Three days later, Song Xingmu had time to take Yi Chuan back to the other courtyard.

All 30,000 sailors were captured and convicted one by one according to their participation. And all of the rebels, except the ones who committed suicide, were arrested. Qin Yu and He Lan were worried that another problem would arise, so they took personal custody of them.

Ming’an County finally returned to calm.

Only this courtyard was still shrouded in uneasiness.

When Song Xingmu returned, he saw Liu Zhenqing sitting on the steps in front of the courtyard.

Looking at the dark circles under the man’s eyes, he knew he had not been resting well.

He stepped forward and said: “Don’t wear yourself out. I heard Qin Yu speak of the King of Hell, which proves that the kid won’t die.”

Yi Chuan on the side said: “En, the King of Hell is very capable.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded slightly and said: “I know. I got some rest, but I just couldn’t sleep much.”

Song Xingmu removed his armor. Yi Chuan took it and helped him to the courtyard next door. He was still injured, so Song Xingmu had him apply medicine.

Then he sat down with Liu Zhenqing and said: “Everything is going well outside. Don’t be anxious.”

“I haven’t been anxious at all the past three days,” Liu Zhenqing murmured.

Song Xingmu looked at Liu Zhenqing with a smile. Yes, ah, he was not the former Prime Minister Liu. He was only worried about his puppy now, and nothing else could enter his eyes.

“It sounds like fate. I didn’t expect that the King of Hell would come to my door. I haven’t seen this little miracle doctor for many years. It’s strange, why did he come so suddenly? Was he looking for us?” Song Xingmu spoke with self-satisfaction.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment before reacting: “You know each other?”

Song Xingmu nodded with a smile: “Fate brings people together. When we met him, he did not have the title ‘King of Hell.’ He is the young doctor who saved me and your guard nine years ago. Had we not met him in the capital, we would have both died there.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed several times, and he gave Song Xingmu a look of astonishment.

“What is it?” Song Xingmu asked.

Liu Zhenqing hesitated for a moment before saying: “Actually…..he was my apprentice.”

This one sentence was like thunder in a clear sky, and instantly made Song Xingmu freeze.

“The King of Hell is your disciple? What about your poor medical skills?” Song Xingmu couldn’t believe it.

Liu Zhenqing also sighed with emotion. If he hadn’t recognized him as Xiao Ye, he would have worried about wasting these precious three days.

Song Xingmu was scratching his head. He grabbed Liu Zhenqing and asked: “Just what is going on, ah!”

Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly: “Is it so difficult to understand? After all, I am the disciple of a miracle doctor, and he is from Medical Valley, so we are related. It’s not that surprising.”

“Then how did you manage to have such a good master and apprentice, yet you’re the only one who’s half-assed?” Song Xingmu said indignantly.

Liu Zhenqing choked. He explained: “Isn’t this all due to the rules of Medical Valley?”

In fact, the disciples of Medical Valley could originally only accept two apprentices, one male and one female, so the review process for accepting new apprentices was very strict.

At that time, the miracle doctor came to the capital. He was originally invited to test Li Xingruo, but Liu Zhenqing suddenly appeared and fooled the miracle doctor. He mistakenly thought that Liu Zhenqing was a medical genius, and found out after he became a disciple that he had been tricked. But it was too late.

Later, a young child named Han Ye was born into the Medicine King family. He was extremely talented and was supposed to study medicine in Medical Valley. But everyone in Medical Valley was haughty, feeling that only a miracle doctor was qualified to teach Han Ye, otherwise it was better to teach him at home.

“So when people found out that the miracle doctor had a half-assed apprentice like you, it was like you cheated the other person’s family in advance?” Song Xingmu said.

Liu Zhenqing gave an innocent nod, saying: “The Medicine King family sent Han Ye to the capital to ask the Master to find a way to take on another one. Master was very upset when he discovered Han Ye, but the inheritance of Medical Valley cannot be broken. And back then, I wasn’t even studying medicine anymore, so he rolled his eyes at me eight hundred times a day. Then I thought of a compromise. I accepted this disciple, but he learned from my master. It didn’t count as an exception.”

“That was a good idea.” Song Xingmu nodded.

“This fellow is extremely talented, even more than Junior Sister. Master was very happy to be able to teach such a disciple,” Liu Zhenqing recalled.

“Then what happened?”

“Then, the two of them combined rolled their eyes at me 1,600 times a day,” Liu Zhenqing said helplessly.

Song Xingmu laughed out loud. He pointed at Liu Zhenqing and said: “That little prodigy with a master like you…..rolling his eyes can be considered a light reaction.”

Liu Zhenqing touched his cheek and said: “That’s why I never told anyone about our identities. And by that time, I had already entered the Imperial Court as an official, so we didn’t spend much time together. After staying in the capital for a while, he returned to Medical Valley with Master to concentrate on his studies. Later, he would occasionally go back and forth to the capital with Master. I prepared lots of gifts for him every time, but he wouldn’t spare me a good look. He was a very proud brat who was difficult to please.”

Song Xingmu suddenly said: “He really cared about you.”

Stunned, Liu Zhenqing said nothing. He knew it as soon as Song Xingmu said that it was Xiao Ye who saved them.

There were no coincidences in this world. Han Ye was only fourteen or fifteen years old at that time, and hadn’t finished his apprenticeship. But he came to the capital alone, went to Liu Zhenqing’s grave, and rescued the two people who were being pursued by the Jinyiwei and Dongchang…..

“Do you intend to tell him who you are?” Song Xingmu asked.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched. The look in Han Ye’s eyes and the words he said at the end made him afraid that…..

Suddenly, the door behind them opened.

Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu quickly stood up and watched as Han Ye staggered out. He had clearly expended a lot of energy.

Han Ye was not tall. Although he was in his twenties, he looked younger. He had cold features and seemed like someone it wouldn’t be good to provoke.

Just as he came to a stop, he fell forward. Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu quickly stepped up to support him.

“Doctor Han, are you alright? Do you need anything?” Song Xingmu asked at once.

“Tired.” Han Ye spoke one word, then turned to look at Liu Zhenqing and said: “I stabilized his condition. After a period of treatment, you will need to go to Medical Valley so that my master can treat him himself.’

Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Please go and rest right away.”

Han Ye stopped talking and just looked at Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

Song Xingmu looked left and right before saying awkwardly: “It didn’t expect that it would really be Doctor Han. Do you still remember me? You saved my life back then. By the way, why have you come…..”

“Master told me to come,” Han Ye said directly.

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly and could only look toward Han Ye. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Han Ye sneer: “Still the same half-baked skills. It was no use telling you eight hundred times to learn medical skills quickly. You still have to rely on others to save the people you want to save?”

Trembling all over, Liu Zhenqing felt helpless and embarrassed as he said: “Xiao Ye, it’s fine if Master reprimands me like this, but you can’t. I have seniority.”

Han Ye simply rolled his eyes with that familiar expression.

With a slight smile, Liu Zhenqing released Han Ye and crouched down in front of him.

Han Ye was momentarily stunned. His eyes flashed, and his voice was almost unsteady as he said, “What are you doing?”

Liu Zhenqing patted his shoulder.

Song Xingmu saw that Liu Zhenqing intended to carry Han Ye. After all, Han Ye couldn’t stand up straight, so he thought this would be fine.

He heard Han Ye say: “Do you still think of me as a child? Your foundation is so weak now that you can’t even carry me.”

“I’ll give it a try. The elder should carry the junior,” Liu Zhenqing said softly. He patted his shoulder again.

The scene before him was just like a memory that flashed through Han Ye’s mind.

The master had two apprentices. One had no talent and did not like to learn, and one was talented and had a bad temper. All of this left the master dissatisfied while teaching, but then he showed up and the master taught him everything he knew. Li-shishu saw a companion who could finally discuss medical skills with her, and ordered him around to her heart’s content. Although he was willing to study, he was still young and far away from his family. Sometimes he was so tired that he would lay down on the floor of the medical center and fall asleep on the spot. However, the master and Shishu were both medical fanatics and didn’t know how to take care of people.

Thus, Liu Zhenqing would often appear in the middle of the night and take him back to his room. While carrying him back, he would complain about the unreliability of his master and shishu.

But if he spoke harshly, he would reply, “Don’t teach me bad lessons, you’re unwilling to learn!”

Liu Zhenqing always just smiled and instructed him on how to speak, no matter how impudent he was. 

He didn’t like this shifu, because he was such a disgrace. But…..this shifu was very capable. At least the people outside said so. And he was very kind to Han Ye. Therefore, he reluctantly recognized this shifu.

Until…..there was no more shifu.

Now he was lying on Shifur’s back again. There was no longer the grace and steadiness in his memories, but that reassuring aura was still there. It made him feel at ease where he lay, and he wanted to sleep.

But now, he was a little afraid to sleep.

“Why are you still so light, ah? This year, you should be…..twenty-three. Are you focusing on studying medicine at the expense of your health?”

“You’re worrying about me when your own health isn’t that good?” He lashed back.

Liu Zhenqing said innocently: “I can’t be blamed for taking over duties halfway, ah. Right, Master said I was here? You came to find me?”

Han Ye said with an annoyed tone: “I wasn’t just looking for you, but also for General Huo. After all, he is Master’s key patient, and I must keep an eye on him. It is fortunate that I’m here. Your medical skills aren’t good, and you can’t even take care of patients well. You really are regressing more and more.”

But Liu Zhenqing laughed and said: “Yes, ah, it is fortunate that you’re here.”

Han Ye was stifled.

“So why did you go to the capital back then?” Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but tease him.

But after he asked, there was silence behind him, and Liu Zhenqing regretted bringing up this topic. Fortunately, they had arrived at the room.

Han Ye was silent for a long moment before saying calmly: “Because you had no heirs, and I was your only disciple. According to secular customs, a teacher for a day is like a father for life. It was my duty to mourn you and show filial piety. Who made me unfortunate enough to recognize you as my shifu?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled: “En, thank you.”

The person at his back said suddenly and hoarsely: “I didn’t accomplish anything, so what are you thankful for?”

“It’s good that you remembered me.” As Liu Zhenqing spoke, he carried him to the bed and set him down.

“Have a rest.” Liu Zhenqing gave Han Ye a soft look.

Han Ye sat on the side of the bed and raised his head to watch him leave. Abruptly, he called out: “Shifu.”

“En?” Liu Zhenqing turned his head.

Han Ye’s eyes flashed, and he hmphed: “He isn’t sleeping well, so get him some soothing incense and light it.”

Liu Zhenqing gave a soft smile and said: “All right.”

Not sleeping well, ah. Even soothing incense couldn’t help Huo Fenglie, who had strong defenses and vigilance.

“What should be done? He’s still grimacing.” Song Xingmu remained in the room after the soothing incense was lit, then began to feel sleepy.

Liu Zhenqing took a breath and said: “Go out. I still have another trick.”

“What is it?” Song Xingmu asked curiously.

Liu Zhenqing’s lips rose in a smile: “Of course it’s to sleep with our family’s Er-gou.”

Song Xingmu: You just want to take advantage of this opportunity.

But he watched Liu Zhenqing climb into bed and lie next to Huo Fenglie, and after he called out ‘Er-gou’ a few times and hugged him, Huo Fenglie actually exhaled, and his features relaxed. There was really nothing to say now.

Song Xingmu clasped his fist in one hand and said farewell!

Thus, when Huo Fenglie awoke, he saw the two of them in nightclothes lying on the bed and sleeping together.

He thought he was dreaming.

Huo Fenglie stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing for a while. He couldn’t help but stick to him and feel his temperature with his cheek. Liu Zhenqing woke up as soon as he moved. Rubbing his eyes, he processed for a moment and said in pleasant surprise: “Er-gou, you’re awake!”

“Qing-ge, I…..” Huo Fenglie knew that his body was in bad shape before, but he felt fine now.

Before Huo Fenglie could ask, Liu Zhenqing practically threw himself into his arms.

Huo Fenglie took advantage of the situation to embrace Liu Zhenqing. Sensing his familiar temperature and scent, he felt much more at ease. Fortunately, he didn’t break his promise, and he could still accompany Qing-ge.

The two of them were hugging each other, or rather, Liu Zhenqing unilaterally hugged Huo Fenglie, and a sound of surprise was heard.

“What are you doing!”

Liu Zhenqing looked back and saw Han Ye staring at him in shock. It was clear that these words were directed at him.

Looking at his expression, which seemed as if he had seen a ghost, Liu Zhenqing suspected that his master had not gossiped with him.

In fact, the master had told him, but Han Ye didn’t hear anything else from the moment he heard about Liu Zhenqing’s resurrection. 

At this moment, he gazed at his resurrected shifu. He used to be surrounded by beauties who were infatuated with him, and would occasionally smile and ask what sort of shimu he wanted. At this moment, he was hugging his Shishu’s brother-in-law, still wearing underwear and sleeping in the same bed? For a moment, he had a strange sense of deja vu. 

It was like seeing…..seeing…..his father finding a stepmother for him. Except the stepmother was a grown man, and he caught them on the spot!

Liu Zhenqing called Han Ye over with a smile: “Xiao Ye, come here and take a look at Fenglie. He woke up, and he seems to be in good condition after feeling his pulse.”

Han Ye acclimated and walked over. He found that his shifu didn’t even plan to get out of bed, and just lay there with a man while waiting for him to check his pulse!

Although they were about the same age, couldn’t this be regarded as inappropriate in front of a junior?

The shameless Liu Zhenqing didn’t realize that there was a problem at all, until this scene completely affected Han Ye’s judgment and he roared: “Get down and leave! Don’t disturb me!”

When Liu Zhenqing was kicked out, he saw others approaching. They had likely heard the King of Hell, and looked at Liu Zhenqing suspiciously. Liu Zhenqing said with an innocent face: “I didn’t do anything.”

Soon, Han Ye came to the conclusion that everything was going well. According to the instructions the master had previously left him, acupuncture and medicinal baths should be maintained for a few days, and then they could go to seek out the master.

With Han Ye accompanying them, Liu Zhenqing was absolutely relieved. Regarding the acupuncture and medicinal baths, Liu Zhenqing proclaimed that he would help. It was the first time Han Ye had seen his shifu be so proactive. He was very suspicious. During a surprise inspection, he saw his shifu groping General Huo’s body. His face turned green and he drove that person away to handle it himself.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but rub his chin, suspecting that he Han Ye had some sort of teacher love complex. This caused Song Xingmu to burst with complaints.

“Didn’t he say that you took advantage of another person’s vulnerability and deliberately molested a patient? Aiyo, how cruel. Making your little Er-gou endure so much, I’ll see if you cry in the future.” Song Xingmu raised an eyebrow.

“I was punishing him for taking risks regardless of his body.”

“Yes, that’s right, he almost made you a widow.”

Liu Zhenqing shot a glance at the wildly giggling Song Xingmu.

When he was done laughing, Song Xingmu curled the tips of his hair and said: “By the way, Zhao Haicheng said he wants to see you. Do you want to see him?”

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Chapter Ninety-Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Six

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Yi Chuan was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression was extremely ugly. He immediately picked up a brush and drew an irregular shape on the map. One side was close to the coastline, and the other line included nearly half the city, specifically passing through the governor’s manor.

Yi Chuan understood after studying it for a moment. “Why did you draw the underground river veins beneath the city?”

“The black powder must have been placed under these lines,” Liu Zhenqing said directly.

Shocked, Yi Chuan said: “How do you know?”

“I don’t have time to explain. We need to notify them to withdraw the troops immediately!”

Yi Chuan realized that the position of the 30,000 troops was just far enough away from the underground river line, and the 50,000 troops would need to pass through the underground river line if they wanted to outflank the enemy.

If the black powder was below, the 50,000 men would surely suffer heavy losses when they passed over.

At this thought, Yi Chuan said grimly to Liu Zhenqing: “You’re certain!”

“Yi Chuan, I know you are injured, but I will definitely not be able to keep up with your speed. You go find them. No matter if you find Huo Fenglie or Song Xingmu, tell them it’s from me and they will definitely believe it.” After saying this, Liu Zhenqing handed the map to Yi Chuan.

Yi Chuan didn’t ask further questions. Taking the map, he nodded and rushed out.

Liu Zhenqing followed him out and saw Yi Chuan’s back as he flew away. He tried to communicate with the guards outside to have them fire a whistling arrow or notify those leading the troops.

But it was no use, because they were different from the navy, and obeyed military orders with the staunchness of a mountain. Without military orders, how could they obey an outsider so easily? But Liu Zhenqing still gave it a try.

However, the guards just asked him to wait for the general to come back.

Liu Zhenqing truly didn’t have the patience to wait any longer, so he borrowed a horse and went out.

Once the black powder detonated, there would be heavy casualties. Many common people would suffer as well, and only the governor moved away.

What they wanted was not to stop the 50,000 troops. After all, when they designed the plan, they never thought that there would be 50,000 troops coming to capture them. Their actual goal was to separate themselves from the dynasty.

Seceding in the true sense.

When the rebels were discovered by the Imperial Court and their assassination failed, when they felt that they could not hide anymore, or when the time was right, they needed a place to be their own territory, and then slowly move out to compete against Great Zhou.

There was obviously no room for 30,000 soldiers on the island, and it could not develop well, so they needed a larger territory and focused on this place.

There were mountains to the south and west, only the north side was relatively level, and there was the sea to the east. This terrain was naturally easy to defend and attack from.

As long as explosions occurred along the underground river and formed a chain reaction, a long canal would be blasted to fill up with groundwater or seawater and make an artificial river.

