Because He Lan’s leg was injured and it was inconvenient for him to move, He Lan said before deciding to go down the mountain: “I’ll stay, ba. Lao Qin, you take Prefect Wu away.”

Qin Yu glanced at He Lan’s leg.

“What are you worrying about me for, ah? If you hadn’t stabbed a hole in Prefect Wu’s shoulder and made him faint, I would rather you carry me down the mountain.” He Lan crossed his legs and lay carelessly on the bed, saying, “I can’t move anyway, so I’ll just wait for someone to carry me.”

“You go, I’ll stay here to look after him,” Liu Zhenqing said.

Huo Fenglie looked toward him. “It’s not safe.”

He Lan expressed his dissatisfaction. “Hey, hey, hey, I’m here too.”

Liu Zhenqing analyzed calmly, “Qin-daren will move a little slower if he takes Prefect Wu, but you will be able to move faster and seize military power from the lieutenant in order to mobilize the troops and lay siege. Taking me with you will waste time. The people here won’t be able to find us for a while, and it will be more advantageous to act quickly. In addition, troops must be sent to arrest Magistrate Wang.”

He Lan and Qin Yu looked a little surprised. They were not familiar with Liu Zhenqing, and didn’t expect this guy to be so clever and organized.

“That makes sense,” Qin Yu said.

But Huo Fenglie took a deep look at Liu Zhenqing, and could only say to He Lan in the end: “Protect him.”

He Lan looked speechlessly at his injured leg.

Huo Fenglie and Qin Yu took Prefect Wu and the evidence down the mountain at once.

Glancing at He Lan on the bed, Liu Zhenqing said: “Let me get some water to clean your wound.”

He Lan said with a smile: “Thank you, but…..you’d better not leave my sight.”

Liu Zhenqing froze: “Ah?”

“Zhanyuan said to protect you. What if you encounter danger when you go out? If you’re in front of me, I can still fight if something happens.” Bored to death, He Lan pointed at the chair beside him: “Sit down, ba. It will take at least a shichen for them to leave and come back. Wait here.”

Although it was in the name of protection, He Lan really kept a close eye on him. This made Liu Zhenqing unhappy, and he wondered why Er-gou deliberately left such a command.

But it didn’t matter. There would be plenty of opportunities.

That’s right, he had to go.

Soon, the entire courtyard became lively. They had probably discovered the situation in the cave and were anxiously searching for the leader. As a result, they found that all the guests and women they brought were unconscious in the rooms. The courtyard was in chaos, and because Prefect Wu was not considered a guest in the first place, no one cared about him at all.

At the same time, Huo Fenglie and Qin Yu forcefully suppressed all the military officials on Prefect Wu’s list as soon as possible, including the lieutenant, then took out the token given by the emperor and directly took over the five thousand troops there. 

Qin Yu supervised a troop of soldiers to go to the Magistrate’s Manor and arrest that person, while Huo Fenglie led the remaining troops to surround the Heaven’s Blessing Sect’s mountain.

Just as he was about to lead the army in to lay siege, Qin Yu flew over alone.

“Magistrate Wang wasn’t in the manor. I asked the guards at the city gate and they said that he went to the Heaven’s Blessing Sect after you did tonight. We may have missed him. He should be in the Heaven’s Blessing Sect now.”

Huo Fenglie nodded. “I will lead troops to suppress them, and you lead people to pick up the others.”

Qin Yu had just nodded and was about to leave, but Huo Fenglie grabbed his arm and said, “You must retrieve them.”

Qin Yu felt strange, and thought that Huo Fenglie’s behavior tonight was a bit like a mother-in-law.

Soon, the Heaven’s Blessing Sect was thrown into chaos as the army attacked. Without a leader, they could only flee in all directions, but even the ones who escaped outside were caught by the surrounding troops.

Qin Yu also led his team to find Liu Zhenqing and He Lan, and escorted them to the circle where soldiers and horses were stationed outside the courtyard. Many people who were deceived had been taken there.

After settling them in, Qin Yu rushed to find Magistrate Wang. After all, they had been placed somewhere very safe, so Qin Yu no longer felt the need to worry about them.

And the troops had also brought along a military doctor, who was able to help treat He Lan’s wounds.

It was during this interval that a young soldier on guard was watching the excitement in the courtyard curiously, and he suddenly saw a noble young man walking through the crowd.

“Brother, I feel sick to my stomach. May I go into the woods to sort it out?”

The soldier had seen that he was with two lords, so he naturally regarded him as an honored guest and gave way. He was on guard duty, so he naturally couldn’t leave his post, and could only tell him to call out if something happened.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and walked slowly toward the forest. As he went, he saw horses tied nearby and grabbed one before disappearing into the trees.

Huo Fenglie returned after some time and couldn’t find Liu Zhenqing in the crowd, so he immediately rushed to ask He Lan.

How could He Lan know? He looked blankly at Huo Fenglie, whose expression had completely changed. 

After some inquiries, he finally determined a direction.

He Lan was about to say that they could just send someone to look for him, but Huo Fenglie didn’t listen to him at all. With a whistle, a huge black horse appeared. This was his mount, “Chen Jiangyue.” Huo Fenglie got on the horse and rushed out.

Just at this time, Qin Yu came back to see Huo Fenglie leaving.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Yu looked at He Lan suspiciously.

He Lan was stunned by this incident. “Lao Qin, I think what you said…..might really be true. Young Master Liu just walked away for a moment, so why is he so panicked?”

“Panicked?” Qin Yu frowned.

He Lan awkwardly tried to stand up, but his leg was bandaged and it was difficult to move. He could only tug on Qin Yu and say: “Chase after him quickly. Zhanyuan’s old problem has resurfaced.”

As soon as he spoke, Qin Yu’s expression changed slightly. He stopped talking and immediately gave chase.

But how could an ordinary horse catch up with Chen Jiangyue, who was of red rabbit horse and sweatblood horse origin?

The forest wind blew past his ears, and Huo Fenglie could hear nothing. He could only keep chasing forward.

He didn’t know how long he had been chasing when Chen Jiangyue’s hooves suddenly slowed and a long whinny brought Huo Fenglie to his senses.

Feeling oncoming murderous intent, Huo Fenglie rolled off his horse and pulled out the Chunjun sword. Shen Jiangyue cooperated and kept its distance, and two ding ding sounds were heard as two hidden weapons impacted the groove in the Chunjun sword.

“Who’s there!”

“Stop chasing me, young god of war general. I don’t wish to take your life and become a criminal in Great Zhou.”

Huo Fenglie instantly gazed at the dark road ahead and saw an old man with half his hair disheveled, wearing tattered clothes and holding a cane as he walked out slowly.

There was another person on horseback behind him. That person was not Liu Zhenqing, but a man dressed in splendid brocade clothing, dignified and fierce. His features were somewhat similar to those of the leader. 

Huo Fenglie realized at once that the man on the horse was Magistrate Wang, who had yet to be found.

“Kill him,” Magistrate Wang said directly.

“What do you know? Why haven’t you run away quickly? If you don’t drag me down, I’ll try my best to do something about him.”

Magistrate Wang was not angry upon hearing the old man’s rude words. He only gritted his teeth and turned around to ride away.

Then the old man said: “Boy, turn around and go back. You are no match for me.”

“Have you seen anyone else while going in this direction?” Huo Fenglie said in a deep voice.

The old man was taken aback for a moment, a little puzzled. Wasn’t this person here to pursue Magistrate Wang?

“No?” Huo Fenglie suddenly rushed toward the old man with his sword. “Then get out of the way!”

Huo Fenglie was full of murderous intent, the Chunjun sword pointed right at the old man’s face. When the old man dodged, he discovered that Huo Fenglie didn’t want to fight him at all, and really just wanted him to make way.

Chen Jiangyue also had a close connection with her master and detoured directly ahead.

But how could the old man let him go? He simply thought that Huo Fenglie was going after Magistrate Wang.

He flew up in an instant, pulling a sharp sword from his cane, and rushed forward to fight Huo Fenglie.

There was a clang as their swords met, and Huo Fenglie was knocked back several steps by his opponent’s internal force.

The person who had come was a master, a true master of martial arts.

Huo Fenglie looked into the distance, the redness in his eyes becoming deeper and deeper. The feeling of being too late eroded his heart, and his body grew increasingly hot, nearly making him lose his mind.

When the old man across from him noticed his appearance, he was suddenly cheerful. “A problem with your internal force?”

Huo Fenglie’s expression became severe, and he ducked in front of the old man. The light of his sword came and went like a shadow, and he exchanged dozens of moves in an instant.

The old man smiled and delayed time by saying: “Boy, you probably don’t know this, but I fought against your brother before! He was seriously injured by me when he was still young. I have already seen the skills of your Huo family, and there is nothing you can do to me. Forget it, since you are seeking death, I couldn’t kill your brother back then, so I will kill you today!”

The old man was a vicious person. When he truly wanted to take action, he would not care about the greater good of the country.

And he was also a despicable person. The two of them were initially in the same league, but the old man directly raised a hand of white powder. Even though Huo Fenglie dodged, he still received a lot of it because of the direction the wind was blowing.

Huo Fenglie instantly felt the strength in his body draining away.

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the forest, “Attack his right knee!”

Huo Fenglie trembled all over. That was……Liu Zhenqing’s voice.

He looked in that direction, but it was too dark and too far away to see anything. He could only release a long whistle to order Chen Jiangyue to turn around while he stabbed toward the old man with his sword.

“Who is it!” The old man instantly panicked. Very few people knew about his weak point. Even Huo Fenglie, who had just fought with him, didn’t seem to know, which proved that his brother hadn’t told him about it!

But it was too late to ask. Huo Fenglie stabbed at the old man’s knee with his sword, and sure enough, his leg reacted slower than any other part of his body.

His weakness was exploited, and he suffered an injury. The old man was cautious, and even though he knew Huo Fenglie wouldn’t be able to hold on for long, he didn’t dare rush forward. There was also someone else in the forest, so he flew away directly.

At this time, Chen Jiangyue issued a high-pitched whinny to indicate that it had caught someone.

Liu Zhenqing watched helplessly as it bit his sleeve and continuously pulled him forward. He turned to reach for his own reins, but the horse was frightened by Chen Jiangyue and didn’t dare approach. 

In the end, Liu Zhenqing followed Chen Jiangyue’s wishes and came to Huo Fenglie. He was a little worried about Er-gou being poisoned. 

Huo Fenglie could barely stand at this moment, and used his sword to hold his body up with difficulty. It wasn’t until he saw Liu Zhenqing standing in front of him intact that he collapsed.

Liu Zhenqing instinctively stepped forward to catch him.

Huo Fenglie grabbed his wrist at once and stared at him intently.

But Liu Zhenqing only noticed the red color in Huo Fenglie’s eyes and thought it was from the old man’s poison just now. After all, when the three of them were on a study tour, they met an old assassin who knew how to kill with poison. The three of them had to combine their martial arts, poison, and Liu Zhenqing’s observation to defeat the old man. Therefore, they were the only ones who knew his weakness. Unexpectedly, that number one killer from back then was now reduced to being a bodyguard for someone like Magistrate Wang. It was true that money made all the difference, ah.

He was also unfortunate enough to meet them by chance while running through the forest. He was forced to stay and watch the battle, and in the end, he had to reveal himself in order to save Er-gou.

After checking his pulse with a frown, he realized that the drugs not only caused him to lose his strength, but Er-gou’s internal force was disordered. What was going on?

It was his fault for not studying and being unable to tell clearly, but he did know that Er-gou was gradually improving now, and it wasn’t serious.

Liu Zhenqing put Huo Fenglie’s wrist down and looked up, but when their eyes met, his mind froze.

Those black and red eyes were filled with a strange light, looking at him earnestly and directly.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and did not give any apologies or explanations for the current situation. He only said: “Brother Huo, you rest. I’ll get you the antidote pills.”

Liu Zhenqing helped him lean against a tree. He stood up and was about to leave, but found his wrist tightly grasped by this person who was rapidly losing strength.

Liu Zhenqing bowed his head to look at him.

Huo Fenglie’s pupils quivered, his clear eyes completely reflecting Liu Zhenqing’s figure. His low, hoarse voice sounded slowly, “Don’t leave.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned for a moment. It was as if something had disturbed the calm lake in his heart, causing ripples to appear.

But Liu Zhenqing just smiled gently and said: “I’m just going to get the antidote pills. They’re on my horse. You need to get better quickly in case the assassin comes back. Trust me, ah, I’m not lying to you.”

“Trust me, ah, I’m not lying to you.”

Qing-ge had said this to him countless times, and he had been fooled countless times.

But he never learned his lesson.

His hand gradually lost strength, and it was impossible to tell if it was voluntary or the effect of the drug.

Huo Fenglie just looked straight at Liu Zhenqing and said with nearly imperceptible pleading and hope, “En, I’ll wait for you.”

Liu Zhenqing’s face stiffened for a moment. He had deceived Er-gou countless times, but had never felt any guilt. Could an adult deceiving a child be counted as lying?

It seemed all that guilt was coming due all at once.

Liu Zhenqing turned around, walked back to the forest with stiff steps, and mounted his horse.

When the sound of horse hooves came from the silent forest, Huo Fenglie stared in astonishment at the bag that was already hanging on Chen Jiangyue’s reins.

It was the bag that held the medicine bottles.

He left after all?

Huo Fenglie’s expression was a little embarrassed, and he took out the medicine fiercely, swallowing the antidote pills. The red color in his eyes that had been continuously fading ignited as if resurrected, and what drifted from the flames was chaos and madness.

Hoofbeats suddenly sounded, and Huo Fenglie’s eyes lit up as if he had found something that was lost, but he only saw Qin Yu rushing over.

At this moment, it seemed that his body could no longer endure, and a mouthful of blood spurted out.

“Zhanyuan!” Qin Yu immediately dismounted. “Do you have the medicine on you? Take it quickly.”

But Huo Fenglie had regained some strength and pushed Qin Yu away, mounted his horse, pulled the reins, and was about to give chase.

“What are you doing.” 

“Liu…..”

“Liu Xiaozhu? I just met him. He was going back, and said he wanted to find someone to hunt down Magistrate Wang.”

Huo Fenglie immediately reined the horse in and turned to look at Qin Yu. “You said he…..went back?”

Qin Yu nodded. “Yes.”

Huo Fenglie swayed, raising his hand to cover his face as if in disbelief. Before Qin Yu could question him, Huo Fenglie had already taken the pills to suppress his illness and then rode his horse wildly in the direction he had come from.

He didn’t leave?

He really…..didn’t leave?

When the sounds of the crowd came, a familiar figure came into view once more.

At that moment, Huo Fenglie felt his heart beating again.

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Chapter Forty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Two

Hot flashes during the southwest summer made it easy to feel uncomfortable, and in addition, mosquitos, rats, and ants were rampant in the forest. If one was bitten by a venomous insect, the swollen pustules could often be as big as half a palm. There were also cases of people who had rolled down the mountain when collecting medicine, and people who had cut their legs when chopping firewood. In short, all kinds of maladies, large and small, could be treated for free at the newly-built medical center in the Southwest Garrison.

