In the end, everyone went to the Valley of Ten Faces together.

Sitting in the carriage, Liu Xian’an looked outside. Every now and then, a village would appear on the side of the road. They were all neat and tidy, and even the cured pork hanging at the doors of the houses was cut more squarely than others. The shadow of military camp life could indeed be seen.

“These are also some of the most stable and affluent villages in the Southwest,” Ku You said. “The land is fertile and the population is prosperous. They not only respect martial arts, but also culture. No matter how small the village is, the villagers will raise money to hire a teacher. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation, and today, almost everyone is literate and sensible.”

“Look, Young Master!” A-Ning pointed into the distance and said in surprise, “There are words on the cliff!”

A wall of stone soared into the clouds. There was a neat cross-section, as if it had been split open by the giant ax of a god, and quartz fragments shimmered in the sunlight. Like a river of stars pouring down, it was as if an immortal had used a sword as a brush to engrave eloquent, thousand-character prose. Even in the Three Thousand Worlds of Second Young Master Liu, it was difficult to find such a marvelous heavenly text.

“To carve out such characters on such a precarious cliff is as difficult as climbing to the sky. You would have to attach someone to a rope and slowly lower them from the top.” Riding on horseback, Gao Lin squinted his eyes to look into the light, and looked carefully for a long time. Although Cheng Suyue’s body had not recovered, she still found the carriage stuffy and rode a horse most of the time. At this moment, seeing that her older brother was looking intently, she moved closer to look together. The two traveled in unison until His Royal Highness Xiao Wang said coldly: “Can you understand the words?”

Gao Lin: “……”

Cheng Suyue: “……”

We can’t read the words, but can we not simply appreciate the beauty?

Liang Shu ignored the two bitter-faced subordinates, galloping forward alone to bring Liu Xian’an out of the carriage.

Gao Lin: It’s started, the prince is about to start showing off again, and he’s going to let Second Young Master Liu perform a show for us soon!

Naturally, Liu Xian’an could understand this ancient text. Although the handwriting had been worn away by the wind and rain, the full text could be inferred based on the context. He said: “It’s a folk tale.”

“Someone took so much effort just to carve a folk tale?” Cheng Suyue couldn’t quite believe it. “I still think it must at least be a secret martial arts text.”

Gao Lin knocked on her forehead, which had nothing behind it. What “secret,” it could at most be regarded as an “ancestral record.” From his point of view, such carefree things were generally not worth anything.

“It’s the origin of the Valley of Ten Faces,” Liu Xian’an said. “It says that hundreds of years ago, the gates of heaven suddenly opened, and a group of immortals descended. Upon coming here, they saw the beautiful scenery, with springs and clear, quiet mountains, and simply settled down. They multiplied from generation to generation, forming today’s Valley of Ten Faces.”

Cheng Suyue commented that there was no beautiful immortal insisting on marrying an idle villager, and there was no cowherd who hid the clothes of a beautiful woman to prevent her from leaving. Although it was boring, it was still a good, law-abiding and virtuous story.

Gao Lin insisted on being disagreeable: “There are so many words on the cliff. Second Young Master Liu just gave us the general idea, how do you know there aren’t some unsavory hidden details?”

“There really aren’t,” Liu Xian’an said. “But the rest of the story isn’t interesting, and is not worth telling. I’m thirsty.”

As soon as these words fell, Liang Shu handed over his water bag and said: “It’s windy here. Don’t talk too much, and be careful not to get cold.” While speaking, he untied his cloak and wrapped the other person up tightly until only his eyes were exposed. Then he nudged the horse’s belly with his feet, and the two of them walked away.

Cheng-guniang, who had just become part of a new family, was not quite used to this kind of scene. She held back for a long time before she couldn’t help asking: “Ge, why doesn’t the prince hide?”

“Hide from what, you mean the Imperial Guards? There’s nothing to hide from,” Gao Lin said, waving his hand. “Our prince has personally written a secret letter, reporting his love story to the Emperor in detail.”

“Ah?”

“It was about four or five sheets of paper.” Gao Lin gestured, the text was long, and the writing flowed like a spring. If he was taking the Imperial Examination, there would only be three lines left.

Cheng Suyue: “……”

It’s really too terrible.

The garrison camp was halfway up the mountain, surrounded by villages in the front and deep, dense forest in the back. Bamboo buildings, tiled houses, and tents were scattered in an orderly manner, and for the people at the foot of the mountain, this was the most secure protective barrier.

Although Ku You’s eyesight was impaired, he basically didn’t need any help walking. He was very familiar with this large camp, and didn’t even need a cane. He just strode forward, his silver blindfold and silver hair blown back by the wind, his figure neat and capable. Liu Xian’an imitated him by closing his eyes and raising his leg to take a steady step forward, but was grabbed by Liu Xianche, who said with a frown: “There are dead vines everywhere, how can you fall asleep while walking?”

“First Young Master Liu misunderstands, Xiao An wasn’t sleeping.” Liang Shu helped explain behind him, “He’s just learning how to walk like Ku You.”

Learning how to walk like Ku You was better than sleepwalking? First Young Master Liu thought coldly, it really isn’t, ah. The custom of Liu family disciples was that when walking, they walked with their necks straight, solemn and dignified, all of them like green pines in the wind. What sort of method was this to lazily close your eyes? Thus, he seriously criticized his lazy little brother.

Liu Xian’an shrugged and said: “Hmm.”

There are too many rules, ah, I want to go to Xiao Wang Palace where there are no rules.

After Liang Shu sent this person back to his residence, he went to the front hall to deal with military matters. Liu Xianche sat at the table and watched A-Ning organizing the luggage. Nine out of ten items were from Xiao Wang Palace. The most outrageous thing was that there was a pair of clearly oversized night clothes.

First Young Master Liu suddenly had a headache again, and thought about whether he should take his little brother back to Baihe Mountain Village for a period of time after this matter was over, so as to save him from becoming more and more unreasonable. Just as he was thinking this, A-Ning took out another stack of rice paper from the bag and stacked it neatly on the table.

They seemed to be portraits.

Liu Xianche picked up one of them: “These were drawn by Xiao An?”

“They were drawn from the Second Young Master’s imagination,” A-Ning said. “First Young Master, if you take a closer look, you will find that each face is different.”

It depicted a woman with raised fox eyes, flirtatious and charming, leaning on a railing. This was the beauty in the painting that he had carefully sketched based on the information Liu Hengchang sent, combined with Feng Xiaojin’s appearance.

“Da-ge.” Liu Xian’an came in with a plate of pastries, his cheeks puffed out. Seeing that he was looking at the portraits, he said, “It’s a pity that A-Chang doesn’t know how to draw, otherwise he could copy it as it is, and save me from having to guess based on the description in the letter.”

“This girl…..” Liu Xianche frowned slightly. “Her behavior is too frivolous.”

“The prince also says that she looks like a dancer,” Liu Xian’an said. “And also like a prostitute. Anyway, she can’t be from an ordinary family.”

In Liu Hengchang’s description, the beauty in the portrait had almost the same face as Feng Xiaojin, but her features were more delicate and small, and her figure was also graceful. He even inquired about Feng Xiaojin, wanting to find out if he had any sisters.

Liu Xianche asked: “Are there any?”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “No, it doesn’t look like there are. A-Chang said that the leader of the Baifu Sect looks to be about forty or fifty years old. If this portrait was painted more than ten or twenty years ago, then the person in the painting may also be Feng Xiaojin’s mother. I think this guess is more reasonable.”

With such a beautiful face, if she was a dancer or a prostitute, she should be very popular and highly sought-after. That the leader of the Baifu Sect still hung her portrait in his room after many years was iron proof.

“The prince has already sent people to investigate,” Liu Xian’an said. “I had originally wanted to ask Da-ge if there is any way to spy and gather information.”

“Then why didn’t you come and ask?” Liu Xianche actually did know a few well-informed jianghu people.

“Because the prince said there was no need.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t ask.”

It had been very late at night. Liu Xian’an was laying in bed, talking very sleepily, and when he heard “no need,” he just nodded his head, “En, en, okay,” and then inadvertently fell asleep. After waking up, this conversation was lost in the clouds. He only remembered that Liang Shu said there was no need, so he definitely wouldn’t do it.

It would take less effort for himself.

In the end, this lazy person was still very lazy, and was tired after drawing so much. It was better to lie down and analyze. After Liu Xian’an finished eating the pastries, he took out another portrait and lay down on the table while saying to his brother: “This is what I speculated. If Feng Xiaojin’s mother really has a family background, and Feng Xiaojin hated Tan-daren in the court, could Tan-daren be his father?”

After all, this sort of story about an infatuated woman meeting a flirtatious man was very common in books, and ten out of ten would not have a happy ending, which was very consistent with reality. Liu Xian’an continued to analyze: “The prince says that Tan-daren came from a noble family, and his family education was very strict. He would definitely not be allowed to go out and court prostitutes, and it would be even more impossible for him to marry a concubine.”

But no matter how strict his family education was, it couldn’t control the love between men and women. One spring night sowed evil roots, and that son of a noble family returned to the Dream Capital Wangcheng to continue to be a favored young master, perhaps forgetting about it soon after. Thus, there was a poor orphan and widow pair in this world. One was no longer beautiful, and was forced to remarry a vulgar tofu man, and the other grew up with hatred, lurking on the mountain road and just waiting to kill his heartless father with his own hands.

Liu Xianche said: “It seems that you have indeed read a lot of idle books these years.”

“…….” Liu Xian’an kept his mouth shut and didn’t speak. The prince clearly praised my analysis as very reasonable, comparable to that of a military advisor.

Liu Xianche was somewhat amused: “What are you muttering?”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “Nothing, nothing, ah.”

In any case, there was no ruler in the military camp, so he was very presumptuous now. Liu Xianche had initially not wanted to hit him at all, but seeing his present unruly appearance, he wanted to hit him again.

A piece of sun-dried medicinal herb hit Second Young Master Liu’s palm until it was burning hot. He was awfully depressed, and still had to sit at the table and silently write the family rules as punishment. The calligraphy brush in his hand flowed eloquently across the paper like dragons and snakes, with the last stroke dragged out. All of it revealed the mentality of being impatient to sue.

Liu Xianche stood at the door: “Why are you running?”

A-Ning was also panting as he followed behind his young master. Why was he running so fast? It wasn’t as if he had never been beaten by the First Young Master before, so why did he react so violently this time?

Liang Shu watched the person running toward him in the distance, and was also very surprised: “What happened?”

“Da-ge beat me again.”

Liang Shu held his palm and looked at it for a long moment, then asked wonderingly, “It looks fine, where were you hit?”

Liu Xian’an calmly withdrew his hand: “On the hand, the swelling has subsided.” But I really fled very fast.

It wasn’t red or swollen, but Liang Shu still rubbed it cooperatively, holding back a smile: “Let’s hear it, what was the mistake?”

“No mistake.” Liu Xian’an said, “I spoke of my analysis of Feng Xiaojin’s past, but Da-ge beat me.”

So unreasonable, ah!

---

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

“Jiejie, we’d better send someone home to get the money. Continuing on like this won’t solve the problem.”

“If Mother finds out, the two of us are dead.”

“But…..”

“I’ll think of another way…..”

The two children discussed amongst themselves, then looked at the taciturn fellow squatting in the corner.

“Hey, Liu Xiaozhu…..”

LIu Zhenqing sniffed, comforting himself: Forget it, I’m going to leave the capital. I was just showing off and messed up. Anyway…..this life will pass quickly.

He looked up and said: “Are we of the same generation? Can you just call me by name so casually? Whose children are you?”

The girl choked, and looked at him a little strangely. “You really…..don’t remember anything.”

The young master also looked at Liu Zhenqing curiously.

Liu Zhenqing just nodded. The two of them revealed subtle expressions, which were extremely close to that expression of “Can there be such a good thing?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched, but after some thought, there couldn’t be such a coincidence. Boy and girl twins……could it be……Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed, and he seemed to have thought of something impossible.

“What are you doing? Are you bullying me for losing my memory?” Liu Zhenqing said with dissatisfaction.

The young girl opened her eyes wide and said: “Who’s bullying you? Anyway, you can’t remember, so there’s no need for you to remember. Trouble can be avoided this way.”

Who knew if this guy was pretending to be on their side for the sake of deceiving and getting close to them…..Otherwise, how could he, a young master from an Imperial merchant family who was always covered in gold, be imprisoned alongside them without revealing his identity or calling someone to redeem him? Although they didn’t want to make malicious assumptions about people, this person’s previous behavior had been dramatic enough and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The young master said with gentle politeness: “Liu-shishu, we will find someone to come and release the three of us. As agreed, all compensation will be our responsibility. We have troubled you today.”

The young girl also cupped her hands and said: “Although you didn’t help much……I still thank you!”

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t much concerned with their identities. The reason was the same. He was leaving here anyway, and there was no need to get to know people.

“No need to go to such trouble. Are you willing to pay this kind of money? Accepting a bet doesn’t always require being willing to accept defeat.” Liu Zhenqing chuckled and stood up. He wasn’t terribly aggrieved, otherwise he would have just sent someone to ask Jin Li outside to send the money in.

“What do you mean?” The young girl said in surprise.

Liu Zhenqing hooked his fingers and said: “Give me the dagger.”

The young girl hesitated for a moment. Then she pulled out the dagger and gave it to Liu Zhenqing, watchin him walk to the southeast corner of the room.

The rooms here only contained some miscellaneous items, and were used to imprison those who could not afford their bets.

The two of them gave Liu Zhenqing strange looks as they watched him step on the empty boxes in the corner and climb to the top. He reached up and groped at an indent before stopping at a certain place, then pierced it with the dagger. An entire wooden board fell down from the top, revealing an entrance big enough for a person to crawl through.

The two were both stunned, until Liu Zhenqing waved to them and said: “Let’s go, ba. They don’t know who we are anyway, so we can just run away.”

“You!” The young girl had no time to be surprised. She jumped up quickly and looked inside. It was a shallow passage near the ceiling, which was big enough for an adult to fit inside.

“Don’t worry, there’s a utility room at the other end of the passage, and that room has a window facing the street. The second floor is low enough for us to jump down, then we can disappear into the crowd and escape,” Liu Zhenqing said proudly.

Hearing this, the young girl immediately revealed an expression of joy. Although running away was disgraceful, it was better than the frustration of having to give that grandson six thousand taels.

The young master climbed a little slower, and asked puzzledly when he came up and also saw the passage: “Didn’t Liu-shishu lose his memory?”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback, and the young girl also reacted and looked at him suspiciously.

“Cough, cough, cough, I remembered this passage as soon as I came in,” Liu Zhenqing said without a change of expression.

“You…..are so skilled. Have you done this before?” Asked the young girl.

Liu Zhenqing said awkwardly: “Just once.”

The young girl reacted at once and shouted angrily: “And you had the nerve to say that you won every bet before!

Liu Zhenqing felt as if he had taken an arrow to the knee. How could he have known that when he changed bodies, even his golden finger would be gone?

“Right, you’ve lost your memory. How did you know you’d always won every bet?”

After being called into question, Liu Zhenqing touched his hot ears and could only explain vaguely, “It was true in the past, ah. This is what I recalled after entering the gambling house.”

The two siblings felt that this person was unfamiliar, completely different from what they had seen before. It was as if he had become a different person.

“Then why were you locked up in here?” the young master inquired.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but think back, and almost laughed out loud. “It wasn’t because of a loss, but because of a win that went too far. They suspected me of cheating, but couldn’t figure out how I had done it, so they got angry and locked me up first.”

It was the day the gambling house opened for the first time. He just happened to discover his golden finger when he was a little older than these two, so he came over with Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo to play, but it turned into a huge mess.

