Where was the claim that Ger bodies were highly susceptible to conception?
Lu Yunqi was somewhat irritated. Being with this man who had killed him nine times, over and over again, was something he himself was quite reluctant to do.
Though perhaps even more reluctant was Murong Jie—what proper straight man would enjoy being with another man?
If it weren't for the amusement of disgusting Murong Jie, and if it weren't for the pleasure his Ger instincts could derive from the experience, Lu Yunqi, a straight man himself, would have found it hard to accept.
Yes, straight. He had always considered himself thoroughly straight.
Murong Jie, whose lips were being kissed, did not struggle. He allowed Lu Yunqi to push him down onto the bed, but his eyes held a look of despair beyond all grief—a resolute resignation.
Seeing that expression only made Lu Yunqi angrier. He pinched Murong Jie's chin and said, "What? Is being with this young master so painful for you? Heh, I don't like that look on your face."
With that, he untied his own sash and bound it around Murong Jie's eyes, carefully tying a knot at the back of his head.
Then he undid his outer robe, his inner garment, his underclothes…
Lu Yunqi wrapped his arms around Murong Jie's neck, a heavy look of wanton playfulness in his eyes. Gazing at him with a light, teasing expression, he said, "Who would have thought—not only is your face handsome, but this body of yours pleases this young master to no end. Though it is rather strange—you used to get injured every day, yet there's hardly a scar to be found on you."
This was, of course, thanks to the Nine Deaths One Life Divine Art. The excruciating pain of Body Tempering, like ten thousand ants gnawing at the flesh, had reshaped all those scars and old ailments, granting him a body of strength and fine sinew.
But the newly forged flesh seemed a bit too fair and tender—wherever Lu Yunqi kissed, red marks lingered.
Lu Yunqi kissed Murong Jie's lips, his tongue teasing against Murong Jie's, then kissed his sensitive earlobes, and bit at his soft, thin lips.
His current body was that of a Ger, skilled at pleasing men, and equally skilled at pleasing himself.
The Ger's pheromones emanated from the surface of his skin. This was the first time Lu Yunqi had smelled the fragrance emanating from his own body.
He had always assumed it was the scent of Bedchamber Incense, but today he had burned no incense, nor even used any bath powder.
It was a faint scent, something like a blend of white tea and jasmine, with a light note of sandalwood in the base.
If he had possessed this scent in his previous life, it might have been sought after by many master perfumers. He had smelled countless expensive fragrances, yet none had ever struck him as finer than the scent of his own body.
Lu Yunqi seemed somewhat intoxicated. He looked up at Murong Jie and noticed a hint of infatuation in his expression as well.
So that's how it is, he thought. This Ger body really does come in handy!
Right now you're enraptured and entranced—but when you come to your senses, won't you loathe yourself to death?
A smile curved at Lu Yunqi's lips. He embraced Murong Jie and kissed him on the mouth.
None knew how long passed. Lu Yunqi's forehead was damp with strands of wet hair, his lips kissed to a vivid, dripping red. It was as if ten thousand years had passed in these mountains, the entire room filled with the tranquility of time at peace.
Murong Jie and Lu Yunqi knew not how deep the spring night had grown, only that the night owls cried low outside, and it was already the third watch.
Lu Yunqi kissed Murong Jie's lips until they were a deep crimson before finally releasing him. The moment he was free, Murong Jie, as if startled, swiftly rolled off the bed and wrapped his clothes around himself. A rare flicker of panic appeared in his eyes—but it vanished in an instant, hidden once more in the depths of his gaze.
Seeing his reaction, Lu Yunqi merely leaned back against the headboard and laughed. Baring his chest, he said with great amusement, "Oh? Blushing? Or disgusted? It doesn't matter how much you loathe it—do you think you can escape this young master's grasp? Did this young master kiss you well just now? Come now, serve your young master in his bath… actually, never mind the bath. I hear it's better for conception this way."
Murong Jie only felt that Lu Yunqi was speaking nonsense. He turned and left the room without a trace of lingering reluctance.
After hurrying back to the Prince Cang's manor, his cheeks and ears flushed red as blood.
He furrowed his brow and dug his fingers hard into his wrist, which was already rubbed raw and bleeding. He needed pain to keep his nerves and his mind clear.
Only when blood began to trickle in winding rivulets from his wrist did the drumming of his heart finally subside.
Just then, Xiao Hei emerged from the darkness. Seeing the blood on the ground, he said anxiously, "Master, why… why would you do this? Let me bandage your wound!"
"No need!" Murong Jie ordered coldly. "Go tell Mi Jianan to recruit fifty thousand soldiers in the Hexi Corridor, and to mine the mineral vein found in the western range of Dayan Mountain last month. Raise military funds as quickly as possible."
Xiao Hei acknowledged the order but did not leave immediately. Instead, with fury burning in his eyes, he said, "Master, let me kill him for you!"