Although it may be artificial and made with different depths, it could indeed protect this land like a moat. Coupled with long-range weapons, this was the attack style that the navy was best at, so when the enemy came to attack, this artificial river would form a natural obstacle. No matter how strong they were, it would be difficult to conquer this place.

This was all in order to take possession of the land and become kings, no matter the sacrifices. Only, the victims were innocent common people and the 50,000 soldiers who happened to be there.

And it was his good brother and Er-gou who were leading these 50,000 troops, ah. 

There was no way he could bear it if anything happened to them.

Based on his analysis of the terrain, Liu Zhenqing estimated the place that was the most likely detonation point. That was the governor’s manor.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know where Huo Fenglie and Song Xingmu were now. He had no other choice than to go there and look at the situation first, even though he was weak, and try to buy time.

Liu Zhenqing rode on horseback for a long time before someone appeared with the wind.

Taking a closer look, Liu Zhenqing said with great joy: “He Lan, Qin Yu.”

The two descended and regarded him with surprise.

“Why did you run out? Don’t worry about Zhanyuan, ah,” He Lan said.

Qin Yu was also looking at him with concern. Liu Zhenqing’s hands were already injured and bloody from holding the reins too hard.

At once, Liu Zhenqing spoke quickly and concisely about the black powder, and their expressions instantly changed.

“Yi Chuan has gone out to look for them, but I don’t know where they are leading their troops.”

“It’s too late to find them. I’ll go to the governor’s manor. Don’t run around. Qin Yu, take him and leave the underground river line immediately!” He Lan spoke this firmly, but as soon as he was done speaking, he found that Qin Yu had already flown away.

In fact, there was no need to take Liu Zhenqing with him, ah. He was riding a horse, far away from the battleground, and surrounded by ordinary people doing normal things.

This was just an excuse to get the other party out of danger’s way.

Sure enough, as He Lan watched Qin Yu fly away, he didn’t spare a thought for anything else and ran after him.

Liu Zhenqing watched as the two people left and breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he was hesitating over whether to go to the governor’s manor or seek out Huo Fenglie, or whether he would be too much trouble and should just go back, he heard a roar. The loud sound rattled the sky.

In an instant, the sky and the earth shook.

Those around him were shaken to the point of losing their balance, and fell to the ground.

The horse under Liu Zhenqing was also startled, and began to run wildly.

Liu Zhenqing failed to hold on, and was thrown from the horse. Luckily, there were pedestrians nearby who stopped the animal.

There was chaos all around, and Liu Zhenqing stood up with difficulty, his face pale.

So the explosions had begun! Then next would be the chain reaction. Would…..

Liu Zhenqing’s heart began to race as he silently counted down. But after a moment, the people around him stood up and began talking, but it was still quiet in the distance. Liu Zhenqing’s expression shifted slightly.

There was only the initial explosion, which confirmed that it had been stopped.

According to the time and distance, it was impossible for He Lan and Qin Yu to have arrived. 

Who could it be?

Liu Zhenqing’s heart inexplicably ached, and he had an ominous premonition.

Everyone knew that Huo Fenglie was the God of War. Although he may not be as good at strategy as himself, once he entered the battlefield…..

At the least, for such an important plan, it would definitely not be Zhao Haicheng and others who had run into a problem.

So…..was it Huo Fenglie?

The explosion just now was so powerful. If Huo Fenglie was there, could he be injured?

Liu Zhenqing turned and rushed toward the horse, which was gradually calming down. He mounted it and rushed out nearly faster than before, without a care for being bucked off.

The governor’s manor was near.

The neighborhood was a mess.

He saw…..a group of leaderless troops.

And He Lan and Qin Yu were flying in a rush toward the ruins.

Their movements were somewhat out of control.

For the first time, Liu Zhenqing resented his ability to analyze and make connections. He wished he was just scaring himself, but he could no longer focus on anything else. He rode up and shouted: “Is General Huo here?”

The group of soldiers were about to rush in. When he saw this man and knew that he was close to the general, they said: “General Huo discovered something unusual and brought us here. When he saw someone trying to light a fire, he told us to stay outside and rushed in. And then…..”

Liu Zhenqing stopped listening and got off his horse, rushing into the smoky ruins.

This place was originally the governor’s manor and other surrounding manors and residences, but now there were only ruins that continued to collapse.

There was an ever-expanding pit under the ruins, with the sound of rushing water beneath it.

Standing next to the pit, Liu Zhenqing watched expressionlessly as the people around him shouted for General Huo and rummaged around, but there was no response.

He was dazed and muddle-headed, and instinctively began to follow the sound of running water.

As he walked, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came.

Liu Zhenqing looked up. His eyes instantly reddened, and he mounted the horse.

“Chen Jiangyue, take me to find him.”

The horse raised its hooves, and Liu Zhenqing vanished from the spot in an instant. Qin Yu and He Lan heard a familiar neigh, and exchanged glances before promptly following it.

On the outskirts of a farmhouse, Huo Fenglie was leaning against the roots of a fallen tree, holding his Chunjun Sword. Because he had come out of the underground river, he was soaked all over. The water dripping from his body was mixed with blood, turning the ground a light red.

A pair of bright red eyes seemed to be exhausted, but were still clear and vivid. The black clothes he wore were either burned or blasted in several places, and blood could be seen continuously flowing from his sleeves. It smeared all over the backs of his hands, then ran down the dark blade of the Chunjun Sword.

Opposite him was Zhao Haicheng, who was also soaked, only Zhao Haicheng was not injured at all, and had his sword pointed at Huo Fenglie.

The tip of the sword was already close and threatening.

“General Huo. I didn’t expect to see you here, let alone like this.” Zhao Haicheng said coldly: “As expected of the God of War, you actually stopped our plan. But don’t you think it’s too much of a loss? You delayed the black powder, but damaged yourself. This is really a loss-making deal. How long can Great Zhou last without you? Let alone this place.”

Huo Fenglie looked at him coldly and didn’t reply. It seemed that he was trying to adjust his breathing, and couldn’t be bothered to speak to him.

As a military official, Zhao Haicheng was naturally curious about Huo Fenglie, but he didn’t speak much at this moment. The black powder had only exploded once, which attracted attention. It needed to be managed as soon as possible and rekindled.

“General Huo, I don’t want to kill you, but it can’t be helped. Remember that the person who killed you is named Zhao Haicheng! You can take it up with me in the underworld!” When he finished speaking, Zhao Haicheng was about to swing his sword down. Huo Fenglie was also ready to strike with all his strength, even though blood had started to drip from the corners of his mouth.

Suddenly, the sharp call of a horse sounded.

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed slightly, and Zhao Haicheng was startled by the sound. No horse could scream with such majesty, like the roar of a dragon.

Turning around, he saw an unexpected person arriving on horseback.

“Qing-ge…..” Astonished, Huo Fenglie quickly tried to stand up, but this time he vomited a mouthful of blood.

Liu Zhenqing could see nothing else. When he arrived, he immediately flew off the horse and supported Huo Fenglie, feeding him a life-saving pill. When he saw those blood-red eyes, Liu Zhenqing’s face paled. He quickly grabbed the other’s wrist to inspect it. The redness of his eyes was just a warning. If…..if…..

For a moment, Liu Zhenqing’s eyes were empty. The worst thing for Huo Fenglie was not that he had been injured by the black powder…..but that in order to stop the black powder, enduring the explosion pushed his body to the limit and caused him to lose control.

“Qing-ge, I’m sorry.”

“Shut up!” Liu Zhenqing said fiercely, “You promised me, but forgot about it? If something happens to you, I really…..really will…..”

Suddenly, he heard Huo Fenglie say: “I won’t die.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned. Looking down into Huo Fenglie’s eyes filled with attachment and worry, there was no extra energy left to restrain and hide those emotions.

Gritting his teeth, Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie with a heavy gaze. “You had better not. I…..won’t allow you to die. Not ever!”

Huo Fenglie nodded firmly, as if his perseverance could actually determine his life or death. But in the next moment, another mouthful of blood spurted out and Huo Fenglie fell unconscious. Now he was not even in a state of unbalanced internal force.

The thing his master had told them not to let happen had come to pass anyway. Liu Zhenqing didn’t know how far Huo Fenglie’s physical potential could stretch, but every step was like walking on the edge of a knife, and he could die at any time.

Although Zhao Haicheng was disrupted by Liu Zhenqing’s appearance, he immediately realized that he couldn’t miss this opportunity, and moved to kill Huo Fenglie.

But Chen Jiangyue continually raised its hooves to drive him away, rearing to intimidate him, and he struggled for a while.

When Zhao Haicheng slashed furiously with his sword, Chen Jiangyue leaped away.

And at this time, Zhao Haicheng saw Liu Zhenqing embracing Huo Fenglie tightly, with anxiety and fear written on his face.

Zhao Haicheng was slightly stunned. It was the first time he had seen such an expression on Liu Zhenqing’s face, and it seemed that this was his most real self.

Just as he was about to take action, an iron whip suddenly wrapped around his neck and a sword appeared in front of him.

He Lan and Qin Yu had arrived.

Zhao Haicheng was forced to his knees by He Lan, and he and Qin Yu gasped when they saw Huo Fenglie’s eyes.

“How is he?” He Lan asked.

Liu Zhenqing hugged Huo Fenglie, his expression as serious as the two men had ever seen before. He took out the Emperor’s Token from Huo Fenglie’s sleeve and tossed it to them.

“He Lan, take this with you and give it to Song Xingmu. Take Zhao Haicheng with you and force the navy to surrender! Clear out all the black powder and capture the rebels!” Liu Zhenqing made a prompt decision and issued these orders. He Lan reflexively reacted, and when he came to his senses, he stopped thinking about it and sent Qin Yu a look, about to knock Zhao Haicheng unconscious.

“You…..who are you!” Zhao Haicheng suddenly shouted. He had already noticed that Liu Zhenqing’s identity was unusual, and that Huo Fenglie seemed to have been Song Xingmu’s former guard. “What is your relationship with him?”

“None of your business,” Liu Zhenqing said coldly. “You will pay for what you’ve done.”

For a moment, Liu Zhenqing’s cold and aloof eyes seemed to cause Zhao Haicheng to think of someone from his memories.

Without waiting for Zhao Haicheng to say anything, He Lan knocked him unconscious and lifted him up. 

“What about you?” He Lan asked before leaving.

“Qin Yu, get Doctor Zhang from Wan Hall, Doctor Li from Huichun Hall, and Doctor Wang from the Lu Medical Center and take them to Song Xingmu’s other courtyard.” As Liu Zhenqing spoke, he sat Huo Fenglie up and then called Chen Jiangyue up, mounting the horse with him. “I’ll take Huo Fenglie back to the courtyard. There are plenty of medicinal materials and supplements first. His condition must be stabilized first.”

After listening to his explanation, Qin Yu flew away and He Lan also took Zhao Haicheng to begin work. Riding Chen Jiangyue, Liu Zhenqing carried Huo Fenglie all the way back to the other courtyard.

On the way back, he passed Huo Manor and called Uncle Ding to help.

Once the two had helped care for Huo Fenglie’s injuries, Qin Yu had coerced all the doctors to come over.

At first, they were all a little aggrieved. They thought it was too rude to invite people to Captain Song’s home, and they didn’t see Captain Song when they arrived. They were all strangers, so they became even more unhappy.

They only saw a weak, scholarly young man sitting by the bed and looking at them. “I know that these three are the best doctors in the area. They treated Yi Chuan before.”

One of the doctors cut in: “We did treat him before, but this time you are being too…..”

Liu Zhenqing raised his cold eyes and said directly: “I won’t talk nonsense to the three of you. You should know that there is a war going on outside. The person lying in bed is Huo Fenglie, the current General Who Guards the Country. If something happens to him…..you should know what will happen to you.”

When these words were spoken, the legs of the three doctors instantly became weak.

The General Who Guards the Country…..the great general!

Liu Zhenqing stepped aside, saying: “Even if you can’t heal him, you must save his life.”

The three men immediately stepped forward. Whether it was for the sake of the general or for the sake of their own lives, the three of them did their utmost.

Liu Zhenqing feared that his unstable mood would cause a disruption, so he walked outside with Qin Yu.

“Go and help,” Liu Zhenqing said exhaustedly.

Qin Yu patted Liu Zhenqing’s hand and said: “I’ll accompany you. If you have any orders, just tell me.”

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed, and he said: “In the case that…..that this doesn’t work, I need to take Fenglie to find the miracle doctor immediately.”

“Okay, I’ll escort you there.” Qin Yu said firmly: “The Great Zhou Dynasty cannot survive without Zhanyuan.”

Liu Zhenqing slowly closed his eyes and murmured in his heart: I cannot survive without Huo Fenglie.

The three doctors had good medical skills, but after repeated treatments, they all gave up one by one. Only when the last one came out did he say with trembling hands: “Three days at most.”

Liu Zhenqing’s breath cut off, his face turning blank.

Qin Yu said angrily: “What did you just say! Only three days!”

“This is already the limit! If you hadn’t found us so quickly, we wouldn’t have been able to get these three days!”

The three trembling doctors were gathered together. There was really nothing they could do.

Qin Yu looked at Liu Zhenqing. According to the location Liu Zhenqing had mentioned, it would be impossible to arrive in three days. Even if they took this person from one side and the miracle doctor rushed over from the other, it would take at least five days to meet up.

But Qin Yu couldn’t say that. He could only say: “They said three days, but Zhanyuan’s body is very strong. He will definitely last longer. We’ll find the doctor along the way!”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t seem to be as impacted as Qin Yu thought, nodding as he said: “En, he promised me that nothing will happen to him. Let’s prepare the carriage and set off immediately.”

“I’ll find He Lan. His qinggong is fast, and he can go pick up the miracle doctor!” Qin Yu turned around and left.

Liu Zhenqing went back into the room. Lao Ding shed tears as he said: “Young Master, I’ll go with you.”

Liu Zhenqing stepped forward to help Huo Fenglie and said calmly: “Okay.”

Lao Ding was old, and it felt wrong to see Liu Zhenqing so calm. He couldn’t help but worry: “Young Master, are you all right?”

“What could be wrong with me? Let’s act quickly.”

What could be wrong? He was just thinking that it would be his fault if Er-gou truly left, so he would just go with him.

The more Liu Zhenqing thought, the more he realized that it was no big deal. But his heart…..it hurt so much that it was numb, and even breathing had become laborious.

Suddenly, Qin Yu returned with a black-clothed doctor in his early twenties. As soon as he entered the door, he shouted almost out of control: “This guy suddenly appeared at the gate claiming to be the King of Hell! Do you know him?”

The three doctors and Lao Ding all jumped up. “The King of Hell?”

Nowadays, no more miracle doctors had appeared, and their activities were few. Only this King of Hell was indeed a famous miracle doctor, and he came from Medical Valley just like the previous generation of miracle doctors.

But Liu Zhenqing didn’t quite understand. He had never heard this name, but if he came from Medical Valley, he must be…..

When Liu Zhenqing looked at the young man who had been pulled inside, he was instantly stunned.

And when this young man looked around with an air of disdain, his eyes fell on Liu Zhenqing’s face and narrowed slightly with a gleam.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes reddened at once, and he said hoarsely: “Save him. You can do it for sure.”

The young man was taken aback for a moment, then scoffed coldly and stepped forward to check on Huo Fenglie’s condition.

Then an impatient voice sounded.

“Everyone, scram and stay out of the way. Just let my medicine boy at the door come in.”

As he spoke, the young man gave Liu Zhenqing a cold look and said, as if mocking him: “In any case, this half-assed doctor can’t help.”

---

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Chapter Ninety-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Five

In the morning, He Chuzhou went to the project site where construction had already started to inspect its progress, and at noon, he was dragged into a long lunch by a partner he met by chance.

A valuable lunch break was wasted for no profit.

In the afternoon, he rushed directly to the company. Yun Ji hurried to the data room, holding a stack of portfolios in his arms and saw him when he was passing by. He said quickly, “I signed for your express delivery yesterday and put it in your office for you.”

His steps didn’t pause until his figure disappeared.

He Chuzhou had long been accustomed to Yun Ji’s vigorous temperament. After asking the front desk for yesterday’s and today’s visitor list, he turned and went to his office.

The express delivery was placed in an obvious location on his desk. It was a small cardboard box, with the courier note on it torn in half and signed with Yun Ji’s name.

He Chuzhou was confident that he hadn’t bought something online, and even if he did, he wouldn’t have put the company’s address on it.

This was probably a new product sent by a technology company he had cooperated with.

He walked to his chair and sat down, then took a small utility knife from a drawer and cut through the layers of tape to open the box.

There was a cardboard box inside.

He Chuzhou took out the smaller box and proceeded to open it, putting the larger one to the side.

Inside was another cardboard box.

He Chuzhou: “……”

What was this? Who had sent him nesting doll boxes?

He picked up the outermost box and looked at the message. The sender was a stranger with the surname Gu, and his phone number was not familiar. In addition, there was a row of bold characters:

[Valuable goods! Please handle with care]

It was probably not a nesting doll.

He Chuzhou sighed and continued dismantling it.

One box after another until there was finally a white one, and upon opening it, the box was filled with foam balls.

He reached in and took a handful, and a white jadeite bracelet came out on his index finger.

He came to a sudden realization.

If a person who had recovered his memories wanted to draw a clear line, he must take steps to return this property to its original owner.

But sending a courier to give it to him? 

He was really a cheapskate.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he folded the boxes down and tossed them next to his desk. He put the bracelet in a drawer for now, then opened his computer and prepared to deal with the emails he had not had time to check that day.

