back, he was a god of death, as well as the guardian of Great Zhou. But the ring on his finger softened the murderous aura all over his body, somewhat obtrusive.

But the contingent, marching fast, suddenly stopped when passing the square.

Riding atop Chen Jiangyue, the general who guards the country approached the Twining Dragon Jade Pillar alone. Everyone was wondering if he had come to remember his ancestors, or…..suddenly, in full view of everyone, the Chunjun sword swung out and fiercely crossed out the most infamous name: Liu Zhenqing.

When everyone realized this, only a piece of debris remained. They were all shocked, and continuous exclamations sounded, as if nobody knew what was happening.

And in the next moment, everyone was stunned to silence as the name of their great general, Huo Fenglie, one of the very few whose name was inscribed on the pillar while he still lived, was crossed out as well.

Was this because he felt unqualified, because he disdained to leave his name on it, or because he had a rebellious heart?

Before anyone could guess the reason, the contingent swiftly left.

And this was the last shocking act left behind by their general.

Elsewhere, Liu Qiao’s fast-moving carriage came to an abrupt stop. Lying on his back, Liu Zhenqing was startled and sat up in shock, taking several deep breaths. He opened the curtain and looked outside. Two familiar figures appeared on horseback in the misty morning light.

“Director Zheng, Brother Qin, what are you…..” Liu Zhenqing feigned casualness, leaning against the window with a smile.

“The Empress Dowager has passed. This father and son can no longer stay in the capital, so we resigned yesterday.” Zheng Wei smiled faintly.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed. Knowing how clever this Zheng Wei was, according to Yuan Jue’s character, he wouldn’t trust him anymore. Although he had helped Yao Hua before, which was equivalent to indirectly helping the emperor, Yuan Jue would never allow someone unfaithful to him to remain in such a position. Leaving was the best option.

“Because of the kindness of an old friend, and because I have nothing else to do, I planned to go west to see if I could help. That’s when we happened to meet you two.”

Liu Zhenqing glanced toward Qin Yu.

Qin Yu knew Liu Zhenqing’s character, so he explained directly: “Zhanyuan wouldn’t have let you leave alone. You must have a reason for leaving like this. I won’t ask further questions. Since we’ve met by chance, if Brother Liu is going to assist in the west, we can go together. We know the quickest route there, avoiding official roads.”

He and his adoptive father intended to guard Liu Zheqing all the way, but feared he wouldn’t trust him.

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows with a slight smile: “Okay, I’m in need of a hand. Let’s go.”

Qin Yu heaved a sigh of relief, but in the next moment, he heard Liu Zhenqing tease: “Are you not planning to return to the capital in the future?”

Qin Yu stared, then shook his head.

Liu Zhenqing said with a half-smile: “What about He Lan?”

Qin Yu’s expression froze. He choked before speaking: “He can do whatever he likes, it has nothing to do with me.”

Zheng Wei looked at him with interest, and smiled.

After hitting the road again, Zheng Wei asked to go ahead alone, as he wanted to go to a nearby mountain to worship before continuing.

When he came down, Liu Zhenqing and the others had just arrived. Seeing the familiar mountain, Liu Zhenqing finally understood Zheng Wei’s situation.

He didn’t know how much Zheng Wei heard that night, nor if he had guessed his identity, but since Zheng Wei didn’t mention it, there was no need for Liu Zhenqing to say anything more. He just called the two of them into the carriage and handed them a few letters.

The two looked at Liu Zhenqing in confusion.

Liu Zhenqing said: “I trust you two. These letters are very important. They’re related to whether the rescue is successful, as well as mine and Fenglie’s future. Please give us a bit of help.”

He had originally planned for Song Xingmu to join up with him and take care if it, but since Zheng Wei and Qin Yu were here, he would entrust it to them.

The two of them didn’t ask any questions, and ran the errands as Liu Zhenqing instructed.

Zheng Wei went southwest with three letters.

Qin Yu went southeast with two.

Ten days later, the royal palace in a Xiheng border city was attacked by a martial arts master in the night.

Li Jinshu looked at the person trapped in front of him with a smile and said: “You’re from Great Zhou?”

Liu Qiao simply dropped a letter, then turned and ran.

Li Jinshu just read the letter and smiled: “As expected, he came.”

Liu Qiao went back and informed Liu Zhenqing that a direct rescue wasn’t possible.

Liu Zhenqing had mentally prepared himself for this, and awaited Li Jinshu’s reply.

The next day, Li Jinshu came leisurely to a pavilion outside the city in a carriage. He saw Liu Zhenqing sitting under the pavilion from a distance, without Liu Qiao nearby. Li Jinshu knew that such a master must be hiding, ready to attack at any time, but he was undaunted.

With a wave of his hands, his subordinates pulled two people out of the carriage. They were Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian.

“What are you going to do!” Huo Yunci was still full of vim and vigor, and tried to struggle.

Huo Yunqian calmly observed his surroundings, and was shocked when he saw the person under the pavilion nearby: “Uncle Liu!”

Huo Yunci also looked over, and her eyes instantly reddened in panic: “Uncle Liu!”

Liu Zhenqing was relieved to lay eyes on the two of them. Although they had lost some weight, they were uninjured and in good spirits. As expected, Li Jinshu was well-mannered in this regard and hadn’t made things difficult for the children.

