Late at night, an unmanned starship ascended from the Generalissimo’s Manor and flew toward the edge of the Central Star District.
Fair-skinned feet marked with winding blue veins pressed against pale pink soles as they stepped into the warm pool water. Long hair, slightly damp, draped along the sharp lines of a neck down to the coarse stone surface. Leaning against the edge of the pool, the man slightly raised his eyes and gazed into the pitch-black distance.
As one of the most powerful war beasts in the galaxy, the White Python possessed a mystical perception of the laws of the universe. Among these abilities, determining direction was a simple matter. It knew very well that the direction Cang Bai was gazing toward was precisely the star-continent where the Breeding Center was located.
The quiet tattoo began to move. Fine snake scales gradually shimmered with a cold white luster, sliding up the arm and shoulder, coiling loop by loop around the slender neck. The python’s head rose beside Cang Bai’s ear and flicked a long tongue.
“Are you satisfied now? Qin Zhen violated military law. Given the old man’s grudge against him, he will surely be punished to within an inch of his life. As for Little Ding, he is the best at reading your cues. Since you did not stop it, he had no reason to object.”
“Alas, poor little soldier. This time, even if he does not die, his gestational sac cannot be saved. That is the result you wanted, is it not, you heartless man?”
It had given Cang Bai yet another nickname. Of course, even a fleeting tryst counts as a relationship. Since Cang Bai chose to stand by and watch him suffer, the White Python felt the nickname was well-deserved.
“According to you, I should have handed him over to Qi Zhifu long ago,” Cang Bai remarked.
“Little Fufu is your adjutant. If word leaked out after the deed was done, would it not be your reputation as the Supreme Commander that suffered?”
“Having lived together for a century, do you think I care about reputation?”
“Fine. So, you did not actually want the little soldier to die? Then why are you not afraid he will give birth to my offspring? Do you not want to nip the danger in the bud?”
“His death would certainly eliminate a hidden threat,” Cang Bai paused and closed his eyes. “But it might also be a loss for the Empire.”
“It seems you are still coveting that beast egg, fantasizing that if Qin Zhen births it, you will have a successor.” The White Python flicked its tongue. “What do you plan to do? Will you let Qin Zhen be nominally expelled from the Breeding Center, then save his gestational sac and secretly take him away to be imprisoned?”
Cang Bai remained silent, but the White Python grew excited.
“Imprisonment, gestation, childbirth; without all those meddling fools in the way, you can do whatever you want to that little soldier! Interesting, truly too interesting!”
“I must have been blind for a hundred years to not realize you were such a closet pervert!”
That same night, Qi Zhifu returned to the Duke’s residence. Without even taking off his military uniform, he rushed to the study and embraced the bookshelf.
“Father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, my ancestors!”
“Zhifu did not disappoint. I have finally driven away that fellow named Qin Zhen, resolving a major hidden threat for the Commander!”
“Although I bear the heavy responsibility of urging the Commander to marry and have children, it is also my duty to block petty people and ensure no one of low character taints the Evergreen Tree of the Empire! Zhifu, Zhifu,” he actually wept with joy, his voice choking up. “Zhifu has achieved it at the cost of his own reputation.”
Lü Yanqiu had instructed that it was best to stay in bed for three days to stabilize the fetal energy. However, Qin Zhen felt no discomfort and could not stay still, waking up even earlier than usual.
The swelling in his nose had not fully gone down, and he still wore a thick layer of gauze. From the dining hall to the third-floor examination room, he drew many amused glances. Their smiles were merely teasing and without malice. It seemed no one knew about the complaint filed against him, so Qin Zhen did not mind at all. He even waved back cheerfully.
But once he stepped out of the examination room, his smile vanished. It was replaced by a deep frown and a hint of disappointment.
Leng Fei and Ni Hong remained in the waiting area as usual. Seeing this, they exchanged a look. Both had finished their energy monitoring and had long noticed that the doctor in the examination room had changed. Though it was still a young male doctor, it was no longer Adjutant Qi.
“Brother Qin,” Ni Hong wanted to say something, but Leng Fei pressed a hand on his shoulder. After a moment of hesitation, Ni Hong kept his mouth shut.
Once Qin Zhen had walked a bit further away, Ni Hong sighed softly. “A short pain is better than a long one. This is a good thing for Brother Qin.”
