Qiao Yi kicked two Alphas down the stairs, one with each foot. “Stop acting crazy! They’re not some irresistible prize.”

“Mr. Qiao, are you alright?” A nearby guard was drenched in sweat, clearly struggling to keep it together.

“Do I look alright? The people down there are the ones in trouble.” Qiao Yi spotted an Alpha trying to jump onto the corridor railing and quickly ran over, kicking him off, before covering his nose and sneezing.

“Cough, cough… So many pheromones mixed together—it’s unbearable.” Apologies, but he’s allergic to pheromones.

Suddenly, a strong floral scent filled the air behind him. Qiao Yi turned his head, sneezing again.

He Qing was leaning against the doorframe, pointing inside. “Teacher, could you look after the General for me?”

Qiao Yi’s expression changed as he rushed over to support him. “Are you going into heat too?”

“No, I’ve just used too much mental energy and feel weak.” He Qing stood up straight, brushing off Qiao Yi’s hand, and walked back inside.

Qiao Yi followed him in, closing the door behind them. He immediately ran over to Duan Chenhui, who was lying on the sofa. “What’s going on? Is he unconscious?”

“Yes, he’s taken a suppressant.”

Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared outside, making Qiao Yi jump. He looked up to see He Qing standing by the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, dark clouds had gathered, and it seemed a storm was brewing.

He Qing glanced at the thunderclouds outside, then back at Duan Chenhui. “I need to go out for a bit.”

“What?!” Qiao Yi didn’t understand. He watched in disbelief as He Qing opened the window. A gust of wind blew in, lifting the curtains. He Qing walked out onto the balcony and then jumped.

“!!!” This was the second floor! Qiao Yi rushed over to look, but there was no sign of He Qing below. He looked up at the sky—no one was there either! He Qing had disappeared!

Qiao Yi scratched his head. That thousand-year-old monster probably wouldn’t die from a fall… He sat down in front of Duan Chenhui and stared at him. Then he noticed the syringes on the coffee table.

Qiao Yi picked them up and examined them. His face changed, and he immediately pulled out his terminal. “Dr. Qin! Where are you? Come up and check on Duan Chenhui!”

“Cough, cough… I-I’m hiding in the bathroom. Duan Chenhui went into heat? That’s terrifying.”

“He took a suppressant… but also injected a special mental energy suppressant.”

“?! Bring him to me immediately!”

“Got it,” Qiao Yi said, but suddenly felt someone grab his arm.

“No need.”

Qiao Yi turned around. “You’re awake?”

Duan Chenhui was sitting up, pressing a hand to his aching head as he looked around, a bit disoriented. “Where am I?”

Qiao Yi had a bad feeling. “We’re at the palace.”

“The palace?”

“…” Qiao Yi lowered his head and spoke into his terminal. “Dr. Qin, it seems like Duan Chenhui has lost his memory. Did the drug mess with his brain? Could his mental power degrade?”

“That would be one of the milder side effects. We’ll need to test his mental power later,” Dr. Qin replied.

Duan Chenhui stood up and touched his chest, realizing that the jade carving He Qing had given him was missing. “Qiao Yi, sit down. Tell me exactly what happened.”

Qiao Yi glanced at him. “At least you remember me, so it’s not too bad.” He sat down. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Taking students on a field trip.” Duan Chenhui frowned. “I guess some time has passed since then? Judging by the time, it must be the king’s birthday. Where’s He Qing?”

“He Qing, well…” Qiao Yi wanted to say that He Qing wasn’t so simple, but the words got stuck in his throat. He tried to speak, but nothing came out.

“What’s wrong?” Duan Chenhui noticed something was off.

Qiao Yi stared at him, eyes wide. Damn, that brat He Qing had cast a silencing spell on his own teacher?

He tried a roundabout explanation. “So, you took the students on a field trip, then some accidents happened. You went missing. Then He Qing went to find you, more accidents happened, and now today, somehow, you went into heat.” Qiao Yi emphasized the word “accidents.”

