After finishing his meditation with the wooden fish, He Qing started browsing the internet, searching for a place to reforge a magical artifact. Finally, he found a suitable location.

Sun Tu peeked over curiously. “You actually thought of that?”

“I don’t have a pill furnace, so I’m just looking for something ready-made,” He Qing said, pointing to an active volcano on the map. “This place should do. It’s pretty remote.”

“Even if you manage to fix that sword, are you sure Duan Chenhui can use it?” Sun Tu asked, still bitter about being expelled by Duan Chenhui’s mental force. Could someone that powerful even be considered a mere mortal?

“Maybe he’ll use it later?” He Qing replied. “Not sure if the General has copied the sutras. I’ll ask him in a bit.” He closed the webpage, packed up his things, and walked out, just in time to run into Duan Chenhui.

He Qing hurried over. “General, have you been copying the Heart Sutra lately?”

Duan Chenhui, who had only copied a few pages, felt his eyebrow twitch, but he maintained his calm demeanor. “I have. It feels like some kind of mysterious manual. Where did you find it?”

“I saw it in a book a long time ago,” He Qing lied smoothly as he fiddled with his prayer beads, concocting a story on the spot.

Duan Chenhui smiled. “I had the central AI check the entire network. There’s no record of this scripture anywhere.”

“It’s… written by a master… himself,” He Qing looked down and stared at him. “He said I had extraordinary potential and gave it to me.”

“I see.” Duan Chenhui nodded, his expression unreadable.

Quick to change the subject, He Qing said, “General, I’m heading to school now. See you later.”

“See you later.” Duan Chenhui waved as He Qing bolted down the stairs and dashed out of the villa in a flash.

Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn’t actually asked the AI to check the sutra. He rubbed his forehead, wondering just what kind of person he had married…

•

As soon as He Qing got out of the villa, he sighed. “Should I just come clean already?”

Sun Tu snorted. “Absolutely not! If you confess, it’ll be impossible to divorce. You’ll be stuck forever. Trust me, mortals are cunning; they know how to lure people into corruption.”

“I feel like my disguise is about to be blown,” He Qing muttered as he walked, almost resigned to his fate.

“As long as he doesn’t expose you, it means he wants things to stay as they are. Everyone’s an adult, you know how it goes. If he really exposes you, you can always make a run for it.” Sun Tu looked like he was enjoying the show.

“That’s true.” He Qing nodded thoughtfully, then opened his screen and messaged Zhang Yi, telling him to take a break for a few days. He also messaged Duan Chenhui. “General, I’m going to visit a friend. I might be gone for a while.”

He didn’t specify which friend, and Duan Chenhui didn’t ask. “Alright, we leave in four days at 20:00.”

“I’ll be back by then.” He Qing sent his message and found a quiet corner. Summoning his flying sword, he took off toward his destination.

Arriving at the volcano, He Qing set up a barrier around the area and flew down toward the lava, where the molten rock bubbled hot and fierce—perfect for reforging his sword.

Once at the bottom, He Qing drew the Jade Sword, chanting a spell and channeling his spiritual energy into it before tossing it into the lava. Instantly, the area lit up with blazing fire.

He Qing set a timer for himself with a clock, then focused entirely on repairing the sword. As the repairs progressed, the volcano’s energy was slowly absorbed.

Sun Tu glanced at the scene. “By the time you finish, this volcano might become extinct.”

He Qing chuckled. “Nature will restore itself soon enough.” Just then, the alarm rang, startling He Qing. He hadn’t realized how many days had passed.

With a wave of his hand, the Jade Sword shot out of the lava. The sword, now gleaming black, radiated a cold, sharp light, surrounded by circles of fire.

He Qing focused, channeling more spiritual energy into it, preparing to store the sword away. Hopefully, I’ll make it back in time…

•

Meanwhile, Duan Chenhui stood in front of his private aircraft, checking his watch.

Yang Fan nervously asked, “We’re about to depart. Should I send a reminder to Mr. He?”

“No need,” Duan Chenhui responded after a moment of thought. “Delay the departure by 15 minutes.”

“Understood.” Yang Fan opened the screen and input the delay into the flight system.

“Ding. Data entered. Please proceed according to the flight plan. Safe travel is everyone’s responsibility. The aviation system is always at your service.”

Yang Fan glanced at Duan Chenhui, who remained motionless, eyes fixed on the entrance. Minute after minute passed, but even after the 15-minute delay, there was still no sign of He Qing. Not even a message.

Yang Fan felt a chill. He didn’t know how to console Duan Chenhui. “General… maybe something urgent came up and he couldn’t make it.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Fan wanted to slap himself. Did that imply going home with the General wasn’t important?

“Perhaps he really did have something urgent,” Duan Chenhui replied, retracting his gaze and walking up the steps to the aircraft. “Let’s go. He had no obligation, and I did say he could decide for himself.”

“…Alright.” Yang Fan opened his mouth but decided against saying anything else that might upset Duan Chenhui.

Duan Chenhui boarded the aircraft and sat by the window, looking outside as the plane took off. “Ding. The plane has taken off. Destination: the North Pole.”

Duan Chenhui frowned. He had to admit, He Qing hadn’t shown up after all. Perhaps there had been some testing involved, but the outcome wasn’t what he’d hoped for.

“I suddenly feel like I want to go back on my decision.”

“What?” Yang Fan, sitting next to him with a bun in hand, asked, “General, do you want a bun?”

“No,” Duan Chenhui replied stiffly.