The news soon spread throughout the Valley of Ten Faces.

And to many villages farther beyond the Valley of Ten Faces.

Liu Nanyuan wore a bright red dress and sat in a bright, clean room to treat people. There were guards standing on both sides of the courtyard, all handsome and noble-looking. Gao Lin practically hollowed out all of his limited aesthetics and contributed them to the medical clinic. There was even a string of hollow bamboo bells hung under the eaves, tied with translucent ribbons and glowing slightly, which attracted countless butterflies to fly upward.

A-Ning said: “I didn’t expect that Lieutenant General Gao would have such a delicate side.”

Liu Xian’an lay on a bamboo couch to enjoy the breeze: “Everyone has a love for beauty.”

He spoke indolently, his tone sleepy, and his eyelids looked as if they were about to shut again. A-Ning was swift and nimble. He forced his eyes open again and shouted: “Young Master, please don’t sleep. His Highness has sent people to bring you clothes. Please change into them quickly. We will be going down the mountain to assist the Third Young Lady later.”

Liu Xian’an yawned: “I feel very comfortable wearing this.”

“Comfortable is comfortable, but it is too old.” A-Ning grabbed his wrist and pulled him up with extraordinary strength.

Liu Xian’an was the least particular about how he dressed. In addition, there were sages from the Three Thousand Worlds who set bad examples, so he never wanted rich clothing and always wore a casual gray cotton robe with a cloth belt tied around the waist, and a pair of worn-out shoes to run around in.

The people of Baihe Mountain Village had long become accustomed to his beggar-like outfit, and Liang Shu was also used to it. He also thought it was very cute. A piece of soft, loose cloth wrapped around a slender lazy egg. Easy to touch. Easy to undress.

A-Ning went to pull off his belt.

Liu Xian’an did not wake up, and fell straight back.

A-Ning was panting from exhaustion and his hands were sore. He stood beside the bed with his hands on his hips: “The prince is coming!”

As it turned out, the prince really came.

Liang Shu sent A-Ning out and bent down to kiss the person under the quilt: “You’ve been sleeping since midnight last night.”

Liu Xian’an firmly closed his eyes.

Liang Shu laughed and held this person in his arms. First he unwrapped his sleeping clothes, then fetched the newly-made clothes and put them on piece by piece. He had never served anyone before, but perhaps he was destined to have this lazy fellow, so he had some talent for learning these things without a teacher.

Liu Xian’an twitched his nose, but didn’t smell the scent that new clothes should have, only the gentle and pleasant scent of jasmine. Liang Shu pulled his fingers out of his sleeves and said: “I told them to wash and scent them. They will be softer and more comfortable for you to wear.”

The Sleeping Immortal finally opened his eyes a little.

Liang Shu said: “Stand straight, I’ll buckle your belt for you.”

Liu Xian’an took a look and thought it seemed familiar. “Isn’t this the prince’s belt?”

“I couldn’t find a good jade buckle for some time, so I used mine.” Liang Shu said, “It looks pretty good.”

It certainly looked pretty good, because it was a gift from the emperor when he made his younger brother go to Jiangnan to swindle…..to marry a wife. Definitely to marry a wife.

Liang Shu fastened it carefully and looked at the person before him with satisfaction: “Not bad, it looks good.”

The muslin clothes were like snow, with faint silver thread inlays showing through. When the sun shined on them, they gleamed brilliantly. Liu Xian’an touched his belt and commented: “It’s not as comfortable as my big robe.”

“You can change back in the evening.” Liang Shu said, “You are pretending to be an immortal, so you must be more diligent.”

Chang Xiaoqiu passed by and saw A-Ning standing outside the courtyard, so he stepped forward to ask him something. While the two were chatting, the wooden door opened with a creak, and then His Royal Highness Xiao Wang walked out with another person.

As for why it was ‘another person,’ this was because it took a moment for Chang Xiaoqiu to react and finally recognize Second Young Master Liu. But it was not his fault, because even A-Ning was slightly stunned by this overly successful disguise.

Once the two of them had walked away, Chang Xiaoqiu asked: “Why do you look so amazed?”

A-Ning said: “Because I really haven’t seen such a thing.”

After all, when his family’s young master was at home, he didn’t even want to wear new clothes during the New Year, and would at most add a red belt to his gray robe, which looked even stranger. It was even more outrageous one year, when he was imitating some unknown sage. In the middle of winter, he wore a pair of broken straw sandals to eat at the New Year’s Eve banquet, and the Village Master almost became ill from anger.

Chang Xiaoqiu was filled with admiration upon hearing this. He is worthy of being the prince’s favorite person, his tastes are so unique!

A-Ning: “…..Forget it, I don’t want to talk about this with you.”

Liang Shu walked around the military camp with the Sleeping Immortal in fluttering white clothes, which caused the soldiers to secretly murmur, why does the Liu family look so pure and fairy-like?

Liu Xian’an’s belt was uncomfortable, but he had already changed, he still ran to the pharmacy and showed his elder brother his beautiful new clothes.

Liu Xianche said expressionlessly: “En.”

But in fact, he turned around and started to paint, painting his little brother’s new look on paper. He also wrote an extremely long letter home, praising him in all aspects, and sent it back to Baihe Mountain Villain together with the painting so that his parents could be happy as well.

After exiting the pharmacy, Liang Shu had originally wanted to take Liu Xian’an to find Liu Nanyuan, but someone sent a message stating that the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe who had followed the evil cult into the mountains that day had returned, but not all of them.

“What do you mean they didn’t come back?” Liang Shu asked. “How many of them were caught?”

“One is missing.”

For of them went, and three returned. The man who didn’t come back was called La Yue, which sounded like he could celebrate the New Year at all times.^[1] With such a festive name, he really shouldn’t have bad luck. Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an went to the front hall together to inquire, and it turned out that he was not unlucky.

“Brother La Yue didn’t fail to return because he was apprehended,” the young man explained.

After this group of people followed the woman in red to find the Baifu Sect’s lair, in fact, the mission was completed. But La Yue wanted to find Ku You, so the remaining people came back to report the news first.

The young man continued: “We only need five days to draw the topographic map. The road into the mountain is actually not too narrow, and there are many blindages around it. According to the prince’s ability, it shouldn’t be difficult to attack them like divine soldiers from the sky.”

He was talking business, but the woman next to him was looking at First Young Master Liu doubtfully. She didn’t understand why, just after she left the door, the other party’s style of dress had turned from someone fleeing famine to that of a wealthy immortal.  First Young Master Liu wearing this set of clothes…..shouldn’t it be for the sake of her little sister?

So she clapped her hands with satisfaction and went back to write a letter to announce the good news. A servant brought the jujube-red pony for Liu Xian’an. After being carefully raised by the military camp’s horse officer, it now looked fatter and stockier. Its four legs thrust into the ground, and it looked extremely stable and reliable. Liu Xian’an petted two handfuls of its smooth mane and said: “Let’s take it to the Northwest next time.”

“Okay, I’ll find twenty of the best horses to accompany it to run together.” Liang Shu put this person on the horse’s back. “The desert in the north goes as far as the eye can see. It will like it very much.”

The groom to the side hesitated to speak, and remained silent in the end. He only had infinite sympathy in his heart for this chubby red horse that was lazy and inactive, but also very good at eating, and was destined to embark on a long journey to the Northwest.

There were already two long queues in front of the medical center. Liu Xian’an looked into the farthest distance and felt that it almost connected to the sky. Such a large number people must not all be patients, and many of them were just joining in the fun to see the most beautiful woman in Dayan. If this sort of thing happened during normal times, the government would not allow it, but the current situation was special. Thus, Gao Lin just sent people along the way to pick up all the patients who needed emergency treatment in advance, and the rest could wait slowly.

The rest of the Baihe Mountain Village disciples also donned new clothes, and all of them sat in the clinic whenever they were free. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and there was someone playing the fuqin in the distance, ding ding dong dong, like mountains and flowing water.

An old woman looked at Liu Nanyuan and said happily: “You don’t even have to examine them, my old legs and feet will be fine.”

“I still need to look at them.” Liu Nanyuan smiled. “Popo, just lie down.”

The old woman lay down as she was told, still staring at Liu Nanyuan. The more she looked at her, the more she liked her. She couldn’t help but say: “Our A-Yong…..”

The grandson standing aside had sharp eyes and agile hands, and quickly covered her mouth. Liu Nanyuan was immediately happy. After the examination, she stood up and said: “Popo is in very good health. She needs more meat and fresh vegetables, and she can live to a hundred years old.”

“Yes, yes, many thanks, Third Young Lady Liu.” Without another word, the grandson picked up his family’s old popo and fled, causing everyone in the courtyard to laugh and say: “A-Yong, is grandma playing at matchmaker for you again?”

Everyone was extremely joyous.

Liu Nanyuan was also full of joy, because this way of seeing patients was very different from what she did back home. The vast majority of people did not have serious illnesses, and everyone just came to join in the fun and chat. In the evenings, campfires would be lit on the outskirts and some people would sing, some would dance, and the joyous sounds reached the highest pinnacle of the clouds.

This was how the common people’s lives should be.

Liu Nanyuan tidied the table and was about to call the next patient in, but never expected that it would be her Er-ge wearing new clothes. Her reaction was definitely more genuine than that of her stern Da-ge. She stood up at once with an expression of disbelief on her face, and even felt that she might be hallucinating.

Liu Xian’an said: “It’s only a set of clothes.”

It is only a set of clothes, but the issue is, you didn’t even want to wear this set of clothes before. Liu Nanyuan looked him round and round, feeling that it was extremely novel, and said: “I thought before that Er-ge would still wear those tattered clothes even when getting married, but unexpectedly, he’s willing to change them. This is very good, wear them like this in the future!”

“That won’t work, it’s too tiring.” Liu Xian’an refused. Even when we get married, I can wear a big red robe.

Liu Nanyuan: “…..But this will make our Baihe Mountain Village seem abnormal.”

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[1] La Yue (蜡月) means Wax Moon or Candle Moon, and the name also sounds like Twelfth Lunar Month (腊月), which is around when the Chinese New Year is celebrated. ⮐

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Chapter One Hundred Thirteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Fifteen

The police station issued an investigation statement, proving that Lu Qi’s account had indeed been stolen and that the harassing messages had not been sent by Lu Qi. However, it was difficult to further prove that all of this was ordered by Lin Yuan, because the other party did it very cleanly and left no evidence.

Along the way, Lu Qi walked back slowly and thought about what he should do next.

The first thing to do was to go back and post the investigation results on Weibo, then demand an apology from 90° Right Angle Bend and those who had insulted and threatened him. There were a few particularly bad ones, and Lu Qi planned to sue them.

But the fundamental cause was Lin Yuan, that garbage human being. What was annoying was that he really didn’t have the ability to shake a behemoth like Hengjin Entertainment. If he rashly made accusations, he would only be slaughtered.

Maybe he should find a lawyer. Whether it was prosecuting cybercriminals or collecting evidence that Lin Yuan instigated the cyberbullying, he really needed help from knowledgeable people.

But Lu Qi didn’t expect that help to come so quickly. When he received a call from Haicheng Law Firm, he was completely confused. The young lady on the other side asked him in a gentle tone whether he had done any consultation online.

“Yes, ah.” Lu Qi turned on the speakerphone, flipped through the webpage with his phone in hand and asked uncertainly: “But the one I consulted shouldn’t have been Haicheng Law Firm…..”

The other party’s dazzling litigation success rate was there, and what matched it was the dazzling price.

His small wallet couldn’t afford it.

“It’s like this, Mr. Lu……” The other party’s tone was calm and unhurried. “Our law firm has some special legal aid projects each year. A case like yours is relatively typical and meets our assistance standards. If you are willing to let our law firm be responsible, the cost can be discussed.”

She spoke the number.

Lu Qi: ……

You are not doing assistance, you are doing charity.

He asked seriously: “When did your project start?”

The other party paused and said: “Uh…..this year.”

Lu Qi: “I can’t be the first, right?”

The young lady: “……There is always the first person to try something new.”

. . . . . . .

“So, Boss. Why don’t you just tell your neighbor?” The assistant’s voice was full of confusion. “This was really difficult to do, but fortunately your neighbor accepted the ‘aid’ in the end.”

The boss didn’t answer him. There was only a muffled bang, bang, bang coming from the microphone. It sounded like something was being hit violently.

Just when the assistant thought his boss was being beaten in a sack, he finally spoke.

Mu Nanqiao’s breathing was uneven. His lazy voice was still panting as he said: “I’ve been bitten by a dog before.”

The assistant: “Ha ? ?”

“I was bitten by a dog, and now I see that same dog biting a little friend, so I picked up a stone to hit the dog. This is very normal.” Mu Nanqiao thought of the way Lu Qi held the little cabbage the night before, and gave a low-pitched laugh. “That little friend is rather cute.”

The assistant: ……

Workers hated bosses who didn’t speak directly when they had something to say.

However, his boss’s usual style was to be decisive and avoid talking nonsense, unless he didn’t want to answer. Then he would ramble. This was indeed a personal question to the boss. The assistant immediately stopped asking and hung up the phone after reporting the work progress.

Putting the phone on the table, Mu Nanqiao casually took off his sweaty short-sleeved shirt.

The TV hanging on the wall emitted a dim light, the news from a few years ago playing on loop. Due to the orientation problem, this small room that was supposed to be a bedroom had no windows. When the lights weren’t turned on, the room was as dark as late night. The light source didn’t fill the entire room, and a swaying sandbag was placed at the intersection of light and dark.

Those were all the furnishings in this bedroom.

Mu Nanqiao didn’t wear gloves on his hands, just bandages. The abrasions on his knuckles were not healed yet. They were so tightly wrapped and soaked with sweat that they stung.

After all these years, he still had a stress reaction to dark environments.

But he would not allow himself to be a useless person who trembled after dark.

He slowly unwrapped the bandages on his hands. 

The addict the day before was probably a surprise given to him by his second uncle. In the eyes of his second uncle, he was still the child who could only cry his eyes out when he was locked in a small, dark room. He thought that when the switch was flipped and the power went out, he would be at the mercy of others.

Even if there was no little neighbor, that humanoid piece of garbage would only have ended up with a broken head and a bloody end, or perhaps even worse.

Close relatives seeked wealth and tried to kill him for profit, but a person he had only met once was genuinely worried about his situation.

Lu Qi’s earnest and worried face appeared before his eyes again, and the corners of Mu Nanqiao’s lips couldn’t help but curl up. He accepted the kindness of this little neighbor and was willing to give the same kindness back to him.

It was just that the little neighbor didn’t have to know.

Mu Nanqiao looked around this strange bedroom. His handsome face looked a bit gloomy in the flickering light.

Such a room was not suitable for sunshine to visit, so they didn’t need to have a deep friendship.

. . . . . . .

