For the next few days, Yan Mingting stuck behind Zhao Yelan like a dog skin plaster.

After getting drunk that night, Yan Mingting already thought they were good brothers, and came to the door to find him very openly.

The cousin drove him away with a broom as usual, but Yan Mingting said, your cousin and I are good drinking buddies, and he will not drive me out.

The cousin looked at Zhao Yelan for his answer. Zhao Yelan turned around and pretended not to see, so the two of them assumed that he had acquiesced.

Yan Mingting immediately walked up behind him and asked: “Little Face, did you not drink alcohol last night? Do you remember what I said yesterday?”

Zhao Yelan was arranging herbs in the courtyard. He just stood there, staring intently at Zhao Yelan’s back as if he must see another shadow of that person, and said: “I seem to have been confused by drinking, and can’t remember what I said. My memory is spotty. Recently, my drinking capacity has really gotten worse.”

Zhao Yelan paused for a moment, then picked up the basket to set it on the eaves and let the herbs dry. He lifted it above his head and stood on tiptoe, but Yan Mingting suddenly appeared behind him and took the basket, easily setting it on the eaves.

“…….”

Zhao Yelan turned around and looked at him silently.

Yan Mingting pressed his head to compare their heights. Zhao Yelan reached his chin: “You’re as tall as him.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yelan purposely stood on tiptoe.

Yan Mingting smiled: “What? Are you still not convinced, ah? There’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s just that I’m too tall.”

Zhao Yelan tried his best to stand on tiptoe. His figure was a little shaky, and he raised his chin proudly, which made Yan Mingting laugh out loud.

After a moment, Yan Mingting pressed the corners of his eyes and murmured: “Thank you. I can’t remember the last time I laughed.”

After following Zhao Yelan around like this for a few days, Yan Mingting suddenly disappeared and didn’t return for an entire day.

In the evening, Zhao Yelan gazed at the sunset and pounded medicine every now and then.

“You’ve been messing around all day.” When the cousin passed by, he couldn’t help but say, “Your thoughts aren’t on this, so you might as well go find him.”

Zhao Yelan returned to his senses and cast him a cold glance. The cousin smiled awkwardly. He had almost forgotten his identity, and actually regarded him as a cousin.

After dark, various birds chirped outside and made the room feel even more desolate.

He sat at the table with a stack of paper in front of him, trying to write quietly, but as soon as he pressed down with the brush, his stroke went crooked. Ink dripped onto the paper and blurred. He scratched the paper distractedly a few times, and then dropped the brush restlessly, spilling a few drops of ink.

At this time, there was movement in the courtyard. He immediately looked up and saw a black shadow jump from the courtyard wall and head straight to the window. Leaning his upper body through the window, Yan Mingting stared blankly at him and was about to speak, when he caught a glimpse of a ghostly talisman. He asked curiously: “Are you learning to write?”

Zhao Yelan blinked slowly, then nodded.

“I’ll teach you.” Yan Mingting came directly through the window, moving a chair to sit down beside him. He asked: “What characters do you want to learn?”

Zhao Yelan was deep in thought when he heard him say: “Let me teach you to write your name. I’ll write it down first, and then you can copy it.”

Zhao Yelan watched him write the words “Little Face” on the paper. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he still picked up the brush with his entire hand instead of his fingertips.

“No, no, your posture is wrong.” Yan Mingting took the brush and showed him the correct posture. “Try again.”

Zhao Yelan pretended to try a few times before he could use the correct posture. When he wrote, it was deliberately shaky.

“Don’t shake,” Yan Mingting instructed. While paying attention to the movements of his hands, he was gradually drawn to them.

“Wait.” Yan Mingting suddenly called for him to stop.

Zhao Yelan looked at him doubtfully. At this moment, Yan Mingting reached out to grasp his fingers, and gently pulled his little finger up.

“That’s how he holds the brush.” The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth twitched. “The words written this way are very beautiful. You should try it too.”

Zhao Yelan looked at his fingers for a long moment. Even he hadn’t noticed that his little finger was slightly loose when he held a brush. This was a habit from when he was young, when he would imitate his mother holding her embroidery needle.

After he finished writing the words “Little Face” crookedly, he looked at Yan Mingting and beckoned to him to teach him new ones.

Yan Mingting wrote three words on the paper, and when he finished writing, Zhao Yelan was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Mengting.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes moved slightly. Looking at him blankly, he pointed at the words on the paper and waved his hands again, indicating that there were too many strokes and he couldn’t write it.

Yan Mingting had his own set of sign language logic, and asked: “You mean to say that you like this name very much? How many times do you want to write it?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Yan Mingting: “Since you like it too, write it a few more times. How about I write with you?”

The two sat in front of the desk and wrote the same name. It took Zhao Yelan a while to write these words so that they didn’t look like his own handwriting at all.

He turned his head and glanced at Yan Mingting. He had thought that the other party would have written a lot after such a long time, but there was only the ‘Zhao’ character written. The rest was still unfinished, and he was staring at the paper in a daze.

When Zhao Yelan handed over his own paper for him to check, Zhao Mengting’s three huge characters appeared in front of him, and Yan Mingting’s eyes surged with heat, tears trailing from the ends of them.

Zhao Yelan was startled. He put down the paper in a panic, and reached toward his pocket. He stopped abruptly, then reached over and wiped the tears on the other’s face.

In a short while, Yan Mingting may have found that it was too embarrassing to display such behavior in a sober state, and he didn’t have the pleasure of venting drunkenly, so he gave a straightforward explanation: “I’m not crying, I just have tears in my eyes.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then nodded as if he believed this nonsense.

Yan Mingting didn’t write any more. He stood up and said: “Nanjiang may not be peaceful in the future, you should be careful not to get caught up in it.”

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly. Seeing that he was about to leave, he unthinkingly grabbed the other’s sleeve, his eyes full of doubts.

Yan Mingting understood the look in his eyes, and explained: “Your Eighth Princess and Third Prince are planning to usurp the throne. They’re going to do it tonight.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t understand why he hadn’t stopped it. If it wasn’t stopped, it might affect the safety of the Xuan Dynasty, and that wasn’t Yan Mingting’s style.

“I will kill the Eighth Princess with my own hands, but I need a legitimate reason.” Yan Mingting gritted his teeth and said: “When my father died of poison, the poison came from her.”

Zhao Yelan suddenly realized that he must have learned of this from the former crown prince, so he rushed to the southern border.

But if the General of the Xuan Dynasty killed a princess of Nanjiang without authorization, it would inevitably lead to disputes and war, so he was waiting for the princess to commit the crime of treason first.

He even suspected that Yan Mingting had secretly facilitated this treason. The timing was too coincidental.

Zhao Yelan let go of his hand. He wouldn’t stop him from taking revenge.

Unexpectedly, after the other party left, he suddenly ran back and said: “You come with me. An innocent person could be hurt by mistake, I can protect you.”

The two looked at each other for a long moment, and Zhao Yelan’s heart wavered.

If he went with him, he would have to be vigilant at all times. Perhaps he would reveal his identity, and then everything he did before would be in vain.

He couldn’t go with him.

“Are you coming?” Yan Mingting asked again.

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes, intending to follow the choice he had decided on. Then, in the next moment, his body stood up involuntarily and he began to pack his luggage non-stop.

When the two left, Yan Mingting specifically asked: “What about your cousin? Do you want to take him with you?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head. He pointed toward the cousin, then pointed at the people in the next house, indicating that his family was there.

But Yan Mingting thought he wanted to bring those family members, so he urged the cousin to pack up quickly.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

The cousin took his wife and children by the hands and asked with a blank expression where they were going?

Yan Mingting said that something was happening, and it was best to leave here immediately.

But the cousin subconsciously looked at Zhao Yelan. When he saw him secretly shake his head, he knew that his family couldn’t tag along. He waved his hand and hugged his wife and child: “We won’t go. This is our home, and we won’t leave it even if we die. You take my cousin away, ba. He’s still young, you must protect him and treat him well in the future.”

In the end, Yan Mingting only took away one person, and the two came to the gate of the city. Soon after, a group of subordinates appeared.

Zhao Yelan looked around, and was relieved to see nobody he knew.

Yan Mingting issued a few orders to his subordinates, then led them into the territory of the Xuan Dynasty. They would stay in the town closest to Nanjiang and wait for the army to arrive behind, as well as for the Nanjiang royal family to send out a distress signal before openly sending in troops.

“You should rest early, we’ll be living here temporarily for the next few days. Don’t run out if you have nothing to do,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan nodded. He tossed and turned that night. He had unexpectedly returned to the Xuan Dynasty, so he might as well wait for the incident at the southern border to end before finding a reason to leave.

After fleeing all night, he felt a little thirsty, so he got up and fumbled around in the dark to pour water, and then heard erratic footsteps outside. He could probably guess who it was, and opened the door. It was Yan Mingting.

“Did I disturb you?” Yan Mingting apologized, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep, so I just wanted to walk around.”

Zhao Yelan made a gesture.

Yan Mingting: “Are you asking me why I can’t sleep?”

He finally guessed it right for once. Zhao Yelan nodded.

“I don’t know, I just couldn’t fall asleep after a long time.” Yan Mingting looked at him and said softly, “But for some reason, seeing you these days inexplicably reassures me. I just wanted to see if you were asleep.”

Seeing the haggard look on his face, Zhao Yelan subconsciously grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the room, but the other party suddenly broke away from his hand. He reacted very quickly, a vigilant look in his eyes.

Zhao Yelan tilted his head, expressing his doubts.

“What are you touching me for? It’s still the middle of the night, and you want to drag me into your room?” Yan Mingting touched his wrist and pressed it to his chest, asking: “You don’t like me, do you?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

“You can’t like me,” Yan Mingting said. “There is someone in my heart. Although he disappeared from the world, he still lives in my memory.”

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Extra 9: Faking Death (2) <<Table of Contents >> Extra 11: Faking Death (4)

Zhao Yelan was dazed for a moment. Then he remembered that his eyelids were also swollen and he had the mask on. There was a slight difference from his original appearance, otherwise Yan Mingting would have already recognized him.

He breathed a sigh of relief at this thought, and looked blankly at Yan Mingting.

“Who are you?” Yan Mingting asked again, exerting some strength with his hand.

It hurt, and Zhao Yelan looked down, grabbing his hand.

Looking at the top of his head, Yan Mingting felt that he was even more similar to Zhao Yelan.

When he was walking on the road just now, he was inadvertently drawn to the person in front of him.

The body shape was almost exactly the same. The same figure, the same slender waist, and the same proper walking posture. This caused him to rush to the other party without hesitation.

He hugged the other person into his arms, but even as he patted him, there was no response, and he smelled a foul scent. He couldn’t help being startled, and released his grip doubtfully, lowering his head to sniff his neck.

Zhao Yelan knew he was sniffing him, and was glad for the first time that the herbs stunk.

Yan Mingting plucked up his last ounce of courage, and reached out with trembling hands to remove the mask, but was stopped by the other party.

Zhao Yelan pointed at his own face, ah’d several times, and gestured with his hands.

“You can’t speak?” Yan Mingting was stunned for a moment.

Zhao Yelan nodded.

Yan Mingting was full of doubts, and went quiet. But he still wanted to find out, and said: “I want to see.”

Seeing that he was about to touch the mask, the person suddenly pressed his hand down forcefully.

“Who are you? What are you trying to do to my cousin?!” A middle-aged man spoke fiercely and pointed at Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting was momentarily dazed. Looking at the middle-aged man’s appearance, he was a southern Xinjiang native with a heavy accent. Yan Mingting couldn’t help but frown: “He’s your cousin?”

“Yes, ah, my cousin!” The man glared at him, and grabbed Zhao Yelan to leave. “Let’s go home.”

This person was a servant hired by Zhao Yelan in the local area. In order to prevent his whereabouts from being discovered by people from Xuan dynasty, he specially found a clever middle-aged man. He warned him in advance that if any people from the dynasty appeared, he should come out and pretend to be his relative. People in the surrounding neighborhood heard that this man had a cousin who was now living at home, and nobody doubted it.

As usual, he wore the clothing of a person from southern Xinjiang, and brought this “cousin” with him when he went out today. He had just gone to inquire about Yan Mingting’s affairs by himself, and accidentally got separated for a while. Fortunately, the other person arrived in time.

“Wait, wait a minute, what’s your name? Are you a local?” Yan Mingting followed them, unresigned.

“Why do you care so much? What do you intend to do to us?!” The cousin said fiercely.

“Ah, ah, ah.” Zhao Yelan took the opportunity to remind his cousin that he was currently mute.

The man reacted immediately, continuing: “Do you think that because he is mute, he is easy to bully? Let me tell you, as long as I’m around, no one can bully him!”

It had to be said that this servant was a good hire. Without giving the game away, and with a natural tone, even he almost believed it, let alone Yan Mingting.

“I’m sorry, perhaps I’m drunk and mistook this person.” Yan Mingting stopped dejectedly.

Zhao Yelan breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn’t tell if he was glad or disappointed. 

He looked back at Yan Mingting.

He had just taken a glance when he found Yan Mingting following sneakily.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

He turned his head and walked unhurriedly, listening to the footsteps behind him. They were also unhurried, maintaining the same pace and always keeping a short distance away.

When he returned home, he glanced back. The other party had stopped a few meters outside the gate, watching him silently.

“Go, go, go! Go away!” The cousin took a broom to chase him away.

Yan Mingting tossed some silver coins to the cousin. This was a trick he learned from Zhao Yelan. As long as there was silver, there was nothing that one couldn’t do.

“Why is he wearing a mask?” Yan Mingting asked.

The cousin took the coins as expected, and said: “When he was a child, he fell onto a brazier and burned his face. He can’t bear for people to see him, and is very withdrawn and introverted, so I prepared a mask for him.”

Zhao Yelan stood in the house, thinking that he must give this cousin more money.

Half an hour later, Zhao Yelan went to sit in the courtyard and make medicine. He had recently taken a liking to this job, and when he had nothing to do, he would do this to pass the time.

But today was different. As soon as he raised his head, he saw Yan Mingting sitting on the courtyard wall, gazing at him quietly without saying a word.

The cousin thought he had gone, but this was not the case. This fellow had been hiding in the shadows, and hadn’t shown up until Zhao Yelan appeared.

He shook his hands, pretending to be flustered, and ran into the house. After a moment, the cousin came out with a broom to drive him away: “Go, go away! Don’t you understand human language? Stay away from my family’s house!”

Yan Mingting looked at the man behind the cousin. He was trembling, terrified. This saddened Yan Mingting – Zhao Yelan wouldn’t be afraid of him.

Zhao Yelan had really disappeared from the world. The people in the mansion said that they watched him die, and saw him lying in the coffin for three days without a sound. There was no possibility of resurrection.

He would often fall into a tangle of reality and dreams, and for a while, he felt that Zhao Yelan might still be alive. Maybe it was like he read in books, and Zhao Yelan was an alluring spirit or a divine being. He came to the world and left after a calamity, but he was still living in some unseen part of the world. After some time, such as this exact moment, he had to accept reality.

He lowered his eyes, gripped the sword in his hand tight, and went to get on with his business. 

Zhao Yelan watched his departing back, looking him up and down desperately.

After returning to the house, the cousin asked him: “He didn’t come to abduct you, did he? Do you know each other?”

“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.” Zhao Yelan rewarded him with a piece of silver.

The next day, Zhao Yelan spent the whole day sitting absent-mindedly at home. He sat in the courtyard to make medicine, and didn’t notice anyone nearby.

After dinner in the evening, the cousin said that there was a Gu festival unique to Nanjiang that night, and the streets would be lively. He asked him if he would go.

He didn’t like noise, but for some reason, he didn’t refuse.

Most of the people on the streets were from Nanjiang. They carried baskets full of exotic flowers and plants, and everyone introduced their goods to one another.

After a while, he got separated from the cousin. He searched around, then suddenly paused and looked straight ahead. Yan Mingting was standing in the crowd, staring at him intently.

Neither of them moved until someone pushed past Zhao Yelan, and he had to move. He turned around to walk back.

When he reached a secluded place, he stopped and turned to look at the other party, tilting his head in doubt as if asking why the other party was following him.

“Why aren’t you going?” Yan Mingting walked forward slowly, saying, “Keep going, don’t stop.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t move, still waiting for his answer.