He stood up with a smile when Li Jinshu approached and saluted: “Many thanks to His Highness for taking care of my family’s juniors.”

Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian were so aggrieved upon hearing this that they could barely hold back their anger.

They wanted to tell Liu Zhenqing to leave, but knew it was impossible. Uncle Liu was here to save them. It was them who had gotten everyone in trouble.

Li Jinshu sat down with a smile, natural and carefree: “Your family’s juniors?”

“Your Highness doesn’t know? The emperor of Great Zhou has granted me the marriage. I’m a member of the Huo family now.” Liu Zhenqing smiled and said, “It’s only natural for me to come and pick up my own family’s children, ah.”

Li Jinshu smiled: “This little trick won’t work on me. So what if you’re Huo Fenglie’s wife? I won’t let go of what I want this time.”

“What did you say!” Huo Yunci erupted at once. Huo Yunqian also sent Li Jinshu a vicious look and stood in front of Liu Zhenqing alongside his sister. They were still in chains, however, so it was quite inconvenient for them to move.

Liu Zhenqing frowned as he looked at where their little wrists had been rubbed red by the chains. “They’re just a couple of children. Why does Your Highness need to use iron chains? I’m already here…..”

Li Jinshu smiled and indifferently told his men to undo the chains, saying: “These two children are skilled and naughty, always causing trouble. Although it wasn’t a big deal, it was still a bit of an eyesore. Locking them up was also to prevent them from getting hurt when they clashed with the guards, ah. I took good care of my old friend’s juniors.”

Having said this, Li Jinshu said to the children who had regained their freedom: “Don’t mess around, innocent people can be hurt in the chaos. It doesn’t matter to you if you’re hurt, but it would be no good if Young Master Liu came to harm.”

The two children weren’t reckless by nature. After regaining their freedom, they just clung to Liu Zhenqing and acted as a shield. Liu Zhenqing knew that the two children must be trying to think of a solution, but he would have to disappoint them.

“As agreed, you let them go.”

“No problem, it’s fine as long as you stay,” Li Jinshu said with a smile.

Only then did the children realize what was happening. They immediately looked at Liu Zhenqing and said in unison: “You can’t!”

Liu Zhenqing stroked the two children’s heads, one on each side, and said: “Don’t worry, your Second Uncle is coming. You’ll see him soon. I’ll be very safe, trust me.”

But the children clung to Liu Zhenqing and refused to let go.

“Who do you think we are! How can we abandon you!” Huo Yunci said furiously.

“We don’t want to be exchanged. We’re the ones who made a mistake and got caught, we’re the ones responsible!” Huo Yunqian shouted: “Are there any guards around? Take Uncle Liu away!”

The children were truly anxious, but were too young to do anything. Liu Zhenqing knew that making them leave on their own initiative would inevitably cause them great psychological harm, so he simply took advantage of their agitation to give them injections. By the time they could react, the two had fainted and were just barely caught in Liu Zhenqing’s arms.

“You’re truly fascinating.” The more Li Jinshu looked at Lui Zhenqing, the more fascinated he was. “You didn’t act together with Huo Fenglie, so you likely don’t have many people with you. Do you plan to have that hidden master send them away? In that case, aren’t you afraid of what I might do to you?”

---

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Chapter 144 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 146

Xiao Gu: “President Pei, is there any additional work that needs to be done today?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Then…..are there any departments whose recent work must be corrected and optimized?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Could it be that something is wrong with last quarter’s financial statements—”

“Don’t waste time beating around the bush.”

Pei Xi closed the document and raised his head. He bent a finger to touch the glasses that had slipped slightly down his nose, the silver frames reflecting a cold light: “If you have questions, just ask.”

Xiao Gu immediately shut up and shook his head.

He couldn’t just come out and say “You haven’t come to the company for two consecutive days, and we’re not used to it.” He wasn’t a fool.

Pei Xi: “If you don’t, then go and get busy.”

Xiao Gu gave an ‘oh’ and started to leave despondently, but halfway through, he remembered that he had something important to do.

“By the way, President Pei, the final bidding proposal for the development of the southern tourist area has been sent to your email. Please see if anything needs to be corrected. The planning team has been working overtime recently, so they can be contacted at any time to make changes.”

Pei Xi had read the email long before this report: “No need, there aren’t any big problems, and I will make additional revisions to the rest. Tell them to wait for my notification.”

“Okay.” 

Xiao Gu expressed his understanding and stopped disturbing Pei Xi’s work, hastening out of the office with the message.

The bidding proposal had been revised several times before, and was continuously approaching Pei Xi’s standard of perfection. However, as other competitors joined in, the data needed to be modified accordingly.

This wasn’t a difficult task for him. After all, he had rarely met his opponent when it came to psychological warfare.

Other than He Chuzhou, of course.

At this thought, he opened his phone to take a look.

Still no messages.

The content of the chat box was still a photo of Pei Yueliang eating that He Chuzhou had sent him.

He Chuzhou had taken it after he changed his clothes in the morning. He had no work to do, and happily spent the morning playing with the cat and dog at home.

Did he squeeze all of his work into the afternoon?

Perhaps that was why several hours had passed and he still hadn’t found time to send him a message.

He put the phone down unhappily and refocused his attention on the data changes in the file.

He scrolled down to the end, deleted the original data, and was about to re-do it, when he suddenly thought of something. His fingertips briefly paused.