With the help of a professional, many problems were easily solved. Clearly Lu Qi was dealing with one lawyer, but he felt like he was being served by a team, and his efficiency was frighteningly high.

Lin Yuan was untouchable for the time being, but he could sue Hengjin Entertainment to get information about the cyberbullying, and then sue the bed bugs hiding behind the network cables…..

The first cyberbully involved was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison. Lu Qi posted the result on Weibo, and there was a line of people apologizing below. Lu Qi’s little fans were elated, and began to comment sarcastically in the comments section. They also helped Lu Qi filter out apologies that were less than 3,000 words long—anything less was unqualified and insincere!

But more people still spoke harshly, or simply canceled their accounts and ran away, but it was no use. The second person who was sued didn’t escape even though their account was canceled.

Even though there was a professional team around, Lu Qi had been busy for a long time. During this period, he didn’t know if the neighbor next door had found a job. He always came back in the middle of the night or early in the morning, and closed the door so softly that Lu Qi sometimes couldn’t hear it at all when he fell asleep.

He just wanted to ask how Mu Nanqiao’s hand was doing, but never caught his neighbor.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the old building had another power outage.

Everyone in the group scolded the property manager, who was unconvinced, and asked if someone had flipped the switch again. There was a burst of cheering upstairs of Lu Qi. It was probably some family’s naughty kid who was celebrating that he didn’t have to do homework.

Lu Qi had just finished cooking a pot of wontons. Standing there in the dark, smelling the scent of wontons and momentarily speechless, he suddenly heard “Dance of the Reed Flutes” next door.

Thinking that Mu Nanqiao was afraid of the dark, Lu Qi had reason to suspect that the other party was playing music to build up his courage. He hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the next door anyway.

Mu Nanqiao had just finished taking a shower, and the tips of his hair were dripping wet. When he heard a knock on the door, he raised his eyebrows playfully.

During this time, the father and son had given their second uncle a lot of surprises, and it was not impossible for him to make a desperate move again. After all, although his second uncle had brains when doing things, they didn’t amount to much.

He thought it was an uninvited guest, but saw the little neighbor on the small screen of the video doorbell.

He didn’t know what Lu Qi was holding in his hands, but the steam blurred half of his face. It was obvious that he was in much better spirits. Holding the glowing little cabbage under his arm, he waited eagerly at the door.

Like a little deer waiting to be fed.

However, when he opened the door, Mu Nanqiao realized that he might be the one who was going to be fed.

Lu Qi was actually carrying a small pot, and the aroma of steaming food penetrated into the room. “The power went out during mealtime, and I was wondering if you might not have eaten.” Lu Qi blinked his eyes. “I cooked some homemade wontons. Do you want to try them?”

He didn’t say that he was worried Mu Nanqiao would be afraid of the dark. After all, Mu Nanqiao was an adult and wanted to save face.

But as soon as Mu Nanqiao opened the door, Lu Qi knew that he was worrying too much.

There was light coming out of the room, and Mu Nanqiao’s tall, straight figure was shrouded in the bright illumination. It seemed that he had just taken a shower, and the ferocity and wariness in his eyes had not completely subsided, but his hair hung down wetly, covering his straight eyebrows and softening the contours of his face. He actually looked a little nice?

Hm, both fierce and nice.

Also, there was no power outage in 502?

Seeing his doubts, Mu Nanqiao leaned against the door frame and looked at him with lowered eyelashes. A faint smile emerged in his eyes: “There’s emergency power in my apartment. You know I’m afraid of the dark.”

He exposed Lu Qi’s little thoughts calmly and leisurely. Having quickly brought over the pot, this made Lu Qi a little embarrassed, and he gave a light cough. “Then do you want to eat…..”

The tips of his ears hidden under soft black hair were slightly red. Mu Nanjiao glanced at them under the light in the room, and his Adam’s apple moved unconsciously.

“……Eat.”

He took the small pot from Lu Qi’s hands and led this person into the apartment.

The layout of the living room was actually very strange. There was obviously a bedroom, but the bed was under the living room window. There were lights everywhere. Lu Qi looked up at the beautiful hollow parchment wall lamp at the door.

For Mu Nanqiao, this was just a place to sleep. His clothes weren’t even here, but in a property in the city center. After all, there wasn’t enough room for a cloakroom here.

He usually didn’t think much of it. At the last family dinner the third uncle asked him, why did he always go back to live in a kennel after the father and son had snatched so many of the Mu family’s shares? Was it because wild pigs can’t appreciate fine grain?

How did Mu Nanqiao retort at that time?

“I can at least sleep soundly in a good kennel.” He gave a proper smile, cultured like a true gentleman, but his narrow eyes were full of biting coldness. “Unlike Third Uncle’s house, which was used by Third Aunt to mortgage gambling debts. It hasn’t been redeemed yet, right?”

His third uncle was the old man’s favored youngest son. Before entering the nursing home to recuperate, the old man had handed over his ancestral home in Jiangnan to his third uncle, and when he heard Mu Nanqiao’s words, he almost fainted on the spot.

In the midst of the chaos, Mu Nanqiao just shrugged unapologetically. “Aiya, I spilled the beans.”

It was an issue he didn’t mind at the time, but he didn’t know why he felt embarrassed now. Mu Nanqiao intentionally or unintentionally blocked the password-locked door of the bedroom and explained casually: “The bedroom…..is too humid…..”

“Hm, it’s true that this apartment faces a bad direction.” Lu Qi nodded in agreement. “It’s wise to sleep in the living room, ah, the lights in this room are very nice.”

Lu Qi smiled with sparkling eyes. “Like this, it’s like you’re sleeping in a sea of stars.”

---

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Chapter Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

Five years later.

Pei Yi put on his newly bought pajamas and walked out of the bathroom with wet hair. The air conditioner in the room was still on, which alleviated the heat from the shower.

He walked quickly to the small living room and scanned the wine wall from top to bottom. Footsteps sounded from the other side.

Pei Yi didn’t even look away, and only opened his mouth to shout, “Er-ge, I want to drink.”

Bo Yueming noticed his hair at first sight and asked helplessly, “Drink? You haven’t even dried your hair. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

“It was a little stuffy in the bathroom just now, so I didn’t bother to blow-dry it.” Pei Yi touched his half-dried hair and designated his lofty target. “I want that bottle of wine. Er-ge, hurry up.”

Bo Yueming looked in the direction he was pointing. “Who did you learn this talent for choosing wine from?”

There was no wavering at all when it came to picking a good one.

Bo Yueming had been in the habit of collecting and hoarding wine since he went to university, but every time, Pei Yi could accurately take control of it. The full wine wall seemed to have been prepared for the other party.

“Who else could it be but my Father Yan?”

Zong Baiyan liked to drink and knew his wine.

Pei Yi had learned a lot about wine culture at his side when he was younger. After he entered high school, the father and son would secretly taste some wine behind Xu Rong’s back.

Nowadays, the university entrance exam was over and he had officially become an adult—

Pei Yi’s love of alcohol from his childhood had been completely liberated. He dared not indulge in his father’s alcohol, so he could only come to Bo Yueming’s place now and then to enjoy himself.

Bo Yueming always put the good wine in a high place. Pei Yi, who was a bit short, urged, “Hurry up, Er-ge.”

His tone was whiney, with an intimacy that only came from one’s own family.

“Little dwarf.”

Bo Yueing smiled as he muttered this, taking down the wine that Pei Yi wanted.

Pei Yi glared at him and refused to admit defeat. “How am I short? You’re just too tall.”

Bo Yueming didn’t want to make him angry. “Okay, you open the wine and I’ll get the hair dryer. You still need your hair blown a little.”

Pei Yi asked lazily, “Ah?”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows. “What ah? Don’t you want me to help blow it?”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi chuckled and watched the other party go into the master bedroom.

In the beginning, Bo Yueming didn’t choose to go abroad. Instead, he stayed in China and applied to the business school of the Imperial Capital University, and took the lead in participating in Bo Group’s projects.

Not only that, but he also privately tried additional venture capital projects with his friend Yan Can. 

Although he was young, his reputation in the circle was not low.

The Zong and Bo families were close when it came to business, and the relationship between Pei Yi and Bo Yueming had become closer and closer in private. It was no longer once or twice that he came to stay at the Bo residence, and the small bedroom was even specially prepared for him.

Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong took advantage of the fact that he was finishing his college entrance examination and went out to travel again. Pei Yi, who had zero cooking skills, simply came to stay at the Bo residence.

. . . . . . . .

“Ah! So nice!”

Pei Yi drank another glass of champagne and sighed happily.

Bo Yueming could only say, “Drink slowly, or you’ll become a drunk kitten.”

Pei Yi shook his head with confidence. “No way, I’m the king of alcohol capacity.”

“……”

When Bo Yueming heard these exaggerated words, a hint of endearment flashed through his eyes. “All right, you’re the king of alcohol capacity. It’s already ten o’clock. Time to go to bed.”

“No, ah, Er-ge.”

Pei Yi quickly stood up from the sofa. “I’ve finished the university entrance examination, so I need to indulge myself occasionally.”

Bo Yueming swirled his wine glass and said, “Indulge yourself? What do you plan to do?”

Facing this question from the person before him, Pei Yi’s eyes flashed with uncommon shyness. He coughed to cover it up. “Wait a moment!”

Saying this, he ran barefoot back to his room and then sat back next to Bo Yueming with a laptop in his arms.

“Er-ge, let me show you something exciting! Don’t tell my fathers, ah.”

“…….”

Pei Yi mysteriously opened his hidden file. The moment the names of various videos popped up, Bo Yueming’s eyes darkened.

Pei Yi was still immersed in the excitement of being “about to do something mischievous,” and even asked Bo Yueming his opinion. “Which one do you want to watch?”

Bo Yueming’s eyes quickly scanned the messy film titles, and he closed the computer with a snap. “Pei Yi.”

Pei Yi was confused. “En?”

Bo Yueming asked seriously, “When did you start watching these?”

“……”

Pei Yi heard the sternness in his tone. When he turned to meet Bo Yueming’s gaze, his original excitement disappeared at once and he hummed softly.

“I, I haven’t watched them yet.”

He was busy studying for the university entrance examination, so how could he be distracted by such things?

Bo Yueming tossed the laptop onto the soft cushion on one side and continued to ask, “Where did these videos come from?”

Pei Yi honestly confessed, “Lao Zhou from my class gave them to me. I just got them today. I swear I haven’t watched them yet!”

After saying a few words, the blush on Pei Yi’s cheeks had spread to his ears.

Bo Yueming knew that the other party wouldn’t lie to him. Besides, every boy would go through such a stage. His voice slowed slightly. “Are you curious?”

Pei Yi nodded, then quickly shook his head. “No.”

Bo Yueming said calmly, “Then why?”

Pei Yi drew closer, a little embarrassed. “Er-ge, you, you don’t tell anyone.”

“What?”

“I’m just a little curious. They said…..” Pei Yi’s words blurred together. “What does it feel like?”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t gone through the stages of growth and development. The few times he had experienced it, he was just confused as he woke up from a great dream. He mostly just endured it and got over it slowly.

At the class reunion the other day, a group of boys were bragging and comparing themselves to each other after drinking too much.

Pei Yi didn’t participate in this topic. He just listened silently for a while and realized that many people of the same age around him were having their own fun.

Pei Yi’s voice buzzed, “Lao Zou said that he usually reacts to these kinds of things. I’m really curious.”

So he thought of giving it a try, but who could have known what the result would be?

Before he could even think of clicking on the video, his plan was strangled in the cradle by Bo Yueming!

Pei Yi moved closer again, acting coquettish as he admitted his mistake, “Er-ge, I don’t want to watch them anymore. I’ll delete them right away. Don’t tell Father Yan or others, ah, I’m afraid of being embarrassed.”

Bo Yueming set the wine glass aside and said in a low voice, “Pei Yi, if you’re really curious and want to watch them, I won’t interfere, but not everyone will have a reaction after watching those videos.”

Although Bo Yueming didn’t spend time thinking about this sort of thing, that didn’t mean he was unaware—

A person’s sexual orientation and preferences would affect their instinctive reactions to a certain extent.

“…….”

Pei Yi listened, half-comprehending, and took a wrong turn. “Er-ge, I won’t have a problem, right?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Bo Yueming knocked on his forehead. “What are you thinking about? Go to sleep.”

Pei Yi rubbed his forehead. He thought about his physiological reaction when he woke up early and set aside his unnecessary thoughts—

He…..was extremely capable!

Bo Yueming didn’t know what was on Pei Yi’s mind. He turned around and sighed imperceptibly. Unexpectedly, the other party followed him. “Er-ge, wait for me, ah.”

“Your room isn’t over here.”

“I, I’ll sleep with you tonight!”

Pei Yi was still immersed in inexplicable embarrassment. He should obviously stay away from Bo Yueming, and couldn’t explain why he wanted to follow him now. 

Because of his experiences growing up, Pei Yi often had nightmares. When he woke up and didn’t feel a sense of security, he would go to Bo Yueming’s bed to sleep.

This was not the first time the two had slept in the same bed since childhood.

The lights went out.

Pei Yi’s mind was still on their discussion just now, and he couldn’t help being curious. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“Have you ever had one?”

Pei Yi’s voice as he said this was very low and cryptic, with a hint of youthful shyness that was unique to him.

Bo Yueming understood his meaning, and was silent for a few seconds before replying, “I have, very infrequently.”

Pei Yi heard this particularly ‘Bo Yueming-style’ answer and continued to ask curiously, “When? Did you think of anyone?”

“……”

Bo Yueming remained silent for longer this time. When he spoke, he asked, “What about you?”

Pei Yi murmured honestly, “It was in a dream, and I can’t remember clearly. It was like that when I woke up.” 

Bo Yueming chuckled. “En, I understand. Go to sleep.”

“……”

Pei Yi realized afterward that he had been tricked. “Er-ge, you haven’t said anything yet!”

Bo Yueming pulled up the quilt and responded, “Sleep.”

Pei Yi’s words were stifled, but he knew Bo Yueming’s demeanor well. No one could pry out the things that the other party didn’t want to talk about.

Thinking of this, Pei Yi had no choice but to pull up the other corner of the quilt. Although he was resting with his eyes closed, the little thoughts in his mind had not yet stopped—

In fact, Pei Yi didn’t completely lack understanding.

He had lived under the same roof as Xu Rong and Zong Baiyan since he was a child. No matter how much his two gay fathers wanted to hide some aspects of their private life, things would always leak out inadvertently.

Even if Pei Yi hadn’t seen it, he had still heard some unspeakable content that made his face blush and his heart pound.

He once thought that desire was probably a very beautiful and addictive thing, and that such a reaction would only arise when you met the right person.

The more Pei Yi thought about it, the more confused he became. He fell into a dream unconsciously, but this time the content of the dream was a little different—

Bo Yueming still closed his laptop, but then he kissed him.

From the eyebrows to the tip of his nose. From his lips to his neck.

The heat surged like the tide, attacking his heart inch by inch.

“Wu.”

