“Teacher, I’m telling you, the ten-thousand-year lotus seed really takes ten thousand years to sprout,” He Qing caught up.

Qiao Yi looked around, “Let’s walk this way.”

“This way feels unlucky,” He Qing tugged on him, but was pulled back in return. “Follow your teacher’s steps.”

“…”

– 

He Qing, following behind Duan Chenhui, was tense, worried that his alter ego might suddenly show up in front of them. But to maintain the mystery of “Mr. He,” he couldn’t back down now.

After a while, Duan Chenhui seemed to notice his slower pace. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just wondering what this space is… It’s different from anything I’ve encountered before,” He Qing said calmly, his tone steady.

“Indeed. After we get out, I’ll compile a report for the research institute,” Duan Chenhui replied as he continued walking.

“…” No need to send it to the research institute, He Qing glared at Duan Chenhui’s back. General, sometimes you don’t need to be so serious!

Suddenly, He Qing sensed something, looking up at the sky. Two figures were falling through a teleportation array. Just as expected, bad things really do happen easily. Amitabha.

He Qing’s face turned to one of dead despair.

“Teacher, I told you we shouldn’t have gone this way!”

“How was I supposed to know this would happen? Maybe I’m just unlucky. Wait… the people below look like Duan Chenhui?”

“Sigh… General?”

“Duan Chenhui, catch us!”

He Qing and his alter ego locked eyes. He thought about summoning his flying sword to rescue them, but Duan Chenhui was quicker. A gleaming mecha appeared and caught them in mid-air.

Duan Chenhui stepped out of the cockpit just like when they first met, looking down at He Qing. “He Qing? What are you doing here?”

He Qing glanced back at his alter ego, lying lifelessly in the mecha’s hand. “I… I got lost.”

Duan Chenhui smiled, jumped down, and pulled him up. “Lost, and ended up on a new planet?”

He Qing, feeling weak, looked at Qiao Yi, “I came with my teacher.”

He Qing, you really know how to throw someone under the bus.

Qiao Yi’s smile was a little twisted. “Student He said he was worried about the General and insisted on coming. But then he got lost in the forest, and I came to find him.”

“…” He Qing was silent for a moment, then immediately turned to apologize, “Sorry, General.”

Duan Chenhui scrutinized them for a moment, then said to Qiao Yi, “You’re the teacher, so this is indeed your responsibility.”

“Fine, fine, I slipped up this time.” Qiao Yi twitched, wanting to smack them both. You two playing your couple games, and I’m the one who has to take the blame?

After scolding Qiao Yi, Duan Chenhui gave He Qing the same treatment. “You’re at fault too. Don’t let it happen again.”

“Thank you, General,” He Qing said sweetly, “The General’s mecha is really cool.”

“Where are the other students?” Qiao Yi hopped to the ground and saw He Qing’s alter ego.

“They’re in a palace. I’ll take you there,” Duan Chenhui brought He Qing down and introduced the alter ego, “This is Mr. He, He Lian.”

“Hello, I’m Qiao Yi,” Qiao Yi said, still thinking about the ten-thousand-year lotus seed story, staring at He Lian, lost in thought.

“Mr. Qiao.” The alter ego nodded at him.

Qiao Yi chuckled and looked back at He Qing. If He Qing wore a mask, colored contacts, and dyed his hair… he’d look exactly like this He Lian. Just because you recently sprouted doesn’t mean you’re young!

He Qing really is some kind of ancient monster who knows how to split himself!

Qiao Yi bit down on a cigarette, not wanting to think about it any further.

He Qing walked over to greet his alter ego. “Hello, Mr. He,” he said, raising his tone slightly.

“Hello,” the alter ego replied coolly. Their handshake was awkward.

He Qing shook hands with himself and mentally started chanting in frustration. I swear, I don’t have a split personality. The only reason I use this alter ego is for convenience.

Duan Chenhui glanced at them, then pulled He Qing back. “Stay with me here. Don’t wander off.”

“Yes,” He Qing obediently replied.

Qiao Yi took a hard drag on his cigarette, feeling like rolling his eyes but also wanting to laugh. Based on his observations, this Mr. He is definitely He Qing! This realization shocked him to the core, but he wasn’t going to tell Duan Chenhui.

“Let’s go this way,” Duan Chenhui led the way.

Qiao Yi sneaked a glance at He Qing, then sidled up to “Mr. He,” striking up a conversation.

“Mr. He, where are you from?”

“Jiuzhou.”

“If I ever get the chance, I’d love to visit.”

“If the opportunity arises.”

“Mr. He, are you an A?”

“Male. We don’t have ABO distinctions where I’m from.”

“Oh…” Qiao Yi almost dropped his cigarette. Wait! Does He Qing think he’s not an O but a 1? Then he and Duan Chenhui are competing for the same title!

Qiao Yi’s thoughts spun, and he took another deep drag before throwing the cigarette away and stomping it out, but the tingling sensation on his scalp wouldn’t go away.

Mr. He turned his head to smile at him, which made Qiao Yi’s scalp tingle even more. He quickly turned to look at the scenery, avoiding further conversation.

He Qing silently clasped his hands together. Oh dear, Teacher, you’re asking too much. I might get exposed.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived at an old, somewhat rundown palace. He Qing walked in, catching the scent of barbecue from the main hall.

He Qing scanned the room. The students were gathered around a fire pit. Dr. Qin was instructing them, “Flip that roast lamb. Add cumin powder!”