Two seconds later, the deleted numbers were filled back in and he exited the page. He logged into WeChat on his computer, dragged the file to the chat bar of a certain someone, and clicked send.

Pei Xi: [/file]

Pei Xi: [There seems to be something wrong with the data in the final plan. Several competing companies intend to take risky measures. What do you think are the most important changes?]

At the same time, in the President’s office at He Group headquarters.

It was time to get off work. He Chuzhou bit his cheek. He had struggled for most of the day, but still couldn’t come up with a legitimate reason to send Pei Xi a message.

Everyone knew that Pei-calico was a walking work machine once he was in his right mind. What if he took the lead to send one and disturbed him, making him unhappy?

He’d heard that this was the biggest taboo when pursuing someone. It would limit his favorability.

But it was already this late. As roommates, it wouldn’t be too much to ask to have dinner together, would it?

It made perfect sense, right?

But the question was this: how could he explain that today’s dinner was a little bit special?

Ai, it was really hard to move forward without a status.

He was so distressed that he even considered asking Wu Qing for advice, when the computer dinged as someone sent a file to him.

He casually clicked the file, and when he saw the sender, he immediately perked up and sat up straight.

What a coincidence. That person had sent him just what he wanted in his time of need.

He Chuzhou: [They’re just a few small companies and can’t compare to Pei Group. As long as the price and the dominant position are slightly raised, they’ll be unable to survive.]

He Chuzhou: [/picture/picture]

He Chuzhou: [These ones have competed with He Group before. They love to bluff and spread false information, so their actual strength should be cut in half for reference.]

He Chuzhou: [/Document]

He Chuzhou: [I modified it for you. Use this data and you’re sure to win. If you don’t, I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.]

Pei Xi watched the dialogue box fill with white bubbles again. When he saw the guarantee in the last sentence, he couldn’t help the way his lips rose and his face turned from cloudy to sunny.

Pei Xi: [En. I understand.]

Pei Xi: [Are you busy?]

He Chuzhou: [No, I’m done. I’m leaving soon. Want to get dinner outside tonight?]

Pei Xi: [Sure.]

He Chuzhou: [Okay, I’ll pick you up to celebrate your successful bid.]

He Chuzhou: [/little rabbit setting off fireworks.jpg]

Could they celebrate so far in advance?

This was out of the ordinary.

Pei Xi narrowed his eyes. Based on his understanding, this person was holding something back.

*

*

“There wasn’t too much work today, was there?” He Chuzhou handed Pei Xi a bottle of water when he got in the car.

Pei Xi took it: “It was fine.”

He Chuzhou started the vehicle and opened the navigation system: “Mine was fine today too. I’m thinking about giving Yun Ji a big red envelope and bonus at the end of the year. He gets things done quickly, and then I’m responsible for confirming and signing off on them…..”

They chatted casually on the way, mostly with He Chuzhou talking and Pei Xi listening.

It was all trivial things that could help someone relax after a day’s work without making the atmosphere dull.

“I’ve hired a lawyer.”

Pei Xi spoke up when they were almost there.

He Chuzhou: “Hm? What did you hire a lawyer for?”

Pei Xi: “To divide the property and equity.”

He Chuzhou was taken aback, and raised his eyes to look at him in the rearview mirror: “You’re going to give shares to Pei Zhen? Then what will you do?”

Pei Xi: “I’ve acquired a lot from other shareholders, so giving him some won’t have much of an impact. The right to speak on the board of directors will still be in my hands.”

A smile flashed through He Chuzhou’s eyes: “Not bad.”

It seemed his Pei-calico wasn’t someone to be trifled with. There was no need to worry about him getting hurt because of impulsivity: “Do you need my help?”

“No,” Pei Xi said. “It’s not a problem. I can handle it myself.”

He Chuzhou nodded and asked: “Does your father have high blood pressure, heart disease, or anything like that?”

Pei Xi: “A bit of high blood pressure. Why?”

He Chuzhou gave a short chuckle: “If he finds out you’re dividing the property before he’s even dead, won’t he be so angry that he faints on the spot?”

Pei Xi was silent for a moment: “There’s nothing for him to be angry about. In any case, we won’t have much contact going forward, so it’s best to settle the matter clearly.”

He Chuzhou: “You’re really not upset?”

Pei Xi: “I feel very at ease.”

He Chuzhou turned into a parking space. Tilting his head to look at the other’s expression, he smiled and said nothing.

Very good. He was confident.

The rest could be left to time. At that point, it would all be over.

The restaurant He Chuzhou had chosen was different from the other times. It wasn’t a high-end restaurant with a VIP system, nor was it a private restaurant where reservations depended entirely upon identity. It was a theme restaurant located in the bustling city center.

The first thing they saw upon entering the door was a digital starry sky that occupied the ceiling. The Milky Way flowed through it slowly, and the farther they went inside, the more they felt as if they were within the vast universe.

Blue light squeezed into the shapes of overlapping silhouettes of whales and jellyfish, and particles of blue light floated through every inch of air, as if one could catch a star just by reaching out a hand.

You could tell at first sight that this was an internet-famous spot where someone could get tens of thousands of likes just by taking a photo and posting it on a social platform. Most of the customers were young people, and half of those were couples.

“How is it? Does it look good?”

He Chuzhou raised his hand with a casual flick, and several points of light spread from his fingertips: “My friend recommended it to me before, saying it’s very unique and the dishes are tasty. We happened to be free today, so I thought we’d come and try it.”