There were three rapid knocks on the door, and Yun Ji hurriedly pushed it open and came in: “Cousin, there’s an urgent matter.”

He Chuzhou typed a reply to an email without looking up: “What urgent matter?”

Yun Ji: “Didn’t Mr. Zhang go abroad? Several emerging companies in the industry know that the land hasn’t been purchased yet, so they contacted Mr. Zhang’s assistant privately. It seems they want to have a secret liaison and seize the land while we and President Pei aren’t paying attention.”

He Chuzhou adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose and raised his head: “Emerging companies?”

Yun Ji nodded.

He Chuzhou: “The conditions proposed by Mr. Zhang are harsh. Can they all fulfill them?”

“That is not the case.” Yun Ji said: “But I’m afraid that sincerity will lead to success. If one of them somehow meets Mr. Zhang’s appetite, in principle—”

“If they are so easily shaken, principles can no longer be called principles.”

He Chuzhou lowered his head and continued to reply to emails: “Mr. Zhang is not the type of brainless rich man in TV dramas who is moved to tears when helped across the street and wants to give away his family property.”

Yun Ji: “You mean their efforts now are useless?”

He Chuzhou: “If you want to gain the secrets of martial arts, you must first ensure that you don’t die when you fall off a cliff. Do you think they’ll do well in their current condition?”

Yun Ji understood. His worries were relieved, and he was inspired again: “Since they did it, can we also contact Mr. Zhang remotely? Even if we can’t negotiate, we can more or less take the initiative.”

He Chuzhou paused his movements.

Yun Ji: “When Mr. Zhang returns from abroad, we can sincerely offer to sign the contract, and it will be too late for President Pei to intervene.”

Yun Ji: “How about it?”

Yun Ji: “?”

Yun Ji: “Why aren’t you speaking?”

He Chuzhou was stared at by doubtful eyes for a long moment, and finally looked away: “Forget it.”

Yun Ji didn’t understand: “Why?”

With a crisp click of the enter key, He Chuzhou sent the edited email: “A certain person has a bad temper and is difficult to control. If they find out, they may be so angry that they cry to death at home.”

Yun Ji: “?”

Yun Ji: “? ? ?”

Yun Ji: “Who? Aiyue?”

Yun Ji: “Why would she cry? Is she also a fan of Pei Xi? Does she want to give birth to his child?”

He Chuzhou: “…….”

He Chuzhou: “You’re ridiculous, go and do your work.”

He kicked the boxes to Yun Ji’s feet: “Throw these away on your way out.”

*

*

Because He Chuzhou would be present at the 2 o’clock meeting, management proactively filled the conference room five minutes early.

He Chuzhou had no choice but to forgo making a cup of coffee, and went in.

The writer of the summary and planning report was a new employee, and was still a little nervous when explaining the Powerpoint. He glanced at He Chuzhou from time to time where he was sitting in the front seat on the right, and occasionally stumbled over a word or two.

When he saw the cellphone in front of He Chuzhou light up, he subconsciously stopped talking.

However, he found that the other person had no intention of answering. He just glanced at it briefly and continued to look at the Powerpoint projection.

The new employee could only resume talking.

In the following period, the phone lit up repeatedly four or five times, automatically hanging up when no one answered.

Finally, when he was switching to the next presentation file, he saw He Chuzhou press the answer key.

For fear of disturbing his boss’s call, he immediately slowed down and lowered the volume, ready to wait.

From a short distance, he heard He Chuzhou say, when he connected “President Pei, do you have some other advice?” And then he said nothing more.

It was just that after a brief moment of shock, there were subtle and fleeting micro-expressions on his face.

President Pei……?

He held his breath, thinking, it couldn’t be the President Pei he knew of, right?

The call didn’t last long, and He Chuzhou finally hung up after saying, “I’m in a meeting.”

He put down his cellphone and tapped on the desktop to bring the new employee back to his senses: “Continue.”

“O-Okay.”

The new employee immediately clicked play. The full conference room was silent aside from his slightly jerky but clear and logical explanation.

Half a minute later, the person in the forefront suddenly stood up.

Under the gazes of many people, He Chuzhou picked up the phone without a change of expression: “I have another urgent matter. You all continue. Yun Ji, send the meeting notes to my email later.”

*

*

The address for Pei Xi’s home was sent by Yun Ji previously, along with the address and contact information for Pei Xi’s parents.

He Chuzhou hurried to follow the address there. It wasn’t too far. It was a high-rise community, and it was only when he arrived that He Chuzhou realized that Pei Xi was located on the top floor.

He lived alone at such a high place?

Viewing everything from on high was indeed in line with this person’s lofty character.

There was one elevator for each individual household, but the elevator did not lead directly to the living room. After exiting the elevator, He Chuzhou turned into the hallway and knocked on the door.

There was no response.

Had he fallen asleep?

He returned the call that he had just received in the conference room. When the call connected, the person on the other end didn’t speak, but shallow breathing could be heard.

He Chuzhou: “Come and open the door.”

This time, there was no sound of breathing from the other end.

The home’s soundproofing was so good that He Chuzhou couldn’t hear any footsteps inside, but he soon heard the sound of the door lock being opened.

The door was opened from the inside right after, and a figure jumped straight into his arms, wrapping his arms around his waist to hug him tightly.

He Chuzhou was pushed back half a step by this reckless charge and caught him steadily.

“What’s the rush? I’m not going anywhere.”

He Chuzhou grasped the back of his neck angrily: “Stop burying your head, look up.”

Pei Xi didn’t move, and even held him tighter. From He Chuzhou’s perspective, only a section of fair skin on his neck and the dark back of his head could be seen.

He Chuzhou simply picked him up, walked two steps inside, and placed him on the cabinet at the side of the entranceway.

The height was just right. He Chuzhou leaned down slightly and put his hands on both sides of the cabinet, trapping Pei Xi in front of him.

It was also at this moment that he discovered that Pei Xi’s eyelids were a little swollen and his eyes were shining as if he had just cried.

“You cried like this after I didn’t answer your calls a few times. Why didn’t you have mercy when you kicked me?”

Pei Xi said nothing, and looked straight at him with the corners of his mouth pursed, grievance and stubbornness written all over his face.

He Chuzhou clicked his tongue and casually brushed away the small strands of hair stuck to Pei Xi’s forehead: “Weren’t you fine this morning? How did something go wrong again?”

Pei Xi still didn’t speak, but his eyes reddened at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the mist in his eyes quickly condensed into tears that didn’t fall.

He Chuzhou: “…….”

He Chuzhou: “I can’t believe you!”

He practically squeezed the words between his teeth, and pinched one of Pei Xi’s cheeks without daring to exert any force: “White-eyed wolf, you’re just determined to take advantage of me, aren’t you?”

When he finished speaking, the tears in Pei Xi’ eyes fell uncontrollably.

“……”

He Chuzhou took a long breath and resigned himself to his fate, then bent down and hugged this person: “Fine. I was wrong, okay? I left behind a room full of employees to come here, so don’t feel wronged.”

Pei Xi buried his face in his shoulder, and his voice was unsteady: “Why did you leave me here alone?”

The fraudulently blamed He Chuzhou was speechless for a long moment, and finally came up with a reasonable explanation: “You ran away from home.”

The person on his shoulder fell silent.

After a while, a small, confused voice said: “I…..I ran away from home? Why?”

He Chuzhou: “Because you said that none of the dishes I cooked were to your taste. You were very angry, and kicked me before leaving.”

“……?”

After a long moment, Pei Xi raised his head. The crimson at the corners of his eyes had not faded, but at least there were no further signs of tears: “I…..kicked you?”

Knowing that this person didn’t remember anything when he was in his right mind, He Chuzhou deceived him without any guilt: “Yes, ah, you kicked me. You kicked me hard. My ribs still hurt.”

Pei Xi was dubious: “Chuzhou, I wouldn’t be so unreasonable.”

He Chuzhou: “Would you like to see where you kicked me?”

Pei Xi nodded earnestly: “Okay.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

“Forget it, I’m afraid you’ll feel guilty when you see it.”

He Chuzhou touched the tip of his nose and stood up straight: “Go change clothes and pack your things. I’ll…..take you home first.”

Pei Xi nodded and took He Chuzhou to his bedroom. Taking out a set of clothes from the wardrobe, he began to change.

His body without fabric covering it had little to do with the concept of strength. It was slender, well-proportioned, and extraordinarily beautiful.

He Chuzhou didn’t expect his lack of shyness, and was caught off guard. It was too late to leave, so he could only cover his lips with a light cough and turn away uneasily.

It was quite strange. They were both men, so why did it feel like something was wrong when Pei Xi took his clothes off in front of him?

There was a small suitcase in the corner of the room. He Chuzhou walked over and picked it up to take a look. It was empty.

He thought for a while as he waited for Pei Xi to finish changing, then took the suitcase to the wardrobe and took a few sets of Pei Xi’s clothes to put inside it.

Pei Xi asked no questions when he saw this. Judging from his expression, he probably felt that there was a reason he was doing this.

While He Chuzhou was folding pajamas into the suitcase, he crouched beside him with his arms folded. His expression was indifferent, but his eyes were very focused.

He Chuzhou was once again reminded of his grandma’s cat. It would squat to the side and watch curiously for a long time whenever somebody did something.

If there was any difference between them, perhaps it was that Pei Xi could only stare but not dig into him.

When He Chuzhou was about to close the box, Pei Xi suddenly said: “Chuzhou.”

He Chuzhou: “En?”

Pei Xi: “You said I ran away from home, but why don’t I remember at all?”

He Chuzhou: “Because you drank too much.”

Pei Xi: “Drank too much?”

He Chuzhou: “Yes, ah. You were so drunk that you couldn’t walk steadily. I had to carry you to the car and carry you while walking.”

Pei Xi was silent for a moment: “I was so drunk that I had no strength, so how could I still kick your ribs black and blue?”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou turned to him with a hiss: “You—”

“I’m sorry.” Pi Xi suddenly apologized.

He Chuzhou was taken aback: “What?”

Pei Xi reflected on himself with single-hearted devotion: “I vaguely remember being drunk, but I have no memories after that. It’s possible I don’t remember because of the alcohol.”

“I shouldn’t have disrespected the fruits of your labor, kicked you, or run away from home unreasonably, and shouldn’t have delayed your business at work. I will make amends and never do it again. Can you forgive me?”

This apology was so sincere that He Chuzhou couldn’t answer for a while.

This was too good.

He bit his cheek in thought.

What was the difference between seducing him and bullying him?

But…..

Anyway, he wouldn’t remember when he was in his right mind. Pei Xi had upset him, so it was reasonable for him to bully Pei-calico.

Thinking of this, his lips curved and he reached out to scratch Pei Xi’s chin: “It’s no use calling me Chuzhou. Call me gege.”

Pei Xi blinked his eyes cutely. Under He Chuzhou’s gaze, he changed his words obediently and said in his uniquely soft, clear voice: 

“Gege.”

---

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Chapter 11 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 13

There are good people and bad people in this world, but most of them are difficult to judge. 

I used to think that Wen Mingcheng was a gentle and tender man, but later found out that this was not the case. A lot of what he did was beyond my expectations, but people are inherently incapable of looking closely at something they can’t bear. Perhaps he was like that too.

I was with him firstly because he loved me, and secondly because he was a good person.

Now, I have doubts about whether he was such a good person. Did he love me?

Of course he loved me a lot in the eyes of others, but what about in my eyes?

I’ve been thinking about it for a long time these days. Quite a lot.

I tried to ask him in my dreams, but he just looked at me without answering.

I can’t help but dwell on the half of my life I spent with him.

When we were children, we played childish games and roughhoused, and our hearts were moved by the beautiful emotions of the young. We held hands and blushed with palpitating hearts, fell in love young in a foreign country, and later married.

Together we experienced the cool spring, hot and luxurious summers, the refreshing autumn sun, and the cold, chilling winters.

I heard his heartbeat, looked into his eyes, and felt his hair passing through my fingers.

From the age of ten to nearly thirty, his appearance reflected the passage of time. I appreciated the flowers he planted and felt the changing of the seasons. I slept in his arms and felt him day after day, witnessed his life and death and understood how unpredictable life is.

He participated in the first half of my life, and I walked with him throughout it.

It is difficult to see through the human heart, but feelings are the hardest to hide. If anyone can truly tell whether he loved me or not, I am the only one who can besides him.

I know he loved me.

. . . . . . .

“This is Master Mei Yin. A-Zhen, come and greet the master.”

My mother leads me to a suburban courtyard, where I meet a mage who is said to be able to help me recall the souls of the dead.

A middle-aged man wearing loose, gauzy white robes sits on a futon. When he hears my greeting, he raises his head and smiles at me.

He is quite old, and has many fine lines on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes, but his features are kind and there is nothing uncomfortable about the way he looks at people.

He is dressed like a monk, but I doubt he is a monk, because he has short hair.

But this is not important. What is important is whether or not he can help me recall the souls of the dead.

“Have you brought everything?” He looks me over from top to bottom before speaking.

“I brought it.” I carry the box forward, opening it in front of him. Inside are some of Mingcheng’s clothes from when he was alive, pictures of us as children, and our wedding rings and wedding pictures.

He checks these things one by one. About half an hour passes, and then he raises his head and looks at me.

His eyes are like ice and snow melting after being exposed to the sun, with a very tranquil warmth.

“It is not difficult if you simply want to recall the soul of the deceased.”

I don’t know if what he’s saying is true, but this sentence makes me happy. “What do I need to do?”

But he smiles and shakes his head. “The soul of the deceased needs to have the name and identity of a living person when he returns to the world, but these are already occupied now, aren’t they?”

This sentence makes me pause, and I look at him in disbelief.

He knows there is an imposter.

In fact, I didn’t really believe in recalling the souls of the dead before this. In other words, I didn’t fully believe that someone would have this ability, but even if he was a charlatan, I would still be willing to comfort myself in my brief free time during the day.

But his words truly give me hope. My hands on my knees begin to shake uncontrollably. Although I don’t know if he is a monk or not, he is wearing a Buddhist cassock, so I clasp my hands and beg him, “Yes, please help me and my loved one!”

He doesn’t agree immediately, but motions for my mother to leave first.

My mother hesitates for a moment, but sees my eager appearance and leaves.

After she leaves, Master Mei Yin stands from the futon. He takes a few leisurely steps before me and says to me after a few minutes: “The existence that occupies your husband’s place is different from ordinary dead souls. Logically speaking, it cannot be sent away, but it is not completely impossible. It’s only that, if it fails…..”

“Your soul will leave your body within a few short days. In short, you will die. Do you dare?”

Do I dare?

In fact, I’m really just an ordinary person who longs for simple happiness, but I have experienced the deaths of two close loved ones in this life. I was still young when my father died. After he was gone, my family lost its protection. Later, Mingcheng always protected me, and after he died, I lost my happy life.

What else can I be afraid of?

I answer him firmly: “Please help me.”

About an hour later, I sit in a windowless room, holding a long black awl in my hands.

With me in the center, there is a circle about four meters in diameter with red strips of cloth and white candles. I wear Mingcheng’s clothes on my body, and his birth date is written all over these clothes in my blood.

Master Mei Yin wears red and black ceremonial clothing and dances a strange and abnormal dance around me with his feet bare.

It is like an ancient sacrifice, and I hear murmured words coming from his mouth.

“……Yin and Yang, Eight Trigrams, Qian Radical, Xun and Kun…..”

“If the open fire does not alight, the dark water will return to the pond…..”

The burning candles are extinguished one by one with deer tears mixed with cinnabar, and a strange smell fills the air.

I don’t know how much time has passed when he suddenly stops the ritual dance. He takes out a dark black snake from his sleeve, then feeds the blood he had obtained from cutting my wrist in advance into the snake’s mouth.

Then I watch him kill the snake with a knife, and the blood spurting out of the snake’s body extinguishes the last candle.

At this moment, the wind begins to rise in the windowless room.

The wind stirs up a thick black mist, flooding everything like a tide. Gradually, the figure of Master Mei Yin slowly vanishes, and I can only see the things within the circle of red strips of cloth.

The sound of footsteps slowly approaches from far away.

It is the sound of men’s leather shoes hitting the ground.

I know this voice.

“You came.”

The man behind smiles, his voice without warmth. “How could I not come after all this trouble? You don’t actually have to go through so much trouble if you want to see me. We see each other every day, don’t we?”

I squeeze the long awl in my hand. It is cold, and so are my hands.

Master Mei Yin told me to pierce his heart with it and kill him. As long as I can successfully kill him, Mingcheng can come back. But we both know it will be difficult. I can’t kill him, but I still chose this method.

He goes down on one knee beside me and puts an arm around my shoulders. The other hand grips my hand holding the long awl. His tone is very sad. “You see, this is always how you are. You are obviously very weak, but always so stubborn. You stubbornly love that person, you’re stubbornly against me, and stubbornly unwilling to let yourself go.”

His fingers tap the long awl in my hand. “Do you know what will happen if you fail to kill me?”

I know. “I will die.”

He says: “Do you think I will let you kill me?”

I smile: “No.”

The false smile on his face disappears in an instant, and his voice is extremely cold: “So you are seeking death?”

Even though I’m about to die, I don’t feel afraid. I actually smile and say easily: “I don’t know. I probably don’t want to die. I want to cherish this life, but every day, I don’t know what to do.”

The “person” next to me is silent for a long while. He stands up and walks to me, then leans down toward me. I see the pain and regret welling up in his eyes. “A-Zhen, if I hadn’t pushed you so hard, would you have still done this?”