A hint of anger crept into Murong Jie's cold, handsome features: "Since when do you get to make decisions for me?"
Xiao Hei knelt before him: "Xiao Hei wouldn't dare. Please calm your anger, Master."
Murong Jie waved his hand. "Go. I'll summon you if needed."
Xiao Hei leaped out the window, his figure vanishing into the night, leaving only Murong Jie in the empty room, along with the dripping sound of blood falling from his wrist onto the floor.
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and when he opened them again, the gloom in his gaze was once more replaced by overwhelming hatred.
In this life, his only purpose was revenge—to stomp those who had killed him, step by step, into the soft, rotting, stinking mud of hell!
The next day dawned clear and bright. Lu Yunqi, who hadn't entered the Wanping Wasteland for several days, finally returned. The moment he opened his system, a barrage of notification sounds buzzed so loudly in his head that his brain felt like it was ringing.
It took him a while to recover, and when he checked his System Points, they had exceeded ten thousand!
Lu Yunqi was shocked. This included over seven thousand points from recycling mung bean sprouts, plus points from completing daily tasks and unlocking achievements and illustrated guides.
All combined, it came to over ten thousand—a considerable fortune for him.
He then checked the progress on the wooden cabins: ten had been built, along with one mu each of peach and apple trees.
The radish seedlings were also nearly ready for harvest, and the butter lettuce and chives were growing lush and green. The entire Wanping Wasteland was thriving.
The NPCs all came to greet him. He now had six NPCs working in division of labor, keeping the place well-organized.
Just then, the system sent another notification: "Congratulations, host! You have unlocked the High-End Talent Market. You may now hire management-type talent: Professional Managers. A Professional Manager can help manage the system space while the host is offline. This includes but is not limited to: accepting viable tasks, assigning NPC work, and making reasonable plans for the system's future. If there are important matters, the Professional Manager will consult the host. In short, for the host, a Professional Manager can save you a lot of trouble!"
Lu Yunqi let out a "wow" and said, "There are actually Professional Managers? This NPC is great! If I hire a manager, does that mean I can slack off even more?"
System Xiao Jiu popped out and said, "Yes, master, but many important decisions still require your personal input. For example, expanding territory, recruiting forces, upgrading the system, and so on. However, we are a good system, absolutely fitting your Idle Ger persona! When the time comes, master can go wherever you want, play whatever you want—wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Lu Yunqi hummed in satisfaction and opened the High-End Talent Market to start choosing a Professional Manager.
The highest-level Professional Manager he could currently select was a Level 3 NPC, requiring ninety System Points to redeem, with a monthly salary of ten thousand System Coins.
The Professional Managers' names sounded impressive too, but after browsing the High-End Talent Market for a while, he still couldn't decide what type of management talent he wanted.
Some excelled in marketing, some in project planning, some in innovation incubation. All of them had tags like professionalism, leadership, adaptability, and execution—these seemed to be the basic qualities of a Professional Manager.
What Lu Yunqi needed right now was someone with strong leadership and execution abilities, so among the various Professional Managers, he chose an NPC with over ninety percent execution and leadership ratings.
The NPC's name was Du Ze, appearing to be in his thirties, dressed in a suit with black-rimmed glasses, his eyes radiating wisdom, looking very reliable.
As soon as the contract was signed, the NPC came before him and nodded, saying, "Master, I am your Professional Manager, Du Ze. I will now take over management of your system. I have detected that your system is the 'Idle Ger Planting System,' but in fact, this system is a planting and infrastructure development system. Please rest assured, as your professional steward, I will manage your system with expertise. If you have any development directions or suggestions, feel free to communicate with me at any time."
After hearing the Professional Manager's words, Lu Yunqi suddenly realized—indeed, professional matters should be left to professionals!
Lu Yunqi asked, "So what suggestions do you have next? I have ten thousand System Points here. What should I buy? Or should I wait and save up more points first?"
Upon hearing this, Du Ze said, "Master, please wait a moment. Let me scan the worldview here."
Ten minutes later, Du Ze opened his eyes and said, "Master, I suggest you go recruit residents to settle in the Wanping Wasteland right away. Each resident adds ten points of prosperity and earns you ten System Points. You currently have ten wooden cabins, and each cabin can house at least three people, meaning you can recruit thirty people. Three hundred prosperity points will upgrade your system to Level 2, and at Level 2, the system can be placed under trusteeship, fully handed over to the Professional Manager. Next, please continue building wooden cabins until you can accommodate three hundred people. Three hundred people will raise prosperity by three thousand points, upgrading the system to Level 3. At Level 3, you can hire Level 5 NPCs, who can divert the Yu River and build a water conservancy hub power station. At that point, you'll be able to use electrical facilities, and your Civilization Level can be directly raised to 0.5."
Lu Yunqi was puzzled but deeply impressed. Indeed, professional matters should be left to professionals—he had been toiling away for so long without the Civilization Level budging an inch, yet the moment a professional manager stepped in, progress was made!