He handed Duan Chenhui the two syringes. “These are the side effects.”

Duan Chenhui glanced at them and lowered his eyes, deep in thought. “I see.”

Qiao Yi suddenly stood up. “Duan Chenhui, you know what I’m getting at.”

“I have amnesia.”

“Amnesia doesn’t mean you’re stupid!”

“But I really don’t remember.”

“That’s not the point!” Qiao Yi sat back down, looking at him seriously. “You can choose to divorce.”

Duan Chenhui stood up and put away the syringes, then smiled slightly. “If I divorce, that would be exactly what he wants. Running off with secrets won’t be that easy.”

“As expected of my classmate. I’ll help you expose him,” Qiao Yi grinned, rubbing his chin in thought. But Duan Chenhui’s reaction was a bit more intriguing than he had anticipated.

“Then tell me, where did He Qing go?” Duan Chenhui asked, changing the subject.

“I don’t know.”

“Is it raining today?” Duan Chenhui frowned, looking at the dark sky outside the window.

“The weather forecast didn’t mention it. I have no idea why these clouds suddenly gathered,” Qiao Yi also found it strange.

“I’m going to find He Qing.” Duan Chenhui said, deciding to head out. By now, the situation downstairs had stabilized.

—

Meanwhile, the king, who had been knocked unconscious, finally woke up. As a Beta—both average in appearance and physique—he was also the leader of billions of Betas in the nation.

Sitting on the sofa, he looked at the Alpha generals on either side of him and rubbed his forehead. “I know what you’re going to say.”

General Sun chuckled. “This must have been an accident.”

General Chu nodded. “Maybe someone tampered with the drinks or tea.”

General Miao laughed, “Fortunately, no one was harmed. I’m sure Your Majesty will handle it well.”

The king also smiled, looking at the Alphas surrounding him. “Of course. If it was a failure in the palace’s security, I won’t let it slide. You’ve all had a long day; go get some rest.”

“Your Majesty, you should rest too. It was a frightening ordeal,” the group of Alphas said, exchanging polite smiles before leaving.

Once they were gone, the king stretched and cracked his neck. His trusted aide approached, grumbling, “They’re getting too cocky. This incident was clearly Duan Chenhui’s fault.”

“We can’t exactly lock them up like Omegas, can we? Such a troublesome bunch,” the king replied as he gazed out the window at the royal garden below. “Let’s just blame it on the Federation. We won’t take the fall for this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the aide nodded. The king truly had a tough job, having to deal with all those beasts.

—

Meanwhile, He Qing was flying through the air on his sword, cold sweat covering his forehead as the tribulation clouds in the sky grew larger and more threatening.

Inside the golden bell hanging on his waist, Sun Tu’s Nascent Soul was frantically bouncing around like an ant on a hot plate.

“Are you really about to face a tribulation? Let me out! There’s no spiritual energy here, and you don’t have spirit stones, do you? How are you going to survive this tribulation?!” Sun Tu was panicking, fearing for his life.

He Qing glanced down at him. “Do you have a solution?”

“No!” Sun Tu gritted his teeth. “I just don’t want to die with you! Let me out!”

He Qing said nothing, clutching his chest as his sword tilted and he plummeted downwards.

Sun Tu was startled. “Damn it! You’re still injured!”

“It’s because of you that my internal injuries worsened,” He Qing said softly.

“That’s because you stopped me from possessing him!” Sun Tu was furious. “Now I’m injured too!”

He Qing didn’t respond, his eyes focused on the thunderclouds above.

“Don’t play dead! Think of something!” Sun Tu was more anxious than He Qing.

“I have no options left. I’m out of spirit stones, and other than the Golden Bell Shield, I have no more artifacts,” He Qing admitted honestly.

“…Damn it!”

After saying this, He Qing’s body fell straight into the lake below.