After a long silence, Yan Mingting said softly: “You look like someone, especially when you’re walking.”

Zhao Yelan pursed his lips, but the other party couldn’t see it.

“Go on, I won’t hurt you. I just want to send you home,” Yan Mingting said. “Of course, if you want to go somewhere else, you can. I don’t mind walking for a while.”

Zhao Yelan shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to leave, and sat under a nearby tree.

Yan Mingting sat next to him, looking at him sideways.

Zhao Yelan thought for a moment, then hunched down unobtrusively, lowering his head awkwardly to play with his fingers.

“But you don’t look like him when you’re sitting. He always sits upright, with his head held high. He’s not easy to mess with,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan slanted a glance at him.

“Want a drink?” Yan Mingting asked suddenly, and took out a bag of money. “I’ll give you the rest of my drinking money, how about it?”

Zhao Yelan agreed, but didn’t take the money. Yan Mingting’s tone was a little disappointed: “If it was him, he would rather not drink, and would rather take the money.”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

The two of them went to the nearest tavern. Yan Mingting ordered a dozen jugs of wine in one go, and without speaking to him, opened a jug and drank it himself.

Zhao Yelan knew that he was a good drinker, and could hold a thousand cups when drinking with the soldiers, but he had never seen him drink one pot after another like this, like he wanted to get drunk.

After he drank several jugs of wine one after another, Zhao Yelan couldn’t bear it anymore. He knocked several jugs of wine next to him to the ground, and when the other party looked over, he pretended to have knocked them down accidentally and withdrew his hand in a panic.

“Oh, I forgot you were still there. Do you want to drink?” Yan Mingting shook the jar and said drunkenly: “How’s your drinking capacity?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t respond.

“He can’t drink. He can’t drink at all.” Yan Mingting smiled, then suddenly lay on the table, looking at his profile. He said: “Do you know who I’m talking about?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head.

“I’m talking about my wife. We worshiped heaven and earth together. Oh, I forgot to mention, he’s also a man.” Yan Mingting laughed. “Do you like men? Do you know what it is to like men?”

Zhao Yelan was silent.

“I like him, he smells good.” Yan Mingting pondered for a long moment, but couldn’t explain it. He took another sip of wine and said: “He’s really intoxicating.”

Zhao Yelan poured a cup of water and set it in front of him. The other party didn’t take it, and only continued to drink, his mouth filled with alcohol: “Do you know what his favorite thing is? He likes to dress up beautifully. I have never seen a man like him who dresses up every day, like a peacock.

Zhao Yelan took advantage of the night to covertly cast him a cold stare.

“But he just fluttered in and entered my heart.” Yan Mingting slowly pushed himself up to sit. Staring at the wine in his cup, he asked word by word: “Tell me, why did he leave?”

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes, his crow feather eyelashes covering his emotions.

“They all say he had a relapse of his old sickness and couldn’t be saved, but I’ve always felt that he left me on purpose. He gave me the happiest birthday ever, and arranged everything. He even got a new pen for the rabbit in the yard, but refused to wait and see me one last time!”

Zhao Yelan moved his hands under the table, and slowly clenched his sleeves without saying a word.

“Why did I go to Jiangnan, why did I go, ah?” Yan Mingting stood up, the wine jug wobbling, and walked toward the railing. He looked in the direction of the Xuan Dynasty, then accidentally fell to the ground. He had no desire to get up. He just turned over and lay there, then lifted the jug and poured wine into his mouth. The wine splashed down his cheeks and onto his neck and clothing.

Zhao Yelan went forward to help him, and it took a long time to help this drunk to lean against the railing behind him. He also sat powerlessly against the railing.

Yan Mingting slowly shook his head, then looked at him and asked: “What’s your name?”

Zhao Yelan pointed to his mouth, indicating that he couldn’t speak.

“You’re wearing a mask, so I’ll call you Little Face. Nice to meet you, Little Face,” Yan Mingting said to him.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

“Little Face, can I come drink with you again?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

“If that won’t work, I’ll just watch you do it. You’ll just have an extra follower.” Yan Mingting reached into his robes to take out money, but he forgot that his money bag had been given away just now. After a long moment, instead of money, he took out a sachet.

Zhao Yelan recognized it at a glance. This was the one he wore most often.

Yan Mingting held the sachet. Whatever he thought of, he pressed his forehead against the sachet and suddenly choked up, crying bitterly with trembling shoulders.

His eyes hidden under the mask reddened helplessly, but Zhao Yelan tried his best to suppress his emotions. He was about to take out a handkerchief, but then thought of something, and put it back before tremblingly wiping Yan Mingting’s face with his sleeve.

Yan Mingting pulled his sleeve and wiped his face vigorously, saying hoarsely: “Thank you.”

Zhao Yelan shook his head, indicating that he was welcome.

Yan Mingting handed the sachet to him: “Smell it, does it smell good?”

Zhao Yelan took a sniff and shook his head.

“You don’t know quality!” Yan Mingting’s eyes were red and swollen. He carefully put the sachet into his robes and took out a jade pendant, shaking it in front of him. “I’ll give you another chance. This is what he wears on his body all the time. Take a look. Does it look good?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head.

“No vision!” Yan Mingting finished speaking viciously, then ignored him.

After a long while, just when he thought Yan Mingting was asleep, he suddenly heard him ask quietly: “Do you think he ever liked me?”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes moved slightly, and he looked at him without speaking.

A long moment passed, until the moonlight was covered by dark clouds. He nodded slightly.

Yan Mingting’s eyes lit up. He immediately became more energetic and asked: “When do you think he fell in love with me? How much does he like me?”

These questions could not be answered by nodding or shaking his head. Zhao Yelan simply made a few random gestures with his hands. In any case, the other party couldn’t understand and wouldn’t remember.

Who knew that Yan Mingting would say happily: “You mean he fell in love with me the first time we met? Only, because of his identity, he restrained his emotions? And after marrying me, he suppressed his love? Although on the surface, he ignored me, his love had been deeply rooted for a long time, and he loved me so much that he couldn’t extricate himself?”

Zhao Yelan: “ ? ”

---

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Extra 8: Faking Death (1) <<Table of Contents >> Extra 10: Faking Death (3)

T/N: Okay, I’m posting the last six “alternate reality” extras today, because these are waaaay too angsty for any gap between them, and I want you to reach the sweetness at the end as soon as possible. Enjoy!

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When Zhao Yelan opened his eyes, he found that he was in a carriage, wearing women’s clothing with his face covered by a scarf.

He opened the curtain and asked the coachman: “Where are we now?”

“Almost to the Western Regions.”

He sat back again. His accompanying luggage he had prepared earlier was also there, none of it left behind. It had been handed over to Gu Niaoniao in advance.

He had taken the false death medicine the third day after Yan Mingting left. For the first two days, he wore the sweetgrass sachet to create the illusion that his old disease had relapsed, and then he took the medicine. There was a little pain during the process, but he soon fell into a deep sleep.

In fact, it was most appropriate to implement the plan when Yan Mingting left. No one would open the coffin for an autopsy. Only Yan Mingting had the courage. As long as the people in the house confirmed his “corpse” with their own eyes, they would not dare to move it without authorization.

And Yan Mingting, who was far away in Jiangnan, would receive the letter from the capital. Adding in the journey back, it was likely that “he” would have been buried in the ground for half a month, and Housekeeper Qin may not allow Yan Mingting to dig up the coffin and open it.

With the servants saying the same thing, Yan Mingting could only believe that he had really passed away.

When he thought of what kind of expression Yan Mingting would wear upon hearing of his death, he didn’t dare think about it further, and closed his eyes, letting himself fall asleep.

It wasn’t until he heard more voices outside that he lifted the corner of the window and found himself in a frontier town. Most of the people here had dark skin, and their voices were quite loud.

At this time, he noticed a familiar figure in front of him. It was Zhong Yuehong passing by with her men. He immediately put down the carriage curtain, and heard someone ask Zhong Yuehong: “Tell us more about the General and Zhao Yelan.”

“What Zhao Yelan, that’s disrespectful! He’s the one the General married, you must call him Zhao-daren, otherwise be careful of military law if the General finds out!”

“The General is biased toward him so soon?”

“That’s not called bias, it’s called preference.” Zhong Yuehong said with emotion, “I’ve seen what it’s like when the General likes someone. When we went hunting before, wasn’t he always the most prominent? As a result, during the last autumn hunt, he actually captured a rabbit alive without killing any prey.”

“Why?”

“To make Zhao-daren happy!”

As the voices faded away, Zhao Yelan slowly closed his eyes and suddenly noticed a line of wetness on his cheek. He wiped his cheek in surprise and looked at his wet fingertips, biting his lower lip hard.

He couldn’t regret it.

Time would erase everything, and soon, he and Yan Mingting would forget about each other.

He was so certain, but didn’t expect that when he heard news of Yan Mingting again, he would knock over the teacup in his hand in a panic.

At that time, he had been in the Western Regions for over a month.

The Western Regions and the Xuan Dynasty had been friends for hundreds of years. After the exchange of commerce and trade, merchants from the Xuan Dynasty often came to buy spices and cloth from the Western Regions to sell back home.

Several merchants were chatting while waiting for the boss to prepare the goods in a spice shop.

Zhao Yelan was sitting on the other side. He was dressed like a Westerner, and didn’t attract their attention. Listening to them discuss how to sell their goods after returning home, he felt bored, and was about to leave when he suddenly heard them mention Yan Mingting’s name.

After more than a month, hearing Yan Mingting’s name from someone else felt like it had last happened a lifetime ago.

Two days ago, Gu Niaoniao had sent a letter, which mentioned how she sent him out of the city, along with some trivial matters. But she never mentioned Yan Mingting, perhaps to avoid stirring up second thoughts within him.

“We won’t sell in Jiangnan this time. There’s a drought, and I don’t know if we can survive there,” One person said.

“That’s right, ah, but it’s admirable that General Yan is still taking the time to lead his army to Jiangnan for disaster relief.”

“Ai, he’s really miserable. He went to Jiangnan a while ago to suppress bandits, but Zhao Yelan passed away. It only took him three or four days to rush back, and I heard he ran several horses to death. Those of us who often travel know that it takes more than three or four days of travel day and night. I reckon he never closed his eyes.”

“I heard about it from a friend in the capital. When he returned, even the housekeeper in the mansion couldn’t recognize him right away. His eyes were bloodshot, and he didn’t look like a human being anymore. As soon as he returned, he said that he would open the coffin to see Zhao Yelan one more time. The housekeeper and servants all knelt down and begged him not to do it. He was buried in the ground, so let Zhao Yelan be buried in peace. Everyone watched Zhao Yelan die with their own eyes, and it was impossible for him to have been poisoned, because Zhao Yelan’s personal servant was always there to serve him.”

“Ai, it’s really pitiful. When I first heard about their marriage, I wasn’t optimistic at all. I just wanted to see if the General would kill Zhao Yelan. Who knew that this person would already be dead, and I would regret it.”

“You can say that again. General Yan is very kind to the common people. I was ridiculed before by someone saying that the status of a merchant is low, and it was him who helped me vent my anger when he passed by. I heard a while ago that he won’t eat or drink anything, and stays in the ancestral hall all night. After a few days, he lost more than ten catties. If he continues like this, he probably won’t live long.”

With a crash, the two heard the sound of a teacup smashing to the ground opposite them. They looked up and only saw a man from the Western Regions lowering his head to pick up the pieces in a flustered manner, and continued chatting.

“So I figure that when he took the initiative to go to Jiangnan for disaster relief this time, he actually didn’t intend to live on at all.”

“Many people think this way. I heard that when he went south, he brought Zhao Yelan’s memorial tablet with him.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t know how he got back to his residence. The newly-hired servant brought his meal to his room.

He stared at the food silently for a long time. The food here was far inferior to that in the capital. There were so many delicacies in the capital, good wine and good food. Why wouldn’t that idiot Yan Mingting eat it?

With complicated feelings, he wrote two letters. One was to Gu Niaoniao, and the other he asked her to send to Yan Mingting far away in Jiangnan. In the letter, he wrote as if they were his last words on his deathbed, saying that he had a premonition that his end was approaching. He thanked him for his company during those days, and hoped that he would live well in the future.

A few days later, he was still tossing and turning. He didn’t know what the situation was like with the drought in Jiangnan, and feared that Yan Mingting would be dragged down by depression before the letter reached his hands.

Thinking of this, he packed his luggage, left the Western Regions, and headed all the way south.

He wasn’t looking for the man, only traveling. Going to Jiangnan was the same as going to the Western Regions, Zhao Yelan thought.

It was only that the journey from the Western Regions to Jiangnan was extremely long, and the terrain was remote. When passing through the highlands, his body reacted uncomfortably. He was dizzy, short of breath, and nauseous for several days, and took some time to seek medical treatment from a doctor.

The journey initially would have lasted a month, but it took two months for him to reach the border of Quzhou. He heard that it had finally rained in Zhihuai and Huaizhou. Yan Mingting was also about to leave for the capital with his army, and was staying at an inn in the city. Many people went to visit him, but unfortunately, General Yan was so drunk that he didn’t recognize anyone.

Zhao Yelan entered the city at night, near curfew. He wore plain clothes and smeared dark color over his face. Pretending to be an attendant, he came to Yan Mingting’s room. He waited for a long time until he heard the subordinate inside come out. Seeing him with his head bowed, the subordinate thought he was an attendant and said: “You go and clean up the General.”

Zhao Yelan walked in with his head down and saw from a distance the person lying down on the bed. He couldn’t help but slow his pace, and when he saw the person’s face clearly, he couldn’t react.

How had Yan Mingting become like this? He reeked of alcohol, and had an unshaven beard, sunken cheeks, and dark skin. It was as if he had aged ten years.

Zhao Yelan felt a slight pain in his heart. Seeing that he was drunk and unconscious, he went forward with a handkerchief to wipe his face.

The other party moved after a moment. He reached out to the side and hugged the pillow, whispering: “Mengting, Mengting, I’m back.”

Zhao Yelan was startled. His eyes grew slightly wet, and he blinked vigorously to squeeze away the moisture.

“I’m back. Can you please not leave me?” Yan Mingting hugged the pillow in his arms, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

Zhao Yelan’s hands trembled at the sight. Just as he was about to wipe away the lines of tears, he saw Yan Mingting slowly open his eyes. He took a hasty step back, turned around, and ran out.

“Mengting, Mengting!” Yan Mingting opened his eyes and saw the running figure from the back. It looked very much like Zhao Yelan. He got out of bed quickly, but lost strength in his legs and feet, and fell to the floor.

His subordinate hurried in and helped him up.

Yan Mingting pointed at the door and said: “Quick, I saw Mengting, stop him quickly!”

“General, you’re mistaken, it was only an attendant just now. You drank too much and you’re talking nonsense.”

“But I think I really saw him!”

“This is the 127th time you’ve talked drunk, General.” The subordinate couldn’t bear it, and said: “Zhao-daren is dead, ah. His servant and Housekeeper Qin watched him die with their own eyes.”

Yan Mingting said dejectedly: “Why did he die? I haven’t explained my feelings to him yet. Why did he die?”

Zhao Yelan remained in the city for two days, and when Yan Mingting led the army to leave, he mixed in with the crowd and watched him go.

He had seen his own letter on Yan Mingting’s body that night, and believed that Yan Mingting would obediently live a good life.

So he continued to travel south. He said it was for leisure, but in order to avoid being discovered by others, he hid the entire way. He couldn’t relax at all, especially as the weather in the south grew hotter. The mosquitos were huge, and the land was deserted, so he went west and came to southern Xinjiang.

In the blink of an eye, it was winter. He stayed in southern Xinjiang for more than a month, and bought a secluded house, intending to live there for a year before making any plans.

On New Year’s Eve, he sat alone in the house, listening to the sounds of firecrackers and fireworks outside, which made the place seem even more deserted.

There was a charcoal brazier in front of him. He repeatedly looked at the letter Gu Niaoniao had sent a few days ago, ignoring the questions about his health and focusing on the things related to Yan Mingting.

This was the first time Gu Niaoniao had mentioned Yan Mingting in a letter in half a year, and it was about him remarrying.

Seeing that Yan Mingting was growing depressed and lifeless, the ministers in the court and central government began to introduce new people to Yan Mingting, but few were willing to marry their daughters to him.

