But no matter how unreasonable it was, no one in this family dared to question the authority of First Young Master Liu. Even His Royal Highness, who was above ten thousand people and below one, was not very good at it. Liu Xian’an took another look into the barracks and saw that there were many military officers sitting in the room, so he asked: “The prince hasn’t finished handling military affairs yet?”

“There are a dozen or so mouths, sticking to their own words and chattering endlessly,” Liang Shu said. “The Baifu Sect has released a lot of news about the Valley of Ten Faces recently.” So much so that all the spies and non-spies had received information. People went to the garrison camp to report the news every day, and once the news spread widely, it immediately became as “worthless” as the ancient characters carved into the cliff. The Baifu Sect was only short of engraving the words “there’s something coming to the Valley of Ten Faces” on their foreheads. At such a time, the Southwest Garrison’s method of dealing with it would be particularly eye-catching.

The military officers all had their own opinions. Some thought it was a feint, some thought it was a provocation, and some thought that there was indeed danger in the forests. But no matter what their opinions were, there was surprisingly one point that they all agreed on unanimously. That is, everyone disapproved of Liang Shu approaching the dense forest.

Liu Xian’an said: “I don’t agree either.”

Such a huge swathe of deep mountains and old forests, only ghosts knew what was hidden in it. Even the most capable general could not attack blindly without a target, and it was even more impossible to search the mountains inch by inch. It was estimated that another fifty thousand people would have to be transferred from outside.

Liang Shu nodded: “All right, if you disapprove, then I won’t fight.”

Liu Xian’an saw through him at a glance: “What do you mean you won’t fight if I disapprove? The prince originally didn’t want to fight.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one in the barracks was looking this way, Liang Shu kissed his hand: “Who says I don’t want to fight? I want to fight, but I’m afraid that if I don’t listen to my wife, I will suffer.”

His voice was a bit loud and carried with the wind, causing the group of military officers next door to look solemn and lower their heads, silently saying “see no evil” as they pretended they hadn’t heard their prince’s fear of being blamed.

By the time Liang Shu brought Liu Xian’an into the barracks, everyone had basically adjusted their attitudes and expressions, and greeted Second Young Master Liu enthusiastically.

The wall was covered in maps. Liu Xian’an scanned them and asked: “These are the outskirts of the Valley of Ten Faces?”

“Yes,” an adjutant replied. “Further down, the miasma is too heavy. There are all kinds of poisonous snakes and insects, and the white mist is hot from the sun. Going in during the summer is like walking into a huge steamer, and there is really no need to waste the manpower.”

Therein lay the problem. The Southwest Garrison couldn’t get in, and it didn’t make sense for the Baifu Sect followers to get in, which was why everyone suspected that the cult was bluffing. Another asked: “But what is their purpose for doing this?”

The release of this news stirred up the area around the Valley of Ten Faces, causing the garrison to raise their vigilance……the adjutant gave a “tsk” and said: “I still feel that they are targeting the prince.”

“I don’t think so. Although our prince is in the Southwest during this time, there are so many military officers in the Southwest. The cult could not know in advance that he would be drawn to the Valley of Ten Faces. What if the prince just didn’t come? Would they have been so busy in vain?”

The scene fell into silence again. Liu Xian’an agreed with the latter statement. He also felt that the news from the Baifu Sect this time was not necessarily aimed at Liang Shu, or to be more accurate, at least not solely aimed at Liang Shu.

Compared to the high vigilance of the garrison against the dense forest, glaring like a tiger watching its prey, the common people of the Valley of Ten Faces were much more relaxed, and the arrival of Liang Shu especially caused everyone to feel more secure. Not to mention anything else, the number of aunts carrying vegetable baskets to the gates of the camp in the past two days was several times more than before.

In the end, no one was able to see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, but they twice saw the famous Second Young Master Liu, wrapped in a big black cloak that covered his face against the wind. One time he was walking from south to north with a medicine basket, and the other time he was walking from north to south with a food box. Regardless of anything else, didn’t he look very diligent?

But in fact, he was forced by First Young Master Liu. He arranged a bunch of herbs every day in order to survive, but this made the lazy man miserable. His life creed still hadn’t changed. If it doesn’t have to be done by me, I don’t have to do it…..but no matter how firm this belief was, it couldn’t stand up against his Da-ge, who had a ruler in his heart, and regarded everything as a ruler. In the end, he had no choice but to compromise with a yawn, going in and out all day long like a diligent person, busy from morning to night.

After working, he didn’t even want to eat dinner anymore, and lay in bed refusing to move.

“You really don’t plan to eat?” Liang Shu picked him up. “I specially ordered the kitchen to cook mushroom chicken soup for you.”

Liu Xian’an lay his arms softly on the other’s shoulders. I’ll eat, but I don’t want to move.

A-Ning stood beside him, once again wanting to sigh. Alas, he’s so spoiled by the prince that he doesn’t even want to lift his chopsticks to eat.

Liang Shu smiled and hugged him tightly. But before he had time to step over the threshold, three sharp whistles suddenly sounded above the camp, like arrows piercing through the golden red glow of the sunset. Then, the assembly drum also sounded with a dong dong!

There were five grades of whistles used to convey military information in the camp. The higher it went, the more dangerous the situation was. The Valley of Ten faces had always been at peace. The last time there were three whistles was decades ago, when nearly a hundred lost wild elephants rushed into the village in the middle of the night.

Liu Xian’an was sleepy, and upon hearing the whistles, he didn’t react immediately. He was set back on the bed by Liang Shu in a daze, and the soldiers outside quickly surrounded him, protecting the small courtyard in an airtight manner.

“Your Highness!” Cheng Suyue also rushed over to make a report. “There is something strange in the village below the mountain. It’s like a…..monkey?”

Her words were unsure. The sun had already disappeared below the mountain at this time, and the glow of the sunset had also faded. The entirety of the Valley of Ten Faces was covered in a drowsy light. Even with a looking glass, one could only clearly see shadows jumping up and down in the village below the mountain. Liang Shu took his sword and mounted his horse. He was just leaving camp when Gao Lin galloped toward him on horseback, carrying the black lump of an unknown object in his hand.

Cheng Suyue was still inspecting it carefully with her eyes wide open at first, but after distinguishing it clearly, the food in her stomach that she had just eaten surged up. It was too disgusting. It was…..a person with the stature of a five-year-old child. Its skin was gray all over, with lines of corruption on its face. Gray eyeballs, red pupils, dry palms, sharp, curved nails, and gray hair like weeds. The latter was being held up by Gao Lin, causing the facial features to rise strangely and reveal a smiling face.

A smiling face like that was enough to make everyone who had seen “him” have nightmares for ten days.

Not to mention that there was a bloody black hole at the base of the throat.

“What the hell is this, ah?” Gao Lin was also shocked. “As soon as it entered the village, it went on a rampage, running faster than a cheetah, jumping over walls and demolishing tiles. It knocked over the tables, chairs, and benches of more than a dozen families, and dozens of men failed to catch up. In the end, because it was running too fast, it straightened its neck and ran into my sword.”

Liang Shu asked: “Is this the only one?”

Gao Lin was taken aback. “Ah? When I was there, it was the only—”

Before he finished speaking, whistles rang through the sky one after another, and this time there were as many as four! The garrison had already packed up and rushed down the mountain. Liang Shu flung his whip and said: “Let’s go!”

Gao Lin made a noise of agreement and tossed the thing in his hand forward. Cheng Suyue was forced to catch it, and having close contact with this thing almost caused her to spew again.

“Take it for Second Young Master Liu to look at!”

“…….”

Cheng Suyue hesitated. Can I really take it to him? Second Young Master Liu will be frightened, and the prince will deduct money from us afterwards.

But on second thought, that was someone from Baihe Mountain Village who had been scalping people since he was a child.

So in the end, she dragged the “trophy” back to the camp. Liu Xianche was also in his brother’s room at this time. When he heard the guards outside the gate retching suddenly, he was puzzled, and the two brothers walked outside the door: “What’s wrong……what the hell is this thing?”

“My brother caught it in the village at the foot of the mountain,” Cheng Suyue said. “There should be more than this one. The prince has already rushed over.”

Liu Xian’an ordered people to light all the lanterns in the courtyard, then rolled up his sleeves and put on gloves. Stepping forward to examine carefully, he said: “It’s like a Ghost Boy.”

Liu Xianche had also heard the legends of wizards who would use herbs and lime to dehydrate a child’s body, put it in colorful clothes and nail it to a wooden stake, then walk through the streets with it in hand. He said: “Although a Ghost Boy sounds strange and terrifying, it is in essence just a mummy doll. How can it run and jump?”

“I’m just saying that this creation method is similar to creating Ghost Boys,” Liu Xian’an said. “But it didn’t completely kill the child. They must have used some kind of poisonous Gu to control his brain and meridians, making him incredibly powerful and turning him into a strange beast.”

“Find an empty house,” Liu Xianche said. “I’ll take a look at it.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Okay.”

His expression remained unchanged, calm and tranquil.

This was professionalism.

Baihe Mountain Village was amazing.

And His Royal Highness Xiao Wang at the foot of the mountain was also very amazing. Holding a longbow, he shot a flaming arrow with great precision. It drew a crackling shadow in the twilight before penetrating heavily into the soft eye socket of an evil creature, causing a twittering scream!

There were estimated to be seven or eight Ghost Boys in the village, and the garrison outflanked them left and right, taking care of five of them. Another one was bigger, and looked like the leader. It initially curled up in the corner of a wall and didn’t move. When everyone attacked together, there was a sudden “bang,” and it smashed a big hole in the wall with its head.

“Ah!” The peasant woman in the house screamed in terror!

At the village entrance, Gao Lin beheaded a Ghost Boy with a backhand swing of his sword. Before he had time to breathe a sigh of relief, a black streak swished before his eyes, accompanied by the weak cry of a baby and the shouts of officers and soldiers behind: “Lieutenant General Gao! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it, ah! It snatched a child away!”

What ‘stop it,’ quit yelling, can’t you see that the thing has run away without even a shadow left? Gao Lin cursed to himself, mounting his horse to give chase, but Liang Shu had already galloped past him with a gust of wind, his long sword stained with blood.

“You few, follow the prince!” Gao Lin turned his horse’s head. “The rest of you, follow me into the village!”

“Yes!”

The Ghost Boy held the baby’s swaddling clothes in one hand, and used its legs and other hand to move back and forth between the trees and vines. With its hunched figure, its speed was not hindered at all! The baby’s cry was so weak that it was nearly inaudible. Seeing that the edge of the miasma and white fog was approaching, Liang Shu drew his longbow and shot an arrow through the shadows of the trees!

With a puchi, the Ghost Boy’s neck was shot through precisely, and it staggered twice, its pace slowing. The group of soldiers took the opportunity to rush forward, trying to snatch the baby back, but the creature seemed to be enraged, and threw the swaddling clothes in its hand to the other side!

The cliff was not too high nor too short. An adult may be able to survive the fall, but a baby only a few months old would encounter disaster. She slipped out of the blanket crying, and that fragile little life simply fell straight down! At this critical moment when her life was hanging by a thread, a person suddenly jumped from up high and held the baby firmly in his arms, drew his sword out of its sheath with his right hand, and then used all the strength in his body to nail the blade into the cliff!

The metal drew a string of sparks, and the blade finally stuck smoothly into a crack, allowing him to hang on the stone wall.

The baby was still crying, “Wah, wah!”

“Young Head Escort Chang!” The soldiers gathered at the cliff and shouted, “If you hold on for a while, we’ll let the rope down!”

“Okay!” Chang Xiaoqiu held the baby in one hand and the hilt of the sword in another, his face flushed red! The night wind in the mountains was cold. He lowered his head and put his face against the child’s head, trying to pass some warmth to it. At times, the wind got stronger and blew his whole body to and fro. The hand holding the sword had completely frozen, and the blood flowing in his veins was more like needles just plucked out of the snow. He raised his head with difficulty, just in time to see Liang Shu also standing there at the top, his robes blown up by the wind and his face backlit, like a god.

This wind didn’t seem to be so bad at all.

Chang Xiaoqiu thought hard.

In order to leave a good impression on the prince, he even forcibly concocted a calm and breezy smile, striving to maintain it even if Mount Tai collapsed.

The soldiers knotting ropes on top of the mountain saw this and were very anxious, worried that the boy had been frozen stupid and was having hallucinations, why was he still smiling? So they sped up, their fingers flying.

Finally, the moment before the foolishly smiling Young Head Escort Chang was unable to hold on any longer, a soldier slipped down the rope. He first tied his waist tightly, then held the baby in his arms and gestured to the people above.

The rope was pulled up quickly, but only one person was pulled up. As for the other….the person pulling the rope wondered if Young Head Escort Chang was stuck on a branch, as he was so heavy that he couldn’t be pulled up at all.

“When I went down, I didn’t see any trees anywhere, ah.”

The group of people were lying on the edge of the cliff, looking down. Someone shouted: “Hey! Xiao Chang! Try to move yourself!”

From the moment Chang Xiaoqiu had the rope tied around his waist, he completely let go of his strength. Almost paralyzed in mid-air, his brain and body both frozen, he just waited for those at the top to start pulling. Now that he heard everyone shouting, he regained his frozen soul and thought, why aren’t you pulling me, but asking me to climb up by myself?

Just climb, ba!

He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand to hold the hilt again, trying to climb up, but he couldn’t move an inch.

An ominous premonition surged in Chang Xiaoqiu’s heart. He slowly looked down, and saw a skinny dark hand with sharp nails “growing” abruptly from the stone wall, holding tightly to the hem of his clothes.

He took a gasp of cold air.

“Xiao Chang! Xiao Chang! Say something! Are you all right!” The people above yelled a few more times, and seeing that he didn’t move, they wanted to go down the rope to rescue him, but Chang Xiaoqiu raised his head and shouted: “Don’t move yet!”

