The next morning, when Gu Qing stepped out of the examination room, the corridor was already empty—no insect in sight. The medical staff who had accompanied him earlier had long since left. Only Milton Collins remained, standing by the doorway with his arms folded, quietly waiting for him.
If another insect had seen this scene, they might have mistaken it for a moment of lovers’ vigil. In truth, however, each harbored their own suspicions, and the atmosphere was anything but romantic.
Gu Qing deliberately slowed his pace, letting a trace of apprehension show. “General… have the examination results come out?”
Milton’s gaze darkened slightly as he swept Gu Qing from head to toe, as if confirming what kind of creature he really was. He spoke evenly. “Physical constitution rating—F.”
“F…?” Gu Qing froze, panic rising in his expression. “What… what does that mean?”
“It means you are far weaker than the average male,” Milton replied coolly. “Your mental power fluctuations are extremely low, muscle tension is insufficient, and your bone density is abnormally fragile…”
As he listened, Gu Qing’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. His hands quietly clenched the hem of his clothes, as if truly frightened. He asked in a low voice, “Does that mean… I’ll be injured easily in the future? That I might be bullied…?”
He lifted his eyes to Milton, hesitating. “But… General, you don’t seem to fully believe that report.”
Milton was about to answer when Gu Qing suddenly lowered his head and reached up, casually undoing the fastenings at the collar of his medical uniform.
The first clasp.
The second.
As each fastening came undone, the lines of his collarbone and chest were faintly revealed.
He raised his eyes to Milton, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Do you want to confirm it personally?”
Milton’s ears flushed bright red in an instant. His voice jumped half an octave higher than usual. “That won’t be necessary! I don’t judge enemies and allies by looking at chest muscles!!”
With that, he turned sharply and strode away, retreating so fast it was practically a rout.
Gu Qing unhurriedly straightened his sleeves, then turned and headed for the exit.
Inside his sea of consciousness, the Heavenly Dao Little Ball was already laughing itself senseless:
“Hey, hey, hey! Sword Venerable, you actually used a beauty trap! You even took the initiative—way too seductive, you old fox—no, sword-cultivator fox!”
Gu Qing curved his lips slightly, his tone calm. “I knew he wouldn’t look.”
“So you were using… a delaying tactic by undressing?!” the Little Ball cried.
He chuckled softly, offering no answer.
The performance hadn’t been overdone, but it was enough to loosen the other party’s vigilance and buy room for the next step.
Meanwhile, Milton sat silently in his military hovercar, his ears still faintly warm. The image of Gu Qing lowering his head to undo the clasps—those collarbones, that chest, the bronze-toned skin glimpsed between—lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.
“…What do you mean, personally confirm…” he muttered through clenched teeth.
The next second, he activated his light-brain, accessed the Male Protection Association database with confidential clearance, and coldly entered a search command—
Query target: Gu Qing.
Sex: Male.
Origin: No record.
Mental power level: D.
Physical constitution: F.
He needed to find out whether this was truly a fallen little white flower… or a beast in sheep’s clothing.
The next day at noon, Milton entered the hospital room carrying a high-end meal box.
“This is currently the most popular cuisine among males on the capital star. Even hatchlings can eat it,” he said as he set it down. “A glass-bug like you—if anything happens, I’ll be writing reports until next stellar year.”
Gu Qing glanced at him silently, then obediently opened the box. The food was brightly colored and richly fragrant, but carried a strange artificial sweetness. After two bites, he lowered his eyes in thought.
So this was interstellar-era cuisine? Not very good… not even as good as the medicinal porridge he used to make with spiritual plants.
Deep in his consciousness, the Little Ball popped out with a soft pa, wobbling as it drifted closer, its glow pulsing as if barely holding back laughter.
“He’s here~ he’s here~ Lately he’s either bringing you food or coming to check on you. I think he’s about to explode from holding it in! Look—he keeps suspecting you but can’t find any proof. What trick do you think he’s trying this time?”
Gu Qing kept eating, his expression unchanged.
