In the interstellar era, keeping a handwritten diary was already a rare ritual. However, this tradition had been passed down for four generations in the House of Duke Qi.
[Two mistakes committed today.]
[One: Due to carelessness, the coupling agent taken from the cold storage was used before it reached room temperature, nearly causing the Commander to blow his cover.]
[Two: Even if one must resort to stealthy means, one must never question the Commander’s noble character.]
Closing the diary, Adjutant Qi stood up and looked at the wall filled with identical notebooks. From top to bottom and left to right, the marks of time increased sequentially. On the side of the alloy bookshelf, four upright characters were engraved: The God Companion’s Manual.
He respectfully returned the brand new diary to its place, gave a military salute, and then sprawled himself out like a giant X against the bookshelf.
“Ancestors, I am sorry. The position of Chief Adjutant almost ended with me.”
His voice choked slightly, but then grew firm.
“Rest assured, ancestors. I will serve the Commander with even greater devotion from now on. I will also continue to diligently search for the candidate Great Grandfather spoke of. As long as the Commander remains without an heir, I, Qi Zhifu, shall never marry!”
A mistake recognized is a mistake corrected. From the second day onward, the coupling agent Cang Bai received was at room temperature.
The rounded probe slid over the transparent liquid. It was no longer freezing but comfortably cool, making Qin Zhen feel entirely relaxed. However, he kept the secret in mind. Not only did he keep it from outsiders, but he also kept it from Adjutant Qi that Leng Fei had already seen through his disguise as a doctor.
Adjutant Qi concealing his identity was surely at the Commander in Chief’s behest. This matter was like Sun Wukong visiting Master Puti late at night; both parties understood the situation perfectly without needing to speak.
However, by the third and fourth day, things changed. Before long, Qin Zhen was getting a little too comfortable.
“To the left, to the left.”
“To the right, to the right.”
“Lower, lower, a bit lower. Yes, right there. Massage that spot a few more times.”
He had never realized that an abdominal muscle massage could feel this good.
Adjutant Qi’s eyelids twitched as he watched. The probe was already touching the waistband of Qin Zhen’s pants. If it went any lower, it would be inappropriate. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught his Commander’s indifferent yet dangerous gaze.
Adjutant Qi quickly cleared his throat. “Why must we focus on applying it to this area?”
“Because it feels a bit.” Qin Zhen stopped himself abruptly, nearly blurting out the word itchy. “It feels sensitive!” He corrected himself, thanking his quick wit. “A very subtle sensation, as if the energy fluctuations there are stronger. It can help maximize the effect of the enhancer!”
Before hearing the second half of that sentence, Adjutant Qi almost thought the subtle sensation he mentioned was fetal movement. However, Qin Zhen’s lower abdomen was flat and showed no signs of pregnancy; how could there be fetal movement? Furthermore, the ultrasound image remained a complete blank.
Adjutant Qi could not help but roll his eyes, yet he saw his Commander seemingly take it seriously, sliding the probe along the waistband a few more times. That was one thing, but what happened next made his heart skip a beat.
Qin Zhen suddenly reached out and covered the back of the Commander’s hand which was holding the probe!
“That sensation moved! It moved here!”
Having spent years exposed to the elements, the skin on the back of Qin Zhen’s hand was slightly darker than wheat colored. Although Cang Bai’s fingers were slender and his palm was a size larger than Qin Zhen’s, his skin was as white and delicate as jade, thanks to the restorative power of the White Python.
Black over white, dark pressing against light; the two hands, along with the ultrasound probe beneath them, slid along the firm lower abdomen toward the well defined mermaid line on his side.
“Yes, right here. It is throbbing. The energy fluctuations must be intense!”
This was pure nonsense. This position was clearly far from the gestational sac and the young beast within. How could there be energy fluctuations?
Cang Bai’s hand pulled away abruptly, leaving a fleeting sensation of smoothness in Qin Zhen’s palm. A thought flashed through Qin Zhen’s mind: I did not expect this. Adjutant Qi’s hand is actually more tender than a woman’s, and he is so fair. Could he be a woman in disguise?
Under his Commander’s heavy and silent gaze, Adjutant Qi suppressed his anger. “Done. Now leave!”
Qin Zhen asked, “So soon? I wanted to be massaged a bit longer.”
Adjutant Qi snapped, “It is enough. Get out!”
Qin Zhen persisted, “Have the sensor patches not been applied yet? I did not feel them. Let us massage a bit more.”
Adjutant Qi took a deep breath and squeezed three words through his teeth: “They. Were. Applied.”
Does he really think the House of Duke Qi is just for show? Even if you are the Commander’s student, I have plenty of ways to handle you, do you understand?!
Fortunately, Qin Zhen did not push his luck too far. After sighing with a lingering sense of regret, he said with a grin, “Well then, Doctor, see you tomorrow!”
He finally got rid of that plague. Adjutant Qi closed the door and took a moment to calm himself before gathering the courage to turn around. The Commander had already stepped out from behind the curtain. He was staring at the ultrasound image, his expressionless face making it difficult for Adjutant Qi to guess his thoughts.
“Commander, how about I perform the examinations for him starting tomorrow? You do not need to.”
“Enough. The prenatal checkups end here.”
“What?” Adjutant Qi realized what was said and looked delighted. “Are you removing Qin Zhen from the list?”
Cang Bai remained silent. He covered the back of his right hand with his left, his icy palm dispelling the lingering, burning warmth from Qin Zhen’s touch. His gaze never left the ultrasound image.
After a full week of testing, the ultrasound image was still a blank void. The energy isolation layer within Qin Zhen’s gestational sac had never dissipated. It could essentially be concluded that what Qin Zhen carried in his belly was a true young beast. The key question was: was it that lingering, dying beast egg, or the White Python’s invisible yet lethal offspring?