In the dream, Pei Yi couldn’t tell whether he wanted to struggle or continue. He was just rubbed unbearably under the other party’s control, allowing him to carry it out bit by bit until the last moment.

“Er-ge…..”

“Pei Yi?”

The voice in his ears was both real and imaginary.

Pei Yi struggled to open his eyes, breaking out of the dream.

A glimmer of light shone through the gaps in the curtains, allowing him to vaguely glimpse Bo Yueming, who was facing him. In a daze, he also saw himself in those eyes.

Pei Yi felt uncomfortably hot all over his body, along with an indescribably dissatisfaction. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming’s response came quickly. “What?”

Pei Yi was still a little confused about what was a dream and what was reality, so he just followed his instincts and pressed himself against Bo Yueming’s slightly cool pajamas with a trace of coyness that he had grown up with since childhood.

“I, I’m uncomfortable.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming seemed to come to a sudden realization, and his eyes darkened at once. 

He only hesitated for a few seconds, and then adjusted his posture to wrap Pei Yi in his arms, exploring easily.

“Mm!”

Pei Yi tensed up subconsciously.

Bo Yueming coaxed in a whisper, “Be good, relax.”

Chaos and wakefulness intertwined. Dreams and reality overlapped.

Pei Yi breathed rapidly. He grasped Bo Yueming’s pajamas tightly, crumpling the fabric into a mess.

Until the tide surged and then released.

Only then did he let out an uncontrollable cry, his eyes wet, as if he couldn’t bear the strange feeling he had never experienced before.

Pei Yi raised his eyes slightly to look at Bo Yueming in front of him, out of sorts. At once, he buried his face in the crook of the other person’s neck and nuzzled it. “……Er-ge.”

“En?”

Bo Yueming’s breathing was tight.

Pei Yi’s voice choked up, and he said with innocent honesty, “Er-ge, it felt so good.”

“……”

Bo Yueming was stunned for a moment, and then gently touched his earlobe. “En.”

---

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Extra 8/15 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 10/15

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

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A week later.

Pei Yi followed Bo Yueming into the small living room on the second floor. He looked left and right, and couldn’t help but affirm, “Er-ge, the door to your room is so big, ah.”

“I usually only use the master bedroom. The living room and the room on the other side are empty. Come in and put down your school bag.” Bo Yueming explained briefly and motioned for him to sit down in a corner of the small living room.

In order to fulfill the promised “supervised learning,” Bo Yueming had specially asked Uncle Kai to buy a two-person study table for the living room so that Pei Yi could sit by his side and study.

Pei Yi did so quickly and took out his textbook homework.

Bo Yueming sat down next to him with his study notebook and asked, “Which classes are you struggling with?”

“Uh…..”

Pei Yi thought for a moment and said honestly, “Math and English.”

The former was only a small problem, but the latter was a big one.

Nine out of ten children living in the capital would learn English early on. Pei Yi had worked hard to catch up in the past couple of years, but still had some difficulties. 

Bo Yueming specially selected his mathematics and English textbooks, really looking like a teacher. “There’s no rush, let’s go step by step. You do the homework assigned this week. I’ll look at the content of your class first and then strengthen your knowledge in a targeted manner.”

This sounded very professional.

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up. “Okay!”

With that said, he opened his homework book and began writing with extra concentration.

Bo Yueming flipped through Pei Yi’s books and read the content carefully. When he turned his head, he found that Pei Yi was still immersed in his studies, but his head was nearly as low as his homework.

Bo Yueming frowned unconsciously when he saw his posture, and without thinking, reached out to pinch the back of his neck. “Pei Yi.”

“Wu.”

Pei Yi was so ticklish that he shrank his neck and looked around slowly in confusion. “E-Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming lifted him up like a kitten to correct his posture. “That isn’t good for your eyes. Sit up straight before writing.”

Pei Yi sat upright. “Oh.”

Bo Yueming retracted his hand and watched him in a supervisory manner for a moment. Pei Yi noticed and sat up straighter.

This went on for some time.

Only then did Bo Yueming open his notework and get to work.

. . . . . . .

Time passed minute by minute.

After an unknown amount of time, Bo Yueming felt his arm being lightly poked by a pen. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming met Pei Yi’s troubled eyes. “What is it?”

Pei Yi pushed his math homework over and tapped on the last question, cute and honest. “I can’t do it.”

Bo Yueming understood the concept and solved the problem after two glances. He picked up the spare pen and paper and motioned to Pei Yi. “Come closer.”

Pei Yi quickly moved over.

It was a pity that Bo Yueming occupied a positional advantage, and was writing with his right hand. Even though Pei Yi tried his best to stretch his neck to see, his sight was still partially obscured.

Pei Yi stood up quickly. “Er-ge, wait a minute, I can’t see.”

Bo Yueming noticed the problem at once and stepped back slightly to open the distance between the chair and the table. “Come over here and stand in front of the desk.”

Pei Yi hurried to move over, and stood between Bo Yueming and the desk.

“Can you see clearly now?”

“En!”

Bo Yueming moved forward slightly and unconsciously held Pei Yi in his arms, continuing to explain with paper and pen, “There is a trick to this question. You have to choose how to identify…..”

The two of them had ridden horses before in a similar posture, but Pei Yi’s attention had been completely attracted by their speed. At this moment, he listened to the tone of Bo Yueming’s speech and unknowingly fell into a trance.

“Pei Yi?”

“Ah?”

“Ah? What ah?” Bo Yueming noticed his lack of attention and asked helplessly, “What are you thinking about? Do you understand what I said to you?”

“……’

Pei Yi smiled sheepishly and answered, “Er-ge, your voice is very nice.”

Hearing these meaningless words, Bo Yueming laughed angrily. He couldn’t help but pinch the back of the other person’s neck with his hand, pretending to be stern. “Pay attention!”

He used a bit of force, and it hurt a little.

Pei Yi quickly admitted his mistake. “I, I understand!”

Bo Yueming let him go when he saw him behave, and explained his problem-solving method again. Fortunately, Pei Yi’s little mind was very clear, and he learned quickly.

Bo Yueming glanced at the clock. It was three o’clock in the afternoon.

He looked at Pei Yi, who could be considered self-controlled and sensible, and instructed him gently, “All right, let’s rest for half an hour before continuing. I’ll go downstairs first.”

“Okay.”

. . . . . . .

About twenty minutes passed.

Pei Yi heard footsteps outside in the hallway, and at the same time, smelled something sweet.

Noticing something, he immediately turned and looked toward the door of the living room. Sure enough, Bo Yueming walked in with Uncle Kai, who was holding an exquisite afternoon tea tray in his hands.

Uncle Kai met Pei Yi’s gaze and said with a smile, “Are you hungry, Little Sir? I heard that the Second Young Master prepared egg tarts and milk for you in advance.”

Pei Yi suddenly became energetic, but before he could move from the table, he was pushed back into his chair by Bo Yueming, who had walked back quickly.

“Uncle Kai, please let those things cool first. We’ll eat them later.”

Having said this, he placed a fresh A4 paper test sheet in front of Pei Yi. “These three questions are about the same difficulty as the last question in the homework book just now.”

“—Ah?”

Pei Yi gave a rare frown and let out a melancholy cry.

Bo Yueming laid down the conditions. “If you answer these three questions correctly, you can eat two egg tarts.”

Pei Yi was actually in some distress from the smell of the egg tarts, and held two fingers out to bargain. “I’ll eat two first and then do the questions, okay?”

Bo Yueming said heartlessly, “No.”

Refusing to give up, Pei Yi silently retracted one finger. “Then I’ll eat one first. Er-ge, I’m hungry.”

The coquettishness in the last two words was particularly obvious.

“……”

Bo Yueming met his expectant gaze and barely held on to his bottom line. “You can eat first, but one more question will be added after you eat, okay?”

Pei Yi was so happy that he immediately grabbed the other’s right hand and said, “Deal!”

Then he quickly went up to Uncle Kai and called out endearingly, “Uncle Kai, you can make egg tarts? Amazing! They look delicious!”

Uncle Kai observed the way the two children got along with each other. He smiled gently, feeling glad in his heart—

With this Little Sir’s liveliness and cuteness, it seemed that the Second Young Master would not be too bored in the days to come.

. . . . . . .

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the term.

After washing up, Pei Yi remained in the bathroom, holding his smartwatch and talking to Xu Rong on the phone. “Father Rong, don’t worry about me. I’m fine at Er-ge’s house.”

Xu Rong’s father back in his hometown had fallen ill, so he and Zong Baiyan hurriedly packed their things and left the capital on today’s earliest flight.

Fortunately, after four months of spending time together, the relationship between Pei Yi and Bo Yueming had become better and better, and Xu Rong dared to leave Pei Yi in the care of Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai temporarily.

“Be good, Baobei. Father Rong and Father Yan will be back in two days.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi disconnected with Xu Rong and then rushed out of the small bedroom wearing his own thick pajamas.

Bo Yueming was still sitting at the desk in the corner of the living room while flipping through the information in his hands with seeming casualness, an untouched glass of warm milk beside him.

Pei Yi approached. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming was not surprised by his appearance. He took the lid off the cup of milk and handed it over to him. “Drink this before you go to sleep and you’ll grow taller.”

As soon as Pei Yi heard the words “grow taller,” he took it guilelessly at once.

He sat on the chair and drank his milk, and couldn’t help but glance at the other person’s hands. “Er-ge, what are you reading?”

Bo Yueming’s hands paused, and he said, “……Information on studying abroad.”

He looked to the side at Pei Yi and said in a calm tone, “Grandma wants me to go study abroad right after this year.”

“…….”

Pei Yi stopped drinking his milk, unable to react. “S-Study abroad? Where?”

Bo Yueming observed his expression and said honestly, “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi responded dully, and then had to ask, “Er-ge, isn’t the Imperial Capital university good?”

He had originally thought that Bo Yueming would be admitted to the Imperial Capital University, which was also his own goal.

Bo Yueming replied, “Of course.”

Pei Yi couldn’t help but hold tight to the cup of milk, still feeling a little upset.

The term “study abroad” was too unfamiliar and distant for him.

He was already very satisfied that he could get out of the orphanage and live and study well under the love and care of Father Rong and Father Yan. Pei Yi didn’t dare to think about spending money to travel farther away.

Bo Yueming put away the information in his hands, not wanting to waste time talking about things he had not yet decided. “Pei Yi, are you okay sleeping alone tonight? Uncle Kai cleared out the small bedroom for you.”

“I’m okay.”

Pei Yi also slept alone at home.

Bo Yueming urged in a warm voice, “Go to bed early after drinking your milk. I’m going to take a shower first.”

“……”

Seeing the half glass of milk left, Pei Yi was inexplicably not happy to drink it.

He set the cup back on the table. “I can’t drink any more.”

Bo Yueming caught Pei Yi’s flash of emotion, but before he could ask further questions, the other party quickly rushed back to the door of the small bedroom and closed it with a gentle click.

Bo Yueming’s eyes narrowed slightly. He picked up the milk he disliked drinking so that it wouldn’t be wasted, whispering faintly, “Why doesn’t this kitten even say good night?”

. . . . . . . 

The night grew darker.

Because he was temporarily staying at the Bo residence, Pei Yi, who recognized both the bed and the quilt, was embarrassed to ask for too much. Thus, he had no choice but to huddle under the quilt and close his eyes to rest.

While half asleep and half awake, many images flashed through his mind:

When he was bullied in the orphanage as a child. After he was adopted, and was treated by his two fathers as their own son. There was also the incident when he met Bo Yueming half a year ago.

But what followed was more uneasiness and panic.

Pei Yi dreamed that his two fathers never returned. He waited and waited at the Bo residence, but they never came back. Then Bo Yueming also chose to study abroad, dan he was kicked out by the Bo family and became an unwanted child again.

“…….”

Pei Yi poked his little head out of the bed and took a few quiet breaths. He looked at the completely unfamiliar layout of the door and room, and suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of grievance and sadness.

The electronic watch showed that it was just past midnight.

Pei Yi couldn’t explain how he felt, but he instinctively wanted to find the most familiar and closest person in his family.

He got out of bed with bare feet, opened the door, and ran to the master bedroom opposite. He hesitated for a long while before knocking twice, not daring to make a loud noise. “Er-ge, are you asleep?”

There was no response.

Pei Yi pursed his lips in disappointment, then ran to the small sofa and sat there in silence.

In less than half a minute, the closed master bedroom door suddenly opened from the inside. Having heard the slight movement, Bo Yueming went out to take a look—

Only then did he realize that Pei Yi was currently curled up on the sofa. His bare ankles were white and pink. In the middle of winter, he felt cold just looking at them.

Bo Yueming frowned and went over. “Pei Yi, what are you doing here at night?”

Pei Yi sucked in a breath and remained silent.

The tip of his nose was red, and there was no telling if it was from the cold or if he had cried.

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Bo Yueming could only guess, “Did you have a nightmare? Or are you afraid and unable to sleep alone?”

Pei Yi saw him approaching and asked cautiously, “Er-ge, can I sleep with you tonight?”

Bo Yueming was surprised.

He wasn’t used to sleeping with him, but still chose to agree at this moment. Following Zong Baiyan’s method, he carried Pei Yi in front of him. “Where are your slippers?”

Pei Yi was particularly familiar with this carrying posture, and leaned in aggrievedly. “Er-ge, will Father Yan and Father Rong decide they don’t want me?”

“They won’t.”

Bo Yueming asked right after, “Why do you still think so?”

Even an outsider could see that Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong had raised Pei Yi as their own son and gave him the best of everything.

Pei Yi also felt that he shouldn’t be like this, and hummed softly.

The two returned to the master bedroom.

Bo Yueming covered Pei Yi with the quilt, paying special attention to his ankles, which had been cold up until now. “Don’t catch a cold, otherwise Uncle Yan and the others will be worried.”

Pei Yi unconsciously moved closer to Bo Yueming and said, “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“You really want to go abroad?”

“……”

“If you go abroad, there will be no one to help me with my homework or play with me.” The more Pei Yi thought about it, the sadder he felt. “I don’t want you to go abroad. The Imperial Capital University is also very good. You can pass the exam.”

Bo Yueming didn’t expect Pei Yi to still be thinking about this matter at night. “Is this why you were unhappy just now?”

Pei Yi said honestly, “En, I don’t want to be separated from Father Rong, and I don’t want you to leave. I’m still too young to go abroad, so why don’t you wait for me to grow up a little bit, okay?”

Bo Yueming lowered his head and saw the furrowed brow of the person next to him, and for a moment, couldn’t tell whether he was amused or helpless. He pinched the back of Pei Yi’s neck twice. “You’re not sleeping so late at night. Why are you thinking so much?”

“When did I say I would definitely go abroad?”

Bo Yueming had not made a complete decision. It was only that Old Mrs. Bo had sent someone to give him this information, so he took a brief look at it.

Pei Yi shrank his neck and asked, “Then can you not go?”

Bo Yueming thought about it for a moment, and then changed his method of motivation. “If I postpone it for a year or two, how about you pass the exam and enroll early? Then I can stay in China for university in the meantime.”

