Duan Chenhui wanted to fly back to the villa, but He Qing suddenly grabbed his arm. “No, find a waterfall.”

“A waterfall? Why?” Duan Chenhui, although he had just taken an inhibitor, still had to hold his breath to block out the scent.

“Meditation, sitting in silence.” Sweat kept trickling down He Qing’s forehead, and he clutched Duan Chenhui’s arm tightly, “General.”

His tone carried a pleading note.

Duan Chenhui looked at him and stayed silent for a moment. “I can give you a temporary mark.”

He Qing paused for a moment before letting go of his hand, pressing his palms together. “Please, General, find me a place.”

Duan Chenhui turned to look outside, clenched his fists, and after a moment of silence, said, “Alright… Mo Yun.”

[Ding, waterfall detected. Heading there now.]

“Thank you, General.”

Duan Chenhui gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “As long as you can handle it, suit yourself.”

The mech quickly landed in front of a waterfall. Duan Chenhui opened the hatch, and He Qing jumped out, finding a suitable spot to sit cross-legged, with the continuous flow of the waterfall pouring down on him.

The mech submerged into the water, and Duan Chenhui sat inside, watching He Qing. They were almost face-to-face, and Duan Chenhui could still smell the pheromones in the air—sweet, thick, and endlessly tempting.

Duan Chenhui lowered his head, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve, his fingers brushing over the buttons. “He Qing, if you really can’t hold on, I can help you,” he suggested again.

He Qing didn’t respond.

Duan Chenhui glanced over; He Qing had closed his eyes, motionless like a statue, but his brows were still furrowed, filled with restraint and suppression. The sweet scent around him grew even more intense.

A vein pulsed at Duan Chenhui’s temple. He suddenly tore off his tie and jumped down. Swimming to He Qing’s side, he grabbed his hand. “Even if I don’t mark you, you still need some Alpha or Enigma pheromones.”

He Qing’s posture remained unchanged, but he opened his eyes. “I can handle it.”

“You can’t. You’ll ruin yourself.” Duan Chenhui frowned, staring him down, gripping his hand harder. “He Qing, if you carried an Omega across the river, would you still think about them?”

He Qing looked down at Duan Chenhui. “I am the Omega…”

“…Then think of it as a beauty.”

“I’ve heard that story before.” But He Qing remained unmoved, looking Duan Chenhui straight in the eye. “General, do you have a strong suppressant?”

Duan Chenhui frowned but stayed silent. He Qing spoke again, “If you don’t, then please leave for now, General.”

“He Qing, do you know what those suppressants do?” Duan Chenhui laughed in anger.

He Qing met his gaze for a few seconds before quietly responding, “Just as you used a special mental suppressant before, you should understand.”

Duan Chenhui squinted slightly, his gaze dark and heavy. After a moment, he released He Qing’s hand and pulled out a blue-tinted suppressant. “He Qing, this suppressant can only be used once. After that, no other suppressant will work again. Do you really want to use it?”

“Thank you, General. I understand.” He Qing took the suppressant and held it tightly. He knew he had to find his real body before his next heat.

“Do you know how to inject it?”

“You showed me before, General.”

Duan Chenhui glanced at him, then turned and swam back to the mech. Sitting inside, he watched as He Qing unflinchingly gave himself the shot. Afterward, He Qing closed his eyes to meditate, quickly entering a state of calm that Duan Chenhui couldn’t help but admire.

The mech Mo Yun remained silent for a moment. “General, you…”

“Don’t talk,” Duan Chenhui said, rolling up his soaked sleeves and touching the terminal. He sighed. “How’s the cloud cover above?”

“It’s starting to clear.”

“Good.”

After He Qing administered the suppressant, the restlessness in his body subsided. He circulated his internal energy, forcing his golden core to break through into a nascent soul. His spirit entered the final trial.

In the library, He Qing found an ancient book. He opened it and glanced at it. “I’ll choose this technique.”

The person following him said, “Master, this technique requires abstaining from desires.”

“I’ll practice Buddhism in the future, won’t it be the same?” Young He Qing looked back at him.

“No one’s going to shave your head.”

“I’ll practice on my own first.”

The person asked again, “Are you sure you want to choose this? There are many more techniques here for you to pick from.”

“No, just this one.” He Qing firmly replied.

He Qing held the book, and the scene before him suddenly shifted. He walked by the water, and there was a waterfall ahead. He saw himself sitting beneath it. Duan Chenhui grabbed his hand and pulled him into the lake. He didn’t resist.

