Lian Qiguang leaned against the sofa, expressionless as he played a game.
Lian Xiaozhu looked at him several times, wanting to speak but stopping herself each time.
Something was very wrong with her.
The moment she woke up that morning, she realized it.
The pain she had lived with for more than ten years—the pain she had long since accepted as part of her life—had suddenly disappeared, replaced by a feeling of lightness and comfort.
The sensation terrified her.
She was confused.
She didn’t know what to do.
More than anything, she was afraid.
Afraid that she had already died, and that everything she was experiencing now was only a dream.
She got out of bed and cautiously jumped a few times.
She hopped.
She stretched.
The familiar agony that used to devour her body whenever she made any sudden movement was completely gone.
It felt as though countless tiny hammers were pounding against her chest.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
An overwhelming tide of joy and excitement engulfed her.
But once the initial excitement faded, confusion quickly returned.
Why had this happened?
In her daze, Lian Xiaozhu suddenly remembered something.
She seemed to have had a dream last night.
In the dream, her second brother had come into her room.
He had fed her something strange.
Then she’d felt incredibly comfortable…
And after that—
It had hurt.
Lian Xiaozhu’s face turned pale.
The pain had been indescribable.
It was as though someone were using a dull knife to slowly carve away her flesh from the inside, cutting while it regenerated, over and over again.
It had hurt so much she had wanted to die.
Yet just as she had been about to give up, a voice had told her to endure it.
That voice was…
Second Brother!
Lian Xiaozhu’s eyes flew open.
She clamped both hands over her mouth, barely suppressing the scream that threatened to escape.
It was Second Brother!
That person was Second Brother!
Once that blocked memory burst open, the rest came flooding back.
Yesterday’s events gradually became clear, replaying one scene after another before her eyes.
“Forget everything that happened today.”
“In short, forget all of it.”
Her memories stopped there.
Covering her mouth tightly, her little face flushed bright red, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Then she remembered the two times she’d suffered an attack.
Each time, Lian Qiguang had done something to her.
Each time, he had made her pain disappear.
Each time, he had spared her from the torment.
It was Second Brother.
But…
What exactly had he done?
“Qiguang, you’re really going to Unfallen Star?” Lian Yucheng asked as he walked out of the kitchen.
Long Ying followed behind him silently, carrying a plate.
“Yeah.”
Lian Qiguang answered indifferently.
“Unfallen Star is Blue Planet’s first line of defense. It could come under attack at any moment. It’s incredibly dangerous. You’ve finally got some vacation time—why go there?”
“I want to see Shao Xuan.”
Beep.
The game ended in another defeat.
Lian Qiguang frowned in displeasure.
Lian Yucheng paused.
“You’ve made up your mind?”
“Hm?”
Without a change in expression, Lian Qiguang calmly snapped the handheld game console in half and stuffed the broken pieces under a cushion before getting up and sitting at the dining table.
“You’ve decided to spend the rest of your life with Major General Xiahou?”
“Mm. We’ll be together forever.”
He stuffed a mouthful of meat into his mouth and nodded seriously.
“Xiaozhu! Come eat.”
Lian Yucheng motioned toward Lian Xiaozhu, who had remained silent all this time.
Then he naturally handed a bowl to Long Ying beside him, clearly long accustomed to his presence.
Such a casual gesture naturally earned him one of Long Ying’s smiles.
Lian Xiaozhu slowly shuffled over and sat beside Lian Yucheng, glancing timidly at Lian Qiguang.
But Lian Qiguang remained completely focused on the meat in his bowl and never spared her a single glance.
“So when are you planning to make it official?” Lian Yucheng asked.
“What?”
“You’re still young. The wedding can wait, but the legal paperwork can’t.”
Seeing Lian Qiguang’s unconcerned expression, Lian Yucheng frowned.
“Without legal protection, Xiahou Shao Xuan may treat you well now—but what about two years from now? Five? Ten? Can he guarantee he’ll always treat you well?”
Lian Qiguang paused.
“Your marriage was arranged by your fathers. If the two of you really intend to spend your lives together, then hurry up and get the paperwork done.”
“…Okay.”
After a long silence, Lian Qiguang nodded solemnly.
“I’ll tell him.”
“Can you use your brain for once?” Lian Yucheng said with exasperation.
“I’ll treat you well for the rest of your life.”
Long Ying stared straight at Lian Yucheng and made his promise earnestly.
“Shut up!”
Lian Yucheng barked, glaring fiercely at him.
Yet the faint blush creeping up his ears completely gave him away.
“A visitor has arrived. Identity cannot be verified. Classified as: Stranger.”
The electronic announcement sounded from outside.
Lian Qiguang looked up.
His dark eyes flickered.
They were here.
Lian Yucheng had apparently guessed the same thing.
“Go answer the door.”
Lian Qiguang put down his chopsticks and walked outside.
The door opened.
A gentle voice greeted him.
“Hello. I am—”
The two stared at one another.
Silence.
A long silence.
“You! You! Why is it you?!”
Yuan Ling jumped backward nearly six feet in fright, pointing at Lian Qiguang with a trembling finger.
“…”
Lian Qiguang remained expressionless.
“I…”
Yuan Ling finally found his voice.
He nodded stiffly.
“I… think I came to the wrong place. Sorry to—”
Bang!
The door slammed shut mercilessly, nearly smashing into his face.
Lian Qiguang turned around and calmly walked back toward the dining table.
“What happened? Wrong person?” Lian Yucheng asked.
“Fake medicine salesman.”