He couldn’t fight with his fists, and he didn’t dare to reveal his identity, for fear of being punished by the family elders. Thus, he used the opportunity to try to figure out a way out of prison, and discovered this secret passage in the end.

“Then you just ran away from here?” the young girl asked, drawn in by this bizarre matter.

Liu Zhenquing cocked his head and raised his eyebrows, saying: “Of course we couldn’t run away empty-handed. We snuck into the boss’s warehouse through the empty room in the back and made off with three boxes of silver.”

“What?!”

“Then we sent it to the government and said that since it was Longxing Gambling House’s first day open, all profits would be donated to express their determination to operate a conscientious business,” Liu Zhenqing said, holding back a smile.

The two siblings were astonished, and couldn’t help but burst into smiles, but the two had already pasted the word “wicked” onto Liu Zhenqing.

“What happened in the end?”

“In the end……the small flag of honor at the entrance of Longxing Gambling House was awarded by the government.”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, the two siblings finally couldn’t hold back their laughter.

The two were young and didn’t notice the time discrepancy. The flag at the entrance of Longxing Gambling House was over twenty years old. Who could still remember where it came from?

Liu Zhenqing had just said it as a joke. He looked at the two innocent children, then said seriously: “That said, if you don’t have the ability to clean up your messes, don’t get into trouble when you shouldn’t. You two must not do this again in the future.”

“You just got lucky.” The young girl wiped away her tears of laughter.

“Yes, yes, yes. But you can’t rely on luck for everything. At the very least, you two are too young now, so be careful what you do.” Speaking of this, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but ask curiously, “By the way, why are you here?”

The two exchanged glances, then roughly explained that they had come to expose the scam and help the people who had been deceived.

They had pure and innocent hearts like that of a newborn. Liu Zhenqing led the two of them up the passage without saying another word.

They soon arrived at the room Liu Zhenqing had spoken of, but as soon as they came down, there was the sound of the door opening as someone stumbled in. The three of them had no time to jump out the window on the opposite side, so they could only hide behind a pile of clutter.

A strange sound came, and Liu Zhenqing’s face changed at once. Seeing that the two children didn’t understand, he quickly motioned for them to cover their ears.

The two siblings saw Liu Zhenqing’s anxious expression and could only lift their hands obediently to block their ears. Although the sounds of affection couldn’t be heard, the voices speaking were still very clear. 

“Whatever you do, be careful not to be seen.”

“Everyone regards us as siblings. Even if your husband, that cheap brother-in-law sees us, he won’t say anything. Come on, I just won six thousand taels today, just be happy.”

“What? Why so much……didn’t you promise me that you would just cheat a little every day for fun? If your brother-in-law finds out that something isn’t right, he’ll……”

“Don’t worry, this time I won fair and square. It’s fine.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows in amusement as he ate these ethical melons. It was broad daylight, so these people would probably leave soon. In the end, he wasn’t paying attention to the two young ones next to him.

Hearing this conversation, they were immediately enraged, especially the grumpy young girl. Although she had no urge to jump out, and only took a deep breath in place, there was a lot of dust accumulated here. She breathed in so hard that she started coughing, which startled the two people outside.

“Ah!”

“Who is it! Come out!”

---

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Chapter Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight

Half a month later.

The Empire’s people erupted again.

— Admiral Lucas and Secretary Luo were going to get their certificate! It would be broadcast live from the Civil Affairs Bureau!

Post-war activities had been completed, all of the star pirates had been wiped out, and the army had been reorganized.

Studies had found that the plant growing alongside UNK that Luo Ran had found could restrain the side effects of UNK, so it began to be mined again along with common ore. The Second Prince and Lucas would control the use of UNK so as to ensure that it would not be abused and lead to loss of control.

But the female worm was presently being kept in the research institute after being injured, and would be put back in the ground. There may not be UNK in the future.

In any case, the attitude of the Empire was that they would not discard it, but they would not fear it. There were ways to control it as long as they weren’t too greedy. For example, the director of the research institute, Shi Xiuqi, still insisted on imprisoning the female insect to produce UNK, so he was fired by the Second Prince without hesitation.

Presently, the Empire was beginning to prepare for the enthronement ceremony of the Second Prince and the canonization ceremony for Lucas.

Aldor had held the title of Marshal from generation to generation. Originally, Lucas had to be thirty-five years old in order to inherit it from his father, but because the Marshal himself was unwilling to hold the title anymore, and because Lucas was the god of war who destroyed the star pirates, the thick shield and sword that had made the Empire’s defensive line indestructible in the past few years, he was conferred the title.

In the future, Lucas would not be the Admiral, but the Marshal.

Equivalent to another leader of the Empire.

Lucas was busy with UNK after the war, and Luo Ran not only had to assist Lucas, but was also responsible for preparing the canonization ceremony. Thus, he was so busy that he barely touched the ground as soon as he got out of the hospital bed.

But no matter how busy they were, they had to get the certificate.

XXXX: I haven’t recovered from the joy and victory of finally annihilating the star pirates, and now this! I can’t ! ! ! Ahhhh it’s so great. It’s really so great, everything is so great! At this moment, please let me say the Admiral is victorious, long live the Empire! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Ahhhh we said every day that they would go to the Civil Affairs Bureau, and now they are! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: I’m not a CP fan, but I’m also very excited right now. I even want to cry a little. The star pirates have finally been wiped out, and the Admiral and the Secretary can finally focus on their own lives. Just, I really appreciate Secretary Luo. Thank you for always being by this hero’s side.

The Starnet fell into unprecedented excitement.

The Second Prince Zhou Mingjing was about to ascend the throne, the star pirates were wiped out in one fell swoop, and the Admiral was getting married…..!

The Starnet was filled with cheers and joy. For several days in a row, discussions about the wedding and the Admiral’s victory for the Empire were lively from morning till night.

The old was replaced with the new.

On the day of the live broadcast, it was not an exaggeration to say that almost all the people in the entire country were squatting.

XXXX: My parents skipped work to watch the live broadcast…..these people are about to retire, can you believe it?

XXXX: Ah, this…..to be reasonable, the whole company here is on holiday! I asked the people around me, and they all went on vacation. The sister and parents upstairs are too miserable…..

XXXX: My grandparents also happily asked us to broadcast it for them!

XXXX: Ahhhh sisters, it’s about to start. I’m so nervous, so nervous!

. . . . . . .

“I’m a little nervous too.”

Luo Ran sat next to Lucas, reading the comments on the web. His parents were also squatting, so……

He suddenly felt a sense of shame.

“Why are you nervous, we’re just signing our names and taking a photo.” Lucas raised his eyebrows and smiled: “You are so inexperienced.”

“…….”

Luo Ran frowned and said: “The Admiral isn’t nervous?”

“Nope.” Lucas loved to show off how capable he was in front of Luo Ran. He held the other’s hand and smiled: “Don’t be nervous, just hold my hand.”

Luo Ran gently batted Lucas’s hand away and said with a smile: “Stop making trouble, it’s about to start.”

The camera was in place. The two sat up straight at a table, and the Civil Affairs Bureau workers also brought out two small notebooks.

“Admiral and Secretary, please sign.”

Luo Ran took the pens and handed one to Lucas.

With a serious expression, Lucas reached out to take it.

—Clack!

The pen fell to the floor.

Lucas: “…….”

Luo Ran looked at him with a smile.

That look seemed to say, don’t be nervous.

Lucas’s eyes shot daggers at Luo Ran.

He leaned over to pick up the pen, took the book, and was about to sign it.

“Admiral.” Luo Ran immediately took the notebook and said: “That’s the wrong page.”

“…….”

Luo Ran tried his utmost to hide the way his lips were rising. Holding back his smile, he placed his hand under the table beside Lucas.

Luo Ran winked.

—If you’re nervous, you can hold my hand, Admiral.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas turned his head away from the camera and gave Luo Ran a fierce look.

—I’m going to teach you a lesson when we get back.

However, what the two didn’t know was that there were cameras in all directions, in addition to the one in front of them.

So everyone on the Starnet died together.

XXXX: Ahhhh why did I click in! Why!! Is it popular to trick a dog inside and then kill it now? I thought I just came to see the national CP sign their names, but unexpectedly, I’m watching an idol love drama?! What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Thank you, I was not a CP fan before, but now I am. Their interactions are so natural, hahahaha. Look at these two Imperial elites who’ve become so innocent after falling in love, with cameras everywhere, ah!!

XXXX: I’m dead. The Admiral is iron-blooded, but he’s so fond and gentle in front of the Secretary. And I didn’t expect the Admiral to be nervous. It’s obvious that he really likes him, and the Secretary is also very gentle. What a wonderful love!

XXXX: Hahahaha it looks like they’ve turned the two chairs into one, and they don’t even notice. Isn’t it so natural? 

XXXX: Hahaha don’t talk about the Admiral being nervous anymore, haven’t you noticed? Secretary Luo’s ears are so red that they’re about to bleed. His face is calm, but his whole body is red. Why is he so cute!

And after Lucas and Luo Ran signed their names, they went to take their photo.

The two stood leaning against each other in front of a red curtain, and Lucas subconsciously put his arms around Luo Ran’s waist.

Luo Ran had specially ordered a pair of suits for today, both of them white.

One was tall and imposing, and the other was elegant and handsome.

One looked stern and serious, as if he was accomplishing some important life event, while the other smiled gently.

When the two stood together, they were radiant.

Ka-cha—

The photo of the two of them was complete.

After all was said and done, they each had a small notebook. After returning to the office, Luo Ran was pressed on the desk by Lucas.

“Little bastard, are you laughing at me?”

“No.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “It’s human nature to be nervous. I think the Admiral is very cute.”

“Call my name.”

Lucas bowed his head and kissed Luo Ran.

“By the way…..” Luo Ran pushed Lucas away and said: “I just looked at the comments on the way back…..they seemed to have seen it.”

Everyone was very excited during the live broadcast, but when it was over, they had time to re-watch the recording slowly. Turning on their microscopes one by one, they found that Luo Ran’s stomach seemed to be slightly rounded, especially when viewed from the side.

XXXX: It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be?! Is that what I think it is?! Ao ao ao ao, my excellent heir to the Empire is finally coming?!

XXXX: Could it be that…..the Secretary has been nourishing~ and replenishing~ lately and eating a lot, so he gained weight? [covers face]

XXXX: It can’t be fat. If it’s really fat, how can it be possible to only have a fat belly? Taking a step back, let’s say that the Secretary has a special physique and only has a fat belly. Then the fat should first be on the lower abdomen, not the entire belly. Don’t ask me how I know. [crying]

Luo Ran showed the Admiral everyone screaming like groundhogs on the Starnet.

“Then let’s announce it. Now that the situation is stable, the military department can make an official announcement.” Lucas hugged Luo Ran’s waist with a smile and took him onto his lap, gently rubbing Luo Ran’s stomach with the other hand.

His and Luo Ran’s child.

It was the continuation of his and Luo Ran’s blood, and also a part of their future family.

It felt like landing on the ground, coming ashore, having a home.

He had finally walked out of the flaming battlefield and come to a place of warmth.

Luo Ran asked: “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking, if Zhou Mingyu hadn’t drugged me, would you have been my subordinate for the rest of your life?”

Luo Ran chuckled.

At the beginning Zhou Mingyu guessed that Lucas would fall to Zhou Mingjing. The two had different principles, and Zhou Mingyu had always liked Luo Ran. Therefore, he intended to use drugs to destroy Lucas’s reputation and gradually wear down the people’s trust in him, paving the way for future corruption.

Zhou Mingyu arranged for a tryst, deceived the princess, cut off the surveillance in the hotel, and put the drugs in Lucas’s drink. Everything was ready.

But Zhou Mingyu didn’t expect that Lucas had a strong physique. As a 3S Alpha, the drug was not only non-addictive to him, but the onset was delayed.

The people on Zhou Mingyu’s side saw that Lucas hadn’t had symptoms for a long time, and didn’t dare to take any action.

Then Luo Ran went upstairs, catching up with Lucas’s belated attack by accident.

“No way.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “I think…..even if such a thing didn’t happen, it would have been something else. Even in the worst case, we would be together until we retired, and when we were old, it would only make sense to marry each other.”

After all, they only had each other.

“That sounds pretty miserable.” Lucas raised his eyebrows.

Lucas was sitting on the office chair, with Luo Ran on his lap. Luo Ran put his arms around Lucas’s neck and rubbed against him, saying: “En, I would work for you the rest of my life. So miserable.”

In response, Lucas said vigilantly: “What do you mean? Is there anything you need from me? Let me tell you, I’m not buying it.”

Luo Ran said: “My spiritual state isn’t fully recovered, but I still have to work. I’m tired and need spiritual treatment.”

—Spiritual treatment would get twice the result with half the effort after a lifetime mark, and the effect was so great that it would help Luo Ran recover quickly.

Lucas tentatively asked: “Then I’ll give you a vacation?” 

Luo Ran still had to help Lucas read official documents during holidays, and even at home, so this was meaningless.

Luo Ran smiled and said nothing, just burying his head in Lucas’s neck.

Omegas had a special physique, which was different from a Beta. Intercourse was not affected during pregnancy. After all, an Omega also needed Alpha pheromones to prevent a miscarriage.

Especially for a 3S like Luo Ran. Half a month later, he was ready.

“Ranran…..” Lucas took a deep breath and said: “Are you sure? Once the lifetime mark is set, it can’t be washed away. You know the consequences.”

“En.”

“You’re sure?” Lucas asked again: “Don’t you want to think about it?”

His tone was a little solemn.

Lucas knew that as an Alpha, he had an advantage in terms of gender, so he didn’t want to act rashly.

“Lucas……”

Luo Ran grabbed the tie around Lucas’s neck and gave it a light tug. He raised his eyebrows and said: “Are you not okay with it?”

He had been taking the medicine for half a month, so why would he have to think about it more?

“…….”

“Wu…..”

Lucas put one hand on the back of Luo Ran’s head and kissed his hair, while his other hand started to wander.

Lucas asked hoarsely: “I’ll ask you one last time. Are you sure?”

“En.” Luo Ran blushed and hugged Lucas, saying: “But for the sake of the baby, you…..you take it easy.”

“Okay.”

Lucas undid Luo Ran’s hair tie.

With a swish, Luo Ran’s hair loosened and fell over his shoulders messily.

Lucas tied Luo Ran’s wrists with the hair tie.

Luo Ran: “ ? ”

Lucas raised an eyebrow and said: “Didn’t you tell me to take it easy? So don’t struggle, I don’t play well.”

“…….”

Lucas picked Luo Ran up horizontally and walked toward the bedroom.

. . . . . . .

Two months later, the Imperial wedding of the century arrived.

The national CP — through the efforts of all parties, the wedding of Marshal Lucas and Secretary Luo Ran was prepared in a short period of time.

The wedding took place on a planet full of flowers, and all the important figures in the Empire and the galaxy were in attendance.

The best man and the bridesmaid were Adjutant Freeman and Rong Duo, and everyone teased them, trying to match them up.

On this day, the citizens squatted in the live broadcast room as usual.

In the video, the sky was purple-blue with clusters of nebulae, and the sides of the elevated platform where they swore their oaths were wreathed in purple wisterias.

It was a military wedding after all, and the scene was not very extravagant, but with the natural wooden arbor, the wisterias, and the decorations, it still looked very grand.

It was finally time to take their oaths.

Lucas and Luo Ran stood on the elevated platform together.

Lucas was dressed up for once. His hair was neatly combed, and he wore a close-fitting black suit. In the words of the adjutants, he looked like he was putting on airs, and was completely unrecognizable.

Luo Ran wore his usual white suit, but the accessories were more refined, and the clothes of the two were studded with jewelry.