Because of Zhao Yelan’s death, Yan Mingting’s fate as an evil star was confirmed.

As for Yan Mingting’s feelings about all this, the letter did not mention them. 

He instinctively thought that Yan Mingting would not intend to remarry, at least not so quickly, but he couldn’t help thinking — what if? What if Yan Mingting met a suitable woman and married her to soothe his soul?

On New Year’s Eve, a time of family and happiness, Zhao Yelan was depressed and alone until dawn.

Spring in southern Xinjiang was the season for all kinds of flowers. These flowers were not only for beauty, but also had other functions. Many kinds of poisonous vegetation grew here.

When he went out once, his face accidentally brushed a poisonous weed. As a result, his entire face became swollen and red, looking extremely irritated. How could he allow people to see him with such a face?

A witch doctor applied medicinal herbs to his face, and said it would take seven days for the swelling to subside. He looked into the mirror and almost went blind. Then he went to the street to buy a mask.

He sniffed his body again and found that the scent of the herbs covered up the scent of his sachet. He was about to go home, but heard someone mention Yan Mingting, saying that the General of the Xuan Dynasty had killed the former crown prince more than half a month ago.

Astonished, he went over to inquire about it, and discovered that Yan Mingting had found out that the person who had killed his father was the former crown prince.

He let out a sigh. While inwardly cursing the former crown prince, he couldn’t help but think that Yan Mingting would be happy after finally slaying his enemy.

He was thinking too hard as he walked forward with his head down, and unexpectedly bumped into someone. He had no time to deal with passers-by, so he raised his foot and was about to walk around them, but the other person also moved to block his way.

Frowning, he raised his head in dissatisfaction, but upon seeing the other’s face clearly, he froze on the spot.

Yan Mingting!

Why was he here?

“Who are you?” Yan Mingting asked, lowering his eyes to stare carefully into the eyes exposed by the mask.

---

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Extra 7 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 9: Faking Death (2)

Lucas didn’t speak, and only hugged Luo Ran tightly, wrapping his arms around the other’s back.

He remained in this posture for a long time, as if he had completely lost his strength.

“Why are you crying?” Lucas saw Luo Ran’s reddened eyes.

“I’m not.” Luo Ran shook his head.

He could just feel that the Alpha connected to his spirit was sad. Really, truly sad.

As angry as Lucas was with Cyril, he was just as angry with himself, perhaps moreso.

Luo Ran said: “Admiral, I always think about how great it would be if I had met you sooner.”

If he was right there after Lucas lost Alton, that would be so great.

“I often think so too.” Lucas stroked the back of Luo Ran’s head and said: “Let’s go back.”

Luo Ran took Lucas’s hand, and the two boarded the aircraft together.

Lucas leaned back in the chair and raised his head, adjusting his spiritual state.

This was no trivial matter. After submitting the investigation results and evidence to the court, the court session should start tomorrow.

Lucas thought to himself, could it be that those who had died were also secretly helping him?

After all, the evidence had been submerged by the heavy snow of an avalanche back then, buried deep. No one could find the evidence, and even Cyril couldn’t destroy it. But now, perhaps because of the insect, or perhaps because of natural geological movement, the avalanche recurred and brought back relics from the battlefield back then, which were found by Kleiman.

Without these two avalanches, nobody in this life would have known that it was the star pirates’ bright spear and his own family’s dark arrow that had killed Alton and his elite vanguard.

Of course, if Cyril hadn’t acted guilty and refused to let Kleiman go all these years, Kleiman wouldn’t have gone back to the snowy mountain and used people from the Luobing royal family to investigate.

Now he was reaping the consequences.

He noticed that Luo Ran was looking at him. Lucas smiled and said: “Don’t worry, I’m the Admiral. I’m the Admiral who protects the Empire and its people.”

—I am proud and unfallen, advancing bravely.

“En.” Luo Ran lowered his eyes and said: “I will accompany you. You protect the Empire and its people, and I will protect you.”

Maybe Luo Ran couldn’t help much on the battlefield, but he felt that he could handle official duties for Lucas, and deal with all kinds of conspiracies and people in the capital so that Lucas would not be stabbed in the back by his own family like Alton was.

With him around, he wouldn’t let Lucas’s spiritual power go out of control, nor let him suffer the fate of most Alphas above S-rank.

Lucas was taken aback.

Then Lucas grabbed Luo Ran by the collar, pulled him in, and kissed him on the spot.

Luo Ran was already used to Lucas’s straightforward, crude, and direct love style, so he closed his eyes and let Lucas bite him.

Lucas pressed the man against the window of the aircraft and kissed from his lips to his Adam’s apple.

This was their first moment of tenderness since being separated for a while.

“Ranran.” Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s hand and bit it, saying: “Mine.”

Like a puppy.

“Okay…..” Luo Ran gently pushed Lucas away, blushing as he said: “I need to return to the office and prepare the court documents……”

“En.”

After the court session, they would return to the battlefield again.

. . . . . . . 

The next day, Cyril was sitting in the position of the accused, covered in injuries. He had a red and swollen face, and was trembling all over — it hurt.

Cyril accused the First Prince, trying to place all the blame on him, and his lawyer was also exonerating Cyril.

The voice on the personal communicator was indeed Cyril’s. The time and date records on the communicator and the coordinates in the conversation all matched.

“Mr. Cyril has no military power and no influence, and the Aldor family has targeted him. With no family inheritance or influence, how could he dare do such a thing if no one influenced or coerced him?”

“And Cyril was told at the time that the information he provided would only lead to discord between them, and the younger brother who bullied him many times would get taught a lesson by the star pirates. He didn’t know that the consequences would be so serious. He was deceived.”

Lucas really believed that Cyril didn’t know what the consequences would be back then. He was deceived by the star pirates, and thought that at most, Lucas would be killed. He had thought that Lucas was the only one in that ravine operation, and that Alton was in the north.

After all, Cyril was not that courageous. He was essentially a coward.

The First Prince had been accused, so there were naturally lawyers to defend him.

Lucas and Luo Ran were sitting in the plaintiffs’ seats, watching them quarrel amongst themselves.

Watching the fires burn across the river.

Luo Ran glanced at Lucas. He smiled slightly and shook his head.

Dogs biting dogs.

In this plight, Cyril had no choice but to bite the First Prince. At the least, he could provide evidence of the private contact between them.

But the First Prince had more evidence.

The First Prince had no faith in Cyril from the beginning, and even regarded him as a back-up. Evidence was preserved for every action. Therefore, at this moment,  the First Prince successfully pushed the previous charges of embezzlement onto Cyril.

He picked himself clean.

The trial lasted for several days.

The Starnet was also very lively.

XXXX: Fortunately, Cyril was expelled by the Marshall and the Admiral! He’s not worthy of the surname Aldor! He’s just a motherless gutter rat! I’m so angry! I’m so angry ah! ! ! How could he do this! ! !

XXXX: Right! Disgusting! ! ! Aaaaaah how can there be such a person, ah!! Admiral Alton, wuwuwuwu……He was our hero, ah, I’m really crying. Why was he killed by this dirty piece of trash?

XXXX: Requesting the harshest punishment for Cyril! Death by a thousand cuts can’t make up for his sins!

There was a lot of scolding on the Starnet. The topic amongst the public these days was Cyril, and they all cursed and spurned him.

XXXX: Cyril and the First Prince are biting each other and breaking news! God, there’s so much information, ah. And I don’t know about a beast like Cyril, but why do I feel that the First Prince isn’t a good person?

XXXX: Cyril says that the First Prince instigated him to collude with the star pirates and embezzle, and the First Prince says that Cyril used his name to pay bribes. Who should I believe?

XXXX: Upstairs, let’s trust the Admiral. The Imperial politicians are so annoying.

XXXX: God, ah. I have chills all over. How could the eldest Aldor son collude with the star pirates……how did the marshall and his wife educate their children? Fortunately, the Admiral grew up under the knees of Admiral Alton. It’s true that Cyril is a beast, but in the end, he doesn’t have too much power in his hands. But if the First Prince really colluded with the star pirates, the Empire is really over. Aaaaaah, what are those who collude with the star pirates thinking, ah! Why are these people so disgusting! !

. . . . . . . .

In any case, the reputation of the First Prince was still damaged by Cyril’s biting.

And Cyril was completely beaten down by the First Prince.

It was originally a death sentence, but Lucas “pleaded” as the Aldor heir to have him transferred to the military prison.

For life.

This matter was considered to be over.

After the final trial ended and Cyril was imprisoned, the marshall called Lucas to the main house. 

Lucas could probably guess what was going on.

“The formalities have been completed. You just need to sign.” The marshall looked indifferent inside the study as he lightly pushed the documents on the desk toward Lucas.

“From now on, you will be the head of the Aldor family, and no one within the family will disobey you.”

There was also a sandalwood box on the documents, containing the Aldor seal.

Lucas said nothing.

“Aldor will depend on you from now on.” The marshall’s wife who was sitting to the side seemed to have aged several years overnight. Her face was haggard, but she still said with a smile: “You are a good boy. You and Secretary Luo will have a good life together in the future. Tomorrow, your father and I will go to the little Aldor planet Ty to live our lives. We won’t be in the capital anymore. We’ll be glad if you come to see us, but we won’t bother you. The planet Ty is very beautiful, and we can raise small animals. It won’t be boring.”

Lucas still didn’t speak.

The marshall hesitated for a moment before speaking.

He usually spoke very little, but it was different this time.

“Lucas, I admit that I did not do well.” The marshall said: “I didn’t do my duty well. I’m sorry.”

The marshall had gone to the battlefield when he was young, and was seriously injured within a year. It was a tragic defeat. After he returned to the capital, he was unable to move for several years, and he was also replaced as the Aldor commander.

It could be said that the marshall had a bad start, and was forced to quit the battlefield before he could finish his career. Since then, his personality had twisted into indifference, and he was willing to marry his wife because she would never leave him, and would take care of him when he couldn’t take care of himself.

Other than occasionally speaking a few words to his wife, the marshal no longer did anything or cared about anything.

He no longer fulfilled the duties of a father or of a marshal.

“En, you are a good boy. It is us who are wrong.” The marshal’s wife’s eyes were slightly red. She approached Lucas, and her outstretched hand paused, then retracted.

“I’m sorry, Lucas.”

Lucas lowered his eyes.

After a long moment, he said, “En.” But there was no emotion in it.

Then, Lucas took the documents and the box, strode downstairs, and left.

“Admiral.” 

Outside the house, the sun was shining. Luo Ran stood waiting beside the aircraft. When he saw Lucas coming, he immediately stepped forward.

“What’s wrong?”

Lucas shook his head, reaching out to gently hold Luo Ran’s hand.

To hold the only thing he had left.

“Let’s go.” Luo Ran smiled and boarded the aircraft with Lucas.

. . . . . . .

The day after the trial ended, Lucas and Luo Ran boarded the battleship and returned to the Luobing front.

Cyril was imprisoned at military headquarters, and there would be better days from now on. The marshal and his wife left the capital. Everything was settled.

But at this time, the First Prince took advantage and naturally placed all the blame on Cyril.

The investigation department had originally found the subtle connection between the First Prince and the star pirates, but now it directly became Cyril, and the the First Prince also requested that the case be closed.

“There is no one who doesn’t wet his shoes when he walks by the river. There will be results if we continue to investigate.” Lucas sneered coldly. “Have the investigation team continue to look into it.”

“En.”

The journey was long. Luo Ran and Lucas sat on the deck of the battleship, watching the stars. Luo Ran suddenly said: “Admiral, after this battle is over, I want to go back to the cemetery in Pure City.”

Although he didn’t know who his parents were, there were family members in that cemetery.

Lucas was shocked. He turned to look at Luo Ran.

“The Admiral has kept things from me.” Luo Ran pulled him down by the chin and said with a smile: “The Admiral had designs on me since long ago.”

“…….” Lucas turned his head and scoffed coldly. “First let me say, I didn’t have anything to do with you before, so don’t go imagining things.”

“Really? Then someone as low as me could still be selected as Secretary of the Empire, ah?” Luo Ran said with a smile: “The Admiral is very good.”

“…….”

“Shen Xiluo brought that information to me!” Lucas attempted to argue.

Luo Ran paused.

Although it was Lucas who accepted him in the end, if there were no secret moves made by Shen Xiluo in the beginning, Lucas would not have been able to see it.

Why did Shen Xiluo do this?

Besides this, Luo Ran had another point of doubt. 

“Admiral, did you participate in the Alliance Sports Competition five years ago?”

“Alliance Sports Competition? There is such a strange thing?” Lucas frowned. “What are you talking about?”  

“Five years ago,” Luo Ran repeated. “There was a very grand sports competition five years ago, and also this year.”

“Yeah?” Lucas said indifferently: “I don’t remember.”

“The Admiral must remember……right, it was near the time Adjutant Wang got married.” Luo Ran said: “Does the Admiral remember what happened after Adjutant Wang got married?”

“That was when the star pirates entered the Luobing mountains.”

Because of Wang Qiuyang’s marriage, there was a small loophole in the defenses of the mountainous area at that time.

Lucas still remembered that battlefield.

But Luo Ran’s memory was very good. He said: “Wrong, that battle was nine months past Adjutant Wang’s wedding. Does the Admiral remember what he was doing?”

“How can I remember what happened so many years ago!” Lucas said: “But I don’t have any impression. Was it really that long?”

“En.”

It looked like Lucas didn’t remember either.

Luo Ran frowned slightly, and then asked: “Admiral, what happened with the wisteria flowers and the cabin you mentioned before?”

“It’s nothing.” Lucas raised an eyebrow and said: “Are you jealous?”

“No, I’m just asking casually. I know more about the Admiral than he does about himself, why would I be jealous?” Luo Ran smiled, and likely had his answer. 

Luo Ran then went to look for Shen Xiluo.

As a field doctor, Shen Xiluo followed Lucas most of the time, and was also currently on the battleship.

“Secretary Luo?” Shen Xiluo was still going over materials in the room, and was a little surprised by the arrival of Luo Ran.

“You’re a rare visitor.”

Luo Ran said with a smile: “Doctor Shen, I want to ask you a few questions.”

“Ask.” Shen Xiluo pushed up his glasses.

Luo Ran pulled up a chair and sat down, saying: “Dr. Shen passed by me in the recruitment building, and at first sight, he knew that I was a 3S Omega, right?”

Shen Xiluo was taken aback for a moment, and then said: “Yes.”

“At that time, the Admiral had just returned from the battlefield and lost Alton, and his spiritual strength was very unstable, so you deliberately selected me, right?”

“……Yes.”

“You hoped that I would help the Admiral, and I really did. In my second year as the Admiral’s secretary, he had a complete breakdown and lost control, so I teamed up with you to pull off a deception.” Luo Ran lowered his eyes and said: “I took him to live in the wisteria garden in the suburbs, isolated from the world, and I used my spiritual power to ease and repair the Admiral’s spiritual injury. The Admiral and I spent nine months there.”

Shen Xiluo frowned, then stood and said with a frown: “You remember?”

“Only a little bit, mostly based on clues.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “At that time, in order to hide my identity as an Omega, you lied to the Admiral and said you had created that white tea incense, so that I would not be discovered even if I released my pheromones. Of course, mainly because of that Admiral’s spiritual breakdown at that time, his mind was unclear and he didn’t notice.”

“Yes.” Shen Xiluo nodded.

Luo Ran went on to say: “And you and Lu Cheng kept it a secret because the enemy was invading at that time, and the Admiral hurt me by accident, didn’t he.”

“…….” Shen Xiluo didn’t speak.

Luo Ran’s mental gap and many years of spiritual trauma had been caused by Lucas.

Luo Ran couldn’t laugh or cry.

“Doctor Shen, did you really think I would mind?”

“At that time, the relationship between you and the Admiral was not as deep as it is now, and……” Shen Xiluo said: “The Admiral may mind very much.”

Luo Ran paused.

Soon after, Luo Ran said: “Then don’t say anything.”

After leaving Shen Xiluo’s office, Luo Ran leaned against the wall and couldn’t help but chuckle.

His spiritual power was attacked, and his memory was a little fuzzy.

But he remembered many bits and pieces.

For example—

He had received his first mark at that time.

---

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Chapter Seventy-Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty

Not long after the bedside alarm rang, Bo Yueming woke up easily and turned it off.