The two were three years apart, and exactly three grades apart.

When it came to study abroad, it was not too early to go a year early, and not too late to go a year late.

Pei Yi became more spirited. “Really? I can do it!”

Bo Yueming closed the quilt again. “Don’t talk nonsense, wait until you pass the exam.”

Although the affiliated middle school and high school would be regarded as direct admission schools, the annual early recruitment was open to the entire Imperial Capital, and the level of difficulty was not low.

Pei Yi had completely changed from his former sad and downcast self. “I’ll definitely be able to do it.”

Bo Yueming gave a smile and didn’t continue the topic. “Pei Yi, if you don’t finish drinking your milk and won’t sleep at night, do you really want to become a dwarf?”

Pei Yi retorted, “I’ve started to get taller.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to sleep?”

“…..I’ll sleep.”

Pei Yi closed his eyes obediently, and his mood was much better than when he had been alone before. “Er-ge, good night. Sweet dreams.”

Bo Yueming closed his eyes to sleep, smiling and relaxed. “En, sweet dreams.”

---

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Extra 7/15 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 9/15

A figure descended nimbly, and when he saw the scene clearly, he nearly sprained his foot as he fell. 

“Zhanyuan, Young Master Liu, you’re here too?” He Lan looked at the two extra people in shock.

Huo Fenglie was trying to understand the sentiments of the people on behalf of the emperor before rejoining the investigation team, so he acted alone.

And as the people sent by the Jinyiwei and Dongchang, He Lan and Qin Yu naturally followed the investigation team straight south with great fanfare.

None of them expected to meet here. Taking advantage of the fact that the leader had fainted from the pain of having his hand severed, the four of them exchanged information.

Huo Fenlie explained the situation from when they had arrived and the progress of the investigation. Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged throughout the whole process, even though he knew Huo Fenglie was hiding something.

Liu Zhenqing was very surprised. Obviously, the emperor’s order for Huo Fenglie to investigate the incidents related to the rebels was a secret order, which meant that Yuan Jue didn’t want anyone in the capital to know that he was actively investigating. Therefore, Huo Fenglie told his two brothers that they had come here because they discovered something unusual by chance.

Liu Zhenqing knew that Huo Fenglie didn’t distrust the two brothers, and was just following orders. But why did he just…..tell Liu Zhenqing?

Was it because they had to work together? Or was it because the Liu family affair was closely related to the rebels?

“I still haven’t talked to you yet. Since we’re all heading south, why don’t you just wait for us and leave together? It’s only one day.” He Lan complained, “We’re so bored with the civil investigation team. They came slowly by boat, and we hurried ahead halfway. Unexpectedly, we arrived here a day early. Then we discovered that the Heaven’s Blessing Sect wanted to develop and grow this kind of thing without going through the review of our Jinyiwei. Isn’t it ridiculous? We didn’t know the consequences until after we investigated, but now that we’ve looked into it, it’s really shocking. These people are very bold.”

When He Lan said this, he smiled and raised his eyebrows at Qin Yu, then flippantly nudged the buns hidden on Qin Yu’s chest with his elbow. “We wanted to sneak in to investigate, so we made a bet. Whoever lost would come in disguised as a woman, and in the end, Beauty Qin made the sacrifice.”

He Lan’s actions were so roguish that even Liu Zhenqing standing opposite him felt that he deserved a beating.

As a result, there was a snap, and Qin Yu lived up to expectations as he slapped him with his backhand.

Neither light nor heavy, a lesson was given.

He Lan covered his face. Seeing Qin Yu’s gloomy expression, he didn’t dare to fight back, and looked at the two people across from him. He continued with a playful smile: “Lao Qin was responsible for blending in to find information. I looked around and found almost the same news as you. Then I came over to find Lao Qin. We initially wanted to capture the leader in secret. Now that we’ve met you, we’ll follow your arrangements.”

Huo Fenglie nodded. He Lan took charge of the sect leader, and Qin You seemed unable to bear how he was dressed up, so he went to directly change clothes.

The Jinyiwei naturally had methods to threaten people. After being threatened with severe torture, the leader could only grit his teeth and cooperate, leading them to the guest room where his father had resided before. They soon procured the first piece of evidence hidden under the screen. The leader’s expression was very ugly at that time. He had likely never expected that the evidence his father had always been thinking about was right under his nose.

Then they got the second piece in the main hall on the way back, and the rest was in the cave.

He Lan said: “I’ve been there before. There were a lot of people, so I couldn’t take action. We still needed to wait for the rest time you mentioned, otherwise no matter how high our martial arts are, we’ll be discovered.”

Thus, everyone took the leader back to the house where Prefect Wu was.

They had the young girl go to stay in the next room and take care of the girl who had been about to commit suicide.

When Prefect Wu saw that they had obtained two pieces of evidence and even brought the leader, he stepped forward in excitement and kicked the leader violently, as if he wanted to vent all the fright and torture he had suffered in the past two years.

Once Prefect Wu had calmed down, Huo Fenglie briefly introduced He Lan and Qin Yu. Prefect Wu was naturally in awe of the rumored Jinyiwei and Dongchang.

And the two people in front of him were even less trusting than Huo Fenglie. Meeting this stranger, they behaved as if they were interrogating a prisoner, let alone a so-called hostage witness.

Qin Yu gave a straightforward statement of suspicion, and the tone had a gloomy effect, making people shudder. “If I remember correctly, Prefect Wu once acted corruptly.”

“Ya, is there such a thing? Now that Prefect Wu has changed his mind, he dares to take such risks to avenge the common people?” He Lan sang in harmony with a playful smile.

Huo Fenglie had always led his troops all year round while ignoring the affairs of the court, and naturally didn’t know about this sort of matter.

“What happened?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Qin Yu: “It has something to do with Liu Zhenqing. Do you want to hear it?”

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed slightly.

Before Huo Fenglie could speak, Prefect Wu himself said: “I know the methods of the Jinyiwei and Dongchang. I’ll say it myself. I was indeed one of the criminals in the disaster relief corruption case that was investigated nine years ago, but at that time, it was my foolish mother who collected that sum of money behind my back. I didn’t know that it was a total of two thousand taels. When the authorities investigated, I learned that my mother died of shock, and I was charged with the crime.”

Prefect Wu said with a downcast expression, “The most ridiculous thing is that several colleagues and I jointly filed a petition to report the corrupt officials, but Prime Minister Liu ignored it. They were allowed to be corrupt until it aroused public outrage, and the emperor ordered an investigation. Then he came and just perfunctorily arrested a few of the most corrupt ones, and officials like me and Prefect Wang, whose embezzlement did not exceed 5,000 taels, were left in place to continue to deal with the disasters. That was how my life was accidentally saved.”

“Why didn’t he catch all of you?” He Lan asked doubtfully.

“Who knows what the traitor was thinking?” Prefect Wu said with a bitter smile: “Perhaps he was waiting for us to show filial piety? In any case, I did not. Perhaps Magistrate Wang was promoted because he flattered him.”

“Not possible, Liu Zhenqing had already passed away when he was promoted,” Qin Yu said bluntly.

Prefect Wu was taken aback, and said, “Then I don’t know. In any case, that is my crime. I wholeheartedly wanted to be a good official for the Great Zhou Dynasty, but unfortunately encountered two disasters.”

Officials like Prefect Wu who were willing to stand firm in a place of suffering and not go astray were indeed valuable.

It was just…..he wasn’t very smart, and hadn’t figured it out after so many years.

Liu Zhenqing complained silently in his heart, but it was fine as long as there were a few smart first generation officials who could do practical things.

When it was time to rest at the furnace, the group of people decided to split up.

Qin Yu and Liu Zhenqing stayed behind to wait, while Huo Fenglie and He Lan went to collect things.

Qin Yu was bored and intended to interrogate the leader, but at this moment, something unexpected happened.

When they were conversing before, they hadn’t been paying attention to the half-dead leader, and he had unexpectedly broken free from his ropes. When Qin Yu approached, he rolled directly to Prefect Wu’s side and grasped his neck from behind, saying sternly: “Don’t come closer, or I’ll kill him!”

“Calm down, ah, do you think you can run away like this? Even without Prefect Wu, we still have the evidence, and you have no way out.” Liu Zhenqing quickly said, “Why don’t you think about how to atone for your crimes. Perhaps you can make up for it with meritorious credit and preserve your life.”

Qin Yu watched coldly from the side, his hands behind his back.

“Don’t lie to me. Based on what I’ve done, once the court knows about it, how can I still live? The only way to survive is for all of you to die,” the leader said presumptuously.

Liu Zhenqing probably looked as if he was gazing at a fool, which directly angered the other person.

“Do you think they can get out of the cave alive? I asked experts to set up mechanisms there. How could we be careless enough to let someone just break into the cave and find out what we’re doing? Hahaha, the god of war General Huo, the Jinyiwei, and the evidence will all be destroyed in the cave!”

When these words were spoken, the expressions of Liu Zhenqing and Qin Yu changed, and the two exchanged glances. They heard the leader say: “Don’t move, ah, or I’ll kill Prefect Wu. Now it’s your turn to beg me.”

As he spoke, the leader opened his mouth to call someone, but the moment he did so, there was a flash of silver light.

Along with the screams of Prefect Wu and the leader, Qin Yu’ soft sword penetrated their bodies coldly.

Because of where they stood, it impacted Prefect Wu in the shoulder and the leader in the chest.

By the time Qin Yu pulled out his sword, the leader had lost the strength to hold onto Prefect Wu, who looked at Qin Yu in disbelief. “You, how dare you attack me!”

It could only be said that he was unfortunate. Huo Fenglie or He Lan may have hesitated, but how could someone from the Dongchang be easily threatened? 

It wasn’t as if the leader’s life must be preserved. The main culprit was Magistrate Wang.

Qin Yu watched coldly as the leader fell, then shook the blood from his sword and said to Liu Zhenqing: “You stay here, I’ll go find them.”

Liu Zhenqing grabbed Qin Yu, and his tone was more serious than ever before: “No, take me with you, I know mechanisms!”

Qin Yu frowned slightly and didn’t talk any nonsense. He left the injured Prefect Wu behind and rushed to the cave with Liu Zhenqing.

Two unconscious guards could be seen at the entrance of the cave from a distance. It must be their work.

But just as they approached the entrance of the cave, they felt the ground shake slightly, and a sound similar to rolling stones came from inside along with a flash of fire. A bad feeling came over the two of them.

Qin Yu rushed toward the cave entrance in an instant, and discovered at this moment that Liu Zhenqing was not inferior to him in speed. It wasn’t that he knew martial arts, but that he was truly running with all his might.

When they arrived at the entrance, they didn’t see the two others. They only saw various stoves and tools that had been dumped, along with a bottomless pit in the ground. There was fire inside the pit, and no telling what was underneath.

Qin Yu was about to step forward and investigate, but found that the entire cave was shaking more violently. Gravel fell, as if the cave would collapse at any time.

Liu Zhenqing was extremely flustered, but surprisingly calm. He glanced around and suddenly pointed at a stone behind him, saying: “Qin-daren, stop that stone over there from moving!”

The tone of Liu Zhenqing’s command was extremely strict. Qin Yu instinctively looked over and saw a strange stone moving on the mountain wall. 

With a hiss, the soft sword flew out and inserted into the mountain wall to block the stone. Sure enough, the cave became quiet for a moment, but the force of the stone’s movement was too great, and Qin Yu had to brace the sword to resist it.

Seeing this, Liu Zhenqing could only rush to the edge of the pit and look inside. The moment he looked, he was almost forced back by the heat. There was actually a huge furnace deep down, and it seemed that there were several levels of melting silver.

Liu Zhenqing also instantly saw the figures hanging on the stone wall on the opposite side of the furnace.

It was Huo Fenglie and He Lan!

Liu Zhenqing finally exhaled half of his stagnant breath, but half was still stuck in his throat.

At this time, Huo Fenglie had inserted the Chunjun sword into the mountain wall and was holding on with one hand while holding onto He Lan with the other. One of He Lan’s legs seemed to have been severely burned.

Liu Zhenqing called out at once, not noticing the tremor in his voice.

Huo Fenglie heard this and raised his head, his eyes lighting up. He Lan’s eyes also widened in surprise. He shouted: “There’s a chain nearby, find somewhere to fix it in place and then throw it over.”

Liu Zhenqing turned around to look for it, and saw a chain being thrown toward him.

It turned out that the chain had fallen at Qin Yu’s feet due to the tremors just now. When Qin Yu heard, he understood immediately and picked it up with his foot, throwing a section of the chain over and tying the other end to himself.

Not wasting any time, Liu Zhenqing threw the chain right away.

Diagonally opposite, Huo Fenglie seized the opportunity and threw the injured He Lan over. He Lan wrapped his hands and feet around the chain and used qinggong to fly up.

He Lan was startled when he came up and saw Qin Yu on the other side, but before he could speak, the chain on his body was torn off by Liu Zhenqing and quickly thrown down again.

He Lan was about to open his mouth to stop him, but was too late.

He watched as Liu Zhenqing stared at Huo Fenglie in the distance intently, shouting, “Brother Huo, come up quickly!”

He looked anxious, as if he couldn’t pay attention to the outside world at all. He Lan really doubted that he didn’t care about Huo Fenglie because of his amnesia. 

And just as Liu Zhenqing was nervously waiting for Er-gou to fly over and grab the chain, there was a sudden crack from the mountain wall that had been scorched for a long time. The place where the Chunjun sword was inserted completely shattered, and Huo Fenglie fell straight down into thin air.

There was a furnace beneath.

At that moment, all of Liu Zhenqing’s intelligence and resourcefulness was useless. His pupils shrank at once, and he felt his constricting heart stop. 

The image of Huo Feihan dying in battle flashed before his eyes.

In an instant, it seemed as if an invisible hand grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s throat.

That was Boss’s only little brother, the Er-gou they wanted to protect.

He was the general of the Huo family and the god of war of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could something happen to him here?

How could something happen when he was by Liu Zhenqing’s side?

“Er-gou!”

The sharp cry reflected its caller’s panic, because in the face of this unexpected situation, he was unable to do anything.

But in the next second, he saw Huo Fenglie rise up, flying diagonally to the opposite wall as if he was stepping on air, then flying back and forth in an upward motion using his internal strength.

He Lan saw Liu Zhenqing looking as if he was about to jump down, and quickly stopped him. “Young Master Liu, don’t be anxious, ah. He is better at qinggong than any of us. It was inconvenient for him to take me with him just now, but alone, he can fly up without the chain.”

His frozen brain gradually thawed out, regaining its consciousness and IQ.

Right, ah, he could fly with him onto such a high city wall. Although the height here was also great, how could he not be able to do it alone!

When he was able to react, Liu Zhenqing’s scalp gradually became numb, and he had no expression on his face. Then Huo Fenglie landed lightly in front of him, stared at him for a moment, and said: “I’m okay.”

Only two words flashed through Liu Zhenqing’s mind: It’s over!