He Qing looked down, and after a while, a few leaves floated by in the water, along with some torn fabric.

He Qing closed his eyes and silently recited the Heart Sutra. After a while, the illusion faded, and he returned to reality. The golden core within him spun rapidly, then burst forth in a flash of golden light. At the same time, the sky cleared, and auspicious clouds formed overhead.

Sun Tu was momentarily stunned. [I can’t believe you succeeded.] Damn it, he himself couldn’t even advance during his nascent soul stage.

Duan Chenhui heard birds chirping above and saw a rainbow hanging over the waterfall. He Qing opened his eyes, his gaze clear, his eyes black and white, as if he could discern good from evil, right from wrong.

Duan Chenhui’s expression shifted slightly. He stepped forward onto the mech’s hand, moving closer. “You’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He Qing smiled, feeling more relaxed and at ease. He stood up, intending to jump onto the mech’s hand, but suddenly everything went black, and he collapsed backward.

“…Amitabha, I shouldn’t have spoken so soon.”

“He Qing?!” Duan Chenhui quickly caught him, and seeing He Qing had fainted, carried him into the mech. “Mo Yun, let’s head back.”

“Yes.” The mech Mo Yun emerged from the water and immediately flew towards the villa.

Sun Tu was dumbfounded. Wasn’t He Qing just looking radiant a moment ago? How did he suddenly pass out?

When He Qing woke up, he stared at the ceiling for a moment before realizing where he was. He tried to sit up, but someone pressed his arm down.

“You’re still on an IV.” Someone’s head popped into view.

“Dr. Zhang?” He Qing blinked as he recognized the person, then looked down at his hand. He noticed Duan Chenhui sitting across from him, and they exchanged glances for a moment before the doctor barged in between them, talking nonstop.

“You both have some nerve, using that kind of drug. Stay on your IVs.” Dr. Zhang scribbled in their charts and then hung them at the ends of their beds.

Doctors have the final say.

Neither He Qing nor Duan Chenhui spoke. Seeing their nonchalant attitudes only made Dr. Zhang angrier. “Although there’s no major issue this time, be careful of the side effects. No, wait—there won’t be a next time!”

“Yes,” He Qing obediently replied.

Duan Chenhui merely nodded.

Dr. Zhang glanced between them, adjusted his glasses, and left the room. “Don’t pull out the needles; I’ll be back to check.” He slammed the door behind him with a “bang.”

He Qing watched the ceiling tremble a little. “It seems like the doctor is really mad.”

“Not ‘seems like,’ definitely is.” Duan Chenhui wheeled himself over.

“General, how are you feeling?” He Qing turned his head to ask from the bed.

“What do you think?” Duan Chenhui looked at him with a meaningful expression.

“…I think that injection gave me some side effects… like headaches and memory loss.”

“Is that so?” Duan Chenhui’s voice sounded from above.

“Yeah…” He Qing faked weakness, slowly closing his eyes and pulling the blanket up over himself.

Duan Chenhui watched him for a moment, then reached over to slow down the IV drip. “Then rest well.”

He Qing opened his eyes and saw Duan Chenhui wheeling himself out of the room. “General, where are you going?”

“I have some matters to attend to.” Duan Chenhui closed the door behind him.

He Qing looked at his arm, wanting to pull out the IV. He was actually fine, just a bit weak after breaking through to the nascent soul stage. But recalling Dr. Zhang’s stern face, He Qing decided against it.

[You’re going to let me go now, right? I’ve helped you, after all.] Sun Tu, feeling restless, finally spoke up.

“Let’s call it a tie.”

“…” Sun Tu was speechless. [Why are you keeping me around? Planning to kill me?]

He Qing opened his terminal and began watching the news. “No, just keeping you from taking over someone else’s body.”

Sun Tu almost laughed in disbelief and fell silent again.

He Qing read the news, which mostly covered last night’s events. People seemed confused, but no one had stepped forward to explain.

[I heard there was even a tornado over the lake last night.]

[And a lot of fish turned belly-up.]

[It happened so suddenly. Even the weather forecast didn’t mention it.]

After finishing the news, He Qing looked out the window. For some reason, the clouds outside seemed to be gathering again. He asked Sun Tu, “Are there any other cultivators nearby?”

[I don’t know.] Sun Tu lay inside the golden bell, feeling like he had returned to the days when he had sealed himself away. [Maybe there are other cultivators. If so, let’s rob them.]