Pei Xi knew what He Chuzhou was up to from the moment he stepped inside.

A person who never did anything garish had suddenly brought him to such a showy place to eat. There was no other possibility that he did this for any reason but to please him.

He gave a hum and didn’t expose him, raising his head to carefully appreciate the starry sky.

Even though He Chuzhou had forgotten that he was 26 this year, not 16, he really did enjoy the feeling of his sweetheart giving him a surprise.

The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, so they sat in the lobby under the same starry sky as the other customers. The waiter brought out the menu, which was uniquely made into a three-dimensional shape of the ocean and starry sky.

It was He Chuzhou’s first time here, so to be safe, he ordered a few signature dishes that couldn’t go wrong. As for the drinks…..

He glanced around with composure and saw that most of the colors were blue, so he chose a blue drink.

Handing the menu back to the waiter, he looked back toward Pei Xi again. The latter was quietly admiring the quicksand vase on the table. There were a few blue roses in it, which complemented the surrounding scenery.

He seemed to like it very much.

Relieved, He Chuzhou looked around again—

Two young girls to the left were enthusiastically taking selfies with their faces close together, the couple to the right were holding hands and whispering their feelings to each other with emotion, and a boy behind them gave his wide-eyed boyfriend a passionate kiss on the cheek.

“……”

Retracting his gaze, he looked back at Pei Xi, who had a dull reaction and dull expression, and was even so uninterested that he had begun to look down at his phone.

He seemed…..to not like it very much?

What was he not satisfied with?

He thought for a moment, then took out his phone. Wu Qing had just sent him a message: 

Wu Qing: [How is it?]

He Chuzhou: [Thanks a lot. Not very good. He doesn’t seem very satisfied.]

Wu Qing: [How is that possible? Every time I take my boyfriends there, they love it.]

He Chuzhou: [Can your boyfriends be compared to Pei Xi? I knew you were unreliable.]

Wu Qing: [If I’m not reliable, then who is?]

Wu Qing: [Let me ask, did you not prepare a gift?]

He Chuzhou: [No.]

Wu Qing: [What the hell! If you don’t give him a gift in such a nice place with such a nice atmosphere, what’s the difference between that and eating tofu pudding without adding any spicy ingredients?]

He Chuzhou: [ . ]

It wasn’t that he didn’t think about getting him a gift, but what excuse did he have to give it?

It was already difficult to lure this person to the restaurant with a legitimate reason, so was it appropriate to suddenly give him a gift?

Tsk. In the end, it was because he had no status.

There was nothing to be done. The favorability points given by Pei-calico couldn’t be shared with the sober Pei Xi. The gap in progress was too big.

Although he knew that Pei Xi hadn’t rejected him, he was still powerless to speed up the progress bar.

This person still wanted to be his little brother!

He sighed with some disappointment, not noticing how fast Pei Xi was typing at the moment.

He Chuzhou had guessed correctly. He was indeed not very satisfied.

In such a romantic place, people were hugging at the door, holding hands on the left, and kissing on the right. And he could only sit opposite He Chuzhou without any physical contact, wasting the good atmosphere.

Why?

Was it just because he wasn’t Pei-calico right now?

Was it because they hadn’t verified their status?

Xie Ling: [You finally showed up!]

Xie Ling: [What do you have to say to me?]

Xie Ling: [It just so happens that I have something to talk about with you. There will be a charity auction at the Lanshan Villa Club the day after tomorrow, and there are a few items that I want. Will you go with me?]

Xie Ling: [When those people see you there, they’ll definitely give you face and not compete with me like last time, and I’ll purchase at a low price.]

Pei Xi: [Not going.]

Xie Ling: [Why?]

Pei Xi: [I have something to do.]

Xie Ling: [Busy with work? You can’t spare one evening?]

Pei Xi: [It’s not work.]

Pei Xi: [Did you catch your girlfriend?]

Xie Ling: [We’ve already celebrated our first anniversary. I’ve realized you really don’t care about me, ah.]

Pei Xi: [Sorry. Congratulations.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [Ah? Teach you what?]

Pei Xi: [How to pursue someone.]

Xie Ling: [……Huh? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Wait, who are you pursuing?]

Pei Xi: [He Chuzhou.]

Xie Ling: [? ? ? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Why are you pursuing He Chuzou?! Don’t you hate him?]

Pei Xi: [Not anymore. I like him now.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [………]

Xie Ling: [Brother, this is too sudden. I’m not prepared at all. _(:з」∠)_ ]

Xie Ling: [Okay, let’s find some time to talk later and you can tell me what’s going on.]

Pei Xi: [Why later? Can’t it be a little sooner?]

Xie Ling: [……Are you in a hurry?]

Xie Ling: [Why does this feel so magical? I didn’t think I had that many drinks tonight.]

Xie Ling: [How about tomorrow night? If you go with me to the auction, I’ll teach you all of my skills!]

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Chapter 53 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 55

That year, although Li Jinshu had taken the Xiheng army away and temporarily resolved Liu Zhenqing’s crisis, Xiheng soon made a comeback. Taking advantage of the death of Great Zhou’s commander, they united with other countries to take over Great Zhou in one fell swoop. Huo Fenglie took over Huo Feihan’s position in the west, but the situation was difficult.