He frowned for four or five seconds, and after forcibly driving away his drowsiness, he reconfirmed the time on his phone—

Eight o’clock in the morning.

Bo Yueming exhaled lightly, turning his attention back to the warm quilt.

His lover was leaning into his arms as usual. Most of his face was buried in the thick quilt, with only a bit of curled hair exposed, uniquely cute.

“Kitten.”

Bo Yueming stroked his lover’s hair, doting on him with a smile. “Wake up.”

Pei Yi, who was half asleep and half awake due to the alarm clock, misunderstood. He turned his back immediately and murmured, begging for mercy, “Won’t come, won’t come……”

“I, I’m going to be crippled, I really can’t hold on……”

“…….”

Bo Yueming smiled helplessly, and drew closer to tease, “Let me see, where are you crippled?”

Pei Yi shrank back under the quilt, dodging even more intensely as he sleep-talked, “Crippled, crippled. You’re fierce, I can’t.”

Bo Yueming lifted the quilt slightly and kissed his lover’s red earlobe. “Hey, I’m not joking, it’s time to get up. Didn’t you say that today is the first day of work after the new year, and you have a meeting at the studio?”

This half-month of annual leave, regardless of the length, had caused Bo Yueming’s biological clock to mess up for the first time.

But he kept his lover’s words in mind, and set the alarm clock for eight o’clock last night before going to bed.

“M-meeting?”

Pei Yi’s “career DNA” lurking in his bones finally rebooted, and his reasoning returned.

He opened his eyes in a daze, confirmed the situation in front of him, and then moved back into Bo Yueming’s embrace. “It’s all your fault.”

Bo Yueming couldn’t restrain his smile. “Huh?”

Pei Yi felt sore all over, and complained in a low voice, “If you break it, will you pay for it? There’s no good place on my entire body.”

He had joked on the night of New Year’s Eve, but the other party had taken it seriously.

From the start those few days ago, the two of them could still exercise restraint. During the day, they would normally go downstairs to walk the cat and go to Old Mrs. Bo’s main house for a meal.

Until New Year’s Eve—

Pei Yi understood the profound meaning of “misfortune comes from the mouth” for the first time, but he indulged in the other party’s caresses again and again.

Every night, he begged for mercy with an empty head.

Bo Yueming disagreed with him for once. “Little Sir, which time didn’t you hear me saying you didn’t have to? Didn’t I give you time to rest these two days?”

After the bit of fuss the morning before, they went to bed like usual in the evening.

Pei Yi neither listened nor owned up to it. “In any case, it’s not my fault.”

Bo Yueming said, “Okay, it’s my fault.”

Pei Yi’s eyelids drooped, and he couldn’t open them. He said in a teasingly spoiled manner, “Mr. Bo, I don’t want to work hard anymore. You can make money to support me.”

“Okay, ah.” Bo Yueming knew he was joking, but responded cooperatively.

Pei Yi hummed happily. “What time is it?”

“Ten past eight.”

Bo Yueming patted his shoulder twice, and said patiently, “Kitten, it’s really time to get up. Otherwise, do you want me to call and ask for leave, and say the reason is that—”

“N-No leave!”

Pei Yi stubbornly sat up from under the quilt. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Inspector still sleeping comfortably in the cat nest, and suddenly slumped onto Bo Yueming’s body, unbalanced.

“Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming saw that he was having a hard time getting up, and still pampered him. “I’ll take you to wash up, okay? You’ll wake up more after.”

Pei Yi quickly nodded. “En.”

Before transmigrating, it was difficult for Pei Yi to get up easily during the day because he stayed up every night to create games. But every time he had a serious job during the day, he would still force himself to get up and take a shower.

Unexpectedly, after dating Bo Yueming for a few months, he had completely transformed into an early morning lazybones.

Pei Yi hooked his lover’s shoulders and suddenly remembered an insult he had seen on the internet before—

Being spoiled in love made a person armless and legless!

After Bo Yueming announced that he had recovered his eyesight, driver Lao Fu had more free time, for no other reason than that his boss liked to personally send his Little Sir to work.

The car stopped outside the main entrance of the building where the studio was located.

“Thank you for your hard work, Bo-shifu.”

Pei Yi smiled and unlatched his seatbelt, asking casually, “Er-ge, I think I need to hurry up and take the driver’s license test. What do you think?”

The original owner had been a fool for many years, and didn’t have many “skill certificates.” Even his education was bought for him with Old Mr. Pei’s money and contacts so that he wouldn’t lose face.

Pei Yi didn’t agree with this approach, of course, but fortunately his own knowledge reserves were still sufficient.

He really wanted to learn new things, and could also make the effort.

Bo Yueming replied, “It depends on what you want. Even if you find it troublesome and don’t want to take the test, that’s fine. I’ll take you wherever you want to go, and if I’m not able to, there is also Lao Fu.”

“Okay, let’s wait for a bit.” Pei Yi looked at the phone. It was 8:55. “I’ll go up first.”

In any case, it was the first workday of the year, so he couldn’t be late in front of his employees.

Bo Yueming quickly grabbed his hand, leaning over to kiss him gently. “Go, call me if you need anything.”

“En.”

Pei Yi got out of the car and hurried into the building.

The elevator went up and paused at the first floor, and as soon as the door opened, Pei Yi ran into Li Yuan.

They hadn’t seen each other for a while. Li Yuan obviously had a little more flesh on his cheeks, and the wolf tail that the other party had grown long years ago was also cut short, but the small puff looked as cute as ever.

Pei Yi exchanged smiles with his friend and walked in. “Little Mr. Li, why are you here at the last minute today?”

Li Yuan covered his lips in an odd way and explained vaguely, “There was a bit of a traffic jam.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the other’s right foot. “Is it better? Did you drive yourself this morning?”

“After a half month’s rest, it’s much better.”

Li Yuan only answered the first half of the sentence, then changed the subject deliberately and looked at himself in the elevator mirror. “Pei Yi, do you think I’m getting fatter?”

Pei Yi nodded cooperatively. “En, your cheeks have improved a bit. That’s pretty good.”

Li Yuan said half-truthfully, “During the holiday, Brother sent me soup and food every couple of days.”

Especially bone broth and pig trotter soup. There was a big pot of it every time, and he couldn’t exercise, so he gained a lot of weight in just half a month.

These remarks sounded indifferent on the surface, but there was closeless hidden within them.

Pei Yi joked, “What? Brother only brought food to you? I’ll send him a WeChat message now.”

As he spoke, he really opened Qin Yishun’s WeChat account without being polite at all, and tapped out a sentence—

“Brother, you’re biased, you only sent food to Pear Garden.”

Then, in front of Li Yuan, he sent the message.

Li Yuan smiled, and complained, “Childish.”

The elevator stopped at the floor of YWY Studios.

The two restrained their teasing and stepped into the studio one after another.

Xian Nancheng and Lou Yang, who they hadn’t seen in some time, were sharing materials. The latter saw the two titular “bosses” and greeted them with a smile.

“You’re finally here. Happy New Year.”

“Sister Yang, Brother Xiang, long time no see,” Pei Yi greeted. “Especially Brother Xiang, you worked hard on the New Year.”

Xiang Nansheng put on his black-rimmed glasses and said, “It wasn’t hard, it was as it should be.”

Li Yuan confirmed the time. “The team leads of all the departments are ready. We’ll have a meeting in half an hour.”

“Okay, Little Mister Li.”

They spoke in harmony.

Pei Yi sensed Li Yuan’s gradually growing confidence, and hooked his shoulders, responding, “Okay, Mr. Li.”

Li Yuan replied in the presence of all, “Mr. Yi, don’t be like this.”

Laughter came one after another. The atmosphere in the studio was very relaxed. Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng looked at each other, and both had the same thought—

Compared to the kind of game studios where the top and bottom positions were obvious and the bosses were strict, this sort of atmosphere was better for the happiness of the employees.

. . . . . . .

Half an hour later, the meeting began.

The content of the first meeting of the year was very clear-cut. First, they summarized the holiday data of The Last Fog 1.0, and then clarified the monthly preparations for The Last Fog 2.0 mobile game version.

There were only four month before the mobile game launch that they had planned for June.

However, as early as when the studio had started version 1.0, Pei Yi and Lou Yang had simultaneously refined the NPC characters and story structure, so one-third of the project had been completed.

“I suggest that we recruit two or three more technical programmers as soon as possible to share the work pressure.”

As the technical director, Xiang Nansheng said bluntly, “In addition, the servers in the studio need to be greatly expanded.”

Compared to the stand-alone version 1.0, the mobile 2.0 version would greatly enhance the interactive experience, and data processing would be cumbersome and complicated.

The server expansion and increase was not only in preparation for the 2.0 mobile game, but also for the future 3.0 online game.

When Xiang Nansheng was still at Youming Studios, their most popular mobile game “Search for Another World” completely crashed because the server was out of operation, leading to problems such as large-scale disconnections and freezes among players.

It was because of this occurrence that Xiang Nansheng and Ke Ming had a falling out, and the former didn’t want to encounter such problems at his new job.

Pei Yi’s style was to always be serious during work meetings. “Director Xiang, don’t worry. Mr. Li and I will find people to implement these two points as soon as possible.”

He looked around. “If there are no problems, let’s end the meeting here. Everyone had worked hard.”

Before they knew it, they had already completed a two-hour meeting.

Li Yuan remembered something, and added, “The others can leave. Director Lou and Director Xiang, please stay for a while.”

In contrast, they were the real core components of the studio.

Soon, there were only the four of them left in the conference room.

Pei Yi looked at his friend beside him. “Pear Garden, what is it?”

“I have something I want to discuss with you—”

Li Yuan connected his computer to the projector screen and opened a saved page. “Here, take a look.”

Pei Yi concentrated on the large characters at the top of the homepage. “China Original Game Design Competition?”

Li Yuan nodded, explaining his thoughts, “Should we take The Last Fog 2.0 and participate in the competition?”

Pei Yi and Lou Yuang’s gazes happened to meet, and they saw the confusion in each other’s eyes.

One of them was a transmigrator, and the other had stayed overseas all year round, so they weren’t familiar with the competitions in the Chinese game circle.

Xiang Nansheng was the most familiar with this competition among them, and took the initiative to say, “This original game design competition has been going on for seven years. It’s the ultimate original game design award in the Chinese game circle, with three places to win each session.”

“Nearly all the hottest games on the market have participated and won awards, and there are free project funds and support afterward.”

High value, high player trust, and good benefits after winning the prize.

Two years ago, Xiang Nansheng and Ke Ming participated in the sixth selection with “Search for Another World,” but unfortunately lost in the final round amongst five entries.

Even so, Ke Ming took the title of “Top 5 Finalist in the Chinese Game Design Competition” and still launched the game “Search for Another World.”

It could be seen that even without an award, it was a good thing to be shortlisted until the last moment.

“If we participate in the competition and win a prize, we’ll be able to have extra publicity for The Last Fog project. Is that your intent, Pear Garden?”

There were no outsiders for the moment, and none of them were formal when addressing the others.

Li Yuan nodded. “That’s right, Brother Xiang!”

“After all, our studio is newly established and does not yet have a reputation inside or outside the circle. No matter how good The Last Fog 1.0 is, most players won’t remember our studio.”

Since their original game was not backed by a top company, they must find a way to create honors and achievements for themselves.

Li Yuan looked around, and finally locked eyes on his friend. “Our game can be exposed step by step after it goes online, but since we have the opportunity to create exposure in advance, why not give it a try?”

Pei Yi’s eyes flickered slightly. “Who says we won’t try? Haven’t I just heard about this? Since it’s a competition, isn’t there a registration process and deadline?”

“It’s ten days after tomorrow. Twenty participating games will be screened and accepted within a week, and an invitation letter will be sent to the producer.”

The location of the competition was set in Haishi every year. There would be a business conference first, then a screening, and finally, the winners would be announced and subsequent exposure and support would be provided.

Getting the general idea, Pei Yi was certain. “Then let’s hurry and sign up. When we’re shortlisted, Pear Garden and I will take a trip to Haishi.”

Lou Yang asked with a smile, “You’re so confident we’ll be shortlisted? Aren’t you afraid we’ll be eliminated in the first screening?”

Faced with this teasing, Pei Yi did not show any lack of confidence. “Sister Yang, we’re rushing to win the prize.”

They had worked hard for such a long time. If they were eliminated in the initial screening, then everyone in the studio would have to change careers.

What Lou Yang admired most was Pei Yi’s wild self-confidence. “En, we’re rushing to win the prize!”

Pei Yi heard movement outside the conference room, and at once changed his words to say cutely, “Okay, before we win the prize, let’s fill our stomachs first. I’m hungry.”

Li Yuan closed the computer and quickly said, “I agree.”

. . . . . . .

The information and certificates for YWY Studios were completed in their entirety, including the settings of the Last Fog game, so the registration process was very smooth.

Within a week, Pei Yi learned the news of their successful nomination from his friend.

Bo Yueming said next to him, “What are you smiling about? Is the pig trotter soup that Mr. Qin gave you so delicious?”

“Of course it’s delicious, try it—”

Pei Yi moved closer with the small bowl and took the initiative to feed his lover. “But I’m not smiling because of this.”

Bo Yueming drank the fresh soup. “Then what are you smiling about?”

Pei Yi briefly explained how the game was entered and shortlisted before mentioning the main point, “Li Yuan and I will go to Haishi in two days.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly, and he asked in detail, “When? How many day?”

“Um…..”

Pei Yi thought about the specific dates. “We’ll leave this Sunday and come back next Friday. It may take five to six days round-trip.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming went a bit silent upon hearing this timeframe.

Pei Yi put down the soup bowl and asked uncertainly, “Er-ge, do you not want me to go?”

“That’s not it, if you’re willing to pursue career advancement, of course I’ll support you.” Bo Yuemign feared that he would misunderstand, so he explained earnestly, “It’s just that I can’t go with you during this time.”

Old Mrs. Bo’s health was not as good as it was before her illness, and the main branch had just been uprooted, so the position of chairman had been temporarily handed over to Bo Yueming.

As for the position of general manager, it was completely handed over to Bo Jiao, and Bo Wang, who had just joined the group, changed his spoiled temperament and started as a project assistant.

Three new executives had taken office, and Bo Yueming was very busy during this time.

Pei Yi chuckled. “You have your career, and I have mine. There’s no need for you to accompany me.”

Bo Yueming spoke what was in his heart. “I’m afraid you’ll be in danger.”

He really didn’t want to experience the danger and fear of the past for a third time.

“Er-ge.” Pei Yi held Bo Yueming’s face and said word by word, “I’ll be there to participate in a game competition, not to fight for the assets of some wealthy family. How could it be so easy for me to get into trouble?”

“Pear Garden will be with me the whole time, and the organizers also have security measures in place.”

Bo Yueming knew this was the case, and said in a nearly inaudible voice, “En.”

Pei Yi saw that his lover still had doubts, so he took the initiative to raise his hand and say, “Er-ge, I will send you a message every morning, noon, and night to report that I’m safe.”

“This is a must.”

Bo Yueming pinched Pei Yi’s earlobe lightly and discussed with him, “Kitten, let me talk to Mr. Qin about the situation and ask the STS Haishi branch to send a couple of people to protect you secretly, okay?”

Pei Yi had originally wanted to say that it wasn’t necessary, but at Bo Yueming’s anxious and pleading look, he could only respond, “Okay.”

After saying so, he leaned closer and kissed the person in front of him. “Er-ge, don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“En.”

. . . . . . . .

The China Original Game Design Competition had received backing from the relevant departments to be held for the eighth time in a row.

This year’s organizers had increased their investment and directly contracted the airline tickets and hotel accommodation expenses for the various game producers.

The flight arrived at the Haishi airport at 8:30 in the evening.

Pei Yi donned his mask and peaked cap again, and walked through the airport with his friend.

While they walked, Pei Yi took advantage of this time to ask, “Li Yuan, while we’re in Haishi, keep calling me by my game ID.”

“The fewer people who know my real name, the better.”

Li Yuan responded with a smile, “I understand, didn’t you explain it to me a long time ago? I even used your English ID name on the form I submitted to the organizers.”

The Chinese game circle was all-encompassing, and many game masters used nicknames. The competition organizers had no restrictions in this area.