The Little Ball floated around theatrically, spinning in circles and trailing a silver arc of light, like a one-ball play on stage.
“Hey hey hey, I bet he’s about to say: ‘There’s an exam this afternoon.’”
Gu Qing lifted his eyes and glanced at Milton.
“There’s an examination this afternoon,” Milton said suddenly. “Routine checks—mental power, pheromones, brain state. A full evaluation.”
“Jackpot!”
The Little Ball exploded into fireworks of light. “I know him too well! After all that circling, he still wants to know whether you’re some kind of freak—ahahaha, he’s seriously anxious!”
Gu Qing continued eating in silence, responding within his consciousness, “He’s confirming whether I pose any threat to the insect race.”
“Does every male get examined this thoroughly?” Gu Qing asked aloud.
“Yes,” Milton replied without hesitation. “Every male is a treasure of the insect race.”
In reality, ordinary males would never undergo such an exhaustive examination. Milton had personally applied for it. The equipment was the only one on the capital star capable of precisely detecting deep mental power fluctuations and pheromone mutations. Even lining up through the Male Protection Association took three months. Gu Qing was examined today only because he was classified as a “severely injured male,” and because Milton had forced the issue using his rank and authority as supervising general.
When Gu Qing entered the examination room, the technicians were already prepared. The machines hummed as white metal and transparent glass formed a completely exposed observation chamber. Gu Qing changed into the testing suit and felt several sensors adhere to his skin.
“Please extend both hands forward and focus. Inject your mental power into the device ahead,” the examiner instructed politely.
Gu Qing complied without expression. Within his consciousness, a wisp of silver mist drifted out.
“Hey, hey! Sword Venerable, I think I see what this machine does!” the Little Ball hopped excitedly. “It doesn’t just read surface mental fluctuations—it probes abnormal brain regions and also identifies pheromone responses. It’s basically a disguised—”
“Probe,” Gu Qing finished calmly.
“Exactly! This general… he’s really vigilant,” the Little Ball sighed. “He’s testing whether you’re faking amnesia and what your true mental level is. If you release too much, you’ll be exposed!”
Gu Qing lowered his lashes. “I won’t.”
In the next instant, he controlled his divine sense with extreme precision, releasing only a thread of mental fluctuation—fragile, scattered, mixed with the noise characteristic of brain damage.
Outside the chamber, Milton stared at the figure within. The sensors flickered faintly. Gu Qing looked slightly fatigued, as if from excessive mental exertion, his posture gentle and compliant.
In truth, Gu Qing was calmly observing Milton through the glass—every gaze, every frown, every flicker of doubt. He knew the other man’s guard had already dropped by more than half. Not only because of the data, but because Gu Qing had successfully shaped the image of weakness.
—For now, this round was stable.
Minutes later, the examiner lowered his head to review the analysis and reported to Milton:
“General, this male’s overall mental power density and strength… are at the borderline of D-rank. Slightly below standard, but still within acceptable limits. No abnormalities.”
“Brainwave activity shows clear signs of past trauma. He’s currently in a slow recovery phase, which will affect short-term memory and pheromone regulation…”
“As for pheromones…” The technician hesitated. “We are unable to detect any response. He appears to have… no pheromone activity at all. It may be a rare male disability.”
The technician tapped the screen twice, struggling to reach a conclusion.
“In medical terms, this is classified as ‘complete pheromone dysfunction.’ In male medical taxonomy, it is equivalent to… functional impotence.”
The entire examination room fell into a silence so deep that even the hum of the machines felt piercing.
Milton’s expression grew indescribably complex. For a fleeting moment, he almost wondered whether he ought to feel sympathy for this male.
He stared at Gu Qing sitting quietly inside the chamber—posture upright, expression serene to the point of indifference, as if he were the only one who didn’t feel awkward at all.
Inside the sea of consciousness, the Little Ball, which had been laughing moments earlier, froze when Gu Qing’s cold voice cut in:
“…This is what you called a tiny problem?”