Lucas held the manuscript, stood up straight, and said resoundingly: “Before the god of love and all the witnesses today, I, Lucas Aldor, am willing to marry Luo Ran. Now and forever, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in happiness and sadness. I will always love you, cherish you, and be true to you until death do us part.”

Luo Ran also said: “In front of the god of love and all the witnesses today, I, Luo Ran, am willing to marry Lucas Aldor.  Now and forever, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in happiness and sadness.  I will always love you, cherish you, and be true to you until death do us part.”

And forevermore.

— The End

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Chapter Ninety-Four << Table of Contents >> Extra 1

T/N: Double update for the last two chapters! The extras will be posted within a week.

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Ten, nine, eight…..

Ten seconds.

This time passed in the blink of an eye, too little and too fast.

Lucas and Luo Ran could see a red light appear over them.

The star pirates had buried a Meteor Shower on top of the mine early in the morning, and the detonation would cause the entire cave to collapse.

“Retreat! Everyone retreat!” Lucas squeezed the mic and said: “There’s a Meteor Shower in ten seconds, don’t try to fight, retreat!”

“Yes!”

Before coming here, all of the soldiers had already made preparations to fight against a Meteor Shower. They had prepared themselves mentally, and were even prepared to sacrifice themselves. Therefore, they didn’t panic when hearing this now, and methodically retreated with the detained star pirates.

Both the mecha and aircraft had been modified. Now, one button could quickly locate the shortest route out and start the boosters.

When the boosters were activated, the mecha and the aircraft’s iron skin and excess shell would be separated, leaving only the light inner core. Then it would enter overload mode at the expense of damaging the engine, and eject away.

This was new research and development that Lucas and the Empire had been busy with recently.

Now that the Meteor Showers had reappeared, the Empire couldn’t just sit idly by. They had to find a way to deal with them.

But although the army had time, Lucas and Luo Ran did not.

They were too deep in the mine.

Huntsman accelerated his aircraft to the highest speed and rushed toward one of the passages.

But he could also only do his best.

At the moment the Meteor Shower was activated, Huntsman was actually not that concerned with getting out.

It was only ten seconds, and even if he did get out, he would be intercepted by the Empire.

Lucas stared at Luo Ran with the utmost intensity.

This scene seemed to overlap with the scene several years ago.

This was how he had looked at Alton back then.

They were both the people he cherished the most.

“Admiral. Admiral.” Luo Ran had already transferred from the aircraft to Lion One. He sat next to Lucas and held his hand tightly: “It’s okay, we’re facing it together. We’ll live or die together!”

Lucas could feel the white tea pheromones emanating from Luo Ran, soothing his agitation.

Luo Ran said firmly: “I am willing to live and die with the Admiral, and I will have no regrets if I can die by your side!”

As long as they were not separated.

As long as they were together, there was nothing to be afraid of.

Lucas paused, then said: “Yes.”

Luo Ran was his partner, not just the person he wanted to protect, but Secretary Luo who was equal to him and could also protect him.

Luo Ran and Lucas had moved very swiftly, everything happening with a snap of their fingers. Five seconds had passed by now.

Only five seconds left!

Lucas snapped: “Let’s go down!”

It was impossible to go up. Even if they entered overload mode, Lion One still couldn’t escape.

At the most dangerous moment, Lucas’s duty as an admiral made him give orders to the troops first. And Lion One was underground at the moment. It was too late.

The Meteor Shower was buried at the top of the mine, so…..since they were underground, why not rush in!

“Okay!”

Luo Ran established a spiritual connection with Lucas, making Lion One charge into the depths.

Three…..

Lucas did not command Lion One to remove its outer iron skin.

They were going underground, and although the distance, soil, and rock could block the bombing and artillery fire of the Meteor Shower for them, they had to face the weight of the collapsed mine.

The sturdiness of Lion One was their biggest trump card at this time.

Two……

One……

Boom—

The Meteor Shower fell.

The entire mine collapsed with a roar of fire.

Lucas and Luo Ran held each other’s hands tightly, rushing into the dark underground without fear.

They could feel Lion One gradually being overtaken by the collapsing rubble, boulders, and mine tracks above them. They seemed to be fighting against the speed of gravity.

Lion One’s glass windows began to crack from the pressure and collisions. Luo Ran could feel the entire mecha being shaken by the constant beating. He held the console tightly with one hand and protected his stomach with the other, trying to avoid being bumped here and there.

But even so, Luo Ran could still feel several wounds and bruises from his elbows and head being knocked around.

Lucas swiftly took Luo Ran into his arms and hugged him tightly.

The cabin was shaking so much that his mind was dazed as he looked down at the other person’s face, but Luo Ran rested his head on Lucas’s chest and could feel Lucas’s strong hands wrapped around his waist.

Then, the earth above their heads began to crumble, the light of flames shining through.

Lucas whispered: “Ranran, I love you.”

“Me too,” Luo Ran said. “Lucas, I love you.”

After Lion One was completely crushed by the things overhead, perhaps it would be strong enough for them to survive, perhaps they would be seriously injured, or perhaps they would die.

But they would not be afraid.

Zhi—!

However, at this moment, Luo Ran vaguely saw something rush out ahead. It shot toward Lion One, covering the mecha with its huge body.

Luo Ran’s eyes widened.

Was that…..the mother insect?

Loud booms exploded overhead, but Luo Ran couldn’t see anything. The insect’s body was the only thing visible through the window.

The female insect was protecting them with its huge body.

Living in magma all year round, the female insect was not afraid of fire. But no matter how thick its armor was, it couldn’t withstand the weight of the entire mine above as it collapsed. They could see the feet of the mother insect slowly sliding down. It seemed to be struggling hard, but it still insisted on providing shelter for its “child” and fulfilling the responsibility of its species.

The body of the female insect gradually pressed down, thus crushing Lion One and leaving less and less space for Luo Ran and Lucas.

Luo Ran and Lucas looked at each other and held hands.

“Can you do it?” Lucas asked in a low voice. “It might hurt your spiritual strength.”

Back then at the wisteria cottage, it was Lucas who had caused spiritual harm to Luo Ran.

Lucas had always been brooding over it.

But now, he had to make a spiritual connection to Luo Ran, so that they had enough spiritual power to create a huge barrier that could protect them and the mother insect.

This was an almost impossible task, but Lucas was 3S, and Luo Ran had evolved higher than 3S. They had each already succeeded once, albeit individually.

“I’ll try.”

Luo Ran smiled and said: “If something happens, we’ll at most……see each other at the wooden cabin.”

“Okay.”

Boom—

The mine finally collapsed. And at the same time, a transparent barrier rushed up from the ground.

The spiritual power construct covered half the mine, glowing with a pure light.

“A miracle…..!” Wang Qiuyang stood outside the mine, his eyes wide.

“It’s a miracle, ah!”

How could there be such…..such a huge spiritual power construct?

Luo Ran and Lucas were too astonishing…..!

Although the soldiers had won the battle, their morale had been getting lower and lower. The army surrounded the mine, but no one spoke and no one tried to leave.

Wang Qiuyang, Luo Xingyuan, Mu Yuan, and the other adjutants hadn’t even recovered yet, and their minds were dazed.

The Admiral and the Secretary were still inside.

They hadn’t come out.

Whether they were okay or not was unknown, and only a rumbling sound could be heard.

Until that light appeared.

Only at this time did the Empire truly usher in its victory.

“The Empire is victorious! The Empire is victorious!

“The Admiral is victorious! The Admiral is victorious—!”

The cheers practically overturned the heavens.

“What are you doing just standing there…..!” Wang Qiuyang turned to his team amidst the cheers and said: “”Get ready! We’re going down to find them after the collapse is over!”

“Yes ! !”

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .

Wu…..

Luo Ran dreamed of many things, as if playing a flashback of his life.

Meeting Lucas for the first time, quarreling for the first time……so many things.

Then, Luo Ran woke up.

He lay on the bed, staring blankly at the wooden ceiling.

The ceiling was so old-fashioned that Luo Ran didn’t realize where he was at the moment.

There was a good smell……

It was the fragrance of flowers.

Luo Ran blinked, then turned his head and propped himself up in bed.

Luo Ran was stunned.

He was in a small wooden cabin, and he could see the sea of wisteria flowers outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“You little jinx, we really met at the wisteria cottage.” Lucas walked in from outside. He pressed his hand to the doorframe and said with a smile: “The little jinx is awake.”

“…..What’s going on?” Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas.

Lucas sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Luo Ran’s hair, saying: “Silly Ranran. We made a spiritual connection in the mine that day, and you finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fell into spiritual disorder after the battle. So I handed the battlefield over to Mu Yuan and Xingyuan, and brought you here to recuperate.”

Luo Ran asked: “How many days have I been out…..?”

“You were out for four days and then woke up, but you were confused and not quite conscious for three more days. Judging by your state now, you should be completely awake.” Lucas raised his eyebrows and said: “The tables have turned. Now it’s my turn to give you peace of mind.”

“Ah…..” Luo Ran was stunned.

After being informed by Lucas, he also slowly remembered.

“Does it hurt?” Lucas reached out and rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head.

“A little bit,” Luo Ran said honestly. “But it’s bearable…..”

It was only then that Luo Ran noticed a large glass case in the corner of the room, inside of which was a jet-black insect with a square head.

Lucas explained: “Your mother insect became like this.”

That day the adjutants took half the army to dig, quickly removing all the objects that were pressing down on Lion One and the insect.

What they found was the tattered Lion One, Luo Ran and Lucas nestling in the cabin and hugging each other tightly, and this insect on Lion One’s shoulder.

The once enormous giant insect was now only the size of a child.

Lucas said with a smile: “The research institute said that the hard shell of the female worm was smashed, and it returned to its ordinal flesh and blood size.”

“That means she can’t be a mother anymore, and she won’t pester you to go back with her. Xia Zhi said that we can take her back to the cave and put her back underground, so that she can continue to grow a hard shell.”

“I just brought her back for now to let her recuperate in a safe place.”

“I see.” Luo Ran looked at the rather reticent insect facing the glass wall, and felt simultaneously distressed and amused.

With Lucas’s assistance, Luo Ran stepped forward and poked the insect’s head.

The insect stretched out its thick feet and patted Luo Ran’s hand vigorously.

Zhi!

Even its antennae were shaking.

Luo Ran said with a smile: “She’s angry, and scolding me.”

“You should be scolded.” Lucas pinched Luo Ran’s nose. 

“That’s right.” Luo Ran paused, and asked: “Huntsman…..”

“Dead.”

Lucas lowered his eyes and said: “Lao Wang found his body that day. It was crushed under a stone slab, and already in bad shape.”

All those star pirates were wiped out, and the remnants were still being tracked down by the Empire.

“Ah……” Luo Ran felt a little complicated.

Although Huntsman was vicious and the leader of the star pirates, he was also a person.

Unexpectedly, he died in the Meteor Shower he personally created.

Luo Ran remembered that when they met in the bathroom before and he splashed dirty water on Huntsman’s face, the man’s angry appearance at that time was no different than a normal person’s.

“Don’t think so much.” Lucas took Luo Ran’s hand and led him out.

The two came to the glass conservatory outside. Luo Ran gazed at the endless sea of purple flowers before him, and a smile spread across his face.

“How beautiful.”

In the next moment, Luo Ran saw Lucas go down in front of him on one knee.

“……Lucas?”

Lucas took a small red box from his pocket and opened it in front of Luo Ran, saying: “Luo Ran, I want to propose to you.”

A silver-blue ring lay on the velvet, shining brightly. It didn’t have too many designs, but was simple and beautiful.

“In the future, I will protect you, love you, and respect you.” Lucas was very stiff, and his ears reddened as he said in a forceful, resounding voice: “You are my only person. I like only you, I will only treat you specially, and I will give everything to you. The office, the military department, my people, I will give you everything I have.”’

“I will also listen to you and do my best to take care of you. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Lucas was uncharacteristically nervous as he said: “Will you marry me?”

Luo Ran was completely stunned.

The tall man in front of him was half-kneeling in the sea of flowers, his expression as serious as if he were in battle.

Behind him were wisteria flowers hanging on their wooden frames, swaying slightly in the breeze.

Luo Ran found himself speechless.

“Luo Ran?” Lucas said: “Otherwise, you can make a few more conditions, and I’ll do whatever you say. I promise to obey.”

“Pfft……” Luo Ran looked down, his eyes slightly hot.

He took off the necklace around his neck. It was a gemstone given to him by Luo Cheng, and could be regarded as an ancestral item in a sense.

But anything was fine for now. Luo Ran just needed something to use.

“I’ll marry you. I’m willing.” Luo Ran knelt down halfway and held up the necklace, saying: “I also want to propose to you, Lucas.”

Luo Ran gave a huge smile and said: “I have nothing to give, but I will listen to you in the future and work to solve your problems for you, whether in daily life or in the workplace. I will make you happy, and do my best to protect you.”

Luo Ran’s long, blue-ish silver hair was not pulled up. It fell softly over his shoulders, and the look in his eyes was as gentle as water.

Fuck…..!

Lucas’s eyes and heart were hot. He said loudly: “Put it on for me!”

Luo Ran couldn’t laugh or cry. He put the necklace on Lucas.

Then Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s hand and put the ring on his slender ring finger.

“Mine.” Lucas hugged Luo Ran.

They embraced each other in the sea of flowers.

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

The man was from Longxing Gambling House and should abide by the rules, otherwise, how could such a large gambling house continue to operate? Misconduct was punishable by having one’s hand chopped off and then being kicked out of the establishment, so people generally dared not cheat.

But there were also some unruly tightrope walkers.

Liu Zhenqing regarded the two children. The young lady looked cute and clever, with pretty features, but also seemed to be a martial arts practitioner and had a dagger strapped to her waist. The young master was pure and gentle, refined in manner. He didn’t look like someone who could fight, but he still had a heroic spirit. One was in red and one was in white, which was very eye-catching. Although the fabric was ordinary, the details were exquisite. These should not be ordinary children.

There was no prohibition against minors in the gambling houses here. As long as you had enough money, you could enter. But most of them were accompanied by adults.

The man gave a bellow at this moment, which instantly attracted the thugs who maintained order in the gambling house. The people around moved out of the way in order to avoid being implicated, though they still couldn’t help but watch the excitement and wag their tongues.

Even now, no adults had come to take care of this mess, which showed that the two children were alone. They were surrounded by other adults at this time, and although their stances appeared calm, their eyes were somewhat wild.

“What are you trying to do! Cheating while gambling, and even intimidating people!” The young girl said angrily: “Aren’t you afraid that the government will arrest you?”

The man sneered and said: “The ones making trouble right now are you two! This is a bunch of nonsense. If you have the money, pay it, and if you don’t have money, just charge it to your family. We won’t embarrass you little demons!”

The young master glanced around. Seeing that the situation was obviously not going to be rectified, he tugged his sister’s sleeve and said: “Jie, the situation isn’t right.”

“Of course I know it isn’t right, but we can’t charge this to our family, ah!” The young girl glared fiercely at the people around her and said: “Haven’t some of you been cheated? Do you not plan to seek justice together? If you don’t believe it, then search him, he really has special dice!”

But how could the people around her stand on the side of a ten-year-old girl? Although they were suspicious now, when they thought of the man’s identity and considered their own losses, they all kept pretty much silent.

Presently, Liu Zhenqing heard from someone on the sidelines that the man was the brother-in-law of the owner of this gambling house. No wonder he was so lawless.

It seemed that what the two little brats said was true.

Relying on his status, he wanted to get a piece of the pie from his brother-in-law. Even if others knew about it, they could only turn a blind eye. And his brother-in-law was probably giving him preferential treatment, so he wouldn’t go too far and get into trouble.