Li Yuan asked, “Why don’t you want to reveal your real name?”

Pei Yi replied, “No particular reason. It’s just that I’m used to using the Will ID to mix in the circle, and everyone might be relatively familiar with it.”

So far, the games developed by Pei Yi had filled in the production column of his ID, and there had previously been a small wave of popularity on Weibo and game forums.

In a conference event with gamers, it was more convenient to take out the ID.

Other than that, Pei Yi deliberately kept his secret because—

He and Bo Yueming were lovers, and the latter was temporarily the top executive chairman of Bo Group.

The status of such a “wealthy family” was too well-known, and he might be envied by others or plotted against by people with ambitions.

Since he worked hard for his career, in terms of family background, the less people knew, the better.

As soon as the two walked outside the pick-up gate, they caught sight of the staff sent by the organizer holding a sign to pick them up. The two sides briefly introduced themselves, and then headed to their reservation at the five-star hotel.

In the car, Pei Yi brought up business. “Xiao Chen, may I ask, is the list of the shortlisted games and producers out yet?”

“The organizers intend to officially reveal them at the opening ceremony tomorrow morning.”

The staff member Xiao Chen answered while driving, “But they aren’t deliberately hiding them—”

“Tomorrow morning is the opening ceremony, and other than those from Haishi, other game producers from abroad have already checked into the hotels arranged by us.”

“Teacher Will, Mr. Li, perhaps you will meet some game masters later whom you know or who are familiar with your ID.”

“En.”

Pei Yi and Li Yuan looked at each other, and saw the expectations in each other’s eyes.

In this sort of game competition, the first part was a learning exchange, and the second part was the competition and awards.

It was almost ten o’clock when they arrived at the hotel and checked in.

“Teachers, I won’t follow you up. You should rest well tonight. If you need anything, you can contact me on WeChat at any time.”

Xiao Cheng’s footsteps paused at the elevator door as he recalled something. “By the way, there is a 24-hour buffet on the eighth floor of the hotel. You can enter by reporting your room number.”

Li Yuan nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The double room in this hotel was quite spacious and tidy. Pei Yi put down his luggage and invited, “Pear Garden, want to go down and eat something?”

In any case, it wasn’t a familiar bed, so he wouldn’t be able to sleep right away tonight.

Li Yuan also felt hungry. “All right.”

Having reached an agreement, the two left the room.

Pei Yi picked up his cell phone as they walked. “I’ll call home to report my safety.”

Li Yuan feigned disgust. “Be careful where you’re going, don’t drop your phone.”

Pei Yi scoffed. His eyes remained on the phone, his fingers tapping quickly—

“Er-ge, I’ve arrived at the hotel and everything is going well. Now I’m going to eat some supper at the hotel restaurant with Pear Garden.”

“By the way, this is the address and room of the hotel. You’re welcome to send someone to do the guard rounds at any time.”

The return message on WeChat came very quickly. It seemed that Bo Yueming had been waiting for him to message—

“Don’t eat too much before bed, your stomach will be uncomfortable. If you can’t sleep, just take out my jacket.”

When Pei Yi saw the second sentence, his cheeks burned.

He glanced covertly at his friend, for fear of being caught by the other party.

It was always difficult for Pei Yi to fall asleep in a strange bed, but it would be too much to bring the quilt for a business trip that was less than a week—

So, when he was packing his luggage the night before, he secretly stuffed Bo Yueming’s coat in, thinking that he would put it next to the pillow or under the quilt as he slept, so that he could fall asleep with a familiar sense of stability.

The phone vibrated again. Bo Yueming on the other side had sent a picture of Inspector soundly asleep.

Ever since the two got together, Inspector could only sleep in the cat nest every night, but tonight was one of the rare times it could occupy the foot of the bed.

“Little Sir, Inspector misses you very much.”

Pei Yi looked at this silliness that had come immediately, and understood the deeper meaning behind it. A deep smile appeared in his eyes.

“Then tell Inspector for me that I miss him too.”

Ding—

The elevator door opened.

Li Yuan, who was standing in front, put his phone down first and reminded, “We’re here.”

“En.”

Pei Yi followed his friend out the door, and suddenly caught sight of a figure around the corner.

It was someone inexplicably familiar.

---

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Chapter Seventy-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Nine

The Dawn’s Gate Sect was neither big nor small in the Central Plains martial arts circle. The leader, Zhao Xiang, was well-known for having a loud voice, and could talk to everyone he saw like a brother, as if he had a friendship with everyone in the world. It was not surprising that such a person would be targeted by the Baifu Sect.

“Uncle Zhao.” Chang Xiaoqiu knocked on the door and asked politely, “May I come in?”

Zhao Xiang opened the door. At this time, there were no guests in the room, and there were only two hot cups of tea on the table. He asked: “What is it?”

“Just now, someone rushed to knock on my door, and then left in a hurry,” Chang Xiaoqiu said. “I was worried that something had happened, so I came over to check.”

“It’s alright, come in.” Zhao Xiang had no doubts about this explanation. He knew that with Chang Xiaoqiu’s martial arts, it was absolutely impossible for him to slip out of his window and return to the next room in such a short period of time, so he only judged the abnormal noise as some kind of animal.

The room door was closed.

In another room, Liu Xian’an asked: “Does the prince think that Chang Xiaoqiu can convince the other party?”

Liang Shu said: “It should be fine. It’s only a meal, and Chang Xiaoqiu can be regarded as a member of the Baifu Sect at present. If Zhao Xiang still wants to ask for money from Chang Wanli, it won’t be too unsightly on the surface.”

The two waited for a short period of time before Chang Xiaoqiu returned. Sure enough, Zhao Xiang did not refuse his request, but only said that he must obey the rules during the banquet and not talk or wander around.

His face was flushed, as if something major had been accomplished. He stood upright as if waiting for His Royal Highness Xiao Wang to assign him a new task, and actively asked: “Is there anything I should say at the banquet?”

“No need, so as not to alert the enemy,” Liang Shu said. “This lord will go with you.”

Chang Xiaoqiu became increasingly excited, so much so that Liu Xian’an wanted to give him two needles, so that the young man would not pass out due to excessive emotion. But Chang Xiaoqiu was not willing to have his attention diverted, and just continued to gaze at Liang Shu with blazing zeal. If not for the wrong timing and half-dead father back home wanting to cultivate to immortality, he wanted to talk endlessly about his grand dreams and immediately ride a fast horse to the Northwest and become a long sword piercing the clouds to guard the country’s border.

He was excited to this extent into the evening.

Liu Xian’an did not go along, but waited for the two of them at the inn. After a while, a guard of Xiao Wang Palace reported that a carriage had picked up Zhao Xiang and Chang Xiaoqiu and brought them to Yang Manor in the north of the city.

“Yang Manor?”

“Yes. After making some inquiries, we found that the owner of the manor is named Yang Yao, a well known jade merchant in the city. He goes to Cuili City to sell goods now and then, and his business is very big. Aside from Zhao Xiang, the guests attending the banquet tonight all drove carriages out from various inns, and the rough estimate is that there are about twenty to thirty people.”

Twenty or thirty people could already be regarded as a large banquet.

At this time, Yang Manor was already decorated with lamps and festoons, and there were many guests.

Chang Xiaoqiu followed Zhao Xiang inside. The banquet was not in the front hall, but down one corridor and then another, and then they entered a dark, empty room with no windows at all. The two came late, and when they were seated, there were already more than a dozen people at the banquet. However, they didn’t converse with one another, and only sat quietly, looking at people from the corners of their eyes and sizing them up.

Chang Xiaoqiu gazed around for a moment, and then quickly looked away. This room was tightly guarded, and he didn’t know if the prince could follow him in, but even if he couldn’t follow, this did not affect his brave and invincible image of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Chang Xiaoqiu sat with his back straight, with a sense of having a mission to accomplish, because if the prince didn’t follow him in, then the rest was up to him!

“Cough.” Someone coughed from the next chair, and the group immediately became quieter. At this time, an old man wearing brocade robes walked out slowly. It was Yang Yao, the owner of Yang Manor. It stood to reason that he was just a merchant, a lord who had no status no matter how rich he was. Presently, he looked as dignified as an emperor, and everyone had to stand up and salute him.

“Greeting Holy Envoy Yang!”

“Dispense with the courtesies, everyone, sit down.” Yang Yao raised his hand. “Since you were invited to come here, you must have contributed to the growth of my teachings. You are one of us, and you need not be restrained.”

Chang Xiaoqiu sat back down on his chair. The dishes were all well-prepared, with a rich and fragrant aroma, but few people ate and no one spoke. He thought to himself, what are you all doing here? Sitting here hurts my ass. “Holy Envoy Yang” at the head seat began to speak again, talking about the teachings of the Baifu Sect in a vain and boring way. After talking nonsense for a long time about sisters and brothers loving one another, he finally got to the point and asked everyone at the banquet to remove their disguises and show their true selves to the others.

As soon as these words were uttered, the scene immediately became a little more uneasy and oppressive. As Liu Xian’an had guessed before, since they chose to cover their faces, it meant that each was a person of status in the Central Plains. The Baifu Sect was presently classified as a cult by the Imperial court. If others knew who they were…..they were a little hesitant, and nobody wanted to go first.

 But Chang Xiaoqiu was very straightforward. He had long wanted to see what kinds of fools believed in that greedy and twisted holy lady. So he slapped the table and stood up, tore the mask from his face, and raised his arms with a shout of, “Baifu Buddha Mother, save the common people!” He was proactive and pious. Zhao Xiang couldn’t even stop him if he tried, and sat aside to stare angrily.

Yang Yao laughed and applauded: “Good, good, little brother, that’s very good! What is your name, which sect do you come from?”

“I am the young head of the Wanli Escort Bureau, Chang Xiaoqiu!”

“It turns out to be the young head of an escort bureau. Heroes truly do come from the youth, how refreshing!” Yang Yao glanced around the table. “What about the rest of you?”

“…….”

There was no way to hide. After a dead silence, a second person removed his mask. 

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

More and more faces appeared, and Chang Xiaoqiu looked at them one by one, inwardly surprised. He had originally thought that his father had been stimulated, and the Baifu Sect took advantage of that, but among the group of people attending the banquet tonight, there were many leaders of great sects. How had even these people lost their minds? They had entered the water and were willing to be commanded and controlled by this old man surnamed Yang. If he said to take off the mask, they would take off the mask……when it came to controlling people’s hearts, cults really had skill.

“Good, hahahaha!” Yang Yao laughed again. “After seeing one another’s true faces, you will truly be regarded as my Baifu disciples in the future! Come!”

As soon as he clapped his hands, one of his subordinates immediately brought a large jug of wine. After opening it, Yang Yao didn’t pour it for everyone, but took a dagger and cut his finger, sprinkling blood into the wine. “Now it is your turn.”

Starting from the first chair, the disciples held the wine and cut their hands to bleed. Chang Xiaoqiu did as commanded, with an ominous premonition in his heart. This stuff couldn’t be for drinking……right?

It really was for drinking.

After everyone had mixed in their blood, the light red wine was poured into each of their cups. The candlelight danced, making the shadows on the walls look like some kind of hideous beasts.

Chang Xiaoqiu picked up the wine cup. It was like holding a cup of thick syrup scooped up from hell, overwhelming his stomach, and he really wanted to run away on the spot.

His hands trembled slightly, and his fingers were pale.

“Baifu Buddha Mother, save the common people!”

His ears were full of people’s shouts.

. . . . . . 

The night was already very deep.

The brazier in the room was a bit hot, but Liu Xian’an didn’t feel sleepy, so he went out to get some fresh air. The entire back courtyard was surrounded by people from Xiao Wang Palace, so it was extremely quiet. He had just found a chair to sit in when two people suddenly dropped down from the wall. When one of them landed, he staggered to the corner of the wall and vomited desperately. Inside the room, A-Ning was shocked and ran out to see what had happened.

Liu Xian’an asked: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing happened, he just ate something unclean.” Liang Shu said, “Go and pour him something to wash his mouth.”

A-Ning made a sound of acknowledgement and hurriedly helped Chang Xiaoqiu to the room. Liu Xian’an asked further: “What did he eat? It looks as if there were poisonous insects at that banquet.”

“I’m afraid it wasn’t as good as poisonous insects.” Liang Shu gave him a rough summary of what had happened that night. “He just gritted his teeth and drank it, without letting the others see any abnormalities.”

“Who were the people at the banquet?”

“All of them were from the jianghu, similar to Zhao Xiang, and many were of higher status than him.”

Liang Shu said: “Before, you and I were still guessing why the Baifu Sect chose a lonely and dangerous peak as the location to worship the saint, but now we have our answer. It turns out that it is not just a test for believers. They bothered to win over such a large number of martial arts practitioners, and it is clear that their next step is to make trouble for the Imperial court.”

Once there was chaos in the Central Plains jianghu, it would obviously be more serious than chaos in a town or city. Liu Xian’an asked: “Then what is the prince’s next plan?”

Liang Shu said: “We’ll go and meet that holy Baifu maiden who confuses people’s hearts first.”

Liu Xian’an reminded: “But this time, if the prince still wants to follow in secret, I’m afraid it will be tricky.”

He tugged Liang Shu by the sleeve into the room, where there was a map spread out on the table. “Just now, I was studying the terrain of White Crown. It is a lone peak, like a writing brush stuck into the flat ground. There are only two climbing paths, and if the Baifu Sect people have the slightest bit of brains, they will have them guarded. The prince can only go up the mountain from here.”

Liang Shu asked: “Here won’t work?”

“It might, but it will be dangerous.” Liu Xian’an frowned. “The poisonous miasma and forest of thorns at the top of White Crown are all located at this area, and even animals find it extremely difficult to climb.”

Liang Shu pondered for a moment: “Actually, it may not be necessary to go up this way.”

Liu Xian’an looked at the map again: “But there is no other way.”

Liang Shu moved his face closer: “Give me a kiss, and afterward I’ll tell you where the path is.”

Second Young Master Liu was very unrestrained in this respect, because he himself wanted to kiss him very much and it could not be considered a disadvantage. Thus, he simply kissed him twice and asked: “Where is the path?”

Liang Shu, however, was tickled by this sensation of a dragonfly touching the water lightly, and grabbed this person to have him sit on his lap, needing to hold him before he could say anything. Liu Xian’an couldn’t sit still for a moment, and wrapped one arm around his shoulders and braced one hand against the table. He looked up just in time to see Chang Xiaoqiu come in, and asked him: “Young Head Escort Chang, are you feeling better?”

Chang Xiaoqiu had just been through a round of vomiting, and was very weak. His mind was not clear, and he just let out a flimsy “En” and moved a chair over to sit down, looking at the two cordially.

He didn’t see anything improper about the ambiguous sitting postures of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang and the miracle doctor.

---

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Chapter Seventy-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Eight

The carriage went all the way south, and when it passed through the rugged mountainous area, a wheel couldn’t bear it, and broke.

Yan Mingting and Xiao Gao tried in vain to repair it.

Zhao Yelan looked at the rest of their luggage in the separate carriage. Fortunately, it was only half-full and could accommodate two people, so the broken carriage was abandoned, and the two of them huddled in the luggage carriage.

After traveling like this for a day, Yan Mingting could still bear it, but Zhao Yelan couldn’t stand the torment. There was no place to lie down, and even sitting was uncomfortable. The mountain road was extremely bumpy, and he couldn’t sleep all night, so the two just huddled in the narrow space and talked.

When it was finally dawn, he asked Xiao Gao if there were any towns nearby where they could buy a carriage. Xiao Gao said with embarrassment that there were mountains all around, and it might take a day or two to reach the nearest town.

Zhao Yelan gave a sigh of despair. Never mind if there was no town. He just wanted to eat hot food and drink water.

Fortunately, no place was completely cut off from people. At this moment, he saw smoke rising nearby, and said: “Let’s go over there and have a look.”

Along the way, apart from staying at inns, they also often stayed at ordinary people’s homes. They met all sorts of people, which was also entertaining.

There were few people around here, and when they finally saw cooking smoke, they naturally had to rest for a while.

After about a stick of incense, the carriage finally stopped. Zhou Yelan and Yan Mingting got out of the carriage and looked around. There was only a simple house in this mountain field, built with earthen walls and a thatched roof. It seemed that if there was a heavy rain, the house would collapse.