But Liu Zhenqing had a strong desire to survive, and couldn’t help but try to compensate for it. “It’s…..good that you’re okay.” Perhaps Er-gou didn’t hear it?”

He Lan interjected doubtfully, “By the way, what did you call Zhanyuan just now? Er-gou. Did I hear you wrong?” He said in amusement, “You secretly gave Zhanyuan a nickname? How bold you are!”

Liu Zhenqing: Damn it!

“That is my nickname,” Huo Fenglie replied calmly.

“Ah?!” It was He Lan’s turn to exclaim in surprise. “Wait, nickname? Er-gou, we didn’t know you had this nickname, so how does Young Master Liu know about it, ah?” And he even shouted it out. This, this, this…..he didn’t understand. Could it be that Lao Qin’s previous guess was true?!

Liu Zhenqing’s throat tightened, and he had already scolded himself a thousand times for not keeping his calm.

“I…..heard Yunci and Yunqian say it before.”

Would he believe it? He would be exposed after the others returned to the capital, but he would have already flown away by then, so it didn’t matter.

Wait, didn’t this confirm that he had used the big yellow dog to tease him before?

God, what kind of luck did he have now, ah. His evil deeds had been exposed!

Liu Zhenqing’s entire heart was full of tangles and pain, but his face remained calm. 

But He Lan believed him right away. “Those two little brats. Even though I always treat them so well, they didn’t even tell me such an interesting secret.”

He Lan was complaining when he heard Qin Yu say: “Hey, enough talking. What should I do?”

When everyone turned their heads, Qin Yu was still holding the mechanism.

Liu Zhenqing said quickly: “There’s no use. This sort of mechanism cannot be reversed. This place will collapse, they will soon discover it when they return. We must act quickly.

Qin Yu pulled out the sword, and the cave really did start up again. The four of them left quickly.

Huo Fenglie directly picked up Liu Zhenqing and flew out. Although Liu Zhenqing was tense, he cooperated obediently as suspicion gradually arose in his heart.

He Lan’s reaction was normal.

Huo Fenglie didn’t even ask anything.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes gradually narrowed, and he suddenly reached out to grab Huo Fenglie’s arm around him. 

Huo Fenglie didn’t have any extraneous reaction, and just glanced at him as he hurried on.

Liu Zhenqing gave a stiff smile: “I’m a little worried about your situation, so I wanted to take your pulse.”

Huo Fenglie just said quietly: “I’m fine, there’s no use worrying.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled faintly and withdrew his hand.

Martial arts practitioners would not easily allow someone to touch their vital points. Even if they knew that the other person was familiar or harmless, a sudden move would make them instinctively tense. 

Only, Liu Zhenqing had practiced taking pulses with Er-gou before, so Er-gou was already immune to him and wouldn’t react if he was suddenly caught while half asleep and half awake.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart steadily sank to the bottom, and as he looked at Huo Fenglie, his eyes became deep and distant.

---

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Chapter Thirty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-One

One sentence almost made his little neighbor feel a lifetime of guilt.

Mu Nanqiao looked at the various snacks piled on the small coffee table and began to reflect on whether he had gone too far in pretending to be pitiful. He raised his eyes and saw Lu Qi walking out of the bedroom, carrying a medicine box in his left hand and a glowing “little cabbage” in his right hand.

Yes, “little cabbage,” a rubber cartoon cabbage night light.

Lu Qi placed the small vegetable on the coffee table. The not-so-bright light enveloped the two people in a warm yellow halo. The coffee table was full, so he dragged a chair over and placed the medical kit on it. He leaned over and inspected Mu Nanqiao’s hands, then asked him: 

“I often get abrasions when I rescue stray cats and dogs, and I’m pretty good at dealing with them. Let me help you deal with the injury on your fingers first, and then take you to the hospital?”

Mu Nanqiao glanced at the scratches on his knuckles.

Huh, if the little neighbor moved any slower, the wounds would be healed.

He raised his hand in amusement to show Lu Qi: “If I want to buy a bandaid, I don’t have to go to the hospital. It can be bought at the drug store downstairs.”

Lu Qi also realized that he was making a fuss, and pursed his lips in an embarrassed smile. The small pear dimple on his left cheek appeared faintly. Under the night light’s warm glow, his whole body had a soft, gentle harmlessness.

It made a person want to touch it.

“Then let me disinfect it for you.” Lu Qi sat on the small stool for changing shoes and carefully held Mu Nanqiao’s wrist.

When his fingertips pressed against the outside of the other’s wrist, Mu Nanqiao’s arm tensed imperceptibly, but the other party only moved his wrist gently and asked with an upturned face: “There really aren’t any other injuries?”

Mu Nanqiao felt a little strange when he felt the warm touch on his wrist. For a long time, he couldn’t be in a small space with others, not even his parents. 

Although the situation had improved a lot after the intervention of therapy, Lu Qi was still a stranger whom he had only met a few times.

But now, in the small living room, the clean and gentle young man was so close that he could even feel the gentle airflow of the other person’s breath on the back of his hand.

He didn’t resist, and even relaxed his arm, responding softly, “There aren’t.”

Lu Qi turned and patted the “little cabbage” to brighten it, then lowered his head to apply iodine to the scratches.

“I wasn’t mad at you just now…..” Lu Qi explained with a low voice and a lowered head: “I…..I dated Lin Yuan……”

Mu Nanqiao raised an eyebrow.

Then he figured something out. He narrowed his beautiful fox eyes, stretched out his hand, and tugged the short rubber leg of the little cabbage. “He treated you as me…..”

Lu Qi huffed angrily.

Mu Nanqiao was not surprised. This was what trash like Lin Yuan would do.

“So the things you’ve encountered recently are his doing? His purpose is…..to force you to go back?” Mu Nanqiao understood, and revealed a sarcastic smile. “It really is, ah. He hasn’t changed his methods.”

Lu Qi felt a little sad when he heard this.

He was an adult now, and faced with all this, it was inevitable that he would feel helpless. Then wouldn’t it be even more pitiable for Mu Nanqiao, who was living under someone else’s roof back then?

What a poor little thing, and he was still engaged in such a profession.

Facing Lu Qi’s tender gaze, a certain pitiful little thing of 1.9 meters: ? ? ?

“You need to be careful, ah.” Lu Qi said particularly earnestly: “You see, he is so obsessed with me as a substitute. If he finds out you’re back, will it be okay? There’s no telling what kind of harmful tricks he’ll use to get you by any means necessary!”

Mu Nanqiao: ……

In Lu Qi’s eyes, was he the same as the little cabbage on the table?

“So you should change your job,” Lu Qi tentatively advised. “Your job…..it’s too easy for him to get a handle on you..…”

This serious and worried look amused Mu Nanqiao. He feigned embarrassment and said: “But I just returned to China. I’m unfamiliar with the place, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Hm…..” Lu Qi thought for a while, and then his eyes lit up. “You can become a photoshoot model. I have friends who are engaged in this industry, and I can help you ask.”

He noticed that Mu Nanqiao had turned his face sideways, his cheeks hidden in shadow and his face covered with slender hands. His shoulders shook slightly.

“Hey…..” Lu Qi stood up and turned around in a circle helplessly. “You…..why are you crying…..”

Then he heard deep, muffled laughter leaking out from between Mu Nanqiao’s fingers.

This person was actually laughing!

Lu Qi didn’t understand what was so funny. He held the cotton swab in confusion and stared blankly at Mu Nanqiao, who was laughing more and more wildly. “W…..what is it…..”

Mu Nanqiao looked up at him with sparkling eyes— clearly tears of laughter. “It was actually a misunderstanding that day.”

Lu Qi was confused: “That day? What day?”

Mu Nanqiao suppressed his laughter: “The day you were looking for a little duck, I had actually made an appointment with someone to, uh, talk about finding a job. Because the other party gave the wrong address, No. 201 Minghu Street was written as 102. I happened to have never met the other party, so I mistakenly regarded you as that person…..”

He thought again about when Lu Qi touched his hand that day and pretended to be experienced. The one he touched was the one that was scratched today. That beautiful and slender hand was held forward: “Here, this is the hand you touched. You received the interest and didn’t feel bad at all, and even pinched my fingers in the door.”

Lu Qi: ……

Certain toe-clenching images were playing on loop in his head!

He defended himself weakly: “But you said to go…..to a hotel, and you said it was expensive…..”

“What I meant was to find a quiet place to talk.” Mu Nanqiao held his chin and smiled meaningfully. “What were you thinking at the time?”

Lu Qi: “……”

He silently squatted down, pointed the hair on his head at Mu Nanqiao, and reached out to lift up the plush carpet on the ground.

Mu Nanqiao leaned forward curiously and asked: “What are you looking for?”

Lu Qi put on a straight face and said seriously: “I remember there is a crack in the floor.”

Mu Nanqiao couldn’t help it anymore. He leaned on the soft sofa and laughed without any care for his image.

Buzz—

The lights came on as the electricity returned.

Lu Qi jumped up in embarrassment: “Okay! It’s not dark anymore, you should go home quickly!”

He reached out his hand to grab Mu Nanqiao’s hoodie, pulled him up, and pushed him out the door.

Of course, he couldn’t actually pull such a big person. Mu Nanqiao cooperated as he was pushed out the door. When the door was about to close, he turned around and asked: 

“By the way, do you still want to draw the human body?” Mu Nanqiao winked, his eyes full of cunning. “If it’s you, I’ll let you draw it for free.”

Bang—

The door closed in front of Mu Nanqiao.

A muffled sentence came from the door: “I’m sorry I thought you were…..”

Mu Nanqiao knocked twice on the door: “It doesn’t matter. After all, this is an industry that relies on looks, so I’m honored to have received your recognition.”

There was a clanging sound inside the door, which probably meant that the Holy Sword of Physics placed by the door had been knocked over.

Mu Nanqiao turned around, took the keys from his pocket, and unlocked his door.

He changed into his slippers at the door, inadvertently turned his head, and saw the smile on his face in the reflective decorative pattern of the shoe cabinet.

Half-squatting was uncomfortable, but Mu Nanqiao maintained this posture for a long time. He stared at his face with that unfamiliar smile, and a well-known quote came to his mind in an untimely manner:

The young master hasn’t smiled like this in a long time.

The layout of apartment 502 was actually similar to that of Lu Qi’s apartment 501, but due to the orientation problem, the lighting was darker and more cramped. Even though it had been renovated, there was still a faint smell of moisture.

There were lights everywhere in the apartment, and artificial light filled the entire space without any blind spots.

Mu Nanqiao moved into this forged light, his smile fading little by little.

There were obviously so many lights.

So why didn’t it seem better than that “little cabbage?”

. . . . . . .

Early the next morning, Lu Qi went out to the police station.

The soundproofing in the old apartments was not very good. He didn’t know whether Mu Nanqiao was awake or not, so he closed the door as quietly as possible when he went out, and also walked down the stairs quietly.

There was a small road that went north of the community. Not far from it was the police station, and diagonally opposite was Hengjin Secondary School. There were usually many luxury cars coming and going to pick up the young ladies and young masters of various families. It was unknown who parked their car at the entrance of the alley today. The car’s logo was Maybach.

Speaking of which, Lu Qi was different from most boys and was not particularly interested in cars. The reason he recognized these two M’s stacked on top of each other was because one time, a financial sponsor asked him to do a commission where the boss and the driver were doing some oral stuff on the hood of the car. 

The reference model he was given at that time happened to be the one in front of him.

He coughed and drifted past without a sideways look, fearing that his impure eyes would contaminate this pure and expensive luxury car.

As he passed by, the back door of the Maybach opened, and a thin man wearing rimless glasses with a folder got out of the car and asked with a cellphone in his hand: “Boss? Boss, are you awake? I beg you to wake up!”

Lu Qi: ……

This anxious tone was really pitiful. Sure enough, there was no such thing as an easy job, and capital would not let you enjoy a penny for free.

After receiving a sympathetic look from the handsome passerby, the assistant wiped his face sadly and listened to his boss’s instructions on the phone.

“I didn’t sleep well.” The boss’s voice was harsh and low, with a lazy tone. “Tell that group of elders from the Mu family that I was busy receiving a guest last night and I’m too tired to go today.”

The assistant had begun following Mu Nanqiao after graduation and knew the boss somewhat. He asked anxiously at once: “Mr. Mu, did you encounter any trouble last night?”

“En,” Mu Nanqiao said, “But I called the police.”

The assistant: ……

That was a good idea.

He heard the boss sigh quietly: “Thanks be to a society ruled by law.”

The assistant didn’t dare to speak, and only dared to point out flaws internally. He really felt that the boss’s tone was full of regret. If it weren’t for a society ruled by law, the boss would have bricked the family’s seniors into a wall.

He was thinking about work, and had to interrupt his boss’s sighing. “If you don’t go to the meeting, are you sure they won’t flip the table?”

“The table in the conference room on the top floor is made out of mahogany and weighs several hundred pounds. Can the table be flipped?” The person on the other side of the phone chuckled lightly. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. I haven’t mentioned my car yet. Have them pick me up in a Cullinan. I’ve never sat in it, only admired the trunk.”

The assistant didn’t know how someone admired a trunk. Then he heard his unpredictable boss say: “By the way, help me contact Haicheng Law Firm.”

The assistant opened his memo: “What do you need consulted?”

“It’s not me.” Mu Nanqiao on the other side paused. “It’s just to help my…..”

The assistant waited for a while: And? Your what?

Mu Nanqiao thought about it for half a minute, but still didn’t say the word ‘friend.’ “My neighbor.”

The assistant: ? ? ? You’re hiring one of the best law firms in the country for your neighbor? You are truly a good neighbor of China.

As if knowing his question, Mu Nanqiao let out a long sigh. “It can’t be helped. I owe him a painting, and I can only wear underwear.”

The assistant: Boss, you’re so naughty, ah.

But your neighbor is also not a standard neighbor.

“Achoo!”

Lu Qi, who had just walked out of the police station, gave a heavy sneeze.

Rubbing his nose, he whispered softly: “Doesn’t this mean someone is gossiping behind my back…..”

---

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

At the Imperial Capital private horse riding stable.

Pei Yi was sitting on his pony in uniform, but his eyes kept shooting toward the entrance outside the racecourse. 

Zong Baiyan, who was standing by to accompany him, saw through his child’s small thoughts and couldn’t help but remind him, “Xiao Yi, concentrate on riding and sit up properly.”

Pei Yi automatically straightened his back and tightened his grip on the reins. “Father Yan, why hasn’t Er-ge come yet?”

They originally had staggered riding times, but after becoming “friends,” and with Pei Yi’s persuasion, Bo Yueming finally agreed to change his time to every Saturday.

Now, Pei Yi had been training for half an hour without seeing Bo Yueming, and was impatient.

Bo Yueming replied, “Maybe he had something to do and couldn’t come. You finish this lap independently first. If you perform well, Father Yan will call later and ask.”

Hearing this promise, Pei Yi immediately nodded in agreement.