Seeing that no one was responding, the little girl’s anger was not small. The man laughed loudly and said: “We are a serious gambling house here. If you talk nonsense again, we’ll pluck out your tongue!”

“You! If you have the ability, this great aunt will bet again!” The young girl stomped angrily and said: “We’ll bet according to my rules. If you win, I’ll double the thousand taels to you. If you lose, I want you to admit that you cheated and pay back all the people you defrauded!”

Hearing this, not only the man, but the people around him also laughed together. This was a typical case of not admitting defeat, which led to bigger and bigger bets. 

Liu Zhenqing also shook his head helplessly and chuckled. His smile was naturally different from the others, as he was only laughing at the child’s impulsiveness and naive arrogance.

“How do you want to bet?” The man said mockingly.

The little girl’s heroism truly reached to the clouds. She picked up the dice on the table, pulled out the dagger, and carved a cross on it, saying: “Only use this dice. We’ll directly guess low or high, and the outcome will be decided in one round!”

When the little girl finished speaking, the man’s expression froze and he looked at her viciously.

“What? You don’t dare?” The little girl said sarcastically: “That’s basically a confession. If you don’t have special dice, you don’t have a sure win, right?!”

It was no big deal for the people around to watch some entertainment, so they went along with it and jeered. This made it impossible for the man to stop halfway.

The man had an eerie smile on his face, and said directly: “It is possible for me to bet this way, but the counter-bet is not enough. I don’t want a thousand taels. Little girl, if I win, I want you to sell yourself to me. If I lose, I will sell myself to you.”

The young girl’s face instantly turned red with a look of humiliated rage. The young master tugged at the young girl and glared at the man angrily as if wanting to kill him with his gaze. Then he said: “Jiejie, don’t! If the other party dares to bet like this, there must be some fraud.”

But the young girl was already agitated. She was just about to agree when the young master said first: “We won’t gamble. We’ll take the loss and our family will send the money!”

“No way! We can’t let them know!” The girl became anxious at once.

The young master also had a troubled look on his face, and was about to persuade her when suddenly an unhurried voice came, like a gently gushing spring or slightly rippling water.

“I’ll take the bet. It’s only a thousand taels. If I win, the debt of these two little friends will be waived. If I lose…..” With a chuckle, Liu Zhenqing slowly walked out of the crowd and approached the two children, saying to the man: “How about I pay you five thousand taels?”

When these words came out, everyone was astonished. This was a big one, ah!

The man saw his righteous courage and gave him a look of impatient consideration. Even if Liu Zhenqing wasn’t wearing gold and silver, his clothes were of extraordinary quality.

Unfamiliar, young, rich. He looked easy to bully. Why not make five thousand taels for nothing?

“Okay!” The man readily agreed.

Liu Zhenqing smiled at this outcome and said: “Although I believe that the people of Longxing Gambling House are unlikely to be cheaters, I still want to bet the way this young lady just mentioned, and use her dice for peace of mind. Is that alright with you?”

The man frowned and was about to say that it was against the rules, but although there was a smile on Liu Zhenqing’s lips, his eyes were a bit cold. “It’s already five to one, so why not use a safe gambling method? Unless you really are…..”

“Fine!” the man immediately said in a cold voice. It was okay to deny the child, but it wouldn’t be justified if he denied another guest. Anyway, he wouldn’t suffer a loss, and this newcomer was also an idiot. Did he think that he was certain to lose? If the other party was skilled in martial arts, he might have to worry about him cheating, but this was a frail and vulnerable scholar.

Naturally, Liu Zhenqing knew what the man was planning. Such a professional must be trained, and was better at throwing dice than normal people. Those who were good enough at it could even control the numbers.

But it was a pity that he had encountered a gambling bug. He didn’t know if the heavens had compensated him for traveling to such an inconvenient place in ancient times, but he was born with a golden finger where he would win every time he gambled.

Thinking back, he was the one who nearly caused Longxing Gambling House to close down.

The man called someone to clean the gambling table, and only then did Liu Zhenqing finally turn his attention to the children.

There was none of the expected overwhelming gratitude, just two astonished faces looking back at him.

Liu Zhenqing blinked, then heard the young girl suck in a breath and say in surprise: “You!”

“Liu…..Liu…..” The young master was so shocked that he almost choked.

Oh-ho? They knew him? But judging from their voices and expressions, it seemed a little……complicated?

“You…..who wants your help, ah, we don’t need it! Don’t even think about blackmailing us with this, we…..” The young girl spoke anxiously.

The young master suddenly tugged at the young girl and said, “Jiejie, I seem to have heard that he lost his memory.”

Okay, from these odd looks, their relationship didn’t seem to be good. Was he wasting his time?

Whatever, he would just ignore these two little brats.

“Right, I’ve lost my memory, this is just a matter of doing the right thing. Saying thank you is enough.”

The two of them were stunned by Liu Zhenqing’s attitude, and seemed a little unused to it. But the young master honestly saluted and thanked him, and was stopped by the young girl.

She looked at Liu Zhenqing suspiciously. “It’s too early to say thank you. Are you so sure you can win?”

This little girl was so unlovable. But the two anxious little ones were oddly cute. He really wanted to take a picture.

“I haven’t lost at the gambling table since I came to this world.” In the past, no matter what number he got at the gambling table, he would definitely beat his opponent. Of course, the most common number he threw was a few sixes, so the gambling house gave him the nickname Old Six Liu.

“Hah! I don’t believe your boasting,” the young girl muttered, and then said a little arrogantly, “But this time, I’ll trust you for the time being.”

The young master was a little more normal. “We respectfully ask this of you. If you win, we will repay you one thousand taels. If you lose…..we will also find a way to compensate you for the five thousand taels in the future.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and let the man across the gambling table go first.

The man fiddled around for a long while, but really didn’t cheat this time. When he opened the cup, there was a four.

Various voices sounded from around them, their hearts beating faster for this simple five-to-one bet.

Liu Zhenqing’s chance of winning was relatively low. Both siblings watched nervously.

In Liu Zhenqing’s heart, he was sure to win. So he smiled and raised his slender white hands, gently shaking the cup with momentum that was neither arrogant nor impatient.

At this sight, everyone around couldn’t help but murmur, with this posture, was he really a master or someone with good gambling luck?

Even the man opposite couldn’t help but hold his breath.

“You two little friends, watch and behold what it means to have absolute luck with every gamble!” Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and smiled, then instantly uncovered the cup.

Open!

Everyone fell silent, and then sucked in a breath.

A one…..it was a one!!

The siblings turned their heads mechanically to stare at Liu Zhenqing, their expressions distorted. They had almost believed him just now, and had looked at him in a new light with surging hearts!

And currently, Liu Zhenqing’s foolish posture when opening the cup hadn’t changed.

Where…..where was his golden finger that was sure to let him win every bet? Such a big golden finger! Had the heavens taken it back?

Wasn’t this playing a prank on his small life?!

The man at the table was also stunned at the moment, and finally burst out laughing!

No money? Then lock him up and wait for him to be redeemed!

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Chapter Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven

Along the way, Jin Li tried to persuade Liu Zhenqing against going to the gambling house. The Liu family’s Old Master didn’t like his family’s children to gamble.

“I heard my kidnappers mention this gambling house, so I want to go see if there are any clues,” Liu Zhenqing said simply.

Jin Li immediately became nervous and said: “Then do we have enough people, ah? Do you want to report to the officials together? Master, why didn’t you say anything before!”

Because I just made it up at the last moment.

“It’s okay, la. I’m just going to take a look. Come on, give me a few spins for good luck.”

Jin Li was pulled in circles by his master again with a confused look on his face.

The carriage swayed toward the east of the city, passing by the central avenue. When the curtain was opened, one could see the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar towering in the square from a distance. It was a gift from various countries from all over the world hundreds of years ago when they came to pay homage to the Emperor and Empress, who had made extraordinary achievements at that time. It symbolized the most prosperous time of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The top section was engraved with the names of the Emperor and Empress of that time in golden font, and the middle section was engraved with the names of every ruler of the Zhou Dynasty. In fact, it was supposed to be engraved with the rulers who had made great achievements, but in the end, it became possible to be added if one didn’t make any major mistakes. For example, the current Emperor’s grandfather, the fatuous and confused Emperor Zhou Shun, had made the list.

And the bottom section divided the pillar into three sides: loyal ministers and good generals, talented scholars and beauties, and treacherous sinners. Naturally, there must be strict requirements in order to be listed on these three sides.

“Master, it’s better not to read it, so as not to feel sad again,” Jin Li said worriedly.

Liu Zhenqing chuckled and said: “You’ve forgotten again. I’ve lost my memory.”

He naturally knew what Jin Li was talking about. Liu Xiaozhu had probably felt that there was a stain on his body that couldn’t be washed away each time he saw the bad reputation of his distant relative.

Even Liu Zhenqing himself felt that life was constantly changing and things were impermanent. Back then, the young emperor had promised him that he would have his name engraved on the list of loyal ministers and good generals without having to wait for a hundred years.

That was a great honor for a minister. After all, the names on the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar were mostly only engraved after death, once the merits and demerits had been weighed. It was rare for someone to have their name listed on the pillar while they still lived.

Just as he was thinking, he heard Jin Li say in surprise: “So the rumors are true.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at him curiously, and saw that his eyes had just moved back from the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar. He said excitedly: “Master, I just saw the palace official who specially engraves names. It has been rumored that His Majesty ordered General Huo’s name to be engraved. The Huo family is full of loyal people. I don’t know how many generals named Huo are on the list, but not many of them have been engraved while they still lived. General Huo is truly amazing!”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback for a moment, and said in surprise: “How much merit do you have to earn, ah?” Back then, after Huo Feihan died, he presided over the engraving.

“Master, you’ve forgotten that the general is very capable. When he was eighteen years old, he became a war god. At that time, Xiheng was invading, and the general avenged his brother and killed three Xiheng generals. In the end, the Xiheng army was leaderless for a while, with no one to lead the troops, and they could only send for peace talks in despair.”

Eighteen? At that time, Liu Zhenqing was floating in the sky.

“Later the northern barbarians took the opportunity to invade the Zhou Dynasty, and General Huo sent his troops north and hit the northern desert directly, causing the Mongolians to no longer have a royal court. This restored the northern part of our Great Zhou Dynasty to its farthest extent. It is said that the ceremony to worship heaven was held beside the Tianchi lake where the Huo family ancestors once watered their horses. At that time, General Huo became famous all over the world.”

The more Jin Li talked, the more enthusiastic he became. “Later, His Majesty intended to make General Huo the King of Beiding, but General Huo wouldn’t accept it, so he only received the title of General of the State. However, the people regard him as the King of Beiding. There is also a well-known song about the King of Beiding that was written for General Huo. It tells of when General Huo went to support the besieged city, and led a thousand cavalry into the encirclement of ten thousand people to break the siege. As a result, the morale of the defenders was greatly boosted, and they joined forces to repel the enemy. One musician stood on the city wall to watch the battle. He wrote the song ‘King of Beiding Enters the Battle,’ which has been sung everywhere since then. Rumor has it that the wind carries that song from the victims who perished on the yellow sand frontier, which frightens intruders to the point of urinating and not daring to invade. Master, you also learned to play this song.”

“The battle in these past two years was even more shocking. Three countries in the southwest joined forces to attack us, and General Huo led the army to defeat them. His words ‘Withdraw to the river border, or your souls will be buried here’ directly scared those juniors to tears. Now, there are wolf-headed human statues at regular intervals along the border. When the enemy comes, they first see the intimidating stone statues that intimidate everyone, making them open their dog eyes wide in terror!”

Unexpectedly, Er-gou had grown so much after his death. Liu Zhenqing reached up to wipe off the saliva sprayed onto his face by Jin Li’s great and momentous speech. It was a pity that the boy wasn’t a storyteller. With such a lively demeanor, one would think that he had witnessed these several battles in person.

It could be seen that Jin Li was truly Huo Fenglie’s fanboy. Liu Zhenqing seriously suspected that this was why someone like Liu Xiaozhu would dare to pursue Huo Fenglie, the god of death. It was unavoidable that with this guy spouting off about his idol in his ear every day, he was brainwashed into obsession. 

Liu Zhenqing just listened to these things casually. After all, they had nothing to do with him.

Soon after, they arrived at Longxing Gambling House.

Jin Li wanted to accompany Liu Zhenqing in with the two guards, but how could that be done? Liu Zhenqing had to waste a lot of time deceiving him to make him stay in the carriage.

After all, what he wanted to do could not be known to others.

Longxing Gambling House was the largest gambling house in the capital. It was bustling with people in broad daylight, and was very lively, with people coming in and out of the door crying and laughing. There were so many different kinds of people, from all different aspects of life.

Liu Zhenqing walked in with his face half-covered by a decorative fan, and went directly to the cockfighting area on the second floor. He carefully scanned everyone present, and finally saw a man with an inverted triangle wooden sign hanging around his waist.

The man was shouting excitedly, and it wasn’t until one of the roosters was defeated that he let out a few curses and stepped aside in frustration. “Damn it, lost again! I’m unlucky today, no more gambling.”

Although he said that he wouldn’t gamble anymore, the man did not intend to leave. Instead, he glanced around. After all, it was his task to stay here today.

Suddenly, a fresh scent drew near, completely different from the current smokey atmosphere. Lao Zhao was just growing curious when he heard a low voice ask in his ear: “Don’t beg the heavens for new clothes to wear?”

Lao Zhao was suddenly stimulated, and turned around to see a young man covering his face with a fan. Naturally, people in their line of work knew the rules and wouldn’t look directly at their employer, so after taking a quick glance to identify the speaker, he lowered his head and spoke the code, “Just ask a person to make new clothes.”

“Come, first things first.” The voice was filled with a satisfied smile.

“What do you need, Young Master?”

“Male, in his twenties, a loner and a scholar, just traveling around.”

“No problem. One thousand taels, with a hundred-tael deposit. The construction period will be one month.”

Liu Zhenqing frowned slightly. “I’ll add money for you to make it quicker.”

“Young Master, if we could gain profit this way, wouldn’t we do so? But recently it’s the Spring Plowing Ceremony to bring spring forward in advance. We’re being watched closely and managed strictly, and it’s hard to create a new identity, ah. We also need to ensure that our employers use their new identities safely and with peace of mind, right? Since you could match the code and find me, we naturally wouldn’t dare to deceive you. One month is the fastest.”

Liu Zhenqing had no choice but to acquiesce. Without a new identity, it would be difficult for him to fly far away no matter how wealthy he was, unless he planned to be an isolated savage in the mountainous wilderness. He felt that he, as a layman, was not capable of that. He also wanted to find a place to live, live a good life, and fulfill the dream he had never completed in two lifetimes – to have a wife and children.

Lao Zhao took the money, agreed with Liu Zhenqing on the delivery time and location, and left in a hurry.

After concluding this important matter, Liu Zhenqing relaxed and looked at the people at the gambling tables around him. He thought, should he make some money here? In any case, he was born to win every bet.

Forget it, winning this kind of money wasn’t practical. It was better to go to a teahouse and find out which city in the south was the best to live in nowadays.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed an uproar in the middle of the second floor.

“You’re just a cheater!”

The childish tone of this voice made Liu Zhenqing look up curiously. He saw a girl around ten years old or so suddenly leap onto a gambling table, grab the man opposite by his collar, and reach out to remove his clothes. “You hid the dice in your clothes, I saw it!”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned when he took in this scene. It could be said that other than the young Li Xingruo, he had never seen such a tough little girl in his life.

At this time, a boy of about the same age rushed over from the side and awkwardly tugged at the girl’s skirt. “Jie, women can’t do this.” But then he turned around and said gravely, “We just saw it. You did hide the dice. This is a fraudulent bet, we didn’t lose at all! Those who lost to you before were also cheated by you! Everyone, don’t believe him!”

Liu Zhenqing was mystified as to why two children had appeared here, but looking at the clothing of the man called into question, he couldn’t help but hold his forehead and think to himself, this is bad.

Sure enough, the man’s face was livid. He furiously pushed the girl away and said fiercely: “Where did these little children come from? I’m someone from Longxing Gambling House! How could I be a cheater! Don’t you understand the rules? If you agree to bet, you must accept the loss. Either hand over the thousand taels or be locked up until your family’s lord comes to redeem you!”

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Chapter Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Six

Three days later, Haishi Airport.

Qiao Dong handed the boarding pass back and said, “Mr. Li, it’s almost time for you to go through the security check.”

Li Yuan took it with a nod, then moved his eyes back to Pei Yi. “Are you okay to stay in Haishi alone to confirm that there are no problems with Weiyi? Otherwise, I can……”

Pei Yi understood his friend’s meaning. “No problem, don’t I still have Qiao Dong? Also, I can communicate with our employees online about the script, so I won’t be working alone.”

He patted Li Yuan on the shoulder and said, “You can go back without any worries. Our studio can’t survive without a boss in charge.”

The mobile version of “The Last Fog” had been officially released online, and the current operating data coming from the background operations was pretty good.

Even though Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng were in charge in the capital, and there wouldn’t be any problems running the game, the two core bosses couldn’t stay in Haishi in case of an emergency.

Li Yuan glanced at the time on the screen in the lobby. “Then I’ll go first and keep in touch. It’s getting dark now. Qiao Dong, please drive carefully.”

Qiao Dong nodded at once. “Don’t worry, Mr. Li. I promise to take good care of Brother Yi!”

Pei Yi urged teasingly, “Go quickly, ba. Your man is probably already waiting anxiously at the airport”

Li Yuan clicked his tongue. “Don’t talk nonsense, I’m leaving.”

“En, land safe.”

“All right.”

Pei Yi and Qiao Dong saw Li Yuan off, the first person to complete his contract tasks, then walked to the underground parking lot.

It was not time to work, so Pei Yi didn’t deliberately maintain the distance between superiors and subordinates, and instead put his arm around Qiao Dong’s shoulders.

“Walk slowly, I have something to ask you.”

Qiao Dong was confused. “Ah?”

Pei Yi’s hand on his shoulder tightened, and he pretended to be stern. “Mr. Bo asked you to report on me at all times?”

Qiao Dong’s entire body tensed up, and he was so nervous that he stuttered. “B-Brother Yi, I-I was wrong.”

“What are you apologizing for? I don’t blame you.”

Pei Yi took the opportunity to rub his head, and said, “Remember, you are my assistant. The main thing is that you are on my side. If I drink occasionally or something, don’t let him know.”

After all, he definitely didn’t want another punishment such as “spanking.”

Pei Yi couldn’t help but add that last sentence, and Qiao Dong’s head shook like a rattle. “Brother Yi, I promise not to tell!”

“En, that’s my good assistant. When we go back this time, I’ll increase your salary.”

Pei Yi waved his hand and muttered with a hint of pride, “Actually trying to bribe my assistant, how can this be possible?”

Qiao Dong smiled.

Although he was just a bystander, he knew that Pei Yi’s outward and inward attitudes were particularly different—

The contrast was cute.

“What are you smiling about?”

Pei Yi rubbed his head again and said with interest, “Since we’re free tonight, how about I treat you to the Japanese restaurant downstairs in the hotel?”

Qiao Dong lost his previous restraint and became more cheerful. “Thank you, Brother Yi!”

The two got into the car together.

Pei Yi sat in the passenger seat and opened WeChat on his phone. He did not directly open the pinned account, but scrolled down and found Lin Zhong’s WeChat ID, then typed a request without a blush or racing pulse:

“Lin Zhong, report today’s situation!”

“…….”

Qiao Dong saw it, but pretended not to.

. . . . . . .

The original movie game structure was divided into two parts. The script of the first part had been adapted well, and the preparatory work had been fully completed. 

Once Pei Yi held a detailed three-day meeting with the filming team headed by Kong Li, he finally entered the most important stage of filming.

Knock knock.

There was a knock on the door.

Pei Yi turned over in his sleep and habitually shrank his head into the bed.

But the knocking on the door outside didn’t stop. At the same time, it was accompanied by Qiao Dong’s cautious yet urgent call, “Brother Yi, are you awake?”

Pei Yi gradually recovered his clarity. After checking on the sky through the window, he squinted in confusion—

Hadn’t he set the alarm for nine-thirty? He shouldn’t have overslept, right?

It wasn’t like Qiao Dong didn’t know his work and rest habits, so how could he suddenly knock on the door and wake him up?

“…….”

Pei Yi realized something was wrong and struggled to get up and open the door.

The moment his gaze fell on Qiao Dong’s anxious expression, the remaining sleepiness in his mind dissipated. “What’s going on?”

“Brother Yi!”

Qiao Dong was still holding his cell phone in his hand, and it was clear that he had just received some news. “Mr. Gu called and said that our first game script has been leaked and exposed on the internet!”

Pei Yi’s expression changed at once, but he quickly calmed down. “Get ready to go to Weiyi headquarters. You and Brother Gu keep in touch, we’ll meet up later.”

“Okay.”

. . . . . . .

Forty minutes later, Pei Yi and Qiao Dong arrived at Weiyi headquarters and immediately saw Gu Jianshen waiting at the gate.

The two parties met face to face, and neither side wasted time on being polite.

Pei Yi got out of the car and asked directly, “Brother Gu, have you found out who posted it?”

In fact, he already understood the general situation while they were on the way here—

At 12 o’clock in the morning, the content of the first part of their movie game was simultaneously sent to the gaming circle on the Youtu forum, Weibo, and multiple social platforms.

Among them, the most comprehensive script content was on the Youtu forum.

Because the posting time was so tricky, Weiyi’s network monitoring took almost an entire night from its discovery to contacting the relevant platforms to delete the posts.

Unfortunately, the effect of withdrawing the posts was not clear, and it was difficult to guarantee that other users wouldn’t save and repost them.

Gu Jianshen shook his head. “Not yet. The account that initially posted it was an original one, and the IP address was specially encrypted.”

Pei Yi frowned slightly. “Specially encrypted?”

Gu Jainshen added, “Based on the effectiveness of exposure in such a short period of time, we initially suspect that Xunya Technology gave it a push.”

The two companies were already fighting openly and in secret, and their relationship was like fire and water.

A while ago, Xunya Technology suffered a loss in its investment in the original game design competition, and was currently using this method to make up for it.

Although it was vile, this was also the law of competition.

Qiao Dong spoke carefully, “Even if the people at Xunya Technology are involved, the script still leaked from within, right?”

How could Pei Yi not know this? His eyes became darker again.

He gazed at the slowly rising floors of the elevator and selected the first priority, saying, “The most urgent thing is to think of remedial measures.”

Gu Jianshen nodded. “Boss Ning is already in her office. Let’s talk in detail there.”

—Ding dong.

The elevator door opened.

With Gu Jianshen in the lead, Pei Yi and Qiao Dong walked straight into Ning Jing’s office.

Ning Jing had already prepared tea, and invited them to sit down. “Mr. Yi, you already know the specific situation?”

Pei Yi nodded, and spoke sharply, “Boss Ning, regarding the script, I have to ask your company to root out the mole.”

Ning Jing and Gu Jianshen exchanged glances, then turned their attention back to Pei Yi. “Is Mr. Yi so sure that there is something wrong with our staff?”

“If not?”

Pei Yi narrowed his eyes slightly. When he came to related interests, he resolutely safeguarded the interests of his studio.

“The contract has been signed, and the funds have been invested in proportion. Before the official filming of the movie game begins, our YWY are the ones who have invested more in the script.”

“Boss Ning, do you think our studio would do something to harm ourselves in this situation?”

Pei Yi pointedly made clear, “Mr. Gu also told me just now that Xunya Technology is the driving force behind this matter.”

Ning Jing sighed and admitted, “Yes. I will ask someone to investigate this matter, but the most urgent thing is to think of a solution.”

“Before you arrived, I already asked Director Kong to suspend the rest of the filming.”

Pei Yi had anticipated that they would stop filming, and acquiesced.

What did such a script leak mean?

It was like putting the entirety of the secrets and game story in front of the players!

In that case, what strategy was there in the game? It would only greatly reduce the interest of players.

Ning Jing presented the facts, “Mr. Yi, the crew and actors have been hired and the contracts have been signed. The current situation is this—”

“If we continue filming, there is a nine out of ten chance that the subsequent benefits will not meet expectations, and if the script is exposed again, the visible benefits will be even fewer.”

“But if we stop filming, the crew will lose an extra day of time.”

“Furthermore, I think that Xunya Technology will definitely make a move, and may even rush ahead of us to seize the title of ‘China’s first movie game’ for publicity.”

From filming, to production, to obtaining distribution rights, the conservative estimate was that it would take four months.

If progress continued, their profits would definitely not be up to standard. If they gave up and started over, they would easily miss the market opportunity. Now they were in a dilemma!

Pei Yi was a clever person, and understood the hint in Ning Jing’s words. “Boss Ning wants to shoot with a new script?”

Ning Jing said honestly, “The crew can only wait until the 15th at the most. I just don’t know if Mr. Yi and YWY can come up with the script…..”

“The 15th?”

In other words, including today, there were only twelve days left?

Qiao Dong calculated the time and couldn’t help but say, “A new game structure needs to be completed in twelve days? How is this possible?”

Pei Yi’s eyelids drooped slightly, casting a dark and gloomy light in the silence.

Gu Jianshen glanced at Ning Jing, but didn’t speak.

He knew how difficult this requirement was, but as a member of Weiyi, he couldn’t ignore the company’s interests and devote more time to Pei Yi by lobbying his senior management.

Ning Jing’s voice slowed a little. “Mr. Yi, I know that a new script is a bit difficult to handle, but if the entire crew waits until the 15th, all the lost time and expenses incurred will be borne by Weiyi. This is the company’s maximum concession.”

She paused. “Perhaps…..I have another suggestion here.”

Pei Yi looked over. “What is it?”

“Actually, before accepting YWY’s partnership, we also had a completed game script that we can use directly.”

Ning Jing further explained, “If this is the case, we at Weiyi will be responsible for everything from the script, to filming and post-production. Other than in promotion and operations, YWY’s status would be equivalent to a stock investment.”

“On this basis, then the original 40-60 split would revert back to 20-80.”

Gu Jianshen frowned deeply and sent Ning Jing a questioning look—

The other party never told him about this!

The party at fault this time was clearly not YWY Studios, so how could they let the other party bear the most losses?

Qiao Dong looked directly at Pei Yi, feeling aggrieved at this injustice as his assistant.

He had clearly given it his all, but now he was forced to accept a new profit share because he couldn’t hand over a new script?

Weiyi was indeed a major game company, but the water may not be clear and their hearts may not be pure! They didn’t even blink an eye to trick people for profit!

Pei Yi rubbed the edge of his cup and suppressed the coldness in his heart, asking, “A full script? Who wrote it?”

As soon as he spoke, there was another knock on the office door.

After being told by Ning Jing to come in, Gao Pingfeng pushed the door open and entered. He glanced briefly at the people in the office.

Gao Pingfeng’s eyes met Pei Yi’s, and he suppressed the malice and gloating in them.

Before he came, Ning Jing had told him on the phone that there might be changes with the movie game project, and to come prepared for a possible handover.

Gao Pingfeng came over and feigned confusion. “Boss Ning, what do you need from me?”

Ning Jing seemed to have understood Pei Yi’s choice in his silence. After a couple seconds of hesitation, she began, “Teacher Gao, it’s like this, our……”

“Boss Ning.”

Pei Yi interrupted her, responding lightly, “I will hand over a brand new script before the 15th.”

Everyone present was stunned when these words came out.

Pei Yi was at the center of these gazes as he continued to take his stance, “I’ll need to make daily handovers with Director Kong and the film crew. As for the cooperation and shares agreed upon between YWY and your company, everything will remain unchanged.”

Twelve days?

Complete a new game script?

Without absolute capability, who would dare to accept this task?

Ning Jing was truly impressed by Pei Yi’s courage, and asked repeatedly, “Mr. Yi, are you sure?”

All partnership conditions had been negotiated.

If things could proceed as planned and the current losses were minimized, Ning Jing would naturally be willing to cooperate with Pei Yi long-term.

“I’m sure. Please also ask your company to find the person who leaked the script within this period of time.”

Pei Yi pushed back the untouched coffee with a hint of sharpness in his eyes. “After all, we must be given an explanation for this matter.”

“…….”

Ning Jing and the others sensed Pei Yi’s dissatisfaction and fell into an awkward silence.

Pei Yi stood up and said, “Time is of the essence, so I won’t delay any longer. I’ll contact you when I’ve written a new version of the script structure. Goodbye.”

Saying this, he walked out without looking back.

Qiao Dong saw this and quickly followed.

. . . . . . .

The two quickly returned to the car.

Qiao Dong finally expressed his worries. “Brother Yi, don’t you need to discuss this matter with Mr. Li and the others?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “Even if I tell Li Yuan, the result will be the same. If I don’t agree to write a new script, then the terms we negotiated before will be in vain.”

He still had the same considerations as before. Their studio had only been established for less than a year, and they must rely on the cooperation of major companies to expand their reputation.

Pei Yi closed the door and said, “I think it’s really strange that the game’s script was leaked.”

Qiao Dong started the car. “Something is strange?”

Pei Yi explained to him, “Think about it. Even if Xunya Technology was behind this matter, they are definitely not the ones who took the opportunity to ‘leak’ the script.”

“Qiao Dong, tell me, if they are enemies of each other and Xunya Technology held Weiyi’s script, how would they maximize the damage?”

Qiao Dong thought for a moment. “Release it halfway through the filming? Or directly before the movie and game were completed and about to be released?”

This sort of expensive filming would cause greater losses.

Pei Yi revealed the pleased expression of ‘a child can be taught.’ “Clever.”

The people at Xunya Technology were no fools, so how could they not understand the most basic of tricks?

Since the leaker chose to make it public in the early hours of this morning before the filming of the movie started, it could only mean that he was not from Xunya Technology.

“Having access to Weiyi’s internal script files, and being able to gain interests for himself after the incident…..”

Pei Yi came to the end of his point, and Qiao Dong quickly understood.

“Brother Yi, you mean it was Gao Pingfeng? That’s why you agreed again before Boss Ning could speak?”

Pei Yi did not do things arbitrarily. “There is no way to be one hundred percent certain of this. 

After all, Gao Pingfeng had been with Weiyi for fifteen years, so he wouldn’t easily ruin his future.

“I just looked at him and got annoyed. I’m unwilling to give up the opportunity that should belong to our YWY.”

Qiao Dong caught a faint glimpse of Pei Yi’s ambition and competitive spirit, but his tone was still anxious, “But Brother Yi, we only have twelve days. Isn’t it too late?”

“With hard work, we’ll make it in time.”

Pei Yi had not agreed blindly, and had a general idea.

“Now that the first script has been leaked, isn’t the second part still there? I plan to change it to an infinite streaming game format and work backwards from the second part.”

This would not only reuse the unexposed content, but also free up time for subsequent new games plots, and the cast and locations of the crew would not need to be rearranged.

“Work backwards?”

“En, what ‘you’ think is the beginning of the story is actually the ending. ‘You’ think that the strategy is at the end, but it is actually the beginning of the game loop.”