“What do you think?” Yan Mingting asked for Zhao Yelan’s opinion.

Zhao Yelan hesitated for a long moment, but decided to rest for a while. He was thirsty and sleepy now, so he wasn’t too bothered.

Xiao Gao first went to check the nearby terrain, and Yan Mingting took Zhao Yelan to knock on the courtyard door: “Excuse me, is anyone home?”

“Who is it, ah?” A crisp voice sounded from inside.The person seemed young.

“We’re passing by and would like to ask for a drink of water,” Yan Mingting said.

“What are you doing passing through this wilderness?” There was still some vigilance hidden in the young man’s voice.

Yan Mingting smiled a little: “We got lost. We’re not wicked people, and only came here by accident.”

No one answered from inside, but Yan Mingting heard small movements to the side. A young man poked his head over the courtyard wall and looked at them, then came over to open the door with a stick of firewood in his hand: “You really came to ask for water?”

“Yes,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan stared at the young man silently for a long moment. He didn’t expect that there would be such a good-looking person hidden in the wilderness. The other party’s eyes were bright, and he couldn’t stop looking at him and Yan Mingting.

At this time, there was another voice from inside: “Xiao Wu, who’s here?” Immediately after, another gentleman came out.

The young man immediately lost his guarded expression, turning his head to smile at the man as he said: “Passers-by, asking for a drink of water.”

“Then come in, have you two eaten yet? We’re about to have breakfast. If you don’t mind, let’s eat together,” the man said.

The two of them had been waiting for just such a thing, and after saying “excuse us,” they went into the house together.

At the dining table, the two and the young man faced each other in silence, each with their own thoughts.

Both of them thought that these two young men were a bit unusual. The person in front of them had an excellent appearance, with clever, deer-like eyes and delicate, fair skin. It could be seen that he had not been exposed to the sun for a long time, but his hands had a few blisters, as if he had done a lot of work in a short period.

And the young man who was serving porridge in the kitchen had an indescribable feeling around him. He had black hair and black eyes, was personable, and behaved in a dignified manner, not like an ordinary farmer at all.

It was a bit intriguing that these two people had appeared here at the same time.

“Who are you?” The young man asked suddenly.

Zhao Yelan said: “Just people passing by.”

The young man’s gaze fell to his attire: “Seeing how wealthy you are, could it be that you’re traveling for leisure?”

“Exactly.”

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, and asked again: “Why are you two out for leisure? Where are your wives and family members?”

Yan Mingting said: “We are a family, and he is my wife.”

The young man’s eyes widened immediately, and he looked at them in disbelief: “Really?!”

“No lie.” Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with a smile. “Isn’t that right, wife?”

Zhao Yelan ignored him. He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, and his expression turned bitter. The tea actually had sediment in it!

He was about to spit it out, but the young man suddenly held his hand and called excitedly: “Brother!”

Zhao Yelan was startled, and swallowed the tea: “…….”

“Hey, what are you doing, kid?” Yan Mingting hurriedly slapped his hand away, but the other party turned around and took his hand too, calling him brother.

“What are you shouting ‘brother’ for, don’t you know how much older we are than you?”

“Older? I think you must be thirty at most, right? I call you brother out of respect,” said the young man.

“You have a good eye.” Yan Mingting held his hand. “Little brother, my half-brother from a different mother.”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

The young man asked curiously: “How long have you been married?”

“Fifteen years,” Yan Mingting said.

“Wow!” The young man immediately rushed into the kitchen. “Did you hear that? They’ve been together for fifteen years. Look how loving they are, ah, we can do it too!”

Hearing this, the man turned his head and glanced at them, then smiled and said to the young man: “I know. Let’s bring the porridge over first.”

“Okay.” The young man placed the porridge in front of them. “Taste my future wife’s cooking. He’ll be the number one scholar in the future, so I call this porridge number one scholar porridge!”

The two of them looked down, and saw that the porridge was unappetizing and practically dry. Zhao Yelan asked: “Are you sure this porridge can be eaten?”

“Of course, millet tastes the best, rich young masters like you wouldn’t understand.” The young man retched quietly while eating the porridge, then said with a smile: “It’s delicious, you eat some too!”

The two people: “…….”

Zhao Yelan almost suspected that he was an assassin who was trying to kill them.

“I’m sorry, there isn’t much food around here, so we can only cook it a little dry to fill our stomachs.”

The man brought out two more bowls of porridge and a plate of side dishes.

It would be fine if the porridge was just dry, but Zhao Yelan could see crispy pieces of grain in it. He picked up one of the side dishes and asked: “Is this a local specialty? Why is it black?”

The man said shyly: “These are green vegetables.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

But the young man proceeded to quickly swallow the side dishes and porridge almost without chewing.

Yan Mingting said with emotion: “It’s clear that you truly love each other.”

The young man smiled and said: “Wow, brother, you are really discerning!”

The man glanced at the young man and smiled softly. He grabbed his sleeve to take a look at it and said: “There’s a hole here, I’ll sew it up for you later.”

“Okay, you’re really capable!” The young man praised.

It was the first time that Zhao Yelan was fed such a lovey-dovey scene. It was quite novel, and he couldn’t help but think of his friends and wonder if they had the same feeling when he was with Yan Mingting.

Zhao Yelan barely ate a few mouthfuls, but Yan Mingting marched ahead and fought well. He had already finished one bowl, and went to the kitchen to prepare another, only to find that the pot was empty. The two of them must be truly struggling.

The man turned his head and said: “I’m sorry, I only cooked for two people, so there isn’t enough.”

“We are the ones who have troubled you, and even ate your breakfast,” Yan Mingting said.

But the young man comforted the other man, saying: “Look, I told you that the food you cook is delicious, he wants to eat a second bowl. You need to have more confidence in yourself.”

“Okay, I will.”

After eating, the young man went to wash the dishes, and the man took out a needle and thread to sew his clothes for him.

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting were quietly discussing how much food money they would leave for them when they heard a crash in the kitchen. The young man came out with a broken bowl and said with a mournful face: “I broke another one.”

“It doesn’t matter, that’s better than smashing eight at once,” the man said encouragingly.

The two people: “……”

Zhao Yelan looked at the man and saw that he was threading the needle clumsily, like an old woman. It took him a long time to get it in, then he sewed with trembling hands, and his finger bled after poking it a few times.

The two people: “……”

It was truly not easy for these two people to survive. After thinking about it, they should leave more life-saving money for them.

When the two got up, the young man felt that he and Yan Mingting had hit it off right away, and insisted on dragging him aside to chat. 

And Zhao Yelan was also drawn over by the man, who asked cautiously: “Daring to ask, is your surname Zhao?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback, and looked at him in surprise. “You know me?”

“I just guessed. The two of you are not ordinary, and it is clear that you are either wealthy or noble. Although marrying a man as a proper wife isn’t rare nowadays, it was a marriage fifteen years ago that caused a sensation all over the country and broke the taboo.” The man cupped his hands and bowed. “Zhao-daren, I have admired your name for a long time. It is an honor to meet you here.”

Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly: “And you are?”

“My father’s surname is Shen. He is currently working in the Imperial Academy.”

The current head of the Imperial Academy was surnamed Shen. He had two sons. The eldest had already married and established a family, and he had heard that the second son had a marriage contract with someone in his early years.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you getting married soon? Your father even handed me a wedding invitation a while ago,” Zhao Yelan said curiously.

The man sighed: “It’s a long story. I’ve already written an annulment letter to the Liu family, and I am in love with Xiao Wu. I hope Zhao-daren will not tell my father. When the time is right, I will return to Beijing to plead guilty.”

After bidding farewell to these two people, Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting got back on the road, but Yan Mingting took out a jade pendant and said: “I thought that kid was unusual, and sure enough, he said he was from the Liu family in Jiangnan. He asked me to take this jade pendant to the Liu family and ask for money so that he can buy bowls, clothes, and a big house for his future wife.”

Zhao Yelan paused: “Wait, who did you say he is?”

“From the Liu family in Jiangnan.”

Zhao Yelan laughed suddenly: “Coincidentally, his lover is from the Shen family.”

“What?!”

Zhao Yelan told him the story, and Yan Mingting laughed, saying: “Then should we go back and tell them?”

“Forget it, we’ve traveled too far. Depending on their own good fortune, maybe they’ll wait until the novelty wears off and forget about living out here.” Zhao Yelan said with a smile: “I want to see how far they can go.”

A month later, the two came to Jiangnan again. They first stayed in Zhizhou for a few days. Magistrate Sun was still healthy and strong, but would soon take his wife to the capital to accompany his daughter and grandson.

Magistrate Sun also prepared several pots of lotus wine for them. Yan Mingting had missed the taste of it very much.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but think of the last time he drank lotus wine here. So many years had passed in the blink of an eye, but the emotions of that time were still fresh even now. As long as he thought about it, his heartbeat would speed up and his blood would boil.

Yan Mingting carried him to bed. Both of them smelled like wine, as if they had fallen into the depths of a lotus pond, staggering and dizzy.

When the two passed through Zhihuai and Huaizhou, they were recognized by many people and received a warm welcome. The local common people had always respected them, and their folk customs were more open.

With Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting being in love, the common people seemed to have seen their example, and were open to the matter of men marrying men. Some people even went to the old Guoshi to have their fortunes read and see if they could find the person they were destined for. The old Guoshi never expected that he would become a master of marriage.

“It seems that the relationship between the two of us will never be broken. The common people will not allow it,” Yan Mingting said confidently.

Zhao Yelan: “Do you think I care what the common people think?”

“Then you care about me.”

Zhao Yelan laughed and grasped his chin, leaning forward to kiss him. The wind blew the curtain of the carriage, and the people passing by saw the love between Zhao-daren and General Yan, who they held in the highest esteem. They were relieved, and at the same time, somewhat envious.

When they arrived in Quzhou, it was Wang Guisheng who came to receive them. He had been the magistrate for several years. When he saw them, he still couldn’t help but feel that the years had been very kind to them.

They showed signs of aging after so many years, but they were still the same as before, standing side by side, bright and luxurious. Their demeanors had not diminished, and there was a bit of additional calmness.

When these two stood together in the past, they always faced ridicule and abuse behind their backs, but now they had become a good story for people all over the country.

Just when he was about to sigh with emotion, he saw Yan Mingting at the dinner table holding up the wine bowl. He was about to drink heavily, but Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways look: “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

“Aiya, it’s rare to get together with Wang Guisheng. The friendship of more than ten years is in this bowl of wine!” Yan Mingting said.

“How did I not know that you’ve had a friendship with him for more than ten years?” Zhao Yelan said quietly.

Wang Guisheng quickly clarified: “The General and I have never been familiar.”

Yan Mingting choked, then turned to look at Zhao Yelan: “Just one bowl. It’s really the last bowl.”

Zhao Yelan: “That’s what you said just now.”

“It’s really the last bowl.” Yan Mingting tugged his sleeve under the table, looking at him with aggrieved eyes. “The wine here isn’t too strong.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him for a moment, and finally let him have it.

Yan Mingting was happy. Only, he drank too much and had to be helped back to the room. As soon as he was put on the bed, he hooked the other’s waist and said drunkenly: “Mengting, sleep, sleep.”

Zhao Yelan waited for a while, seeing that he was about to fall asleep in a daze. Then he carefully took his hands away and walked out of the room lightly, returning to the table.

“I’ve kept you waiting.”

“It’s no problem,” Wang Guisheng said with a smile.

“Tell me more about the canal.”

“All right.”

The canal was a measure that Zhao Yelan vigorously promoted six years ago. It required a lot of manpower and material resources. From the perspective of time, it was a waste of money and people. At that time, it was opposed by many people and drew a lot of criticism. However, he resisted all opinions and insisted on building the canal. Fortunately, the Jiangnan people responded in support, allowing it to begin smoothly.

On the Jiangnan side, it was actually Wang Guisheng who led the way. He and Wang Guisheng exchanged letters and discussed for a long time before Wang Guisheng decided to lobby the common people.

The project was completed the year before last. The two of them discussed the current situation for nearly an hour before stopping. Zhao Yelan asked: “It’s so late, why don’t you go back?”

“It’s rare to see each other, I want to chat with you for a while,” Wang Guisheng said with a smile.

This was the largest inn in the city. Wang Guisheng had originally wanted to invite them to stay at his home, but Zhao Yelan thought that it would be inconvenient to stay with his family, so he chose the inn.

The two chatted about what they had seen and heard over the years, and time passed quickly. Just as he was talking about the stupid things Yan Mingting had done, and Wang Guisheng was laughing out loud, Yan Mingting appeared behind them.

“Why haven’t you gone to sleep?” Yan Mingting asked in a deep voice.

Wang Guisheng knew that this was aimed at him, and shook his head with a laugh. He didn’t expect that after so many years, the General would still be an old vinegar jar.

After inviting them over to the house for dinner the next day, Wang Guisheng took advantage of the opportunity to say goodbye.

“Weren’t you sleeping? Why are you up again?” Zhao Yelan stood up.

“If I didn’t get up, were you planning to chat with him all night, ah?” Yan Mingting said.

“I see you still haven’t sobered up.”

“I woke up and found that you weren’t there, and sobered up in fright.” Yan Mingting walked behind him and hugged him, lowering his head to smell him. Still a little drunk, he kept calling his name in a low voice, “Mengting, Mengting.”

Zhao Yelan leaned into his arms habitually. The corners of his mouth curled up in spite of himself, and he looked down at the bustling scene on the street. The common people were all smiling, carrying lanterns with joy and laughter. Today was the Lantern Festival.

“Those lanterns are beautiful,” Zhao Yelan said casually, pointing to the opposite building.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mingting jumped out at once, going to the opposite side to steal two big lanterns before coming back: “For you.”

“Be careful not to get arrested as a thief.” Zhao Yelan took the lanterns and studied the paintings on them.

A warm yellow halo shone on his face, as beautiful as a person in a painting.

Yan Mingting was fascinated by the sight. He lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead: “Why don’t you make a wish?”

“What wish?”

“Wish that you will love Fangli forever,” Yan Mingting hinted very clearly.

“Why not wish that you will love Zhao Mengting forever?”

“It seems that this fake wish-making ceremony can be dispensed with. What is the point of wishing for things that will definitely come true?” Yan Mingting suddenly laughed.

“Yes, ah.”

The two hung up the lanterns and watched the light of the festival together, the children on the streets laughing and cheering, and the fiery trees and silver flowers bursting in the sky.

Seeing that the land was safe, and that the one they loved was always by their side.

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T/N: I finally got around to doing the rest of the extras! The final ones are a six-part “what if” series, and I’ll post them soon.

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Extra 6 <<Table of Contents >> Extra 8: Faking Death (1)

Liu Xian’an was unable to get any rose wine cakes, so he went to eat a bowl of rice noodles with chicken soup. Halfway through the meal, he saw that other diners were adding spice to their bowls, so he curiously asked the boss for a small spoonful. However, after taking a sip of the soup, it was so hot that he crouched on the ground and coughed for a long time, his ears sore and buzzing.

Liang Shu got up and went to buy fresh flower soup for him. When he brought it back, the proprietress was complaining about the boss, saying, the city has been full of foreign guests recently, how many of them can stand your ancestral spicy oil? He also hadn’t warned the guests, and put the jar away quickly.

The boss was quick to curry favor. Liu Xian’an dizzily drank the sweet soup, not caring to listen to what the people next to him were saying. When he finally recovered, Liang Shu had already paid for the meal, and took him by the wrist to walk to the opposite side of the street: “Do you want to eat iced fruit?”

“Don’t want to.” Liu Xian’an said, “Just now, I seemed to hear the proprietress talk about Nanyang?”

“She said that Raven City was also lively in previous years, but most of them were merchants from Nanyang. This year, there are many people from the Central Plains.” Liang Shu said, “They are the same as us, claiming to be going to Cuili City to view the jade.”

“The Central Plains are thousands of li away, and it is almost the first month of the new year, which is a time for family reunions, but there is such a large number of believers in the city.” Liu Xian’an said, “It seems that the scale of this pilgrimage is not small.”

While talking, the two walked into a teahouse, which was the best place to inquire about news. It was very lively, and even a table had to be fought for. It was just that the group of guests who sat down earlier clearly didn’t welcome Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an. They put their legs sideways on the empty stools and continued to eat melon seeds with their heads down.