He collected himself, held the rope tightly, and slowly slid down a section. As he descended, a cave hidden beneath the stone wall was revealed, and inside the cave, gray-red spots of light were flickering on and off.

Dozens, hundreds, or even more Ghost Boys were squatting there neatly, looking at him silently and uniformly.

Upon seeing the scene in front of him, Chang Xiaoqiu’s pupils constricted, and he almost screamed out in fear at this terrifying scene! He desperately pulled the rope to try to climb up, but the Ghost Boys in the cave screamed and rushed out, hanging on his legs one after another, like a huge beehive!

The rope, swish, slid down by a lot!

Chang Xiaoqiu watched helplessly as he got farther and farther away from the sword stuck in the stone wall, and could only rely on his fists, closing his eyes as he smashed down to break free from the burden! But there were too many Ghost Boys. Even if he was lucky enough to hit one or two, a new batch soon rushed up, and the rope around his waist was about to break. At the moment it broke, an awe-inspiring sword energy suddenly swept across!

The Ghost Boys were caught off guard, and fell in a batch down the cliff, thud, thud. Holding onto the rope with one hand, Liang Shu flew through the air to catch Chang Xiaoqiu, kicked those ghost boys still hanging on his legs to break their skulls, and then flew back to the top of the cliff, tossing Chang Xiaoqiu back to his subordinates.

“Your Highness!” A man threw his sword over.

Liang Shu held the hilt of the sword, and the cold light condensed in his hand. Almost instantly, he turned and fell off the cliff again, returning to the stone cave and penetrating through it with a ruthless wave!

Amidst the screams of “Eee, eee, wah, wah,” more than half the Ghost Boys were killed or injured, and those who survived by chance buzzed and climbed rapidly like a swarm of poisonous bees whose nest had been burst. They scattered toward the white miasma forest in all directions, dark figures bouncing up and down through the trees like huge fleas.

After the group of “fleas” disappeared, the surrounding wilderness regained its silence.

All the soldiers were terrified. They exchanged glances, and after a long time, choked out a sentence: “Damn it, why are there so many?”

“There may be many more in the future.” Liang Shu picked up Chang Xiaoqiu with a grim expression. “Someone carry him on their back and return to camp first.”

---

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

After Rong Shiming crowed this out proudly, he looked to see if Liu Zhenqing was angry and ashamed.

Jiang Zi’er on the side observed this behavior with a cold stare.

But Liu Zhenqing blinked. “Who are you and why are you blocking the road?”

One sentence immediately made the atmosphere of humiliation collapse somewhat.

Rong Shiming sneered, saying: “I forgot that you lost your memory after being kidnapped by fugitives.”

“So I met you before I lost my memory?” Liu Zhenqing said with a good temper. “I’ve been rude. Please excuse me, I’ve forgotten.”

Rong Shiming said proudly: “It’s good to apologize properly when you know you’ve been rude.”

Liu Zhenqing said with a smile: “Ai, don’t worry, maybe I can remember you. Recently, my memories have come back on occasion. Why don’t the two of you introduce yourselves to me and tell me where we met, and what happened at that time and place?”

“You…..” Rong Shiming was about to speak, when he was suddenly tugged by Jaing Zi’er beside him. When he turned, he saw that the girl’s face was already changing colors.

Rong Shiming suddenly realized that they had never met before. The only ones who had met were Liu Xiaozhu and Jiang Zi’er, and that was at the scene of the tryst.

How could this be said, ah! If something was revealed……

Rong Shiming suddenly looked at Liu Zhenqing, and when he saw his smiling face, he felt very annoyed. This idiot probably……didn’t mean that.

“What? Are you two embarrassed? Since we’re old acquaintances, helping someone with amnesia recover their memories is a good thing. You ought to be kind to others.”

After this was said, Rong Shiming could only grit his teeth and prepare to make up lies, but then he saw Liu Zhenqing ask the person next to him, “Jin Li, who are they, ah? We, master and servant, are inseparable. If I’ve met them, then you must know who they are.”

Jin Li naturally knew who they were, and when he saw Rong Shiming mocking his master like this, he was so angry that he trembled all over. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Rong Shiming call out quickly: “We’ve never met officially, but I have seen you harassing…..”

Before Rong Shiming could finish his words, Liu Zhenqing’s face suddenly darkened and he said sternly: “What! I’ve never met you before, but you came forward and said this was a chance encounter, then asked me to apologize? What is this, another person who knows I am from the Imperial merchant Liu family and wants to take advantage of my amnesia to blackmail me for money? Scram, scram, scram, no money!”

Having said this, Liu Zhenqing put on an air of guarding against thieves, waving his hands and scolding him as if the other was begging for food. Everyone around was stunned by this turn of events. At least half of them looked at Rong Shiming suspiciously. After all, not everyone knew their identities, and they were just here watching the entertainment. 

Rong Shiming’s blood surged at once, and he clenched his fists: “You…..what are you talking nonsense about? My cousin is the First Princess of the Imperial Court, why would I still need to blackmail you…..”

Jin Li also thought that Liu Zhenqing really didn’t know them and wasn’t aware of the bad intentions they were concealing, so he quickly whispered: “He’s the cousin of the First Princess, Young Master Rong Shiming.”

When Liu Zhenqing heard this, he promptly let out a sigh and said: “Your cousin is the First Princess, but what does that have to do with you? Why not mention your parents? Is it possible that the First Princess is the one who provides your monthly allowance to support you?”

When these words came out, some people couldn’t hold back their laughter. This relationship was normal, but was actually really embarrassing. The entire family of bloodsuckers relied on the First Princess, so if he didn’t mention the First Princess, then there was really nothing to mention.

Rong Shiming was so furious that steam nearly spouted from his seven orifices. He had wanted to put forward his connections, but those were matters behind closed doors and were difficult to explain clearly. He really couldn’t think of a reason to refute, and just wanted to hit this person, but Jiang Zi’er stopped him. She said with a cold expression: “Young Master Liu, please be careful with your words. How can you offend the First Princess?”

Liu Zhenqing finally looked at Jiang Zi’er. Seeing was believing, ah. This was directly transferring the conflict over and trying to trick him.

Although he always had protective tendencies toward the fairer sex, forget about the rotten ones.

“Who are you?”

“Jiang Zi’er, from the household of the Minister of Rites.” Jiang Zi’er looked icy and arrogant.

Liu Zhenqing immediately regarded Jiang Zi’er as if he had just realized something, and said: “So you are Miss Jiang.”

When Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he looked her up and down in an exaggerated manner. This behavior was somewhat flirtatious. Jiang Zi’er said angrily: “What are you looking at?”

“I’m just lamenting. Breaking off the engagement…..was really the correct thing to do.”

“You!”

Liu Zhenqing’s words were so infuriating that the girl’s face distorted.

Rong Shiming immediately shouted, “What an ill-bred thing, bullying a weak woman. You’re unworthy of being a man, how shameless!”

The people around felt that Liu Zhenqing was a bit rude, and all censured Liu Zhenqing with an overwhelming sense of justice.

“Ah?” Liu Zhenqing suddenly called out innocently, “Why are you so angry all of a sudden? I’ve obviously done a good deed. You see, not long after I broke off the engagement, you two became a couple. Doesn’t this mean that I contributed to the happiness of lovers? What? Have I done something wrong?”

As soon as these words fell, the surroundings gradually grew quiet, and the gazes directed at the two people weren’t right.

When Jiang Zi’er reacted, her face turned red at once and she lost her poise, scolding: “Young Master Liu, you just canceled the engagement. Why are you slandering me like this? Young Master Rong and I only met by chance.”

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, men and women did not keep their distance as much. What she said made sense, but if Liu Zhenqing wanted to punish these people, how could he leave a way out for her? He would dig a hole and wait for her to jump.

“Aiya, did I misunderstand? Apologies, don’t mind me, a person with amnesia. I just heard that we were engaged for several years, that we’ve never met in person in the capital, and every time I tried to court you, you would persuade me to leave with flimsy excuses. I thought you were someone who never stepped out the front door, but now you are able to meet Young Master Rong by chance and go in and out at the same time. It is natural that I would mistakenly think that something was taking place……”

Liu Zhenqing used his yin-yang skills to paint them in a darker and darker light, but on the bright side, he used his appearance to his advantage. His innocent facade seemed extremely sincere and pure. Looking at Jiang Zi’er’s trembling form and her anger-reddened eyes, she was probably moved by his sincere blessing.

As long as the people around weren’t fools, they could probably get the gist of it.

“Liu Xiaozhu! It is obviously you who misbehaved, pestering General Huo even though you were engaged. This is something everyone knows, don’t just use amnesia to try to erase your own misery and attack Miss Jiang!” Rong Shiming wasn’t stupid, and grasped the key points of the conflict at once.

Jiang Zi’er immediately cooperated by crying out tearfully, “Young Master Liu’s behavior of harassing others has already humiliated me. I didn’t make much of a fuss, but now that the engagement is terminated, how can you still humiliate me like this……”

“I said this as a blessing, and definitely didn’t mean to slander you. But you’re cursing and crying, which is making me all confused.” Liu Zhenqing looked rather embarrassed, but suddenly clapped his hands and saluted: “I understand, I did something wrong. I apologize to Miss Jiang.”

When he apologized so decisively, the two of them were a little confused for a moment. The people around were also a little puzzled.

Jiang Zi’er looked at Liu Zhenqing suspiciously, but his next sentence made her breath freeze.

“Miss Jiang doesn’t like Young Master Rong, which is why my blessing just now made you so disgusted that you even burst into tears on the spot. If it was a match made in heaven, how could my conjecture have been an insult to you? I was presumptuous and rude.”

Finished speaking, Liu Zhenqing lowered his head and heard the two people in front of him suck in a breath of cold air.

“You…..you’re talking nonsense…..” Jiang Zi’er’s voice shook.

“Really? Then you like Young Master Rong? So you really fell in love immediately after breaking off your engagement with me? Then what was wrong with what I said before? Why did you cry?”

“I…..I don’t…..” Jiang Zi’er was so anxious that she forgot to cry.

“No? Sure enough, you don’t like him!” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

The dumbfounded Jiang Zi’er was completely mute, while Rong Shiming on the side was already entirely flummoxed. At this moment, he didn’t know whether to look at Jiang Zi’er or Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing never lost when it came to talking nonsense. “Actually, it’s true that people seek their way up just as water seeks its way down. It’s natural for you to look down on someone so inferior.”

“What did you say! Where am I…..where am I inferior!” How could a grown man endure being looked down upon in public? He didn’t even notice that the topic had been skewed, let alone the moral high ground he’d originally had.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and beheld the fool he had led astray, saying: “You’re inferior to General Huo.”

Rong Shiming suddenly choked up. “That’s insane, why should I compete with him!”

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Jiang Zi’er and said: “After breaking off the engagement and going our own ways, we will naturally choose better partners. I chose General Huo, and if Miss Jiang chooses you, can you not be compared with General Huo?”

Something didn’t seem right, but didn’t there seem to be such a mentality?

The so-called next partner must not lose to one’s ex-fiance’s next partner? And Liu Zhenqing was a cut-sleeve, so just like Jiang Zi’er, he was looking for a man. This…..

Liu Zhenqing said proudly: “How can you compare to General Huo! Therefore, I think Miss Jiang doesn’t want to choose you and let me witness such ridiculousness.”

If looks could kill, Rong Shiming’s current look would probably have murdered Liu Zhenqing several times over. Perhaps it was a momentary revival before death, having been trampled by Liu Zhenqing to the point of being a bloody smear mark, but he actually had an idea.

“Liu Xiaozhu, you are truly ridiculous. Miss Jiang and I can become a couple! If you choose General Huo, will he choose you? Do you think he notices you? The toad wants to eat swan meat. You have the nerve to bring out this comparison, but your wishful thinking is nonsensical!”

Although he discovered the blind spot, he also jumped into the trap. Didn’t this mean he was indirectly admitting his unclear relationship with Jiang Zi’er? Looking at Miss Jiang, her expression was even worse than before.

But Rong Shiming was blinded by his own cleverness, and felt that Liu Zhenqing would be unable to refute such a statement. After all, the entire capital knew that he was the one unilaterally harassing General Huo. If he hadn’t saved the twins, he probably wouldn’t even have received a glance.

However, at this moment, Liu Zhenqing asked with a smile: “Do you know the difference between a frog and a toad?”

The sudden question not only stunned Rong Shiming, but also stunned the people around them watching. Frogs…..were naturally better than toads.

“The frog sitting in the well and looking at the sky can only see this small place and these few people. All its life will be like this. But the toad is different. It has great ambitions to eat swan meat, ah.”

Rong Shiming’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he wanted to scream that this was nonsense, but Liu Zhenqing didn’t give him a chance to speak. He pointed at the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar that reached into the sky in the distance and said: “In the Great Zhou Dynasty’s past, only the sons of prominent and noble families could become officials, and at the very least, a noble son from a poor family needed a referrer. At that time, when common people wanted to participate in the Imperial Examinations and win top marks, who wouldn’t say it was wishful thinking and nonsensical, ah? And now? The Imperial Examinations have been reformed, and all children can participate regardless of whether they are high or low, and be selected as talents for the Great Zhou Dynasty. How many toads have worked hard to get a bite of swan meat?”

It was almost spring, and most of the people around were students here for the preliminary round of the Imperial Examinations. Hearing these words, they were suddenly enlightened, and felt that the word “toad” was inspiring.

“So I pursue the best? Is that wrong? I, a toad, just want to eat General Huo’s mouthful of swan meat. No matter whether I can eat it or not, why not try hard and see if I can? What if I’m given a bite!”