Pei Yi’s inspiration came at once. “Qiao Dong, when we get to the hotel later, contact Xiao Zhou and Sister Ling from the studio to hold a brief online meeting.”

“Have them work hard in the next two weeks. In the current difficult situation, they must continuously cooperate with my work needs.”

Qiao Dong responded at once, “Okay.”

“There’s more, ah.”

Pei Yi remembered another thing. “Don’t talk to Mr. Bo about this. He has a new project in his hands nowadays and is busier than me. Don’t distract him.”

Hearing this, Qiao Dong whispered, “I understand.”

. . . . . . .

Upon returning to the hotel, Pei Yi first made a video call with the relevant studio employees. Then he sat in front of the computer and pulled up a document to write the specific game plot framework.

This busy schedule lasted until half past nine in the evening.

It wasn’t until Bo Yueming’s inevitable evening video call came in that Pei Yi hurried to the bedside and answered the phone.

“Hey, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming asked first, “I heard that the script was leaked online?”

Pei Yi was unsurprised by his lover’s question, and answered evasively, “It’s nothing serious, I’ll just re-write it.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes flickered. “Really?”

“Of course, what would I lie to you for?”

Pei Yi smoothly changed the subject, “I heard from Lin Zhong that you have an international video conference tonight?”

Two months ago, Bo Group established a new branch overseas. As the executive director, Bo Yueming must take into account all aspects of this.

Bo Yueming explained warmly, “It’s in ten minutes. Tonight’s meeting might last an hour or two.”

“Okay, got it.”

Pei Yi didn’t mention the pressure on him at work, and said with a smile, “I’ll be busy this week, but I’ll reply to you when I have time, okay?”

Bo Yueming hesitated to speak, and said with some gentle coaxing, “Kitten, if you encounter any difficulties, please tell me, okay?”

Pei Yi felt his heart grow warm. “Okay.”

The two talked briefly but intimately for ten minutes, and ended the call at the last moment before Bo Yueming was to conduct the video conference.

Pei Yi took the opportunity to shower, then he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and sat back in front of the computer. He looked at the progress plan he had written down during the day—

Thinking that he might have to work all night, he felt his temples twitch.

No matter how relaxed he seemed on the surface, the pressure inside him was still heavy.

Pei Yi suddenly wanted to eat sweets, but unfortunately, it was late at night. The dessert shops were probably closed, and he couldn’t be as willful as he was at home.

Thinking of this, Pei Yi had no choice but to get up and open the drawer of the bedside table.

There was a box of cigarettes and a lighter placed quietly inside. He had borrowed them from Li Yuan and forgot to return them last time. The number of cigarettes was still the same now.

After a moment’s hesitation, Pei Yi took out a cigarette, opened the ventilation window, and leaned against the window to light it—

The lingering smoke numbed the fatigue in his nerves.

He took advantage of the nighttime to settle his thoughts, and within three to five minutes, he regained his composure and sat back down at the computer desk to continue working.

Pei Yi had developed his abilities in the real world.

The new method of game architecture had been recognized by Weiyi’s senior management and had successfully entered the adaptation phase.

In order to avoid unnecessary complications, in addition to the remote assistance of studio employees, Pei Yi only discussed and connected with Kong Li for this script adaptation.

She personally helped with every detail in order to reduce the burden on Pei Yi, and was a sincere and serious director.

The group of people worked continuously, and at last completed the handover in the early morning of the 15th.

. . . . . . . .

“Wu.”

Pei Yi woke up with a headache.

His brow furrowed, and he found that he had slept in front of the computer desk all night, which resulted in his neck being stiff.

“…….”

Pei Yi fumbled for his phone and looked at it. It was only after eleven in the afternoon, but Qiao Dong had sent a WeChat report at 7:30 in the morning—

“Brother Yi, have a good rest. I’ll go to the team meeting for you. I asked the hotel to arrange a meal delivery at noon, remember to eat when you wake up. Contact me at any time if you need anything.”

Pei Yi smiled slightly in his fatigue.

Nearly two weeks of high-intensity work overload was not only a test for him, but also allowed Qiao Dong to grow rapidly as an assistant.

Thinking about it this way, it was not a waste of time.

The headache and dizziness accumulated over the past few days continued. Pei Yi just wanted to drink some warm water and calm down, and when he unlocked the door of the room—

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Pei Yi remembered Qiao Dong’s report in the WeChat message and thought it was the hotel staff delivering his meal on time.

He forced himself to lift his spirits and open the hotel room door, but was stunned in a flash.

The person he had been thinking about day and night suddenly appeared in front of him. Pei Yi blinked uncertainly, and the fatigue accumulated within him transformed at this moment.

It was sour and astringent.

When Bo Yueming stretched out his arms, Pei Yi practically ran into them. His sleepy voice still contained a hint of grievance. “Er-ge.”

---

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

Facing this question, Gao Lin didn’t understand. Why, didn’t the prince himself come to the study with Second Young Master Liu last night?

Liang Shu looked at him. I came to the study, but how did I fall asleep?

Gao Lin: “……”

How would I know this?

The two were puzzled, and stared at each other for a long moment. In the end, Gao Lin analyzed that there were only two possibilities. The first one was that the Liu family members secretly drugged him!

Liang Shu raised his hand and slapped him.

Gao Lin quickly dodged. To make an addition, drugging was not necessarily a bad thing. It was rare for people to see the prince, right? It was hard to control themselves, so they wanted to take him home when they lost their senses and build a luxurious golden house in Baihe Mountain Village to hide him away in. It’s not impossible, I understand, I understand.

Liang Shu didn’t want to hear this nonsense: “The other option.”

The second possibility. Gao Lin coughed twice. The second is a common problem in our Northwest camp. People feel sleepy as soon as they enter the school. This time especially, listening to medical principles, what ordinary person could stand it? Isn’t it normal to fall asleep? I would sleep too.

Liang Shu recalled carefully. His memories of the night before indeed cut off the moment Liu Xianche spoke. After a long string of ancient prescriptions, his eyelids were immediately glued together. Especially since the brazier in the study was still burning very warmly, making it even more hypnotic.

Gao Lin comforted his prince, it’s nothing, medical principles are not common sense things that everyone should understand. The prince is busy with military affairs, working day and night and dragging his exhausted body to accompany Second Young Master Liu. It’s very touching!

Now that it had already happened, Liang Shu could only think of it this way. Taking care of all kinds of business every day sounded better than an illiterate who fell asleep the moment he entered school. In order to restore his image, he deliberately went back to the room to wash up and change his clothes before going to find his sweetheart.

Liu Xian’an was eating breakfast, a bowl of hot shrimp shredded egg wontons. There was also a plate of crispy golden potstickers, and even the pickles were Jiangnan flavored. The fried cakes were sweet and salty, and the table was full.

“Your Highness, come and eat too,” A-Ning invited. “These were sent by the First Young Master.”

Liang Shu had previously thought that he was meticulous enough, but never thought that there could be an even higher mountain. After sending back the group of servants prepared by Liu-furen, the cook of Xiao Wang Palace had been taking care of everyone’s food, so it could not be said that they ate poorly, but there were not many Jiangnan-style dishes. However, the other party had a temperament where he could eat with gusto even if it was a piece of hard biscuit, so he wouldn’t mention it at all……things had been overlooked!

“Your Highness,” Liu XIan’an called to him, “Come and eat wontons.”

Liang Shu pulled out a chair and sat down: “In the future, I will also hire a Jiangnan chef for you.”

“All right.” Liu Xian’an served his food for him.

Liang Shu asked: “Why didn’t you wake me up last night?”

“It’s rare for the prince to sleep so soundly.” Liu Xian’an handed him the bowl. “You didn’t have a good rest when we were in Raven City, and you have accumulated exhaustion for many days, so you must recuperate. Da-ge was still saying this morning that I should prepare some qi-invigorating medicine for the prince.”

“You didn’t get beaten last night, did you?” Liang Shu pulled his hands over to check.

“No, Da-ge praised me.” Liu Xian’an patted Liang Shu on the shoulder. It could be seen that people still needed to rely on themselves, and could not count on the prince’s help.

Liang Shu touched his nose. Nothing had happened. “Eat, then come with me to see Ku You.”

Ku You’s eyes could hardly see clearly before Liu Xianche arrived in Garrison City. The illness was severe, and it would take at least three months to cure it.

“So long?”

“Maybe even longer.”

The clear, cold voice was like a basin of cold water, and Commander Ku didn’t dare to raise any objections, because it was said that this capable miracle doctor was very indifferent and taciturn, and if he asked too many questions, he might be beaten.

Liang Shu said: “Three months is three months. Your eyes can’t see, but your ears can hear and your mouth can speak. Don’t worry, you will not be left behind in this battle.”

With Ku You suffering from a sudden eye disease, the southern garrison had initially panicked. After all, considering the recent atmosphere, anyone could feel that the Baifu Sect was not holding back their evil designs. The commander was ill at this time, and everything felt hopeless. They all thought that the lieutenant general would take up the flag next, but never expected that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang would lead them personally. How could there be low morale now? Suddenly, everyone in the garrison was rearing up to beat those grandsons!

Liang Shu had taught Ku You the methods of managing an army, so the entire Southwest Camp was almost a scaled-down version of the Northwest Camp. Gao Lin felt no discomfort after taking over, and hugged Ku You’s shoulders: “You can rest easy and recuperate. Watch how lao-ge cleans up the cult!”

“Shut up.” Ku You’s head was buzzing. Although Gao Lin had only been back for less than three days, thanks to his own prince’s Dayan love story, he nattered on around Commander Ku, who was blind and couldn’t even run away. Ku You wanted to cry but had no tears.

Liu Xian’an had been lying in the study with Liang Shu, watching him dispatch troops. There were tens of thousands of troops stationed in the Southwest, with even more rugged terrain. Even a Sleeping Immortal with a perfect memory would feel a little dizzy after seeing so much.

Liang Shu dipped his fingertips in some cool tea and flicked them disagreeably. Liu Xian’an was so stimulated that he shivered, and opened his eyes blankly. This look of his was very cute. Liang Shu wiped the liquid off his face with his hand and sent him off: “If you’re tired, go back to the bedroom and sleep, don’t sleep here.”

“I’m not tired.” Liu Xian’an leaned closer to see where circles had been placed on the map. “These places all need to be controlled?”

“Yes,” Liang Shu said. “These areas must be linked so that no matter where the Baifu Sect causes trouble, the garrison can arrive within three days.”

Every red dot on the map represented a lair where the cult may be hidden. Liu Xian’an looked at the densely packed dots like rotting sores, and felt a chill in his heart.

“Don’t worry.” Liang Shu patted him on the shoulder. “Sooner or later, it will be cleaned up piece by piece.”

. . . . . . .

Liu Hengchang stood by the bed and watched as the witch doctor changed Wumeng Yunyou’s dressings. After the gauze was removed, the bloody wound on his abdomen had healed a lot.

“Master,” the witch doctor reported, “Young Master Yunyou will be able to practice martial arts normally tomorrow.”

Liu Hengchang thought to himself, what nonsense is this, how can a person so wounded kill people? Walking would not be easy, and it would take a hundred days to heal the muscle and bone injuries.

He raised his eyes and looked at the leader, trying to decipher the other person’s intentions. The demonic leader who had stirred up the Southwest was actually just an ordinary middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with a commonplace appearance. He didn’t have three heads and six arms, and of his whole body, the only thing that could be called “evil” may be his eyes. The triangular eyelids drooped over eyes that were filled with turbid yellow gloom.

Since the leader didn’t speak, the witch doctor took it as tacit consent and brought a huge ceramic jar. The frame clinked and clanked like some kind of living thing was crawling around in it, and after opening the lid, a furry black claw stretched out. Liu Hengchang had seen countless poisonous insects in his early years, but now he was horrified.

Wumeng Yunyou didn’t react much to this, and only closed his eyes. The witch doctor moved the mouth of the jar over the wound, as if to pour out the black insect inside. Liu Hengchang couldn’t bear this kind of filthy treatment, and was about to stop him, but footsteps could already be heard outside the door.

The one who came was Feng Xiaojin, who was also the only one in the Baifu Sect who dared to speak against the leader. The witch doctor knew that he hated all kinds of poisonous insects, so he wisely took the jar away and left through the door.

Feng Xiaojin looked at Wumeng Yunyou’s bloody, oozing wound with an expression of displeasure on his face. Seeing this, Liu Hengchang quietly walked forward and tied the bandages back on with haste.

The leader, who had been watching coldly, opened his mouth now and said lightly, there is no shortage of manpower at the moment, and there is also no need to use the Embroidered Spider Lady.

Feng Xiaojin said: “I hear that Liang Shu is arbitrarily dispatching soldiers and horses, and now the entire Southwest is under his control, just like an intricate chess game.”

“Then send him a dead-end game with no solution,” the leader said. “Start from the Valley of Ten Faces, and then towards the throne of the dream capital.”

Embroidered Spider Lady. Valley of Ten Faces. Liu Hengchang gathered up the information he had collected these days, and when he went down the mountain to collect medicine, he took the opportunity to hand it over to the secret agents of the Southwest Garrison.

. . . . . . .

A-Ning asked: “What is the Embroidered Spider Lady?”

“It is a giant poisonous spider, also known as the Embroidered Wound Doctor. But it is poisonous, and it is better to use it once or twice. If used for many years, I think it will damage the heart arteries to some extent.” Liu Xian’an backtracked, “However, according to the theory of witch doctors, this kind of spider is a gift from the heavens to a healer, and is completely non-toxic.”

A-Ning also felt that such heretical treatments sounded unreliable.

Ku You, leaning on a cane, bang bang’d all the way into the courtyard. A-Ning quickly supported him: “Why did Commander Ku come alone?”

“The prince sent me to invite Second Young Master Liu. Everyone is discussing the Valley of Ten Faces,” Ku You said. “Let’s go……ah!”

As soon as he turned around, he bumped into a tree. In the past two days, Commander Ku’s eyes had been blocked, and he often tripped and fell. A-Ning was very befuddled, and asked his young master, this big camp is not short of manpower, so why does the prince have the blindfolded commander walk around to deliver messages?

Before Liu Xian’an could answer, Ku You heard it first and turned around, saying with a smile: “The prince wants me to adapt as soon as possible.”

This had nothing to do with whether he believed in Liu Xianche’s medical skills. Surgery was always risky. If he could adapt now, even if there was an accident in the future, he would not be caught in blind despair.

In Liang Shu’s original words, “Even if you can’t see, you have to practice your ability to climb on the back of a horse.”

“His Highness has such a temperament,” Ku You said. “No one around him is ever depressed or negative.” If the sky was falling, the people of the Northwest Military Camp would be the first to hold onto their faith.

Liu Xian’an liked this sort of temperament very much……but having said that, there was no part of Liang Shu’s temperament that he didn’t like. His eyes were mostly blinded by love, and the little bit of reason he had left was used to hide in bed covered up in sleeping clothes.

He had lost his head over love, but not completely.

The front hall was already full of people. Liu Xian’an hesitated, and sat across from his elder brother, mainly because His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was surrounded by three to five lieutenants, and he probably couldn’t squeeze in.

“The Valley of Ten Faces is here, not too far from Garrison City.” A local adjutant pointed at the map. “The area around it is surrounded by villages of varying sizes. They have a tradition of sending boys to the military camp, and were originally key targets of the Baifu Sect.”

This was also normal, because if they were able to win them over, it was the equivalent to planting countless spies in the garrison camp. But the villagers in the Valley of Ten Faces were very clear-headed. On the surface, they were “En, en, ah, ah.” They promised well, and then turned their heads and rushed to report the news, bringing officers and soldiers to arrest those people.