“Guests, this…..” The attendant rubbed his hands with a troubled expression. 

Liang Shu glanced at the people at the table, but didn’t care, and said to Liu Xian’an: “Let’s go over there and see if there are any more vacant tables.”

After speaking, and without waiting for the attendant to reply, he strode toward the window. Liu Xian’an jogged to keep up. The two asked around at every table, but they couldn’t find a place and only received blank stares. At such a time, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang showed an unprecedented good temper. Even when he was driven away, he did not get angry, and even had a half-smile on his face.

And this half-smile didn’t disappear until the two of them left the teahouse and entered a deserted alley, where it was replaced by the gloom of coming rain. Although Liu Xian’an was clever and insightful, he didn’t understand what his intentions were this time, so he carefully asked: “What is it, is there something wrong with that teahouse?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the teahouse, it’s the people inside the teahouse who are the problem.” Liang Shu said, “Most of them were wearing masks.”

Liu Xian’an was surprised to hear this: “Those were their faces after putting on a disguise?”

Liang Shu nodded: “Yes.”

Liu Xian’an felt a bit of a chill down his spine. The human skin masks were not frightening. What was frightening was the conspiracy behind the masks. There was only one reason to cover the face, and that was to avoid being recognized by others. Ordinary people in the surrounding villages and towns obviously didn’t have such a need, and even if they did, it was difficult to find such realistic masks.

This meant that the believers who came to Raven City were not ordinary people. They at least already had a certain status or reputation, or else there would be no need to go to such trouble.

The tentacles of the Baifu Sect were not only touching the border of the north, but were also touching the upper layers. Liang Shu waved his hand to summon a group of guards, and ordered them to go into the city to collect information. Everyone took their orders and left, and only one remained where he was to say: “Your Highness, just now on the street, I seemed to see an acquaintance of ours. Although he was also wearing a mask, his voice was very distinguishable.”

Liang Shu asked: “Who?”

. . . . . .

The teenager tossed two cheap walnuts in his hands, rising and falling as he juggled. Little children followed behind him in a long line, clapping and cheering unceasingly, which made the boy feel proud. He turned his head and grinned, but he looked so strange and stiff that the onlookers ran away in fright, thinking that he was an evil, soulless boy — there were often such legends in these parts.

The boy didn’t care about being rejected, and continued to toss walnuts and hum all the way back to the inn, but he refused to rest honestly. As soon as he tore the mask from his face, this person immediately jumped out the window like a monkey, tumbled over, and swish, leaped up. Clinging to the wooden beams with his hands and swinging slightly, he stuffed himself into a narrow corner at the end that connected two guest rooms.

This action was done in one movement, without attracting anyone’s attention. He carefully put his ear close to the wall, attempting to eavesdrop on the people in the room, but could only capture a few extremely vague words. In order to hear more clearly, he continued to press against the wall, but he miscalculated slightly with his hands and grasped two bamboo slats on the wall with a click, which immediately aroused the vigilance of the people in the room.

“Who is it!”

The young man tried to run in a panic, but before he could use his qinggong martial arts and escape on light feet, an external force grasped his neckline and he flew up into the building – into his own room.

Knock-knock-knock! The door was knocked hard three times. “Young Master Chang, are you in the room?”

“……Yes, cough, I’m here.” Chang Xiaoqiu was still in shock, and swallowed dryly before saying louder, “I’m sleeping, what is it?”

“It’s nothing.” The footsteps at the door quickly vanished.

Liu Xian’an poured a cup of tea and handed it to Chang Xiaoqiu: “Drink?”

Chang Xiaoqiu looked at the gleaming dagger at his neck. Do you think I can drink?

He didn’t recognize Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an. Still panicking, he pretended to be calm and said in a low voice: “Can you put the knife down first?”

“No,” Liang Shu said. “Tell me, what are you doing in Raven City?”

Chang Xiaoqiu said without hesitation: “Buying jade.”

Liang Shu laughed with a pfft: “We’re already using this excuse. Why don’t you think up a new one?”

Chang Xiaoqiu said stubbornly: “I’m here to buy jade, what, is this not allowed? Who are you guys!”

“When buying jade, why bother to listen in someone else’s corner like a thief?” Liang Shu said, “If you don’t tell me, I’ll send you to the officials.”

“You have no evidence, I won’t admit anything!” As Chang Xiaoqiu said this, his body suddenly slid down like a loach, but he still couldn’t escape. He was swept over by Liang Shu’s leg so hard that he fell down face first.

Liu Xian’an urgently reminded: “His leg is still injured!”

Liang Shu carried him back again: “Sit down!”

Chang Xiaoqiu was stunned for a moment. There were not many people who knew that his leg had been injured, and he quickly ran through the list in his mind. First, he stared at Liu Xian’an to identify him carefully, then turned his head abruptly and held his breath as he stared at Liang Shu. His face flushed red, and he uttered a hesitant sentence after a long moment: “……Y-Your Highness?”

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Your Highness!” Chang Xiaoqiu was overjoyed to meet the number one hero in his heart in this dilapidated place. He was so excited that he couldn’t speak, and didn’t care about etiquette. His eyes widened and he moved closer. “Is it really you?” Before Liang Shu could respond, tears welled up in the other’s eyes, and he hiccuped in his excitement.

Liu Xian’an: “…….”

Liang Shu said: “Now let’s talk, ba. Why are you here?”

“If I didn’t come, my father would.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “It’s a bit complicated to talk about.”

In short, after being betrayed by He Rao, Chang Wanli was devastated and depressed. He didn’t even care much about the business of the Escort Bureau, and spent all day long tinkering with something. Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t take it to heart at first, but one time, he inadvertently discovered that a strange-looking statue was enshrined in their Buddhist hall.

“My father…..he is not a Buddhist.” Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t finish his sentence. He felt that his father previously was almost entirely interested in money and desire, but now he knocked on temple blocks and chanted scriptures in such a strange way, and there were gradually problems with the Escort Bureau’s accounts. Money had disappeared. He didn’t know where it went, and didn’t ask. 

“It’s like he’s been possessed by an evil spirit.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “I went to investigate secretly with Uncle Chang, and finally discovered that he had been lured by others to believe in some rubbish. Not only does he offer money and incense on time, but he also offers a cup of his own blood every now and then.”

Liang Shu: “Since you discovered this, why didn’t you report it to the officials?”

“Because my dad couldn’t stop bleeding and knocked himself out.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “He’s so ill, and his mind isn’t clear. I’m afraid that if he is taken to prison, he’ll die. Just when I was losing my temper, the liar who dragged my father into the cult coaxed him by saying that he could see the Holy Maiden of Baifu as long as he donated a pot of gold.”

“Your father agreed?”

“He agreed. He struggled to set out on the road and couldn’t be stopped, so I gave him a bit of weakening powder,” Chang Xiaoqiu said.

Chang Wanli was paralyzed in bed, unable to get up for some time. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only agree for his son to go to Raven City and meet the saint in his stead. Chang Xiaoqiu pretended to be well-behaved and honest. His father just nodded to everything he said, and left all the affairs of the Escort Bureau to Chang Xiaohan. Chang Xiaoqiu followed the cultists all the way south, planning to get in with this big group.

Liang Shu asked: “How big is it?”

Chang Xiaoqiu was full of youthful enthusiasm: “Big enough to die with that fucking saint!”

Liang Shu said: “Based on your skills, I fear you will give away your head for nothing.”

Chang Xiaoqiu blushed: “Then I must understand clearly what sort of tricks they are playing.”

“Who is the person who brought you south?”

“The head of Dawn’s Gate, Zhao Xiang. My father was brought into the Baifu Sect by him.” Chang Xiaoqiu said, “He is very suspicious and shrewd, so he never trusted me. Even if I acted the whole time, drew blood like my dad, and chanted mantras for a long time, he didn’t intend to lead me to the saint at all, and just told me to wait at the inn. I suspect that the reason this person agreed to take me south was all for the pot of gold.”

“You just went to listen in his corner?”

“Yes,” Chang Xiaoqiu said. “After that surnamed Zhang arrived in Raven City, he secretly met with many people. His status in the Baifu Sect is really not low, and people visit him all day long. It seems he is going out to a banquet tonight.”

Liang Shu smiled: “If he can’t let you meet the Holy Baifu Maiden, he’ll have to bring you to one dinner, right? Otherwise that pot of gold would be for nothing.”

“…….” Chang Xiaoqiu was silent for a moment. In fact, he felt that according to the extent of his unpopularity along the journey, he might not even be able to make it to this meal, but now that these words were spoken by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, could he disappoint him?

Impossible!

So Cheng Xiaoqiu clenched his fists fiercely: “Okay, I’ll try!”

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Chapter Seventy-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Seven

After Lucas went to the military academy at the age of thirteen, he made amazing achievements there that couldn’t be matched by his seniors. He even directly tackled the task of enlisting in the army and cleared customs at an SSS level, showing the Empire his strength as a 3S Alpha, and forcing Alton to accept this young lion cub.

Since then, Lucas had been staying at Alton’s side on the battlefield, and almost never returned to the capital. Of course, Lucas had no desire to return to that home.

Only — the second time he returned, it was because Alton was injured and needed to receive treatment in the capital.

Lucas and Zhou Mingkai, both of them young boys, hid beside the pillars of the capital elementary school gate, looking inside furtively.

The security guard saw the two of them, recognized the military school uniform on Zhou Mingkai’s body, and didn’t think anything of it.

“See?” Lucas pointed at the silver-haired kid who was being led out by a man.

Lucas thought, that silver hair is really easy to recognize.

“I see him.” Zhou Mingkai was so curious that he poked his head up and continued to observe. He really wanted to know what it took for someone like Lucas to come here on purpose to look like a pervert.

The little boy was led by his father, carrying a small school bag as he kept up in an unbalanced manner. He made intermittent and unskilled attempts to talk to his father and share what he had seen that day.

After returning to the capital, it took a long time for little Luo Ran to learn how to speak and live like other people with the help of his counselors. It was only that he still didn’t know much about the world, so when he went to middle school, the children started to rebel, and he was bullied when he started to stand out.

After all, his personality was strange, his hair was strange, and there was also the Viscount.

“Wow……” Zhou Mingkai opened his mouth wide and said, “Is that your child bride?”

“Bah!” Lucas smacked Zhou Mingkai’s head fiercely and said, “That’s my son!”

It was the little one he rescued from the cave.

Lucas stuck his chest out proudly.

The two of them climbed the wall, and those who didn’t know better would think that they were two bad students who had skipped class to go make trouble at a different school.

. . . . . . .

And when Lucas returned to the capital again, it was time for him to inherit Alton’s army and reputation, and officially become the Admiral of the Empire after Alton’s death.

The adjutants had been selected one by one, and only a secretary was missing.

But everyone said that with a character like Lucas’s, how could it be possible for there to be a secretary who followed him closely and communicated with him about everything?

“I said, I don’t need a secretary or any assistants!”

Lucas threw the document on the table, pa!, and said with impatient fury: “Get lost!”

The head of the department trembled when he was yelled at, and wanted to cry but had no tears. He said: “But Admiral……you really need a personal secretary to help with your official duties. We chose Betas with honest personalities and common backgrounds, so we promise they won’t cause you any trouble!”

The department head went for broke.

This time when they were filtering and selecting applicants, Shen Xiluo happened to come over and pick up a document, and said that if it was this person, the Admiral might accept them.

Thus, the department head took courage and, as if about to die, stuffed the file into Lucas’s hands.

“He’s really excellent! Really, truly suitable for you, Admiral!”

Job vacancies were too troublesome for the operation of the office.

And no one wanted to deal with Lucas at work every day, which was really too miserable.

Lucas was about to curse, when he caught a glimpse of silver hair from the corner of his eye.

Silver?

Lucas picked up the file and looked at it.

The department head stared at Lucas hopefully, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

Pa!

Lucas tossed the file away and said: “Whatever.”

“Yes!”

. . . . . . . . 

Early in the morning, sunlight shone through the wisteria flowers in the floor-to-ceiling office window.

“Wu……”

Luo Ran opened his eyes, feeling that the effect of the jacket and the bed was too potent. The pheromones were so strong that he had no dreams last night, and he was no longer in so much pain that he couldn’t sleep.

“Wake up, Ranran.”

There was a familiar and gentle voice, a little bit hoarse.

“En.”

“…….”

There seemed to be something wrong.

Luo Ran turned his head, and his eyes widened in shock.

“Admir—”

“Mmph.”

Lucas held Luo Ran’s face and kissed him.

The kiss was not deep, and only rubbed across his lips. Although less passionate, it was a little more charming.

“Admiral……” Luo Ran looked at Lucas who was lying on top of him, and his tone trembled a little.

He was, he was back.

“You…..why didn’t you tell me?” Luo Ran asked in a daze. “When?”

In fact, he had been notified, but Luo Ran was in a coma at the time.

Lucas smiled and said: “If I told you, I wouldn’t have known you were like this in private.”

Lucas pointed to the jacket he was holding, and then at the bed beneath them.

Luo Ran’s face immediately flushed red.

“I……”

“You what?” Lucas raised an eyebrow and said: “You secretly love me so, so, so much, right?”

“Don’t you really like my pheromones?”

Lucas leaned over and hugged Luo Ran, letting him nestle into him, encircling this person with his jacket and arms. He said: “Do you like them or not?”

There was a strong smell of tobacco at the tip of his nose. It was an earthy scent.

Luo Ran wrapped his arms around Lucas’s waist and said nothing.

Lucas chuckled.

“Ranran.”

“En?”

“Did you miss me these few days?”

Luo Ran paused and said: “Admiral, you know I missed you very much.”

“Tsk…..” Lucas put his head on Luo Ran’s shoulder. “I know.”

The two simply embraced each other without speaking.

After a while, Luo Ran spoke: “Admiral, is the battle on Luobing over?”

“No, it’s only ended temporarily. Mu Yuan can hold on for the time being.” Lucas said: “I’ll be leaving after a while.”

Luo Ran frowned and said: “Admiral, I’m really okay. No matter what happens, I can take care of myself. You don’t have to…..”

Lucas interrupted: “I came back to have a look and decided to take you with me.”

“Ah…..?”

Lucas said: “Would you like to go to the front lines with me? It may be more dangerous, but I want to be selfish for a while. I promise to do my best to protect you.”

He didn’t feel anything before, but now that their relationship was confirmed, Lucas was very uncomfortable without Luo Ran by his side, and it was difficult for him to settle down.

There were naturally no distractions on the battlefield, but off the battlefield, he was always concerned.

He didn’t want to be separated.

But he didn’t want to use video, and most of the time he didn’t have time for video.

He wanted to hug Luo Ran to sleep.

Luo Ran stared blankly at Lucas.

After a moment’s pause, Luo Ran said: “Then let me be selfish for a while too.”

They couldn’t go on like this forever.

It might be bearable if they were Betas, but they were an Alpha and an Omega, both sensitive 3S’s, and Lucas spent most of the year on the battlefield. It was a precarious state.

Going to the battlefield with Lucas was the best solution.

Lucas was a little happy, kissing and biting Luo Ran messily from the start.

The water in the office had gone cold overnight. Lucas got up and said: “I’ll pour warm water for you to take medicine.”

“Okay.”

Lucas went out, and bumped into the captain of the investigation team.

Lucas stopped the captain and said with a raised eyebrow: “I’m back now, and no longer on the battlefield. I don’t need to concentrate so fully anymore, so you can tell me everything, right?”

The captain paused, then said: “Yes.”

Not daring to say anything, the captain directly handed the document in his hand to Lucas.

Lucas took it.

Luo Ran seemed to have sensed something, and also noticed the gradually disordered pheromones in the air, so he walked out of the office wearing Lucas’s jacket. 

“Admiral…..”

Lucas held the file, saying nothing.

After a moment, Lucas said expressionlessly: “We’re going to Cyril’s manor.”

Luo Ran paused, then put on his shoes and followed.

. . . . . . . 

Cyril’s manor could be considered the most luxurious in the Aldor family, at least a little better than the main house.

Knowing that Lucas had taken a small team to Cyril’s manor, the marshal and his wife hurried over.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” The marshal’s wife clutched Luo Ran anxiously.

Although Lucas hated his brother, he wouldn’t lead troops to barge in like this. After all, no matter how reckless Lucas was, he would also consider the direction of the future Aldor patriarch, and would not do anything to draw the ridicule of outsiders.