That period was also the last chance to deal with the Three Kings, and Liu Zhenqing was worried and anxious each day. Coupled with his injuries and poisoning, his health was deteriorating day by day, and his mind was in turmoil.

To him, he and Yuan Jue were completely on the same page, so he never thought Yuan Jue would have something to do with this matter. 

He took for granted that the information relayed to him by Yuan Jue was true, and thought Huo Fenglie was just young and afraid. Thinking about it now, that was the biggest insult to Er-gou.

Huo Fenglie had once said he’d liked him since he was very young, that he’d been secretly in love with him for many years, but hadn’t expressed his feelings because he knew Liu Zhenqing treated him as a younger brother. Therefore, Huo Fenglie wanted to wait until the world was at peace before “bothering” him with this matter.

Liu Zhenqing had seen the wounds beneath the tattoo, which were frequent and deadly during that period.

Huo Fenglie didn’t know whether or not he would die on the battlefield, and didn’t want to have any regrets, so he mustered up all of his courage and chose the worst possible time to send a letter like this along with the battle report, expressing his love in full to his beloved. But Liu Zhenqing’s reply appeared to be a rebuke of his wishful thinking, warning him not to set his sights on him, and rejecting him harshly out of disgust for his feelings.

Soon after, he had received a letter from his good brother Yuan Jue, forging the relationship between Liu Zhenqing and Yao Hua and letting Huo Fenglie know how hopeless his feelings were. That apart from helping Liu Zhenqing win the war, he was no longer qualified to stand by his side.

From then on, Huo Fenglie no longer wrote privately to Liu Zhenqing and only sent battle reports, and Liu Zhenqing was unaware of it all.

Later, Liu Zhenqing died and Huo Fenglie went halfway crazy, but he still did his utmost to support Liu Zhenqing and his brother’s dream.

He lived like this, not caring about life or death, until he met a hermit who gave him all kinds of hints, making him want to hope for something even as he didn’t dare to. Hopelessly waiting for a miracle to happen.

Eight years later, Huo Fenglie discovered that Liu Zhenqing had returned. This person had rejected him harshly at the outset, and upon his return, he didn’t reveal himself to Huo Fenglie and just wanted to escape. So Huo Fenglie didn’t dare take the initiative to recognize him, and only wanted to keep Liu Zhenqing and protect him.

Liu Zhenqing was unaware of Huo Fenglie’s feelings, and Huo Fenglie just thought he didn’t want to face them. So even when Liu Zhenqing asked, he didn’t dare to admit it. He didn’t want to face another ruthless rejection from him.

Even when Liu Zhenqing took the initiative to flirt with him later, he thought it was a test, an accident, or a primitive instinct, but never dared to actually believe Liu Zhenqing liked him.

Even when Liu Zhenqing made it clear later on.

Huo Fenglie was still uneasy. He had always been hesitant to fully possess Liu Zhenqing, and also worried that when Liu Zhenqing returned to the capital and saw Yao Hua, he might change his mind. 

So Huo Fenglie had been waiting, giving Liu Zhenqing the opportunity to make a different choice.

Even though it was a struggle for him, he didn’t want Liu Zhenqing to experience any more suffering in this life.

But now…..

“You didn’t receive it?” Huo Fenglie asked in astonishment.

Liu Zhenqing had thought everything through. Suddenly, he raised his hands, held Huo Fenglie’s face, and kissed him hard right in front of everybody.

Everyone was shocked. Yuan Jue’s eyes flickered and he looked away, but he was unconsciously clenching his teeth.

“I’m sorry, it was my mistake. I was deceived. I didn’t know you’d confessed to me when I replied to that letter. Fenglie, I never rejected you, I just……lost the opportunity to answer.”

He had lost an entire lifetime, all because of Yuan Jue.

Huo Fenglie stared at Liu Zhenqing in a daze, never having expected such a reversal. His Qing-ge had never hated him.

Liu Zhenqing could no longer control his temper. He turned around and rushed toward Yuan Jue, punching him directly before he could react.

The emperor of the dynasty was knocked back by the blow. He staggered back a step, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, his head turned away. Everyone present was shocked.

Liu Qiao continued to guard Yuan Jue, preventing the others from approaching.

He Cong and the other guards made a racket. “Are you crazy? How dare you hit the emperor!”

In fact, they were baffled by the conversation between these people and had no idea what was going on. Or perhaps they didn’t dare to figure it out. But Liu Zhenqing had dared to hit the emperor regardless of the law or morality.

Yuan Jue was stunned as well. He turned his head to look at Liu Zhenqing, saying in disbelief: “You hit me? You actually…..hit me? You’ve never hit me before!”

Liu Zhenqing was so angry that he almost laughed: “I hit you. So what?!”

Yuan Jue’s eyes widened to the breaking point: “I plotted against you, killed you, and let the whole world curse you, but you didn’t get angry or take action. Now you attacked me just for this?”

Liu Zhenqing reached out and gripped Yuan Jue’s collar, saying: “You made me ignore his sincerity, made me hurt and wrong him! For me, this is more intolerable than anything else in the world!”

Yuan Jue’s pupils quivered as if he was unable to bear it. He was so furious that his entire body was shaking, and he sent Liu Zhenqing a vicious look. He had just wanted to test them and see how they would react after learning the truth, never expecting that Liu Zhenqing would fly into a true rage. Because of such a small matter, he finally saw Liu Zhenqing angry.