Liu Zhenqing looked at these people who were completely stunned, laughing wildly on the inside, but incomparably sincere on the surface.

Suddenly, a round of applause and laughter sounded from inside the restaurant door. A man with a strong build and a hint of unruliness on his handsome features walked out. “Well said!”

Liu Zhenqing regarded the person with raised eyebrows. Jin Li reminded him at once in an excited tone: “It’s the leader of the Jinyiwei, the Imperial Guard’s intelligence division, He Lan. He’s General Huo’s good brother.”

Liu Zhenqing momentarily froze. He hadn’t expected such a chance encounter. Fortunately, it wasn’t Huo Fenglie who had come.

He Lan stepped forward and introduced himself directly. “We have met before, but we aren’t close friends.”

It seemed that he had been listening from beginning to end, and used the youngster’s ironic words.

“He Lan, this person is talking nonsense about the spring Imperial Examinations. As an Imperial Guard, don’t pay attention to him.” Rong Shiming was so angry that he had lost his mind. He felt that He Lan should unite with him. After all, the man in front of him was the one who had harassed his brother, and his surname was Liu. If he ignored him, the other people might be even more disgusted by him.

“What Young Master Liu has said is a great truth. As a human being, if you don’t have ambition, you will not be successful in this life. What if you can achieve the best things as a toad?”

The crowd was still a little hesitant at first, but when they heard that the Jinyiwei completely understood, they gradually followed the trend and agreed.

“Besides, Young Master Liu didn’t say anything wrong. His pursuit of the best is indeed a thousand times superior to Miss Jiang’s,” He Lan said sarcastically.

Jiang Zi’er face turned the color of pig liver. Unexpectedly, everyone thought that she and Rong Shiming were a couple. She was truly speechless now, unable to argue. If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have allowed Rong Shiming to provoke Liu Zhenqing. This was really like dropping the stone on her own foot.

However, Rong Shiming didn’t know how to count his losses in time. He became increasingly angry, and said: “A thousand times? You really know how to boast on your brother’s behalf. Even if Huo Fenglie can ride a horse into battle, he’s still just a common man.”

He Lan’s expression changed, and the people around couldn’t help but hold their breaths.

He Lan was about to speak with a dark expression, but suddenly heard the person next to him, who had just been smiling and joking, change his tone.

“A common man?” Liu Zhenqing regarded Rong Shiming with a half-smile.

Rong Shiming lifted his head, as if unwilling to admit defeat. Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes slightly. “A common man held back the barbarians in the north, the great powers in the west, the southern kingdoms, and the millions of troops coveting Great Zhou. If it hadn’t been for this common man, Young Master Rong’s bones would have been crushed into dust by the enemy’s horses.”

Liu Zhenqing spoke softly, but it was as if his voice was filled with poison. “When drinking water, don’t forget the one who dug the well. You enjoy the benefits of this prosperous and peaceful age, but you speak without shame and are rude and ungrateful. Did your parents really raise you well, or was this all taught by your cousin?”

Liu Zhenqing was extremely vindictive. If he hadn’t gotten him back just now, then he did with his next words.

“It should not have been taught by Her Royal Highness. After all, the name of a common man has just been engraved on the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar with the permission of the Emperor. Will Young Master Rong have the chance to make that list in his lifetime?”

These few words were so lethal that they were like an invisible sledgehammer, smashing Rong Shiming into the ground. He was so disgraced that even Jiang Zi’er beside him was embarrassed and wanted to leave.

The people around watching felt like they had just exhaled the breath that had been stuck in their throats. It was absurd to describe the general who had been named the God of War as a common man. It just so happened that Liu Zhenqing had become their mouthpiece, and it was a pleasure to curse a person without swearing.

But Liu Zhenqing hadn’t said enough. He looked the dumbfounded He Lan, then glanced at the ashen Rong Shiming with a smile: “If you ask me, He-daren has restrained his words a bit. General Huo is not just a thousand times superior to Young Master Rong, ah, but tens of millions of times.”

He Lan’s mouth trembled. This beautiful prose made him worthy of being Zhanyuan’s pursuer, ah. He actually wanted to see what sort of tricks Young Master Liu, who seemed like a completely different person after losing his memory, could come up with. Thus, he took the opportunity to ask: “What should else should be said?”

“Just now, Young Master Rong spoke of a common man who only knows how to ride on horseback. Did he forget the three military books written by General Huo?”

Everyone said that Huo Fenglie’s military strategies were strange and crafty. That was because ancient and modern methods of warfare were different. The Huo family had always felt that they didn’t need to hold with their ancestors’ methods of war. To avoid turning it into armchair tactics, they used actual combat to perfect their own art of war, and then passed it down for future generations to study. Even people who were not warriors who marched and fought wanted to study and learn some of these principles for the battlefield of life.

“Young Master Rong has some ink in his belly, but has he ever published a book, or a collection of poems or paintings?”

“Probably not.” He Lan said: “He only participated in the Imperial Examinations once, and didn’t make it into the top scorers.”

Liu Zhenqing persuaded this person with good intentions: “Why don’t you ask the academics of the Imperial Academy? If he hadn’t inherited the family duties, and just studied and practiced writing, with General Huo’s intelligence and talent, he likely would have passed the Imperial Examinations early on!”

The two sang in harmony and directly turned Rong Shiming into a laughingstock. His eyes became bloodshot.

“General Huo is indeed capable of literary and military skills, and is thousands of times better than someone else,” He Lan said with a smile.

With He Lan’s cooperation, Liu Zhenqing’s operation went more smoothly: “More than that, let’s not just talk about his abilities, but his background. The Huo family have been good and loyal generals for generations. He has a distinguished family background that is praised by everyone. How many families in the capital can compare to him? When it comes to status, he is the General of State, ah! Moreover, he is only twenty-six years old, and no one in his generation can come close to him. When it comes to looks and figure, he is excellent in every aspect. One look at him can make a woman’s heart palpitate, and a man’s legs will grow weak after staring at him for too long. Who wouldn’t want to be protected by a real man such as him? It is natural that he is thousands of times more superior than anyone else.”

The more Liu Zhenqing talked, the more enthusiastic he became, and the more the people around listened, the more they blushed. He Lan’s mouth had already begun to twitch erratically. What kind of braindead fan was this? There was no end to his praise.

As for Liu Zhenqing, he was leaving anyway. He would just say whatever and leave it at that. This was called having no worries at all!

“If you ask me, being able to be liked by a woman is just average excellence. If you can impress and even attract men, that is truly amazing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be obsessed with being a toad. And not to mention women, I am certainly not the only man who likes General Huo.”

After finishing this long paragraph of praise, Liu Zhenqing had really lifted Huo Fenglie to the sky and demoted Rong Shiming to the ground.

Everyone only had one thought now – right, ah, it was just Rong Shiming. In what way could he compare to Huo Fenglie? There were no longer the same species, okay? What was the problem with people pursuing better things? Miss Jiang’s eyesight was indeed not as good as her ex-fiance’s. 

Rong Shiming also didn’t foresee that when he set out to humiliate Liu Zhenqing, it would instead be him who was severely humiliated. His entire body was numb from the embarrassment and he couldn’t react.

And just when Liu Zhenqing felt that he had won a great victory, he heard He Lan, who had been holding back his laughter until now, burst out laughing and call toward the second floor window: “Zhanyuan, did you hear that? For shame, for shame, we brothers don’t understand you as well as Young Master Liu does.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked up at the second floor of the restaurant. They saw a tall, silent figure sitting by the second floor window, looking down heavily.

For an instant, everyone seemed to be frozen by his gaze.

When that voice fell, Liu Zhenqing also looked up, and the instant those cold black eyes locked on him, his brain shut down for a few seconds.

Help, help……help……

Is that all you’ve got?!

When his shame reached its limit, it had just the opposite reaction. At worst, he would leave tomorrow, so what was he afraid of?

Liu Zhenqing, who had let himself off the leash, raised his lips and smiled at the uncertain Huo Fenglie. Like a cat with bad intentions, his amber eyes were filled with tiny rays of sunlight. Such eyes were arrogant and full of calculations, so familiar that Huo Fenglie’s heart felt empty for a moment.

Not afraid of death, Liu Zhenqing pointed at Huo Fenglie and shouted to everyone: “Look! Is it not true that men’s legs feel weak when they stare at him and women’s hearts palpitate when they see him, ah? At first glance, you feel that he is a thousand times better! Aren’t you tempted by such good swan meat?! Don’t you want to take a bite? No matter what, you must also think about the sisters at home!”

“If Young Master Rong cannot accept it, go up and compete. Will Miss Jiang also open her eyes to see clearly? Who among these great men of the Zhou Dynasty is more qualified to be an ideal son-in-law than General Huo? If you want to marry, marry General Huo!”

Liu Zhenqing: Er-gou, I’m sorry.

Huo Fenglie: …….

Qin Yu, who was sitting opposite Huo Fenglie and silently watching the show while drinking: Pfft!

He Lan: Hahaha!

Rong Shiming and Jiang Zi’er: How did this happen?

Everyone: I used to think that General Huo was a little scary and hard to get close to, but when I think about it carefully, damn! Isn’t this swan meat delicious?!

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Chapter Ten << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twelve

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

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After Huo Fenglie left the Imperial study, he saw two people waiting for him at the palace gate nearby. One of them was He Lan, who was wearing a blue feiyu uniform, and the other was Qin Yu, who was in the special white uniform of the Dongchang eunuch intelligence bureau. He Lan leaned against the stone wall, nonchalantly holding a leaf in his mouth, arms folded and one foot raised against the wall. Qin Yu, on the other hand, had no expression on his face and stood up straight with his hands folded, behaving in the same manner as the other eunuchs in the palace.

“We just saw the Eighth Princess waiting here, so we’ll send you out,” He Lan teased with a smile.

“What happened?” Huo Fenglie asked, raising his eyes.

“Is something wrong? Are you in a bad mood?” He Lan said, smiling. Although to outsiders, Huo Fenglie had a face like a cold coffin, they had known each other since they were young and had also studied at the Imperial Academy together, so they were naturally more familiar with him.

But if they asked, the other party usually wouldn’t tell them.

Seeing that Huo Fenglie wasn’t answering, Qin Yu said succinctly: “Something happened. There was a conflict with the city guards.”

Huo Fenglie nodded slightly, and just as he was about to depart with the two of them, he saw the First Princess’s contingent walking along another palace path.

“We all heard that you ransacked the gambling house overseen by the First Princess’s cousin. She has sued you several times.” He Lang casually threw an arm over Huo Fenglie’s shoulders as he spoke. Both of them were warriors, and with their statures it wasn’t awkward, but Qin Yu beside them was much slimmer than them.

Huo Fenglie was speechless.

He Lan was unconcerned. This was how they got along. They gossiped while Huo Fenglie kept his silence.

Qin Yu said: “The First Princess’s cousin…..”

“What, is there some gossip?” When it came to collecting information, the Jinyiwei, which was the Imperial Guard’s intelligence division, had to admire the Dongchang’s ability, though they would usually laugh at the Dongchang behind their backs because they just liked to listen to gossip around walls and corners.

Qin Yu turned his head away in disdain and dodged away from He Lan, who had suddenly drawn closer.

“There is indeed a bit of news related to the person who saved Yunci and Yunqian.”

“Liu Xiaozhu?”

. . . . . . .

“Grandpa, say it again. I didn’t hear you clearly just now. Are you talking about……me?”

“You heard correctly. You are engaged to Jiang Zi’er, the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites’ family. Jiang-daren sent someone to deliver the marriage contract before. He will come to the door later, so I’m here to ask you, do you still want this engagement?”

Lying on the sickbed, Liu Zhenqing had begun to wonder if his injuries were serious enough to affect his hearing. It was no wonder that the outside world had a bad impression of Liu Xiaozhu. He was already engaged, yet he blatantly pursued Huo Fenglie. At first, he only thought he was a bold and wishful thinker, but now he felt that he was a little immoral.

Liu Zhenqing said in disbelief: “Grandpa, aren’t I a cut-sleeve? Or are the rumors outside not dramatic enough? The Jiang family has no objections? You also aren’t concerned about me?”

The Old Master looked a little uncomfortable. He coughed, then roughly explained the situation.

When that matter happened with Liu Zhenqing, the Liu family was afraid of being implicated, so they made a gamble and took the initiative to serve the new emperor. To receive a reward, they must have someone to recommend them, and it was Jiang Hong, the Minister of Rites, who dared to take this risk.

He came from a poor family and had limited financial resources, so it would be difficult for him to rise further. He planned to win the emperor’s heart for his own future, but didn’t expect that it would actually happen. Thus, there was marriage and cooperation between officials and merchants. This happy event occurred under the eyes of the emperor, and although it was not an Imperial marriage, it was not an easy thing to break off the engagement.

Moreover, Jiang Hong had also made a lot of extra money by investing in the Liu family, so he was naturally not willing to give up this big fish. Therefore, they had turned a blind eye to Liu Xiaozhu’s ridiculous behavior in the past two years. In their opinion, Liu Xiaozhu could not shake Huo Fenglie’s resolve, and for reasons of the past, he could not tolerate a man’s admiration for another man. In addition, Liu Xiaozhu was indeed not a pure cut-sleeve, so they had dilly-dallied until now.

The Old Master had originally wanted to take advantage of his amnesia to save the marriage, but now he had other considerations.

Liu Zhenqing was also taken aback by such a sketchy thing for a long moment before shaking his head decisively. 

But when Jin Li on the side learned Liu Zhenqing’s decision, his expression suddenly warped, as if he wanted to interrupt but didn’t know what to say.

The Old Man narrowed his eyes, and suddenly sent the steward to fetch a pile of account books. “It is not impossible to break off the engagement. Please, take a look at these first and tell me if there are any problems?”