“…That doesn’t seem right.” He Qing recited the Heart Sutra under his breath.

[What’s wrong with that?] Sun Tu tried to tempt him. [All cultivators have blood on their hands anyway.]

He Qing’s nascent soul suddenly blurted out something completely unrelated. “Your nascent soul’s pretty chubby.”

Damn it! He shouldn’t have started talking to him!

After finishing the IV, He Qing pulled out the needle himself. He went downstairs, didn’t see Duan Chenhui, and headed to the pond to feed the koi fish. He pointed at the koi. “You’re just like them.”

Sun Tu remained silent.

He Qing suddenly chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’re a koi spirit?”

“Shut up.”

“Amitabha.” He Qing scattered the fish food, watching the koi gobble it up before strolling back to the house. Midway, he saw the butler welcoming a guest.

“Mentor?” He Qing jogged over.

Qiao Yi stormed over with a fierce expression, dragging He Qing to a corner and interrogating him, “He Qing, what kind of curse did you put on me?”

He Qing raised his pinky and smiled. “I remember we made a pinky promise. It was you who broke the agreement, Mentor.”

“You little liar, you’ve had us all wrapped around your finger!” Qiao Yi’s face was menacing as he patted He Qing’s shoulder.

Sun Tu nodded furiously in agreement. He Qing had even pocketed his last bit of belongings.

“I told the truth, but most of you didn’t believe me, so I had to go with the flow,” He Qing said, prying Qiao Yi’s hand off his shoulder. “I still have a purple heart watermelon. Want it, Mentor?”

Qiao Yi narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin with a smile. “You stole Student Shi Lei’s last watermelon, didn’t you?”

“When I picked it, there were still two left…”

“He said all three were gone. He even cried to me about it, so I had to buy him the biggest, sweetest watermelon I could find to cheer him up.”

“I don’t know, maybe there’s a mole?” He Qing thought it might have been Zhang Yi and the others. “Besides, I traded him for some herbs.”

“What herbs?”

“Ones that boost mental strength.”

“Pfft—” Qiao Yi almost stepped into the pond. “You had something that good and didn’t give it to me first?”

He Qing lowered his voice. “Well, Mentor, please keep it a secret, okay? Aside from Shi Lei, Zhang Yi, and Zhang Lin should have eaten some too. You can observe them and see how it works.”

Qiao Yi stared at him, feeling like he had somehow become He Qing’s personal assistant. After a moment of thought, he said, “Alright, I’ll accept your bribery and coercion.” Now he was really curious where He Qing had come from. No wonder Duan Chenhui was pretending to have amnesia—these two were definitely a pair of drama kings.

He Qing raised his right hand. “A high-five to seal the deal.”

Qiao Yi didn’t fall for it this time. He walked past He Qing. “Sorry, but I’m a shameless adult now. You didn’t put a gag spell on Zhang Yi and the others, did you?”

“No.”

“…” Qiao Yi gritted his teeth. Of course!

He Qing ran back inside, and when he saw Duan Chenhui in the living room, he took a watermelon from the fridge. “General, want some? It’s the last watermelon of the summer.”

“Sure.” Duan Chenhui nodded as usual.

He Qing grabbed a knife to cut the watermelon, glancing at him. Since the general wasn’t asking questions, he would just pretend nothing happened. He still had to figure out how to heal Duan Chenhui’s legs quickly, so he could make a clean getaway.

Duan Chenhui observed him for a while before asking, “What are you thinking?”

“Nothing.” He Qing paused and handed him a slice of watermelon. “Here, eat.”

Duan Chenhui stared at him, took a bite of the watermelon, and commented, “It’s sweet.”

Qiao Yi sat down without waiting for an invitation, looking at He Qing. “Where’s mine?”

He Qing obediently handed his mentor a slice, then held his own and took a bite. “Student Shi Lei really knows how to grow watermelons.”

“His thesis is about growing watermelons.” Qiao Yi took a bite of his and asked, “You should start thinking about what plant you want to grow.”

He Qing looked down at the watermelon. “I think carnivorous plants are cool. Watermelons are just for eating.”

“…” Qiao Yi turned his head to look at Duan Chenhui. Did you hear that? The person you married isn’t some delicate little flower. He’s not even a white lotus or a green tea flower—he’s a carnivorous plant!

“…” Duan Chenhui exchanged a glance with Qiao Yi: I have amnesia.

Amnesia trumps everything. Qiao Yi focused on his watermelon and stopped paying attention to him.