“Yes!” One student seriously pulled out cumin powder and sprinkled it over the meat with a dramatic flair, as if they were truly bored.

Dr. Qin adjusted his glasses. “Mm, the timing is perfect. Let’s wait for the General to return.”

“I’m back,” Duan Chenhui said, walking in. “And I’ve brought some others with me.”

Everyone turned their heads in unison.

“General!”

“Teacher?”

“He Qing?!!” What’s he doing here?! Isn’t he afraid of getting caught in the crossfire?

“Hello, everyone,” He Qing greeted them, spotting a familiar face—his desk mate, Chu Yan. He made a special point of saying hello, “Desk mate Chu?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Chu Yan, realizing they’d used He Qing’s technique to trick the school bully into roasting lamb for them! Hahaha!

Chu Yan flipped the lamb and rolled his eyes. “I heard you. No need to call me out like that.”

Dr. Qin, in his white coat, rushed over. “General, how’s the situation outside? This is the last roast lamb we have, it might be our final meal.”

Duan Chenhui, standing like a pillar of strength, nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll be out soon.”

“That’s great!” the students cheered.

Qiao Yi smiled, “But we should eat first to regain our strength.”

“Agreed,” Dr. Qin nodded. “General, you must be tired.”

“No need. Let’s check things out first,” Duan Chenhui glanced at He Qing. “You stay here.”

“Understood. I won’t wander off,” He Qing promised himself, sitting next to Chu Yan, watching the lamb roast.

Chu Yan shifted over with a look of disdain.

Qiao Yi laughed, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Mm,” Duan Chenhui nodded and left with Mr. He. “There are still some strange areas inside.”

“Let’s take a look,” He Qing focused most of his consciousness on Mr. He, leaving the other version of himself here to guard the others.

They left the hall and walked down a corridor. He Qing observed the surroundings, noticing that the architecture looked entirely ancient, potentially hiding enemies.

After walking for a bit, He Qing tilted his head and asked, “Is that person the General’s wife?”

“Yes,” Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why do you ask?”

“Although I’ve just met him, you can’t judge a person by their appearance,” He Qing probed.

Duan Chenhui’s hand brushed his sword’s hilt. “Mr. He, I appreciate your concern.”

He Qing’s heart skipped a beat. Duan Chenhui must have sensed something off about me, right?! He continued calmly, “I mean no harm. I’m just afraid you might be deceived…”

Duan Chenhui suddenly stopped walking. The candlelight illuminated his profile. “Even if I’m deceived, I’ll bear all the consequences.”

He Qing’s heart steadied, looking into his eyes for a long moment before saying, “As expected of the General. I’m impressed.”

“This is my choice,” Duan Chenhui continued walking.

He Qing said nothing more, touching his mask, silently admiring Duan Chenhui’s maturity and composure. But someone this composed would probably have no hesitation in arresting him if he found out the truth…

He Qing silently steeled himself. He absolutely couldn’t let his alter ego be exposed.

Duan Chenhui, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and looked up at a large door. “There’s a strange magic array behind this door, like a magical formation.” He turned and said, “The decorations inside have patterns identical to those on Mr. He’s mask. I’m sure you know what’s going on.”

Duan Chenhui paused for a moment. “I won’t ask too many questions, but get my students out safely.”

He Qing smiled. So Duan Chenhui had been suspicious of him all along, yet still listened to his nonsense so seriously. Even that bit about compiling data for the research institute was just to bait him!

“So earlier, the General was pretending to be weak, to see how I’d react?”

Duan Chenhui met his gaze. “My leg does feel uncomfortable.”

“What if I wanted to imprison the General here?” He Qing suddenly had a wild thought. In his effort to blend in with modern society, he’d even read some local novels here.

Duan Chenhui didn’t flinch, turning to push open the door. “Then I’d like to ask which country Mr. He is from.”

Looks like the General knows he’s offended quite a few people.

“I was just joking,” He Qing walked in and glanced at the magic array in the hall, narrowing his eyes slightly. “It’s a sealing array.”

“What should we do?”

“General, please step outside the array.”

Duan Chenhui squinted and moved out of the formation’s boundaries. “Be careful.”

“I will,” He Qing replied, stepping into the center of the formation. He summoned his staff, gathered spiritual energy, and thrust it into the ground with a powerful force. The staff pierced the floor, causing the formation to react violently, unleashing a fierce spiritual pressure. Suddenly, something shot out from the ground at lightning speed, aiming directly at him.

He Qing’s heart tightened, and he instinctively blocked it. But the entity crazily sought a new target.

“General, be careful! It’s trying to possess someone!”

Duan Chenhui quickly slashed at it with his sword. The entity screamed but didn’t dodge, continuing its charge. The jade lotus pendant on Duan Chenhui’s chest emitted a bright light, and the golden energy fiercely broke through the protective barrier and slammed into Duan Chenhui’s body.

In the next second, Duan Chenhui’s eyes flickered, and he raised his sword to attack He Qing.

He Qing blocked the strike with his staff but was forced into a corner by Duan Chenhui. With a chilling laugh, Duan Chenhui grabbed him by the throat. “This body feels quite good. You wouldn’t dare attack him, would you?”

He Qing clutched Duan Chenhui’s hand, his expression dark. “Who are you?” He truly didn’t dare attack Duan Chenhui. His body, after all, was still mortal and couldn’t withstand any spiritual attacks.