“I don’t know.” I still say this, because I really don’t know, and it shouldn’t be the reason that is guiding me now.

He slowly kneels down before me and holds my face in his hands, looking at me. “Then, if I become what you like about him, no, I will be gentler than him. I will also learn the oil painting you enjoy and do the things you like with you. Will you……will you slowly accept me?”

This time, I don’t speak.

He looks at me deeply, as if he has received the answer he wants, and suddenly gives me a sincere smile. “A-Zhen, I won’t let you die.”

After saying this, he stands abruptly and stretches his hands toward the thick darkness outside the circle.

“Ah!”

A shrill scream suddenly stops midway. Then the wind once again starts blowing inside the room. The extinguished candle emits a weak flame and then goes out, repeatedly swaying in the wind.

His eyes begin to turn blood-red. His gaze is sharp, his appearance like an evil ghost, and his entire body is full of a murderous aura.

Horrified, I drop my awl and step forward to stop him. “I asked him to do this, don’t kill him!”

He turns back and gives me a solemn smile. “I’ll kill him and put his blood on you. Then you can get out of here.”

“No—”

The sound of breaking bones rings in my ears, and there is also the faint sound of struggling.

A person is dying.

He is determined to kill Master Mei Yin, but in the next second, he lets him go.

Because I kneel at his feet.

He seems stunned, and looks down at me with a rare confusion in his eyes.

Like a child who has done something wrong, he drops that person and takes a few steps back, then hurries forward. “A-Zhen…..”

I kneel on the ground. There should be no expression of grief on my face, but my tears fall like rain. “I know I can’t kill you, so I don’t want to kill you today. I can’t explain why I’m doing this. Maybe I have no way to deal with you. Only in this way will you listen to my opinions.”

He tries to pull me up, but I resist, so he kneels in front of me and looks at me.

“Go. I know you’re not an ordinary ghost. I’m sorry that you’re here because of me and Mingcheng. Go back to your homeland. If you leave me be, you’ll be considered successful and you won’t die. This can be considered as the best of both worlds.”

His palms hold my face, and my tears flow all over his hands.

When I raise my eyes again, I find that he is crying.

It is a very silent weeping. His face is extremely handsome, like a perfect but lifeless handicraft. Two lines of blood and tears flow from the corners of his eyes. Fearsome marks are etched into his white porcelain face, dripping from his chin to the ground.

“I can’t leave, A-Zhen.’

“Your soul is tied to my body. If I leave, your soul will immediately vanish.”

I am stunned. “What…..”

“Didn’t you notice? I can find you no matter where you are.”

His hand moves to my back, pulling me close, and then he slowly lowers his head and gently presses his forehead against mine.

“I used to like the connection between us. I used to think you were uniquely mine, but I didn’t expect that I would be overly conceited and push you to this point.”

“I’m sorry. I became jealous when I saw you paying respects to his portrait.”

He kisses my eyes and whispers: “I can’t leave, but it’s not impossible to get rid of me.”

I watch him take a black doll out of nowhere.

The doll is exquisitely made, with various ancient sacrificial inscriptions and complicated patterns covering its body. On its head are long-lost pure Eastern pearls.

The Black Nanjia.

He never let me find it, so I gave up. Now, he takes it out himself.

“The fake monk’s skills are limited, and I have no heart. The deer blood awl cannot kill me, but it can kill it.”

He places the long awl back into my hand, holding the awl-bearing hand pointing it at the Black Nanjia. He raises his eyebrows and smiles at me. “This is my medium in the world. If you stab it, I will disappear and never be able to haunt you again.”

I raise my eyes blankly and look at him, and I’m stung by the soft smile in his eyes. I have only seen this look in Mingcheng’s eyes. This is an emotion that only a lover can have.

And over the long years, I had accidentally caught Mingcheng gazing at me like this many times, and I can confirm that this person loves me.

I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my heart, and can’t stab down with the awl no matter what.

He is not my Minghceng. I still don’t know what he is, but he knows what it’s like to love someone, so the love in his eyes still hurts me.

“You’re hesitating.” I see his sincere smile again. Curved eyebrows, slender eyelashes, tenderness.

“Don’t forget me,” he says.

In the next second, he grabs my hand and abruptly stabs down.

The black doll is extremely sturdy, and the sharp point of the long awl shatters instantly when it pierces through.

But all of the candles around me suddenly rekindle.

A curtain of darkness rushes toward him, wrapping around his body and face. He lowers his hands to his sides and raises his slender neck. His tall figure is submerged in the darkness, as if he is being eaten away by it.

I suddenly reach out to him and want to call his name, but then I remember that he has no name at all, and my hands only grasp air.

The darkness vanishes, and so does he.

I remain sitting here. The tears on my face are cold.

And the middle-aged monk gets up again, singing with a hoarse voice.

“The darkness is gone, the dead are resurrected…..”

“The dead soul returns—”

At the same time, I hear an urgent cry.

“A-Zhen—”

I recall where I first heard that cry, in a violent collision between two cars. At the critical life or death moment, the person beside me cried out and protected me firmly.

From then on, life and death were only a thin line apart.

I suddenly turn around: “Mingcheng!”

——-

The Author Has Something to Say:

Don’t worry, there will be a happy ending, and no one will die except the father-in-law.

---

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Chapter 27 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 29

Liu Zhenqing had just gone out and was looking around. He quickly recalled the topography of the island from his memory, following it to a place with few people and no firelight.

But not far away, there was suddenly the boom of artillery. 

Liu Zhenqing’s hope instantly ignited. It was Song Xingmu and the others. He calculated the time, and it was earlier than expected. Liu Zhenqing couldn’t manage much anymore, and staggered toward the place where war was breaking out.

There was noise around from time to time, and the sounds of people running. Liu Zhenqing had to carefully avoid the crowds and try his best to reach the shore, but as he walked, his vision blurred and his body began to shake continuously. With no strength remaining, Liu Zhenqing could only hide behind a tree, breathing hard. His left hand was numb from being pierced, and he was about to switch to his right hand when there were sudden footsteps in the grass.

A figure covered in blood rushed out, and he suddenly saw Liu Zhenqing sitting there. He was actually one of his captors from the ship.

“You’re trying to run away!” The man was furious. “Did you draw them here?!”

Liu Zhenqing no longer had the strength to flee, so he could only say: “I don’t know. I came out to find your boss.”

But at this juncture, the man had no rationality to speak of and naturally would not listen to the other’s deception. He only heard the man say angrily: “Laozi will take your head and send it to Song Xingmu!”

As he spoke, the blade in his hand was about to fall.

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. There was nothing he could do. In the past, it was difficult for Liu Zhenqing to panic when encountering danger, not only due to habit, but also because he felt that dying would not be a big deal.

But now, in this life, he panicked. He really didn’t want to die, ah.

Holding tight to the scroll, he blocked in front of himself.

His mouth instinctively called for help.

“Er-gou! Save me!”

Although he didn’t understand what Liu Zhenqing shouted, it made the person pause for a moment.

At this moment, a whistling sound could be heard in the forest.

A cold black shadow shuttled through like a sharp arrow. Before the man could react, a flying sword penetrated his head with such force that it pinned him directly to the trunk of the tree.

Liu Zhenqing saw clearly that it was the Chunjun Sword.

He was really about to cry with joy. Even though he couldn’t see clearly, he reflexively opened his arms. “Er-gou!”

The moment he shouted, a figure descended and a solid form picked him up, holding him tightly in his arms.

The force of the hug seemed to crush Liu Zhenqing.

“Qing-ge…..”

The hoarse voice sounded, and Liu Zhenqing was no longer flustered.

Liu Zhenqing hugged the person who had arrived tightly, nuzzled him, and called out almost coquettishly: “What are you doing here, ah. You almost missed seeing me.”

Huo Fenglie trembled all over. He held him tighter, and his voice almost began to shake. “Sorry, I’m late. I should…..should have guarded you every step of the way. I’m sorry, Qing-ge.”

Huo Fenglie slowly raised his eyes as he spoke. The dark red in them was like the deep sea. He was on the verge of losing control, but suppressed it with his internal force. This situation had begun when he learned from Yi Chuan that Liu Zhenqing had been kidnapped. Because he couldn’t afford to lose control, he did his utmost to suppress it.

Even now, holding Liu Zhenqing tightly could not relieve his pain.

Liu Zhenqing was unaware, and had no idea how dangerous Huo Fenglie currently was. He only tried to calm his emotions. Patting Huo Fenglie, he spoke again: “I’m fine, I’m fine. I haven’t encountered any danger, it’s just…..just that they drugged me, and now I’m…..”

Holding him so tightly, Liu Zhenqing believed that Huo Fenglie must feel it.

A cannon abruptly sounded nearby, and the shock cut off Liu Zhenqing’s words. In the next second, Huo Fenglie picked him up.

The fleet that followed Huo Fenlgie ashore had already begun to attack the island. Qin Yu and He Lan had gone to arrest the rebel leader. Song Xingmu stood on the bow of a ship and looked into the distance, taking control of the situation. Very soon, he saw Huo Fenglie leap over with Liu Zhenqing in his arms.

Song Xingmu was shocked. Even though he had seen Huo Fenglie before, now Liu Zhenqing was with him.

Before Song Xingmu could ask, he noticed the strange appearance of Liu Zhenqing in Huo Fenglie’s arms.

“This…..”

Liu Zhenqing said through gritted teeth: “Zhao Haicheng and his men are all on the island, and at least half the people there are rebels rather than islanders. I was kidnapped.”

Huo Fenglie also said: “Fifty thousand troops have also arrived in Ming’an Prefecture. The leader of the army was once my subordinate, and is trustworthy. They have been sent out to surround the area where the navy is located, and are waiting in hiding for us to return and make arrangements.”

Huo Fenglie had arranged everything so that he didn’t have to worry when going back for Liu Zhenqing.

Song Xingmu looked in astonishment at the two people who reported everything calmly in the face of such a situation. “Um, you……”

“Zhao Haicheng’s men drugged me.”

Song Xingmu was stunned. “Zhao Haicheng wanted you. Have you been…..”

He choked up mid-sentence. He saw that Liu Zhenqing’s collar had been ripped and became furious.

“No! Although I couldn’t fight him, I could still deceive him to stall for time. The effect of this drug will not cause someone to lose their mind.” Liu Zhenqing spoke quickly, not wanting Huo Fenglie to misunderstand. “I was not taken advantage of at all!”

Song Xingmu coughed. “It’s thanks to your strong willpower.” As he spoke, he also looked at Huo Fenglie. Inexplicably, he seemed to see that Huo Fenglie’s eyes…..were a little red.

Huo Fenglie asked at once: “He didn’t bring any antidote pills. Where are yours?”

Liu Zhenqing had given Song Xingmu a bottle and hadn’t taken it back.

Song Xingmu stared blankly at Huo Fenglie. Now…..it seemed that Huo Fenglie was no longer needed…..

He looked again at Liu Zhenqing, who was curled up in Huo Fenglie’s arms. Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing glanced over, and with this one look, his brother understood.

“I didn’t bring it with me either. I gave it to Yi Chuan. Is the drug deadly?” Song Xingmu said with a worried face, “But we can’t leave immediately, we have to arrest those people.”

Huo Fenglie froze, and Liu Zhenqing whispered: “I won’t die. Er-gou, carry me to a room.”

He lowered his head and responded in a low voice, then turned and walked into the cabin.

Song Xingmu looked back, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. “Brother, I can only help you so far!”

It was practically pitch-black inside the cabin, and even though a candle was lit, the light was dim.

Liu Zhenqing was placed on the bed, and he immediately curled up in discomfort. He pulled his clothes off in front of Huo Fenglie without any scruples. It was too hot.

“Qing-ge, your hand…..” Huo Fenglie quickly grabbed his bleeding left hand.

However, Liu Zhenqing pulled Huo Fenglie onto the bed, hugging him and rubbing against him.

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed drastically, and the restless crimson in his eyes suddenly seemed to waver.

“Qing…..”

Before he could say a word, his mouth was blocked by Liu Zhenqing’s kiss.

This time, Liu Zhenqing was not going to let Huo Fenglie go, but the other raised his hands to push him away.

Liu Zhenqing looked at him with blank eyes, a hint of concealed anger on his face.

“Qing-ge, you’re not in your right mind now. Don’t do this…..”

Liu Zhenqing could clearly hear the instability in Huo Fenglie’s voice: “Er-gou…..I’m uncomfortable.”

He had to use gentleness to overcome strength. As expected, as soon as he said this, the strength in Huo Fenglie’s hands relaxed a bit.

Liu Zhenqing seized the opportunity to take advantage.

But in the next second, a familiar cold breeze hit.

Liu Zhenqing said quickly: “If you knock me out, you’re finished!”

Huo Fenglie’s raised hand froze. “Qing-ge…..”

Raising his head, Liu Zhenqing gave him a furious glare. This stupid dog!

But soon after, there were no superfluous emotions in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes. After all, this was Huo Fenglie, his Er-gou. The initial properties of the drug amplified almost tenfold when he was in front of this person.

Liu Zhenqing was in no mood to endure it any longer, so he grabbed Huo Fenglie’s hand and pulled it down…..

Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank, and the red in his eyes turned into a storm.

Liu Zhenqing’s almost ethereal voice came to his ears: “Er-gou, help me.”

. . . . . . .

When Liu Zhenqing awoke, he was alone in the cabin. It was dark outside, and the ship was sailing quickly.

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his head to look. He saw clean underwear and sheets, a bandaged hand, and hot tea and food on the table next to him.

He tried to stand up, but his legs were extremely weak. He didn’t know how many rounds they went last night, but he was exhausted. His memory was actually a bit fuzzy due to the effects of the drug, but he still remembered the key points. Especially now that he recalled it over and over again, he wanted to engrave those beautiful moments deep into his memory.

He remembered that after finally easing the effects of the drug, they could have stopped there.

However, Liu Zhenqing was greedy, and did not let Er-gou stop. He pretended like the drug still had some potency, and tried to help Er-gou.

But this movement seemed to instantly wake Huo Fenglie up. The restraint he had lost was immediately restored, and he moved his body wordlessly, not allowing Liu Zhenqing to touch him.

Thinking about it now, Liu Zhenqing was really disappointed. What did it mean that he would rather endure discomfort rather than let him touch him? However, Liu Zhenqing definitely couldn’t mull it over carefully at the time, and in the end, he accepted the unilateral help.

Although it was not perfect, it was an authentic first contact. Liu Zhenqing was so happy that he almost started to regret not enjoying this treatment earlier, and that he had been a man for so many years in vain.

Huo Fenglie, on the other hand, endured it all night with no fear of damaging his body.

Liu Zhenqing griped in dissatisfaction while getting dressed, then went out with difficulty.

As soon as he went out, he saw several people conversing on the deck.

As soon as they heard movement, the group looked over. Liu Zhenqing just looked straight at Huo Fenglie. There was a reflexive sweetness in his heart, and he called out softly: “Fenglie.”

This sound was just like the night before when everything started. At first it was simply lending a hand, but then he called for him. Huo Fenglie had lowered his head. Liu Zhenqing caught him. This time, the kiss was more than a simple kiss. Even though he was unskilled, it caused Huo Fenglie’s complete suppression of himself to fail. He fought back like a provoked wolfhound. Liu Zhenqing almost couldn’t take a breath.

Now that he thought about it, Er-gou was rather talented.

Oh, right. It seemed like this was not his first lover.

Damn, he was so jealous, ah. Who was so lucky, ah? Er-gou was so good at kissing.

As he thought, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but purse his lips.

Huo Fenglie looked at him first, and when he saw Liu Zhenqing purse his lips, his cheeks turned red. His eyes were averted, but he approached in a well-behaved manner and quickly found a cloak to put on Liu Zhenqing.

“The wind is cold at sea,” Huo Fenglie whispered.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t care that there were three people watching the show next to him. He just looked sideways at the one who got him the cloak, looked at the marks on his neck, and asked while feigning ignorance: “Did I do all that on your neck? Was I so cruel?”

Two sentences made Song Xingmu and He Lan let out their breath in a puff, and they gave him a thumbs up. The corners of Qin Yu’s lips twitched too as he tried to keep a hold of himself.

The pitiful Huo Fenglie froze. As if he didn’t dare pretend not to have heard, he just gave a low hum.

However, Liu Zhenqing drew closer and said: “I’m really sorry. I thought I would be the best at making love, but I didn’t expect that I would bite someone.”

In fact, it was after a certain person refused to touch or kiss him last night that he just buried his head in his neck to evade, telling him not to raise his head again. That just forced him to bite him.

Huo Fenglie seemed to remember this, and his expression froze. In the end, he couldn’t say a word.

Watching the excitement, Song Xingmu said: “Did the two of you spend last night in conjugal bliss? Should I wait for the wedding wine?”

Without waiting for Liu Zhenqing’s reply, Huo Fenglie said directly: “No, don’t talk nonsense.”

Song Xingmu choked and looked at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief. Nothing had happened?

Huo Fenglie turned to find Liu Zhenqing narrowing his eyes at him with an unhappy expression. He was momentarily at a loss.

Liu Zhenqing said directly, “Yes, ah. We’re all men here, and we don’t have to take responsibility if we touch. Right, General Huo?”

Not to mention the other two, even Yi Chuan started to cough.

A chill ran down Huo Fenglie’s spine, and he looked at Liu Zhenqing with childlike, panicked eyes.

Liu Zhenqing stopped paying attention to him and stepped forward to ask: “How is it going?”

When it came to business, he would naturally stop playing around.