Duan Chenhui turned to He Qing and said, “There are many types of carnivorous plants.”

He Qing’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll take my time picking one.”

After a moment of silence, Duan Chenhui added, “If you like, you can grow them here at home. It’ll be more convenient to observe them.”

Qiao Yi shot a glance at Duan Chenhui. More convenient to observe the plants, or more convenient to observe He Qing?

He Qing didn’t refuse. “I heard there’s an outdoor classroom and field collection activities. Can I bring them back?”

“You can.” Duan Chenhui smiled. He was curious to see what kind of strange plants He Qing would bring home.

“…” Qiao Yi glanced at Duan Chenhui’s backyard and scratched the back of his head. He had a feeling this place was going to turn into a paradise for strange plants in the future. What a headache.

After finishing the watermelon and satisfying his curiosity, Qiao Yi tossed his watermelon rind aside and left. “I need to prepare for class. He Qing, don’t forget to come to class tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow, Mentor.” He Qing waved him off at the door.

Qiao Yi smiled and waved back before leaving.

After eating the watermelon, He Qing was relieved to see that Duan Chenhui, aside from his amnesia, seemed fine. He returned to his room and started contacting his classmates.

He had also gotten Zhang Lin’s contact information and logged onto StarNet to register an account. Then, he entered the combat area of StarNet.

He Qing looked around. “It feels like an illusion.”

“It’s the virtual world,” Zhang Yi corrected him.

He Qing looked up at the leaderboard in the central square. Duan Chenhui’s name was shining brightly at the top, just like his great deeds.

He Qing calculated how long it would take him to climb to the top, defeating every opponent in the country. If he climbed all the way up, would the General be surprised? Maybe he would even forgive him and his alternate identity…

“I’ll take you on a tour here.” Zhang Yi, feeling more carefree on StarNet, pulled them around, running everywhere.

He Qing listened while gathering information, thinking about his next steps.

When He Qing logged off StarNet, it was already evening. He glanced outside and pulled back the curtains to check. Sure enough, the clouds looked like they were gathering for a lightning tribulation, likely descending tonight.

He Qing frowned. “Who’s undergoing tribulation?”

Sun Tu, now in a state of leisurely waiting for his next meal, said, [Who cares? It’s not us anyway.]

“I’ll go out tonight and check.” He Qing spoke to himself.

[You’re too nosy.] Sun Tu grumbled at him.

“Mr. He, it’s time for dinner,” the butler knocked on the door from outside.

He Qing ran over to open the door. As he went downstairs, he asked, “Where’s the General?”

“He had some matters to attend to. He said you should eat first,” the butler replied as a robot began setting the table.

He Qing looked at the darkening clouds outside and said, “I need to go buy something.”

The butler looked concerned. “There might be a storm.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be quick.” He Qing grabbed an umbrella and went outside. Looking up at the sky, he suddenly realized the lightning tribulation clouds were forming in the direction of the academy. He hurried over, running all the way to the botanical garden. By the time he arrived, the sky was pitch black, and the area was deserted. The students were all in their dorms.

He Qing frowned as he walked inside. Spiritual beings awakening is a major tribulation, as it goes against nature. It was likely the lantern flower undergoing the tribulation.

After walking for a while, He Qing noticed there were other people here. He quickly moved forward and found it was Shi Lei and the others.

“What are you guys doing here? It’s dangerous.”

Shi Lei, holding a flashlight, turned to look at him. “The plants we’re growing might get blown away by the wind! We need to secure them and set up wind barriers!”

He Qing looked up at the sky, touched his forehead, and dialed Qiao Yi’s number.

Qiao Yi answered quickly, “What is it, He Qing? I’m in the shower.”

He Qing hurriedly explained, “Tonight’s storm is unusual. Have the academy activate the defense shield.” He had decided to use high-tech to cheat for the carnivorous plants!

Qiao Yi said, “Hold on, I’ll talk to the dean. If the storm looks bad, they’ll activate it. By the way, where are you?”

“At the school.”

“…He Qing, are you in another dangerous situation?”

Before He Qing could respond, a muddy and soaked Shi Lei grabbed his arm. “You’re here to help too, right?”

“If the plants are destroyed, we won’t be able to graduate! Ahhh!” Shi Lei’s group behind him looked like ghosts staring at He Qing.

He Qing couldn’t help but shiver, and Shi Lei took the opportunity to shove a piece of windproof fabric and a flashlight into his hands. “Hurry up and help!”

He Qing hesitated for a moment before joining them.