He rode his pony at a trot. Before Zong Baiyan could fulfill his promise, Bo Yueming arrived belatedly and ran into the racecourse on his own black horse, Adrien.

“Er-ge!”

Pei Yi was happy at once.

Bo Yueming approached and greeted Zong Baiyan politely. “Hello, Uncle Yan.”

Zong Baiyan nodded, and before he could respond, Pei Yi quickly made his presence known. “Er-ge, why are you here so late, ah? I’ve ridden several times.”

Bo Yueming replied, “There was trading simulation training at one o’clock this afternoon. I came over right after.”

Pei Yi nodded in understanding. “Oh.”

Bo Yueming didn’t waste any time. “I’ll take Adrien to warm up first.”

Pei Yi immediately raised his hand and said, “Me too, me too. I can ride and trot.”

Zong Baiyan was anxious. “Xiao Yi, you can’t match Yueming’s speed. Don’t make trouble.”

“……”

When Pei Yi heard this denial, a hint of unhappiness flashed across his face.

Bo Yueming noticed this at once and only said, “It’s fine. I’ll ride slower and see how his training is progressing as we go.”

Having said this, he turned the horse’s head and began to canter around the field.

Pei Yi could tell that Bo Yueming was intentionally waiting for him, and his eyes became more and more pleading. “Father Yan.”

Ever since he was injured while secretly riding horseback before, he didn’t dare to go beyond the instructions of Zong Baiyan and Coach Gao.

Seeing Bo Yueming’s slowed down riding speed, Zong Baiyan also wanted to cultivate Pei Yi’s ability and confidence, so he nodded after some hesitation.

“Go ahead, ba. But you can’t speed up rashly, got it?”

“En!”

Pei Yi received Zong Baiyan’s consent and responded at an appropriate volume, then rode after Bo Yueming.

The two of them, one big and one small, rode around the big circle of the racecourse three times, and then saw Zong Baiyan leading his beloved horse out.

Pei Yi got off his pony with Zong Baiyan’s help, and then heard the latter actively ask, “Xiao Yi, do you want me to take you riding on this horse?”

With Pei Yi’s current stature, he was unable to control a large horse independently, nor could he gallop. Every time, it was Zong Baiyan who took his child out to have fun.

In the past, Pei Yi would definitely nodded at once in agreement, but today he was surprisingly hesitant—

His eyes wandered between Zong Baiyan and Bo Yueming, and he finally asked with shy expectancy, “Father Yan, I want my Er-ge to take me riding! His Adrien is so good-looking!”

With that said, he ran to Adrien’s side and looked up at Bo Yueming above. “Er-ge, is that okay?”

“……”

Zong Baiyan was stuck. He clearly hadn’t expected to be ruthlessly abandoned by his own child.

He tactically cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity as a parent. “Xiao Yi, ah, that won’t work.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi’s eyes dimmed slightly, but he still retained a trace of expectation.

Sitting on his horse, Bo Yueming lowered his head to face him. When the words that should have been a rejection came to his lips, they came out as an offer. “Uncle Yan, let me help him try.”

When it came to technique, Bo Yueming was not necessarily worse than Zong Baiyan.

“It’s just one lap. I’ll take him to try it. Anyway, Adrien hasn’t had enough fun yet.”

Bo Yueming’s steady tone always gave people a sense of maturity and reliability. Zong Baiyan had initially wanted to refuse, but when he saw his child’s coquettish, pleading eyes, his heart suddenly softened.

“Then, then just run a lap, but be careful.”

With that said, he lifted Pei Yi and Bo Yueming accepted him.

Pei Yi sat in front of Bo Yueming. Although there was only a three-year age difference between them, the difference in height and body shape between the two was still obvious.

Zong Baiyan anxiously warned, “Xiao Yi, you still have to hold tight. Yueming, you shouldn’t speed up too much. Be a little more cautious.”

“All right.”

Bo Yueming half-embraced Pei Yi from behind and said in a low voice, “Are you sitting tight?”

Pei Yi sat firmly in Bo Yueming’s arms with great peace of mind. He wasn’t nervous at all, and even patted Adrien happily, saying, “Let’s go!”

Bo Yueming smiled unconsciously and urged the horse to run.

For safety reasons, he didn’t dare use his usual galloping speed, and slowed down a little. However, this was enough to excite Pei Yi, who could only trot on horseback.

“—Wow! Er-ge is amazing!”

The lone Zong Baiyan heard his child cheering on horseback and inexplicably felt a little disappointed.

He quickly mounted his Changfeng, took his cell phone out of his pocket, and took a short video of the two riding away, not forgetting to “accuse”—

“Rong-ge, look at your precious son. He’s forgotten his father now that he has a friend.”

“He has no use for this old father, ah.”

His WeChat message was replied to very quickly. “It’s rare for Xiao Yi to have a good friend. As a father, please don’t be sour. Whatever you want to eat tonight, I’ll make it for you when I finish my work here.”

Zong Baiyan replied, “Don’t do it tonight, you rest. I’ll take Xiao Yi and his friend to have a casual meal. Shall I bring you your favorite barbecued pork when I come back?”

“Okay.”

When Bo Yueming finished taking Pei Yi for a lap, Zong Baiyan was still immersed in the WeChat conversation with his lover.

Pei Yi realized that his father was distracted, and quickly urged, “Er-ge, hurry, hurry! Don’t let Father find out, let’s run another lap! Go faster!”

“……”

Bo Yueming hesitated for a moment, but decided to satisfy the curiosity of the kitten in his arms. “Are you having fun?”

Pei Yi nodded. “En! It’s fun!”

. . . . . . . . 

In no time at all, it was five o’clock in the afternoon. Inside a high-end teashop—

Pei Yi ate spoonful after spoonful of the caramel pudding that had been served. Zong Baiyan sat next to him, while Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai had been invited to sit opposite.

Zong Baiyan filled a bowl with seafood, peeled shrimp and crab, and handed it to Pei Yi. “Xiao Yi, eat your meal first.”

“You’re almost at the bottom of your bowl of pudding. If your Father Rong finds out that you ate sweets before your meal, both of us, father and son, will suffer.”

“……”

Although Xu Rong was exceedingly gentle on a daily basis, he had very strict dietary requirements for the three staple meals. Pei Yi quickly stopped and pulled over the rice and cleanly peeled shrimp.

Bo Yueming stared at the seafood bowl that Zong Baiyan had procured, and couldn’t help but glance at the feasting Pei Yi. 

The next second, the observant Uncle Kai asked, “Little Sir seems to like seafood and desserts?”

“Yes, ah.”

Zong Baiyan looked at Pei Yi and said, “Xiao Yi likes to eat all kinds of seafood, and can’t get enough of it.”

“Our family member who adores him always has to prepare it and feed it to him. He’s so spoiled, we’ve made you laugh.”

Zong Baiyan couldn’t bear to see his lover work hard, so in the end, the task of peeling the shrimp every time they ate became his. 

Pei Yi’s cheeks bulged with food, and he corrected, “Father Yan, I’m not spoiled.”

Zong Biayan smiled at him. “Eat properly, don’t choke.”

Pei Yi had no choice but to shift his gaze to Bo Yueming, who was watching him.

Their eyes met, and Pei Yi took another bite of rice in a well-behaved manner.

For some reason, Bo Yueming felt that the way Pei Yi ate was like a greedy little cat. This, this was rather cute.

Most of the meal was spent with Zong Baiyan and Uncle Kai conversing, but it was very pleasant.

When it was nearly over, Uncle Kai asked, “By the way, is Little Sir in the high school affiliated with Imperial Capital University?”

Zong Baiyan nodded. “The new semester is about to begin. His father and I are considering hiring a tutor for him to help him with his homework on weekends and preview his work in advance.”

Pei Yi’s academic foundation was a bit poor when he was in the orphanage a few years ago, but fortunately, he was quite intelligent. After working hard during his first two years of adoption, he was able to keep up with the progress of his peers.

However, Zong Baiyana and Xu Rong still feared that his foundation was weak, so they thought of asking a tutor to help supervise him.

Pei Yi put his spoon in his mouth, his eyes fixed on the untouched pudding on Bo Yueming’s side of the table. He muttered, “I can do well without a tutor.”

He had asked his classmates. The hourly fee for weekend tutoring was very expensive. He wasn’t a bad student, so there was no need to waste the money.

If he encountered an occasional question he couldn’t understand, Father Rong and Father Yan could instruct him.

Zong Baiyan still attached great importance to Pei Yi’s study problems, and uncommonly asked Uncle Kai and Bo Yueming for advice. “By the way, I remember that Yueming is a student at the Imperial Capital High School, right?”

Bo Yueming nodded, and handed his share of pudding to Pei Yi with seeming casualness. 

Pei Yi’s eyes brightened at once. “Thank you, Er-ge!”

Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi, and a subtle thought suddenly emerged in his heart. “Uncle Yan, at this age, Pei Yi doesn’t need to have so much pressure put on him to study. If you’re okay with it, I can supervise him to do his homework every weekend.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the perpetually calm Uncle Kai showed some surprise.

It should be known that their family’s Second Young Master had been solitary since he was a child.

The matter of “making friends” with Pei Yi was largely based on the other party’s efforts, but it was different now—

It was Bo Yueming who offered to help with his homework! This was just like the sun rising in the west!

At the same time, Zong Baiyan also fell into a brief moment of silent contemplation.

He had heard of Bo Yueming’s academic excellence, but the issue of studying was not a big or small matter. No matter what, the other party was still a young master of the Bo family, so it was a bit inappropriate.

Zong Baiyan had his own considerations. Just as he was about to refuse, his own child beat him to it—

Pei Yi, who had always hated the idea of being urged to do homework with a tutor, actually took the opportunity to comply.

“Okay! I agree!”

---

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Extra 6/15 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 8/15

Because of his relationship with her Er-ge, Liu Nanyuan’s impression of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang had recently changed a little. It had seemed that he was not as cruel as the rumors said, but now he had been beaten back into his original shape by Cheng Suyue. Although the excuse may be reasonable, this was still very different from the men she had met before. 

Thus, after finishing up for the day, Liu Nanyuan made a special trip to visit her Er-ge.

“Why do you ask?”

“Curiosity.”

Liu Xian’an made a pot of flower tea and said: “Because he can come to my world and be friends with my friends.”

Liu Nanyuan had also heard about her brother’s Three Thousand Worlds. She drew a circle in the air with her finger: “Is the prince also willing to go to that world and drink tea and discuss the Dao with the ancient sages?”

Liu Xian’an was perfunctory. Something like that, something like that.

Liu Nanyuan thought, wow, people cannot be judged by their appearance.

She was at the age of first love, but Baihe Mountain Village was full of patients, and the atmosphere was mostly repressed and solemn. Several of her close friends also had strict family traditions, and never left the house or stepped out the door all day long. No one was willing to accompany Liu Nanyuan to talk about the sickly and handsome men she liked. The only person she was able to discuss issues of the heart with seemed to be her Er-ge.

“What about you?” Liu Xian’an poured her a cup. “Traveling every day, you must have met many romantic and carefree youngsters, right? Take Head Escort Chang as an example, I watched him blushing and stammering when he saw you.”

“I have met a lot of them, but not the kind I like.” Liu Nanyuan’s attitude was very firm. They must be weak and pale.

Liu Xian’an adopted the attitude of “anything is fine” on this matter, but he also raised a question with rather philosophical implications. If you do meet someone in the future who is weak, pale, and in poor health, after getting married, will you treat him or not? If he is not treated, he may become more seriously ill, and it will go against the family motto of Baihe Mountain Village. But if he is treated and cured, he will be neither pale nor weak in the future, which will go against your aesthetic tastes.

Liu Nanyuan said blankly: “…..I’ve never thought about this problem.”

Liu Xian’an comforted: “You can start thinking about it from now on. In any case, you haven’t met your sweetheart yet, so don’t worry. Perhaps when you do, you will find that it is okay for them not to be weak or pale.”

Liu Nanyuan insisted: “They at least can’t look too rosy.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “That’s fine.”

Having no bottom line when tolerating his sister’s unique views on mate selection may be due to the advantage of being forty-eight thousand years old. Since the whole world was just a drop in the ocean, then a girl in this vast world who wanted to find a sickly husband was just a miniscule drop inside a drop, truly insignificant. It didn’t matter, didn’t matter.

Liu Nanyuan received sincere affirmation, and happily walked out of her Er-ge’s door with the medicine basket in hand, happening to meet Chang Xiaoqiu head-on. He had originally come to see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, but unexpectedly met a beautiful girl. At once, the blood all over his body began to rush to his face again. He stood aside to get out of the way and tried to say hello, but he stuttered for a long time without getting out a word. Gao Lin witnessed this scene from a distance and was in awe. He walked up and smacked him on the head, cursing: “I thought you were rather intelligent before, but why are you such a disgrace at the critical moment? Work harder, ah!” Could it be that the ‘aphasia at the sight of a girl’ passed down by the Northwest Dayan ancestors could be transmitted through the air?

“I’ve tried a lot harder, but Third Young Lady Liu doesn’t like my type,” Chang Xiaoqiu said. “I also asked Second Young Master Liu specifically and he said I’m not pale enough.”

Gao Lin looked at the young man’s pink and white face and said regretfully: “If even a pampered New Year painting doll like you is not pale enough, then doesn’t that mean nobody in our camp has any hope? Yes, those big men should proceed to lighten up. The prince is in the study at the moment. Is there something you need from him?”

“Yes.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “First Young Master Liu has prepared several anti-miasma pills and masks and wants to try them later in the forest.”

“The local southwest soldiers will test the medicine. They are experienced enough and can sense any danger immediately. Why are you joining in?” Gao Lin said, “In the military camp, in addition to being brave, one must still have a plan. If you rush forward blindly, the losses will outweigh the gains. There is no need for you to go into that dense forest, just continue to accompany First Young Master Liu.”

“But I don’t understand medical science.”

“If you don’t understand, you still must accompany him,” Gao Lin ordered. “Have you not seen those people from the Scimitar Silver Moon Clan running into the pharmacy when they have nothing to do recently? I heard that several girls are coming in the next two days. You dress up handsomely and elegantly and stand there to block the miracle doctor’s pursuers.”

Chang Xiaoqiu took a step back, rejection written all over his body: “I’d better go and test the medicine.”

“You’re going against the heavens.” Gao Lin learned from others and gave him a kick in the same style of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. “There is no telling how many people envy this job, but you still pick and choose. Hurry up and go!”

After sending the bitter-faced boy away, Gao Lin went to find Liang Shu again and said: “The medical hut has been set up. I took a look, and it is even more beautiful and exquisite than in the drawings.”

It was also more luxurious than the shabby thatched shack where Second Young Master Liu had his first consultation. In addition to the medical hut, Gao Lin also found people to make many new sets of white clothes with blue belts, and carefully selected a group of white, tall, and heroic soldiers from the army. In short, from the building to the personnel, everything was pleasing to the eye.

Liang Shu was going to ask Liu Nanyuan to do consultations in person.