Without waiting for the person he’d actually wanted to see, Lian Qiguang’s unhappiness was plainly written across his face.
“…”
Lian Yucheng was speechless.
Outside, Yuan Ling rubbed his nearly flattened nose.
He turned around stiffly and blankly started walking away.
Then he suddenly froze.
Wait…
Something wasn’t right.
He hurriedly opened his communicator and carefully checked the address again.
It was this place!
Just as Lian Qiguang picked up another bite of meat, the annoying electronic announcement sounded again.
“I’ll get it…” Lian Yucheng said, setting down his chopsticks.
But before he could stand, Lian Qiguang had already risen.
Cold light gleamed from the Thousand Cry Saber in his hand.
The door opened once more.
Before Yuan Ling could speak—
Whoosh!
The Tang saber embedded itself in the wall barely two inches from his forehead.
“…”
Yuan Ling froze.
“Easy there.”
He smacked his lips awkwardly and cautiously backed away from both the dangerous weapon and the equally dangerous expressionless young man.
“I just wanted to ask…”
“Does someone named Lian Qiguang live here?”
“…”
“Do you know Lian Qiguang?”
“…”
“Haha…”
Yuan Ling laughed stiffly.
“Well… you’re probably Lian Qiguang’s friend, right? What a coincidence. So am I.”
“You’re not my friend.”
“Could you let me see him? I…”
“…Wait! What did you just say?”
Yuan Ling’s mouth fell open.
No way.
Surely it wasn’t what he was thinking.
No.
Impossible.
He couldn’t be that unlucky…
“…Haha…”
“I am Lian Qiguang.”
Still expressionless.
Those five simple words struck Yuan Ling like a bolt from the blue.
He stood there, completely fried, inside and out.
His mind went utterly blank.
“Did Shao Xuan send you to pick me up?”
If he still couldn’t figure it out by now, he really would be an idiot.
Lian Qiguang withdrew Thousand Cry and returned it to his space.
Then he looked at Yuan Ling expressionlessly.
“S-Sister-in-law…”
Yuan Ling saluted mechanically.
“…Greetings.”
“…”
Lian Qiguang stared at him.
“Is Shao Xuan really in such a hurry for manpower?”
“He actually sent someone this dumb.”
The ten-ton hammer smashed directly into Yuan Ling’s face, leaving him wishing he could crawl back into the furnace and be reforged.
Inside the living room.
Yuan Ling sat dejectedly in a corner, secretly stealing glances at Lian Qiguang.
Lian Qiguang sat curled up on the sofa, expressionless as he watched the floating holographic screen projected by his communicator.
“Sweetheart, did he arrive?”
Xiahou Shao Xuan looked at his beloved, unable to hide the smile and satisfaction in his eyes.
Watching from the side, Yuan Ling’s eyelids twitched repeatedly.
Was he hallucinating from all the psychological damage he’d suffered?
Was this gentle, doting man really the same cold, ruthless Major General who slaughtered enemies without blinking?
“Mm.”
Lian Qiguang nodded blankly.
“Not satisfied?” Xiahou Shao Xuan asked, noticing his obvious lack of enthusiasm.
“Too dumb.”
“…”
Yuan Ling’s face went blank.
“He’s the only idle one on the team. Make do with him.”
‘Boss! You can’t cheer up your wife by sacrificing your brothers like this! How am I idle?! Those bastards dump all the work on me! Who’s busier than I am on the whole team?!’
Yuan Ling screamed inwardly.
“I don’t want him.”
“Sweetheart, it’s not that they’re too dumb.”
“It’s that you’re too smart.”
“If I sent someone else, they’d probably seem even dumber.”
Xiahou Shao Xuan naturally knew exactly how to coax his beloved.
Lian Qiguang looked at him silently.
The displeasure in his eyes faded noticeably.
“I fought him before.”
Tilting his head, Lian Qiguang asked woodenly,
“Aren’t you afraid he’ll take revenge?”
‘Sister-in-law! Please spare me! I’d never dare!!’
Yuan Ling cried silently.
“Hm?”
Xiahou Shao Xuan frowned.
His face darkened instantly.
“What happened?”
“That day…”
Ignoring Yuan Ling’s frantic gestures begging for mercy, Lian Qiguang expressionlessly recounted everything exactly as it had happened.
Including how Yuan Ling had injured him.
How that injury had left him unable to protect himself during the later ambush.
How he’d nearly died.
The more Xiahou Shao Xuan listened, the darker his expression became.
Yuan Ling’s eyes also widened.
He had never known there had been something like that afterward.
“Actually, if I hadn’t been injured then, I could have handled that ambush by myself.”
“I wouldn’t have nearly died.”
Lian Qiguang said it with complete seriousness.
“…”
Xiahou Shao Xuan remained silent.
But his dark expression and the violent rage barely restrained in his eyes made it feel like a storm was about to break.
“B-Boss…”
Yuan Ling cautiously stepped forward.
“C-can I… ask for leniency?”
“…”
Xiahou Shao Xuan said nothing.
“…”
Neither did Yuan Ling.
“Yuan Ling.”
Xiahou Shao Xuan finally spoke, his deep voice suppressing barely contained fury.
“We’ll discuss this after we reach Unfallen Star.”
“Boss!! Mercy!!”
“Shao Xuan!”
Lian Qiguang suddenly added,
“Give him special training by himself.”
“…”
Yuan Ling froze.
“Find people to gang up on him.”
“…”
Yuan Ling was already on the verge of tears.
“You personally supervise it.”
“No! Absolutely not!!!!”