The smile in Liu Zhenqing’s heart gradually faded. Sure enough, he had just been thinking it was strange. How could the old man ask his opinion? Was he so kind-hearted?

In fact, the person who least wanted a problem with this engagement was the old man. After all, even if he was an Imperial merchant, his status as one was low. Not to mention that his surname was Liu. The Liu family needed a backer to protect them, and nothing was more reliable than marriage. 

Now he was suddenly given a choice…..as it turned out, he saw that his grandson was useful. Marrying a useless grandson into a wealthy family was equivalent to him becoming part of the wife’s family. Useful grandsons could not be wasted like this.

No, it was not entirely because of his sudden ability. For more than two years, he had not restrained his grandson’s behavior, and had allowed it to develop. This seemed to have no benefits, but it was actually a test. The place in the capital most likely to cause harm to the Liu family was the General’s Manor. There was a feud, after all, and the Old Master used this to figure out the bottom line of the Huo family’s tolerance for the Liu family.

And now that Liu Xiaozhu was their life-saving grace and the other party had come to express his gratitude, this proved that the Liu family no longer had to worry, and they no longer had to rely on the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Combining the two, the Old Master didn’t care so much whether he wanted this engagement or not. After all, being tied too tightly to a single official was not conducive to development. Moreover, it would be rumored that the grandson was the at-fault party, so the dissolution of the engagement would also make the other party look decent, and although there would be no marriage, they would not be enemies either.

There was not much familial affection in wealthy households. To be able to support such a large family, there could be no such good thing.

Liu Zhenqing calmly glanced at the ledgers in front of him. “Grandpa, I’m still injured.”

“It’s okay, take your time reading them.” The old man was extremely stubborn.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. His calling it quits had failed, but…..it could still be considered a turn for the better. With a roll of his eyes, he magnanimously pulled over the several account books related to port and river transportation. These were also the account books that he had found problems with before.

“There’s no need to test me. Grandpa, look at these books and read them carefully.” Then Liu Zhenqing pointed out a few areas. The old man stared doubtfully at the apparently fine account books for a long time, and then suddenly sucked in a breath.

Because he saw that someone was secretly modifying the content of the transports. He feared that someone was using the Liu family to smuggle something.

“You…..what……”

Liu Zhenqing smiled faintly.

“Were you keeping quiet to hide your skills?” This was the only thing the old man could think of. It was easy to understand, considering this family. After all, this child had two uncles who were eyeing him. “Then why did you expose yourself?”

“Wasn’t it because of my amnesia? I forgot about it, but now I know.” Liu Zhenqing shrugged.

The Old Master had a rare look of guilt on his face. “Child, don’t worry. You don’t have to pretend to be ignorant in the future. Grandpa will…..”

“Grandpa, I have an idea,” Liu Zhenqing interrupted.

“What is it?”

“After the engagement is broken off, and after I recover from my injuries, let me go south to investigate the port and river transportation privately,” Liu Zhenqing said sincerely.

The old man frowned and said: “For what reason?”

Of course, it was to leave the capital in a reasonable way, and then to use a new identity to hide in the south. This would be less risky than disappearing directly from the capital.

“The problem of the port and river transportation is hidden and not easy to detect. You can just let me go down to practice and learn. After all……” Liu Zhenqing was the best at reading people’s hearts. He hesitated to speak, but the casual sentence moved the old man’s heart.

Considering that his eldest grandson had suddenly revealed his capabilities, as well as the situation at home, the poisoning, and the kidnapping incident, going south could not only officially allow him to start familiarizing himself with the affairs of the chamber of commerce, but it could also test how far his eldest grandson’s abilities could extend. It was better than everyone staying together and consuming each other. Leaving the eldest grandson alone to keep a low profile would wrong him.

The Old Master frowned. There was still some conflict between reason and familial affection, but in the end, he still wanted to train someone who could support the Liu family chamber of commerce. At least in the eyes of the old man, the Second and Third Masters were not good enough.

Finally, the Old Master nodded in agreement.

Just at this time, the steward came to report that the Minister for the Ministry of Rites had arrived.

It wasn’t until the Old Master left that Liu Zhenqing glanced at Jin Li, who had been holding his breath since the beginning with his face turning blue.

“What’s the matter?”

“Master, do you really want to break off the engagement?”

Liu Zhenqing was a little displeased to hear this. “Is it possible that your master has the nerve to take advantage of this girl’s engagement when he has made such a fuss over his pursuit of a man? And haven’t you always supported your master’s pursuit of General Huo?”

“That isn’t the case, Master,” Jin Li said anxiously. “Ah, the truth is…..it is actually Miss Jiang who broke off the engagement first.”

Liu Zhenqing made an inquisitive sound.

Jin Li could only quickly explain the ins and outs of this matter.

After getting engaged that year, the shy Liu Xiaozhu was very happy. After all, he’d had no father or mother growing up, so getting married and having his own family was a beautiful dream for him. Even though he had never met her, Liu Xiaozhu would still send people to give gifts to Jiang Zi’er from time to time, showing his full respect and goodwill.

But not long after going out, he inadvertently heard about Jiang Zi’er’s whereabouts. Liu Xiaozhu couldn’t help being curious. He took Jin Li to secretly pay a visit to his future wife, but didn’t expect to directly catch Jiang Zi’er having a secret tryst with another man. The tryst happened to be with the First Princess’s cousin, a little bully with a bad reputation in the capital.

Liu Xiaozhu was terribly upset.

When the two separated, he took the initiative to intercept Jiang Zhi’er. He told her what he had seen and asked what was going on. Was she being humiliated, or…..Upon hearing the other party’s identity, Jiang Zhi’er’s expression became very ugly. The way she hesitated to speak made Liu Xiaozhu understand that it had been voluntary.

Liu Xiaozhu didn’t want to embarrass the girl, so he only asked Jiang Zi’er to take the lead in asking her father to break off the engagement.

In the end, it was unknown whether Jiang Zi’er didn’t dare to do it, or if it was because of something else, but she kept putting it off again and again. Not only did she do nothing, but she even returned to her hometown to observe filial piety, as if she was hiding on purpose.

During this period, Liu Xiaozhu encountered trouble and was rescued by Huo Fenglie, who had returned to the capital. This sense of utmost security caused Liu Xiaozhu to become obsessed. He fell in love at first sight, and the entanglement began. He also brought up breaking off the engagement with the Old Master. At that time, the Old Master simply wanted to find out the limits of the Huo family’s tolerance. He didn’t think this could be done, and naturally would not agree to his grandson’s request. When Jiang Zi’er returned, the Old Master did his utmost to get them married quickly, so as not to let the trouble get worse and make both families lose face. Unexpectedly, the other party’s attitude was somewhat ambiguous, and the Old Master also had an unexpected change of mind.

“So even if the engagement is broken off, we should also think of some grounds that are beneficial to us. After all, it was the other party who broke the contract first. If the Old Master doesn’t know the truth and gives a reason that paints us as being in the wrong, the outside world will definitely say that it’s your fault.”

Jin Li protected his master. In his opinion, the marriage contract between the two was in name only. Why was his master still protecting the other party’s reputation when he would be able to pursue the person he liked afterward?

Hearing this, Liu Zhenqing didn’t care about the issue of whether he would suffer a loss in reputation. He was going to disappear anyway, regardless of these technicalities. He just suddenly had a sense that something wasn’t quite right.

After discovering Jiang Zi’er tryst, Liu Xiaozhu encountered an accident. Jiang Zi’er returned, Grandpa urged them to get married, and Liu Xiaozhu was kidnapped and silenced. Could there be such a coincidence?

But when he considered it carefully, he felt that he was overthinking it. Killing a person just because she didn’t want to marry him was too dramatic. It would be better to just terminate the engagement.

A person who wanted to call it quits naturally wouldn’t go looking for trouble. Two days later, the first news came out that the engagement had been terminated. The reasoning was that Liu Zhenqing was frequently getting into trouble, so they found someone to calculate their horoscopes again, and the two sides decided to terminate the engagement amicably because the horoscopes were incompatible with each other. It was said that the Minister of Rites was quite hesitant, but finally agreed after thinking about it all night.

When Liu Zhenqing heard this reasoning, he nearly broke his wounds open with his laughter. Because he had used the same excuse to break off his engagement to Li Xingruo in his previous life.

It turned out that these people couldn’t find another good reason to break off an engagement?

As soon as this news came out, the previous gambling house incident immediately became the subject of gossip. Listening to Jin Li angrily talking about the situation outside, Liu Zhenqing lay on the bed and played with the various small contraptions he had used to play with before. As he listened, he wondered when the people in the capital had gotten so bored. They weren’t the children of celebrities. Did they deserve so much attention? If it were modern times, this would be like a small hot search for a minor internet celebrity.

Liu Zhenqing disregarded everything that was going on outside and only thought of making good use of Li Xingruo’s medicine to speed up his recovery. He felt that the dawn of happiness was not far away.

On this day, Liu Zhenqing was holding a map to decide which city he would choose to get rid of his accompanying guards, when he saw Jin Li staggering in.

“Master…..Master, it’s not good. Rebels sabotaged the spring plowing ceremony and tried to assassinate the Emperor. People are being arrested everywhere right now!”

Liu Zhenqing dropped what was in his hands and said: “Was the Emperor hurt?”

“He wasn’t. Although the City Guard was escorting the Emperor, General Huo was accompanying him, so the traitors were unable to approach the Emperor at all. A servant from our household went to watch the ceremony and was almost hit by a burning carriage that rushed into the procession. That scene……there were grappling hooks and arrows, and the Emperor was nearly overturned, but General Huo flew up and cut off the iron hooks with his sword. He knocked away all the sharp arrows that flew past him, and stomped the tilting Imperial carriage back to the ground. He was really one man holding the pass against ten thousand…..”

Liu Zhenqing interrupted directly: “Did they catch the assassins on the spot? Do they know who committed the assassination?”

Jin Li said: “Some were caught and some escaped. Rumor has it that the people behind the assassination this time were the remnants of the Three Kings Rebellion. Now, soldiers are still searching house to house, which is causing people to panic. This is the first time an assassination has occurred since the death of that treacherous minister.”

It was clear that the Three Kings Rebellion had been neatly solved. Could it be…..

Liu Zhenqing had just started thinking about it when he forced himself to let it go. He had already decided to give up and mind his own business. It was a pity that the trip would be delayed. After all, since such a big attack had occurred, the investigation would take at least a month or two.

But what Liu Zhenqing never expected was that the assassins were caught within ten days. The assassination incident was declared to have been completely solved, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although Liu Zhenqing felt that something wasn’t right, he couldn’t be bothered to think about it. Also, spring was coming soon and a large number of students were pouring into the capital, so everyone’s thoughts gradually shifted.

After he recovered from his injuries, it was soon time for the agreed meeting with Lao Zhao.

He went out for the first time in a long time and acquired the goods easily. His mood was high, and seeing that Liu Zhenqing was happy, Jin Li asked if he wanted to go to Taibai Restaurant for dinner and said that this was Liu Xiaozhu’s favorite place to eat. Seeing the way Jin Li was trying his best to brainwash him, he just decided to practice being Liu Xiaozhu and got off the carriage. 

He just didn’t foresee being intercepted before he even stepped into the restaurant.

“What a coincidence, ah, isn’t this the Young Master Liu who found an excuse to break off his engagement so that he could pursue General Huo?”

One sentence immediately drew the attention of the people around who were coming and going.

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows. Looking up, he saw a young man and a woman, followed by many servants.

The woman had a beautiful appearance and an indifferent expression, as if she didn’t want to look at Liu Zhenqing.

The man was not the good sort at first glance, but Liu Zhenqing was still moved by the “needs to be taught a lesson” look in his eyes.

Where had he wronged him? He hadn’t bullied anyone in a long time. He was in a good mood today, and with fun delivered to his doorstep, how could he refuse?

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Chapter Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eleven

Liu Zhenqing woke up in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw the newly arrived doctor from Liu Manor dressing his wounds.

“The First Young Master is awake!” The doctor was somewhat surprised. How could a normal person wake up so early after suffering such a serious injury? It made the doctor think he was having a brief revival before death.

Jin Li beside him immediately rushed to the bed and looked at Liu Zhenqing anxiously with eyes swollen from crying.

“Wa! Master, you’re okay, this is great! I’ll inform the Old Master right away!” Having said this, he rushed out.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t even have time to voice a question before the doctor who was checking his pulse again said from the side: “Don’t worry, First Young Master. Your injuries aren’t critical.”

Liu Zhenqing was already aware of this point, but the wounds hurt a little.

Then he heard the doctor say: “First Young Master, please be patient and wait for the medicine to take its effect. It was sent by someone from the General’s Manor. Their medicines are even better than those in the palace.”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback when he heard this. He raised his eyes and looked at the white medicine bottle in the doctor’s hand. It had a star pattern on it. This was indeed the work of his junior sister, Li Xingruo.

Just as he was thinking, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Not only the Old Master came, but also the Second Master and Third Master. They stood beside the bed, earnestly showing their concern.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t be bothered to deal with them. He just pretended that the medicine was taking effect, and that he was tired and wanted to sleep.

The Second and Third Masters wanted to ask for details, as well as inquire about the settling of accounts before, which was what mattered most to them. They were quite shocked at that time, after all. However, now was not a good time to speak of it. Seeing Liu Zhenqing’s sleepy appearance, they couldn’t continue.

The Old Master regarded Liu Zhenqing with a complicated expression: “That’s all right, when you feel better, we can have a good talk.”

After everyone left, Liu Zhenqing had some vague recollections. The two young ones were injured at that time, but not seriously.

Jin Li stood beside the bed, excited yet worried: “Master, you really scared me to death. No matter where you go next time, you must take me with you. Even if I’m useless, I can still block a knife for you.”