After suffering many infuriating losses, the Baifu Sect learned that they could no longer win over the Valley of Ten Faces. They treated them as a thorn in their side, and awaited an opportunity to get rid of them. 

Liu Xian’an asked: “Will they massacre the villagers?”

“It is unlikely. Our army is halfway up the mountain, overlooking almost the entirety of the Valley of Ten Faces,” Ku You said. “If there is a slight abnormality, it will be detected immediately.”

But the information sent by Liu Hengchang should be correct, because in recent days,  Ku You’s other informants also said that the Baifu Sect was planning to attack the Valley of Ten Faces.

“Are there any wild animals in the mountains that could be used?” Liang Shu asked. “For example, wild elephants or giant apes.”

“No, neither elephants nor apes live in this area.”

“Shall we go in and investigate?”

“No, this forest is too deep, and the road is narrow and difficult to traverse, with withered and knotted vines. The horse’s can’t go in, and there is miasma everywhere. It’s really impossible to go in and investigate.” Ku You said, “We can only judge based on whether there have been any incidents of animals injuring people in that area in the past ten years.”

“Has it ever happened?”

“No, life in the Valley of Ten Faces is very stable.”

With three “no’s” in a row, what he said was indeed the truth. But the forests were so vast, and Liang Shu was still skeptical without verifying it in person. Gao Lin understood his temperament, and said, “The carriage and horses are ready. We can leave at any time.”

“We leave tomorrow morning,” Liang Shu said. “Everyone together.”

Naturally, Ku You was also included. Liu Xianche refused initially. No doctor would approve of his patient running around, but Liu Xian’an said: “It’s rare to have such an opportunity to learn with the prince. Da-ge, just agree with Commander Ku, and I can learn how to improve eyesight with acupuncture needles on the way.”

Liu Xianche said: “You can’t learn if you stay here?”

“I still must follow the prince.”

“Don’t follow him.”

He was not allowed to follow the prince, but also must follow. The Sleeping Immortal had incomparably rich experience when it came to selectively ignoring the words of his father and his elder brother. 

So he gave a light “hm,” turned around, and left.

His cloak was blown up by the wind, almost covering his brother’s face.

It was also a cloak given by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.

Embroidered gold on a black background, entirely domineering.

His elder brother was crushed on the spot.

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

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

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Just as everyone expected, Song Changsheng’s “resurrection from the dead” could be said to have demolished the sacred teachings of the Baifu Sect. When the swordsmith first died, this group of people lost their composure and spouted a lot of big words about how the “Baifu Buddha Mother punishes traitors.” Not only was that “traitor” not punished, but he was also living a glorious life. The leader was furious, and even Feng Xiaojin, who had never cared much about such things, warned Liu Hengchang not to talk too much during this period, so as not to get into trouble.

“Okay.” Liu Hengchang nodded repeatedly.

Feng Xiaojin looked at the medicine basket in his hand: “Those witch doctors still won’t allow you to treat Yunyou?”

“Yes, although it isn’t them who won’t allow it, but the Master.” Liu Hengchang said, “But the ban has been relaxed recently, and I was allowed to check his pulse. Young Master Yunyou’s wounds are indeed gradually improving, so there is no need to worry too much.”

“That he was injured is a good thing right now, because he doesn’t have to face Liang Shu again.” Feng Xiaojin said, “Compared to Yunyou, I am more concerned about Yunle. She hasn’t returned for many days.”

Liu Hengchang probed: “I hear that Yunle-guniang is receiving worship from believers all over the country. She has never been this busy before. It’s like……”

Like they were doing their best to win over the most hearts and cause the most riots in the shortest amount of time. There was miasma in many villages and towns in the Southwest.

“It’s not your business, so leave it alone.” Feng Xiaojin closed his eyes. “Go and see Yunyou, the leader should be in his room now.”

Liu Hengchang bowed his head and exited the room. When he looked into the distance, a beam of light was illuminating the green mountains.

. . . . . . .

Liu Xian’an stretched out his hand, trying to catch the sunlight between his fingers, but the light slipped away and his fingers were also detained.

Liang Shu gripped his hand tightly: “Don’t always think about those elusive things. Grasp something practical, that you can see and touch.”

For example, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang himself could also be seen and touched, and was quite practical. Liu Xian’an looked at him and smiled, so Gao Lin had to raise his hand again, signaling all the guards behind him to pause. Really, I’m impressed. Adding up all the peacock tails all over the mountain, our prince has opened them all alone. How can he tease Second Young Master Liu every two steps?

Fortunately, there were still military affairs in Garrison City. If it were a peaceful year, it was estimated that this short mountain would take a year to cross, moving two steps here and three steps there.

Gao Lin tsktsktsk’d. Along the way, although Cheng Suyue’s speech was a bit slow, she still refused to listen to her brother’s nagging. So Lieutenant General Gao had no choice but to hold back all his words in his stomach, waiting to talk to Ku You after returning to the city.

Everyone went back together enveloped in rumors.

Chang Xiaoqiu asked: “What are the rumors?”

A-Ning inquired around, then came back and said: “Nothing special. It’s just the old sesame and rotten millet routine taught by the Baifu Sect, with some other tricks added.”

For example, Liang Shu had been classified as part demon. It was said that the reason Song Changsheng came back to life at all was because of his manipulations behind the scenes, and that while his body was still alive, his soul was held in the hands of the Baifu Buddha Mother. These demons fought against destiny and forged puppets, which would definitely bring disaster to the Southwest. The following rhetoric was familiar to everyone, always returning to the old path of, “if you want to exorcize evil spirits and ward off demons, you must worship the Baifu Buddha Mother.”

Chang Xiaoqiu frowned and said: “Now that they have released rumors of evil spirits causing trouble, they will definitely take action in the future.”

A-Ning nodded: “My young master also says the same thing. The Baifu Sect lost face to Song-xiansheng’s matter, and will be eager to seek compensation elsewhere. That is why the prince is rushing day and night to Garrison City.”

Chang Xiaoqiu squeezed in front of him and asked again: “What else did Second Young Master Liu say? Did he say that the prince will send troops to battle?”

A-Ning gave him a strange look: “Why do I feel that you look very happy?”

“I have admired the prince for many years, and now that I have the chance to fight alongside him, isn’t it a matter of course that I am happy?”

“I don’t think so.” A-Ning shook his head. “War is bound to be accompanied by casualties. I have many senior brothers and sisters, and after returning from the battlefield, even their dreams are stumps of limbs and seas of blood. They suffer from nightmares and fears, and it usually takes more than half a year of recuperation before they get better. They are just ordinary military doctors, and soldiers who need to charge forward will face crueler scenes than this, so fighting is not something to be happy about.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was stifled by these sonorous and forceful words, and choked out a sentence after a long moment, but isn’t the blood shed in war exchanged for a greater peace?

“I didn’t say that war is wrong. War is necessary. It’s only that this is a very serious matter and there is no need to be so elated.” A-Ning sent over the things in his hands. “Okay, help me carry these for a while, I’m going to help my young master get off the horse.”

The gates of Garrison City were not far away. A-Ning ran quite fast, but still failed to help him. Liang Shu took Liu Xian’an in his arms and lightly brought him down from the horse. As soon as Liu Xianche came out through the city gates, he saw this intimate scene between the two, and his chest went tight again. In broad daylight, such shamelessness!

“Da-ge!” Liu Xian’an ran towards him.

Liu Xianche’s expression softened a little. First he caught his little brother, and then cupped his hands toward Liang Shu: “Your Highness.”

“First Young Master Liu, you need not be so polite with me.” Liang Shu asked, “How are Ku You’s eyes?”

Liu Xianche didn’t answer, but sent his little brother back to his residence to rest. Liu Xian’an sighed deeply in his heart, look, I said that once Da-ge found out that I have medical skills, there will be a lot of troubles in life — at least, there would be no rest because of various exams. There will be rounds of strict inspections, and someone like me who ran out to self-study will definitely not be let off. If Father finds out, I might even be punished.

“There’s no way,” A-Ning said. “If the Village Master learns of the young master’s abilities, he will be so happy.”

“Being happy won’t delay him punishing me.” Liu Xian’an wiped his face with a handkerchief. “The two things should not be confused. Happiness is happiness, and rules are rules. Hmm……but there are not so many rules in Xiao Wang Palace, and the prince said that everything will be up to me in the future.”

That was no good. A-Ning thought to himself, the young master is going to be spoiled by the prince. If he wants sweets, he’ll get sweets, and if he wants to lie down, he’ll just lie down.

From this point of view, it was actually good that the First Young Master was here. At least someone could manage him.

Liu Xian’an tidied up briefly and then went to the front hall, where everyone was gathered. Ku You was sitting on a chair with a cloth covering his eyes. His sight was blocked, but his hearing had become more sensitive. He took the initiative to greet: “Second Young Master Liu.”

Liang Shu had just heard all about Ku You’s condition from Liu Xianche’s mouth. He now had the correct answer, but couldn’t say a word. He could only watch Liu Xian’an diagnose Ku You and then sit down at the table to write down the treatment steps.

Commander Ku was puzzled: “Why is it silent all of a sudden?”

It must be silent. Which exam room have you seen that was not silent? Gao Lin patted his shoulder and joked: “What, do you want me to sing you a few lines?”

Ku You was speechless. Such garrulousness, please take care of this poor person who can’t see.

But for the time being, no one was free to supervise him. There was a crowd of people in the room, the invigilator overseeing the exam, and the one taking the exam. In the middle of writing, Liu Xian’an frowned and stopped writing for a long time, as if stumped. Seeing this, Liang Shu immediately cleared his throat and stood up, walking over: “This lord……”

As a result, he was stopped by First Young Master Liu after two steps.

Gao Lin held his forehead. It was too embarrassing, truly, Xiao Wang Palace had suffered a crushing defeat.

Only the unaware Ku You was still trying to figure things out: “What is it, is it the Baifu Sect?”

Gao Lin stuffed a sour plum into his mouth: “Don’t worry, it’s not the Baifu Sect’s turn yet. You sit still.”

Ku You was caught off guard, and grimaced at the sourness.

It took Liu Xian’an half an hour to finish the medical prescription and hand it to his elder brother.

After reading it, Liu Xianche didn’t say whether it was right or wrong, but said: “After dinner, come to the study with me.”

It sounds like you’re about to hit me with a ruler.

Liu Xian’an said “Oh” with a drooping head, and secretly rubbed his palms to warm them up in advance. Liang Shu felt distressed at the sight, so he pulled the man to his side and tilted his head to whisper: “It’s all right, I’ll go with you after dinner.”

Liu Xian’an asked: “To watch me being beaten?”

“To prevent you from being beaten.” Liang Shu said, “If that doesn’t work, I’ll just take the punishment for you. How about it?”

Although Liu Xian’an was a wandering immortal who didn’t care about etiquette at all, he also knew that his elder brother was a commoner, and it would be a little too much for him to use a ruler to beat the dignified prince, so he didn’t take this sentence to heart. But in the end, Liang Shu really did accompany him into the study.

Liu Xianche asked in confusion: “What business does the prince have?”

Liang Shu’s expression didn’t change: “I’ve also come to listen to medical theory.”

Liu Xianche warned: “But it’s very boring.”

Liang Shu smiled: “It’s no bother.”

No matter how boring it was, could it be more boring than the group of white-bearded old men in the Imperial study? Bobbing their heads in self-satisfaction, saying that being a gentleman was a matter of every moment, not just in front of others. No matter how much energy he had, the sound made him sleepy, but he still survived.

It was a minor thing, just a trifle.

Seeing that he was so persistent, Liu Xianche said no more, and ordered a servant to bring a pot of strong tea for His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. He paid no more attention to him, and focused on carefully teaching his little brother how to diagnose and treat Ku You’s disease under the lamplight.

Treating gold blindness required a lot of accumulated practical experience, and this knowledge was very different from what Liu Xian’an had read in books. He lay on the table and listened very intently.

Liu Xianche had never seen his little brother like this before, and was gratified in his heart. Seeing that he didn’t even have a brush in his hand, he was not angry, but knew that the other was talented and wouldn’t forget. His fondness grew more and more.

The two brothers talked about Ku You’s illness, gold blindness, and many other eye diseases. When it came to the time when the singing of the cicadas in the trees disappeared, it was only then that the exchange was reluctantly ended. 

Looking back, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was propping his head up with one hand and sitting motionless at the table — sound asleep.

“…….”

Liu Xian’an promptly said: “Da-ge, you go back first. I’ll wake the prince.”

Liu Xianche hesitated to speak, but gave up in the end, because he was tired and didn’t want to talk about it.

After his elder brother left, Liu Xian’an approached Liang Shu cautiously on tiptoe, and observed his features carefully in the lamplight. Although the two had shared a bed and slept together many times, he slept until noon every day and never saw the other’s sleeping face so attentively. Looking and looking, the tip of his heart became soft, and he couldn’t help but stretch his index finger out to touch, but was pulled into the other’s arms.

Liang Shu didn’t even open his eyes. He just smiled and lowered his head, nuzzling him indiscriminately, and asked: “Causing trouble again?”

“Not causing trouble.” Liu Xian’an leaned against his chest. “Why is the prince so unguarded tonight?”

“Why be on guard, there’s no danger in this room,” Liang Shu answered sleepily. “Hearing your footsteps and voice, I feel that the years are very stable.”

In a trance, he felt that he had returned to his childhood. He hadn’t grown up yet, and didn’t play the role of having the country in his heart. He was lawless and carefree, and even if he got into trouble, he would be taken care of by Emperor Brother. He hadn’t felt this way for a long time, so he cherished it now, and couldn’t bear to open his eyes, just wanting to drag the person in his arms back to his dreams. The two sat side by side, basking in the moonlight and watching the lotus pond and frogs in the palace. 

Liu Xian’an helped him to a soft bed in the corner and took off his boots and socks. He covered him with a quilt and heated the brazier more.

Liang Shu was resting here, and he didn’t want to go back to the bedroom alone, so he wrapped himself in a cloak and lay down by the table for the night.

On the other side, the First Young Master had returned, but A-Ning’s own young master hadn’t come back for a long time. Thinking that he was being punished for his lack of studying and was copying books all night, he didn’t dare to disturb him. After finally getting through the night, he was about to go out the next morning, but Liu Xian’an was already rubbing his sore neck, walking through the garden by himself.

“Young Master.” A-Ning hurried to meet him. “You haven’t slept through the night and must be exhausted. Go back to the room and drink some hot soup first.”

“I’m fine.” Liu Xian’an said with a wrinkled face: “It’s just a stiff neck, rub it for me. By the way, tell Lieutenant General Gao that the prince is still resting in the study.”

“The prince has been with the young master?”

“Yes, me and the prince have been together the whole time.”

A-Ning was confused when he heard this, and then thought in horror, what reason was there for the prince to accompany him? Is our First Young Master so powerful that he dares to punish the prince with copying books?

This…..such a breach of etiquette! 

Gao Lin didn’t think about this aspect. The main thing was that the prince was really not good at copying books, so he only sent servants to the courtyard to serve him. 

Without Liu Xian’an, Liang Shu’s dreams became a little more uneasy. He sat up dizzily and looked around with a frown, the first question of the day rising in his mind—

Why the hell am I sleeping in this place?

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

In the few days after arriving at his new home, Liu Zhenqing basically never left the courtyard. After working hard for many years, he could finally take a break, so Liu Zhenqing naturally lay down like a salted fish.

Normally, around three o’clock in the afternoon was the time to lie on a couch in the courtyard with a blanket to bask in the sun. He could fall back asleep just by closing his eyes, and all the bones in his body practically went soft from sleeping.

But today, there was something different.

Someone knocked on the door early in the morning, and Jin Li went to open it. When he saw that it was the second steward, his expression wasn’t good.