“Tell me, where is the letter? It was in your hands back then, where did you put it? Give it back to me!” Liu Zhenqing said fiercely. Since the jade Rubik’s cube was still here, was the letter…..

Yuan Jue just thought it was laughable and ridiculous: “You think I would keep that kind of evidence? I burned it as soon as it was received!”

Liu Zhenqing was so angry that his blood boiled: “Why did you do it! I can understand why you killed me, but why hurt him when he was protecting your empire! Are you crazy? What if he was affected on the battlefield? If something went wrong, who could replace him? How did I ever teach a fool like you!”

“I’m no fool!” Yuan Jue practically shouted. “If you united as civil and military officials, how would a powerless emperor such as myself cope? If you were soft-hearted and didn’t force him to hold the border, what would have happened to Great Zhou? The decision I made was worthy of an emperor. The two of you were my prime minister and my general, so you should have been focused on me rather than being distracted by other things!”

“You’re just making speculative arguments. It’s all nonsense!” Liu Zhenqing truly wanted to give Yuan Jue a beating. From the perspective of an emperor, he could even envision all of Yuan Jue’s previous heartless actions. But there was still one thing he really couldn’t understand.

A rational emperor would appease his general. Even if Liu Zhenqing didn’t have such feelings for Huo Fenglie at the time, as emperor, he should have told Liu Zhenqing to deal with it right away so that Huo Fenglie could fight at the border with peace of mind.

But Yuan Jue made the most foolish decision. Liu Zhenqing regarded him with a dark look, and Yuan Jue avoided his gaze.

Yuan Jue couldn’t admit that when he had received the letter from Huo Fenglie, the sincerity therein would have moved anyone’s heart. He felt that Liu Zhenqing would definitely be moved and devote his attention to Huo Fenglie, and that couldn’t be borne. He was Yuan Jue’s teacher and the prime minister of his empire. Liu Zhenqing should devote himself wholeheartedly to helping him rule and stabilize the country, and focus all of his attention on him.

He read the love expressed between the lines of Huo Fenglie’s letter and was in a bad mood, and almost instinctively destroyed it.

But when he realized what he had done, he regretted it. Not out of apology to those two people, but because he realized he had begun to forgo the most favorable situations out of selfish desire, and was acting recklessly. This was unbecoming of a qualified emperor.

Anything that affected an emperor’s emotions and rational judgement was an obstacle. He finally discovered that Liu Zhenqing……was his weakness. And he couldn’t allow this weakness to develop any further, so Liu Zhenqing must die.

He discovered the weakness and eliminated it himself.

But then Liu Zhenqing came back again, and when he realized this fact, he had no wish to eradicate his weakness again. Because he knew that the current Liu Zhenqing was a simple man without power or influence, and no longer Prime Minister Liu, who he had feared. Since he couldn’t endure letting him go again, he would find a way to monopolize him.

With his most useful wings cut off, without Huo Fenglie, Liu Zhenqing would no longer be a concern and Yuan Jue’s weakness would become his reward. It would be best to keep him by his side like a canary and watch him at all times.

But in the end, he still couldn’t best Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing no longer cared about what Yuan Jue was thinking. He was already disillusioned with Yuan Jue. Even though they had accompanied each other day and night and Liu Zhenqing had raised him like his own child, now that things had come to this, there was no lingering affection.

This matter must be concluded. Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and rapidly thought up countermeasures.

Huo Fenglie had regained his composure. He took a step forward, sword in hand, and the people around them immediately grew uneasy.

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s actions, Liu Zhenqing knew that if he gave the word, it wouldn’t be impossible to forcibly suppress the throne and its forces. But not only would there be heavy casualties, the Huo family would also bear the world’s infamy. After all, Emperor Yuan Jue had done no harm to the nation on the surface.

Moreover, it was a gamble to try to safely connect with the Huo Family Army outside while they were surrounded. If they weren’t careful, they would be buried along with Yuan Jue.

There were so many foreign envoys here…..right, the foreign envoys……Liu Zhenqing had a flash of inspiration, but before the plan could form, somebody suddenly broke into the palace. 

It was Zheng Wei. He Cong’s eyes shifted slightly, and he immediately called: “Is Director Zheng here to protect the emperor as well?”

The arrival of another master put a lot more pressure on Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing looked sideways at Zheng Wei, only to find him slowly lowering into a bow as he greeted everyone: “Your Majesty, I have received a message from the Kingdom of Xiheng that says…..they have invited the Huo family’s young master and young lady to Xiheng.”

“What!” Liu Zhenqing was shocked.

Huo Fenglie’s expression also changed at once.

Zheng Wei continued: “I sent people to track them down after receiving the letter, but it seems the two young ones were kidnapped from the hunting grounds, and never followed the procession back at all. According to the time, they have long been out of tracking range.”

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie exchanged glances. They realized that Li Jinshu must have lost his mind, but what did he intend to do? 

In the next moment, Zheng Wei gave them the answer by delivering a letter directly to Liu Zhenqing.

Taken aback, Liu Zhenqing opened it and saw Li Jinshu’s handwriting. He laughed angrily after reading it, but skewed his eyes at the same time.

He placed the letter in front of Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

The words in the letter were teasing, but the gist of it was that he would exchange the twins for Liu Zhenqing. It seemed that the one Li Jinshu had actually wanted to kidnap the previous night was Liu Zhenqing himself. However, Liu Zhenqing had been involved in the matter of Jian Shuang’s rebellion at the time and he wasn’t given a chance, so he kidnapped the twins to threaten him into an exchange.

