He Qing sat in Duan Chenhui’s hover car, and after a while, they came upon a massive white fortress. He Qing’s eyes widened slightly. The structure was a series of circular buildings stacked layer upon layer, with neatly arranged square windows. It looked like an indestructible military base, and at the very top, there was a separate villa resembling a floating garden.

Finally, He Qing understood why his own family was considered fallen nobility. The Duan family’s main residence wasn’t just a mansion—it was a full-blown military fortress. Those square windows could probably reveal massive cannons at any moment.

He Qing muttered under his breath, “No wonder people on the internet say the Duan family wants to usurp the throne.”

Duan Chenhui overheard his quiet comment and chuckled. “Alpha handles the military, Beta manages the rest of the government. Everyone maintains a delicate balance, and besides, we all think the king is a rather interesting person.”

He Qing remembered the Beta king and silently put his hands together in prayer. “I think so too.”

Meanwhile, in a distant office, the king suddenly sneezed. Looking at the towering stack of documents before him, he shook his head and sighed. “When will I ever finish these?”

“We don’t know either.” The ministers around him, sporting dark circles under their eyes, glanced at each other. “Your Majesty, did you catch a cold?”

The king sipped his tea and sighed again. “With those vicious aliens coming, how can I stop? Make sure we have enough people ready to welcome the delegation.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The ministers were moved to tears. “You work so hard, Sire.”

“But Your Majesty,” the Foreign Minister chimed in, “we must be mindful of our words. The aliens are quite sensitive.”

The king nodded. “I’m only venting to you all.”

The ministers nodded in understanding. “Actually, we think they’re quite vicious too.”

The Finance Minister, responsible for military funding, fell silent for a moment before speaking up. “You all often say the Alphas are brutal, uncivilized, and untamable beasts.”

The king gave him a look. “They’re our kin. Sometimes, we have to be more forgiving.”

“Of course, of course,” the others quickly agreed. What’s wrong with a little internal criticism, anyway?

The Finance Minister held his tongue and picked up a report. “General Duan’s military expenses have exceeded the budget again. Should we deduct from his rations?”

The king glanced at the report. “Forget it, we can’t beat him. Just give it to him.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Finance Minister reluctantly approved the funds.

–

Back in Duan Chenhui’s car, they drove through the fortress gates, where the sounds of a lively crowd echoed from within.

“Duan Yi, are you even trying?”

“I give up, I give up!”

“That was way too fast, haha!”

He Qing glanced ahead and saw a platform surrounded by people, three layers deep. He then looked around and was slightly shocked to see that the interior of the fortress housed a ring of mechas. No wonder it was so large—it must have been the Duan family’s mecha storage.

The hover car came to a stop, and Duan Chenhui was the first to step out. He Qing followed, and soon enough, people noticed them.

“Cousin, you’re finally back!”

“General!”

A group of people ran over enthusiastically, but as they got closer, they noticed He Qing standing behind Duan Chenhui. Suddenly, the atmosphere became deathly silent. Fortunately, one of Duan Chenhui’s subordinates was the first to break the ice.

“Mr. He.”

The rest of the crowd glanced at Duan Chenhui, then at He Qing, and suddenly yelled, “Sister-in-law!”

Duan Chenhui’s brow twitched. He had clearly instructed them to call He Qing “Mr. He.”

It was the first time He Qing had ever been called “sister-in-law,” and he smiled, taking out a stack of red envelopes to hand out. “Hello, everyone! Here, New Year’s red envelopes for everyone.”

“Huh? What’s a red envelope? Which tradition is this?” Everyone’s attention was drawn to the envelopes in He Qing’s hands.

As He Qing handed them out, he explained, “It’s an ancient custom. It brings good luck and fortune.”

“It really looks festive.” Someone stroked the red envelope and asked, “Can we open it now?”

“It’s usually opened later, when you’re home.” He Qing finished handing out one stack of red envelopes and pulled out another. “It’s all for good luck.”

Duan Chenhui, watching the red envelopes, chuckled. “You’ve never mentioned this before.”

“…I didn’t have enough time,” He Qing thought to himself. Preparing red envelopes took quite a bit of effort, after all.

“Should I give you one too?” Duan Chenhui asked, amused. “Or maybe you should give me one?”