“Today is the fifteenth day. I am here to invite the First Young Master to the central hall.”

Jin Li’s expression changed at once. If the other’s status wasn’t higher than his own, Jin Li would have spat in his face.

The children of the Liu family had been involved in business since they were young. In the Liu family, the fifteenth day of every month was when the elders tested the juniors.

Everyone in the house knew that the eldest young master was no good at this. Every fifteenth day was when the eldest young master was crushed and humiliated by his two younger brothers. It was originally thought that due to the special circumstances this month, the eldest young master would not have to go, but now the second steward had come to the door. This was simply intentional.

“The Second Steward must be joking, our young master is still recovering from his illness.”

The second steward bowed and said: “The doctor has said that the First Young Master is already well. The Second Young Master and Third Young Master have gone just now, and are waiting for the First Young Master.”

Just as Jin Li was about to say more, he heard a brisk voice come from the courtyard.

“What are they waiting for me for?”

Jin Li’s expression changed, and he sent a meaningful look at Liu Zhenqing, but the second steward squeezed in and explained his purpose with a smile.

Jin Li immediately protected his master and said: “Our young master has lost his memory, and I believe that the Old Master would not ask the First Young Master to go. Shall I go ask the Old Master now?”

The second steward smiled and said: “The young master has known these things since his early schooling, and they have long been engraved in his bones. Perhaps this can help the young master retrieve his memories.”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and said: “Grandfather is there?”

The second steward said: “Of course.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

The second steward promptly led the way with a cheerful smile. Jin Li followed Liu Zhenqing anxiously and whispered: “Master, they clearly want to see you make a fool of yourself. Why did you still agree?”

“Oh? I just happen to have something to see Grandfather about.” Liu Zhenqing said indifferently.

But Jin Li was endlessly worried: “Master, ah, when can’t you find a good time? If you choose to go now, you won’t be able to save yourself. At this time, all the shopkeepers of the Liu family chamber of commerce will be there. You……”

Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly: “Could it be that this is the first day they will discover that this young master isn’t good at such things? I’ll just go and directly say that I can’t do it.”

Jin Li choked for a moment, feeling that the young master had lost all earthly desires. Before, he would feel more or less angry and ashamed.

Jin Li felt aggrieved: “It’s not that Master isn’t good at it at all. It’s clearly that the Second and Third Masters hired shopkeepers to give special favor to their children. Master has nobody to teach him, so he naturally loses to them in every assessment.” After several losses, his master was ridiculed and lost his confidence, naturally becoming even more unwilling to run this business.

Regarding Jin Li’s complaints, Liu Zhenqing let them go in one ear and out the other.

In any case, he wasn’t the real Liu Xiaozhu, but today was a good day. He happened to need to go out, but due to the kidnapping incident, the old man had restricted his freedom. Thus, he had to seek the old man out.

When the three of them arrived at the central hall, they saw Steward Fu coming out. His expression changed slightly when he saw them, but it was too late for him to speak. He could only give the second steward a hard look.

“Da-ge has come?”

“It seems that Da-ge still wants to take the exam with us.”

Liu Zhenqing followed the voices and saw many people standing in the hall, looking toward the door.

He was particularly moved by the looks in the eyes of his two cheap cousins. With such eager anticipation, those who didn’t know would think that there was love and respect between them.

The others were also looking at Liu Zhenqing.

They saw that today, the First Young Master was very different from before.

Devoid of his usual flashy accessories, he was dressed in green brocade and snow-colored robes, which made him look like a green bamboo shoot in the snow. It also allowed people to see his good looks behind the dazzling golden gleam, not to mention his calm and relaxed attitude.

They had initially thought that the young master would be timid and uneasy after losing his memory, and didn’t expect to be surprised.

The Old Master said: “I was about to ask Steward Fu to inform you that you don’t have to come. Your memory has not been restored yet, so you are not required to participate in this matter.”

The old man still felt sorry for his grandson, after all, and even though he wanted to teach him strictly, he didn’t want his grandson to be frustrated in front of everyone after experiencing such a catastrophe. Thus, an excuse was given.

But others may not accept this way of saving face.

The Second Master spoke first: “Father, give Eldest Nephew a chance, perhaps he can do it.”

“He has lost his memory, but his brain isn’t broken. Trying can’t hurt anything,” the Third Master pointed out.

Some shopkeepers also adapted to the changing circumstances: “Yes, ah, let the First Young Master give it a try. He made progress last time.”

“The test questions aren’t difficult this time. I believe that the First Young Master can do it.”

Sure enough, as soon as he came to the central hall, he felt that he couldn’t save himself. In fact, as soon as the second steward came to find him, Liu Zhenqing knew what their purpose was. It was simply to see if the young master who was not very good in the past was even more hopeless after losing his memory.

Naturally, the Second and Third Masters wanted to let the people of the chamber of commerce see this clearly, and the people of the chamber of commerce also wanted to consider carefully in order to avoid standing on the wrong side.

And Liu Zhenqing was the monkey under observation.

Liu Zhenqing took no notice of this, and said straightforwardly: “Everyone is so enthusiastic. I have long forgotten how to read the ledgers after losing my memory. The assessment should be based on my two younger brothers.”

No one had expected that he would come to say this, and their expressions shifted at once. The two cousins even let out unconcealed smiles of contempt, clearly thinking that Liu Zhenqing was trying to avoid being humiliated.

The Old Master’s expression was a little ugly when he spoke this nonsense. Liu Zhenqing said this in public, which was tantamount to completely eliminating the possibility of him inheriting the Liu family. How could this make him, an elder, happy? The little pity and care he had felt immediately vanished.

“I’m here to ask Grandpa if I can go out.” Liu Zhenqing looked at the old man and said: “Grandpa, I’ve stayed in the house for too long. Can I go out for a while?”

“The one who wanted to kidnap you is still unknown. What if something happens again when you go out? Stay well at home,” the Old Master said angrily. He didn’t study hard, and just wanted to go out and play all day long! He was not engaged in honest work!

Liu Zhenqing chuckled: “Even the magistrate can’t find them. Shall I stop eating for fear of choking? If Grandpa is worried, I can just bring enough people.”

When the Old Master saw that he couldn’t appreciate the gravity of things even after losing his memory, he got angry. “Unacceptable. If you have the time, you might as well study how to read the ledgers again! Your two little brothers are being tested today. You watch from the sidelines and study hard!”

Liu Zhenqing met rejection, and couldn’t help but reveal an awkward expression. If he missed going out today, it would greatly delay his subsequent escape plan.

“Then if I finish reading them, can I go out today?” Liu Zhenqing scanned the ledgers on the several desks in the hall. How many hours would it take those two people to read those account books? Was there enough time?

The Old Master was so angry that his face distorted, and the people around him gave him a “that uneducated young idiot” sort of look.

The Old Master instructed Steward Fu: “Take the First Young Master over to sit.” Then he took out his waist badge and slapped it heavily on the table, saying angrily: “If you want to go out today, fine! If you can finish reading this pile of ledgers before your two brothers, I will allow you to go out!”

Saying this was tantamount to a death sentence. The Old Master was so furious that no one dared to interrupt, but the Second and Third Masters looked at Liu Zhenqing with a hint of gloating.

Steward Fu felt awkward and whispered as he led Liu Zhenqing over: “First Young Master, you sit well and just read casually. Don’t provoke the Old Master. If you want to go out, speak softly to the Old Master after a few days, but you can’t do it today no matter what.”

It had been a long time since Liu Zhenqing had been scolded like this by his elders, and he was really not used to it now.

After being compelled to sit down, he listened to Steward Fu’s instructions and smiled helplessly. It really wasn’t him who insisted on confronting the old man, it was just a coincidence that it had happened on this day. He had initially thought that the old man had long given up on his grandson, so it didn’t matter what he did. After all, his handling of the poisoning incident was just to make the Second Aunt go to the temple and pray for him as a solitary confinement punishment. Unexpectedly, the old man still hated iron for not becoming steel.

As soon as the timer incense was lit, the two young masters began to read the account books at their desks, checking and calculating, trying to see who was faster.

Now that the eldest was no longer their opponent, they were each other’s biggest rival. The two of them were working hard when they suddenly heard the rapid turning of pages.

The two simultaneously looked up in confusion to see who was disturbing them. Unexpectedly, they saw Liu Zhenqing sitting at the third table, spinning an inkless brush with one hand and flipping through the accounts page by page with the other. He seemed to read ten lines at a time, and his sloppy appearance was truly irritating to look at. He just needed to put his feet up on the chair and have a jug of wine.

Not to mention that if there weren’t so many people, Liu Zhenqing would really want to do such a thing. When he was in the palace before, he was driven to the edge, and this was just how he was.

“There’s something wrong with him!”

“What an eyesore!”

The two brothers glanced at him and continued to work on their own, but they were still disturbed by the sound of the pages turning.

Naturally, others also noticed Liu Zhenqing’s strange behavior and couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh, wondering if this young master was so stupid that he actually thought the Old Master meant for him to finish “reading” them. How could anyone read ledgers like this? He was indeed a waste. No, he used to be a waste before, but now they were afraid he was a fool.

Everyone showed simultaneous contempt. The First Young Master was a waste, and there was no hope for the main branch.

When the Second and Third Masters saw Liu Zhenqing like this, they couldn’t help but feel that he was more pleasing to the eye. As long as he continued to be a waste, they didn’t mind raising a freeloading nephew.

Steward Fu and Jin Li looked on anxiously and thought to themselves that it would have been better to have done nothing and just lay there sleeping. Looking at the Old Master again, his face was pale from anger.

To put it bluntly, such behavior was just making fun of the foundation of the Liu family, which was too unseemly. If it wasn’t for the First Young Master’s amnesia, it was likely that he would have already been served the family law.

The sound of  swish, swish, swish made everyone upset.

Soon, the two younger brothers finished the first ledger. The speed of the two was about the same. They glanced at each other, and just as they were about to start on the second book, they heard a lazy voice sound from the side: “Grandpa, I’ve finished reading this pile.”

Where had he finished reading them? He had only finished flipping through them. Everyone could only resist the urge to roll their eyes, feeling that the First Young Master would not be able to escape a beating.

The Old Master was so furious that he stood up, and the Second and Third Masters immediately stepped forward to placate him.

“Eldest Nephew is ignorant.”

“Father, don’t get angry. If you are unhappy, then punish him. He won’t remember it if you don’t punish him.”

The shopkeepers could only persuade him one after another. Some even came up to say a few words to Liu Zhenqing, wanting to give some advice and enlighten him that this was not the way to read account books.

At this point, the more they persuaded, the angrier the angry person became.

The Old Master could only say furiously: “You’ve finished reading! Tell me, how could you finish reading! Look at how your two brothers……”

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhenqing put his chin on his hand and said slowly: “The sources of the problematic accounts are Xiangyun Restaurant, Fuqi Inn, the third Liu caravan team, the Jiangnan silk shop, and the seaside shipping industry, including the second segment of the Tingjiang Water Transport. The differences were 3,350 taels, 1,260 taels, 765 taels, 278 taels, and 5,000 taels, plus or minus six or seven taels.”

When he stopped speaking, the room was completely silent. Everyone stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing.

The two cheap cousins were stunned when Xiangyun Restaurant came out first, because when they read the ledger, they had also found Xiangyun Restaurant, but the calculated amount was not as detailed as what Liu Zhenqing later reported.

And these leaders had naturally been reviewed and processed before they were taken out to assess the young masters. There were six problems hidden in the ten ledgers, four of which were easier to find, and two that were harder. It would be considered amazing if the young masters could find them all accurately, let alone calculate the amounts correctly.

Now, they heard the official answer from an impossible person. No matter who they were, their scalps would be numb and they would loudly question, are you possessed?

Everyone appeared unable to react, and the Third Master was the first to jump out: “Who revealed the answer in advance!”

When the Third Master asked this, everyone was uncomfortable. Who could reveal the answer in advance? Weren’t these just what they selected together from some problematic accounts?

The Second Master also had an ugly expression, and said suspiciously: “Is there anything incorrect? Is Eldest Nephew right?”

The Second Master looked around, but no one stood up to point out a mistake. Did that mean that the amount was exactly the same?

The most senior old man among the shopkeepers asked with an unsightly look “First Young Master, how do you know?”

“Am I wrong?” Liu Zhenqing said: “I did the mental calculations so fast, could it be that I was careless and made a mistake?”

Had his skills deteriorated? When he was in charge of the treasury of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he never missed a single thing, not to mention that this had already been sorted out and was only used for assessment.

“No…..it’s all correct.” The old man looked at the Old Master with a livid expression.

The Old Master’s eyes were like those of a bull about to charge.

“You…..you just read them like that. No…..didn’t you say you had forgotten……” The old man’s language system had been disordered by Liu Zhenqing’s stimulation.

Liu Zhenqing touched his head and said innocently: “I just picked it up and took a look at it, and then I remembered what I had forgotten. Since it’s correct, Grandpa gave his word that I can go out.”

The Old Master couldn’t speak for a long moment.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t give the old man a chance to refuse. He picked up the waist card on the table, saluted, and then left the central hall with Jin Li, leaving behind a room full of shocked people.

Jin Li didn’t react until they walked out the gate with two guards. “Master, you…..what is going on, ah! You’ve never settled the accounts so quickly before, ah! The shopkeepers were all shocked, and the eyes of the Second and Third Masters were about to pop out! The Old Master’s hands were shaking. This…..heaven help us, it must be the spirits of the First Uncle and the First Madam in the afterlife that suddenly enlightened you, Master!”

Liu Zhenqing felt that this impulse of his would cause trouble for him when he went back, but those account books had more than just these problems. He supposed that even the old man hadn’t noticed. Since he had decided to call it quits, he would naturally not meddle in other people’s affairs. As long as the results were good for him personally, he would not stay in Liu Manor for long anyway.

When he saw that Jin Li was still hopping and dancing excitedly, Liu Zhenqing was a little amused, and it suddenly occurred to him that this was a normal reaction. The two people who were by his side before used to feel helpless and roll their eyes every time he showed off, and wouldn’t give him any face.

Huo Feihan: “Zhenqing, you just said you would keep a low profile this time…..”

Li Xingruo: “Huo Feihan, when he gets beaten up later, don’t help him. Let him…..”

“Great Leader, Shimei, this old trick is called tossing a stone to find out what’s ahead.”

Huo Feihan: “……”

Li Xingruo: “Stop making excuses, I think you’re just restless and looking for trouble!”

“Life isn’t easy, I’ve repeatedly suffered disdain…..Alas, have these years of friendship been in vain after all?”

Jin Li chattered excitedly for a long time, then saw Liu Zhenqing lowering his head with a smile on his face. The smile was very beautiful, the sort that he had never seen on his master’s face.

“Master, where are we going, ah?”

Liu Zhenqing returned to his senses and said: “The largest gambling house in the capital.”

“Longxing Gambling House?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and nodded. Sure enough, it was still there.

On the other side, the old steward of the General’s Manor hurried to Huo Fenglie’s courtyard and saw the general practicing martial arts with his eyes closed under a tree.

A long sword was placed across his knees, and the whole person sat as upright as an ancient timepiece, integrated with heaven and earth but three parts colder than the surrounding air. The chill emanating from his bones was so cold that even the birds flying by didn’t dare to stop. Even though the scenery of the creek, pavilion, and weeping willow nearby was pleasant and poetic, it all made a person feel gloomy and cold, inexplicably unwilling to approach.

The moment the old steward stepped into the courtyard, Huo Fenglie opened his eyes and looked over.

The old steward ran so hard that the pigtails in his beard swung up. He stopped on the stone path and called out: “We found them, they’re going to Longxing Gambling House!”

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Chapter Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Five