“…Okay.” Sensing the General’s bad mood, Yang Fan quietly lowered his head and focused on eating his bun, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

Suddenly, the system chimed. “Ding. Strange lights detected near the volcano ahead.”

Duan Chenhui tapped the screen. “Zoom in.”

“Understood.” The AI slowly zoomed in on the volcano.

Duan Chenhui watched the screen as a faint red light rose from the volcano, covering a large area with its glow, tinged with strange colors at the edges. As the camera zoomed in further, all he could see was a sea of red light.

Yang Fan was startled. “Is the volcano about to erupt?”

“No,” Duan Chenhui frowned. The feeling reminded him of the two times the lightning storms had occurred. After analyzing them with his mecha, Mo Yun, he had detected unusual energy patterns during those storms.

He stared intently at the screen. “Check inside the volcano.”

“Understood.”

The camera zoomed in further, but suddenly all the strange phenomena disappeared as if they had been sealed away. All that remained was the image of an extinct volcano.

“???” Yang Fan was so shocked that he even stopped eating his bun. “The volcano’s dead? I remember this was an active one and was about to erupt.”

“Looks like it won’t erupt for a while,” Duan Chenhui said thoughtfully, rubbing the armrest of his seat.

Yang Fan stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth, still baffled. “Definitely worth investigating.”

Duan Chenhui remained silent as the plane flew past the volcano.

•

He Qing, holding the newly reforged Jade Sword, emerged from the volcano and coughed as he looked back. “Didn’t expect such a big show at the end. I’m probably going to make the news again.”

“Of course, it’s Jade, after all,” Sun Tu remarked.

He Qing glanced at the time. “The General’s probably already on the plane.”

Sun Tu stroked his chin. “I really think you shouldn’t go. It’d be so much simpler.”

“I can’t do that. I promised the General.” He Qing placed the Jade Sword in a prepared black wooden box, summoned his flying sword, and took off again. “I should be able to make it in time.”

“…Really?” Sun Tu gave him a long look. “Don’t you think something feels off?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing,” Sun Tu said darkly, thinking that maybe one day when He Qing broke his vows, he could finally escape.

As He Qing flew, he noticed a plane ahead. He flew closer to it, peeking inside, and suddenly locked eyes with Duan Chenhui.

Startled, He Qing almost fell off his flying sword. He looked again and realized Duan Chenhui hadn’t actually seen him. He was just staring out at the scenery.

He Qing breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest. With his invisibility spell, no one could see him. Still, he hadn’t made it back on time—he wondered if the General was mad.

Looking ahead, He Qing decided to reach the North Pole first and give Duan Chenhui a surprise.

•

Inside the plane, Duan Chenhui was staring out at a patch of white fog, feeling a bit puzzled. Why did it seem like the fog was following him? After a while, the fog suddenly surged ahead, moving even faster than the plane.

Duan Chenhui rubbed his temples. He must be imagining things because of fatigue.

Fortunately, the plane soon reached its destination. Duan Chenhui stepped off, but the moment he set foot on the snowy ground of the North Pole, he heard a voice that left him stunned.

“General! General! You guys are so slow!” He Qing came running toward them, carrying a large box.

Yang Fan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked around. Wait, wasn’t this Duan family territory? How did He Qing get here? And faster than them?!

Duan Chenhui walked over in surprise. “How are you here?”

He Qing pointed to a hover car in the distance. “I took the hover car. Wanted to give you a surprise.”

“…More like a shock,” Duan Chenhui muttered as he glanced at the car. “You must’ve driven for a long time…”

“Yeah,” He Qing nodded.

“Let’s go home,” Duan Chenhui smiled, though he didn’t mention that AI-controlled hover cars and civilian ships weren’t even allowed near here. It was a system-level restriction.

Yang Fan looked at Duan Chenhui but didn’t dare say a word. Sometimes he felt like He Qing didn’t really understand the advanced technology of this world…

He Qing noticed that Duan Chenhui’s smile was a little eerie again. He touched his prayer beads and raised the box in his hands. “I brought something. I think it suits you.”

Yang Fan, acting as the bodyguard, instinctively reached out to take the box, but it was so heavy that it nearly crushed his hand. If Duan Chenhui hadn’t caught the bottom of the box in time, Yang Fan would have ended up flat on his back.

What the heck is in this thing?! How is it so heavy? And how did He Qing carry it here?!

“Thank you,” Duan Chenhui took the box in hand. “What is it?” It was certainly heavy, but He Qing didn’t seem to think so, which was why he hadn’t mentioned it earlier.

“It’s a sword called Jade. You’ll definitely like it,” He Qing said, glancing at Duan Chenhui’s plane. Honestly, it looked more like a high-tech warplane than a simple aircraft.

Duan Chenhui smiled as he opened the box. Inside was indeed a beautiful sword. Its wide blade was engraved with ancient, mysterious patterns, giving it an air of both simplicity and power. Where have I seen this before?

For a moment, Duan Chenhui couldn’t remember. “It’s beautiful. A heavy sword with no sharp edge—unbreakable.”

Duan Chenhui muttered the phrase unconsciously, and both of them paused in surprise.

He Qing quickly recovered, clasping his hands together. “Yes, the General has already grasped the essence of the sword. It was meant for you.”

Duan Chenhui stored the sword away. “Looks like we were destined to meet.”

He Qing chuckled. “Amitabha, fate brings us together and pulls us apart. It’s all about destiny.”

“Indeed.” Duan Chenhui studied him for a moment. “The main residence is just ahead. Let’s go.”