“You are thinking too simply,” Leng Fei sneered. “The one named Qi just stopped pretending to be a doctor; it does not mean he will never see Qin Zhen again. Even if Qi Zhifu wants to end it due to his status, Qin Zhen might not stop pestering him. That man is a Duke, second only to the Royal Grand Dukes.”
Speak of the devil. The three had just entered the elevator lobby when the doors opened to reveal two people: Supreme Commander Cang Bai and Adjutant Qi.
According to protocol, Leng Fei and Ni Hong immediately offered a military salute. Qin Zhen, however, seemed to forget entirely and stared blankly at Adjutant Qi. Adjutant Qi’s reaction was even more exaggerated. His eyes widened and he blurted out, “Why are you still here?”
Leng Fei narrowed her eyes. It seemed they had already talked. Did Qi demand that Qin Zhen leave the Breeding Center? The question was when and where they talked. After the energy monitoring yesterday, until he was kicked unconscious by Peng Yunhan, Qin Zhen had been with them the entire time. Afterward, he was sent to the medical room and then back to his room, where Ni Hong had accompanied him.
In a flash of insight, Leng Fei’s meticulous mind reached a conclusion: a late-night secret tryst.
Qi Zhifu’s sudden interrogation shattered Qin Zhen’s despondency. He shot back, “Adjutant Qi, why did you not come today?”
“I,” Adjutant Qi began. The prenatal checkups are over and you are about to be court-martialed! Why would I come?
Qi Zhifu roared internally, but his peripheral vision caught Leng Fei’s meaningful expression, and he shut his mouth. Qin Zhen followed his gaze to Leng Fei and Ni Hong, finally remembering the instruction to keep the enhancement agents a secret, and quickly dropped the subject.
“Ha, haha,” he scratched his head with a dry laugh. “I meant that I suffered a small injury yesterday and thought you and the Teacher would come to see me sooner. I did not expect you would only show up now, but I am still very moved. Don’t worry, I have survived much worse injuries; this little scratch is nothing!”
Before he finished speaking, another elevator door opened with a ding. Coincidentally, Director Lao and Vice Commander Ding Xiaoyi stepped out.
As if seeing a savior, Adjutant Qi grabbed Director Lao and pulled him back, whispering urgently, “Did you not say he would be court-martialed? Why is he still bouncing around?”
“Did we not say we would wait for the facts before court-martialing? The complaint was withdrawn, so naturally, military law does not apply. Besides, even with a court-martial, at most his gestational sac would be removed,” Director Lao whispered back. He suddenly had a thought and his eyes widened in horror. “Do you mean?”
He made a throat-slitting gesture. “Is that the Commander’s wish?”
Others might not have heard their whispering, but Ding Xiaoyi could. His war beast, the Night Patrol Owl, possessed extraordinary hearing. As its master, his hearing far surpassed that of ordinary humans. Hearing this, his thick brows twitched and his sharp gaze fell upon Qin Zhen.
It took a moment for Adjutant Qi to grasp Director Lao’s meaning, and his eyes grew even wider. When did he ever mean that? Forget killing Qin Zhen, he had not even thought about removing Qin Zhen’s gestational sac! He thought it would just be a few days of solitary confinement and then handing him over to Tie Tu for correction. At the absolute most, he would be stationed to a remote legion after giving birth!
“I,” Adjutant Qi was about to explain when he abruptly stopped. A few meters away, Leng Fei tilted her head slightly and cast an extremely dangerous look his way. From her angle, she had just seen the Director’s throat-slitting gesture.
At the same time, another cold voice rang out.
“Adjutant Qi.” Cang Bai turned slightly. His gaze was so cold it exerted an overwhelming pressure. “You seem to have a very deep prejudice against Qin Zhen.”
“What?” Hearing his name, Qin Zhen was dazed for a moment before immediately shaking his head. “How could Adjutant Qi have a prejudice against me? He has always been very supportive.”
“Shut up!” Qi Zhifu nearly jumped, but a soft sound from Cang Bai pinned him firmly to the spot.
“Commander, I am not, I do not,” Qi Zhifu stammered. Cold sweat poured down his face; he could not form a complete sentence.
His reaction also gave Ding Xiaoyi and Director Lao a late-coming sense of dread. They were nearly misled. If they had truly taken “dealing with Qin Zhen” as the Supreme Commander’s wish, they would have executed it immediately. But clearly, the Commander not only had no intention of dealing with him but was defending him in public. If Qin Zhen had died, who could have withstood the Commander’s wrath?