Liu Zhenqing had lost too much blood. He had no energy and was extremely listless.

“Master, do you know who it was that saved you?” Jin Li asked, finally unable to hold back his excitement.

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyelids. Huo Fenglie. He had come in handy at the scene, so there was nothing to guess.

“It was General Huo! I saw with my own eyes General Huo fly out of the second floor window with you in his arms and rush to Doctor Li’s house! Many people saw it!”

Huh? Okay, the situation must have been quite serious at that time.

“Then General Huo personally escorted you back with us, and explained to the Old Master what happened. The Old Master and the others were shocked. It was the first time General Huo ever visited the gate of our Liu Manor, ah! He even said thank you!”

The Huo family was upright in behavior and naturally had the necessary education, so this was nothing surprising.

“Then the General’s Manor sent people several times to deliver medicine and supplements. If Madam Huo hadn’t gone out to do a free medical clinic, perhaps she would have treated Master in person! According to the rumors, she has excellent medical skills and is known as the Medical Fairy!”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression was subtle, as this had brought back bad memories. No need. He preferred a doctor with a better temper.

Jin Li talked for a long time and saw that Liu Zhenqing was completely uninterested in General Huo. He lost heart, and couldn’t help but ask, “After this, General Huo will definitely see Master in a new light……if Master hadn’t lost his memory, he would be very happy right now. What a pity! Master, can you still not remember anything about General Huo even now? This is an excellent opportunity!”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s lips twitched, and he teased in amusement: “Stop that, even if I saved the heirs to the Huo family, is it possible for General Huo, whom you so admire, to give me his blessing? What are you dreaming about!”

Jin Li pouted in discontent, thinking that Liu Zhenqing had lost his memory, so he didn’t know the significance of this matter. The father of the siblings was the late Marshal Huo, who died for the country, their mother was a Medical Fairy with excellent medical skills, and their Second Uncle was the general who protected the country. The entire Huo family pitied them for being fatherless and regarded them as jewels and treasures. Even the Emperor regarded them as his nephews. It could be said that their status was not lower than any of the children of nobility.

“Ai, if not for your relationship with that treacherous minister, who knows what could happen! It’s also a good story.”

Liu Zhenqing had no words. It had nothing to do with him, the treacherous minister! There was really no chance of this.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty had become more open in this regard because of the male empress, and marriages between men were recognized, they were still in the minority. What’s more, Huo Fenglie seemed to be quite disgusted by this type of relationship. He recalled that there was once some bastard who tried in vain to ask the Emperor for Liu Zhenqing’s hand in marriage. When he complained about this matter to Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo, the young Huo Fenglie’s expression turned very ugly when he heard it. He was probably terribly disgusted.

It was hard to believe that the current Huo Fenglie had been pursued by Liu Xiaozhu for so long. After he saved the twins this time, it was likely that Huo Fenglie would at most not be nauseated at the sight of him.

“Speaking of which, Master, you’ve somewhat made up for the treacherous minister. I heard that the twins never got to see their father after they were born, as the late marshal died in battle. It was all because of the traitor’s evildoing.” Jin Li couldn’t help but sigh.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged. “Yes, yes, yes, it’s all the traitor’s fault. By the way, are you going to let your master rest?”

Jin Li blinked and said: “I saw that Master wasn’t sleepy, so I talked to you in order to relieve your boredom. Oh, also, I heard that Longxing Gambling House was razed to the ground by General Huo and his men. General Huo is so powerful……”

You had better shut up, ba. Stop trying to brainwash people.

. . . . . . .

In the study, the new emperor Yuan Jue slowly closed the memorial and looked at Huo Fenglie, who was sitting in the first seat. 

As a member of the Yuan family, he was naturally good-looking, a first-class handsome man in both face and figure. At the same age of twenty-six, he was different from Huo Fenglie, in that the other man had a built-in baleful look, while Yuan Jue carried a sacred nobility that could not be looked at directly. Although intimidating, it was not sharp or lofty, giving one the sense of a benevolent monarch.

Especially now, when there were only the two people in the study, Yuan Jue would never refer to himself as “this emperor.” After all, they were brothers who had gone through the trials of life together.

Huo Fenglie’s face was expressionless as he listened to Yuan Jue’s griping.

Yuan Jue also said familiarly: “Just kill the person who hurt them, why wipe out Longxing Gambling House completely, ah? My aunt, the First Princess, has come to me several times to complain that you are lawless.”

“This one did not kill innocent people.”

“Right, you didn’t kill them. You just sent out a hundred people to raze the gambling house to the ground.”

The Huo family protected their own. There was nothing to be done, what if the twins had gotten hurt?

“Fine, just be careful next time. The capital is no better than the frontier. There are many people watching you and tattling to me!”

Huo Fenglie was unconcerned. He flipped through the personnel deployment book meticulously, his eyes without waves.

“I’ll go out of the palace with you today to see the two little ones,” Yuan Jue suggested.

Huo Fenglie said: “Your Majesty, the spring plowing ceremony is coming soon. We should make arrangements first.”

Yuan Jue said with a relaxed expression: “Say no more about what is normally done. With you here this year, I have nothing to worry about. In a few years, when the prince grows up, I won’t need to participate in this ceremony.”

Speaking of this, Yuan Jue teased: “Zhanyuan, my Imperial sister the Eighth Princess has gone to the Empress Dowager and the Empress several times to plead with them, hoping that they will help grant her a marriage. The Eighth Princess is slender and elegant, and likes you wholeheartedly. You…..”

Huo Fenglie stood up and saluted at once. “Your Majesty, I still have something to do, so I’ll leave first.”

Seeing that Huo Fenglie was about to leave, Yuan Jue hurriedly said: “Would I just casually agree to it for you? I’ve also heard that many ministers want to marry their daughters to you. Have you really not thought about it?”

Huo Fenglie said directly: “Your Majesty, this one will retire.”

Yuan Jue said with a smile: “All right. But I heard that the one who saved Yunci and Yunqian this time was the young master of the Liu family who made such a fuss about pursuing you. Before, you even asked me to grant him a reward for helping to catch a spy. But I remember that he seems to be engaged to a member of the Ministry of Rites. You and he…..”

Huo Fenglie thought of Liu Xiaozhu that day and felt something strange in his heart. “I’m not familiar with him. He has nothing to do with me.”

Yuan Jue saw his sullen face and knew that he had clearly lost his patience.

“The Liu family, ah…..” Yuan Jue murmured. As expected, Huo Fenglie froze.

Yuan Jue looked at Huo Fenglie distantly, and his voice suddenly became deeper: “Zhanyuan, do you still hate him?”

Huo Fenglie didn’t answer, but his eyes grew colder.

“Then do you miss him?”

---

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Chapter Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

Regulus and Xicui were born three seconds apart, with Regulus a little faster as the older brother.

The two of them looked like Luo Ran had said, the older one favoring Lucas and the younger favoring Luo Ran.

But they were the same kind of bear children.

Because of their powerful 3S spiritual power genes, the children were taken by their two fathers to military headquarters and the office. Only a little over three years old, they had a lot of destructive power, jumping up and down and running around. They became experts at demolishing the house, and terrorized daycares all over.

It was a public holiday, and Luo Ran and Lucas had two days off.

“I’ll leave the children to you first, I’m going to the institute for a meeting.” Luo Ran stood in the foyer, putting on his jacket. “I’ll be back soon.”

“You’re going out while on holiday?” Lucas frowned.

“It’s an urgent matter. There is a document that hasn’t been signed.” Luo Ran put on his shoes and said: “Sorry, ah, I’ll be right back. Leo, Xiao Xi, we’ll go to the amusement park together in the evening. I’m going out, you guys have to listen to what Daddy says, all right?”

Other than going to military headquarters with Lucas, they were rarely in Lucas’s care. This would be the first time.

“Okay!” Little Leo saluted with a straight back. Seeing this, Xiao Xi ran to his older brother on his little radish legs, saluted Luo Ran, and said loudly: “Okay!”

After Luo Ran left, Lucas and the two little ones looked at each other.

Lucas sat on the sofa with a stern expression and said: “Be quiet and play by yourselves.”

Leo and Xiao Xi looked at each other, and then…..

Crash—

“What are you doing……! Lucas almost jumped up when the two little ones hugged his legs one by one from the left and right.

“Daddy, I want to ride horseback!”

“Daddy, I want to ride horseback too!”

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas thought to himself, he was the dignified Admiral of the Empire. It was not a child’s turn to teach him how to do things, even his own.

Lucas scoffed coldly: “No way.”

“Daddy…..Daddy, Daddy!” Leo shook him with all his strength.

“Daddy, Daddy! Daddy, Daddy!” Xiao Xi shook him with all his strength.

“When you are a few years older, I will teach you how to ride a real horse,” Lucas said. “You two are dignified Alphas, what kind of men act like babies?”

……

“Waaaah—” Leo sat down on the floor and began to wail, covering his face.

“Waaaah—” Xiao Xi also sat down on the floor and cried in the same posture.

Cries and howls came one after another, and an uninformed person might have thought that Lucas was abusing the children.

“…….”

“Just one lap!” Lucas said fiercely. “Just one!”

Then the two children immediately removed their palms and grinned.

Lucas: “…….”

Fuck, they were touching porcelain?

Five minutes later.

The Admiral of the Empire, a courageous fighter, became his sons’ pony.

The two little ones rode on Lucas’s broad back with great airs, directing him majestically.

Xiao Xi had also brought their toy water guns, and shot around with his brother, imagining that he was as impressive on the battlefield as his father.

“Hey!” Lucas turned his head and said: “If you get the floor and furniture wet, wait until your Dad gets back and deals with you…..”

Splash—

In the next second, the toy water gun fired into Lucas’s face.

Lucas: “…….”

“Little bastards, you’re still comfortable, huh?!”

Lucas swung the two of them off his back and took a water gun on the side to return fire.

Lucas often took the two of them to play in the arena at military headquarters. The two children had not been afraid of adults since they were young, and were not afraid to fight.

The older and the younger held their “weapons’ and ran from the living room to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the backyard.

The newly-purchased Marshal’s Manor was spacious, and the backyard was also very convenient for training. The three of them had a great time playing. Lucas was single handedly crushing and bullying the children, but the two little ones were incredibly excited to play. While yelling, they attacked Lucas without fear of death, like they were monkeys on a mountain.

…..

……..

When Luo Ran returned, he instantly froze.

There were puddles of water everywhere in the house, the furniture was wet, and several decorations had been overturned. It was a mess, as if a typhoon had passed through.

In the yard, the three people were playing with water. Lucas, a grown man, was holding the water hose and spraying it at the children. Leo and Xiao Xi were already wet, and their bare feet were covered in mud.

Of course, Lucas wasn’t much better off.

Splash—

Then, Luo Ran became a casualty of Lucas’s water hose and was sprayed all over.

Luo Ran: “…….”

When Lucas saw Luo Ran, he was startled, and also froze.

……

After a moment, Lucas gave a dry smile and said: “You’re back.”

Upon seeing Luo Ran, Leo and Xiao Xi immediately put down their water guns and smiled sweetly, pretending nothing had happened.

“Dad! You’re back!”

Luo Ran’s long hair was dripping wet, and there were drops of water on his eyelashes. He pointed to the sofa with a smile and said: “Lucas, you carry it out to dry.”

“……Oh.”

Then he pointed to the living room: “Move all the furnishings back to their original positions.”

“……Okay.”

“The floor needs to be wiped dry too.”

“En.” The corners of Lucas’s mouth twitched, and he glared fiercely at the two culprits.

Then the Imperial Lion began to clean. Luo Ran stepped forward and picked up one child in each arm, heading to the bathroom.

Looking at the two little ones in front of him, they didn’t look like little lions, but like two dirty little dogs rolling in the mud.

Luo Ran said: “You’re really……”

He had gone out for three hours.

If it had been for one day, the house would be gone when he came back.

Luo Ran washed the two childrens’ feet, then dried their bodies and put them in clean clothes.

“Dad…..!” Xiao Xi hugged Luo Ran and said in a milky voice: “Don’t scold Daddy.”

Leo also jumped into Luo Ran’s arms and buried his head in his neck, acting like a spoiled child. “Don’t get angry, breathe and it will go away!”

Luo Ran couldn’t laugh or cry.

He wasn’t angry, just helpless.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Luo Ran thought to himself, he still didn’t know the extent of their shamelessness.

In front of him, they were little sweethearts, soft and obedient. But in front of Lucas, they immediately became lawless and occupied him at all times, making Lucas’s teeth itch with anger.

“Look at you playing like this, do you still have the energy to go to the amusement park tonight?” Luo Ran said: “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not tired!”

Be that as it may, Luo Ran still took the children to nap and catch up on sleep.

On the big bed, Luo Ran lay on his side with the two little ones nestled in front of his chest, hugging him to sleep.

The surroundings were silent, with only the sound of Leo and Xiao Xi’s even breathing.

Luo Ran softly embraced the two of them, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

Then Luo Ran heard movement. The sheet fell slightly to the side, and Lucas climbed in.

Lucas hugged Luo Ran from behind, as well as the older and younger children.

Luo Ran could sense the strong scent of tobacco, which comforted him as always.

Luo Ran didn’t open his eyes. He just smiled and whispered: “Is everything sorted out?”

“Yes.” Lucas rubbed Luo Ran and said: “Go to sleep.”

“En.”

On a cool autumn day, the whole family nestled together on the bed and fell asleep under a thin blanket.

. . . . . . . .

In two year’s time, Luo Ran and Lucas’s third child was born.

It was a female Omega who also had 3S spiritual power, and the more she grew up, the more beautiful she became. When she was still a little girl, one could see how delicate her features were.

Each of the three children were 3S, which was really against the laws of nature.

