Seeing that everyone was safe, the king finally emerged to check on Duan Chenhui. “General, well done. I’m glad no one was hurt.”

General Sun and the others all turned to look at the king, who wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. With his hands behind his back, he glanced at them and said, “My incognito tour is now complete. You may all go rest.”

General Sun snorted. “Indeed. Let’s go.”

He Qing instinctively stepped forward to push Duan Chenhui’s wheelchair. “Those aliens did it on purpose.”

“They were just testing the waters,” Duan Chenhui replied, glancing at He Qing with a teasing question, “Where’s this adventurer group of yours, Mr. He?”

Unfazed, He Qing replied, “I’m currently working part-time as the king’s special bodyguard. Funds have been tight lately.” Besides himself, the only other “team member” was Sun Tu, his unlucky koi companion—the adventurer group didn’t actually exist.

“I see, then we’re partners now,” Duan Chenhui arched a brow. He recalled that his gold card still had plenty of credits. What could He Qing have spent it all on?

“Indeed.” He Qing nodded calmly.

General Sun, walking alongside them, stared wide-eyed. When did Duan Chenhui meet such a beautiful person? Something about this figure seemed oddly familiar…

The king, meanwhile, mused that young people sure had a lot of tricks up their sleeves. But his incognito tour had been thoroughly ruined as Duan Chenhui and General Sun flanked him and escorted him back to the hall.

He Qing waved at Duan Chenhui, remaining with the king, as the Beta king really didn’t have much in the way of combat skills.

Back in his room, the king sighed as he sat down. “Life’s tough. The enemies never stop wanting me dead.” He turned to He Qing. “What do you think?”

He Qing smiled and bowed slightly. “Your Majesty surely has a clear understanding of the situation.”

“You’re a bright young man. Sit down and have some tea,” the king gestured to the seat across from him. But before they could relax, a guard entered to report, “Your Majesty, the kings of the Octopoid and Starfish clans, as well as the prince of the Merpeople, have invited you to join them for lunch.”

The king stood up, smiling. “I’ve been remiss. As hosts, we should graciously invite them to enjoy our seafood feast.”

“Understood.” The guard left to relay the message.

The head guard was fuming. “Causing trouble as soon as they arrive! Fine, let them have a taste of our seafood!”

He Qing, walking alongside the head guard, quietly knocked on his wooden fish charm—good karma +1.

Soon enough, He Qing met the so-called kings and prince. The Octopoid king, Lan Zhang, was casually showing off his eight tentacled suction cups. The Starfish king’s head was literally a five-pointed star. At least the Merman prince seemed relatively normal, dressed quite neatly.

But when the Merman prince looked up and met He Qing’s eyes, He Qing sensed a surge of dark energy. The seemingly normal one was actually the most dangerous.

He Qing quietly asked Sun Tu, [He’s a dark cultivator, do you recognize him?]

Sun Tu glanced at the prince. [Looks like a body snatcher. If he doesn’t show any signs, there’s no telling who he is. Be careful—make sure your weakling king doesn’t get infected by the dark energy.]

[Got it.] He Qing nodded. He hadn’t expected to encounter a dark cultivator even before the diplomatic games had begun.

The Beta king chuckled as he sat down. “I didn’t expect the esteemed guests to come in person.”

Lan Zhang, the Octopoid king, raised a tentacle holding a glass of red wine. “We happened to be free, and it’s all for the sake of our mutual friendship.”

“Likewise,” the Starfish king said.

“I’m here on behalf of my father,” the Merman prince smiled, but his gaze lingered on He Qing. “It seems I’ve gained something today.”

He Qing ignored him, keeping his head down as he listened to their shallow exchanges. After a while, the food finally arrived. He Qing glanced over the dishes—sure enough, there were octopus balls, braised fish, and starfish ginseng soup.

The Octopoid and Starfish kings’ faces darkened at the sight, while the Merman prince remained unfazed, calmly cutting into a grilled fish and eating it with apparent relish.

After the meal, the Octopoid and Starfish kings left in a huff to rest. He Qing accompanied the king back to his room, where he prepared a talisman for the king that evening.

“What’s this for?” the king asked, holding up the triangular yellow paper charm.

“It’ll protect you from evil spirits,” He Qing said. “Please keep it with you at all times.”

“Thanks. Looks quite nice,” the king said as he hung the talisman from his belt and opened his comm screen.

Through the screen, He Qing saw Duan Chenhui and General Sun. The king instructed, “Increase security. If they get hurt while they’re here, it won’t look good for us.”

“Understood,” General Sun nodded.

“But seriously, these guys have too much free time. If they’re that idle, they should focus on their own paperwork instead of bothering us,” the king added.

“…” Everyone fell silent for a moment before Duan Chenhui broke it. “Well then, Your Majesty, get some rest.”

“Hmm, you all rest well too,” the king nodded grandly.

He Qing watched Duan Chenhui through the screen, guessing that in Duan’s eyes, their own king was likely a source of trouble as well.

After the call ended, the king turned to He Qing. “You and the head guard will take shifts on watch.”

He Qing smiled. “No need. I can meditate while resting.”

The king looked at him and decided not to argue. He headed off to take a bath and then went to sleep in the inner chamber, while He Qing sat cross-legged on a cushion outside, meditating.

The lights in the room dimmed, and the surrounding guards kept their breathing quiet. Everyone was on edge.