Everyone present had their own calculations, except for Qin Zhen, whose head was a complete muddle. Fortunately, the chaotic scene soon ended. Cang Bai stated his purpose: he was looking for Old Man Chang. Ding Xiaoyi and Director Lao had come because they heard Peng Yunhan was the first to show visible signs of pregnancy.
The group dispersed. Qin Zhen unconsciously followed them out of the elevator lobby, stopping at a corner to gaze at Adjutant Qi’s retreating back. Leng Fei and Ni Hong stepped back a bit to summarize what they had observed.
However, Leng Fei did not share her conclusion that Adjutant Qi wanted his lover dead. To someone of Ni Hong’s temperament, that would be too horrifying. Knowing it would bring more harm than good. She simply said, “It seems the Teacher is unaware of their affair.”
“That is for sure,” Ni Hong agreed wholeheartedly. “The Teacher is the Supreme Commander of the Empire. How could he tolerate such filthy things happening under his nose? Leng Fei, thank you for looking out for Brother Qin and stopping them from making more mistakes.”
Leng Fei shook her head thoughtfully. “It is too early to judge whether we have succeeded.”
Before she could finish, Qin Zhen’s exclamation came from around the corner. “I have got it!”
“Got what?” Seeing him walk back with such excitement, Ni Hong had a bad feeling.
Qin Zhen shook his head and smiled without a word. So that is it! That is how it is! No wonder only Adjutant Qi was there for every monitoring session; it is because my idol had no idea! Truly, appearances are deceiving. Adjutant Qi is the real talent scout; he discovered me, this thousand-mile horse, even before the Commander did! However, looking at Adjutant Qi’s dilemma, he must have taken a huge risk giving me those enhancement agents, probably without even telling my idol.
Thinking of this, Qin Zhen immediately wiped the smile off his face. Secrecy is required. Strict secrecy is required! This must stay buried in my heart forever!
“From the previous examinations, Ni Hong’s young beast is adapting better to the medicine. The duration of energy disorder is also shrinking. Perhaps he will pass the stability check next time.”
“When is the next time?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“Understood.” Cang Bai thought for a moment and nodded. “Thank you for your hard work, Old Man Chang.”
“It is no trouble at all. The Commander can just call me Little Chang.”
Despite saying that, being called Old Man Chang by the Supreme Commander naturally made the old doctor happy. After all, strictly speaking, he was half the Commander’s age!
“The Commander personally teaches and cares so much for his students; it is truly a blessing for the Empire!”
Caring? If he knew your main purpose was to drag Qin Zhen back to imprisonment! You frigid man, since the little soldier was not punished, are you just letting it go? Are you not going to snatch him back and keep him hidden?
Cang Bai habitually ignored the White Python’s nonsensical chatter. He nodded to Old Man Chang and turned to leave. The door was suddenly pushed open and Adjutant Qi rushed in breathlessly. “Commander, I have investigated. Qin Zhen did indeed pull down Peng Yunhan’s pants in public! Although the complaint was withdrawn, Peng Yunhan is Lü Yanqiu’s student, and Lü Yanqiu certainly mediated.”
“Adjutant Qi,” Cang Bai interrupted calmly. He had not asked Qi Zhifu to investigate.
Qi Zhifu paused. Seeing Old Man Chang inside, he suddenly pointed at him. “Commander, Old Man Chang is also a victim! If he had not been harassed by Qin Zhen to a certain degree, why would he have filed a complaint? Old Man Chang, tell us, did Qin Zhen not,”
“No! Nothing of the sort!” Old Man Chang denied it categorically.
“Old Man Chang?” Qi Zhifu was stunned and disbelieving. “Did Director Lao not receive a complaint from you?”
The complaint was real, but it was not filed by Old Man Chang; it was his wife. After finding out, Old Man Chang had been frantic and unable to sleep for days, terrified people would find out and make it look like he, at his age, had lost his virtue to a twenty-year-old youth. Even if he had lost his virtue, he could never admit it. Where would he hide his old face?
“A misunderstanding! It was all just a misunderstanding!” Old Man Chang was quite agitated. “I explained it clearly to the Director long ago. It was purely a misunderstanding!”
Otherwise, given his prestigious status, Qin Zhen would have been court-martialed long ago. His final struggle proved futile. Qi Zhifu was speechless as his Commander slowly turned around, his calm gaze landing on his face.
“Time and time again is there something happening between you and Qin Zhen that you have not told me?”
Qi Zhifu’s lips trembled. Do you not already know what is happening? His internal screaming did nothing to stop the cold sweat soaking his back.