Qiao Yi still felt that something was very off with Duan Chenhui, and He Qing too. As soon as they got on the ship, they both hid in their room.

Qiao Yi knocked on the door with some roast lamb. “He Qing, I’ve got some delicious roast lamb for you.”

“I’m not hungry,” came He Qing’s cold reply from inside.

Qiao Yi scratched his ear and knocked again. “Even if you don’t eat, Duan Chenhui will need to.” Even if He Qing wasn’t exactly “human,” his good friend Duan Chenhui certainly was!

He Qing paused his woodfish tapping, looking up at Sun Tu sitting across from him.

Sun Tu, still wearing Duan Chenhui’s face, grinned wickedly. “This body is still that of a mere mortal.”

He Qing stared at his face, thinking for a moment. “I’ve seen Blood Demons smile like that before, but they didn’t look as good.”

Sun Tu almost felt like He Qing was dissing his true form’s appearance. “Have you met our Demon Lord?”

“Hmm, probably dead now,” He Qing nodded. “During the spiritual turbulence in the secret realm.”

Sun Tu sneered, “Maybe not. Perhaps he’s here as well.”

He Qing glanced at him before getting up to open the door.

“Give it to me,” He Qing held out his hand.

Qiao Yi was startled by the haunted look in his eyes. “You’re scaring me. Where’s Duan Chenhui?” He tried to peek inside, but the gap was too small to see anything.

“The General’s throat is a bit sore,” He Qing took the roast lamb, quickly shutting the door. “Thanks, Teacher.”

Qiao Yi stood there rubbing his nose after being shut out. This was definitely weird. This He Qing wasn’t cute or soft-spoken anymore—there was no hint of his usual demeanor!

Qiao Yi knocked again. “He Qing, is the General hurt?”

“No, the General might be approaching his susceptibility period. Please, Teacher, request leave for him.”

“…Alright.” Qiao Yi rubbed his head, turning to leave. Halfway down the corridor, he slapped his forehead. Wait a minute, He Qing and Duan Chenhui haven’t marked each other. How could they be staying together during susceptibility? What’s He Qing planning?

After arranging leave for Duan Chenhui, Qiao Yi still wasn’t reassured and decided to keep an eye on them.

A few days later, the ship returned to Capital Star, but someone deliberately leaked information. As soon as they landed, reporters swarmed to block their way.

“Did something happen to General Duan during his internship?”

“We heard some students were injured, is that true?”

“What exactly happened?”

The reporters bombarded them with questions, surrounding the group. Qiao Yi turned and glanced at Duan Chenhui walking at the back. “You all go ahead. I’ll handle this.” He took another look at Duan Chenhui, who seemed… normal.

Duan Chenhui nodded, and He Qing pulled him into a hover car, heading straight back to the General’s residence.

After getting out of the car, He Qing told the butler, “The General needs to enter seclusion. No one is to see him during this time.”

The butler looked at Duan Chenhui, who nodded, so the butler inclined his head. “Understood.”

He Qing entered the house and, after some thought, brought Sun Tu to his own room. He had redecorated it to have a more personal touch—there were mecha models on the table and snacks on the coffee table.

Sun Tu sat down, looked around, and grabbed a snack, tearing the bag open. “Not only did you take over someone’s body, but you also stole their marriage?”

He Qing set up a barrier in the room and looked at him. “Take off the terminal.”

Sun Tu’s body froze, his face darkening as he stared at He Qing, but his hand moved against his will to remove the terminal. “You think I’ll steal secrets? I’m not interested in this empire’s secrets at all.”

“You’re a demonic cultivator,” He Qing walked over and took the terminal, putting it away.

Sun Tu let out a sarcastic laugh. “And you think all orthodox cultivators are saints? Some of those righteous sects have done things even I, as a demonic cultivator, find disgusting.”

“You’re still my enemy,” He Qing didn’t deny it, his expression growing colder.

Sun Tu laughed again, stuffing his mouth with snacks, and after finishing, tossed the empty bag aside. Then, he stood up and started taking off his clothes. “Let’s see how different you are from those hypocritical righteous cultivators.”

He Qing frowned, using his spiritual power to stop Sun Tu’s madness. “Don’t just take off your clothes.”

Sun Tu’s hands were immobilized, but his legs still worked. He kicked the coffee table, shattering it. “This body has its flaws. Can this poison be cured?”

“No,” He Qing walked over, picked up the coat that had fallen to the floor, and placed it on the sofa. “Don’t throw clothes around, and don’t break the furniture.”