And Lucas, who had been tormented for several years by the two house-demolishing little demon kings, finally won a squishy little princess, and was so elated that he punched the delivery room wall on the spot.

The youngest daughter’s name was Wisteria, or Ria.

She was everything beautiful in the world.

Ria had inherited her dad’s good looks and calmness since she was young. She was in her last year of junior high school this year, and had won the title of school belle for the third year in a row.

On this day, Ria was carrying her school bag and preparing to go to school. Lucas saw Leo and Xiao Xi following her on the left and right.

At this sight, Lucas frowned and said: “You’re going in the same car?”

All three were studying in the military academy, but Ria was in logistics, and the junior and senior high schools were also in different teaching buildings.

“We’re going to protect our little sister, Xiao Xi said loftily: “To keep away all those flies that will covet her today.”

“En,” Leo said with a nod.

As he grew older, Leo had become more steady and mature, and his facial features were also growing more robust. He was very dependable, and would take the initiative to learn from Lucas how to manage the military department.

Xaio Xi was still mischievous. He seemed to prefer doing business over the military department, so Luo Ran taught him the business operations of the Aldor family. He had a flexible mine, was likable, and learned quickly.

…..Even in junior high, he started a candy-selling business at school.

Lucas frowned, seeming to not understand.

Xiao Xi scoffed coldly and said: “My little sister is so good-looking and capable. If we don’t go with her, Ria will definitely be entangled with confessions, flowers, and chocolates.”

This was the case the year before, and Ria had gone home early.

To the side, Ria nodded faintly.

Lucas asked: “What day is today?”

“…….”

The three children were stunned for a moment.

Lucas: “…….”

Leo said with a frown: “Today is Valentine’s day.”

Xiao Xi covered his mouth in surprise: “Dad, you didn’t know?! Papa is too miserable, you’re so unromantic!”

Ria nodded faintly once more.

Lucas: “……”

Lucas bared his teeth: “You’re a little kid, and you’re talking about romance? Get out of here and go to class!”

After the children all left, Lucas paced in a circle twice.

Fuck.

Valentine’s Day.

He knew it existed, but he and Luo Ran had never celebrated any superfluous holidays.

And they had been so busy taking care of the kids in recent years that it was impossible to celebrate Valentine’s day.

Lucas pulled out his terminal and searched.

— What to do on Valentine’s Day?

[Valentine’s Day Travel Ideas!]

[Valentine’s Day, prepare a special gift for a special someone!]

Lucas clicked on an article titled “The Valentine’s Day Must-Have List.”

— Chocolate

— Flowers

— Romantic candle-lit dinner date

— Lovemaking

Lucas hastily made a reservation for a restaurant and ordered the special, which included flowers and chocolate.

Perfect.

Lucas strode toward the kitchen.

Luo Ran was washing dishes in his apron and clearing away the cooking utensils from breakfast.

Lucas stepped forward and said with a smile: “Do you want to go out tonight?”

Luo Ran turned his head and said in confusion: “Go where?”

“Let Xia Zhi and the others take the kids out to play tonight, we can go have a meal by ourselves.”

“……Ah?” Luo Ran paused for a moment, and couldn’t laugh or cry. “Okay, ah.”

He wanted it to just be the two of them?

Lucas put his head on Luo Ran’s shoulder and frowned, saying: “Your pheromones are a bit strong.”

“En…..” Luo Ran felt a little embarrassed. He moved Lucas’s head away and said: “It’s almost time for me to go into heat.”

Oh…..?

Lucas gazed at Luo Ran. His nose was filled with the scent of white tea, and his tongue and mouth suddenly felt dry.

“Luo Ran.”

“En…..!”

Luo Ran was directly pushed onto the cold countertop. He said nervously: “What are you doing…..?”

They had been married for many years and logically did everything, but most of it was still on a bed.

This kind of thing was indeed a bit shameful.

“I’m doing what should be done on Valentine’s Day.” Lucas, who had been about to go to work, pulled the tie from around his neck and tied Luo Ran’s hands together.

“Lucas…..! I still have to go to work. So do you…..”

“Shh, it’s Valentine’s Day, what work?”

The water on the countertop dripped onto the floor.

Even though they were married and had children, their two-person world and intimacy were still indispensable.

Of course, the physiques of a 3S Alpha and Omega would not allow them to have less, it was only…..

Luo Ran thought to himself, this guy Lucas seemed to have more and more tricks.

“We have half a day before the kids come back from school in the evening.”

Lucas held Luo Ran and rushed headlong into action.

The Imperial Couple’s Valentine’s Day started like this.

---

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Extra 1 << Table of Contents >> Extra 3

After marriage, everything seemed to be different, yet the same.

Lucas and Luo Ran continued to work and live the same life as before. Lucas spent most of his time at military headquarters, and Luo Ran worked at the desk, cooperating tacitly.

“I’m leaving.”

Just before he left, Lucas would pull Luo Ran over and press a kiss to his face.

The two were practically stuck together, and Lucas seemed to be doing it on purpose, wanting to paste his pheromones all over Luo Ran.

Although after the lifetime mark, even if he didn’t do this, Luo Ran’s still had the scent of white tea mixed with tobacco on his body, and he didn’t use pheromone spray to cover it up, so everyone could smell it.

Especially Rong Duo. She was shown this every day, and wanted to get married.

From covering her mouth and crying at the beginning up to now, her shock had not abated, and seeing the two of them kiss made her numb.

She had successfully risen to a higher level after being sprinkled with CP powder.

Becoming a mother at a young age.

After kissing his husband of less than a year goodbye, Luo Ran sat with his back propped up and continued to go over official documents.

Luo Ran’s stomach had grown slightly, and perhaps it was because he was thin, but it was not too big at six months along.

Rong Duo looked at Luo Ran, who was working hard with a big belly, and thought to herself, it was really hard to imagine that there were twins at this size.

Yes.

Luo Ran and Lucas had done a test, and they were male twins. Although their second genders could not be determined, the machine had detected their pheromones and spiritual power, so they would be Alphas or Omegas.

Moreover, after they got tested, they also agreed to let the hospital announce the good news. Thus, the people of the Empire rejoiced and celebrated the New Year again that day.

And as everyone expected, the combination of Lucas and Luo Ran brought about excellent and perfect heirs to the Empire.

When the pheromones were detected, the machine’s scale nearly cracked. After all, it wasn’t built for such a high upper limit. How could babies be so aggressive?

But the two babies were 3S, even if still in the womb.

It was about the same as when Lucas was born, but more dramatic, especially with two of them.

The entire Empire was with Lucas and Luo Ran, anticipating and hoping.

Luo Ran finished writing a document, clicked his tongue, and took out his terminal to send a message to Lucas.

Luo Ran: “Are you there?”

Lucas: …..

Lucas always responded in seconds, which Luo Ran always felt was miraculous.

Luo Ran: “I want to eat yogurt.”

Lucas: “En.”

Luo Ran: “From the yogurt store across from military headquarters. Thank you, ah ^ v ^”

Lucas: “En.”

After Luo Ran got pregnant, he had all kinds of strange eating habits. Most of it was sour food, so Lucas often ran errands. This was often captured by netizens, who uploaded the photos, inadvertently making soft advertisements for many businesses.

— The Secretary said this fruit yogurt was good after eating it!

—The Secretary likes to eat this dried fruit and nut snack while pregnant! After eating it, you can give birth to 3S babies just like the Secretary! Two in one year! Three in three years!

— The Marshal bought the Secretary these snack buns before dawn!

There was even a “Marshal’s errand bot” checker.

— The Imperial Marshal stirs up trouble, but he is just an affectionate errand dog.

After getting married, although Luo Ran’s work ability and external dedication had not diminished at all, Lucas had become more clingy and spoiled, perhaps because of the pregnancy. He had gradually gotten used to their status as partners, and was not discontent even when being ordered around.

Lucas returned in the evening.

In his hands were two cups of yogurt, two small cake boxes, and a bag of grilled meat.

Lucas was initially a person who only ate white rice, which mostly had to do with being on the battlefield, and then after he experienced defeat in the ravine before, he really couldn’t eat anything.

But these days, it was the comforts of daily life with Luo Ran that dominated Lucas’s world more than the battlefield.

After work, the two ate at the newly-bought heated table next to the desk.

Now that it was almost winter, the two sat on the floor and buried their legs under the quilt, where they could still touch each other’s feet.

Luo Ran took a bite of grilled meat and asked: “The Marshal went to train today?”

“Right.”

“Thanks for your hard work.” Luo Ran smiled and said: “Now that the war is over, the Marshal is training more diligently.”

“Of course.” Lucas ate some meat and said: “Without high-intensity training, my subordinates will relax, and this cannot be allowed. If there is a war after the soldiers turn into wastes, the Empire won’t be able to handle it. With the surrounding countries, planets, and other galaxies, peace may not last forever.”

Luo Ran refilled Lucas’s bowl, nodding approvingly.

After the two finished eating, they snuggled up in bed, each reading their own official documents.

Luo Ran nodded off while reading, and fell into a deep sleep with his head resting on Lucas’s shoulder.

He had also become more lethargic.

Lucas didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out to turn off the lamp, kissed Luo Ran gently on the forehead, and then lay down with the man in his arms.

. . . . . . . .

Late at night.

Lucas was awakened by Luo Ran’s movements.

He opened his eyes to see Luo Ran sitting up, his eyes distant.

Lucas was a little anxious: “Is it leg cramps again? Where is it uncomfortable?”

“It’s not.”

“Do you have to throw up again?”

“No.”

“ ? ”

Luo Ran whispered: “I want to eat ice cream.”

What?

Lucas frowned and said: “Don’t make trouble, go to sleep.”

Luo Ran shut his mouth and didn’t speak.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas scratched the back of his head and said: “You can’t really want to eat.”

Luo Ran paused, then said: “No.”

“Then sleep. What kind of ice cream do you want to eat in the middle of the night, it’s not good for your health.” Lucas rubbed the back of Luo Ran’s head and said: “Behave.”

Lucas lay back down again.

Then he saw Luo Ran take out his terminal and click on the takeaway service.

Lucas: “……”

Lucas said helplessly: “Silly Ranran, it’s already past three o’clock in the morning. There are only two or three food delivery services still operating, and they only deliver staple foods.”

When the military department stayed up all night for drills before, most of them worked at midnight, and there was naturally no ice cream.

So Luo Ran subconsciously changed the image.

Luo Ran just sat on the corner of the bed, looking at the images silently, planning to console himself by looking at them.

Lucas: “…….”

Lucas was helpless. Knowing that pregnancy was quite a lot, he had to get up and grab his jacket, resigned to his fate.

“Lucas…..!” It was late, after all, and Luo Ran felt a little embarrassed.

“You don’t want me to buy it?” Lucas buttoned up and raised his eyebrows, saying: “If you don’t want to eat, just go to sleep.”

Now that the stores were closed, Lucas planned to go to a vending machine to buy it.

“……” Luo Ran wanted to eat, but felt that this wasn’t good, so he was a little entangled.

“Okay, don’t be like that. If you want to eat, just say so. I’m used to going to the military department in the middle of the night, so it’s not a big deal.” Lucas stepped forward and rubbed the top of Luo Ran’s hair. He took the jacket full of pheromones that he had worn during the day and put it on Luo Ran, saying: “Wait for me to come back.”

“Okay.”

Luo Ran paused, then pressed a kiss to Lucas’s cheek.

“Thank you.”

Lucas froze for a beat.

So happy.

“Then I’ll go.”

The next day, a photo of Lucas going out to buy ice cream at three a.m. was posted again.

XXXX: I’m a security guard in my neighborhood. In the middle of the night, I saw a figure from the back moving in a hurry, and I thought it was a hooligan, so I followed him! I found the other party messing around in front of the vending machine and thought he was trying to steal money from it! But I didn’t expect! To see that it was clearly our Marshal!! As a little security guard, I was lucky enough to help our Marshal use the vending machine to buy ice cream! Oh, what a blessing!

XXXX: Oh my god, this is so pampering! I’m already so detached from worldliness that I don’t even sort out the candies anymore. Every day, I just get up and wait for the candy to be put in my mouth. I just open my mouth and eat it!

It was pitch black all around in the photo, and Lucas’s solitary figure stretched in the darkness of night.

And he was standing in front of the vending machine, thinking about how to use it, his restless hands touching the buttons one by one as if opening a new type of mecha.

Just…..miserable.

XXXX: Hahahaha this photo is too miserable, right? Shocking, the Marshal of the Empire has a tense look on his face and hasn’t returned home at night. Is this the fall of society or the destruction of humanity?

XXXX: Hahahaha the Marshal seems to be trying to overcome a tribulation!

Lucas really did look like he was going through a tribulation.

But he was enjoying it.

. . . . . . .

When work was less busy, Luo Ran and Lucas also went back to the snowy mountain in Pure City.

Together with the people at the research institute, they put the female insect back in the ground. She said goodbye to Luo Ran, touching his palm with her antennae.

She seemed to be giving him blessings.

Soon after, Luo Ran watched the female insect return to her own place.

Once they had sent her away, the two of them went to the cemetery in Pure City to pay their respects.

Luo Ran didn’t know which of the headstones in the graveyard belonged to his birth parents, but…..they were here, in the end.

Luo Ran didn’t mind. With Lucas’s help, he even cleaned up the entire cemetery and set out flowers.

Perhaps it was due to the blessings of Pure City and the mother insect that Luo Ran was in good health. His pregnancy was not uncomfortable, his appetite was good, and his body was also in good shape.

In this fashion, the day of delivery finally arrived.

The hospital had prepared a few days before, and Luo Ran was sent there the moment his stomach started to hurt, in order to begin preparations for labor.

Luo Cheng, Wang Zitong, and Lucas were all waiting outside, and Lucas was so anxious that he was walking around in circles.