Li Jinshu was a madman. Liu Zhenqing actually didn’t know if he had discovered his identity and thus took such an action.

But this happened at the opportune time, letting Liu Zhenqing enjoy a cool easterly wind.

Liu Zhenqing said: “Have you read it clearly? You know what kind of person Li Jinshu is. He knows my identity, so he must be using every means to snatch me away. The remaining bloodline of the Huo family is now in his hands. Without Huo Fengile to lead them, how effective do you think the Huo Family Army will be under the military officers you’ve trained? Can they defeat Li Jinshu? After all, it isn’t absolutely certain that Huo Fenglie can beat him.”

Yuan Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then he smiled: “Then let the great general who guards the country lead the troops to rescue his niece and nephew, and let Young Master Liu stay behind to ensure his safety and not allow Xiheng a chance at him.”

Huo Fenglie shifted. His eyes, filled with icy killing intent, fixed on Yuan Jue.

Liu Zhenqing scoffed: “These envoys in the capital aren’t blind or deaf. Unless you kill them all, they’ll definitely realize that something is wrong. For example, that General Huo’s relatives were held hostage by Xiheng and he wanted to rescue them, but the emperor of Great Zhou was at odds with him and used his fiance as a hostage. Once such news spreads, do you plan to revisit the tragic memory of being besieged by various nations again?

Yuan Jue’s expression turned ugly. He knew he couldn’t control Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing gestured to Liu Qiao, who hesitated for a moment before lowering his sword and hastening to Liu Zhenqing’s side.

He Cong immediately rushed forward to shield Yuan Jue. 

Those opposite did as well. 

But in the next moment, Liu Zhenqing bowed to Yuan Jue and said: “Your Majesty, envoys from the Kingdom of Xiheng have openly kidnapped people on Great Zhou’s territory and challenged its dignity. This humble subject requests your permission to assist the general who guards the country in sending troops to rescue the hostages in order to send a message to Xiheng, and so that the envoys from neighboring countries can all see that although our Great Zhou is gentle, infringement will not be tolerated.”

Yuan Jue’s expression was unsightly. He knew Liu Zhenqing’s intentions. They planned to overstep their authority, not to take his throne, but so that from then on, the emperor would be unable to touch them. And they were using Li Jinshu to do it.

Li Jinshu’s military exploits were so great that no other military official in Great Zhou could match him. He was also proficient at getting other countries to share Great Zhou between them. Moreover, this extraordinarily powerful person was a madman who only took what he wanted. There was no possibility of negotiating a deal with him.

As long as Li Jinshu was determined to possess Liu Zhenqing, Yuan Jue couldn’t touch them if he wanted to secure his throne. 

Therefore, Liu Zhenqing had found an equilibrium in order to counterbalance his power.

Faced with such a situation, Yuan Jue clearly had little choice. But on second thought, this was equivalent to giving him an opportunity and risking half his own life. He couldn’t guarantee that Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t kill him for the sake of the country. Thus, now was the time for everyone to take a step back. 

Yuan Jue’s mind changed several times before he finally said: “Young Master Liu is right. I will immediately issue an edict for the general to lead troops in pursuit.”

Such a step brought relief to everyone.

Just as Yuan Jue was about to prepare the Imperial edict, he heard Liu Zhenqing call out: “Wait.”

Everyone grew nervous again.

Liu Zhenqing said with a mocking smile: “Your Majesty’s word is as good as gold. You should grant a marriage to me and Fenglie now, otherwise it would be inappropriate for me to follow the general. Besides, if I’m the general’s wife, Prince Li will be despised by the world if he forces me to stay, and it will also put Great Zhou even more in the right.”

Yuan Jue gave Liu Zhenqing a dark look.

Soon, with two Imperial edicts in hand, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie safely left the palace.

When he saw Liu Zhenqing walk away unhesitatingly without even sparing him a glance, Yuan Jue felt an uncontrollable discomfort. He warned himself to not be hasty, that there was still a chance.

Back at the General’s Manor.

It was already daybreak by this time, and the manor was in chaos after receiving the news.

Seeing Li Xingruo standing in the small Buddhist chamber with a somber face, Liu Zhenqing walked inside and held her trembling hand.

Li Xingruo lashed out in anger: “Those little brats are really going to learn a lesson this time about acting rashly!”

Liu Zhenqing turned around as Huo Fenglie approached the door and said to him: “We’ll go on the expedition tomorrow. You go to the military camp to prepare. I’ll stay here.”

Huo Fenglie hesitated. He started to say something, but Liu Zhenqing cut in: “Don’t waste time. Yuan Jue won’t dare act rashly right now, and Liu Qiao is still with me.”

Huo Fenglie nodded, then turned and got to work.

Liu Zhenqing pulled Li Xingruo to sit down and said: “The one Li Jinshu wants is me. According to his character, he won’t be hard on the two little ones, and they’ll be treated to tasty food and drinks.”

Li Xingruo looked toward Liu Zhenqing, her fierce eyes now filled with worry.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” Liu Zhenqing turned his head toward the tablets. “I failed to protect their father last time, but this time…..I won’t allow them to get hurt again.”

Li Xingruo stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing, and finally leaned against his shoulder in a somewhat fragile manner.