Song Xingmu said with a frown: “We’re rushing back now.”

“That person wasn’t caught?”

“More than a hundred people died and more than three hundred were arrested, but Zhao Haicheng wasn’t there,” Song Xingmu said.

“The rebel leaders we know of weren’t there either. The moment we landed on the island, they gave up resisting and abandoned the island, leaving most of them behind to delay us.” He Lan said: “The weapons and black powder are gone. It’s clear they had planned to give up that place long ago, it’s just that our arrival caused them to act in advance. That’s why they were able to respond so quickly.”

“It stands to reason that we should return to shore and join the other thirty thousand navy troops,” Qin Yu said.

“So now we need to dock elsewhere to join the 50,000 strong army.” Song Xingmu looked at Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing also took the time to tell them everything he had learned.

Because they were sailing so fast, they could already see the coastline as they spoke.

While the others were busy, Liu Zhenqing had his head bowed, deep in thought. He felt that there was some hidden problem, and he was uneasy.

Suddenly, a figure blocked the rising sun.

Liu Zhenqing looked up to see Huo Fenglie’s face, full of suppressed uneasiness. “Qing-ge, will you come with me?”

Liu Zhenqing raised an eyebrow and said: “I won’t.”

Huo Fenglie panicked. “Qing-ge, are you…..are you angry with me?”

“Yo, you’ve noticed. Then can you guess what I’m angry about?”

Huo Fenglie’s expression froze. “Because when you were out of control…..I touched you.”

Liu Zhenqing instantly pulled Huo Fenglie’s ear in fury. “I asked for your help. I remember this.”

Huo Fenglie regarded him with an extremely confused expression, dumbfounding Liu Zhenqing.

“Okay, Huo Fenglie, don’t take him with you. His safety is guaranteed this time.” Song Xingmu came over at this moment and said: “Yi Chuan will also go back with him and stay behind the fifty-thousand-strong army. If someone wants to get close to him, they’ll have to get through all of us, so it will be very safe. His body is weak now, is it reasonable for you to drag him around with you?”

It was indeed unreasonable, but Huo Fenglie was very frightened and wished he could carry Liu Zhenqing around with him.

Liu Zhenqing patted Huo Fenglie and said: “Business first. I will wait for you to return in triumph.” As he spoke, he leaned in toward Huo Fenglie’s ear. “Er-gou, this is a problem left over from Qing-ge’s past. I can’t solve it, so it’s up to you.”

Huo Fenglie’s eyes flashed. He gave Liu Zhenqing a resolute look and said: “En, leave all of your problems to me.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled. Yes, ah, just leave it to Er-gou. There is no need to bear it alone.

After watching the army leave, He Lan and Qin Yu also took action alone. Liu Zhenqing and Yi Chuan remained in the command tent.

Liu Zhenqing apologized to Yi Chuan with a smile. The corners of Yi Chuan’s mouth twitched. “I didn’t protect you well. If I’m useless the next time something like that happens, just stab me to death.”

Liu Zhenqing regarded the restless Yi Chuan with a smile and said: “Want to go out?”

“En.” Yi Chuan looked down at the map on the desk and said, “I feel so uneasy……”

Liu Zhenqing also looked at the map. He smiled: “As long as they’re here, nothing will…..”

His expression suddenly changed. Looking at the map in front of him, he suddenly recalled the map in Zhao Haicheng’s room.

The black powder was gone. Those people had long intended to leave the island. Zhao Haicheng said they would be buried in a sea of fire.

The governor was also warned to move out, and the location of the governor’s manor was…..

A terrible suspicion gradually formed in Liu Zhenqing’s mind, and he suddenly gave a shout: “This is bad!”

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Chapter Ninety-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Four

T/N: Thank you to ray0312 for the Kofi donation! Here’s a double update!

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On the dark sea, dozens of warships silently gathered behind the desert island not far away. There was no commotion, and they were completely guided by tug boats towing them by rope.

“I’m sure, it’s that island.” He Lan and Qin Yu identified islands one by one from the ship, sailing to the left and right, and finally settled on one of them.

Song Xingmu used a special telescope to observe the surroundings, and murmured: “What a coincidence. It turns out to be this island.”

“What is it?” He Lan asked curiously.

“Liu Zhenqing and I were stationed on this island back then, and the navy was sent to purge the pirates in the area. As a deterrent, the corpses of pirates were hung up on the ships at that time, and the sea was practically dyed red. From then on, the pirates didn’t dare invade the waters of Great Zhou again, until I…..was injured and transferred by the emperor. I never heard of the pirates coming back.”

“Wa, you guys were pretty ruthless back then,” He Lan exclaimed.

“That’s because you don’t know what kind of lives those islanders lived.” Song Xingmu said, recalling the past: “Back then, these islands had developed a method of getting along with the pirates. If they wanted to go to sea safely, they had to make regular tributes to them. Not only that, but in some circumstances, young men and women would be offered to the pirates for their entertainment.”

“What!” He Lan was shocked.

Qin Yu also frowned and looked at Song Xingmu. “They didn’t report it?”

“They reported it in the past, but there weren’t enough troops. We patrolled at most, but that didn’t solve the problem at all, so the islanders eventually became numb.They probably felt that having to sacrifice a few unlucky young people and some money each year was still a small loss compared to the pirate attacks when going to sea. When Liu Zhenqing and I first went to the island to prepare for the eradication work, the young people were fine, but the older generation was eager to kneel down toward us.”

“In gratitude?”

“No! They knelt down and begged us not to offend the pirates. They were willing to maintain such a balance. In any case, they didn’t need much, and they could ensure the safety of most of the other kinsmen. They were willing to accept it, but worried that if we didn’t do it well, we would anger the pirates, and they might have to pay more the next time.” Song Xingmu said coldly: “Not only did they not support it, but they also cried and shouted, and tried to drive us away.”

“Their minds were confused!” He Lan said angrily.

Song Xingmu said with a smile: “But after we actually captured so many pirates, pirates could no longer be seen at sea. They gradually felt confident again, and started to look at us gratefully, as if we were gods. Liu Zhenqing was especially loved for his strategic style. At that time, there was a young boy who sent him flowers every day. Knowing that he liked to eat fish, he also sent him seafood every day. When we left, they were all reluctant to let us leave.”

“Zhanyuan can’t hear about this.” He Lan raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Song Xingmu smiled as well, saying: “Although we wiped out the pirates, the harm they caused was never-ending, because there was fear that the pirates would retaliate. Liu Zhenqing wanted to completely change the uneasy factors in the islanders’ future lives, and before he left, he discussed with me how to help the islanders relocate. Our plan was to turn this island into a place where troops were stationed.”

“What a great idea!” Qin Yu couldn’t help but agree.

“It’s a pity that some people are really…..” Song Xingmu shook his head.

“The islanders didn’t want to move, so they just procrastinated. After all, they were already safe.” He Lan seemed to have a deep understanding.

“Not only that, but some people even thought that we just wanted to take away their homes. Even though a small fishing village was already planned for them, it was no use. All we could do was slowly wear them down,” Song Xingmu said.

“When they hadn’t moved out yet, didn’t pirates appear from time to time? Weren’t they afraid?” He Lan asked with irritation.

Song Xingmu suddenly smiled and pointed at the tall towers found on every island.

“Look at that, and you’ll know what it means to strategize with people’s hearts.” Song Xingmu raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: “When he first landed on the island, Liu Zhenqing ordered people to build this thing. He determined the number according to the size of the islands. Some islands had two, and some had three. They were all built on the shore, facing different directions, and the villagers took turns manning them. Whenever someone spotted pirates, they would light it from the inside, flames at night and smoke during the day. The surrounding islands would see it and pass it on one by one until the water village on the mainland shore could see it. They could be rescued quickly, and when the towers all burned together in this way, the amazing momentum would also deter pirates. This was Liu Zhenqing’s last resort after the relocation difficulties delayed time.”

“He had already foreseen building them when he landed on the island?” He Lan and Qin Yu both looked at Song Xingmu in astonishment.

Song Xingmu said proudly: “That’s why it’s called ‘strategizing with people’s hearts.’”

“Ai, no matter how much he planned, they still haven’t left after so many years and are colluding with rebels. If Prime Minister Liu knew of this, he would be angry to death,” He Lan said speechlessly.

“It’s my fault too.” Song Xingmu sighed. “If I had stayed back then, the relocation would have been completed and this mess wouldn’t have happened. Who would have thought he would be accused of colluding with pirates?”

He Lan shook his head, saying: “Nobody mentions Prime Minister Liu’s great achievements, but instead say he colluded with pirates? Ridiculous!”

Qin Yu frowned slightly. He looked at Song Xingmu and asked: “I heard…..that wiping out pirates back then was an excuse? What was the actual situation?”

Song Xingmu sneered and didn’t answer. He just looked at the sea quietly and changed the subject.

“Security is tight, so we can only make a surprise attack. Are you ready to go out…..huh?”

“What’s wrong?” He Lan and Qin Yu thought something had happened.

Song Xingmu said in shock: “Why do I seem to see Huo Fenglie? He is using…..using his internal force to steer a wooden boat. What is he doing?”

. . . . . . . 

Looking at Zhao Haicheng, Liu Zhenqing hesitated: “He left, but wasn’t there still the navy? Thirty thousand soldiers couldn’t protect you?”

“Hmph, it was rumored that Liu Zhenqing died in the capital and that Song Xingmu left his post without authorization, so military power was handed over to his uncle. His uncle didn’t have the ability at all and insisted on feigning competence. As a result, the patrols were disrupted, and nobody noticed when pirates attacked our island.”

As Zhao Haicheng spoke, his expression gradually distorted. He seemed to be recalling an extremely profound and painful memory, and his eyes went bloodshot.

“That night, we were sleeping peacefully when a sudden scream disturbed everybody. Pirates suddenly attacked the island. They started killing secretly at first, and then began to kill the ones who discovered them. They were very clever, and didn’t use fire for fear of alerting the other islands. They raised their swords and didn’t stop. Because the stronger islanders resisted, they focused on killing them first. The young, the women, and the old men were tied up to be slaughtered. Their cries shook the earth, but couldn’t reach the other islands.”

Zhao Haicheng looked at Liu Zhenqing with wide eyes. Tears welled up in them but refused to fall.

He had seen his father be killed, and his mother, sister, and even his younger brother be played with to death in turn by those beasts. His grandparents were hung up, whipped, and beaten to death.

Before he died, his grandfather continuously whispered to him: Shouldn’t have obeyed, shouldn’t have listened to them, shouldn’t have offended the pirates, shouldn’t…..it’s all Prime Minister Liu’s fault, all his fault.

As for Zhao Haicheng and the others, they were waiting to be sold since they were in good health. People came to rescue them, but by that time, there were less than one hundred people on the island.

That tragic scene was a nightmare that Zhao Haicheng couldn’t forget to this day.

He looked at Liu Zhenqing, whose pupils were quivering, and thought that he was frightened. But he still wanted to talk. It was as if he wanted to tell this person who looked very similar to him what evils that person had committed.

“For three days and three nights, the blood of our kinsmen dyed the ground red. We saw everything with our own eyes. On an island with hundreds of people, bodies were piled up like mountains. It was all caused by Liu Zhenqing! He made us victims for his own selfish desires! Tell me, shouldn’t he be hated? Shouldn’t he have died?!”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly at the mad and hateful Zhao Haicheng. He wanted to ask, were the communication towers useless? Why were there still people living on the island years after he was gone? Why didn’t they leave?

But looking at Zhao Haicheng’s expression, Liu Zhenqing gave up on arguing. There was no point.

It was indeed his actions that led to the pirates’ crazed revenge. Fighting against pirates and protecting the islanders was indeed not his main purpose in seeking military power in the first place. Strictly speaking, the people on this island were victims of a power struggle. Liu Zhenqing could not argue against this. The chain reaction could not be stopped. Even though he had thought his plans were foolproof, they still backfired in the end.

He could feel guilty and blame himself, but he didn’t have too many such emotions. He just felt a little sad. After all, he could not regret or second-guess every step he had taken in the past.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes gradually went cold as he looked at Zhao Haicheng, and Zhao Haicheng was stunned for a moment, as if he was seeing an ice-cold superior.

“The ones who rescued you must have been the rebels.” Liu Zhenqing spoke the key point.

Zhao Haicheng’s infuriated mood gradually calmed. “Speaking of rebels, is there a bigger rebel in the world than Liu Zhenqing? He was the one who wanted to assassinate the emperor, and the group of people who fled the island were just Liu Zhenqing’s defeated followers. If he hadn’t wanted to choose a puppet emperor in order to control the royal family, then the government would belong to those among these rebels.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression turned cold: “I don’t know about everything else, but there is currently no puppet emperor or powerful, treacherous minister in the world now. Even though there are problems, at least it is relatively peaceful. As a navy official, you still want to help the rebels create trouble. Lieutenant General Zhao, I really thought you were a good and upright person.”

Zhao Haicheng was stunned, as if a loophole in his logic had been attacked, and said with some shame and anger: “Although Liu Zhenqing is dead, Song Xingmu and the Song family are also our enemies. We will not let go of our blood feud. What’s more, if those people hadn’t saved us, we would have been wiped out long ago, so why should we not repay the favor? What does the rest of the world have to do with us? Why should we care? When Liu Zhenqing did all those things, he never cared about our lives.”

“Is that so? You joined the navy to serve as an informant for the rebels and help them control the port, and also for revenge against the Song family. What about the pirates who actually killed your people? I remember that your men are also colluding with pirates?”

The words ‘colluding with pirates’ were like hitting Zhao Haicheng’s weak point, making him extremely uncomfortable.

“This is nothing more than a stopgap measure. Bribing the pirates to prevent them from attacking the island is just to avoid Song Xingmu’s attention and keep the situation on the island from leaking out. Besides, all of the pirates who came to our island have long been killed.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t speak, and just looked at this quibbling man silently.

As if humiliated, Zhao Haicheng rushed to the bed once again and grasped Liu Zhenqing’s throat, saying furiously: “What do you know! You’re just a plaything wandering between men! What do you know of important matters!”

Liu Zhenqing was forced to raise his neck. He had difficulty breathing for a moment, and such trouble along with the hot touch of someone’s skin stimulated the drug’s properties.

The initially suppressed impulse began to spread within his body, taking on momentum like a spark.

Liu Zhenqing bit his tongue hard and the taste of blood spread. Only then could he continue to remain calm. He needed more information.

“Lieutenant General Zhao, I didn’t mean to anger you, it’s just that I don’t understand. Your lives were saved in the end, so why do you need to rebel? Aren’t you afraid? Song Xingmu has 30,000 sailors under his command.”

“Hmph, what about them? Will they recognize the command talisman, or will they recognize me?”

“But there are still…..still millions of Zhou Dynasty troops outside. Even if you have the upper hand, how can you compete with them, Lieutenant General Zhao? It’s better not to take the risk. You only have one life, ah.” Liu Zhenqing donned a persuasive appearance.

“In the end, you’re just afraid that you will be implicated and die. Let me tell you, if it weren’t for my troublesome men who sent you to me, in a few days, you would have perished in a sea of fire. So what if there are millions of troops? They are spread all around Great Zhou, so can they all be transferred here?! We are not afraid,” Zhao Haicheng said coldly.

Liu Zhenqing was confused when he heard this, and wanted to inquire, but the way he frowned and lowered his eyes still fell into Zhao Haicheng’s heart.

At such a close distance, Zhao Haicheng smelled a faint fragrance. That was the unique scent of Liu Zhenqing, which he had smelled when they were riding in the carriage together. It was familiar to him, and strangely alluring.

And why was his skin so hot? It was as delicate as fine, warm jade.

Zhao Haicheng unconsciously caressed his neck where he had a grip on it. He didn’t know whether it was because he was emotionally agitated just now, or because he remembered the incident that caused him to fall in love for the first time, but he suddenly had a feeling of infatuation for the person he hated to the bone.

The person was currently in his bed, and since he could be with that guard and with the Sea King, why couldn’t he be with him? Why should he care when he was so dissolute? Thinking of the scene he witnessed in the alley, Zhao Haicheng felt that his genuine feelings had been betrayed, and he became even more impulsive.

Just before Liu Zhenqing returned to his senses, Zhao Haicheng suddenly pushed him down and pulled down his collar.

Liu Zhenqing was startled, and he heard a tearing sound as the collar was ripped.

“What are you doing!” Liu Zhenqing had thought that at the very least, Zhao Haicheng was not such a despicable person. He reached out quickly to shove him, but his body gradually went soft.

“Why are you pretending to be so noble and reserved? You should know who to throw your arms around now!” Zhao Haicheng sneered. As soon as he pressed against his body, he suddenly felt something and began to laugh. Seeing Liu Zhenqing blush in embarrassment, he didn’t know what he was pretending to be.

Liu Zhenqing was nauseous. He understood one thing very clearly – other than Er-gou, nobody could do this to him. He couldn’t bear even the simple pressure, and if not for the drug, he could have vomited on the spot. “Zhao Haicheng, are you crazy? I didn’t expect you to force someone. What is the difference between you and those pirates?”

Zhao Haicheng reached out and grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s struggling hands, pressing them down on both sides. He was about to kiss Liu Zhenqing, but suddenly froze when he heard these words.

“Are you playing hard-to-get with me?!”

“Bullshit!” Liu Zhenqing was furious. “You were the one who drugged me!”

Zhao Haicheng’s expression changed several times, and in the end, he scoffed. “Is that so? Perfect, I’ll give you the antidote!”