Although beauty and ugliness in the world did not amount to right and wrong, people’s pursuit of beauty was nearly instinctive. The so-called “Holy Maiden” of the Baifu Sect also made use of this instinct, and there currently happened to be someone more beautiful than her in the Dayan army.

Liu Nanyuan herself had no objection to this. She had never been secretive about her beauty. She loved beautiful clothes, beautiful jewelry, and loved to look in the mirror. Therefore, when she received the clothes from Cheng Suyue, she changed into them on the spot. She had just finished bathing. Her half-wet hair was still loose, and the room was full of fragrance. The red gauze skirt lining made her even more gorgeous, like a peach or plum flower. She applied a bit of lip balm with her slender white fingers, swiping it between her lips. Cheng Suyue felt as if she was beholding a goddess under the moonlight.

Her vitality and exuberance and the silent saintess of the Baifu Sect were two extremes. Cheng Suyue leaned against the door and watched her change out her jewelry one by one. In the end, a butterfly hairpin was forcibly pinned Cheng Suyue’s own head. When she went back, she was glimpsed by Liang Shu. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s brows jumped slightly, and this person who usually kept a low profile made a very rare comment: “Pretty good. It’s rare that you wear something that doesn’t look like it conceals a weapon.”

Cheng Suyue: “…..Third Young Lady Liu is ready.”

“Good, it’s up to you to handle this matter.” Liang Shu nodded. “Put her safety first in everything.”

The “Holy Maiden” that the Baifu Sect had worked so hard to create would never allow others to take a piece of the pie. If they really couldn’t control the situation, they would most likely be in a life-or-death struggle.

In the dense forest, Liu Hengchang untied layers of gauze and asked anxiously: “Commander Ku still cannot see anything?”

Ku You said: “Indeed.”

“Then…..” Liu Hengchang hesitated, not knowing how to tell the other party the truth. Ku You took the initiative and said, “You can just assume that I’ll spend the rest of my life in darkness, and brief me on the situation. How is it going?”

“Recently, the guard posts at various locations have been changed very frequently, sometimes once a day.” Liu Hengchang said, “Even if I continue to observe for another ten and a half days, I may not be able to conclude a pattern.”

“What about the back mountain?”

“The back mountain?” Liu Hengchang asked. “The back mountain is full of miasma. If you want to escape from the back mountain, you would need Young Master Feng’s help. What did he say?”

Ku You said: “He vowed to cooperate with me.”

Liu Hengchang was overjoyed, but before he could speak, he heard the next sentence. Cooperation was possible, but he must first marry Wumeng Yunle. There was no need for all the ceremonies, and they didn’t even need to wear new clothes to bow, let alone a bridal chamber and candles. Just a nod was enough.

Liu Hengchang probed: “Then…..what does Commander Ku think?”

He felt that no matter how he felt about it, this was a really good deal. With just a nod, he could escape from the devil’s cave. If it were him, he would definitely not refuse. Moreover, Wumeng Yunle was the pinnacle of holiness and beauty in the hearts of the Baifu believers. Were it to be known that she had actually become a man’s wife, wouldn’t that mean that the psychological defenses of a large number of people would collapse without the prince having to put in more effort?

Ku You said: “You think it over and find a place.”

Liu Hengchang was puzzled: “Where?”

“A convenient place to hide without being discovered by anyone,” Ku You said. “Prepare enough dry food and water. Not much is needed, just enough for ten days.”

Liu Hengchang obeyed his order and went down to make preparations. Ku You calculated the days in his mind. He was actually eighty percent certain now that he could leave this ghastly place without anyone noticing, but after some thought, it had taken a lot of effort to come here. How could he leave empty-handed? He must bring something with him.

Thus, he was still very patient.

Liu Xian’an was also very patient.

He rolled up his sleeves and wrote medicine names on small pieces of paper, preparing to dry them and stick them on the medicine bottles. The weather had turned hot recently, so he was wearing thin clothing. As soon as Liang Shu entered the door, he saw white arms. He stretched out a finger to poke, but was turned away: “Don’t make trouble.”

“Miracle Doctor’s Heaven and Earth pill.” Liang Shu picked up a piece of paper and said, “What does it treat?”

“Diarrhea,” Liu Xian’an said.

“Immortal Vigor pill?”

“Loss of appetite.”

“Is there a relationship between the two?”

“No, ah, but wasn’t this the prince’s request? It should be majestic, easy to understand, and as convincing as possible. I even made a special trip to ask my elder brother’s servants. They said that people like these kinds of names. When people hear Miracle Doctor and Immortal Vigor, they want to swallow two of them.”

“That’s right.” Liang Shu put the paper back. “The medicine bottles have also arrived, and are pink and blue. They look very lovely, like clouds reflected in a clear sky. Just looking at them makes a person feel good.”

In short, they were definitely more like fairy supplies than those strange and bizarre things from the Baifu Sect.

---

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Chapter One Hundred Twelve << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

“……”

Bo Yueming looked into the bright, clear eyes of the person in front of him and felt a special warmth in his heart that he had never felt before.

Since being “forcibly” brought back to the Bo family, due to his special status, no one had ever been willing to take the initiative to “make friends” with him. The only friend he could chat with was Yan Cen, and their relationship was also that of classmates.

In the past, little brothers like Pei Yi would never have any contact with him.

Pei Yi eagerly awaited Bo Yueming’s reply. Seeing that he didn’t respond for a long time, he became a little anxious and said, “Er-ge?”

“En?”

Bo Yueming responded to him unconsciously, as if he had accepted this exclusive title.

“O-Okay.” Pei Yi took a deep breath, as if having made an important decision.

He took out a small, flattened straw grasshopper that was disordered from being in his small school bag, and handed it over. “This is my most favorite, I’ll give it to you too! Can you be friends with me now?”

Bo Yueming looked at the several things that had been given to him, which were altogether worthless, and then glanced at the small straw toy that was of obvious significance with a complicated feeling.

Pei Yi felt a little depressed now. He grasped the shoulder strap of his school bag and said, “There isn’t any more.”

Bo Yueming opened the schoolbag with one hand and tossed everything in his arms back inside. “I don’t need these things.”

“……”

Pei Yi thought this was a rejection, but before he could feel sad, he heard Bo Yueming ask, “Why do you want to be friends with me? We only met once.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and gestured with his hands, “This is already the second time, and we’ll see each other more and more in the future.”

Bo Yueming gradually adapted to his familiar tendencies and walked into the house with his notebook of homework.

Pei Yi seized the opportunity and hastily followed, saying as he walked, “You’re good-looking, tall, and even look cool when riding a horse. You protected me, and Father Yan also said that everyone praises you for your excellence.”

Bo Yueming tapped the corner of his mouth and feigned nonchalance. “Do you make friends with everyone like this?”

Pei Yi’s short legs were still working hard, and he shook his head as he walked. “No, it’s my first time making a friend.”

Because he was bullied by the big, tall, older boys at the orphanage in the past, Pei Yi had always been reluctant to come into contact with such people.

In the three years since he was adopted, apart from his classmates, Bo Yueming was definitely the first tall gege he wanted to be close to.

As soon as he finished speaking, Bo Yueming stopped in front of a desk.

Pei Yi, who was trying his best to keep up, realized that he had entered the private study without permission. He remembered Father Rong’s previous instructions about etiquette, and backed up to the study door.

— Knock knock

“Er-ge, can I come in?”

He was familiar, but polite.

“……”

There was a hint of a smile in the depths of Bo Yueming’s eyes, and he only said, “I need to study, and I like silence. You’ll be bored staying here with me.”

Pei Yi ran up and told a bald-faced lie, “I also like silence.”

Bo Yueming did not object, and allowed Pei Yi to bring a small stool and sit diagonally at the corner of his desk.

Pei Yi lowered his voice. “Er-ge, are we friends?”

Bo Yueming turned a page of his notes and said, “Being friends doesn’t just happen by verbally admitting it.”

“Oh,” Pei Yi responded, and said no more.

Bo Yueming always preferred solitude and silence. When he said he needed to study, he wasn’t just making an excuse.

Pei Yi didn’t dare be noisy, but after waiting a few minutes, he couldn’t hold back his greed. He quietly unwrapped the strawberry lollipop, stuffed it into his mouth, and glanced at Bo Yueming guiltily.

Bo Yueming had already noticed his movements from the corner of his eye, but just saw through it without saying anything.

Some time passed.

The sound of the kitten’s chewing began to become wanton. Bo Yueming couldn’t bear it anymore and looked up to find that Pei Yi’s forehead was pressed against the edge of the desk, and his head was practically buried in the school bag.

“Pei Yi? What are you doing?”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi raised his head without thinking. His cheeks were bulging, and there was still a little bit of egg yolk cake residue at the corners of his mouth, like a kitten that had stolen something.

Taking advantage of his height, Bo Yueming easily glanced at the contents of his school bag and asked, “What are you eating?”

There was an element of already knowing the answer to his question.

Having been caught, Pei Yi honestly put the candy wrapper, half-drunk banana milk, two bites of taro bread, and one remaining egg yolk cake on the table.

Pei Yi said vaguely, “…..I was a little hungry.”

Bo Yueming said, “Didn’t you say that these things were all for me? You ate my things without saying anything?”

When Pei Yi heard this, his blush spread from his ears to his entire face, but then he said cleverly, “Friends should share things with each other. And I left some for you.”

Bringing a bunch of food to make a friend and then eating everything in the name of “friendship” was really not a loss at all.

Where did this clever kitten come from?

Bo Yueming chuckled, then quickly calmed down. “Then you can finish your meal.”

Pei Yi shook his head with restraint. 

Bo Yueming urged, “Eat it. It’s all opened, don’t waste it. I don’t like sweet things.”

Seeing that he wasn’t angry, Pei Yi immediately backtracked with a smile. “Thank you, Er-ge!”

Bo Yueming could do nothing about him, and his smile became more obvious. “What are you thanking me for? This is your own stuff.”

Pei Yi didn’t answer, and only began to eat more happily.

Bo Yueming stared at his bulging cheeks and asked without thinking, “Is it so tasty?”

“Mm, it’s delicious,” Pei Yi replied. “I used to be in an orphanage, and it was hard to get enough to eat. Then I went home with Father Rong and Father Yan.”

“……”

Orphanage?

When Bo Yueming heard this strange yet familiar word, his brow twitched unconsciously.

Although he had already guessed Pei Yi’s identity as an adopted orphan, he still felt some imperceptible worry when he heard this person speak of his situation so calmly.

Even with the care and attention of Old Mrs. Bo these years, when Bo Yueming faced the second branch family, there was always a feeling of inadequacy from living on someone else’s charity. But compared to Pei Yi, who once lacked love and affection, his upbringing paled in comparison.

Pei Yi, who was still nibbling bread, seemed to notice Bo Yueming’s silence. He looked up at the other party, his smile still pure. “Er-ge, don’t feel sorry for me. Father Rong and Father Yan are very good to me.”

“Just like your grandma is to you.”

Pei Yi didn’t compare Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong to Bo Yueming’s parents. He wasn’t stupid, and had heard some clues from Bo Wang’s words just now.

“We’re both kids who have adults that care about us.”

What seemed like ordinary words of comfort injected an irresistible warmth into Bo Yueming’s heart.

He froze for a few seconds, and finally no longer concealed his smile. “En, you’re right.”

Having received his approval, Pei Yi bit off another piece of bread and ate more happily.

The two stopped their brief exchange. 

Bo Yueming entered study mode again, and after finishing the snacks he had brought, Pei Yi simply folded his arms and lay down on the table.

Perhaps it was because he had just filled his stomach, or because the sky was growing darker, but Pei Yi, who had not been able to take a nap at noon that day, felt sleepy at this moment.

He tried his best to keep his eyelids open, but still couldn’t resist the hypnosis that swept over him.

Thud.

He tilted his head and fell asleep lying on the table.

When Bo Yueming returned to his senses, he had even begun to snore in his sleep.

Bo Yueming tapped the table and called for his attention. “Pei Yi?”

“……”

Pei Yi didn’t reply to him, but only shifted his position and continued to sleep.

Bo Yueming frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he stood up and approached. “Pei Yi, don’t sleep here. It’s easy to get a stiff neck or catch a cold.”

No matter how the weather was, you would be more affected by the cold while asleep than when you were awake.

Pei Yi hummed with a bit of unhappiness at being disturbed, and there was also a little fussiness that was not easy to detect.

“……”

With no other choice, Bo Yueming could only lean down and coax in an unskilled manner, “I’ll take you to the sofa to rest, okay?”

Pei Yi narrowed his eyes drowsily and subconsciously hugged Bo Yueming in front of him. “Sleepy.”

When he was too sleepy to move in the past, Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong would carry him back to his room like this to sleep. At this moment, he was so sleepy that he couldn’t tell north, south, east, or west, and temporarily forgot that he was still in someone else’s house.

Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi, who continued nuzzling into his arms, and could only carry him in front of him with difficulty.

Pei Yi was very accustomed to being carried this way. He hugged the other tightly with both hands and rested in forehead in the crook of his neck, sleeping peacefully.

“……”

Bo Yueming quickly brought Pei Yi to the living room. He carefully placed the sleeping Pei Yi on the sofa, not forgetting to cover him with a small blanket.

The unfamiliar scent of the quilt made Pei Yi uneasy in his sleep. He kicked the quilt and turned over, almost falling off the sofa.

“Ai!”

Bo Yueming blocked him with quick reflexes and anxiously covered him with the blanket again.

There were no servants in the villa at the moment. Even Uncle Kai had gone to help at the main house, and there was no one here to look after him.

Bo Yueming was afraid that Pei Yi would fall in his disordered sleep, so he had to go back to the study to get a book and sit quietly next to him.

Time passed minute by minute.

The ajar door moved again.

Uncle Kai led Zong Baiyan in and said, “Second Young Master, Mr. Zong is here to pick up Pei Yi.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyes and calmly faced Zong Baiyan at the door.

When Zong Baiyan saw Bo Yueming, whose aura was not inferior to that of an adult, a hint of genuine admiration flashed in his eyes.

Bo Yueming stood up and indicated, “He’s asleep.”

Zong Baiyan had already discovered his family’s kitten curled up in a ball on the sofa. He approached slowly and replied in a low voice, “We’ve troubled the Second Young Master. I’ll take him back.”

With that said, he easily picked up Pei Yi.

It was also the same posture of carrying him in front of his body.

Bo Yueming silently observed this scene, paying special attention to Zong Baiyan’s posture from the corner of his eye. 

“Huh? Father Yan?”

Pei Yi woke up in a daze, but remained lying against Zong Baiyan’s shoulder without raising his head.

Zong Baiyan patted Pei Yi on the back and coaxed, “Xiao Yi, we’re going home first. Do you want to say goodbye to the Second Young Master?”

These words aroused a sense of clarity in Pei Yi’s mind. He rubbed his eyes and slowly faced Bo Yueming’s direction, yawning as he spoke.

“Good bye, Er-ge. I’ll come to play with you next time.”

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Extra 5/15 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 7/15