“You think I’ll believe you? If it couldn’t be cured, you two would’ve divorced by now.” Sun Tu swaggered over to the bed and sat down. Since he couldn’t take off his clothes, he decided to harass He Qing verbally. “So, you’re a Buddhist monk who—”

Sun Tu’s words got stuck in his throat as He Qing cast a silencing spell on him. Furious, Sun Tu pounded the bed, causing the wooden frame to crack with a loud “snap.”

Sun Tu flexed his hand. Despite the foot injury, this body still had considerable strength.

He Qing walked over, picking up a lotus pillow from the floor, looking a bit aggrieved. “Now I’m in debt again.” This was Duan Chenhui’s house, after all, and the lotus pillow had been a gift from the General.

Sun Tu grinned, “Think you can keep me tied up?”

He Qing silently stared at him. Sun Tu, feeling the weight of that gaze, suddenly had a bad feeling. This Buddhist cultivator wasn’t a typical monk—he was probably self-taught!

Moments later, Sun Tu was brought to Duan Chenhui’s room and tied up with He Qing’s staff.

He Qing looked him over, deciding everything was secure, before rushing back to call the butler. “Uncle Cai, could you have someone replace some of the furniture?”

The butler peeked inside, seeing the collapsed bed and shattered coffee table, and widened his eyes slightly. “Mr. He, did you and the General have a fight?” Why ask? Because there wasn’t any scent of pheromones in the air.

He Qing shook his head. “…It was an accident.”

The butler was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Understood. I’ll have new furniture custom-made.”

“Thanks, Uncle Cai,” He Qing pressed his hands together in gratitude.

“It’s my duty,” the butler nodded slightly and withdrew.

He Qing turned back to the room, staring at Sun Tu for a long time before sitting down in front of him to recite the Heart Sutra.

He recited for a long time until Sun Tu, visibly irritated, snapped. “Can you stop chanting?”

He Qing didn’t stop, continuing his recitation. Sun Tu gritted his teeth, enduring the buzzing in his ears. As a demonic cultivator, hearing Buddhist chants gave him splitting headaches. He glared at He Qing with a sneer. “I’m a demonic cultivator. Your sermons won’t work on me.”

“I just want you to be more obedient.”

“Pah!” Sun Tu’s face twisted in anger as he closed his eyes and returned to Duan Chenhui’s sea of consciousness. He swam up to Duan Chenhui’s cage, sneering. “You’re an E, right? Must be something during your heat. I’ll make sure you have a great time.”

Duan Chenhui, sitting calmly in the cage, opened his eyes and stared at him. “I don’t have a heat.”

“I’ll make sure you do,” Sun Tu chuckled.

Duan Chenhui ignored him, closing his eyes and starting to recite scriptures of his own.

“Two lunatics!” Sun Tu’s eyes snapped open, drenched in sweat, feeling nauseated from being attacked from both sides.

– 

Meanwhile, Qiao Yi had dealt with the reporters and returned to teaching. A week later, he realized that He Qing hadn’t attended a single class!

After work, he decided to make a low-key visit, only to be told by the butler that no one was receiving guests.

Qiao Yi was stunned, pointing at himself. “I’m an outsider?”

The butler maintained a formal tone. “Apologies, Mr. Qiao, but please go back.”

Qiao Yi tried calling Duan Chenhui, intending to give him a piece of his mind, but the call wouldn’t go through. He stepped back and looked at the General’s residence. He couldn’t just force his way in, so he decided to call He Qing instead.

He Qing answered quickly.

Qiao Yi asked, “He Qing, did you imprison Duan Chenhui?”

The butler: “…” Wait, the General and He Qing may have had a spat, but the General wouldn’t be imprisoned by He Qing…

“Teacher, the General and I are fine. Please don’t say things like that,” He Qing’s voice came through electronically, sounding even colder.

Qiao Yi chuckled. “Fine. Then you better come to class tomorrow, or I’ll deduct your credits.” He planned to lure him out.

“…Teacher, you’re abusing your power to pressure students.”

“I am,” Qiao Yi replied, hanging up. As he turned to leave, he spotted a delivery truck approaching.

The delivery man got out and spoke to the butler. “Mr. Cai, the custom-made double bed and the reinforced glass coffee table General Duan ordered have arrived. There’s also a realistic lotus pillow included as a gift.”

“…” Qiao Yi rubbed his ears and turned to look at the butler. Did he just hear that?

The butler, still maintaining his expressionless facade, repeated, “Mr. Qiao, please leave.”

“Goodbye,” Qiao Yi replied with an equally blank face as he walked away. Well, it seemed they were doing just fine—so well, in fact, that they’d broken their bed and had a custom one made, along with a realistic pillow.