“Did you have a confrontation with Yuan Jue?” she asked tiredly.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t give her the full truth. He only said: “Yuan Jue discovered my identity. He still fears me, but he can’t go without Huo Fenglie’s protection, so he had no choice but to let me go.”

“Hmph, ungrateful bastard,” she cursed.

Liu Zhenqing grinned and said: “By the way, I’ve already requested the Imperial edict. I’m now a member of the Huo family, Sister-in-law.”

Li Xingruo said with a laugh: “Wait until you bring the two little ones back, then we can hold the wedding before anything else goes wrong.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flickered. He didn’t respond to this topic, but said faintly: “Don’t worry, I just want to live a good life with Er-gou and not cause any trouble.”

Li Xingruo said with a sigh: “En, he waited two lifetimes before he finally got you.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but ask: “I heard my ashes are under the willow tree here?”

“I wanted to tell you before, but never found the chance,” Li Xingruo said. “Isn’t it crazy?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “He likes me crazily and wanted to be closer to me.”

Li Xingruo didn’t disagree, but added: “He also wanted to be buried with you after he died.”

Liu Zhenqing stared in shock.

“With no tombstone, and no real burial. He wanted to be cremated after dying in battle, then have me bury him with you.” Li Xingruo said: “It’s fortunate that you like him too. Otherwise, if he was unilaterally crazy, wouldn’t you be annoyed to death?”

Liu Zhenqing recalled the events that occurred when they went south, and smiled: “That would never happen, I would have fallen in love with him right away.”

Li Xingruo looked at him speechlessly: “How is that possible? So many people liked you back then, but I never saw you return their affections. You may have seemed amorous, but in fact, it’s difficult for you to have sincere feelings for anyone.”

“I only have one heart. How can it be moved just because someone made overtures?” Liu Zhenqing defended himself.

Li Xingruo slanted a look at him. Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“What?”

“You going with the army.”

“Do I need you to tell me that?” Li Xingruo rolled her eyes.

Then Liu Zhenqing said: “Please keep an eye on Er-gou for me.”

Li Xingruo’s expression shifted.

That night, Huo Fenglie finally returned from his work.

Everything had been prepared, and they would set out the next morning.

He didn’t find Liu Zhenqing at his Sister-in-law’s, so he went to the courtyard and saw Liu Zhenqing with a jug of wine. Sitting beneath the willow tree, he fiddled with the willow branches while twisting the jade Rubik’s cube in one hand.

“Qing-ge,” Huo Fenglie called out, practically flying to Liu Zhenqing’s side.

When Liu Zhenqing saw him coming, his eyes curved in a smile and he patted the spot beside him.

Huo Fenglie sat down obediently, and was about to inform Liu Zhenqing about the situation when Liu Zhenqing snuggled into his arms.

Huo Fenglie’s heart moved. He couldn’t help but raise his hands to hug Liu Zhenqing tightly. He took a deep breath and seemed to find a trace of calm in the chaos.

Liu Zhenqing nuzzled him leisurely, then raised his eyes to give Huo Fenglie a smile, saying: “Er-gou, do you still remember what you wrote in that love letter to me? I want to know what it said.”

Liu Zhenqing was really curious. How would the seventeen-year-old Huo Fenglie have confessed his feelings to him in such a crisis-ridden situation? 

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, not having expected Liu Zhenqing to ask this question directly. He felt somewhat uncomfortable and regretful, but mostly, he was embarrassed.

“That…..” Huo Fenglie said a bit nervously.

Laying in Huo Fenglie’s arms, Liu Zhenqing looked up and raised his hand to grasp Huo Fenglie’s chin, saying: “Tell me, I’m curious.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes to gaze at him affectionately and said: “Actually, it doesn’t count as a letter.”

“Huh?”

“It was a journal.”

A confession journal?

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t know how to express my feelings to you, but after every battle, I would write something about you…..”

Liu Zhenqing listened to Huo Fenglie’s cool, gentle voice as he told him the story. Many of the contents were things that Liu Zhenqing already knew.

The first throb of his heart, the first reason for jealousy, the first time he understood the uneasiness of his mind, the first time he secretly competed with a love rival.

The first time they kissed, the first time he made a promise…..

It recorded the young Huo Fenglie’s unspeakable thoughts. He had so much love but no way to express it, so he could only write it down in detail, hoping that the other person would understand.

Liu Zhenqing listened for a long while, unable to snap out of his stupor. When he regained his senses, he saw his own face completely reflected in Huo Fenglie’s dark eyes.

He couldn’t help but say: “I want that journal.”

Huo Fenglie stared blankly. But it had been burned by Yuan Jue, ah.

Liu Zhenqing said mindlessly: “I want it. You must give it to me. So for the rest of your life, you must continue to write and re-record everything. I’ll do the same, and we’ll record together.”

He was going to spend the rest of his life making Huo Fenglie confess to him again, and would also let the other know all of his feelings.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes lit up, and he nodded firmly.

Liu Zhenqing smiled, and couldn’t help but tease: “When you wrote before, did it include…..the panic when you first dreamed about it…..the fluster you felt when you first imagined it?”

Huo Fenglie’s face instantly went red: “No…..”

“You didn’t write it down? How insincere, ah.” Liu Zhenqing smiled and leaned forward to kiss Er-gou, then stretched out his hand and did as he pleased with Huo Fenglie’s stiff lower body.

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Chapter 143 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 145