“There’s no need between us,” He Qing quickly refused the idea of giving or receiving red envelopes from Duan Chenhui. It seemed like a reasonable explanation, and Duan Chenhui didn’t push further. Once He Qing finished handing them out, Duan Chenhui grabbed his arm and led him away.

They took an elevator up to the rooftop, where He Qing finally saw the sky garden. Looking up, he noticed a dome of hexagonal glass panels overhead, explaining why the temperature here remained comfortable year-round.

Duan Chenhui guided him into the main building. Inside, some people were playing cards while others were engaged in chess. An elder, Duan Chenhui’s uncle, approached them. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“We’ve eaten,” He Qing quickly responded.

Duan Chenhui glanced at him sideways. He Qing usually responded quickly when he was lying. Pulling He Qing closer, Duan Chenhui waved to the household robots. Immediately, one brought over two plates of snacks. Duan Chenhui handed one to He Qing. “Have some snacks first.”

He Qing accepted the plate and examined the colorful, round treats. “What are these?”

“They’re dumplings, a traditional treat for the New Year here,” Duan Chenhui explained.

“Like tangyuan?” He Qing picked one up with a bamboo skewer and discovered it was actually a round pastry, with the yellow one being made from osmanthus cake.

“More or less.” Duan Chenhui ate a few and then gave the rest to He Qing.

An uncle who had been playing cards smiled and looked over at them. “There’s an activity on New Year’s Eve where you can win points. Want to join in? Everyone starts with some initial points.”

He Qing, holding his plate, walked over. The uncle was playing dice, and after a quick glance, He Qing casually said, “Small.”

“Then I’ll bet on big,” someone else chimed in, pushing their chips toward the “big” side.

Duan Chenhui quietly moved He Qing’s chips to the “small” side. “Let’s reveal it.”

The uncle rubbed his hands together and lifted the lid off the dice. To everyone’s surprise, it was indeed small.

The uncle whistled. “Not bad luck.”

He Qing nodded. “General, take the chips and move on to the next table.”

Duan Chenhui laughed as he gathered the chips. “You’re pretty good at this, huh?”

“I was just guessing,” He Qing smiled faintly. Duan Chenhui was skeptical until He Qing swept through every game. By then, everyone was stunned. Not only could He Qing hold his liquor, but was he also a card shark?

With an armful of chips, He Qing returned to his seat. “How many points do we need to trade for the top prize?”

“I’ve been observing the others’ scores. We should be in the lead,” Duan Chenhui said. “There will be a bonfire that night, and the prizes will be hung from the wooden tower.”

“I wonder what the top prize is.” He Qing thought it felt familiar. After some reflection, he realized it was like the Cai Qing¹ tradition.

“It’s different every year. It depends on your luck,” Duan Chenhui said as he led He Qing upstairs. “Let’s go rest for a bit.”

He Qing pocketed the chips and followed him upstairs. Duan Chenhui stopped in front of a room and opened the door.

He Qing stepped inside and immediately noticed that the room was furnished similarly to the General’s mansion, though there were a few differences. One of the first things that caught his eye was a photo frame on the bedside table. He walked over and picked it up. The picture showed a young couple, with a serious-looking little boy in a suit standing between them.

Duan Chenhui glanced at the photo and said, “That’s my parents.”

“…I figured,” He Qing said, not quite sure what to say next.

Duan Chenhui hung up his coat, sat down, and turned on the TV. “It’s been a long time. No need to feel awkward.” Long enough that he had already gotten married.

He Qing nodded and sat down beside him. Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly remembered something—the bed. They were staying the night here, and there was only one bed! He glanced at the sofa and quietly relaxed. At least he could sleep there.

Settling in, He Qing meditated for a while, but as the evening approached, Duan Chenhui woke him up.

He Qing stood up, looked out the window, and gasped at the sight of a ring of beautiful auroras. He moved closer to the window, eyes wide in awe. He could feel the spiritual energy surging around them.

Sun Tu, from his golden bell, commented, “When I first crossed over to this world, I saw this kind of aurora. It might be linked to the cultivation world. Perhaps when the auroras reach their peak, we could use the opportunity to return.”

He Qing nodded slightly, keeping his composure. “It’s possible.”

“It’s a good time to watch the auroras. After dinner, we can go outside and enjoy them,” Duan Chenhui said, approaching.

“Sure, let’s go eat then.” He Qing was eager and pulled Duan Chenhui downstairs. When they reached the dining room, He Qing noted how different the round tables were compared to the ones at his own family’s home.

After dinner, He Qing couldn’t wait any longer and ran outside to admire the auroras. Standing beneath the dazzling lights, he absorbed the spiritual energy, and his nascent soul felt even more invigorated.

Duan Chenhui stood at a distance, taking photos with his camera. After capturing a few shots, he lowered the camera and squinted at He Qing. Dressed in white, He Qing almost blended in with the snowy surroundings, but the colorful lights circling around him were especially vivid.

Duan Chenhui looked at the camera again, but none of the strange phenomena were visible in the photos.

He looked up at the auroras. Before long, the lights vanished—or rather, they seemed to have been absorbed by He Qing?

Duan Chenhui wasn’t sure why he’d been seeing so many odd things lately, but he didn’t mention any of it to He Qing.

He Qing opened his eyes and touched his body. He was quite pleased with his gains—he would soon reach the mid-stage of the nascent soul level. He looked over at Duan Chenhui, who had been taking pictures of him. “How are the photos?”

“They turned out well,” Duan Chenhui replied, walking over to show He Qing the pictures.

He Qing glanced at them and laughed. “Only my head is visible in black.”

“Next time, try a different outfit. Let’s head back,” Duan Chenhui said, putting away the camera.

He Qing asked, “When will the next auroras appear?”

“The weather system can predict them. Keep an eye on it,” Duan Chenhui said as he walked, rubbing his forehead slightly. Based on everything he’d observed lately, he was beginning to suspect that He Qing wasn’t from this world.

Once they were back inside, Duan Chenhui handed He Qing a set of clothes. “There are two bathrooms here. Go take a bath.”

“Okay,” He Qing agreed, taking the clothes and heading to the bathroom.

After Duan Chenhui finished his own bath, he heard the sound of wooden fish. He Qing had already settled on the sofa, legs crossed, striking the fish.

Duan Chenhui walked over and said, “Come sleep on the bed.”

He Qing opened his eyes and hesitated. “I’ll sleep on the sofa?”

“You take the left side, I’ll take the right. It’s getting late.” Duan Chenhui headed to the bed with a tone that left little room for argument.

He Qing looked at Duan Chenhui’s back and, after a moment of hesitation, finally put the wooden fish away and followed. He eyed the large bed—it was certainly big enough—so he lay down, carefully placing his hands over his stomach, remaining perfectly still.

Duan Chenhui stood by the bed for a moment, watching him with amusement, then lay down on his side. “I don’t move much in my sleep, so don’t worry.”

He Qing blinked. “Neither do I.”

Duan Chenhui closed his eyes and fell asleep. But in the middle of the night, he was abruptly woken by the heat. His eyes flew open as the scent of He Qing’s pheromones filled his nostrils. He covered his nose and nudged He Qing. “He Qing, wake up.”

He Qing groggily opened his eyes. “What is it?”

“Your pheromones.”

He Qing immediately woke up and pulled out a suppressant spray, dousing himself thoroughly. He sniffed his arm and said, “It’s just a bit of overflow. No big deal.”

Duan Chenhui frowned. “Has this been happening a lot lately?”

He Qing fingered the prayer beads on his chest and decided to come clean. “Yes.”

Duan Chenhui fell silent. “Looks like the effect of the suppressant is wearing off faster than expected.”

“It’s not a big deal for now,” He Qing said, lying back down. It seems I need to retrieve my true form soon.

Duan Chenhui stared at him for a long moment, then finally got out of bed. “I’m going to practice in the mech.”

He Qing was about to say something, but Duan Chenhui had already walked briskly out of the room.

Sun Tu snickered, offering some dubious advice. “You know, you could have Duan Chenhui give you a temporary mark. All it takes is a little bite.”

“That’s a terrible idea,” He Qing muttered as he lay back down. I really need to pay more attention, and that suppressant is way too weak.

1. Businesses and homeowners traditionally invite lion or dragon dance troupes to perform the cai qing (plucking of greens, usually a head of lettuce) ritual on their premises for good luck and fortune ↩︎