When the babies were born and all three were safe, Lucas rushed in swiftly, but was stopped by Xia Zhi.

It wasn’t until Luo Ran was transferred to the general ward that Lucas was able to enter.

Luo Ran was lying in bed. Although he was exhausted, his complexion wasn’t bad.

“Xia Zhi says they’re two male Alphas with 3S spiritual strength.” Luo Ran said with a smile: “Have you gone to see them?”

“N-No.” Lucas held Luo Ran’s hand, stammering a bit: “Not yet.”

He had just gotten a vague glance at them and saw two wrinkled faces. Before he could dislike how different they were from Luo Ran, Xia Zhi told him that he could come and visit his husband.

Lucas was so anxious for Luo Ran that he couldn’t think about anything else for the moment.

Luo Ran said: “The big one is like you, and the small one is like me.”

Lucas said: “Really? I think they both look like monkeys.”

Luo Ran patted the back of Lucas’s hand with a smile, and teased: “The Marshal’s tribulation is finally over today.”

He had also read the online comments.

Of course, Lucas knew that this time was just an introduction to his tribulation, and the real tribulation would be when the children grew up.

“By the way, the children’s names……” Lucas raised his eyebrows and said: “Can we say them now?”

After learning that they had two children, Luo Ran and Lucas decided that each of them would name one.

It just so happened that the Starnet was also suggesting names, and they used it as a reference.

Luo Ran smiled and said: “I’ve thought it over. One will be named Regulus Alton. Regulus is the brightest and most dazzling star in Leo.”

What Luo Ran didn’t say was that after meeting Lucas, he found that his zodiac sign was also Leo.

Lucas said: “I’ll name one Luo Xicui Aldor.”

The two children could not live without the Aldor surname. After all, the Aldor name represented military power and a military family, so Lucas had to add the surname in front.

Lucas wanted the name to be simple and straightforward. Xi, hope, was the hope of the Empire, and his concern for Luo Ran and his family on the battlefield. Cui, pure, was for Pure City, the place where they first met, and also for their pure hope and feelings.

Luo Ran paused. His ears turned red and he said: “It sounds good.”

Lucas bowed his head and kissed Luo Ran with a smile.

In the future, they would have a new family.

---

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Chapter Ninety-Five << Table of Contents >> Extra 2

Before the three of them could react, the man kicked over the pile of clutter in front of them.

Liu Zhenqing took the two of them and ran, trying to sneak away out the window.

Then a big knife swept straight toward them. If the young girl hadn’t reacted quickly to pull the two others to a sudden stop, all three of them would have been injured at this moment. 

The man rushed forward at this instant, lifting his blade and swinging it at the three of them. It turned out that he was indeed a deft and skillful man, quick to take ruthless action. They had seen him committing petty theft before and had rather underestimated him. 

Liu Zhenqing led the two others to hide here and there, shouting, “Hey, we’re only worth six thousand taels alive! Be careful when handling dangerous weapons!”

But as soon as Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, the cheating wife in the distance called anxiously: “Kill them! We can’t let them get out alive!”

The man was no-nonsense. His blade was deadly and extremely ferocious. 

Liu Zhenqing also understood that the owner of the gambling house was no good. If he discovered that his wife was having an affair with his brother-in-law, he would certainly kill these two people without further ado. Their own lives must be more important than six thousand taels.

They were in big trouble this time.

The opponent pursued them fiercely, and Liu Zhenqing was the first to be injured, as he was blocking in the front. The back of his hand was hit, and he dropped the dagger. The young girl behind him caught it and attacked, but even though she knew a few tricks, she still struggled against the fierce adult man. Her arms were soon numb under the opponent’s strength, and with a sudden swing, she flew back with a crash.

Liu Zhenqing and the young master picked up some clutter nearby and rushed forward. Both of them were injured in the melee, but Liu Zhenqing’s wounds were particularly serious. Blood flowed from the gash in his leg, and in the end, the two of them were knocked to the ground.

The young girl attacked again, likely using all the martial arts moves she had ever learned, and the man’s blade was finally knocked away. Before she had time to celebrate, the man lifted a decrepit chair and flung it her way. The girl raised her hands to shield herself and the chair smashed to pieces. The girl also fell heavily.

The man’s eyes were already red. He picked up the knife and was about to chop it down. Liu Zhenqing tried to rise, but his leg and muscles were injured, and he couldn’t move. He shouted out anxiously: “Stop! I’m Liu Xiaozhu of the Liu Imperial merchant family! I can give you any amount of money you want. I can also help you leave far away and escape safely!”

Liu Zhenqing was truly worried. Of all the difficulties he had encountered after his transmigration, none of them had made his expression change this drastically. 

If something happened to these two children, he would have to bear the blame. After all, he was the one who brought them here. No matter what, he had to save the two of them! “You can keep me as a hostage, just spare the two children!”

The man paused for a moment, but soon made the decision to kill and silence them. Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. He struggled on his hands and knees to rush forward, but couldn’t make it in time.

The young master at his side rushed forward and hugged the young girl despite his pain. He turned his back to the blade and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Stop! We’re from the General’s Manor!”

The words ‘General’s Manor’ were so loud that the three adults present froze.

There had only been a single General’s Manor in the capital for generations, and it belonged to the Huo family!

Liu Zhenqing felt as if lightning had struck his soul. Shocked, but still with some sense of reason, he looked at the two siblings a few steps away. His heart gradually became swollen and hot and his eyes widened uncontrollably, as if searching for something in their features.

“You…..Huo……” The man was stunned. The general’s reputation was very intimidating.

When the young master saw this, he said quickly and decisively: “Our Second Uncle is Huo Fenglie, the great general of the country! If you don’t kill us, you still have a way to live. If you do, you will be cut to pieces by a thousand blades!”

Huo Fenglie……the general whose name had just been carved into the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar today!

When the two lovers heard this name, their faces filled with panic and they seemed unable to digest this fact.

Hearing this answer at last, Liu Zhenqing felt as if every part of his body was about to explode.

It was really them!

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo’s twins!

But they had clearly looked like carbon copies when they were young! Why did they grow up and……

Before Li Zhenqing had a chance to recover from his shock, he saw a silver glint falling in his peripheral vision. 

Yes, ah, the general could not be offended. But now that he had been offended, the man naturally thought that if they let these people go, the other person would not let them go. They were like ants to that kind of person, so it was better to have faith that they could hide the truth and have a better chance of survival. 

With the exposure of their identities, their original desire to kill and silence them became even stronger. Even the slicing motion turned into a more deadly stab.

“Yunqian! Run!” Huo Yunci also tried to push her brother away and block in front of him, giving him a chance to escape. She deeply regretted being so impulsive and reckless as to come to the gambling house, which caused harm to her brother and others.

Although Huo Yunqian was the weaker one and usually only followed his sister’s lead, how could a member of the Huo family run away and abandon their loved one at the critical moment? He tried to backhandedly push his sister away, otherwise with their small bodies, the enemy would certainly be able to pierce them together.

But at this critical moment, a slender figure flashed before the eyes of both siblings.

There was a muffled cry, and the childrens’ pupils shrank. They were stunned at the sight before them.

The blade pierced through green brocade clothing. Blood bloomed like a flower and ink-black hair flew messily. The seemingly helpless figure completely blocked their vision so that they couldn’t even see the danger on the other side, nor could they see Liu Zhenqing’s expression at that moment.

The man opposite saw.

The light in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes seemed to have been killed by his sword. It sank and disappeared, not as if the man was weakening, but as if he had been awakened. His face instantly filled with fury, and his eyes were like icy poisoned arrows, making the one who looked at him shudder like a sinner being looked down on by a judge high above.

That was the look in the eyes of Liu Zhenqing, who held the regent’s golden seal and the power of the entire government. Even a desperate criminal couldn’t help being stunned and weak in the legs when faced with such an imposing manner.

The white jade hairpin that had originally been holding up Liu Zhenqing’s hair was clenched tightly in his right hand, and it swung upward as his left hand held the opponent’s blade-wielding wrist. He turned his body into a shield, preventing the other person from drawing out the blade or even retreating half an inch.

This finishing move had been taught to him by Huo Feihan, but he had only been taught to clamp the opponent’s blade with his arm. Unfortunately, this “apprentice” had not learned it well, and couldn’t control the timing in this moment of crisis. He could only rely on his little medical knowledge to instinctively choose the appropriate position, letting the blade stab in so that he could control the enemy.

The tip of the jade hairpin pierced the opponent’s throat. The man was stunned, and his reaction was a little slow, but he still tilted his head to avoid it at the critical moment, and the hairpin only sliced into the side of his neck. Huo Yunci saw this clearly and felt that this move was too easy to defeat. 

But when Huo Yunqian saw Liu Zhenqing’s hand moving forward, he held his breath for a moment. Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing turned his wrist and swung down suddenly.

The target was never the throat, which couldn’t be pierced by ordinary force.

This killing move had originally been thought up by Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo. The side of the neck……was the place closest to the carotid artery.

“Ah!” Blood spurted out, accompanied by a scream. The man held his neck with one hand and broke the other out of Liu Zhenqing’s grasp. Then he grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s neck, intending to drag him into death with him!

The two siblings rushed forward and grabbed the man’s hands.

Liu Zhenqing’s stance was already unsteady. He disregarded the other’s strangling hand, and a proud smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with a hint of light once more.

Just as Liu Zhenqing’s vision went dark, he heard the faint sound of a door breaking.

A completely black and extremely familiar sharp sword flew past and pierced directly through the back of the man’s head. 

This time, the man had no chance to struggle. He fell straight down and out of sight without making a sound.

“Second Uncle!” Two thrilled cries burst out in his ears. 

However, Liu Zhenqing could no longer remain upright. His knees softened, and he went down on one knee. The two children quickly supported him.

Liu Zhenqing saw the figure duck forward and crouch down as if to inspect his injuries.

He knew that the person who had come was Huo Fenglie.

He hadn’t intended to see what the young boy from back then had grown into now, but he raised his head instinctively.

The first thing he saw were the extended hands. When had his hands gotten so big? There were long joints and blue veins, and the palms were covered by callouses from practicing martial arts. They weren’t ugly, and only felt steady and powerful. Then came the arms wrapped in black cloud-patterned sleeves, with beautiful, solid lines faintly visible beneath. Then the strong, broad shoulders, the distinct skin texture of the neck, the knife-like jawline, the sharp eyebrows and eyes like stars, the straight nose and exceptional lips.

If one ignored the coldness of his face, he was a handsome man with an elegant demeanor that could stir up the hearts of women.

He was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The last time they met was when the young man took up the duties left behind by his older brother, to fight under the banner of the Huo family and defend the western battlefield.

The boy was seventeen that year, and one year later…..it was nine years until they saw each other again.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare to take a closer look, but he still accidentally fell into the other’s pitch black eyes.

He didn’t know if he saw wrong, but Huo Fenglie seemed to be stunned for a moment, mist drifting across those eyes that were as dark as night.

Liu Zhenqing instinctively tried to smile, but a mouthful of blood spurted out.

“Young Master Liu?” The voice was low and dry, but had the slight effect of splendid ice and snow.

Young Master Liu? Liu Zhenqing wanted to laugh even more. He was Young Master Liu now.

But he didn’t have the strength to laugh. He fell backward, but felt big hands catch the back of his neck and head.

They were steady.

---

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

“I’m here.”

Bo Yueming lowered his head and kissed Pei Yi’s hair, trying hard to suppress the heartache in the air. 

He gently rubbed the back of his lover’s neck and didn’t push him away, but said, “Come on, let me carry you.”

Pei Yi buried his head in Bo Yueming’s arms and hugged him tightly, crossing his legs behind him in a clever move. “Er-ge.”

“En, I’m here.”

Bo Yueming did not neglect to respond, and walked into the room with his koala-like lover in his arms. He held Pei Yi and easily sat down on the sofa. “Have you been tired these days? Let me hug you.”

Pei Yi took a small breath, still leaning into his arms in order to draw strength. The faint scent of ebony lingered around him, draining away his fatigue from the past few days.

The grievance, unwillingness, and even the sadness of having to hold on from the first day the game script leaked reached its peak at this moment.

Pei Yi never liked to show weakness, but now he couldn’t hold on any longer. “Er-ge, I’m exhausted.”

Bo Yueming felt a cool wetness on his shoulder and hugged him tighter in response. “I know. Rest if you’re tired, I’ll stay with you.”

Pei Yi paused, then tried to resolve his emotions using childishness. “…..How about you make money to support me.”

Bo Yueming softly pinched the soft flesh on the back of his neck and coaxed, “If you really don’t want to do more, then rest.”

Not to mention the Bo family’s huge company, even if Bo Yueming relied on himself, he could still make enough money for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Pei Yi nuzzled Bo Yueming’s shoulder again. When he raised his head, his eyes were still a little red, and he looked cute and pitiful. “Why are you here?”

Bo Yueming held his face and said both jokingly and dotingly, “If I didn’t come, my baby would be wronged to death.”

The two had been together for so long, but this was the first time Pei Yi had heard the name ‘baby.’ Warmth suddenly appeared on his cheeks.

His eyes flickered shyly, and he deliberately changed the subject. “Did Qiao Dong tell you? I told him long ago to keep it a secret, but this guy still couldn’t hide it.”

Bo Yueming heard his complaint and said helplessly, “Even if Qiao Dong didn’t tell me about this, did you think you could hide it from me?”

The first two or three days were normal, but in the following days of video calls, Pei Yi’s condition visibly declined and he would find various reasons and excuses to end the video calls.

How could Bo Yueming, his lover, not notice because of the distance between them?

Bo Yueming said honestly, “I initially wanted to come as soon as possible, but after some thought, I held back.”