Liu Zhenqing’s face changed drastically. He saw the unstoppable desire in Zhao Haicheng’s eyes, and it was obvious that this man really intended to take action. The scent of another man completely enveloped his body, making his stomach churn, but he needed to calm down and save himself.

“In fact, they’re lying to you!” Liu Zhenqing’s words caused Zhao Haicheng to stop in doubt.

“What?”

“I was actually sent as a spy by He-daren to monitor you and Song Xingmu.”

At that time, He-daren was one of the princes’ subordinates. He was the fastest to make trouble, and also the fastest to run after failure. Liu Zhenqing had to take a gamble that He-daren was on the island.

Sure enough, when he said this, Zhao Haicheng’s expression changed. “You know He-daren!”

Liu Zhenqing was instantly energized. 

“Of course, He-daren has a large mole on his neck, doesn’t he? He-daren bribed me to follow Song Xingmu first, then to seduce you and keep an eye on you. I didn’t want to, and just wanted to run away with my lover. So…..in fact, they don’t trust you at all. After acquiring the 30,000 troops, they plan to kill you first and let their own general take your place. After all, you’re not as safe as one of their own, right? I was also the one who helped to hinder Song Xingmu and Yi Chuan in the beginning, so that those people could sneak into the water prison and kill the prisoners…..”

It was easy for Liu Zhenqing to deceive the civil and military officials in court, let alone Zhao Haicheng. Before he could finish his words, Zhao Haicheng directly sat up with a very ugly expression.

As expected, he was still suspicious.

“You deceived me…..” Zhao Haicheng tried his best to maintain a calm tone, but he couldn’t fool Liu Zhenqing.

“If you don’t believe it, you can have He-daren confront me. Or any of his confidants, they all know me. I was the one who deliberately delayed Song Xingmu that night so that you could have a chance to assassinate Yi Chuan, wasn’t I? My commitment was not voluntary, nor did I want to serve others. I just wanted to be with my lover. Lieutenant General Zhao, for the sake of me speaking the truth, please do not touch me.”

When Zhao Haicheng heard this, his face changed colors and he finally withdrew his hands and left in shame and anger.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know how he would act, but he knew that he had to use the opportunity to get out. Fortunately, when Zhao Haicheng was about to attack him, he messed up the ropes first.

Liu Zhenqing untied himself at once and tried to leave the bed, but his legs were weak and he instantly fell. He had been kidnapped suddenly, without a blade or medicine, so he could only use a hairpin to cut his hand in order to stay sane.

When he just barely had a grip on his body and was preparing to escape, he saw the scroll on the table. Gritting his teeth, he rolled it up and took it away. Er-gou liked it, after all. Five thousand taels of gold, ah!

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Chapter Ninety-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Three

He Chuzhou’s first reaction was to think that Pei Xi had a nightmare.

But soon, those cold eyes and the completely different expression from when he was brain-addled caused him to guess more realistically: “You’ve recovered?”

The other person frowned so hard that his furrowed brow should be able to be tied into knots. It could be seen that he seemed to have a lot of opinions about everyone and everything around him: “Why were you in my bed?”

His tone was vastly different from last night when he begged him to sleep together.

It seemed he was indeed better.

He had originally thought it would take at least three to five days, but the speed of recovery was much faster than expected.

He Chuzhou silently digested this information and rubbed his temples, which felt swollen in the sun.

“President Pei, look closely, this is my room and my bed. You insisted on dragging me to sleep with you.”

Pei Xi’s tone grew colder, and his words were a bit stiff: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What nonsense are you—”

He Chuzhou voice suddenly paused and his hand movements stopped. Raising his head, he narrowed his eyes slightly and took a careful look at Pei Xi: “You don’t remember?”

Pei Xi asked back: “What does President He think I should remember?”

He Chuzhou had not expected this.

It turned out that the memories during periods of confusion and consciousness were not interchanged. This person was not going to commit suicide out of shame and anger. He had been worried for nothing.

“N-Nothing.”

He waved his hand and pulled back the blanket, standing up: “Let’s just say I drank too much and had nothing to do, so I treated you as a lucky charm and came back to try my luck.”

It turned out that going to sleep when you encountered trouble really worked. The problem was solved, and things went incredibly smoothly.

Even in the turmoil and chaos of war, he had pretty much gotten used to the docile and well-behaved Pei-calico, and the cold look on the original version was rather uncomfortable.

Pei Xi didn’t ask any questions about his random fabrication. He lifted the blanket and got out of bed, but as soon as his feet touched the floor and he took a step, he nearly tripped when he stepped on his trouser leg.

He Chuzhou was startled, and reflexively went to grab him.

But once he saw that this person was stable, he conscientiously stepped back. When he saw the other person glance over quickly, he turned to the side considerately and pretended not to have noticed.

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi turned and began to look around. After getting no results, he asked coldly: “Where are my clothes?”

“I threw them in the washing machine last night.”

He Chuzhou yawned lazily: “They’re not dry. You can just pick something to wear from the closet.”

Pei Xi glanced at him, then took his phone and turned around to walk out.

He Chuzhou also didn’t stop him. A clear-headed adult man should have enough ability to identify the surrounding environment and his own situation, and make appropriate decisions.

Like Pei Xi’s decision to go home in the pajamas he was wearing. He had no objections at all, and just made a sincere suggestion: “I’ll give them to you?”

Pei Xi said without hesitation: “No need.”

He walked quickly to the door, but when he opened it, he suddenly thought of something and turned back abruptly.

He Chuzhou: “What, did you leave something behind?”

Pei Xi’s eyes were unclear beneath his strained brow, and he didn’t utter a word for a long moment.

He Chuzhou raised an eyebrow in puzzlement: “Is there something else?”

In a moment, Pei Xi closed his eyes and finally spoke in a deep voice: “No matter what went on last night, just pretend like it never happened. You had better not let a third person know that I was here.”

The open door was closed. There was one less person in the room, and one more dog that took advantage of the chaos to squeeze inside.

He Xingxing wagged his tail wildly and circled around He Chuzhou’s legs. Not seeing each other for a night felt like meeting again after a long absence, and he rubbed his head affectionately against his knees.

It was a pity that He Chuzhou was not in the mood to pay attention to him right now.

He stared in the direction Pei Xi had left and laughed angrily.

From the start, he had no intention of publicizing this incident everywhere. As a result, Pei Xi gave him a threat-like warning, which not only painted him as a man with a loose tongue, but also laid bare his dislike.

It was as if being in the same room as him and talking to him shamed him and made him lose face.

All of that laborious coaxing had been in vain.

Wu Qing’s call came at a very bad time. He Chuzhou was putting the leash on He Xingxing, and responded in a sour voice: “Spit it out.”

Wu Qing: “Did you swallow gunpowder so early in the morning? It’s nothing, I’ve just been wanting to ask you all night when you’re going to send me cat pictures, ah. Or I can just come and look at them.”

He Chuzhou: “If you like them so much, catch one yourself.”

Wu Qing: “That won’t work. I hear that raising a cat at home is a lot of trouble, and I don’t have the energy.”

He Chuzhou: “Since when do I have a cat?”

Wu Qing: “ ? ”

Wu Qing: “Haven’t you already taken it back?”

He Chuzhou: “It ran away.”

Wu Qing: “Ran away? The cat ran away???”

He Chuzhou was not in the mood to humor him: “En.”

Wu Qing: “Did you sleep with the doors and windows open?”

He Chuzhou: “No.”

Wu Qing: “Then how did it escape? Aren’t you looking for it?”

He Chuzhou: “I’m not looking.”

Wu Qing: “Why not?”

A “heh” tugged at the corners of his mouth: “Because it’s the wrong breed. It’s not a cat, just a purebred white-eyed wolf.”

*

*

Pei Xi’s expression changed as soon as he left the house, and the calmness and arrogance he had maintained crumbled in an instant.

He covered his face in immense vexation, unable to understand how his side effects had appeared again.

Forget coming here the first time, now he had come a second time!

The scenes of him getting drunk and losing his mind, then crying and making trouble last night were still vivid in his mind. Whenever he thought about it, he wished he could go back in time and strangle his “self” of that time and space.

He had put on all kinds of ludicrous performances, and there was no telling how that person would arrange to laugh at him behind his back.

He was sick to death, but he was helpless to do anything about what had already been done and could not be changed.

After he arrived home, he took a shower and changed clothes as quickly as he could. The pajamas were an eyesore, so he tossed them to the side somewhere.

When Xie Ling called, he was taking the keys and preparing to go out. He had been picked up by He Chuzhou when he left the party last night, so the car was still parked there.

Xie Ling: “You’re awake?”

The inner walls of the elevator reflected Pei Xi’s discontented expression. “Don’t speak such nonsense.”

Xie Ling: “OK. Where are you now?”

Pei Xi: “At home.”

Xie Ling: “At…..your own home?”

Pei Xi: “Where else?”

Xie Ling probed: “Not at He Chuzhou’s place?”

Pei Xi: “Why would I be at his place?”

Xie Ling: “Didn’t you follow him last night?”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “You’re remembering wrong, I took a taxi last night.”

Xia Ling gave a stunned ah: “You took a taxi? But I clearly saw—”

Pei Xi: “Isn’t it that you drank too much and saw it wrong?”

“Really?” Xie Ling fell into self-doubt, but quickly figured it out and laughed: “I say, you hate him so much, so how could you cuddle with him and act coquettishly?”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Yeah.”

Pei Xi: “Drink less in the future.”

Xie Ling: “I also think it’s all a hallucination. Right, I also had a nightmare one night……”

The topic was changed, and Pei Xi breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He took a taxi to where he had parked the night before and opened the door, sitting in the driver’s seat. Pinching his nose, he began to think about another important matter.

The signed letter of guarantee he gave to He Chuzhou. How could he make him give it back or destroy it outright?

Thinking of this, he was distraught. He didn’t leave any evidence the first time, but made up for it the second time.

He wanted to mention it when he left in the morning, but wasn’t sure whether He Chuzhou would be willing to hand it over easily. He worried repeatedly, but didn’t say anything.

A businessman wouldn’t get up early if there was no profit in it, not to mention that the other party was He Chuzhou.

Perhaps he should just think about what to exchange for it.

At ten o’clock, Xiao Gu called and carefully asked him if he was still coming to the company today.

Pei Xi initially wanted to say that he would be there at once, but suddenly thought of something and changed his words: “I’ll go a little later. Change all of my morning meetings to the afternoon.”

After hanging up with his assistant, he dialed another number and made an appointment in a few words. Then he turned the car around and headed for the new destination.

Ten minutes later, the black vehicle parked in the parking lot of a large private hospital.

After completing a series of brain-oriented exams, Pei Xi sat in the office and listened to the doctor explain the specific situation to him.

“It is definitely a side effect of the blow to the brain.”

“The general duration of these things can be long or short, but this is the first time I have seen such a repetitive situation like President Pei’s.”

“Based on all the current information, we cannot determine the pattern of the attacks or whether they will happen again in the future.”

“However, what is certain is that these attacks have no impact on your physical health. My recommendation is that you sleep more and rest your brain, which may speed up recovery.”

Pei Xi listened patiently, took the examination forms from the doctor, thanked him, and left.

Xiao Gu sent a message that the meeting time had been postponed until 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It wasn’t quite 1 o’clock. Pei Xi rubbed his temples and decided to follow the doctor’s orders and go back to rest.

He actually hadn’t slept well the previous night. He didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol, but he kept dreaming about being sent away by Pei Yansong in high school. It happened over and over again, and his sleep was exhausting.

He had something to eat when he got home, and when he was clearing the table, he inexplicably thought of the bowl of hangover soup he drank before going to bed the previous night.

He had never been a good drinker, and had severe hangovers. Even if he drank one cup, he would have a headache all morning the next day.

But not today.

Thanks to that bowl of hangover soup that had been cooled to a suitable temperature, he was fed well last night and felt almost no discomfort this morning.

The warm, comfortable sensation that flowed down his dry throat and into his stomach was still very clear now.

His long eyelashes lowered, and his speed slowed down as he was putting things away.

After wiping away the water stains, he threw the paper towel into the trash can and went to the bathroom before going to his room. With an expressionless face, he picked up the pajamas in the corner and threw them into the washing machine.

It was not a long drive from home to the company. He set the alarm for 2 o’clock, closed the bed curtains, and lay down in the dimly-lit room.

Due to the overwhelming sleepiness caused by his nightmares, he sunk half of his face into the soft pillow and quickly fell asleep.

The time displayed on the wall clock passed minute by second, and the sunlight that penetrated through the gap in the bed curtains slowly crawled across the floor and changed its angle.

When there were still two minutes before 2 o’clock, the person on the bed opened his eyes hazily.

He couldn’t seem to understand why he was here. He sat up in bed, glanced at the empty space beside him, and then began to look around blankly.

……Why was that person not here?

With a slight frown, he lifted the quilt and got out of bed, walking out of the room barefoot. From the guest room to the living room, and from the living room to the kitchen.

He still didn’t find the person he was looking for. He stood in the middle of the living room with his arms hanging down, light and shadow outlining his thin and fragile figure.

In the next second, he turned and hurried back to the bedroom. He picked up his cellphone and turned off the alarm that was reminding him of something. Then he crouched beside the bed and dialed a number that he knew by heart.

---

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Chapter 10 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 12

T/N: Thank you so much to Cocole for the Kofi donation! Here’s a double update!

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After many years, He Xingxing once again experienced what it meant to be ignored.

He was forced to poop right away when he went out, and went home immediately after pooping. Not only was he not given time to have fun, but even the time to look around was very tight.

Focusing on speed, time seemed to slip by.

He Xingxing was very disappointed. From the moment he came back, he squeezed listlessly through the door, slumped down listlessly, and tapped his tail listlessly on the floor. 

And he watched listlessly as his father repeatedly confirmed with the “good friend” he brought back whether it was okay for him to bathe alone.

Sure enough, humans could not communicate their joys and sorrows to one another, let alone humans and dogs.

He Chuzhou was unaware of the harm his unintentional actions had caused to the dog’s fragile heart.

After giving Pei Xi his pajamas, he went to the kitchen and began to prepare hangover soup in an orderly manner.

He was just not very efficient. As he worked, his gaze and attention would automatically drift to his hand.

After such a long time and coming back from walking the dog, why did it seem like the remaining sensation on his palm had not gone away?

He made a fist with his right hand and opened it, measuring by eye the length from the base of his palm to the fingertips, and the width from his thumb to his pinky finger.

He couldn’t help but give a heartfelt sigh. Such a small face.

It was so pitifully small that if he spread his fingers, he could cover Pei Xi’s entire face.

And what was even more lamentable was that he could voluntarily praise an adult of the same sex as cute.

If He Aiyue found out about this, she would organize three days and three nights of messy things for him with the stroke of a pen.

But he really was cute.

Especially when those bright eyes were wide open and staring at him seriously and intently, easily reminding him of the cat his grandma kept at home.

That long-haired, blue-eyed, extremely picky eater. The cat loved to act like a spoiled child, and was bought at an extremely expensive price.

The phone suddenly rang. He shook his hands and cleared his brain, turned down the heat, and picked up the phone. There was no name on the series of numbers displayed above, but they looked familiar. It was the number that he had dialed three or four times in the car with no answer.

“Hello, this is Pei Yansong.”

The voice on the other end of the line sounded elderly, with a habitual tone of superiority, and could not be considered kind: “Who are you?”

He Chuzhou reported his name.

“President He.” Pei Yansong knew of him, but didn’t say much: “Why are you looking for me?”

He Chuzhou: “Your son had a minor accident recently and is…..not feeling well. He’s at my place now.”

“Pei Xi?” Pei Yansong: “He didn’t call me.”

“It’s not serious, maybe he didn’t want to worry you.”

He Chuzhou: “But the situation is a bit special, and I won’t be able to explain it clearly over the phone. If it is convenient for you, I will send him to you now.”

Pei Yansong: “Apologies, but it is not convenient.”

He Chuzhou: “……What?”

Pei Yansong’s overly frank refusal made him frown.

“It’s not convenient now.”

There were no great waves in Pei Yansong’s voice, and it sounded like he didn’t care very much about his son’s accident: “I’m abroad, and there is no way I can get back in such a short time.”

Pei Yansong: “If Pei Xi causes you trouble, I apologize to you on his behalf. President He’s kindness is appreciated, but if there is a matter he can’t solve, he will call me himself.”

He Chuzhou’s frown deepened, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a young female voice call for Pei Yansong.

And Pei Yansong hung up the phone quickly after answering.

He Chuzhou really couldn’t understand Pei Yansong’s reaction.

As a father, was this a normal reaction to hearing that his son was unwell after an accident?

Forget it, he didn’t have the right to interfere in other people’s family affairs. It was just that the current matter had become more troublesome.

Pei Xi’s parents were out of the country, and his friends could not be told. The road ahead and the road behind were blocked. Was it possible that he would really have to keep this person here forever…..

Bang.

A familiar crashing sound came from the living room, where the dog had stepped over his food bowl.

He Chuzhou shouted “He Xingxing!” in warning and put down his phone, intending to go out and train the dog first. When he turned around, he saw Pei Xi not far behind him.

It was unknown how long he had been standing there, wearing ill-fitting pajamas with a head of half-wet hair.

He Chuzhou paused, and the first thing he noticed was his hair: “Why did you not blow dry your hair again—”

His words stopped abruptly.

Pei Xi’s suddenly reddened eyes took his voice away.

“What’s wrong?”

What bowl of dog food? It was instantly forgotten. He strode up to Pei Xi and raised a hand to touch his face: “Let me see, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere — hiss!”

A dull pain spread from the side of his palm, and he gasped.

Along with the dull pain, tears fell one after another.

Pei Xi’s eyelashes trembled, and those tears that he couldn’t hold back fell onto his palm. They were naturally a slightly cool temperature, but the heat made him quiver.

He endured the pain and bent down closer, using his other hand to wipe away Pei Xi’s tears: “Ancestor, what’s going on, ah? How can you take a shower and feel sad? Was the water too hot? Or do you not like this set of pajamas?”

The clenched teeth loosened.

There was no bite wound, but there were two rows of obvious teeth marks.

Pei Xi: “I heard it, liar.”

He Chuzhou: “What?”

“You called my dad. You want to send me away.” Pei Xi said word by word: “You clearly said you would always stay with me.”

“Don’t you want me anymore?”

It was rare that he vented his emotions with no reservations, and his sadness was so immense that the tears wouldn’t stop rolling down.

His eyelashes were wet, his breathing rapid, and there was still an uncontrollable sob in his voice as he tried to remain calm.

“He Chuzhou, do you not want me anymore?”

He Chuzhou was so panicked that he couldn’t care less about the pain in his hand, hurriedly wiping away tears: “No, it’s not that I don’t want you. Don’t think random thoughts.”

“It’s just that I’ve been…..well, I’ve been busy with work lately and I may not be able to take care of you all the time, so I was thinking about sending you home to stay for a while. Right, just for a while.”

Pei Xi was crying so much that there seemed to be a faucet installed in his eyes, and He Chuzhou’s coaxing was not enough to stem the flow. 

It was just that he cried so quietly, biting his lips tightly without making a sound aside from the occasional slight trembling and choking breath when he inhaled.

He Chuzhou was at a loss, and even contemplated calling Madam Chu for help. When he had exhausted his abilities, he happened to see the piece of paper Pei Xi was holding in his hand.

It was from the stack of sticky notes in his study drawer.

The originally flat paper surface was clenched into many wrinkles, but the content written in fair and beautiful regular script could still be clearly read.

It was a guarantee.

It was what Pei Xi had promised him in the car, that he would never blacklist him.

A sudden wave of emotion passed through his heart, a little sour and a little soft. It was as if a small newborn animal had nudged its head against him, and his heart faintly swelled.

He stared at the letter of guarantee for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. While taking the paper away, he placed his hand on Pei Xi’s back. 

With a light collision, he pulled this person into his arms.

“Okay, if you don’t want to go back, then don’t go back.”

If you want to stay, then stay.

He hugged Pei Xi and let him lay his head on his shoulder: “It’s my fault. I should have discussed this with you in advance.”

Another person in the house didn’t take up much space. Anyway, Pei Xi was so good now, just as if he had actually taken a cat home.

“Don’t cry, your eyes will be swollen before too long.”

Pei Xi was coaxed patiently for a long time before he slowly calmed down. He hugged He Chuzhou back, silently wiping all of his tears on his shoulder.

He Chuzhou breathed a sigh of relief and put a big palm on the back of his neck, rubbing it a couple of times: “You’re not sad anymore?”

It took Pei Xi a long while before he let out a muffled hum.

He Chuzhou: “Then go back to the room and blow dry your hair? Come out after and drink some hangover soup before going to sleep.”

There was once more no answer from Pei Xi.

After a while, he asked in a muffled voice: “Do you really want a cat?”

“No, ah.” He Chuzhou said helplessly: “Where could I raise a cat?”

Pei Xi: “Didn’t you tell your friend that you wanted to pick up a pretty calico?”

“Didn’t I already get one?”

He Chuzhou patted his back: “Okay, Pei-calico, go and blow dry your hair.”

“ ? ”

Pei Xi raised his head: “Pei-calico?”

His tears had dried, but not his eyelashes. The redness on his eye sockets and the tip of his nose had not faded, in sharp contrast to the surrounding skin.

He Chuzhou recalled hearing someone say that calicos were the great beauties of the cat world, and felt that this title was a perfect fit for Pei Xi.

“Yes, ah.” He deceived this person half-jokingly: “Old people say that you can’t have too many cats or dogs. It’s enough for me to raise you and He Xingxing.”

Pei Xi let out a stunned “Oh.”

After a moment, he thought of something and supplemented: “Don’t worry, I won’t beat the dog.”

*

*

Pei Xi dried his hair under He Chuzhou’s supervision, drank the sobering soup, and went back to the bedroom.

But when He Chuzhou came in after taking a shower, he found that he had not lain down, but was sitting on the bedside to wait. Seeing him enter, he motioned with his fingers for him to come over.

As soon as He Chuzhou approached, he was handed a letter of guarantee with a red pen.

“I already signed it.”

Pei Xi tapped on the one on the cabinet, which He Chuzhou had written the night before. There was an additional red signature on it – Pei Xi’s name.

“It’s rather ceremonial.”

He Chuzhou took Pei Xi’s letter and signed his own name next to Pei Xi’s.

Pei Xi put away the two letters of guarantee and pulled He Chuzhou to lay down next to him. He burrowed into his arms and silently placed his hands on his waist.

His posture was very insecure, with hope that He Chuzhou would sleep with him in his arms.

As for He Chuzhou, he was inexperienced the first time, but skillful the second time. He planned to repeat his old trick and wait for Pei Xi to fall asleep before leaving, like he had done the night before.

However, the plan couldn’t withstand the changes that happened. Pei Xi was not so easily fooled tonight. Whenever He Chuzhou felt that he was asleep and prepared to retreat, he would immediately open his eyes at the slightest movement.

He had the vigilance of a deer, or perhaps it was the aftermath of the phone call He Chuzhou had made to Pei Yansong.

In the end, after several attempts, He Chuzhou gave up. He embraced Pei Xi with his long arms and patted his back gently: “I won’t leave. Go to sleep.”

As the night progressed, their breaths gradually became long and steady as they embraced each other.

He Chuzhou dreamed that he really had a long-haired calico cat. It was troublesome and clingy, and always liked to burrow into someone’s arms while sleeping. If it wasn’t petted enough, it would meow at the top of its lungs.

He Chuzhou couldn’t get angry when he was rubbed against. He vaguely felt the brightly shining sun, so he subconsciously covered the “little cat’s” eyes and coaxed him in a low, faint voice.

As a result, he was kicked out of the bed in the next second.

He sat on the floor half-wrapped in the blanket, his mind blank. Raising his head in confusion, he unexpectedly met a pair of furious eyes.

---

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Chapter 9 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 11

T/N: I got a bad performance evaluation at work the other day, so I’ve been translating like a madwoman as a form of therapy. Expect frequent updates this week!

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In a private room of a high-end restaurant in the southern part of the city, half a dozen people were seated at a round table.

He Chuzhou was sitting by the window. Among the group of people talking, he rarely spoke. Most of the time, he just sat in his chair and played with his phone, listening to their nonsense.

Compared to him, Wu Qing beside him seemed much busier.

He had to drink, to chip in, and also pick up food with chopsticks for the boy next to him.

He said that this boy was his new favorite, a film school student. He had a handsome appearance and a well-behaved attitude, which pleased him very much.

As for whether he was actually that good, He Chuzhou didn’t know. He only knew that he was indeed new.

After all, the person holding hands with Wu Qing for an intimate beachside photoshoot the previous week was a fairy-like man with long, flowing hair.

It was only that a great Buddha like him sitting here was really eye-catching, and even though he didn’t say a word, the topic still inevitably came back around to him.

“Right, speaking of the land by the river, did you finally get it, Lao He?”

He Chuzhou moved his lips: “No.”

“Why not? Was it stolen by Pei Group?”

He Chuzhou: “The ownership rights are still in the hands of Mr. Zhang. He has been out of the country recently, and any business negotiations will have to wait until he comes back.”

“So that’s what it is. I’m just saying, you’re so full of twists and turns when it comes to business. How could you not beat Pei Xi?”

“You can say that again. They say that if you know yourself and know your enemy, you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Lao He, you have won so many battles. You probably found out all the details about that person early on.”

The corners of He Chuzhou’s mouth rose: “You flatter me, but I’m a businessman, not a spy.”

“Precisely. What does he know.”

Wu Qing had always enjoyed demolishing his good friends: “That person is unwilling to acknowledge him, and always keeps a distance of ten meters when they are in the same frame. With this sort of treatment, could he discover if there was a mole on his face or whether he has a cutesy nickname?”

Wu Qing didn’t speak after laughing at him, and adding insult to injury, he wanted to ask the involved party for verification. But he saw the involved party suddenly raise an eyebrow, his eyes full of consideration as he looked over.

Wu Qing: “What’s that look in your eyes?”

He Chuzhou: “Confusion.”

Wu Qing: “What are you so confused about?”

He Chuzhou: “Did you take a fortune-telling class behind my back in university?”

Wu Qing: “?”

Wu Qing: “What are you talking about??”

He Chuzhou’s words made his brain fog over, but he wasn’t offered an explanation.

Wu Qing wanted to probe further, but the little lover next to him was peevish and he didn’t have the free time to spare.

The drinking conversation topics came and went quickly, and after more than ten minutes, someone suggested that the night should continue.

He Chuzhou planned to retire early, but Wu Qing pulled him over and wouldn’t let him go.

Wu Qing’s other hand was still holding his little lover: “It’s so early, why are you in a hurry? He Xingxing is a big, mature dog. He can hold his bowels for an extra couple of minutes with no problem.”

That being said, He Chuzhou really had no interest in drinking and singing. On such a nice evening, he would rather go back and walk the dog, soak his feet, and watch a movie.

Just as he was about to come up with another reason to refuse, the phone in his pocket rang.

Waiting to the side, Wu Qing noticed his expression become strange when he answered the phone.

Like confusion, incomprehension, and helplessness.

“I understand. Stay where you are and don’t run around. I’ll be there right away.”

He Chuzhou hung up and nearly bumped into Wu Qing, who was craning his neck to see the phone.

“What are you doing?” He Chuzhou locked the phone.

“Seeing who you’re talking to, ah.” Wu Qing said: “What’s going on with you? Which family’s child are you coaxing so late at night?”

“He’s not a child.”

He Chuzhou now had a ready excuse: “I can’t go to the next place, someone is waiting for me. I’ll head out first.”

“Who? Who is it?” 

Wu Qing’s thirst for knowledge erupted: “Who is waiting so late at night for you, an old iron tree that doesn’t bloom?”

He Chuzhou disliked the smell of alcohol on his body. He leaned back to distance himself and began to spout nonsense: “Just…..a stray cat. It doesn’t have the ability to take care of itself, and is waiting for me to pick it up and take it home.”

*

*

The two people’s coordinates were not far apart. He Chuzhou didn’t drink, which saved time calling a driver, and he arrived at Pei Xi’s location in less than twenty minutes.

The streets at this point were unlike during the day, with parking spots everywhere.

He Chuzhou randomly picked a parking spot that suited his eyes and got out of the car. He turned into an alley, and had walked forward a short distance when he saw a person crouched under a street light not far away.

It was not a popular and bustling street. The night sky was empty, with only the autumn wind blowing from the street to the end of the alley at a temperature that was neither warm nor cool.

Pei Xi crouched there with the street light shining down on him, compressing his shadow until it was under his feet. His whole person looked like a small ball.

He really looked like a stray cat, alone and helpless.

He Chuzhou quickened his pace and walked over.

Pei Xi heard the footsteps and lifted his head from his arms. He watched as the person he had called imitated his example and crouched down in front of him. There was a small threshold between them, with him higher and He Chuzhou lower.

“What are you doing here?” He Chuzhou asked.

Pei Xi: “Waiting for you.”

As he got closer, He Chuzhou could smell the scent of alcohol on his body with a minty aroma mixed in: “Did you drink?”

Pei Xi tilted his face onto one arm and nodded his head.

Pei Xi, who was suffering from alcohol and amnesia, was stacked with double buffs and looked even more incredibly well-behaved at the moment.

He Chuzhou’s voice went softer again: “Is it just you?”

Pei Xi shook his head.

He Chuzhou: “Who else is there?”

Pei Xi didn’t answer, and only looked at the place he had just come out of.

He Chuzhou could see that he didn’t want to talk. Perhaps he was dizzy and uncomfortable after drinking.

“You, ah, I thought you were okay.”

He Chuzhou held his face with one hand and sighed: “That’s not good. What are you doing running around so early in the morning?”

Pei Xi was not on the same page as him.

“I’m okay,” he said. “There’s no fever anymore.”

He Chuzhou didn’t correct him, and went along with his words: “Really?”

Pei Xi lowered his head and motioned for him to touch it himself.

When He Chuzhou’s palm made contact, he took the opportunity to tilt his head and bury his face in He Chuzhou’s shoulder.

He Chuzhou’s outstretched hand paused in the air, and he looked sideways at the back of his dark head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: “You kid, are you still using this trick on me?”

Pei Xi’s voice was muffled: “Chuzhou, I’m so sleepy. I want to go home and sleep.”

Go home.

It was indeed time to go home.

He Chuzhou helped him stand up, and was thinking about which home to send him to when a man ran outside nearby. He slowed down when he saw him, looking stunned and confused.

Seeing the man’s eyes cycle between him and Pei Xi, He Chuzhou raised a reasonable question: “Are you a friend of Pei Xi?”

Xie Ling nodded mechanically and gave a dry hum of affirmation, unable to recover from the shock of the scene in front of him for a long moment.

What was this situation? 

Was the seawater flowing backward or was the sun rising in the west?

He was actually seeing Pei Xi lean on He Chuzhou.

Were these two people cuddling?!

He Chuzhou thought this would be rather easy, and gestured to the person in his arms: “You take him back. I—”

“I won’t go.”

Pei Xi raised his head with a frown and once again emphasized what he meant: “Chuzhou, I’m sleepy. I want to go home. I don’t want to go back and keep drinking.”

Xie Ling had come closer, and heard Pei Xi’s words clearly. His expression changed again and again, and could no longer be defined as pure shock.

It was like seeing a ghost in the daytime, or rather, when always walking at night, you would eventually see a ghost.

“You…..you…..”

He didn’t know if he had drank too much and wasn’t clear-headed, causing hallucinations: “What’s going on? You two have such a good relationship in private? Or am I dreaming?”

He Chuzhou looked at Pei Xi, who was sullen with drooping eyelids, and then at Xie Ling, who was deep in self-doubt, and was silent for a moment: “You don’t know?”

Xie Ling was shocked: “I don’t know, ah!”

He Chuzhou: “……”

It seemed the other party really didn’t know that there was something wrong with Pei Xi’s head.

He wasn’t sure if Pei Xi wanted to keep it a secret, so He Chuzhou decided to err on the side of caution.

He simply said farewell to the man and took Pei Xi away under the other party’s confused eyes.

Pei Xi could handle the rest when he was better. He himself couldn’t manage too much.

Pei Xi truly was sleepy. Once he got in the car and fastened his seatbelt, he immediately leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

Seeing that he looked uncomfortable with his head down, He Chuzhou leaned over and helped him lower the back of the chair. Then he pulled a chibi monster pillow from the back seat and turned it into a blanket to cover him.

He Aiyue had drawn it in a lottery before, but had left it in the car and forgot to take it away.

“You’re rather capable.”

He looked at this person sleeping peacefully and praised him with no lack of admiration: “You followed someone to drink, but nobody discovered that there is actually a missing string in your brain.”

The person with a missing string in his brain had already fallen asleep under the influence of alcohol, and was unable to acknowledge him.

“Next time, don’t wait under a streetlight. The weather might be bad, and flying insects could get all over you.”

Straightening up, he sat back in the driver’s seat and turned on the air, but didn’t rush to start the car. Instead, he took out his phone and found the number that Yun Ji had sent him before. After confirming that it was correct, he dialed it.

He called three or four times, but nobody answered.

“They must be asleep this late.”

He Chuzhou put down the phone. Between the options of going directly to the door and waking the family up in the middle of the night or taking Ancestor Pei back to spend the night together, he chose the latter.

There was no difference between giving him shelter for one night or two.

On the way back, he received a call from Wu Qing. The background on the other side was noisy, with somebody singing to the point of wailing and howling.

He Chuzhou glanced at Pei Xi, who was still sleeping soundly, and turned down the volume of the call: “Can you go to the restroom?”

Wu Qing: “Ah?”

Wu Qing: “Oh, it’s noisy, right? Give me a second.”

He seemed to have covered the receiver, and the noise soon faded away. When the environment of the call became quiet, He Chuzhou turned up the volume again.

He Chuzhou: “What’s wrong?”

Wu Qing: “Nothing’s wrong, I just thought I should check on you. Did you get your cat?”

He Chuzhou: “I got it. What’s up?”

Wu Qing: “What cat, ah? A big orange one? A cow-spotted one? A lion cat or a calico?”

“Calico.” He Chuzhou was perfunctory with him. “You’re having so much fun with yours, so why are you thinking so much about my cat?”

“Ai, it’s just curiosity.”

Wu Qing chuckled: “Big boss He drove a luxury car to pick someone up late at night. I also want to see which stray cat is so lucky. Is it well-behaved? Cute? Pretty?”

He Chuzhou: “Well-behaved, cute, and pretty. I’ll send a photo back and hang up.”

Wu Qing did not let him off easy: “But you already have a dog, why are you bringing it back to fight with He Xingxing? I heard that cats don’t even like dogs, and they beat them really hard.”

“You worry too much. They won’t fight—”

He Chuzhou halted his perfunctory words. Thinking of something, he couldn’t help but glance in the rearview mirror at Pei Xi.

It seemed that Pei Xi indeed did not like dogs.

But it shouldn’t be possible for him to beat a dog. At most, he would be disgusted at the shedding or something…..

“Don’t worry so much. I’m hanging up.”

They soon arrived at their destination, and the car was parked smoothly in the garage. He Chuzhou got out of the car and walked around to the passenger seat, planning to carry this person back directly.

The car door opened and he met a pair of eyes, cool, gentle, and bright.

He Chuzhou was surprised: “You’re awake? Just in time, we’re home. Come out.”

Pei Xi raised his head and said: “Chuzhou, you forgot to apologize to me.”

He Chuzhou: “……?”

History was repeating itself.

One night had passed, and He Chuzhou was standing outside the passenger door again, once again wondering where he had gone wrong with this person.

“I was late to pick you up?”

“I didn’t call you for a day?”

“I chose a bad tie color today?”

He was confused, and still couldn’t figure it out: “Instructor, can you give me a hint?”

Pei Xi clutched the plushie blanket: “When I called you just now, I looked for your number for a long time and found it on the blacklist.”

He Chuzhou was even more mystified: “Why did you block me?”

Pei Xi: “Yes, ah, why did I block you?”

He Chuzhou: “So—”

Pei Xi: “You must have done something wrong and made me angry.”

He Chuzhou: “……?”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ?”

He Chuzhou was truly wronged: “So I can also be convicted like this. Fine, then tell me what I did wrong?”

Pei Xi frowned and fell into thought. After a moment, he shook his head: “I can’t remember.”

He Chuzhou spread his hands.

Pei Xi: “But don’t delay your apology to me.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi pulled back the blanket and reached out to him with familiar and natural movements. 

He Chuzhou worked hard and bent down to pick this person up, feeling that an injustice had been done to him.

Pei Xi hugged his neck and leaned against him sleepily: “Chuzhou, don’t feel wronged. I wouldn’t have blocked you for no reason. You must have made a mistake.”

He Chuzhou closed the car door with his elbow, wanting to laugh when he heard this.

You blocked me for no reason, charged me with a crime you can’t say, inexplicably told me to apologize, and finally told me not to feel wronged.

But what could be done?

How could it be possible to make things clear to a person who was missing a string?

“Understood. I don’t feel wronged, not at all.”

He locked the garage and walked inside with Pei Xi in his arms: “It was my fault. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you get angry and block me. I won’t do it again in the future, all right?”

Pei Xi was satisfied, and also apologized softly for his mistake: “I was wrong too. I probably didn’t give you a chance to explain, and blocked you in anger. I won’t do it again.”

The two people went back and forth, apologizing for something that might not even exist. This time, He Chuzhou really did laugh.

Why was the brain-addled Pei Xi so interesting?

“Is that true, ah?”

He asked Pei Xi: “You won’t block me in the future?”

He feared that the first thing he would do when he returned to his senses was give him a one-stop trip to the blacklist.

“It’s true, I absolutely won’t.” Pei Xi raised his face with an earnest expression: “I can also write a letter of guarantee.”

He Chuzhou took it all as a joke, and didn’t take it to heart.

When they got in the house, He Chuzhou helped Pei Xi take out his slippers. He himself was not in a hurry to change his shoes, because he would be going out to greet the stars soon.

Pei Xi changed his footwear but did not go in. He just stood with his back against the low cabinet, watching quietly as He Chuzhou crouched to change the water and feed He Xingxing.

He Chuzhou raised his head to look at him: “What’s wrong?”

Pei Xi said: “I heard it.”

He Chuzhou was unclear: “Heard what?”

Pei Xi also crouched down, bringing the perspectives of the two people to the same level. “In the car, I heard you say you want to get a cat.”

He Chuzhou realized he had heard the erratic conversation he’d had with Wu Qing in the car.

“So?”

He Chuzhou put down the food bucket and responded to him patiently: “Do you want to raise one too? Or do you not like them?”

Pei Xi didn’t answer, but said: “I heard you say it’s a calico, and that it’s very cute and well-behaved and you want to take it home to raise it.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t grasp his meaning. His fingertips tapped on his knees a few times, and he was about to speak, when both of his wrists were suddenly held.

Pei Xi took his hand and pressed it against his cheek, opening his eyes slightly in the warm yellow light of the entranceway. The pitch-black drunken pupils reflected the other person’s appearance: “Which is cuter, that cat or me?”

The cool, delicate touch against his palm stunned He Chuzhou for a moment.

His fingertips accidentally touched the other’s earlobe, and for a second, a tiny electric current seemed to take the opportunity to penetrate into those fingertips, making his entire palm feel numb.

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Chapter 8 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 10

Seeing as they were making so much noise, it was obvious that the guards outside had been completely wiped out.

Liu Zhenqing reacted calmly, calculating that the most likely option was that they had come here to deal Yi Chuan a finishing blow. He had initially thought that with notices posted all over the city asking for medical treatment, those people would not kill Yi Chuan since there was no need to do so.

Then the sounds came inside, and Liu Zhenqing looked through the gap in the closet door to see that they were rummaging around carefully, but not looking for anyone.

If they hadn’t come to deal with Yi Chuan, what were they there for?

But no matter what they were doing, with them in a state of digging three feet into the ground, it was only a matter of time before they were found.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Yi Chuan. He was holding the long sword tightly, but seeing the unnatural tremor in his hands, he knew his body was not strong enough to deal with the current situation.

Taking his hand, Liu Zhenqing wrote: Trust me.

Yi Chuan was taken aback, and looked at him in puzzlement.

Liu Zhenqing was holding a silver needle. When someone approached the door, he instantly took action before the other could pull away and stabbed one of Yi Chuan’s acupuncture points.

Yi Chuan was caught by surprise, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. Pulling Yi Chuan, Liu Zhenqing rolled through the cabinet door and onto the floor. Yi Chuan directly entered a death-like state, unable to move, but he could still faintly see and hear.

The people who had come to search were also shocked to see this situation.

Liu Zhenqing shouted: “What do you intend to do? Yi Chuan, help me, help me…..”

“Shut up!” Someone shouted, then looked at the gray-faced Yi Chuan. “He’s practically on his final breath, why are you counting on him?”

Having said this, he stopped looking at Yi Chuan, and Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Zhenqing said hurriedly: “Who exactly are you? Enemies of Captain Song? Don’t kill me, I’m just Captain Song’s lover.”

Those people looked at Liu Zhenqing and exchanged glances. There seemed to be some disdain, but one person still came forward and said: “If the boss hadn’t taken a liking to you, I would really want to put a knife in a slut like you.”

It was novel for Liu Zhenqing to be insulted in such a way for the first time.

The hell? Slut?

The only person who would say this about him was Zhao Haicheng. The man pulled Liu Zhenqing up to a standing position and said: “Tell us, where is the portrait that Song Xingmu bought?”

Liu Zhenqing was puzzled for a moment. They were here for the portrait?

He felt suffocated. Looking at the beauty Er-gou was addicted to in the past, something was wrong.

“Don’t kill me, I know where it is. It’s on the study table in the courtyard next door,” Liu Zhenqing said decisively.

He thought that with luck, these people would leave after obtaining the portrait. However, his luck was not good.

Soon, the group that left to get the portrait returned with it, grabbed Liu Zhenqing, and carried him away.

“Wait, where are you taking me?” 

“It is not your place to ask.”

“No, if you intend to kill me, then let me die here. I don’t want to have an incomplete corpse.” Liu Zhenqing was getting the other party to talk. How could these petty thieves be Liu Zhenqing’s opponents? They immediately spoke.

“Shut up, we’re not going to kill you. We’re going to give you to our boss to cool his temper.”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. Yi Chuan could hear, so he had to leave more news. He ventured: “Are you talking about…..Lieutenant General Zhao?!”

“It seems the boss wasn’t exaggerating when he praised you for being clever. Our boss is so great, but you actually disappointed him. After a few days, you will understand what an amazing person we follow.”

Having said this, he was about to drag Liu Zhenqing away.

Liu Zhenqing said while struggling: “Are you going to take me to the water village?! Aren’t you afraid that Captain Song’s people will find out?”

“The boss is not in the water village. He’s on the island. When we send you there, if the boss doesn’t want you, you’ll be thrown into the sea!” With that said, he no longer gave Liu Zhenqing any opportunities. He just picked him up and left.

Liu Zhenqing was calm and collected. He had finally left enough information.

Moreover, if they were to take him to the island, Song Xingmu’s fleet must flank them from the outside, and might even meet them halfway.

When he was thrown onto the boat, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but say: “What are you doing? Going against Captain Song, aren’t you afraid of dying?”

“Hmph, let’s see if he has any chance of surviving,” the man guarding Liu Zhenqing said.

“Captain Song has gone to sea. Aren’t you afraid you’ll encounter him?”

“He foolishly went off to fight pirates, how could he know……”

Liu Zhenqing: I think you are quite foolish.

“But you…..he will move heaven and earth for Yi Chuan, but you are just a plaything. Our boss showed you kindness, but you were too ignorant.”

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes and said: “He is only a lieutenant general. I…..”

“Bullshit. When we succeed, our boss will be the hero of the country, his status equivalent to the current general who guards the country. You’re being given a chance now, but you still don’t know how to cherish it. I warn you, when we get to the island, you had better take the initiative to make the boss happy, or…..” The man gave him a look of warning.

Liu Zhenqing critiqued internally, He is nothing compared to the general who guards the country. The general is mine. But Liu Zhenqing’s expression was shocked and uneasy. “What do you mean? You want to…..to…..”

“That’s right, rebel! Now that I’ve told you so much, you should understand, right? If you don’t become the boss’s person, you will die!”

Liu Zhenqing wanted to say more, but the guard was already annoyed and knocked him out directly. When he awoke, he was on a bed inside a room.

He quickly got up, but because he was still tied with rope, he could only sit up with difficulty. He looked up and saw that the portrait scroll on the table had not been opened, which meant nobody had come yet. Looking around again, he saw that the layout of the room was not simple. There was a desk for handling official business nearby, and a huge map hung on the wall behind the desk, including the sea region and the city on the shore. This was a customary decoration common among military officials. He was definitely in Zhao Haicheng’s rooms on the island.

Liu Zhenqing naturally knew this map by heart from when he and Song Xingmu fought together.

What was strange was that there was an area painted with vermillion on it. That area basically surrounded half the city with the coastline as one side, and seemed to follow the water veins of the underground river.

Liu Zhenqing was looking at it curiously when the door opened, and the sound of rapid footsteps could be heard along with an argument.

“Who told you to do this!” It was clearly Zhao Haicheng’s furious voice.

“But Boss, you were out of your mind a few days ago. Wasn’t it because you couldn’t buy the painting, and something about Young Master Huo? We were afraid that something big would happen and the painting would be destroyed, so we took it in advance. It just so happened that Young Master Huo was there, so it was convenient…..doesn’t the boss like him? Then keep him by your side, lest he die. Anyway, Song Xingmu is still at sea. Nobody will find him.”

They obviously looked down on Liu Zhenqing, but wanted their boss to be happy, so they did this.

Zhao Haicheng didn’t know that this matter was beneficial to Liu Zhenqing. As long as he didn’t go berserk, his safety was still guaranteed.

Sure enough, when Zhao Haicheng walked in, he saw Liu Zhenqing curled up and trembling on the bed, and was dumbstruck. He turned around and said impatiently: “Get out.”

When the group of subordinates saw this situation, they promptly concluded that the boss had accepted their kind gesture. They ran out happily and were considerate enough to close the door.

Liu Zhenqing shook when he heard the movement.

The room was quiet for a while. Finally, Zhao Haicheng said: “Don’t be so afraid, you won’t be killed.”

Zhao Haicheng’s tone was very bad, not as gentle and soft as in the past.

When Liu Zhenqing looked up, his eyes were red. Zhao Haicheng was stunned, and stood up as if he had been stimulated. “Who are you showing this look to!”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. Shouldn’t he pretend to be afraid? How did he turn out to be so crazy?

He didn’t know, so he could only look at him blankly.

Facing this appearance of his, Zhao Haicheng became even angrier. He walked directly to the bed, grabbed his chin, and scoffed coldly: “You really know how to arouse a man’s interest. That night in the alley, was it because of that expression that you hooked two men?”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

It seemed that after his many dramas, his image in Zhao Haicheng’s heart had changed completely, and now he was a coquettish slut.

Liu Zhenqing revealed a look of disbelief.

Zhao Haicheng scoffed: “Unfortunately, I respected you so much in the beginning and tried to help you.”

Wearing a frightened expression, Liu Zhenqing said, “I don’t need it. You kidnapped me here when I was about to leave.”

“Oh? Leave with that guard gege of yours?!” Zhao Haicheng gritted his teeth. “It’s a pity that you can’t leave. Now that you’re on the island, you must continue to follow us unless you no longer want to live.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Zhao Haicheng with despair: “Are you unable to let go of me?”

Zhao Haicheng was stunned and let go of Liu Zhenqing, taking a step back. He murmured at once: “Where does it look like that?”

Liu Zhenqing thought he heard wrong and glanced at Zhao Haicheng.

Zhao Haicheng seemed to suddenly come to his senses. He took a big step back, but bumped into the table.

As the scroll rolled, it was already a little loose. It unfolded instantly, and a painting of a bride appeared before Liu Zhenqing.

Zhao Haicheng seemed to freeze for a moment, staring blankly. Then he gingerly placed the painting flat on the table, looking at it carefully. Finally, he rubbed the cheek of the person in the painting, landing on the two moles.

This gesture gave Liu Zhenqing goosebumps all over his body.

Wait, Zhao Haicheng…..liked him in the past?

But before Liu Zhenqing could be amazed, he saw Zhao Haicheng’s expression abruptly change as he hit the person in the painting with his fist. The hatred carried in that force was very obvious.

Liu Zhenqing was confused. This…..this was hate.

“Do you know the person in the painting?” Liu Zhenqing was curious to death, and couldn’t help moving to the side of the bed. His body was getting a little hot, likely because of his impatience.

Zhao Haicheng suddenly came to his senses, his face changing colors. Then he scoffed coldly and said, “I know them.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

Zhao Haicheng scoffed again: “You’ll be scared to death if I tell you.”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

“He is…..Liu Zhenqing, who brought disaster to the world nine years ago!”

Liu Zhenqing: This person knew him even in women’s clothing. How familiar was he with him, ah? Why didn’t he have any impression at all?

“This painting is clearly…..” Liu Zhenqing spoke cooperatively.

“It’s just that the artist painted on women’s clothing. Never in my life will I forget his appearance,” Zhao Haicheng said with gritted teeth.

Since he was unaware that he had dressed up, Zhao Haicheng just assumed it was painted on the artist’s whim. It seemed that this had nothing to do with the first trip south, but the second.

“Isn’t he dead? Why do you still hate him so much?” Liu Zhenqing feigned confusion and said, “Is it related to your rebellion?”

Zhao Haicheng abruptly looked at Liu Zhenqing, who hastily said: “Your brother told me on the boat.”

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Haicheng said: “Of course I hate him. If not for what he did back then, how…..how could so many people have died on our island, and how could we embark on the path of rebellion?”

Liu Zhenqing skewed his eyes and said: “You’re lying. Even though I never knew that person, I also heard that he summoned 30,000 troops to root out the pirates and protect the islands. Even though others curse him, why do you, the ones he protected, curse him? And where did so many people die on an island? Captain Song said that during his command, few people died unless they privately went out to sea.”

When it came to this, Liu Zhenqing was dumbfounded.

Wrong, wrong!

The statistics of the island residents were available every year, and there was no difference from year to year. There were clearly a lot of rebels on this island. Could it be that they were all in hiding during the inspections?

Although, it wasn’t impossible.

Could it be that so many of the original inhabitants died, and the rebels just filled in the gaps? The people who came for the inspection may not have known the island residents. They just counted the number of people — according to the statistics, once the original inhabitants of the island joined forces with the rebels, the inspectors would not have noticed at all.

Then the rebels could believably live on this island as the dead islanders, so no matter how they tracked the rebels, they could never be found.

In other words, the residents of this island really did die long ago, and according to Zhao Haicheng, it was because of him?!

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenqing should have felt a chill, but his body was becoming hotter and hotter. He knew medicine. Even though he was concentrating on other things at the moment, he could still feel that something was wrong with his body.

Liu Zhenqing forced himself to calm down, and made his first judgment. Those men must have done something when he was unconscious! Truly vile! When it came to drugs, this particular one needed a partner, ah!

It seemed that the person in front of him was unaware, so there was still room to maneuver. After all, Zhao Haicheng’s attention was elsewhere now. Liu Zhenqing could only covertly inflict pain on himself to delay the effects of the drug.

Liu Zhenqing’s question was reasonable, but it infuriated Zhao Haicheng.

Zhao Haicheng suddenly hit the portrait with his fist again, as if wishing he could kill the person in it.

“You have no idea what things a villain like him could do. Had he not been deliberately using the excuse of eradicating pirates in order to seek military power from the emperor, we wouldn’t have suffered this misfortune! Before, we occasionally encountered pirates when we went out to sea, but as long as we had enough supplies, everyone could still live. But he had to make a show out of getting rid of the pirates. It was he who gave us hope and then destroyed us all. Once he was gone, we were met with brutal reprisals. You guess what kind of hell this island went through eight years ago.”

The sorrowful look on Zhao Haicheng’s face and the hatred in his eyes stunned Liu Zhenqing at once, and even the heat in his body seemed to freeze over.

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Chapter Ninety << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Two