Luo Ran lowered his eyes and said nothing.

Lucas directly kicked open the gate, and the people he brought suppressed the manor guards.

“You…..what are you doing?”

Cyril went downstairs, and was shocked to see the battle in front of him.

Lucas strode forward, grabbed Cyril by the collar, and bam, smashed him against the wall.

Cyril’s head was instantly bloodied. The blood flowed down his forehead, and Lucas’s strength was clear in the way the other’s face went completely dazed.

“Lucas…..!” The marshal’s wife’s voice changed. This was her flesh and blood, after all, and she stepped forward to put a stop to this.

Then the team brought by Lucas immediately came forward and held her back from the left and right.

“One hundred and eighty five.” Lucas panted heavily. “One hundred, eighty-five.”

Cyril stared blankly at Lucas, still somewhat mystified.

“A total of one hundred and eighty-five people died in the Border Ravine, including Admiral Alton!” 

Lucas’s eyes were red, his chest heaving violently.

“A total of one hundred and eighty-five people, understand?!”

There were many Imperial soldiers, and this number was actually not much to the royal family or the council, who had never been on the battlefield. It was only a number, not to mention it wasn’t four digits or even two hundred.

But for Lucas, every one of them had a name. They were all comrades-in-arms. They were all people.

Only now did Cyril understand, and his face went pale.

“You piece of shit! That was your uncle!” Lucas wasn’t good with words, and even though his mind was a mess right now, he didn’t know how to rebuke him.

He just couldn’t understand.

He couldn’t understand it at all.

Why?

How could someone who was clearly a citizen of the Empire and a member of the Aldor family do something like tipping off the enemy?

What was the reason?

Why would he do this?

Lucas kicked Cyril and pushed him to the ground. “You are a citizen of the Empire! You’re not a star pirate!”

He really couldn’t understand why Cyril would do this.

“You are the eldest son of the Aldor family! Your surname is Aldor and you grew up in the capital!”

“Are you a star pirate?! No, you are clearly the descendant of a military family!”

Lucas shouted: “Even an Aldor dog knows not to bite its master!”

Lucas’s voice seemed to penetrate the roof, and his Alpha pheromones made everyone in the hall almost breathless.

Lucas’s uncontrollable fury and emotion filled his pheromones with aggression, and even Luo Ran felt that his breathing was shaky, as if there was something pressing down on his shoulders.

For every word Lucas spoke, he kicked Cyril, who was lying on the ground, gasping for breath and spitting up blood. His kneecaps were deformed, and he was crying out in pain.

The marshal’s wife and the marshal naturally tried to stop it.

“What is the problem, speak clearly!”

“Your brother is going to die!”

Lu Cheng, who had followed along, played the personal communicator on the spot.

The marshal and his wife were stunned at once.

The marshal’s wife froze in place, and then began to tremble.

Her fingertips shook.

The marshal turned his back, and no one could see his expression.

“One hundred and eighty-five!” Lucas gripped Cyril’s head and hit it continuously against the floor.

“Those one hundred and eighty-five people were soldiers, including your uncle, who was protecting you cowering, scheming bastards!”

“Why should they protect you and die for you?!”

Lucas was short-tempered, but never so out of control.

“Mom, Mom……help me, cough……help me……” Cyril struggled, reaching out a hand to the marshal and his wife.

The marshal’s wife knelt down and covered her tearful face.

After a moment, the marshal said: “As of today, Cyril will be removed from the Aldor family. He is no longer an Aldor.”

His back was facing everyone, so there was no way to know what his expression looked like, but his voice was as cold as ever.

“Mom…..Mom……” Cyril’s face was pale, and he was in disbelief.

The marshal’s wife shook her head with her face covered, crying so hard that she couldn’t breathe. 

Wrong, it was all wrong.

“Help……me……” Cyril had wounds all over his body, and his blood was all over the tiles.

“What are you afraid of, you won’t die.” Lucas panted. “You won’t die in your lifetime.”

Death was too easy.

There were so many tortures in this world, and Cyril was an Alpha with spiritual power. It was better to keep him alive.

“You……!” Cyril’s eyes widened in disbelief. “D-dead people…..can’t……be reborn. There’s no m-meaning……in torturing me……it’s just for……yourself……”

“Just for myself.” Lucas said with reddened eyes: “What kind of person do you think I am?”

“Cough……”

Cyril was taken away. In the future, his case would be heard in court.

That was why the marshall had announced his expulsion, so that it was Cyril who would be humiliated, and not the Aldor family.

The marshall’s wife couldn’t bear it anymore. She fainted, and was taken away by the marshall.

Lu Cheng tactfully led everyone away.

Only Lucas and Luo Ran remained in the hall.

Luo Ran stepped forward at once and hugged Lucas.

Lucas buried his head in Luo Ran’s shoulder and didn’t speak.

Luo Ran gently stroked the back of Lucas’s head.

Still silent, Lucas leaned against him.

Luo Ran released his own pheromones, gently dispelling the chaotic tobacco scent in the air.

“Ranran.”

Lucas’s voice was hoarse.

“En, Admiral.” Luo Ran hugged Lucas and said: “Admiral, listen to me.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s really not your fault.”

“En.” Lucas put his arms around Luo Ran’s back.

---

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Chapter Seventy-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Nine

If he was “very impressive,” then there must be some other rewards. So Liu Xian’an loosened his shoulders, neck, and back for him again, and this time his technique was much more gentle and considerate. Liang Shu felt that the fatigue he had accumulated in recent days seemed to be relieved altogether. He reached out and pulled the man into his arms: “Shall I massage you too?”

“Okay.” Liu Xian’an lowered his head and pointed at the back of his neck. “Here.”

The shoulders wrapped in pajamas were white and thin. The poems said that a beauty was like a plum blossom frozen in spring snow. If this was true, then Liang Shu was not willing to touch this thin body made of ice and snow too hard, and only massaged his muscles lightly, asking: “You eat and sleep all day long, so why haven’t I seen you grow more flesh?”

“I don’t eat much.” Liu Xian’an drew in a breath. “Go to the left.”

Liang Shu did as he said and bent his index finger, and within a few strokes, the person in his arms shrank into a ball. He struggled to run, but Liang Shu refused to let him go, grabbing his arm with one hand and his ankle with another. “Be obedient, don’t move.”

It was impossible not to move. Liu Xian’an was so grieved that tears were about to flow out, and his pajamas were rubbed so that the belt was loose. Liang Shu’s gaze slipped down the open neckline and thoroughly appreciated the light pink cherry blossoms. His grip became lighter, embracing that slender waist, and he lowered his head to kiss his cheek.

The promised massage turned into a pair of young lovers rubbing each other’s ears and temples. Liu Xian’an wrapped his arms around his shoulders and lay on the bed with a smile, the tips of their noses rubbing against each other. They kissed intimately for a while, and in the gaps between kisses, Liu Xian’an didn’t know what went through his mind, but he tilted his head with a laugh again, and couldn’t stop. He laughed so much that Liang Shu also became amused and hugged him tightly, asking: “What are you so happy about? Tell me.”

“It’s nothing,” Liu Xian’an said. “I just feel that this is very good.”

Liang Shu pressed the other’s moist lower lip with his thumb and rubbed it for a moment. He also felt that this was very good. In the past, his entire body was engulfed by the thirty thousand-li long desert wind, and the moon shone down on the powerful army in Liangzhou. He had thought he would be lonely and cold forever, and never thought that such a lazy sleeping immortal would be waiting at this corner of his life. He smiled and squeezed him, then kissed him lovingly and affectionately. The kiss caused Liu Xian’an to start to hide again, and only then did he calm down. The two fell asleep together.

A-Ning in the next room craned his neck to look two or three times. He didn’t wait for the young master to come back, but waited until the lights in His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s room were all extinguished, then sighed deeply and worriedly. Alas, such a lack of etiquette.

But Second Young Master Liu didn’t care about etiquette or impoliteness. He felt that he had never slept on such a soft and comfortable bed, so he stayed there until noon the next day as a matter of course, and was finally woken up by A-Ning’s forceful push.

“Young Master!” He said, “You’ve overslept!”

Liu Xian’an was forcefully pulled up by him. He yawned for a moment, then looked around and asked: “The prince has left?”

“His Highness left early in the morning. Everyone should be in the study right now.” A-Ning shook his clothes out. “Stretch out your hands.”

Liu Xian’an reluctantly put on his clothes, but after putting them on, he fell straight back and persevered in not moving, too lazy to wash up. A-Ning had a lot of experience at this point. He folded his arms and stood beside the bed, saying: “The prince said that he would wait for the young master to have a meal together.”

“……” Sure enough, Liu Xian’an immediately sat up. “Where?”

The dining area in the front courtyard.

It was rare to have such a sunny day in winter, so Liang Shu instructed someone to set up a dining table in the courtyard along with a steaming hot pot of cured pork with sweet glutinous rice and fresh, sweet mushrooms dried in summer. Gao Lin took a sip of the soup and said to Ku You: “Hey, this tastes really fresh, what a good thing. Pack a bag for me when I go.”

“They’re just ordinary mushrooms,” Ku You said. “They are sold everywhere in the Southwest. If you want them, let alone a bag, a cartload would not cost you much. But don’t buy them yourself, I’ll do it. Otherwise, if you meet a profiteer, they will mix in poisonous mushrooms and sell them as good mushrooms, and I fear you will eat them and then have to search for the villain everywhere.”

Gao Lin was caught off guard, and almost choked on his soup. Liu Xian’an patted his back twice and said: “I’ve read records of these in books. In the early years, many wizards used poisonous mushrooms to extract toxins and used them to pretend to be gods and ghosts to entrap people. Are there still such incidents now?”

“There are, but most of them happen in remote villages and towns. In slightly more prosperous places, people no longer believe in these things.” Ku You said, “The government’s years of hard work are still evident, but the hateful cult is pervasive. Often, when one hole is filled in, they start causing trouble in other places.”

For example, the so-called “Baifu Buddha Mother” was just a stone statue, but now she had been reborn into this world as a girl. Ku You continued to speak to everyone about the cult. Liang Shu took a pork rib that was cooked until it was crispy, removed the hard bone, and left the meat in the bowl. After letting it cool down, he pushed the bowl in front of Liu Xian’an: “Don’t focus on these stories, eat.”

Ku You was shocked by this set of smooth, caring movements. He hadn’t become accustomed to this sort of big scene yet. Gao Lin just patted his shoulder with the attitude of someone who had seen the world. This is nothing, really. There will be more such behavior from the prince in the future, and you will get used to it gradually.

. . . . . .

In the afternoon, the scoundrel named Wang Quan from the neighboring village was brought back to Garrison City. Seeing the soldiers with long swords all over the city, he was so frightened that he wet his pants first, and before being interrogated, he took the initiative to speak up and reveal everything about the Baifu Sect. He raised his head and swore: “My lord, I don’t believe in this stuff, not even half of it!”

Ku You said: “But how did I hear that you are running all over the place, being extremely diligent in developing your recruitment business?”

Wang Quan admitted with a bitter expression: “Yes, that is because there is money to be made, and it is settled on a per capita basis.” And the salary was not low. So this scoundrel pretended to believe wholeheartedly, seemingly pious, but it was all for business behind the scenes.

“Who is your superior?”

“Zhang Magan, but he died of illness a while ago. When he was dying, I went to collect my debts.”

“What debts?”

“I have recruited many people to join the congregation, and according to the agreement, he had to pay me, ah. But I went late, and when I got to the door, I found out that he was dying, unable to speak. His family was clamoring to report to the government authorities, so I had no choice but to leave.”

Wang Quan didn’t know who Zhang Magan’s superior was. Like Qiu Cheng, he could only speak of Raven City and a jade business. However, he provided a new clue that Qiu Cheng hadn’t known. This time, the place where the believers would pay homage was on a dangerous peak called White Crown.

Liu Xian’an had also heard about this mountain. It was one of the highest mountains in the Southwest, and was also one of the few mountaintops that had snow in winter. When the sun shone, the entire mountain looked pure and radiant, which was really suitable for someone pretending to be a god. But there were almost no access paths, and even martial arts masters needed to exert effort to climb the mountain. It would be very difficult for ordinary people to manage it.

“It’s still horrible weather right now,” Gao Lin said. “Even if you are tired from climbing, you can’t rest. If you sit for a while, you will likely be stiffened by the cold mountain wind.”

“This is the way the Baifu Sect accurately screens out everyone but fools,” Liang Shu said. “Otherwise, if the location was set at a restaurant in the city, everyone could join the fun and have a drink, so how could it highlight their fanaticism and loyalty to the saint? In my estimation, it is for the same reason that they change the set time back and forth and play around with the believers. They screen out those with brains and good dispositions, and the ones left behind are the puppets they want most of all.”

“The White Crown is near Raven City.” Liu Xian’an asked, “Shall we go as well?”

“We’ll go.” Liang Shu said, “Let’s go meet that Holy Maiden of the Baifu Sect.”

. . . . . .

Raven City was farther south than Garrison City, and the weather was naturally warmer. Liu Xian’an didn’t even need to wrap up in a fur cloak, and had also lost his cotton coat. He sat in the carriage with a heater in his hands, watching the bustling crowds outside the window.

In the twelfth lunar month, the spirit of the New Year was already very strong. Unlike Baihe City with its white walls and black tiles, the New Year here was much more colorful. From time to time, a stall owner sang a few lines of folk songs, and the proprietress at the inn also stood at the door to join in. But she stopped singing midway and wiped her hands on her apron, going forward to welcome the guests: “Will these masters be staying at the inn?”

“Yes.” Gao Lin tossed her a piece of silver. “My young master prefers quiet, so he’ll take the whole establishment.”

“Ah, then there is nothing that can be done.” The proprietress was apologetic. “My inn is nearly full, and it’s even a squeeze to get an upper room.”

Gao Lin asked: “Then where else is there?”

“It’s the same for other establishments, I don’t talk nonsense about business.” The proprietress said, “There have been more people in Raven City recently, so there are more customers.”

“Why are there so many people?” Gao Lin pretended to be puzzled. “It’s almost New Year’s Eve. We are Northerners and can’t make it back. Could that be the case for the other guests as well?”

“Who knows, it’s hard to say.” The proprietress said, “Are you still unwilling to stay here? My shop is the cleanest and most comfortable in the city.”

“We’ll stay.” Gao Lin smiled. “We’ll take the rest of the guest rooms.”

Everyone had changed their appearances before entering the city. Even A-Ning had a pinched pair of droopy eyes, and if  the First Young Master and Third Young Lady saw him, they wouldn’t be able to recognize him. Liu Xian’an sat in the guest room and carefully looked himself over in the mirror. “This time the face isn’t too bad.”

Liang Shu was amused: “Listen to what you’re saying. You sound like an evil spirit who came out of the mountains and stole someone’s good-looking face.”

“If the evil spirit had the prince’s disguise technique, I fear there would be no need to snatch one.” Liu Xian’an set down the mirror. “Come on, let’s go for a stroll.”

“Are you hungry or what? You’re so diligent.” Liang Shu staggered as he was dragged out by him. The two of them walked down the street. It was past lunchtime, and only a few stalls hadn’t closed yet.

“Do you want to eat rose wine cake?”

“Yes.”

The boss was watching the fire in the stove. When he saw two more customers standing in front of the stall, he quickly stood up and waved his hands, saying: “Not selling, not selling, this is the last pot.”

Liang Shu asked: “Why aren’t you selling the last pot?”

“It was ordered by the customers at the tea house, and they said they will come down to pick it up once it is steamed.”

Liang Shu followed the direction he was pointing and turned around. He saw a table of people sitting at a table on the second floor of the teahouse, and they were also looking this way.

“Never mind, let’s go eat something else.” Liu Xian’an grabbed Liang Shu’s sleeve and walked to the other side of the alley.

In the teahouse, a maid said bitterly: “Looking at their backs, they seem like such handsome and unrestrained young masters. I never thought that when they turned around, their faces would be so ordinary.”

Wumeng Yunle set down the teacup in her hand. She was also wearing a disguise mask, and asked: “Are they here to see me too?”

“Coming to Raven City at this time, there are nine out of ten chances that they are.” The maid said, “If the Miss is curious, I will go back and check the list.”

---

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