Around midnight, as the guards silently changed shifts, He Qing’s eyes snapped open.

Sun Tu shouted in his mind, [Dark energy!] The moment he finished speaking, the surrounding guards collapsed to the floor.

He Qing rushed into the bedroom to find his king sleeping like a log…

Standing by the bed, He Qing turned towards the window. A figure was floating outside—it was the Merman prince.

“I didn’t expect to encounter a Buddhist cultivator here. What a rare sight,” the prince said, amusement in his voice and a smile on his face.

“You’re attacking in the middle of the night. What do you want?” He Qing asked, as he quickly set up a protective barrier around the king.

The Merman prince shattered the window with a single blow. The alarm sounded as he stepped through the glass, walking leisurely into the room. “Relax, I’m not interested in this ordinary human. I’m just here to take back what’s mine.”

He Qing frowned, suddenly realizing. “Who are you?”

“That Zerg egg. Return Adam to me,” the Merman prince demanded, holding out his hand.

“The Infinite Rebirth Formation… That’s a forbidden array,” He Qing said, his gaze fixed on the prince.

The prince shook his head, a twisted smile on his face. “What do you know? This is Adam’s choice.” His expression turned cold. “If you don’t hand it over, I’ll have to take it by force.”

“I won’t let a dark cultivator like you get your hands on it,” He Qing said, summoning his flying sword.

“No point in talking, then,” the prince snapped his fingers, enveloping the entire room in a powerful formation. He drew his sword and attacked He Qing.

Meanwhile, Duan Chenhui and the others had arrived but found themselves blocked outside the barrier.

“What’s going on? We can’t open the door!”

“Break it down!”

General Sun kicked at the door but was sent flying back by the rebound. “Is this the culprit’s ability?”

Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes at the door, drawing out his massive sword from his spatial storage. “Let me handle this.”

“Careful,” General Sun cautioned, clutching his bruised foot.

Duan Chenhui nodded and swung his Jue Que sword down. He felt something tear.

“Jue Que sword?” The Merman prince was visibly surprised. He deflected He Qing’s attack but was forced back several steps. Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he chuckled. “Let’s continue our conversation some other time. Farewell.” With that, he leaped out the window.

He Qing rushed to the window and looked down, watching as the prince returned to his own quarters.

He Qing frowned.

Sun Tu commented, [Looks like the formation drained his energy. That was one powerful array.]

“How’s everyone? Are you okay?” General Sun finally kicked the door open.

“We’re fine,” He Qing turned to face him. “But the enemy got away…” He thought for a moment. Even if he claimed the Merman prince was responsible, there was no solid proof.

Duan Chenhui sheathed his sword and glanced at He Qing, who stood by the window. The moonlight shone on He Qing’s white hair, making it seem as though he was glowing—an almost surreal beauty.

Duan Chenhui walked over and picked up a hair tie that had fallen during the scuffle.

“Glad you’re safe.” Duan Chenhui handed the hair tie back to him. “Looks like we need to ramp up security.”

He Qing took the tie and began retying his hair. “Yes, that’s our only option.”

Duan Chenhui eyed him suspiciously. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No.”

Duan Chenhui stared at him for a moment but didn’t press further.

He Qing’s expression softened. “Let’s check on the king.” He lifted the barrier he had set around the king.

The king finally woke up, sitting up groggily and shaking his head as he surveyed the broken glass. “The enemy came in strong.”

General Sun stuck his head out the window to check. “We’re on the eighteenth floor. The attacker must be a top-tier assassin.”

“They likely won’t come back tonight,” the head guard said, helping the king up. “We should move to another location.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they changed rooms. This time, even General Sun stood guard in the room. He Qing closed his eyes, resting while recalling the night’s events.

Sun Tu piped up again. [As long as you keep carrying that egg, they won’t stop coming. They might even blow your cover and get you put on the national wanted list. You could just run away.]

[Dark cultivators are definitely capable of something like that,] He Qing nodded. [But I haven’t finished healing the general.]

[You don’t owe him anything. You don’t have to heal him,] Sun Tu snorted. [Besides, if he finds out you’re hiding a Zerg egg, he might just lock you up.]

He Qing thought for a moment. [If the truth came out, it could damage the general’s reputation.]

[…] Sun Tu felt like there was no getting through to He Qing. He grumbled and settled back into his golden bell. [Fine. Go ahead and ignore my advice. You’ll see the consequences soon enough.]

He Qing picked up the bell and shook it, causing Sun Tu to roll around inside.

[Childish!] Sun Tu cursed.

He Qing pressed his lips together. [You insulted the general first.]

[I was just telling the truth! He’s the general of this empire, with a powerful family backing him. Who do you think he’ll side with?] Sun Tu huffed. [When he stabs you in the back, don’t come crying to me!]

[Amitabha.] He Qing remained calm, thinking that whatever happened, he probably wouldn’t feel much of anything either way. [You’re holding onto too much resentment.]

Sun Tu sat cross-legged inside the bell, gritting his teeth. [So, when are you going to give me my final rites?]

He Qing fiddled with his prayer beads. [Why don’t we make a bet? Maybe you were just unlucky with the people you trusted before.]

[Damn… Are you saying I have bad taste? That I’m blind?]

[I didn’t say that…]

[Your eyes say otherwise.]

He Qing quietly closed his eyes. [No, they don’t.]

[…] Sun Tu didn’t want to keep talking. He felt like He Qing would drive him to death all over again.