Not to mention that Bo Group had a major project to push forward, which was truly inseparable from him as the chairman at the helm, Pei Yi would definitely not agree with him leaving Bo Group to accompany him.

Pei Yi murmured, “Thank you for hiding it and holding back from coming. Otherwise, I would have felt guilty and uncomfortable.”

Bo Yueming asked knowingly, “Why would you feel uncomfortable?”

“We both work and have responsibilities. Neither is more important than the other.”

Adults were allowed to be carried away by love, but they must learn restraint and responsibility.

“If you had come a few days earlier, I would have been busy with work and probably wouldn’t have had time to talk with you.”

Pei Yi thought carefully and spoke very softly.

“In that case, not only would your work be delayed, but I would be distracted. I don’t want that.”

A relationship must not be based on one-sided giving or one-sided companionship.

Bo Yueming knew that Pei Yi would have such thoughts, and asked, “Then it’s okay that I came now?”

“I just finished work and need to recharge my batteries.”

Pei Yi found an excuse for himself and then asked in concern, “What about you? Coming to Haishi temporarily really won’t delay the progress of the work at hand?”

Bo Yueming shook his head. “No, the most important signing period of the international project has been completed, so I can spare some time.”

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up. “Then how many days will you stay here? Even if the script is approved for a re-shoot, I might still have to stay in Haishi for one and a half to two months.”

Bo Yueming heard the dependence hidden in his lover’s words and teased, “I’m not staying long, I’ll leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“…….”

The curve of Pei Yi’s mouth froze, and he couldn’t help but lament, “Ah?”

Bo Yueming laughed and said, “Didn’t we just vow to take care of our responsibilities at work? You don’t want to affect my work, do you?”

Pei Yi felt that he had been slapped in the face, and muttered in a low voice, “That’s what my reasoning thinks, but it doesn’t matter to my selfishness.”

Pei Yi was not used to and didn’t like to rely on anyone in the past, but since falling in love with Bo Yueming—

He felt that his clinginess had begun to rise without him knowing, and he couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to.

Bo Yueming saw the depression of the person in his arms, and was honest, “I estimate conservatively that I can stay for four or five days. If there is nothing important at the company, I can stay longer.”

In any case, the most important work had been completed, so he took time off to come to Haishi for a few days and left the rest of the work to Bo Jiao and others to handle.

Pei Yi immediately smiled again. “En.”

Bo Yueming asked him, “Are you hungry? It’s already lunchtime.”

“En, I’m hungry.”

Pei Yi glanced toward the door. “Qiao Dong said that he booked the hotel’s delivery service before going out. Why hasn’t it come yet?”

“I’ll call guest services and ask.”

Bo Yueming stared at the dark circles around Pei Yi’s eyes and relaxed his embrace. “After eating, shall I sleep with you for a while? Your job is done, so catch up on sleep and I’ll celebrate your birthday with you tomorrow.”

Pei Yi was confused. “B-Birthday?”

Bo Yueming reminded him, “June 16th.”

Pei Yi came to a sudden realization. “Right, I’ve been so busy lately that I almost forgot about it.”

Pei Yi had been abandoned as a baby and never knew his actual date of birth.

When he was a child, he stayed at the orphanage, and when he was adopted later and applied for an ID card, he simply regarded the day of his adoption as his birthday.

Later on, his birthday became a regret that he deliberately ignored.

Bo Yueming noticed his lover’s absent-mindedness. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing.” Pei Yi shook his head, still smiling happily. “Er-ge, thank you for coming all the way to celebrate my birthday.”

June 16th was the birthday of the original owner.

But for Pei Yi, his actual date of birth was not the most important thing. What mattered most was that Bo Yueming cared about him.

Bo Yueming heard this sudden thank you and solemnly explained, “Pei Yi, we don’t say thank you to each other.”

“Okay, I get it.”

Pei Yi went to kiss him, but immediately held back and stood up numbly. “I’m going to wash up first!”

Bo Yueming’s eyes were gentle as he agreed. “En.”

. . . . . . . 

The two had a brief lunch before holding hands and returning to the master bedroom.

Bo Yueming saw the coat on the bed at a glance, and there was a smile in his eyes. “Little Sir, does the coat or the person work better?”

Pei Yi pretended not to understand. “I’ll rinse my mouth before sleeping.”

Although this was not the first time he had brought a coat with him on a business trip, he was a little shy when asked about it on the spot.

Bo Yueming hurriedly followed.

The two tidied up simply, then closed the curtains and lay down in bed.

Pei Yi still felt a stiffness on the left side of his neck and shoulder, so he leaned forward and asked, “Er-ge, please massage me.”

Bo Yueming doted on him, following his instructions step by step. “Is there any problem with the second revision of the script?”

Pei Yi gave a heavy sigh. When facing his lover, he was used to letting go of all pressure and defenses.

“There are basically no problems. We’ll discuss the details of the revision at the meeting today, and then start it on the 17th.”

Bo Yueming clearly understood Pei Yi’s outstanding abilities, but still affirmed, “My family’s Little Sir is really amazing.”

Pei Yi smiled and leaned more comfortably into Bo Yueming’s arms, telling him about the twists and turns of the previous days.

He added a question at the end, “Er-ge, I think that what happened this time is very strange. What do you think?”

He had previously been busy with the script rewrite, and really had no time to find the person behind the scenes.

Now that he was free, he must make up for the losses he had suffered!

Bo Yueming gave his analysis, “If you hadn’t forced yourself to change the script in front of Weiyi’s senior management, the biggest beneficiaries would be Gao Pingfeng and Weiyi headquarters itself.”

The former for fame, and the latter for profit.

Pei Yi had thought this at first, but felt a little strange. “But Gao Pingfeng has been with Weiyi for fifteen years and finally reached the position of chief planner. If he leaked the script and stabbed the company in the back—”

“Once this comes to light, won’t his career in the industry be over?”

Bo Yueming gave him a new perspective. “What if he had the tacit approval of the top management?”

Pei Yi responded, “Tacit approval? Er-ge, do you mean that Weiyi’s senior management secretly instructed him to do this?”

Bo Yueming said, “It’s not impossible.”

In this matter, it was not Gao Pingfeng who backstabbed his own employer, but Weiyi’s senior management who backstabbed Pei Yi and YWY Studios as a partner.

From a 40-60 split to 20-80, this exchange of interests had obviously been prepared in advance.

Pei Yi felt that his long-lost headache was coming back. “I don’t have much contact with Weiyi’s senior management, but Gu Jianshen in the copyright department is not that kind of person.”

“Ning Jing has more power than Gu Jianshen. The profit sharing came from her mouth, but I’ve always felt that she is looking forward to long-term cooperation with me.”

Otherwise, Ning Jing would have tried every means to make things difficult for his script the past two weeks and delay him as much as possible, instead of giving him the green light and accepting all his script proposals.

Bo Yueming kept moving up. “Then it was the top level above Ning Jing.”

No matter how large a group or company was, there would still be short-sighted shareholders and executors. These people only pursued short-term interests, regardless of the long-term benefits of cooperation.

Bo Group couldn’t avoid this, and it was likely that major game companies such as Weiyi could not avoid it either.

“Did Weiyi give you an explanation for the script leak these days?”

“No.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and couldn’t help but yawn a little.

He didn’t know what was going on, but he was sleepy again even though he had only just woken up.

Bo Yueming could see his fatigue. “You’re still tired?”

“I guess it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep during this period, and my nerves can’t hold on now that I’m relaxed.” As Pei Yi spoke, he raised his head and kissed the corner of Bo Yueming’s mouth.

Bo Yueming kissed him back, sucking lightly at his thin lips and then easily prying open his teeth. He heard a pleasant muffled sound, carrying the tenderness of a reunion after a long separation.

Concerned about his lover’s body, Bo Yueming stopped after a brief taste. “Be good, will you sleep for a while?”

Pei Yi thought of that kiss that was long overdue, and said with some satisfaction in his eyes, “Er-ge, please help massage my shoulder and neck for a while, they’re still sore.”

“Okay, go to sleep.”

“En.”

Pei Yi closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

Bo Yueming heard his long, slow breathing, and his heart settled down again. He lowered his eyes to look at the sleeping face of the person in his arms who couldn’t be more obedient, and the accumulated heartache surged again—

Not to mention the dark circles under his eyes, he had even lost some weight in his cheeks. When he held him in his arms and walked, he felt a lot lighter. It had taken him nearly a year to regain weight, but he had lost most of it in just half a month!

Bo Yueming thought of the deliberate treatment his lover had received in Haishi, and a frightening dark light flashed through his eyes.

He stopped his massage and carefully picked up the cell phone placed beside the bed, calling his assistant Lin Zhong.

Lin Zhong had followed him to Haishi and was staying downstairs at the moment.

It connected within three seconds.

“Hello, Mr. Bo.”

“Investigate the situation of Weiyi’s current high-level shareholders. Also pay attention to Xunya Technology and Gao Pingfeng. Find out who he is close to.”

Bo Yueming knew that Pei Yi had the ability to fight back on his own, but as his lover, he really couldn’t remain indifferent.

Lin Zhong had also roughly learned about Pei Yi’s recent experiences from Qiao Dong’s mouth, and responded firmly, “Okay, Mr. Bo. I will find out as soon as possible.”

Bo Yueming hung up the phone simply and neatly, and tightened his grip on his lover again. He had purposely caught an early flight, and was a little tired now.

Being in the arms of his lover was the greatest stability.

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi had a particularly comfortable sleep this time, and when he woke up, he felt that all the bones in his body were numb. He looked at the dim light filtering in through the gaps in the window, and his mind slowly recovered.

“…….”

Er-ge seemed to have come to Haishi?

Pei Yi suddenly recalled this important matter and looked around at once. He saw the empty bed—

It seemed that Bo Yueming’s sudden appearance was a dream.

Pei Yi’s heart tightened and he quickly got out of bed, calling outside the room, “Er-ge!”

The sound of slippered footsteps on the floor echoed.

Within three seconds, Bo Yueming opened the door and walked in. “You’re awake?”

Pei Yi stopped and breathed a sigh of relief. “Where have you been?”

Bo Yueming noticed his flash of panic and drew closer to comfort him and explain, “I didn’t go anywhere. I was afraid of waking you up when I got a call, so I stayed outside in the living room.”

Pei Yi accepted the explanation. “En.”

Bo Yueming pulled his lover into his arms and asked, “Did you get enough sleep? I have something to ask you.”

As he spoke, he pulled the other person to the computer desk, opened the drawer, and took out the cigarettes and lighter.

“Explain, when did you smoke? It was packed with twenty cigarettes, and there is only one left.”

“…….”

Like a guilty kitten who had been caught, Pei Yi bravely changed the subject. “Why were you rummaging through my drawers?”

“Okay, I’ll apologize first.” Bo Yueming blocked him between himself and the edge of the table. “It’s my fault for going through your drawers without permission, but I only wanted to find a pen and write something down.”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the drawer, he received an extra “surprise.”

Pei Yi had no real intention to blame Bo Yueming, and as soon as he heard this apology, he felt even more guilty. “I don’t blame you. I…..I also didn’t smoke.”

When Bo Yueming heard Pei Yi stutter, his hand fell down from his waist and hit him on the butt with a pa.

The force was a bit heavy, but not painful.

“W-Why did you spank me again!”

Pei Yi’s eyes immediately widened. He blushed and tried to escape, but his back was pressed against the desk and he couldn’t go anywhere.

Bo Yueming blocked him further. “Be honest, when did you start smoking? How many cigarettes did you smoke?”

Pei Yi was reluctant to admit his mistake. “I took it from Li Yuan some time ago just to show off. When he gave it to me, there was only one left.”

Bo Yueming was so angry that his teeth itched. “Why don’t you tell the truth?”

Another pa!

“…….”

Pei Yi took a deep breath and said, “Just one pack! I’ve been under a lot of pressure at work lately, and sometimes I’m very tired after working late at night!”

“It’s not like you don’t know that I get drunk whenever I drink. I wouldn’t be able to continue working, so I smoked a few to relax!”

After this explanation, he avoided Bo Yueming’s eyes and complained, unresigned, “You promised not to spank me, so why didn’t you keep your word?”

How could Bo Yueming not know that Pei Yi had been wronged at work during this period? He gently lifted his lover onto the table, his temper abating. 

“Does it hurt?”

“…….”

Was this a question of pain or lack thereof?

He was spanked twice this time! Did he want to make him lose face?!

Holding a grudge, Pei Yi ignored him and didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I was wrong.”

Bo Yueming simply admitted his mistake and advised, “Smoking is bad for your health. Let’s try our best not to smoke, all right?”

Pei Yi continued to pretend to be mute.

Bo Yueming could do nothing about him, and softened his attitude further. “Little Sir, please pay attention to me?”

“……”

“Kitten?”

“……”

“Baby?”

Each name that was never spoken to others was more lethal than the last.

Pei Yi tried hard to be strong for half a minute. Then his cheeks turned red and he surrendered, admitting his mistake.

“I know I was wrong. I won’t smoke next time.”

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gao Lin: “……”

Cheng Suyue: “……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah?”

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

Cheng Suyue: “……”

It’s really too terrible.

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

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

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

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

Liu Xian’an shrugged and said: “Hmm.”

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

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

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

They seemed to be portraits.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liu Xianche asked: “Are there any?”

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

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

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

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

“Because the prince said there was no need.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t ask.”

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

It would take less effort for himself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Da-ge beat me again.”

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

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

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

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

So unreasonable, ah!

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

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

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

“But…..”

“I’ll think of another way…..”

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

“Hey, Liu Xiaozhu…..”

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

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

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

The young master also looked at Liu Zhenqing curiously.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liu Zhenqing said awkwardly: “Just once.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What?!”

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

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

“What happened in the end?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah!”

“Who is it! Come out!”

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Chapter Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight