One day, He Qing received an invitation from the palace. The butler handed it to him, “This is an invitation to the king’s birthday banquet.”

“Okay, I’ll show it to the General.” He Qing took the invitation and returned to his room. Upon opening it, he saw that it invited both him and the General. However, the General wasn’t really the General anymore. Frowning, He Qing felt it was too risky.

Sun Tu, sitting nearby, saw the invitation and suddenly smiled, “Duan Chenhui has to attend the palace banquet, right? Let me go, and I’ll cooperate with you.”

He Qing glanced at him and set the invitation down, “Swear on your inner demon.”

Sun Tu stayed silent.

He Qing added, “Swear you won’t harm anyone at the banquet.”

Sun Tu chuckled, “Fine, I can do that. They’re useless to me anyway. I, Sun Tu, swear on my inner demon that I won’t speak recklessly, possess anyone at the banquet, or go on a killing spree.” But he had no such kindness for He Qing and Duan Chenhui.

“You can untie me now, right?” Sun Tu gestured to the red ropes binding him.

“The banquet isn’t until tomorrow,” He Qing replied, sitting down and opening his holoscreen. “I’m busy now, don’t bother me.”

Sun Tu glanced over, seeing the screen filled with dense formulas. This brat was actually catching up on his studies.

After a while, He Qing’s terminal buzzed, and he answered, “Teacher.”

“He Qing, I’ll come to pick you both up tomorrow,” Qiao Yi said cautiously. “No matter what’s going on, you two must attend the banquet.”

He Qing thought for a moment, then nodded, “Okay.”

After hanging up, He Qing pulled out a small notebook and quickly scribbled several pages. He then shoved the notebook in front of Sun Tu. “Memorize this. These are phrases the General often says and his social connections.”

“I’m not an actor,” Sun Tu said, glaring at him in disbelief. But remembering his plan, he reluctantly agreed. “Untie me first.”

He Qing untied him and watched as Sun Tu studied the lines. “If you don’t know the answer, just gloss over it.”

Sun Tu glanced at the paper, flipped through it, then set it down. “I’ve memorized it.”

He Qing didn’t move, continuing to stare at him.

Sun Tu’s temple twitched, “I’m a cultivator, memorizing this is child’s play.” Damn it! He was a demonic cultivator, not an idiot! What kind of look was that?

“You’re right,” He Qing muttered, finally believing him. He left to ask the butler to prepare clothes for them.

The next day, both of them changed into formal attire, and He Qing pushed Duan Chenhui’s body out the door.

“I can walk on my own,” Sun Tu grumbled.

“No, this way is more convenient.”

“More convenient for you to control me, huh?” Sun Tu sneered.

He Qing didn’t respond. He pushed Duan Chenhui outside, where Qiao Yi had arrived right on time to pick them up.

Qiao Yi finally saw Duan Chenhui, staring at him for a long time. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Sun Tu said, getting into the car, looking bored. “Let’s go.”

Qiao Yi glanced at He Qing, who smiled and said, “Teacher, you’re coming too?”

“I got an invitation too, you know,” Qiao Yi said, turning to drive. Through the rearview mirror, he watched them—Duan Chenhui with his eyes closed, He Qing playing with his terminal. Everything seemed normal.

The car arrived at the palace gates, where guards stood on watch. After facial and iris recognition, He Qing and Sun Tu were allowed entry.

Qiao Yi followed behind them, thinking to himself that Duan Chenhui did seem to be the real Duan Chenhui…

Once inside the hall, many people immediately glanced over at them. He Qing looked down at Sun Tu.

Sun Tu smirked and whispered, “Relax, it’s just acting. I’m better at this than you. I could even have everyone wrapped around my finger.”

He Qing pushed him forward, handing him a cup of floral tea.

Sun Tu pointed to the champagne tower nearby. “That. You might like floral tea, but as a general, you need to have some class.”

He Qing pursed his lips, hesitating before eventually handing him a glass of champagne.

Sun Tu swirled the champagne in his glass, grinning, “I’ve been to more banquets than you’ve had meals.”

He Qing pushed him forward, but silently vowed never to hand him champagne again. He overheard people whispering around them.

“It’s Duan Chenhui. He looks fine.”

“So the rumors were false. He seems to have a good relationship with his spouse.”

He Qing found a corner to sit and rest, but soon, people approached to greet Duan Chenhui.

General Sun came over and plopped down on the sofa. “Duan Chenhui, you’re finally back on your feet? We’ve been wanting to check out that place you mentioned—it does seem strange.”

Sun Tu took a sip of champagne, his manner serious. “Feel free to check it out, but be careful.” As Sun Tu had said before, as a demonic cultivator, lying and bluffing were second nature to him. He played the part of Duan Chenhui with ease.

He Qing, sitting beside him, glared, feeling increasingly disgusted watching Sun Tu pretend to be the General.

Sun Tu glanced at He Qing with interest. “He Qing, if you’re hungry, go grab some snacks.”

“I’m not hungry,” He Qing replied, staying close by.

Sun Tu chuckled to himself. Maybe he could use Duan Chenhui against He Qing. A wavering Buddhist heart could easily backfire.

General Sun noticed the glances they exchanged and chuckled before standing up. “I’ll leave you two alone then. See you later.”

Once the general left, He Qing finally relaxed and took a sip of tea. Soon after, Qiao Yi found them, carrying some snacks. “Took me a while to find you two. Here, have some.”

He Qing took a bite of the snack, just as a guard approached Duan Chenhui. “General Duan, His Majesty requests your presence.”

He Qing immediately looked at Sun Tu, who smiled back and said to the guard, “I’ll go right away.”

He Qing got up to push Sun Tu. The guard looked at him but didn’t stop them. Qiao Yi followed along, holding his snacks, until the guard stopped him. “Please wait outside.”

He Qing frowned, letting go of the wheelchair. The guard pushed Sun Tu into the room.

Qiao Yi took another bite of his snack and glanced downstairs. “You seem really worried.”

“No,” He Qing replied, extending his consciousness to observe the room. Inside, the king was questioning Duan Chenhui, and Sun Tu was answering without error. However, Sun Tu kept drinking wine, then suddenly bit his finger and drew a formation on the table.

Sun Tu grinned at the empty air. “I wonder what happens when Enigma goes into heat?”

He Qing’s expression changed, and he turned, kicking the door. “General! Open the door!”

“What are you doing?” The guards at the door immediately moved to stop him.

“He Qing!” Qiao Yi dropped his snack and rushed over to grab him. “Calm down! What’s going on?!”

“Let go of me!” He Qing kicked the door open and ran inside.

Qiao Yi immediately smelled a strong scent of pheromones. “Damn it! He Qing! Get him into the next room to isolate him!”

“It’s too late!”

Something was thrown out, and Qiao Yi caught it. Looking down, he realized it was the unconscious king.

“Sorry, borrowing the room for a bit.” The door slammed shut with a bang.

Qiao Yi and the guards stared at each other in shock. He handed the king over to the guards. “Sorry about this, but the General seems to be in a bit of a situation.”

The intense scent of Enigma’s pheromones began wafting downstairs, causing a commotion among the guests. “What’s that smell? So sweet, so intoxicating…”

“Is it the scent of wine?”

“No! That’s the smell of pheromones! Someone’s gone into heat!”

“It seems to be coming from upstairs!”

“I’m going to check it out!” Several people, whether Alpha, Beta, or Omega, began rushing upstairs, unable to hold back.

Qiao Yi looked down at the surging crowd, his head pounding. He yelled at the guards, “Turn on the ventilation system! Put on gas masks, and get the suppressants ready!”

– 

Inside the room, He Qing and Sun Tu were locked in a standoff. He Qing sat on one side of the table, while Sun Tu sat on the other, both using their mental energy to suppress each other’s movements.

Sun Tu chuckled. “I’ve spent the last month learning how to use mental energy. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

He Qing’s nose was filled with the overwhelming scent of pheromones. Not only did he have to resist Sun Tu’s mental pressure, but he also had to maintain the barrier around them. Cold sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead.

Sun Tu narrowed his eyes and increased the pressure, struggling to lift a wine glass, but the next second, it fell to the ground with a crash, red wine splattering everywhere.

He Qing couldn’t tell whether the scent was from the wine or Duan Chenhui’s pheromones. He closed his eyes slightly and clasped his hands together, silently chanting the Heart Sutra.

But Sun Tu wasn’t faring well either. His entire body was alternating between hot and cold sweats, unsure whether it was the effects of the charm array or the sheer intensity of Enigma’s heat.

This stalemate wasn’t sustainable. Sun Tu looked at the sweat dripping from He Qing’s forehead and smiled sinisterly. “You hate me, right? How about I let Duan Chenhui take over?”

He Qing’s eyes snapped open, and the surge of his mental energy shattered the surrounding glass and ceramics.

Sun Tu clenched his fists, struggling to resist. “If I make you break your vows, will you lose all your cultivation?”

He Qing’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Gotcha, didn’t I?” Sun Tu laughed as he watched He Qing’s expression change. Then, Sun Tu closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again.

He Qing found himself staring into a pair of deep, navy-blue eyes. No longer dark and twisted, they reflected the vastness of a starry sky.

He Qing froze. “General.”

“He Qing, you can’t use any more mental energy,” Duan Chenhui said, gazing at him.

Their eyes met, and in that moment, Duan Chenhui didn’t question him, didn’t get angry, didn’t blame him. He understood everything instantly.

“General… I’m fine…”

Duan Chenhui’s expression remained tense as he stared at He Qing. Beads of sweat rolled down He Qing’s forehead, along his cheek, and dripped onto the table.

Duan Chenhui glanced at his own hands. He was fighting hard to suppress the primal urges raging within him. Enigma’s heat was far more intense than he had anticipated.

“Sun Tu is still inside the General’s body,” He Qing said, his brows tightly furrowed.

“I have a way,” Duan Chenhui said, closing his eyes slightly and unleashing his full mental strength. His face twisted, as though in a fierce struggle, and suddenly, something was ejected from his body.

He Qing’s eyes sharpened, and he stood up, summoning a magical tool. “Golden Bell Shield!”

A golden bell instantly trapped Sun Tu’s Nascent Soul inside.

“Hold on,” Duan Chenhui suddenly grabbed He Qing’s wrist.

He Qing froze and turned back to look at him.

Duan Chenhui’s grip wasn’t tight, but his gaze locked onto He Qing’s, intense and predatory, like a hunter watching its prey.

Or perhaps it was a test.

They stared at each other for a long moment, He Qing holding his breath, slowly taking a step back, hands clasped together. “The General hasn’t lost control.”

Duan Chenhui remained silent for a while.

“Indeed.”

Duan Chenhui smiled, releasing He Qing’s wrist. Then, he suddenly stepped back several paces, flipping his wrist to produce two syringes, and without hesitation, jabbed them into his arm.

As the pressure of mental energy eased, Duan Chenhui collapsed to the ground. He Qing immediately rushed over. “General? General, are you alright?”

He checked Duan Chenhui’s condition and, fortunately, found that he had only passed out.

He Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked down at the syringes, his expression darkened.

One was a suppressant for heat cycles, and the other was a special drug to suppress mental power—a drug typically used on criminals, with severe side effects.