The silver light stiffened instantly. “Oh no oh no oh no! Sword Venerable, I’m sorry, I was wrong! I thought at most they’d check mental power! How was I supposed to know they’d also test pheromone function?!”
Gu Qing’s sword intent hovered above the Little Ball, his voice icy with suppressed anger.
“You said it was ‘just an auxiliary attribute’—and now their medical conclusion is functional impotence!”
“N-no, wait! Calm down! This isn’t impotence, it’s pheromone impotence! Totally different—ah no, that’s not what I meant!” The Little Ball panicked, ricocheting around like a silver marble. “Please don’t be angry! Look, Milton’s face is completely stiff—he’s more socially dead than you are!”
Gu Qing closed his eyes, withdrew his sword intent, and said flatly, “Forget it.”
The Little Ball froze. “…Huh?”
Gu Qing spoke lightly, without emotion. “I wasn’t planning to find a partner anyway.”
The Little Ball: “…………”
The next second, the entire silver orb exploded. “No, that makes it worse! I feel even guiltier! You’ve been diagnosed with pheromone impotence! This level of misunderstanding is going down in male medical history! If you ever want to fall in love—”
“I won’t,” Gu Qing interrupted calmly.
The sea of consciousness fell silent, broken only by the Little Ball’s soft sobbing.
Outside, Milton was still processing the results, utterly unaware that Gu Qing had just declared his lifelong singlehood internally.
All the evidence pointed to the same conclusion: a low-tier male—injured, amnesiac, pheromone-deficient, harmless.
And yet, the sense of dissonance in Milton’s heart refused to fade.
That composure in crisis.
That overwhelming presence.
That gaze that had nearly stolen his breath.
What kind of male could possess such bearing?
He lowered his eyes, deep in thought.
—Had he really been wrong…? Was Gu Qing truly just a fallen little white flower?
The technician was about to conclude the examination when he suddenly asked, “Shall we proceed with partner compatibility analysis? This is a standard procedure of the Department of Reproductive Health.”
“No need,” Milton said coldly.
“This is a mandatory protocol and cannot be skipped,” the technician replied politely but firmly. “If a match is found, it would greatly stabilize Gu Qing’s mental state and aid his recovery plan. Moreover, although you are currently his temporary caregiver, once he is discharged, he will have no designated caretaker.”
Milton frowned, but did not object further.
The partner system activated. Silver light flashed. Gu Qing watched calmly, unconcerned.
Then—
The screen froze.
[Mental Compatibility: 100.00% — Absolute Resonance]
Matched Partner: Milton Collins, General
(Mental Power Level: SSS)
Dead silence filled the room.
“That’s impossible…” a young technician murmured. “There has never been anything above ninety percent in recorded history… and with General Milton?! This must be a system error!”
Seconds later, the screen went black.
A cold system voice sounded:
[Match Failed: No Compatible Partner Found.]
“Figures—it was an error,” someone sighed in relief.
“How could a D-rank male match an SSS-rank female?”
“He couldn’t even help cleanse the other’s mental sea… Looks like he’ll have to rely on state subsidies for care.”
All eyes fell on the figure inside the chamber, filled with pity and regret.
Gu Qing looked at the fleeting [100%] on the screen, his expression unchanged.
He had never believed in such pairing systems, nor did he need them to validate emotion or worth.
Besides, he had a mission in this world. Romance and partners were not part of his plans.
But inside his consciousness, the Little Ball was already losing its mind.
“AAAAAH—Sword Venerable! Did you see that?! You and the General were a perfect match! This is destiny!”
Gu Qing lowered his eyes and said evenly, “Just an error.”
“No, no, no! This is totally, absolutely fate!”
He ignored the Little Ball’s frenzy and gently closed his eyes, pretending to be fatigued.
Outside the chamber, Milton lowered his gaze, concealing the trace of mockery in his eyes. Absolute resonance with a male of unknown origin, F-rank physique, and medically diagnosed functional impotence?
“Even if such compatibility truly existed in this world, he would never entrust himself to any male.”